Free Republic

Izhar Khan, 26, the imam of a mosque in Margate, is a free man after U.S. District Judge Robert Scola issued a verdict of acquittalHours after a federal judge dismissed terrorism support and conspiracy charges against him, a young Muslim cleric on Thursday said he hopes his father similarly is cleared of such charges. “I'm hoping he will get released soon,” said Izhar Khan, 26, an imam at a mosque in suburban Margate north of Fort Lauderdale. “Justice will be served. Only time will tell.” Thursday, U.S. District Judge Robert Scola issued a verdict of acquittal for the younger Khan,...

Soldiers in Afghanistan have been filling us in on what it means to no longer get a hot breakfast each morning - and it has a lot more to do with morale than hunger. The comments are in response to a story that appeared in Home Post last week about the Pentagon's dismissal of a viral email that claimed all troops in Afghanistan weren't getting breakfast. According to the American Forces Press Service: The Internet myth’s genesis came from a few forward operating bases in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province that are closing or being turned over to Afghan security forces....

The nation's biggest arms store, Charlotte, N.C.'s Hyatt Gun Shop, is calling on gun owners to revolt against President Obama's new gun control move, warning that Washington has its eyes on trashing the Second Amendment and stealing gun rights. Hyatt has turned part of its retail webpage over to the plea for action: "Whining to other gun owners and giving up on dialogue with your representatives in Congress is how you GIVE AWAY your gun rights! Remember to contact your representative and senator TODAY and keep contacting them. We cannot stress this enough!" Owner Larry Hyatt told Secrets, "People are...

Republican senator Ted Cruz of Texas said Thursday that Barack Obama is "high on his own power" with regard to the president's announced efforts on gun control. Speaking on Laura Ingraham's radio talk show, Cruz, who was just elected to the Senate last November, said "this is a president who has drunk the Kool-Aid."

Today I saw the proposal/purchase information for the modernization of PICS, which is the background check computer system run by the Pennsylvania State Police. (PA doesn't use the national system). What I learned was interesting. First, the current system is not connected to any mental health records. The new system will be. Second, nearly $500,000 will be spent on the new system. That is the initial price tag, but given it is government, it will probably be double, if not triple.

Speaking from Rome, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said the U.S. will take "all necessary and proper steps" in response to the attack and subsequent hostage crisis in Algeria. Panetta called it a "terrorist act" and said "it is a very serious matter when Americans are taken hostage, along with others." Yesterday, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb made it clear that the targeting of Americans was intentional--that it was a way to send a message that the U.S. will "face the consequences" if they help the French fight Malian Islamists in southeast Algeria.

WILLIAM RIVERS PITT wants to know what is happening at the Free Republic as you can see in his THREAD, "Has anyone checked out FreeRepublic yet?" Since all editions of the DUmmie FUnnies are quickly posted at the Free Republic, Pitt might find out way more than he would like. For example, he might find out about the heinous deeds of a certain Temporary SockPuppet. Or would he prefer to wait 24 business hours for a PARTIAL BIRTH NONAPOLOGY that attempted to explain away one of the biggest journalistic frauds ever perpetrated? A visitor to the Free Republic who...

A New York Times columnist has come under fire after retweeting a controversial message that referred to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) as “the 2 most pig like lobbies” in America. According to Adam Kredo of The Washington Free Beacon, Columnist Nicholas Kristof on Wednesday afternoon retweeted the message written by longtime Israel critic M.J. Rosenberg, which recalled the recently unearthed statements by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi that referred to Jews as “pigs.” “OBAMA told the 2 most pig like lobbies, AIPAC & NRA, to drop dead in same month. Next: Chamber...

"IRI recruitment and support activities in Latin America - the Uruguay connection" SNIPPET: "You can add Uruguay to the countries in Latin America where the Islamic Republic of Iran is well-represented by indigenous supporters. What brings these folks to my attention in the first place is their support for Suhail Assad, the IRI's point man in Latin America, and their connection to the IRI's recruiter in Peru, Edwar "Hussein" Quiroga Vargas. I'll get back to that, but first, the websites."

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The recent Saratoga Springs Arms Fair at the City Center had record-setting attendance and sales, organizers say. The three-day event drew nearly 7,000 people, twice previous totals, said Cathy Petronis, of Mechanicville, who runs the show with her husband, David. The gun show drew extensive media coverage because of opponents who wanted to have it canceled, following last month’s elementary school shooting deaths in Newtown, Conn. Dozens of people, both for and against, demonstrated outside the City Center last Saturday. "Not only was it not cancelled, the show saw the greatest attendance in its history," David Petronis...

