Free Republic

What is the difference between Barack Obama and Ignatius Loyola? Not a hell of a lot. I’m thumbing through a copy of The Ten Commandments of Propaganda, a book by my academic buddy Brian Patrick. Aside from being a well-rounded review of the dark art, Brain illustrates historical cornerstones of propaganda, which includes Ignatius. The Roman church originated modern techniques for thought control with their Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, known in Latin as “Congregatio de Propaganda Fide” and hence the modern perversion of the word ‘propaganda’.  In its purest form, ‘propaganda’ means to propagate information. It took...

The only thing stopping the Sacramento Kings from a sale and move to Seattle is approval by NBA owners. The Maloof family has agreed to sell the Kings to a Seattle group led by investor Chris Hansen, the league confirmed in a statement Monday morning. The deal is still pending approval from the NBA Board of Governors. A person familiar with the decision said Sunday night that Hansen's group will buy 65% of the franchise for $525 million, move the team to Seattle and restore the SuperSonics name. The Maloofs will have no stake in the team. The person spoke...

President Barack Hussein Obama’s second inauguration was every bit as historic as his first — not because it said so much about the nation’s long, bitter, unfinished struggle with issues of race, as was the case four years ago, but because it said so little about the subject. Reflect for a moment: A black man stood on the Capitol steps and took the oath of office as president of the United States. For the second time. Meaning that not only did voters elect him once — which could be a fluke, a blip, an aberration, a cosmic accident — but...

Liberals cheered President Barack Obama’s invocations of gay rights and promise to tackle climate change in his second inaugural address -finding the address surprisingly progressive -while conservatives rolled their eyes at the president’s basic view of government. @JamesFallows... I believe this is the most 'progressive' speech Obama has ever given @davidfrum... Message: A-bout ...LEFT! Most heartening to the left were the president’s two references to gay rights and a vow to try to slow climate change. Obama became the first president ever to use the word “gay” in a inaugural address, and any movement on climate change has seemingly taken...

I'm Jon Carson, the new executive director of Organizing for Action. I hope you're as excited as I am for this new organization, and for what our grassroots movement can accomplish in the next four years. If you haven't already, you should check out this short video First Lady Michelle Obama recorded about our organization, and then say you're on board. Just a little bit about me. I'm a Wisconsin guy, and I grew up on a farm in the western part of the state. In 2007, I joined Barack Obama's campaign and served as the national field director. After...

As President Obama is at his second inauguration, it seems appropriate to review some of the economic details of his last four years as President. Civilian Employment to Population Ratio During the Great Recession, the employment to population ratio plunger from 60.6% in January 2009 to 58.6% currently. Labor Force Participation Rate Likewise, the labor force participation rate plunged from 65.8% in January 2009 to 63.6% currently. The Civilian Labor Force has grown by only 1.28 million since January 2009 despite the US population growing 9.05 million since January 2009. That is an abysmal ratio of only 14.15 of labor...

If you live in a small town in Connecticut, you are more likely to have a pistol permit than a city dweller. While Bridgeport has the highest number of permit holders, several small, rural towns top the list with the highest percentage of their population having a pistol permit. About 170,000 people in Connecticut have them, and the number of individuals seeking them has increased in recent years. Attorney Ralph Sherman of New Britain, who has had a pistol permit for about 25 years, said he originally got his because he knew people who had awakened to discover a burglar...

Andrew McCarthy: Don't think Obama will release him? Not so fast! An ugly and confusing terrorist attack at an Algerian gas facility is getting even more troubling as the Islamic radicals now demand the release of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and another prominent terrorist in exchange for the remaining American hostages. Abdel Rahman is the blind sheikh now serving a life sentence for masterminding the 1993 attack against the World Trade Center. Terrorists are also demanding the release of Aafia Saddiqui, who is imprisoned on her conviction for attempted murder. And the captors in Algeria are not the only ones...

