Free Republic

War seems to come out of nowhere, like rust that suddenly pops up on iron after a storm. Throughout history, we have seen that war can sometimes be avoided or postponed, or its effects mitigated -- usually through a balance of power, alliances and deterrence rather than supranational collective agencies. But it never seems to go away entirely. Just as otherwise lawful suburbanites might slug it out over silly driveway boundaries, or trivial road rage can escalate into shooting violence, so nations and factions can whip themselves up to go to war -- consider 1861, 1914 or 1939. Often,...

The New York Times mobile app sent me a breaking news update Wednesday morning: "U.S. Economy Unexpectedly Contracted in Fourth Quarter." Based on high government third-quarter spending and government policies and politics occurring during the fourth quarter, the slowdown should come as no surprise. The third quarter final gross domestic product growth was 3.1 percent. That relatively high number (compared to full year 2011 at 2 percent) was driven primarily by an increase in inventories and an increase in government spending. While the growth number was hailed by many as a reason to cheer, it had to have been...

Jerome McCorry organized a protest against a gun show, claiming that the gun show made it too easy to buy guns. Why did that worry him? Perhaps because because the easy availability of guns might have made his career as a rapist more dangerous. (via Instapundit) Outside of Bill Goodman’s Gun and Knife Show, people were protesting the sale of assault weapons. Those are the guns which the proposed bill would ban inside Hara Arena. “We know that guns are being sold on the floor inside Hara Arena illegally” said Jerome McCorry. “No background checks no identification of any kind.”...

Faced with a group of farmers refusing to give up their land for a housing project, the Communist Party officials negotiating the deal devised a solution: They went to a bank, opened accounts in the names of the holdouts and deposited what they decided was fair compensation. Then they took the land. The farmers, angry at the sum and now forced to compete for jobs in a stuttering economy, blocked the main road connecting the capital to the north of the country for one day in December. In a macabre gesture, some clambered into coffins. Police who came to break...

Minutes after New England fishery managers took a vote that cast doubt on the historic industry’s future, the prospects most clear to Gloucester fishermen Paul Vitale were his own. “I’m bankrupt. That’s it,” said the 40-year-old father of three. “I’m all done. The boat’s going up for sale.” The New England Fishery Management Council on Wednesday approved a year-to-year cut of 77 percent on the Gulf of Maine cod limit and 61 percent for Georges Bank cod. The cuts come on top of a slew of other reductions, ranging from 10 to 71 percent, on the catch of other bottom-dwelling...

The New York Times says Chinese hackers repeatedly penetrated its computer networks over the past four months, stealing reporters’ passwords and hunting for files on an investigation into the wealth amassed by the family of one of China's leaders. … The attacks coincided with a Times’ investigation into how the family and relatives of Premier Wen Jiabao built a fortune worth more than $2 billion. …

Tory traditionalists in the Cabinet are preparing to back gay marriage despite continuing anger among the party’s grassroots. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, one of the Government’s most senior Right-wingers, indicated yesterday he will vote in favor of legalizing same-sex unions next week, while Baroness Warsi, who has previously expressed concern, also revealed she is to back the reform. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, the standard bearer for the Tory Right, is expected to abstain rather than vote against, and may even back the legislation, according to friends. … Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson is the most implacably opposed...

Few are the men and women in American public life who haven't heard Mr. Dooley's famous aphorism: "Politics ain't beanbag." John Boehner, currently serving out his community service as speaker of the House, appears to have been meditating on Mr. Dooley's cautionary wisdom. At the Ripon Society last week he said the Obama administration was trying "to annihilate the Republican Party." Better late than never, Speaker Boehner now sees that Barack Obama's notion of political competition is Mad Max inside the Thunderdome: "Two men enter, one man leaves." Last week during the president's second inaugural address, if one can employ...

Giving more benefits to poor families will not address child poverty because too many irresponsible parents will spend it on alcohol or drugs, Iain Duncan Smith has warned. The Work and Pensions Secretary said parental addiction—not family income—had emerged as the main factor in determining a child’s life chances. He insisted that the last government’s strategy of spending more than £170 billion ($269 billion) in additional welfare payments had failed comprehensively. … Duncan Smith said Labour’s approach was a “vicious trap” and had left a “disturbing number” of people trapped in poverty. “There are around 100,000 people claiming sickness benefits...

