Free Republic

A small group of men and women once set its principles of charity and temperance against the prevailing values of the age—and in so doing altered the course of civilization. Because the early Christians’ belief had a specific content of truth and morality based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, they could not simply go with the flow. Jesus was both God and man. They could not worship, or pretend to worship, a mere human being who claimed to be God because he was Caesar. And this seemed to non-Christians to be an unpardonable stubbornness and perversity. Marriage...

Every now and then, news breaks in the Obama administration that is so stereotypical, it is actually depressing. You might want to sit down for this. Attorney General Eric Holder, made infamous by Operation Fast and Furious, is currently arguing before the Supreme Court that United Nations treaties trump the United States Constitution. That’s right. The sitting Attorney General, charged with upholding and defending the Constitution, is arguing before the highest court that international law is in fact the law of the land. The case in question, Bond v. United States, is actually pretty ridiculous. The defendant is charged with...

OTTAWA, Dec 12 (Reuters) – The Royal Canadian Navy on Friday imposed an almost total ban on sailors drinking at sea, after a warship had to be recalled from an international exercise because inebriated crew members got into trouble. Sailors had hitherto been allowed to drink off duty. Now, they will only be able to sample alcohol on special occasions such as Christmas, if the captain gives permission.

Obama's Daughters Enjoy Gourmet Lunches at Posh School 11 Dec 2014 By James Morrisson While many public school students complain about lunchtime mush that meets White House calorie guidelines, President Barack Obama's daughters are dining on gourmet meals at a posh private school in Washington. School kids have been moaning about tasteless fare local governments adopt to comply with first lady Michelle Obama’s war on the waistline and posting photos of the mystery meals online. The Sidwell Friends School, the $36,000-a-year private academy attended by Malia and Sasha Obama, also posts its menus on the Internet. Editor's Note: Seniors Scoop...

After hours of debate on the massive government spending package, the Senate adjourned until Saturday, pushing a fight that dominated Congress for days into the weekend. The Senate is expected to vote Monday on the $1.1 trillion package, which has already passed the House, Sens. Mitch McConnell and Barbara Mikulski said late Friday. Members from both parties in the Senate are trying to make last-minute changes to the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made a procedural move Friday that would set up a vote on final passage in the Senate no later than Monday. In a surprise development, the...

Natural temperature swings in the ocean, not global warming, are driving California’s extreme drought, according to a new government study. Researchers said sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean set up an atmospheric roadblock off the West Coast that diverted winter storms away from California. The state relies on winter rain and snow for most of its yearly water. The roadblock is a persistent ridge of high pressure that first formed in 2011 during a La Niña event. Even though La Niña broke down after the 2011-2012 winter, the western equatorial Pacific Ocean remained a warm water bull’s-eye, a...

December 12, 2014 It Sure Looks Like Jeb Bush Isn't Running For President By Thomas Lifson Forget about all those speeches, meetings with donors, and campaign appearances for others before the election. Money talks. Bloomberg reports (via The Weekly Standard): "Documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Nov list Bush as chairman and manager of a new offshore private equity fund, Global Aviation, which raised $61million in September, largely from foreign ­investors. In November the fund ­incorporated in the United Kingdom and Wales­—a ­structure, several independent finance lawyers say, that operates like a tax haven by allowing...

The collapse of the oil price has snared its first West Australian victim with Red Fork Energy losing the support of its major lender. The Perth-based company drills shale rock onshore in the United States, producing oil and gas. But it is completely exposed to the US shale industry, which analysts say has become unviable at current oil prices. The oil price has tumbled 40 per cent in recent months, dragging down the value and margins of oil and gas producers. Red Fork's major lender, Guggenheim Corporate Funding, called in the receivers this week

Watch Cristina Gatti lend her classic voice to a true Christmas classic...so classic, that some might even call it, "The Christmas Song." Special thanks to Hum Music for the studio space, and to Eddie the dog for making a cameo. The Band: Cristina Gatti - vocals http://www.facebook.com/cristinagatti... http://www.instagram.com/cristinagatt... Allen Hunter - bass Chip Thomas - drums http://www.instagram.com/chipfunky Eddie - dog Rook - bartender Scott Bradlee - piano http://www.instagram.com/scottbradlee http://www.facebook.com/scottbradleem... PMJ on FB: http://www.facebook.com/postmodernjuk... Twitter / Insta: @PMJofficial Postmodern Jukebox Tour Dates: Jan 19 - The Birchmere; Washington, DC Jan 22 - House of Blues; San Diego, CA Jan 24 -...

