Free Republic

Priest on Road to Canonization Given Highest US Military Honor Editor of Biography Reflects on What Fr. Kapaun Has to Teach Us Washington, D.C., April 12, 2013 (Zenit.org) Kathleen Naab | Thursday in the White House, President Barack Obama bestowed on Fr. Emil Kapaun the nation's highest military recognition, the Medal of Honor.The priest, who died in a prisoner of war camp during the Korean war, is also being considered for canonization.The life that won Fr. Kapaun not only such high military praise, but also possible recognition as a canonized saint, is the subject of a biography called "The...

DON LEMON: Larry, I have to say this, I thought this was very interesting. You said not even an O.J. [Simpson] jury would convict Officer Wilson. I mean, should he at least be charged? LARRY ELDER: Well, I think he will be charged. I think Van is right. I think the politics will compel a charge, but I think the law and the facts will compel an acquittal.

Islamic State militants capture key Syrian air base - giving them open road to the sea and massive store of weapons and ammunition. Islamic State militants have seized a major Syrian air base, wiping out the last government stronghold in a province dominated by jihadists. The extremists won a week-long battle today to capture the sprawling Tabqa base 25 miles from their stronghold in Raqqa, reportedly killing dozens of soldiers in the process. The base was reportedly one of the military's largest facilities in the region, with several warplane squadrons, helicopters, tanks, artillery and ammunition. Its capture is a huge...

Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) has introduced legislation that would prohibit the sale, use, or possession of body armor by unauthorized persons. “Authorized persons” in Honda’s view include government law-enforcement personnel, troops, and others the government may deem worthy of such protection. “Those duly empowered to use deadly force should not have to fear that their efforts might be thwarted by the widespread availability of bullet-resistant vests or helmets,” Honda said. “The government’s capacity to suppress dangerous elements must not be diluted.” Honda dismissed the idea that law-abiding civilians could have a legitimate need for this type of personal protection—Bullet Blocker’s...

ISIS leader’s terror in Iraq, threat to ‘march on Rome’ is forcing Western leaders to take actionIt may sound perverse, but perhaps we owe a small note of thanks to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Like a bullet whistling overhead, the ruthless rise of ISIS under al-Baghdadi has had the effect of concentrating the fretful and forgetful minds of Western leaders. Despite the various terrors inflicted by al-Qaida, the Taliban and other radical Muslim groups over the years, and despite the spreading regional war between Islam’s Sunni and Shia factions, America...

Dear FRiends, Time is running short for our FReepathon. We're nearing the end of the second month and we still have $14k to go. We need to wrap this up soon. If you enjoy using FR and find it worthwhile and would like to help keep it going, please consider making your donation today. Thank you very much!! FR is funded solely by contributions made by liberty loving people like you who enjoy and use it. We are beholden to no political party, no advertisers, no sugar daddies, no corporate string pullers, no government subsidies, no outside influences. We are...

At least two rockets were fired on Saturday from southern Lebanon towards Israel, Lebanon's national news agency and security sources said, without saying who had launched them. The news agency NNA, citing its correspondent in Tyre, said the rockets were fired towards "occupied territories" and that the Lebanese army had encircled the suspected launch area. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Last month militants in Lebanon fired into Israel on at least three occasions and in the past a group linked to al Qaeda has claimed rocket attacks. Israel's military and police said at least one rocket fired...

Terrorism expert Brigitte Gabrielle seemed to confirm what many suspected and feared on Judge Jeanine’s show on Saturday night. She said that Homeland Security are monitoring suspected members of ISIS already in America, and they’re afraid that others might be coming in through our porous border.

The august Time Magazine has posted a video on its website accusing the IDF of selling 'Palestinians' organs. Yes, really. Let's go to the videotape - watch the part from about 1:14 - 1:25 (source here).

After having formally launched JPFO’s “High Capacity Freedom” campaign (aka “High Cap Freedom”), JPFO’s Rabbi Dovid Bendory listed five reasons why you would WANT (not “need”) a high capacity ammunition magazine. We purposely held back at that time the crucial “Sixth Reason”. It has “stand alone” significance, and is probably the most important reason for an armed citizenry to “keep and bear” significant weaponry and ammunition capacity. It has been called the “elephant in the room” of American gun rights. Few in the Second Amendment movement are comfortable contemplating this critical issue. The matter is simple: “We the People”, as...