AP/WJLA) A 15-year-old majorette who performed with the King College Prep High School band in President Obama's recent inaugural parade was shot to death in Chicago. Police say Hadiya Pendleton was shot Tuesday afternoon in a South Side park. She died at a city hospital. Pendleton was standing under a canopy during heavy rain with her volleyball team when a man jumped a fence, ran toward the group and started shooting. Another teenage boy was shot in the leg. No arrests have been made. Pendleton's godfather says she was an excellent student and had dreams of being a doctor or...

...He took out the trash

Italian magistrates investigating losses at Banca Monte dei Paschi say the mushrooming scandal has taken a dramatic turn, with political fallout that threatens to rock the country’s elections next month and upset eurozone plans for a banking union. “The situation is explosive,” said Tito Salerno, head of the prosecuting team in Siena, describing the fast-moving events at Italy’s third-largest bank as extremely grave. The Milan bourse tumbled 3.4pc and yields on 10-year Italian bonds spiked 15 basis points to 4.31pc as the political scandal widened. Monte dei Paschi (MPS), the world’s oldest bank dating back to 1472, is under investigation...

Elephant rides are becoming endangered species at SoCal parades, zoos, fairs and festival. Several organizations have yanked elephant rides from street fairs, festivals and zoos in SoCal, thanks to the lobbying efforts of Animal Defenders International.

The mother of one of the survivors of the Virginia Tech shooting told elected leaders to stand up to the NRA, a group she argues doesn’t even deserve to be “at the table” in the gun safety debate. Lori Haas joined PoliticsNation Wednesday after attending the contentious Senate hearing which featured testimony from gun control advocates, gun rights supporters, and experts in law enforcement. NRA head Wayne LaPierre voiced some of the strongest opposition to new regulations, including shooting down a proposal to close the background check loophole. “We are hopeful and impressed with some of our leadership on the...

N.Y. comptroller trying to force disclosure of political spending by corporations to cut off funding for conservativesNew York state is quickly becoming ground zero in the fight over free speech and corporate political spending as a top state official with ties to left-wing campaign finance reform groups attempts to pressure private companies into making their political contributions public.New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who is the state’s top accountant and is spearheading the campaign, cites the importance of transparency.Observers warn that “shareholder activism” in pursuit of political disclosure represents the first stage of coordinated intimidation campaigns against private companies conducted...

Mr. Lyndon Larouche, a well respected journalist and political activist received word from his sources within the United States government that President Barack Hussein Obama has been indicted by a Federal Court

MANKATO, Minn. - Senator Al Franken has lined up in support of a proposed assault weapons ban. Like many on Capitol Hill, it was the mass murder of 26 people, including 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut that has led Senator Al Franken to get behind, and even offer amendments to a massive assault weapons ban being discussed in Congress. "I believe in the 2nd Amendment. I believe people have the fundamental right to own a gun for hunting, for collection, for protection, for sport. I don't believe that the assault weapons are needed, we've seen so many...

Video At Link

My husband I just ended our debate about having children. To breed or not to breed, this was the question — and it had been ticking like an egg timer in the back of my head for 15 years. We talked about it for five months. In the car on the way to work. During dinner. For five minutes, for 30 minutes. After seeing nephews and nieces. I wanted it to be a decision we made, not one made for us by chance or time. I turned to friends with kids for advice. “Feel free to convince me to your...

On God the Almighty Father "Despite the Crisis of Fatherhood in Many Societies, the Scriptures Show us Clearly what it Means to Call God 'Father'" VATICAN CITY, January 30, 2013 (Zenit.org). Here is a translation of the General Audience Pope Benedict XVI gave today in Paul VI Hall. Dear Brothers and Sisters, In last Wednesday's catechesis we focused on the words of the Creed: "I believe in God." But the profession of faith specifies this statement: God is the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I should like to reflect with you now on the first, fundamental definition of...