Free Republic

Oct 30-Nov 2, 2013 – Updates daily at 1 p.m. ET; reflects one-day change

Are things so bad in Iraq that the government in Baghdad would like U.S. troops to return? Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appealed to President Obama for the U.S. military’s assistance on Friday, after his country suffered its most violent month in over five years. Just under 1,000 people — overwhelmingly civilians — were killed in sectarian violence across Iraq in the last 31 days, making October the deadliest month since the height of the Iraq War in April 2008. The majority died via that hallmark of the Iraqi insurgency, the car bomb. It’s the high-water mark for a rising...

In its Sunday paper, The New York Times editorial board defended President Barack Obama from criticisms that he had intentionally misled the public when he had claimed if an individual likes their health insurance plan, they could keep their health insurance plan. The paper’s board also attacked congressional Republicans for stoking fear and confusion, writing that Obama “clearly misspoke” when he repeatedly claimed Americans could keep their health insurance plans as he fought to pass the law and defend it during the 2012 election. “Mr. Obama clearly misspoke when he said that,” the editorial read. “By law, insurers cannot continue...

Schwarzenegger == "black Amish person" This misinterpretation of the meaning of Governator Ah-nald’s name is commonly made by English speakers with a just enough knowledge of German to get into linguistic deep do-do, PC-wise. :) Several theories exist about the etymology of Arnold’s surname, but before I go there, first note that in German, his surname linguistically breaks down to Schwarzen-Egger. The position of the glottal stop makes it completely impossible for the “n” to belong to the back half of the compound word. Apparently, several decades ago, Arnold once told David Letterman that his name meant "black farmer" (I...

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller, Dr. Robert Nirschl — a practicing orthopedic surgeon, former faculty member of Georgetown and a former member of the legislative committee of the American Academy of Orthopedic surgery — dismissed the recent issues suffered by HealthCare.gov and the media feeding frenzy surrounding it, arguing that the systemic flaws within the law had not yet surfaced, and that when they do, it will be catastrophic. Nirschl took apart the concept of “health insurance” arguing that it’s an inaccurate buzzword. What is being legislated is not insurance at all, Nirschl said. By its very...

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats attempted on Sunday to tap into voter anger about a 16-day U.S. government shutdown and turn Virginia's upcoming governor's election into a referendum on Tea Party conservatives. With Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe leading polls over Republican Ken Cuccinelli before Tuesday's vote, Obama and Democratic speakers at a rally in the Washington suburb of Arlington pressed party activists to focus on turning out the vote.Northern Virginia's Washington suburbs, where many government employees and contractors live, was hit particularly hard by the government shutdown last month that resulted from a stalemate over the U.S....

Capitalism, said economist Joseph Schumpeter seven decades ago, is a process of creative destruction. New inventions, new processes, new methods of organization lead to the creation of new profitable and efficient businesses and to the destruction of old ones unable to compete. There are few accounts of the creative side of Schumpeter’s phrase more vivid than Fracking: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters, a new book by Wall Street Journal writer Gregory Zuckerman. For years politicians, policy experts and corporate executives have tried to reshape American energy policy and development. They have operated on a series of...

Time to cancel your subscriptions, Guns and Ammo Editor Dick Metcalf has penned an editorial for their December issue that will be leaving fans in shock; he’s supporting gun control. Metcalf claims there is a large difference between regulation, (well-regulated militia) and a direct infringement of civil rights, he has made this distinction the premise of his claims. “I bring this up,” he wrote, “because way too many gun owners still believe that any regulation of the right to keep and bear arms is an infringement. The fact is that all Constitutional rights are regulated, always have been, and need...

An explosion of violence in Iraq risks turning the troubled country into a political liability for President Obama. During last year's reelection campaign, the president managed to both earn credit for withdrawing all U.S. troops and avoid blame for the deteriorating security situation. But a surge in terror attacks this year that has left more than 7,000 people dead has drawn bipartisan concerns about Obama's Middle East policies -- concerns that broke out into the open during Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's visit to the White House this week. “By nearly every indicator, security conditions in Iraq have dramatically worsened over...

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has rejected allegations that Turkey gave intelligence to Israel during an attack against a military base near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia early Oct. 31. “There is an attempt to give the impression that Turkey has coordinated with Israel. We have issues with Syria, an issue based on a principle. But let me say it clearly: The Turkish government has never cooperated with Israel against any Muslim country, and it never will,” Davutoğlu told reporters during a joint press conference in Istanbul Nov. 1 with his visiting Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. Several reports said,...