WASHINGTON (KABC) -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was in the national spotlight Monday calling for federal immigration reform. With so many priorities in Washington D.C. right now, the mayor said he doesn't want this issue to fall off the radar screen. Villaraigosa spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and called repairing the nation's broken immigration system an economic imperative. He wants a pathway to citizenship as the core of any reforms. "No human being is illegal. No human being should be illegal. We must enshrine this principle into the heart and soul of this country's immigration...

The Military Is Already Preparing For The Worst-Case Sequester Scenario Paul SzoldraJanuary 17, 2013There's plenty of talk about the "fiscal cliff" -- which was avoided by a last-minute deal last month — but that only delayed a huge Pentagon fear: Sequestration. What happens if the military is slapped with sequestration -- automatic budget cuts to the tune of about $500 billion over ten years? The Defense Department is the biggest loser in the latest budget battle, and although Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is hopeful about reaching an agreement, they still need to plan for the possibility, which left unchecked...

An amateur prospector is looking to cash in after uncovering a massive gold nugget in Australia, estimated to be worth more than $300,000. The golden discovery was made at a prospecting area outside Ballarat in the country’s Southeast area, and weighs 177 ounces, ABC News reports.

Shooting Range No Longer Welcomes Burlington Police Range says it can't support a city that threatens constitutional freedoms Published 2:40 PM EST Jan 17, 2013 BURLINGTON, Vt. —The Burlington Police Department is getting caught in the crossfire between Burlington City Council and Second Amendment advocates. A shooting range in Morrisville, Vt. is no longer letting Burlington Police officers train there. The Lamoille Valley Fish and Game Club voted on the issue, saying it can no longer support a city that is threatening constitutional freedoms.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie slammed the National Rifle Association’s latest ad in which they accuse President Barack Obama of hypocrisy for sending his children to a school where they are protected by armed guards. Christie called the ad “reprehensible” and said that the NRA should not be “dragging people’s children” into the gun control debate. RELATED: NRA: Those Who Think New Ad Is About First Daughters Are ‘Missing The Point Completely’ “I think any of us who are public figures, you see that kind of ad and you cringe,” Christie said on Thursday at a news conference in Trenton....

Those who know me well know my penchant for Great Tradition theology, by which I mean that we need to recover true catholicity, the faith of the early, undivided Church. I believe that the methodology that best gets us there is an embrace of the Vincentian Canon, the product of St. Vincent of Lerins (died c. AD 445). It is tempting to want to reproduce all four paragraphs of this Canon, which come from Chapter 4 of the Vincent's Commonitorium, and I encourage you to click on the link and read the four fairly short paragraphs, because a great many...

The Department of Homeland Security has released their 2011 "Analysts Desktop Binder," detailing how the department has been monitoring activity on the internet and social networks. The binder includes an extensive list of key words and search terms carefully watched by analysts in multiple agencies including the Directorate for National Protection and Programs, Directorate for Science and Technology, Office of Health Affairs, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and others. Many monitored search terms are basic and used on a regular basis by every day American citizens and journalists.

Pauline Phillips, better known to millions of newspaper readers as the original Dear Abby advice columnist, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease, her family said Thursday. She died Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at age 94. Phillips' columns were published in an era when newspaper readers began to prize straight-talking, pithy advice about marriages, children, jobs -- just about anything that troubled people. Phillips wrote under the pen name of Abigail Van Buren, shortened to "Dear Abby" in newspapers. "Abigail" was taken from the wise woman in the Old Testament and "Van Buren" was one of her favorite...

Hilda Solis, the outgoing Secretary of Labor made some surprising comments in an interview with Fox News Latino: In a wide-ranging, exclusive interview with Fox News Latino on Wednesday, Solis, the first Hispanic Labor Secretary in U.S. history, made it clear that despite her resignation, politics still flow through her blood. When asked whether she would consider running for the mayor of Los Angeles or governor of California, she proudly pandered to illegal aliens: ”I will absolutely make myself available,” said Solis, a four term congresswoman representing districts in the heavily Hispanic East LA area. “Many of the hardworking people...

The Legacy Lives On! Mark’s Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation “Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny precisely because its principles are the founding principles.” --Mark Levin in Liberty and TyrannyWelcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a virtual FRink.Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic.com! You can call Mark’s show: 1-877-381-3811