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The UC Berkeley student government has banned the term “illegal immigrant” from its discourse, deeming the phrase racist, offensive, unfair and derogatory. In an unanimous vote, student senators passed a resolution that stated the word “illegal” is “racially charged,” “dehumanizes” people, and contributes to “punitive and discriminatory actions aimed primarily at immigrants and communities of color.” The “resolution in support of drop the I-word campaign” was approved 18 to 0 with one abstention on Oct. 30, according to a copy of the meeting’s minutes obtained by The College Fix. Its approval marks at least the second time this semester that...

For religious conservatives, howling over the so-called "war on Christmas" has become an annual holiday tradition almost as enjoyable as Christmas itself. On Tuesday, Sarah Palin seeks to capitalize on the phenomenon with the release of her newest book, Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas. Daily Intelligencer purchased the Palin-narrated audiobook from a local bookstore, where it was on sale early, and listened to all four-and-a-half hours, which is technically not a violation of the Geneva Convention if you're getting paid to do it, New York's legal team insists. The book is part tribute to the...

At the same time, how can anyone deny that the 2nd Amendment is already regulated by innumerable federal, state, and local statutes, and always has been? Even the Supreme Court's widely applauded Heller and McDonald decisions affirming an individual right to keep and bear arms, and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals' Moore ruling overturning the Illinois ban on concealed carry, specifically held that other firearms laws and regulations do pass constitutional muster. Do we all agree with every part of those rulings? Of course not. I personally do not. But these are laws; now part of the organic fabric...

Despite extensive problems with healthcare.gov, a few dozen Alaskans have managed to enroll in a health plan on the marketplace, and Lara Imler is one of them. Imler spends a lot of time in doctors' offices. She has Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid. The treatments and blood work she needs are expensive. Imler qualified for subsidies, and chose a mid-level plan that will cost her $110 a month. "The website sucks -- I'm not going to lie," she says, "but the idea that I might be able to afford health insurance is huge to me. It...

San Francisco architect Lee Hammack says he and his wife, JoEllen Brothers, are “cradle Democrats.” They have donated to the liberal group Organizing for America and worked the phone banks a year ago for President Obama’s re-election. Since 1995, Hammack and Brothers have received their health coverage from Kaiser Permanente, where Brothers worked until 2009 as a dietitian and diabetes educator. “We’ve both been in very good health all of our lives – exercise, don’t smoke, drink lightly, healthy weight, no health issues, and so on,” Hammack told me. The couple — Lee, 60, and JoEllen, 59 — have been...

"....Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal's office will cancel food stamp benefits for anyone who participated in a fraud and shopping spree catalyzed by an EBT malfunction....More than 12,000 people were sent an insufficient funds notice when the problem with the EBT cards was fixed on Oct. 12; those who transgressed may lose their EBT cards for a year....On October 11-12, at least 17 states experienced problems with their EBT card systems. In Springhill and Mansfield, Louisiana, cards indicated they had no spending limits, so EBT holders went wild with purchases..... The stores that were cheated are bound to come up with...

Too many of our rulers and their enforcers reflexively see the citizenry as a threat. At a time when over 4 million people have had their health insurance canceled, it’s good to know that some Americans can still access prompt medical treatment, even if they don’t want it. David Eckert was pulled over by police in Deming, N.M., for failing to come to a complete halt at a stop sign in the Walmart parking lot. He was asked to step out of the vehicle, and waited on the sidewalk. Officers decided that they didn’t like the tight clench of his...

Enrollments nearly tripled between Oct. 14 and Nov. 2. Expectations are for increased enrollment before Dec. 15 deadline. Still, the bulk of the 10,940 plans purchased in the first month are covered through the government-backed health programs of MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance. Just 1,744 people have signed up for private plans. Sign-ups from small businesses are much lower. Of the small business accounts opened, 17 have completed enrollment and 10 are in process, according to MNsure.

President Obama has a chance to craft a second-term legacy on climate change even as the rest of his agenda runs aground in Congress. Gun control legislation is dead; immigration reform is on life support; and reaching a fiscal deal with Republicans appears to be a long shot.

