Free Republic

With Pres. Obama's declaration of war on liberty (a.k.a. his inaugural address), and with the GOP's apparent capitulation on taxation and spending, libertarians seem to have little reason to hope. Polls show that as many as one in five Americans hold libertarian views (i.e. the government regulates too much and should not be involved in private moral issues). Why, then, does Washington largely ignore such a large voting block? Why, then, does Washington constantly try to control people's private lives? The next two to four years look bleak, but a determined minority can check the Left through jury nullification. If...

We're used to MSNBC's Toure saying outlandish things, but his latest commentary in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade is by far the worst. During a segment last week, Toure went on what he called an abortion rant in which he thanked God and country abortion was there to "save him" at a time when taking care of a baby and becoming a father would have been inconvenient for him. He also refers to abortion as a "safety net." We're used to MSNBC's Toure saying outlandish things, but his latest commentary in celebration of the 40th anniversary...

As of Saturday, your options for owning an unlocked phone become far more limited. You can ask your carrier to unlock it—and good luck with that—or you can pay a premium to manufacturers like Apple or Google for a new unlocked phone. You just can’t unlock your phone yourself—at least, not legally. That decision was made not by voters, the courts, or even Congress. It was made by one man, 83-year-old Congressional Librarian James Hadley Billington, who is responsible for interpreting the meaning of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Billington decided last October that unlocking your phone yourself is...

What was the legend that the hapless political wonk invoked a year or so ago? The Romans would roll into town and crucify the first five people they laid hands on and then they’d have little trouble from the rest of the proles? Something like that. Over at Pat Dollard’s place there is a fine sentiment showing manly, warrior support for Ted Nugent’s “Concord Bridge” comment. I love it. But much of the bravura and dispute in the comments is about firepower and armed conflict. We’re nowhere near that point yet. I think the Dumbed-down Party will allow us to...

Already, there are signs that Governor Cuomo and his allies underestimated the pushback. As draconian, ill-advised, and possibly unconstitutional as the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (NY SAFE) anti-gun law was when it was hastily signed into law, it might have been far worse — this according to a New York legislator who fought against the bill.Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin has released documentation showing rejected Democratic proposals for the NY SAFE Act. They included these: Confiscation of all firearms arbitrarily redefined as “assault weapons”Labeling semi-automatic shotguns as “assault weapons” if they can hold more than five rounds or have...

In an explosive exchange outside the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, D.C., security guards for billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg accosted senior Talk Radio Network investigative reporter Jason Mattera when he asked the mayor about his strong support for gun control.

Kindergarten has come a long way, baby — too far, some say. Way beyond the ABCs, crayons and building blocks, the city Department of Education now wants 4- and 5-year-olds to write “informative/explanatory reports” and demonstrate “algebraic thinking.” Children who barely know how to write the alphabet or add 2 and 2 are expected to write topic sentences and use diagrams to illustrate math equations.

In an interview with the New Republic Barack Obama hinted at his gun control plans. Part of the plan is to undermine Republicans from the start. President Obama is suggesting that House Republicans on the issue of gun control appear neither willing to work with him nor listen to the American public on the issue. “The House Republican majority is made up mostly of members who are in sharply gerrymandered districts that are very safely Republican and may not feel compelled to pay attention to broad-based public opinion, because what they're really concerned about is the opinions of their specific...

A Manhattan Supreme Court judge shot down the octogenarian mogul’s attempt to dismiss a blockbuster $50 million lawsuit by his decades-younger ex, actress Adriana Ferreyr. Justice Debra James upheld most of the beauty’s claims against the lefty activist, who allegedly reneged on a promise to give her a $1.9 million apartment and then slapped her around . ... James called Soros’ alleged behavior “atrocious.” He “exhibited violent conduct towards her and hired persons to follow and intimidate her,”

Chicago, home of one of the nation's most stringent gun bans for fifty years, has also been the source of many frightening statistics. The city of Chicago - not the greater metropolitan area, just Chicago proper - surpassed 500 homicides in 2012 all by itself. If gun bans are the solution, the problem must be something other than a murder epidemic, because this gun ban sure isn't solving that one. It's not people from outside Chicago committing the crimes, either. An easy out for the gun banners, if it were true, would be to simply prove that the villains are...