Rep. Paul Ryan is seeking to distance himself from last year’s government shutdown and counter his image as an unsympathetic budget negotiator in a new memoir released as the Wisconsin Republican weighs a presidential run in 2016. In "The Way Forward: Renewing the American Idea," the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee writes that he warned his fellow GOP that the shutdown “can't be the full measure of our party and our movement” and called it “a suicide mission.”

A new national poll has found that a majority (51%) of Americans aged 18-24 feel that everyone who participates in a sport should get a trophy.

here has been little notice of the president’s insistent use of the acronym “ISIL” to describe the Sunni forces currently rampaging across Iraq, executing Iraqi military and creating a new massive refugee population in an already unstable area. With the exception of Reuters and now the Associated Press, most news organizations have not referred to ISIL until President Obama began using the term, which stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. But when Obama used the term 5 times on June13, and 16 times in his commencement speech at West Point on June 19th, he was using his...

After two weeks away from the White House, President Barack Obama's vacation on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, ends late Sunday. A look, by the numbers, at how Obama spent the time while juggling his responsibilities as president, including monitoring the situations in Iraq and in Ferguson, Missouri: — 14: days, all or part, spent on the island — 9: golf outings — 2: golf courses played — 1: beach outing, with Michelle Obama and daughter Malia — 1: bike ride, with Mrs. Obama and Malia — 1: fundraiser headlined, for Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ---snip---

The White House announced that three aides would be attending the funeral of Michael Brown, the Ferguson, MO man killed by police. The blog Weasel Zippers notes that President Obama failed to dispatch any White House personnel to the funeral of Major General Harold Greene who was klled in Afghanistan, but feels compelled to send 3 aides to the funeral of Michael Brown.

As soft television advertisements now hypocritically portray US House of Representatives Democrat incumbent Patrick Murphy as the best friend a Treasure Coast family ever had, an outstanding analysis of the young single man presents an appalling revelation of who and what he really is. A staggering statistic shows that after taking office, Murphy’s yearly net worth jumped from $205,682 to $3,185,011, an unbelievable increase of 1,449% while in comparison, the American citizen’s median yearly income features a net worth decline of MINUS-0.94%. According to outstanding research and source work done by ballotpedia.org, Murphy now ranks as the “102nd wealthiest representative...

On Aug. 24, 1814, the British started a fire — and ultimately kindled a capital’s future. The day began like so many days in Washington, with a painfully long meeting marked by confusion, misinformation and indecision. The British were coming. They were on the march in the general direction of Washington. The precise target of the invaders remained unclear, but their intentions were surely malign. James Madison, the fourth president of these young United States, had raced to a private home near the Navy Yard for an emergency war council with top generals and members of his Cabinet. The secretary...

I see that both the Farmer’s Almanac and Joe Bastardi (the other Joey B) are predicting another El Nino winter, which means a stormier and colder than normal winter, especially along the east coast. That could prove to be a bit of a problem since power companies apparently took Barry at his word that “if somebody wants to build a coal plant, they can — it’s just that it will bankrupt them.”  So they didn’t. And they’re closing the coal plants they do have: “In order to comply with the new Obama era EPA regs, American Electric Power, which supplies...

A video was just posted on YouTube allegedly shot offshore Fiji showing fishermen clinging on to wreckage from what appears to be their boat while attempting to hide from the crew of another fishing vessel that was shooting at them with rifles. Update: It seems this incident likely did not happen off Fiji, but was rather the result of a failed piracy attempt off Somalia against Taiwanese fishing boats.

FERGUSON, Mo. -- Michael Brown Jr. was on the verge of starting college, eager to launch himself into the adult world. Instead, on Monday he'll be mourned at his funeral, more than two weeks after his fatal shooting by a white police officer— an act that ignited days of violent protests and reawakened racial tensions that still linger in the nation. Brown, who was unarmed when he was killed, became an instant symbol of racial injustice as protesters flooded into the streets after his death. Civil rights leaders said the shooting in this predominantly black St. Louis suburb revived long...