Free Republic

WASHINGTON – Republican aren’t mincing words about some in their own party as the political divide grows and the deadline to pass a spending bill nears. Heading into a rare Saturday session, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News he was surprised that GOP Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah went over his head Friday night and help up a vote on the $1.1 trillion spending bill. A senior GOP source lashed out at Cruz and Lee, calling the move “hamfisted” and “amateurish.” Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters that he was surprised by...

DENVER — Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper made good Friday on his promise to sue the federal government over its hotly contested move to list the Gunnison sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act. The Colorado Attorney General’s office filed a notice of intent to sue with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Fish and Wildlife Service director Daniel M. Ashe, arguing that the agency’s Nov. 12 decision to list the bird as threatened was flawed and failed to appreciate fully the impact of aggressive state and local conservation efforts. “The Service failed to use the best available science in its listing...

“The [Nevada] Secretary of State has certified that the petitions submitted for an anti-gun initiative for the 2016 general election ballot are sufficient,” nraila.org reports. “This initiative was filed with the Secretary of State by the anti-gun ‘Nevadans for Background Checks,’ likely affiliated with ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ‘Everytown for Gun Safety’ and seeks to criminalize most private transfers and mandate background checks for nearly all gun transfers in Nevada, with very limited exceptions.” Here’s the official description from the group behind the push . . .

By AIMEE PICCHI December 12, 2014 Why Middle-Class Wealth Is Withering If the middle class is truly the backbone of America, the country's spine may be close to breaking. Middle America came out of the Great Recession in a precarious position, sinking into "dissavings" -- when spending is greater than income -- thanks to a nasty combination of stagnant wages and a hit to real estate and investment values, according to a new working paper from New York University economics professor Edward N. Wolff. That's led to a grim outcome, with virtually no change in the country's median wealth between...

Spotted this while chasing another link. Seems I've seen one of these before, but not as a cased piece. Many detailed pictures, worth a peek but texts are in Russian. Interesting...

Editor’s note: This column was originally published Dec.. 5. On Dec. 12, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act. Page 1,163 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) states: “The land conveyed under this subsection shall be used only as a motocross, bicycle, off-highway vehicle, or stock car racing area, or for any other public purpose consistent with uses allowed under the Act of June 14, 1926 (commonly known as the ‘Recreation and Public Purposes Act’)…” You may ask yourself: What in the world does this have to do with defending America against the numerous threats we face? The...

In the closely watched Supreme Court case, EEOC v. Abercrombie, the Becket Fund a brief debunking Abercrombie's claim that a Muslim job applicant should have explained during her job interview that she was wearing a headscarf for religious reasons in order to be protected by anti-discrimination laws. "Abercrombie's claim is both an absurd and dangerous precedent for all people of faith seeking employment," said Eric Baxter, Senior Counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. "Justice may be blind, but that doesn't mean employers can cover their eyes. A job applicant does not have to bring a 'Look at me...

Early Friday evening Sen. Elizabeth Warren took to the Senate floor and gave a plain-spoken, barn-burning speech that could make history and put her into serious contention to be the next President of the United States. There are only a handful of political speeches that have such historic impact. Barack Obama's keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention comes readily to mind. It's what catapulted an obscure Illinois state Senator into the national limelight and put him on the path to becoming President. Warren's Senate speech was different, but just as electrifying. Obama's rhetoric was lofty, high-minded, and general, with...

WASHINGTON -- Less than a month after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) landed a new Senate leadership position, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and President Barack Obama risked a fight with her over government subsidies for risky Wall Street derivatives trading. They won the near-term policy fight: After a bruising bicameral battle, the House of Representatives narrowly approved an annual spending bill that granted taxpayer support for the risky financial contracts at the heart of the 2008 meltdown. But the bitter feud left Reid and Obama politically embarrassed, while consolidating a burgeoning populist movement within the...

The House-passed $1.1 trillion Continuing Resolution contains a clause that exposes taxpayers to a potential $300 trillion liability for bank losses in derivatives trading. The rider to the CR was the “brain child” of Citigroup. The rider is opposed by both tea party Republicans and left wing Democrats, but is strongly supported by House GOP leadership and President Obama. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif), charged that “this maneuver puts the lie to the contention that the GOP is the Party of small government. This is a big government pay off to Wall Street financiers. I’m enormously disappointed that the...