The group of the Armenian and Italian expeditionists launched activities in the Kobayr Monastery of Lori to save the fabulous frescos from the devastating rainwater. The Scientific Worker of the Archeology and Ethnology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Arthur Petrosyan stated this in a conversation with “Armenpress”. Italian expert Stephano Volta underscored that the ongoing activities are of a certain importance as there is an imminent danger of losing exquisite frescos. Kobayr is a 12th-century Armenian monastery located in the village Kober within Lori marz, Armenia. The monastery was built on a shelf...

This… is not an issue of too many people making the site crash. Heritage: Justin Hadley logged on to HealthCare.gov to evaluate his insurance options after his health plan was canceled. What he discovered was an apparent security flaw that disclosed eligibility letters addressed to individuals from another state. After multiple attempts to access the problem-plagued website, Hadley finally made it past the registration page Thursday. That’s when he was greeted with downloadable letters about eligibility — for two people in South Carolina. This is an issue of the site simply not being secure at all. Heritage reported that the...

Argument preview: Prayer’s role in government At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, a constitutional issue returns to the Supreme Court after a three-decade absence: the role that prayer may play in government meetings. Arguing for the local government in Town of Greece v. Galloway will be Thomas G. Hungar of the Washington office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, with twenty minutes of time. Supporting the town, at least in part, for the U.S. government as an amicus will be Deputy Solicitor General Ian H. Gershengorn, with ten minutes. Arguing for the town residents who challenged the prayer practice will be Douglas...

As the politicians fuss and fight over the merits of the biggest overhaul of the health insurance system in this country, you may be wondering, "What does this all mean to me?" Here's what we know so far about what's up with your health care. 1. It's all about me The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as it is now commonly known, went into effect in 2010 and was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012, despite the 42 times the House Republicans tried to repeal it. It will have the most dramatic impact on the 48 million Americans...

Witnesses have described how an ex-SAS man and a former Irish Ranger helped to organise the rescue mission which saved dozens of hostages during the Nairobi shopping mall attack. In total at least 67 people died when al-Shabaab gunman carried out the siege at Westgate in Nairobi on September 21. Children as young as five were shot up to five times by the terrorists. But it has emerged that two security consultants took control of the rescue mission before authorities turned up which helped to save dozens of lives, according to The Observer. Witness reports, photographs and video footage gives...

That’s a startling question, to be sure. But it’s a question that haunted me during my recent visit to Australia. There, political conservatism is experiencing a revival of sorts after six years of socialist wilderness. While in Australia, I kept thinking about a surprising statement made to me by a prominent American conservative leader during the last U.S. election. At that time, he said, “I will not support the Republican candidate. In fact, I hope Obama wins.” When I couldn’t hide my shock, he went on to explain his perspective: eventually the socialist ideology in our country would over-tip its...

Suppose BHO Insurance Co. decides it wants to corner its state's market in automobile coverage. It begins an aggressive ad campaign offering a too-good-to-be-true deal: Sign up with us, and we'll give you better coverage at lower premiums. We're so sure you'll love our deal that if you like the terms of your existing policy, you'll be able to keep them--GUARANTEED! The ad campaign, with the company's charismatic president acting as pitchman, is a smashing success. The competing companies lose so much business that they declare bankruptcy or are acquired by BHO. But BHO's policies are more expensive, and they...

President Barack Obama is portrayed as Dracula, former congressman Ron Paul plays the role of Professor Van Helsing, and Vice President Joe Biden appears as Renfield. The administration’s scary scandals are lampooned in classic horror fashion, including Fast and Furious, Benghazi, the IRS’ targeting of political opponents, the government shutdown, and more!

President Barack Obama is portrayed as Dracula, former congressman Ron Paul plays the role of Professor Van Helsing, and Vice President Joe Biden appears as Renfield. The administration’s scary scandals are lampooned in classic horror fashion, including Fast and Furious, Benghazi, the IRS’ targeting of political opponents, the government shutdown, and more!

Many events have conspired over the last several years that have induced in self-avowed conservatives and traditional Republican voters the gnawing suspicion that in spite of what politicians and media personalities would have them believe, “the conservative movement”—their movement—hasn’t been particularly conservative. Their suspicion is sound. In reality, the “conservative” movement is the neoconservative movement. This is the verdict at which ever increasing numbers of self-avowed conservatives are arriving. However, had they been reading Paul Gottfried, they would have reached it long ago. Friend of such conservative luminaries as Bill Buckley, Russell Kirk, and Pat Buchanan, Gottfried is a first-class...