Free Republic

Planned Parenthood took a big hit on Tuesday after the District Court for Polk County, Iowa upheld a ban on “webcam” abortions. Judge Jeffrey Farrell’s ruling concluded that abortions – if done at all – really should be done after a complete medical exam. Better yet, Judge Ferrell ruled that the medical exam should actually be done by a physician – in person – and not via video feed. Well slap my head, imagine that. In an effort to increase profit margins, Planned Parenthood’s management decided that their rural clinics could save money if they did abortions without having a...

Protesters shouted “Hands up, don’t shoot” as they gathered at the protest, echoing the chant that has taken hold in Ferguson – witness accounts say Brown had his hands up when he was shot dead two weeks ago. T-shirts read “Black man walking, don’t shoot”, “Black lives matter” and “I have a dream”, in reference to the most famous speech by the assassinated 1960s civil rights leader Martin Luther King. “I’m here today because I don’t want my nephews, who are aged one, two and three, to have to march when their generation grows up,” said Carolyn Butts, 47, who...

As noted in German Two-Year Bonds Have Negative Yield, Demand High; Euro Bond Bubble Guaranteed to Burst, " Banks lend (provided they are not capital impaired), when credit-worthy borrowers want credit and banks perceive risks worth lending." So which is it, lack of credit-worthy borrowers or capital impairment. The answer is likely both, but the spotlight goes on capital impairment, and Texas Ratios, a the ratio pf bad loans to equity. The New York Times DealBook explains Europe Fears Banks Lack Cash Cushion to Cover Bad Loans. When the ratio of bad loans to equity and cash set aside exceeds...

In the battle of Ilovaiskaya genuine heroism tank crew commander of the T-64 as part of the commander - Junior Sergeant Sergei Isayev, soldier gunner Igor Ivanchenko, and driver soldier Eugene Martyniuk. In order to evaluate under what fire our soldiers went into battle, you can see the condition of the T-64 came out of the fight. Yesterday was in the sector of "B" anti-terrorist operation. Carried transfer from the Foundation of Defense of Ukraine (helpua.info) - 23 thermal, 10 camouflage, covers new Kevlar helmets in the hottest spot ATO - under Ilovajsk where already the sixth day boils continuous...

A story which happened in Buenos Aires eight years ago helps us to understand the position adopted by Pope Francis regarding the ISIS, the “Islamic State” which has embarked on a merciless hunt against Christians. Avoiding, as always, naming Islam and fanatic Muslims, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, invited “stopping the unjust aggressors” without “any bombing” or “starting a war”. A choice which does not seem to leave escape for the victims and for this judged sterile by many: believers (including Antonio Socci from these columns) and non-believers (the case of Massimo Cacciari). In reality this intervention is perfectly in line with...

BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Defense Ministry here on Saturday urged the U.S. side to stop close-in surveillance of China, and create a sound atmosphere for bilateral military ties. The ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said in a statement that one U.S. anti-submarine plane and one patrol aircraft flew to an airspace about 220 kilometers east of China's Hainan Island to conduct close-in surveillance Tuesday morning, and then a Chinese fighter jet took off to make regular identification and verification. Commenting on relevant criticism made by the U.S. side, Yang said that was "totally groundless," as the Chinese pilot, with...

Iceland raised its aviation alert to red Saturday as a subglacial eruption began at the restless Bardarbunga volcano, which has been rattled by thousands of earthquakes in the past week, the country's Meteorological Office said. Seismic data indicated that lava from the volcano was melting ice beneath the Vatnajokull glacier, Iceland's largest, Met Office vulcanologist Melissa Pfeffer said. She said it was not clear when, or if, the eruption would melt through the ice — which is between 100 to 400 meters (330 to 1,300 feet) thick — and send steam and ash into the air. The eruption led Iceland...

To the proliferation of articles on the shooting death of black Missourian Michael Brown via white police officer, Darren Wilson, I register the following considerations. Firstly, at this time when black underclass thugs are ruining the quality of life in but another once- decent town while their black and white media spokespersons bellyache over the unrelenting racial oppression to which black Americans are supposedly subject, let us call to mind all of the rosy promises made six years ago when Barack Hussein Obama first set his sights on the presidency. Pundits both black and white, Democrat and Republican, assured...

The Obama administration issued a new rule Friday over the requirement that companies provide insurance that covers contraceptives. Employers would register objections to paying for such care with the government, which would arrange for insurers to provide such coverage, according to the rule published in the federal register Friday. Previously, the rule called for employers to file their objections directly with insurers. "Women across the country deserve access to recommended preventive services that are important to their health, no matter where they work," said HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell. "Today's announcement reinforces our commitment to providing women with access to coverage...