It is a curious phenomenon that magazines in doctor’s waiting rooms are always out of date. Now a study has discovered the reason. The more recent the publication, the more likely it is to be filched by light-fingered patients. Researchers at the University of Auckland found that GP waiting rooms generally contain older magazines no matter how hard staff try to keep supplies up to date. And patients hoping to find something light-hearted to take their mind off a tooth or tummy ache are also likely to be disappointed. For the magazines that get left behind are not only out...

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota officials have canceled a public safety campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of jerking the steering wheel on icy roads, saying it's too risque. The Department of Public Safety has pulled the "Don't Jerk and Drive" ads, which played on the double-meaning of the word "jerk."

President Barack Obama on Friday urged the Senate to ratify a $1.1 trillion, House-passed spending bill that has roiled his Democratic Party, judging it an imperfect measure that stems from “the divided government that the American people voted for.” One day after House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi publicly chastised him for supporting the bill, the president said there were provisions “I really do not like.” At the same time, he said there were other portions that “fund health insurance, early childhood education, the fight against climate change and expand manufacturing hubs to grow jobs.” …

You’re not even welcome at my funeral. That’s the message the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association is asking rank-and-file cops to send to Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who the union has insisted are rolling out anti-cop policies and have not supported the police force. “DON’T LET THEM INSULT YOUR SACRIFICE!,” a bold red message on the union’s webpage reads. “Download and sign a request that Mayor de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito stay away from your funeral in the event that you are killed in the line of duty.” The form itself, which allows an officer to...

Washington (AFP) - American lawmakers defied President Barack Obama and approved fresh economic sanctions against Russia, prompting swift criticism from Moscow Friday over toughening the US response to a Kremlin-backed separatist insurgency in Ukraine. The legislation also authorizes -- but does not legally require -- Obama to provide lethal and non-lethal military aid to Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons, ammunition and "tactical troop-operated surveillance drones." The sanctions bill was passed unanimously Thursday in the Senate and House of Representatives. Because of a technical issue it returns to the Senate, where aides say there likely will be unanimous consent for final passage...

The momentum for right-to-work measures at the local level across the country might be gaining steam: Kentucky’s Warren County — which includes Bowling Green — just passed a local right-to-work ordinance. A 5–1 bipartisan majority of the country legislature voted to make union dues voluntary for private-sector workers. The measure comes up for a second and final reading next week. If it passes, then unions will lose the ability to compel workers in Warren County (home to a sizeable GM plant) to pay union dues — at least until the inevitable court challenge. The National Labor Relations Act, which largely...

There is one more bitter, tragic irony to Rolling Stone’s erroneous coverage of allegations of gang rape at the University of Virginia. Evidence is mounting that young women on the campus indeed faced a violent threat for a long time. It just didn’t come from fraternities or the student body. On September 13, 18-year-old University of Virginia student Hannah Graham disappeared; authorities recovered her remains from a rural part of Albemarle County, Va., on October 18. Police arrested Jesse Matthew Jr. on September 25, and he was charged in the disappearance of Graham. What’s astounding is how many young women...

When I was thirteen, I played a whole lot of Dungeons & Dragons.  I was even the Dungeon Master for a while.  I designed my own campaigns, with characters and towns mapped out.  Old school.  None of this video game online stuff.  Sitting around a table with a bunch of nerds in a basement, with the Dungeon Master guide, combat tables, and a jar of 6-, 12-, and 20-sided dice (don’t judge me, you did stuff you don't talk about, too). This is Exodus: Gods and Kings.I can imagine Ridley Scott and his writing team of Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine,...

http://uneditedpolitics.com/utah-senator-mike-lee-floor-speech-on-the-cromnibus-121214/

December 13, 2014Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr    Reading 1 Sir 48:1-4, 9-11 In those days,like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijahwhose words were as a flaming furnace.Their staff of bread he shattered,in his zeal he reduced them to straits;By the Lord’s word he shut up the heavensand three times brought down fire.How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!Whose glory is equal to yours?You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,in a chariot with fiery horses.You were destined, it is written, in time to cometo put an end to wrath before the day...

The victims of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that left 13 dead and more than 30 wounded moved closer Friday to receiving the Purple Hearts many say they are due. Congress passed a defense policy bill Friday evening that includes a provision making victims of the attacks at the Texas Army post eligible for the Purple Heart. The award given to military personnel wounded in battle also offers increased retirement benefits. The Department of Defense has denied the award to Fort Hood shooting victims, calling the November 2009 attack an act of workplace violence, not terrorism. That distinction has angered...