“I plan to say some things that may challenge your assumptions,” warned Louisiana Governor and rumored 2016 contender Bobby Jindal. “You may not agree with all of it, but that’s ok, ours is a party that can handle real discussions.” Challenge accepted, governor. One of Jindal’s big takeaways, as I understand it, was that to win, we must “re-calibrate the compass of conservatism.” “Our principles are timeless,” he clarified. However, “we do need to re-orient our focus to the place where conservatism thrives – in the real world beyond the Washington Beltway.” On this point, the governor is absolutely correct....

The crisis that has enveloped Boeing over the grounded Dreamliner, at a cost of billions of dollars in losses in addition to what has already been “invested” in it -- voluntarily by its owner/investors and coercively from taxpayers – exemplifies perhaps more than any other redistributionist corporatism scheme why government intervention is more headache than help. Pass the industrial-strength Excedrin. Of immediate concern to the Chicago-based jet-manufacturer is the lithium-ion battery that powers so many of the 787’s critical functions. Two instances of “thermal runaway” on Dreamliners’ owned by Japan-based airlines caused that country, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration,to...

Japan distinguishes itself from the other economically advanced countries by caring for the principle that people who work should have more stuff than people who go on the welfare rolls. The Kyodo News Service reports: Welfare benefits will be slashed by ¥74 billion over a three-year period starting from fiscal 2013, after a government panel found that some people are making more on the dole than the average low-income person who is not spends on living costs, it was learned Sunday.The decision to lower standard benefit payments by 6.5 percent was made by welfare minister Norihisa Tamura and Finance...

Al-Arabiya is reporting that Syrian President Bashar Assad's mother has defected. She joined her daughter Bushra in the UAE, who had left the country last fall. President Bashar al-Assad's mother Anisa Makhlouf and other members of his inner circle have fled to the United Arab Emirates as the regime of the embattled president appeared to disintegrate, recent reports confirmed. Anisa has joined her daughter, Bushra, who had previously fled to Dubai, the London-based Asharq al-Awsat quoted Robert Ford, U.S. ambassador to Syria until the break of the relations between the two countries. Anisa, the widow of late president Hafez...

Your Eminence, I pray that this finds you well. You may recall that when we met at the cathedral before I left to visit America, you asked that I write to Your Eminence through my beloved elder brother, Fr. Adebayo Francis, with occasional observations. The Lord has blessed me with a safe journey and this is my first instalment. America is a strange place, full of unexpected contradictions. We learn, or we think we learn, much from the media. I also learnt much back home at St. John’s, particularly under Sister Theresa Oluwatoni (whom I am told went to her...

You know you live in a Country run by idiots if... You can get arrested for expired tags on your car but not for being in the country illegally. You know you live in a Country run by idiots if... You have to have your parents signature to go on a school field trip but not to get an abortion. You know you live in a Country run by idiots if... An 80 year old woman can be stripped searched by the TSA but a Muslim woman in a burka is only subject to having her neck and head searched....

This incredible picture from space shows how the U.S. oil industry has boomed to such an extent that a gas field now burns as brightly as a major city. The rapid increase in shale oil production means it is now often more economical to 'flare off' unwanted gas than to sell it. As a result, one field in North Dakota, the state leading the energy revolution, is now burning off enough gas to power all the homes in Chicago and Washington D.C. combined. In a recently released satellite image from NASA, the light being given off at the Bakken formation,...

Obama (in response to Steve Croft question about Benghazi, Libya): You know, I remember Bob Gates, you know, first thing he said to me, I think maybe first week or two that I was there and we were meeting in the Oval Office and he, obviously, been through seven presidents or something. And he says, "Mr. President, one thing I can guarantee you is that at this moment, somewhere, somehow, somebody in the federal government is screwing up." (Laughter)

I was engaged in a conversation regarding the future of health care in America when a third person (W) gave her opinion that she was happy with ObamaCare since her son could now get insurance. In New York State the cooperatives will not begin until Oct 1, 2013 for those without any other options. However, her son does not live in New York, where the state has provided Healthy New York insurance to those who qualify. We then had a conversation which I will relate. It demonstrates the severe problem facing our country resulting from the poor educational system we...

You might have to read this post twice to make sure your eyes didn’t deceive you. This article is actually completely different from my recent pieces on stealth inflation, but is even more infuriating. In this case, a grocery store called Fresh Markets decided to sell milk at a bargain basement price as part of a promotion, yet the state has deemed the price “too low.” As a result, the chain is being forced to raise the price. Yep, at a time when millions are struggling every day to make ends meet, this is what the state of Louisiana has...