Recently released documents reveal that the failed federal insurance e-commerce website, Healthcare.gov, could only handle 1,100 users the day before it launched [PDF]. It has long been suspected that the White House prioritized politics over technical realities in the launch of the healthcare website, but this is some of the best proof that officials were burying their heads in the sand. “Currently we are able to reach 1100 users before response time gets too high,” noted a technical report to the website team. Eventually, the document notes, they hoped the website could handle 10,000.

NBC News’s Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd is hardly one of us nor is he a reporter looking for opportunities to hammer President Obama. In fact, most of the time, Todd excels at making up excuses for Mr. Obama, no matter how far-fetched.But the fiasco which is the rollout of ObamaCare’s health insurance exchanges—the near impossibility of getting on the website and the truth that millions of people are going to lose the insurance they want—has even Todd in a cranky mood.Nowhere was that better illustrated than when he appeared on a MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program panel and tried...

Every Friday for the last month, the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange has been releasing figures as to the number of people who had bought health insurance through the state's website since it went online on October 1. That is not the case today. In their weekly report, released this afternoon, the exchange said it, "is revising its approach to providing numbers of enrolled Marylanders. Future reports will separate individuals versus households, qualified health plans versus Medicaid, and other information. For this reason, there is no updated enrollment data this week." As of last Friday, 4,500 people were able to apply...

HHS admitted yesterday that they were running into new problems on the site even as old ones were being debugged. Now here’s Jeff Zients, the guy who was brought in to oversee the salvage operation, telling reporters that victory remains distant even as the de facto December 1 deadline approaches. Obama and Sebelius won’t leave Senate Democrats in the dark until November 30. Prediction: We’ll start seeing stories next week quoting unnamed sources in the administration about delaying parts of the law.

WASHINGTON – While President Obama continues his cross country pitch on the merits of his landmark health care law, dismal new data shows only five people in the D.C. area have signed up for the Affordable Care Act – or ObamaCare. The enrollment data from the four health insurance companies participating the D.C. exchange was released Friday by Republicans Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Orrin Hatch of Utah. “A lot of Americans are getting cancellation notices from their current health care plan but they haven’t been able to enroll in a new plan,” Grassley said in a written statement....

The Legacy Lives On! Mark’s Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation “Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny precisely because its principles are the founding principles.” --Mark Levin in Liberty and TyrannyWelcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a virtual FRink.Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic.com! You can call Mark’s show: 1-877-381-3811

This is one of the most powerful and patriotic tributes to the sacrifice of our military and their familes I have seen in a while. It's only six minutes and you have to watch till the very end to get the full experience but it is more than worth it. The Call to Serve - Short Film

This is one of the most powerful and patriotic tributes to the sacrifice of our military and their familes I have seen in a while. It's only six minutes and you have to watch till the very end to get the full experience but it is more than worth it. The Call to Serve - Short Film

John McCain voted yea WASHINGTON, D.C., November 7, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This afternoon the Senate approved a bill that could force business owners who adhere to traditional values to hire homosexuals, bisexuals, and those who do not dress in accordance with their biological sex or face litigation. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) passed following a bipartisan 64-32 vote. Supporters say it would forbid “workplace discrimination” against homosexuals and transgender employees and job-seekers. But critics say, like the HHS mandate, its religious exemption is unduly narrow and would force employers – including Christian schools and nurseries – to violate their consciences....

The raptor trap will be used at the San Jose airport to relocate red-tail hawksA Bay Area high school student's project is getting a lot of attention from the U.S. government. Caleb Levine is a junior at Branham High School in San Jose. He created something called Raptor Traps. On Thursday he demonstrated how they work at Mineta San Jose International Airport. He initially built two of them. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will use his invention to catch and relocate red-tail hawks who are attracted to the airport. The Eagle Scout says he's interested in environmental science, and this...

While White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius got grilled this week about ObamaCare's snafus, the image of their boss, President Obama, has gotten fried. According to a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, President Obama’s personal likability rating among Americans is more negative than positive for the first time in his presidency: a net negative 4%. I believe the reason for this slide is that the ObamaCare rollout has finally convinced most Americans that the president is personally responsible for misleading them and personally accountable for imposing hurtful, intrusive, expensive consequences on the...