Free Republic

Above: Supporters of granting illegal aliens drivers licenses cheer after a House committee hearing at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. The House passed the legislation Jan. 8 and Gov. Pat Quinn signed the legislation Sunday, Jan. 27.  (AP Photo) by John HillStand with ArizonaIn the race to become America's top "Sanctuary State" for illegal aliens, we have a new leader.  Illinois has (temporarily) bested California for that title, and has done so by putting public safety at greater risk. Both states have in-state tuition for illegal aliens. Both states fight I.C.E. every step of the way to keep...

Recent scientific findings date their arrival earlier than ever thought, sparking hot debate among archaeologists For much of its length, the slow-moving Aucilla River in northern Florida flows underground, tunneling through bedrock limestone. But here and there it surfaces, and preserved in those inky ponds lie secrets of the first Americans.For years adventurous divers had hunted fossils and artifacts in the sinkholes of the Aucilla about an hour east of Tallahassee. They found stone arrowheads and the bones of extinct mammals such as mammoth, mastodon and the American ice age horse.Then, in the 1980s, archaeologists from the Florida Museum of...

  NLM   -h/t Ed Z

January 28, 2013 Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church     Reading 1 Heb 9:15, 24-28 Christ is mediator of a new covenant:since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf.Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood...

Israel could launch a pre-emptive strike to stop Syria’s chemical weapons from reaching Lebanon’s Hezbollah or al-Qaida inspired groups, officials said Sunday.

President Barack Obama on Sunday paid tribute to the victims of the Holocaust by vowing to “stand in the way of any tyrant or dictator who commits crimes against humanity.” “We honor the memories of the 6 million Jews and millions of other innocent victims whose lives were tragically taken during the Holocaust over sixty years ago,” Obama said in a statement marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. “Those who experienced the horrors of the cattle cars, ghettos, and concentration camps have witnessed humanity at its very worst and know too well the pain of losing loved ones to senseless violence.”...

An idea I've been kicking around for a while.... Suppose there were a coordinated effort -- for registered Republicans to dump their current registration during a specific time frame -- let's say the month of February. Enough to get noticed -- by Boehner, by McConnell, by the conservative pundits (both the legit ones and the phonies). Do you think maybe THEN they'd get the message that we've reached the final straw of them not representing us? Change to Independent, change to Conservative -- even change to Democrat, to start screwing up *their* primaries for a change. This is a step...

Hospitals are expected to cut some 93,000 jobs in 2013 in anticipation of ObamaCare. A former presidential candidate and conservative advocate says America needs to prepare for major changes in the medical industry. Orlando Health, a not-for-profit network of community and specialty hospitals, is just one example of the massive layoffs expected in the coming year. Officials with the Central Florida-based healthcare services provider announced on Monday that the largest staff reduction in its nearly 100-year history will result in cutting up to 400 jobs, starting immediately. Gary Bauer, president of Washington DC-based American Values, warns that this is only...

RACINE COUNTY — Partly in response to the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare — as well as other forces — Aurora Health Care expects $13 million less in government reimbursements this year and has begun cutting some positions. Earlier this month Aurora President and CEO Dr. Nick Turkal laid out the financial situation in a 1,020-word letter to all system employees. He warned of position eliminations and discontinuations to come. Turkal said there are several causes of the projected $13 million or more decline in reimbursements. He cited the economy, cost reductions dictated by the Affordable Care Act and the...

As part of an overhaul of the juvenile justice system, Gov. Deval Patrick plans to file legislation Monday to prohibit mandatory life sentences without parole for youthful offenders convicted of first degree murder. The proposal is a response to the Supreme Court decision over the summer that ruled such mandatory sentences violate the Constitution’s Eight Amendment restricting cruel and unusual punishment. Patrick is also proposing to extend the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Jourt and the Department of Youth Services to 18-year-olds, and would eliminate the Superior Court and District Court’s jurisdiction over 17-year-olds. The bill would eliminate the state’s mandatory...

An American pastor who has been jailed in Iran since September has been sentenced to eight years in prison, the U.S. State Department said Sunday. Spokesman Darby Holladay said the department is calling on Iran to respect Saeed Abedini’s human rights and release him. Earlier this month, Iran’s semi-official news agency, ISNA, quoted Abedini’s attorney, Nasser Sarbazi, as saying his client stood trial in the Revolutionary Court on charges of attempting to undermine state security by creating a network of Christian churches in private homes. The pastor, who is of Iranian origin but lives in Boise, Idaho, has rejected the...

