Free Republic

Weapons still being bought and sold illegally in the Somali capital, despite government efforts to close down the trade. The Somali government shut down the weapons trade at Bakara Market, but the business persists elsewhere [Reuters] Mogadishu, Somalia - The car barely came to a stop when a hand softly knocked at the tinted passenger seat window. The window rolled down, revealing a tall, skinny figure wearing a half-buttoned, baggy polyester shirt, a red sarong, and pink sandals - and holding a rusty AK-47 in his left hand. "Seven-hundred fifty dollars," he said in a firm voice, barely making eye...

Pope Gregory XIV once said that “a lifetime is not enough” to see all of Rome. Similarly, the contributions of Pope Benedict XVI will last far beyond our lifetimes—yet their most lasting impact might be barely visible today. Take his “Regensburg Lecture,” delivered in 2006. The media huffed that the address offended Muslims, and wrote off the rest. It should not be surprising that their postmodern mentality chose to ignore the lecture’s fundamental theme: that rationality is required of all men—not just of Muslims but also of those who are deconstructing the dessicated remains of Western Civilization from within. In...

Even though a large majority of Italian Catholics don't regularly attend Sunday Mass, the Vatican traditionally wields influence on politics in Italy, a country where Christian Democrats held sway for decades. Just about anything the pope does or says is big news. And Pope Benedict XVI has made no secret of his preference for Monti, a practicing Catholic, whom he greeted warmly on Saturday in one of his last private audiences with an Italian political leader. [SNIP] But a photo op with the pope is Italian candidate heaven, and Monti, because he is premier, got the providential tete-a-tete with Benedict...

Israel will award President Barack Obama the country’s Presidential Medal of Distinction during his upcoming visit. Israeli President Shimon Peres’ office said Monday that Obama will be recognized for his “unique and significant contribution to strengthening the State of Israel and the security of its citizens.” …

As opponents and media outlets were scouring to locate two or perhaps more of former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel’s undisclosed speech videos, which they believe can undermine his nomination for Defense secretary, Hagel’s supporters believe the videos won’t harm his confirmation in late February.snip While they may fall outside the post-2008 time frame, the IPT has compiled evidence that Hagel delivered a number of questionable talks in 2007 as well. That year, Hagel delivered a speech at Rutgers University in New Jersey hosted by the university’s Center for Middle East Studies and the American Iranian Council in which he called...

The leaders of the European Parliament are threatening to veto the bloc’s multi-annual budget because of its deep cuts. The Christian Democratic EPP, the largest group in the legislature, said the 7-year budget worth €960 billion ($1.28 trillion) must be revised to realistically reflect the EU’s growing competences and responsibilities. …

The trashing of Ted Cruz continues apace in the bien-pensant MSM. From the New York Times, to the Washington Post, to Politico and elsewhere, the liberal media has the new Republican Senator from Texas in its sights. Joe Scarborough is clearly camped out on the Cruz-bashing bandwagon. Earlier this month, so offended was the sensitive Scarborough by Cruz that he wouldn't deign to mention him by name. Today, not to be outdone by Frank Bruni, who called Cruz "an ornery, swaggering piece of work," Scarborough declared that Cruz acts like "a carnival barker at a Republican event." View the video...

Word For The Day, Monday, 2/18/13 In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". wangle; verb verb (used with object) 1. to bring about, accomplish, or obtain by scheming or underhand methods: to wangle an invitation. 2. to falsify or manipulate for dishonest ends: to wangle business records. verb (used without object) 3. to use contrivance, scheming, or underhand methods to obtain some goal or result. 4. to manipulate something for dishonest ends. noun 5. an act or instance of wangling. Etymology:...

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but the Catholic Church is not going to change its teaching on any of the fun stuff (contraception, female “ordination,” homosexuality, abortion, etc.) with the next pope. Nor will it ever. When news of the pope’s retirement broke, Nicholas Kristof pondered on Twitter: “At some point, the church will accept contraception and female and non-celibate priests. Could it be in the next papacy?” Countless groups issued press releases clamoring for a “progressive” pope. The Rainbow Sash Movement called for the next pope to stop emphasizing “purity.” The Women’s Ordination Conference announced it would hold...