First it was that all atheists can go to Heaven. Then it was that communist economics is Biblical. Furthermore, he and the church believes theistic evolution--"God is not a magician." (God made everything, then everything made everything. Adam and Eve's parents were apes.) The church needs to dialogue about the Sacrament of Marriage concerning divorce and unnatural marriage. Basically, the church has become RC-Lite and "all things to all sheeple." Now, he says that all dogs go to Heaven! What about other pets? Let me tell you that cat fanciers are being rubbed the wrong way! Rumors are that the...

Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog Here are 34 more reasons I’m sooo glad I didn’t vote for Obama The complete list can be found at https://danfromsquirrelhill.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/obama-252/Here are the new entries:901) Emails prove that the Obama administration pressured CBS News to stop airing reports by Sharyl AttkissonOn October 3, 2011, CBS News aired a story by Sharyl Attkisson which showed that Attorney General Eric Holder had lied under oath regarding Fast and Furious. The report can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JaDEShZIvQOn October 4, 2011, Holder’s top press aide, Tracy Schmaler, wrote the following in an email to White House Deputy Press Sectary Eric...

Survey results made public Wednesday by Pew Research Center show public support for protecting gun rights on the rise across all demographics except for two notable categories, “liberal Democrats” and “Hispanics.” [A]ttitudes expressed by Hispanics show overwhelming rejection of pro-gun political sentiment. With only 25 percent favoring laws protecting the right to own guns, 71 percent want government to “control ownership.” That tracks with warnings issued by Gun Owners of America, curiously alone among national gun rights advocacy groups. GOA has warned that amnesty for illegal aliens, and a "pathway to citizenship," will provide for millions of new anti-gun voters...

The issue of black inequality has been front and center in the national dialogue for weeks as protests rolled out nightly, but now the conflict has ignited in the heart of the protest movement itself. With each new demonstration against the killings of unarmed black men by white police in Missouri and New York, questions — and in many cases, objections — proliferate about the role of white voices in a movement that centers on African Americans’ grievances.

A prominent activist for homosexual rights in the military is awaiting trial for forcible sodomy and abusive sexual contact, the Washington Blade reports. Air Force Lt. Joshua Seefried was initially charged in April, a development that went largely unreported by the media. The charges came about after complaints from U.S. Marine Lt. Edgar Luna, who is also homosexual. On a weekend in May of 2012, Seefried had gathered with a group of homosexual military officers in New York City. Luna was also present, and the group was celebrating the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which Seefried’s...

The reprehensible Rosie O’Donnell continued her rantings about the interrogation of terrorist suspects by the CIA on Thursday’s “The View,” but in-house conservative Nicole Wallace was on hand to put O’Donnell in her place. (VIDEO-AT-LINK)Wallace, who was director of media affairs in the Bush White House, was at work on 9/11 and vividly recalled fleeing the office after the attacks and calling her parents. She said the intelligence officers who did the interrogations necessary to prevent another attack had her gratitude. “I don’t think anyone is defending brutal tactics. That’s why they don’t happen anymore. But I have never been...

Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus, who gained nationwide attention for holding a sign reading “Black lives matter” at a peaceful protest in his city, was criticized by his department’s rank-and-file Friday for doing so in uniform

While it would certainly be cathartic to flog the GOP for the lousy omnibus bill House Republicans just passed, it seems more productive to tackle a bigger issue. After a historic, yet unearned (Obama was the real GOP MVP) election victory, isn’t it time for the Republican leadership to try to heal the rift with the base that’s tearing the party apart? Do Republican leaders REALLY want to spend the next two years of a presidential election cycle getting trashed the way they are right now by activists, Tea Party leaders and radio talk show hosts? Anyone who thinks the...

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The end times are upon us. I find myself in agreement with not just Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), but House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). It’s not just me. Right Wing News’ John Hawkins — not exactly a cheerleader for bipartisan consensus — is publicly standing with Warren, Pelosi, and their liberal allies in the House and Senate. As have conservative Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), Townhall.com’s Amy Otto, and Tea Party Patriots, among many others. And I’m not only opposed to the omnibus bill that squeaked through the House and may fail in the Senate. I’m...