Sporting his new hat as the head of the Heritage Foundation, former Sen. Jim DeMint said Saturday said that conservatives should not rely on the GOP establishment to deliver the movement's message. He said it is time to take matters into their own hands.

The American approach to law enforcement was forged by the experience of revolution. Emerging as they did from the shadow of British rule, the country's founders would likely have viewed police, as they exist today, as a standing army, and therefore a threat to liberty. Even so, excessive force and disregard for the Bill of Rights have become epidemic in today’s world. According to civil liberties reporter Radley Balko, these are all symptoms of a generation-long shift to increasingly aggressive, militaristic, and arguably unconstitutional policing—one that would have shocked the conscience of America’s founders. Rise of the Warrior Cop traces...

A white ex-congresswoman with an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association is the front-runner to replace former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in a majority-black Chicagoland district with inner-city neighborhoods wracked by gun violence. At first glance, Debbie Halvorson should have no business winning the Feb. 26 special election. The former Democratic congresswoman was crushed by Jackson in a primary last year. She’s a white Democrat seeking to represent a district in which 54 percent of voters are African-American And she’s an unapologetic Second Amendment backer — with endorsements from the NRA in two of her previous congressional campaigns —...

For over two decades, I have been arguing against the idea of placing American women in combat or in support positions associated with direct ground combat. I base my position on three factors. First, there are substantial physical differences between men and women that place the latter at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to ground combat. Second, men treat women differently than they treat other men. This can undermine the comradeship upon which the unit cohesion necessary to success on the battlefield depends. Finally, the presence of women leads to double standards that seriously erode morale and performance. In...

Amid a citywide crackdown to prevent restaurateurs from misleading consumers, San Francisco officials have released a list of 93 business owners who collected more money in employee health care surcharges in 2011 than they spent on health care for their workers. The Chronicle obtained the list under a public records request after City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced Friday that he would be going after at least 50 San Francisco restaurants for allegedly charging diners extra fees to cover the cost of city-mandated health care for workers and then pocketing much of the money

Obama wants this woman to die.Fox 2 News HeadlinesYes, you read that right.And so do Veep Biden, Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), N.Y. Governor Andrew Cuomo, and scores of other people -- almost all (il)liberal Democrats.Because if this Detroit great-grandmother didn't have her 9mm pistol on her today -- which Cuomo has just banned, which Feinstein is trying to ban, and which Obama's two dozen executive orders seeks to ban -- she very well might have died. Or at least, have been roughed up and had her purse snatched [h/t Gateway Pundit].You see, the anti-gun zealots that occupy the highest offices in...

I have been surfing the web looking at tactical shotguns. I really don't care for the term "tactical", but what I am looking for is certainly not a bird gun. Here are my requirements: 1. Barrel Type: A breacher barrel. Does anyone have experience with a breacher choke tube? Do they work? How much to they extend the length of the gun? 2. Barrel Length: Shorter is better to me as maneuverability is important. 3. Stock/Overall gun length: What are the pro/cons of pistol grip, traditional stock and folding stock? I want something very sturdy, as a primary requirement is...

With projections of 9.5 billion people by 2050, humankind faces the challenge of feeding modern diets to additional mouths while using the same amounts of water, fertilizer and arable land as today. Cornell researchers have taken a leap toward meeting those needs by discovering a gene that could lead to new varieties of staple crops with 50 percent higher yields. The gene, called Scarecrow, is the first discovered to control a special leaf structure, known as Kranz anatomy, which leads to more efficient photosynthesis. Plants photosynthesize using one of two methods: C3, a less efficient, ancient method found in most...

The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to acquire 7,000 5.56x45mm NATO “personal defense weapons” (PDW) — also known as “assault weapons” when owned by civilians. The solicitation, originally posted on June 7, 2012, comes to light as the Obama administration is calling for a ban on semi-automatic rifles and high capacity magazines.Citing a General Service Administration (GSA) request for proposal (RFP), Steve McGough of RadioViceOnline.com reports that DHS is asking for the 7,000 “select-fire” firearms because they are “suitable for personal defense use in close quarters.” The term select-fire means the weapon can be both semi-automatic and automatic. Civilians...