President Barack Obama’s second inauguration speech promised a sharply ideological second term where the “the people” will use government to accomplish the tasks that he declared cannot be accomplished by individuals. “No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores,” he declared in a 2,103-word speech that included numerous campaign-style jabs at his political opponents. “Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation and one...

Do you remember the Financial Crisis of 2008? You woke up that morning in September, took a shower, had your first cup of coffee, turned on the news, and heard that, apparently out of nowhere, we were on the thin edge of a financial disaster that would make the Great Depression look like a picnic. Do you remember how you felt, the sense of disbelief, the feeling of real fear? How? Why? It happened because Congress passed a law that allowed the banks to take the risk of mortgage default, and then transfer that risk to someone else. Congress even...

Tim and I met a few years ago at a 24 watch party. His natural intelligence, unabashed geekiness, and “Snaps” skills made us quick friends. Plus, he managed a Starbucks so there was free coffee in it for me. Before long, I needed a new place to live and so did he. With a third friend, we rented a house together. Our friendship grew. Soon, I discovered that Tim is a serious Christian whose poignant reflections on faith and life set him apart from the pack. He was an usher in my wedding. One day, Tim told me that he...

"...told the TBI he hit his wife repeatedly with a hammer. The first-degree murder charge against 23-year-old Morris Long was sent to a Dickson County grand jury on Friday." Ashlee Long age 21

The Economy Almost Always Does Worse During A President's Second Term The EconomistJanuary 21, 2013The economic performance of American presidents tends to deteriorate during their second term THE economic auguries for Barack Obama’s second term are not good. By comparing the changes across eight economic indicators (GDP, industrial production, household incomes, house prices, unemployment, consumer confidence, stockmarkets and federal debt) during their presidential terms, The Economist has analysed the economic performance of all 11 two-term presidents since Teddy Roosevelt took office in September 1901. The first chart below shows that the average change in each of these economic indicators. With...

This is an ("enhanced") shot from the private ceremony held the day before the public one. I didn't know this was done prior to the big event, but it was...

The Propaganda Ministry, through the Obama Press Chamber, has jumped the shark. In the new issue of Newsweek online (the print is understandably defunct), President Obama's inauguration is deemed "The Second Coming." Clearly the editor of the magazine, the goosestepping Obama shill Tina Brown, has taken the Wehrmacht Oath of Loyalty to the Obamessiah. The writer of the article, Evan Thomas, has imbued Obama with the divinity of Christ before (but Muhammad is better suited to Obama, IMO). Back in June of 2009, naturally on MSNBC, Thomas asserted: “In a way, Obama’s standing above the country, above — above the...

I’ve always been a fan of Van Gogh’s paintings. I similarly like Renior, and Seurat. Although I like some of Picasso’s early work, most of it I find a bit odd. My favorite artist however is William Adolphe Bouguereau, a 19th century French artist whose works are the polar opposite of the impressionists, literally. From the 1870s his realistic portrayal of the human form was increasingly seen as passé in an art world increasingly captivated by Impressionism – a style which influenced both Van Gogh and Seurat. By the early 20th century Bouguereau’s work had completely fallen out of favor...

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that It cannot save;neither His ear heavy, that It cannot hear. Isaiah 59:1

Getting through the second inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama without losing one’s calm, cheerful disposition and without any breach of law more actionable than a profanity-laced tirade that would cause even the most grizzled Navy sailor to blush is a tall order, indeed, for those of us prone to taking our politics a smidgen too seriously. Remember, patriots, Barack Obama is not smirking at you, personally, as he promises once again to defend and protect the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic; a promise he will deliberately break several times before even completing his God-awful, boring inaugural speech! Be...

Why an adoring press crowns Obama with every honorary title – except this one The craze started when Nobel-winning author Toni Morrison, writing in the New Yorker in 1998, described Bill Clinton as the “first black president.” Everybody got it: “White skin notwithstanding,” explained Morrison, “this is our first black President. Blacker than any actual black person who could ever be elected in our children’s lifetime. After all, Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald’s-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas.” Thus was born an enduring cultural idiom Atlantic Wire recently called the “first something president”...