Federal Aviation Administration officials say they’re investigating three more apparent breaches of the no-fly zone above President Barack Obama’s vacation spot along Florida’s Atlantic coastline. …

In 2011, when Gov. Rick Snyder proposed cutting $300 per student for K-12 public education, Michigan School Business Officials Executive Director Dave Martell said as many as 160 schools could go into deficit if the cuts stood. In 2010-11, the year before Gov. Snyder's first budget, there were 48 schools in deficit. If Martell's claim were accurate, that means the number of districts losing money would have more than tripled. However, nearly two years later the Michigan Department of Education's report shows that fewer schools fell into deficit in 2011-12. The MDE report stated 46 districts were in deficit last...

MIAMI - A fireball lit up the Florida sky Sunday evening. People from as far south as Key West and as far north as Jacksonville reported seeing the flash of light. Accounts of the sighting came in around 6:45 p.m. “There was a flash in the sky in Pompano Beach,” wrote Jill Dexter. Terrell Forney of Local 6 sister station WPLG-TV said he saw the fireball as he was heading north on the Florida Turnpike. "It appeared to be some sort of firework at first glance, but there was a white streak in the air followed by some sort of...orange...

“Think of the children.” I’ve heard that a lot lately, or variations thereof. One woman recently chided me on Twitter with the following: “Imagine if you had kids! Think about others instead of your pocketbook suffering. I don’t have to imagine having kids. I actually have five of them, from a 26-year old daughter to 7-year old twins. Just like every gun-owning parent I know, I love them more than I love my firearms. And I know first hand that gun control laws like a ban on commonly owned firearms, tough restrictions for legal gun purchases, and even mandatory background...

Five out of every six Americans believe that North Korean plans to develop nuclear weapons are a “critical threat” to the United States, according to a new Gallup poll. It means the tiny, impoverished country with a population of fewer than than 25 million—less than one-twelfth that of the United States—is regarded as a bigger threat than Islamic fundamentalism or China in the eyes of the public. The poll, conducted among slightly more than 1,000 adults from Feb 7-10 found that 83 percent believe nuclear weapon development by both North Korea and Iran represents a critical threat to America. …

Actor Alec Baldwin allegedly called a black Post photographer a racial epithet, a "crackhead" and a "drug dealer" during a confrontation on an East Village street yesterday morning, prompting police to intervene. Baldwin had first been approached by a Post reporter while walking his dogs outside his East 10th Street pad at around 10:50 a.m. He was asked for comment on a lawsuit against his wife, Hilaria, involving her work as a yoga instructor. The “30 Rock’’ star grabbed the reporter, Tara Palmeri, by her arm and told her, “I want you to choke to death,” Palmeri told police, for...

I apologize if this has been discussed before... I searched and found nothing.We've been getting a lot of phone calls as of late from a group called "Republican Majority Campaign" soliciting contributions. Knowing nothing about them, I've tried to politely decline. The representatives with whom I've spoken have been more than a little bit pushy. I've asked them to send me information via the mail but they are not willing to do so without a small contribution. That doesn't cut it for me...I know that Carl Rove's group is called "American Crossroads". I personally wouldn't send them a dime, as...

<p>In a bid to slash $465 million of debt, Reader’s Digest parent RDA Holding Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy over the weekend for the second time in less than four years.</p> <p>The media company said it has reached a deal with its largest creditor, Wells Fargo (WFC), and more than 70% of its secured noteholders on a financial restructuring plan that includes the Chapter 11 filing.</p>

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- Emergency: Last Chance to Demand Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and Your Senator to Oppose All Aspects of SB 281 Friday, the Maryland Senate leadership announced that the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee will be voting on Senate Bill 281 as early as Tuesday, February 19 2013. It is likely that this sweeping anti-gun legislation will be reported by this committee and voted on by the entire Senate NEXT WEEK. SB 281 has drawn much criticism and protest from Maryland citizens. Evident from the huge turnout at the February 6th 2013 rally, with a showing of thousands of Second...

The other day a group of us were at a restaurant. All of a sudden there was a child stomping his feet and stating he was not going to do what he was told. He made a big scene even after he was told that these are the rules and you have to follow them. It was quite surprising that people were watching this and not pointing out the wrongness of the behavior. Then everyone realized that it wasn’t a five-year-old but rather our president on TV stating he was not going to negotiate with Republicans about the debt ceiling....

A convicted terrorist serving life with no parole plus 240 years for masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing has reportedly filed a lawsuit arguing he should be let out of solitary confinement. "I request an immediate end to my solitary confinement and ask to be in a unit in an open prison environment where inmates are allowed outside their cells for no less than 14 hours a day," he reportedly wrote in confidential government records obtained by The Los Angeles Times. His terror acts were funded by Al Qaeda and his uncle Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who is allegedly the...