A Colorado man plunged 100 feet while hiking but managed an improbable landing, using his gymnastics skills to help keep him alive. Dylan Schuetz, 21, fell last week at St. Mary’s Glacier, a popular spot for hikers. He tumbled head-first over the ledge, with death almost certain. But just as he has done at the gym countless times, Schuetz flipped mid-air to land on his feet. That move stunned his friend Cody Tengler. “He spots his landing and then kind of does a flip, a front flip over himself,” Tengler recalled. Schuetz broke both of his legs and ankles in...

BRITAIN could freeze in YEARS of super-cold winters and miserable summers if the Baroabunga volcano erupts, experts have warned. Depending on the force of the explosion, minute particles thrust beyond the earth’s atmosphere can trigger DECADES of chaotic weather patterns. Tiny pieces of debris act as billions of shields reflecting the sun’s light away from earth meaning winter temperatures could plunge LOWER THAN EVER before while summer will be devoid of sunshine. The first effect could be a bitterly cold winter to arrive in weeks with thermometers plunging into minus figures and not rising long before next summer. The Icelandic...

The Obama Administration reveled this week that Delta Force commandos attempted to rescue Americans held hostage in Syria by the Islamic State. Under orders from Obama and based on what they were told was the latest Intelligence, the team raided an oil refinery in northern Syria. The commandos fought their way to the location where intelligence sources believed the Americans to be located. By the time they got there the hostages had been moved and the mission was a bust. Administration official(s) revealed the nature of the mission during a conference call with reporters. (1) They spoke on condition of...

".......Ms. Yellen broke little new ground in her speech. She reiterated the Fed’s basic guidance after its July meeting that holding short-term interest rates near zero remains necessary and useful to increase employment. She said the gap between current conditions and a return to full health was still “significant.”..... .......... A small group of demonstrators made the trek to the remote resort hotel in the middle of Grand Teton National Park to urge Fed officials to continue the stimulus campaign. They formed a receiving line for policy makers in the lobby outside the conference, dressed in green T-shirts emblazoned: “What...

One of the easiest and simplest metrics that investors use to screen for, as well as value, stocks is the price-to-earnings ratio, better known as a stockÂ’s price-to-earnings (P/E). Of course, on its face, a P/E is nothing more than a snapshot in time, but what if I told you it was far more complicated than that?There are several P/Es that you need to keep in mind. Sure, there is the current P/E, which reflects a stockÂ’s price divided by the current yearÂ’s expected earnings per share, but there are also trailing P/Es, as well as price-to-peak-earnings and price-to-trough earnings....

Montana State Senator Amanda Curtis (D-76 Dist.) is running for U.S. Senate and will no doubt be trying to run away from her past statements mocking guns, Christianity, the Bible, and the family. She just stepped into the race in place of John Walsh, the Democrat candidate who had to step down amid a plagiarism scandal.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of...

Executive Order — Revised List of Quarantinable Communicable Diseases EXECUTIVE ORDER REVISED LIST OF QUARANTINABLE COMMUNICABLE DISEASES By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 264(b) of title 42, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Amendment to Executive Order 13295. Based upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Acting Surgeon General, and for the purposes set forth in section 1 of Executive Order 13295 of April 4, 2003, as amended by Executive Order...

<p>Gov. Rick Perry (R) seems to be enjoying the spotlight that has come with pushing back to his recent indictment.</p> <p>The latest move: His new political action committee unveiled a T-shirt featuring Perry's mug shot. The back of the shirt features the mug shot of District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, whose character Perry has repeatedly tried to attack while making her the poster child of his pushback.</p>

Senator Harry Reid apologized yesterday for making "racist" jokes at a meeting of the Asian Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas. The Hill: "My comments were in extremely poor taste and I apologize. Sometimes I say the wrong thing,” Reid said in a statement to The Hill. The Democratic leader issued the apology after a video surfaced online of him joking with the crowd in Las Vegas about their ethnicity.

A wooden boat carrying up to 200 migrants has sunk just one kilometre (half a mile) off the Libyan coast, the coast guard said on Saturday, and most passengers were feared drowned. The local coast guard said it had no boats of its own and had to commandeer fishing vessels in a rescue attempt after fishermen raised the alarm on Saturday morning. Migrants have been streaming out of North Africa in rickety boats in rising numbers for years. Many head for Italy, and so far in 2014, the total number reaching Italian shores has passed 100,000, the Italian government said...