Free Republic

WEST DES MOINES – By almost every measure, 2014 was a banner year for the Polk County Republican Party. Although Democrats held an active voter registration edge of more than 20,000 in the state’s largest county on Election Day, several Republican candidates overcame that deficit. The Polk GOP invested significant resources and effort to make that happen. “We stayed the course, knocked the doors, chased the absentee ballots, registered new voters and at the end of the day, it was all worth it when we saw Joni Ernst, David Young and all of our Republican candidates that won on the...

What would you do if you were Vladimir Putin? What would you do if you were a Russian citizen? Russia's economic problems -- slowly incubating in recent months -- are about to get a lot worse. And that should make all of us nervous.

PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION HEARING TO STOP OBAMA'S AMNESTY EXECUTIVE ACTIONS Date: December 22, 2014 Place: D.C. Federal Court, 3rd and Constitution Ave., Courtroom 15 Time: 9:30 AM Here is the press release for the hearing: http://www.freedomwatchusa.org/dc-federal-court-orders-expedited-preliminary-injunction-hea Here is the 164 page final injunctive motion: http://www.freedomwatchusa.org/pdf/141204-FINAL%20Motion%20for%20Preliminary%20Injunction.pdf Here is the related lawsuit: http://www.freedomwatchusa.org/pdf/141120-Arpaio%20Complaint%20with%20Exhibits.pdf

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Diagnosis of whooping cough surprises mother, what you need to know about the disease[video report at link] With seven confirmed cases of pertussis or whooping cough popping up from elementary through high school grade levels in the Three Forks School District, one mother said she was surprised when her son came down with the disease. "I was shocked," said Michelle Rogers. Rogers says her family is currently in quarantine mode, after her 8-year old son tested positive for whooping cough. But the diagnosis was a surprise: "All of my kids are vaccinated and up to date with their shots."...

EuroNews/Reuters: Sierra Leone to start house-to-house searches for Ebola patients 15 minutes ago "FREETOWN (Reuters) – Sierra Leone said it would start house-to-house searches for Ebola patients on Wednesday and impose internal travel restrictions as part of a new push to combat the epidemic. Health workers …"

Earlier tonight, Curtis Houck at NewsBusters observed that the Tuesday evening network news shows failed to report on an opinion issued today by a federal judge in Western Pennsylvania in connection with President Obama's illegal immigration-related executive actions last month. Several blogs and center-right outlets noted Judge Arthur Schwab's 38-page "Memorandum Opinion" this afternoon. Not that this excuses the networks, but a search at the Associated Press's national site just before 8 p.m. on Schwab's last name (unfortunately not saved) returned nothing relevant. But shortly after 8 p.m. a story with a time stamp of 5:08 p.m. with Schwab's name...

The dramatic fall in Russia's ruble slowed on Wednesday, with the government selling foreign currency to prop it up after a 50 percent fall against the dollar this year. Losses were partly contained by exporters selling dollars in preparation for paying their monthly tax bills but the slide was less precipitous than in the past two days when it fell about 20 percent against the dollar. At 0508 ET, the ruble was down around 1.6 percent against the dollar at 68.58 rubles per dollar and was 0.3 percent weaker versus the euro at 85.40.

With the federal government engaged in a de facto unconstitutional occupation of some two thirds of Utah’s territory, citizens of the state and their elected representatives have had just about enough. So, on December 31, the State of Utah is formally demanding that Washington, D.C., relinquish control over more than 30 million acres of valuable land currently controlled by various federal bureaucracies. While apparatchiks for an all-powerful U.S. government and far-left activists are fuming over the plan, Utah lawmakers, citizens, and experts say the time has come for the state to manage — and profit from — its own resources....

Editor's note: This piece was co-authored by Tim Graham.Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are polar opposites, a Tea Party conservative and an Occupy Wall Street socialist. Then there are the similarities: Both were elected in 2012, both have Harvard on their resume and both are mentioned as presidential material. But the media's read of the two demonstrates an unquestionable slant. Both senators have shaken up the Senate over heavy spending and regulation. When Warren does it, she's promoted as a profile in courage, standing up for fairness. When Cruz does it, he's a selfish brat causing meltdowns. On...

For over a decade, people all over the world have used Tor (formerly known as the Onion Router) to protect their privacy. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory developed the system using open source technology, to protect U.S. government communications. It is used by people living under restrictive regimes who want to access forbidden information or data on the Internet, whistle-blowers and dissidents who want to communicate with journalists, and anyone who wants to use the Internet without being tracked or to publish information on the Net without compromising their privacy.How Tor Works Tor works by sending traffic from its source...

When I walk into any movie, I hope it will be good. After all, this is how I spend the majority of my time. This is what I write about and speak about and think about more than anything else, and when I see critics who seem to dislike the majority of what they cover, I am baffled. Why would you do this work if you genuinely dislike more than you like?

Sheikh Haron, the Sydney hostage taker, had an extensive website which is currently down where he posted open letters to assorted politicians. These included a letter to Obama written during his original campaign.

EU court orders Hamas removal from terror blacklist"The Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas must be removed from the EU's terrorism blacklist, but its assets will stay frozen, a European court ruled on Wednesday. The original listing in 2001 was...

A fight over a bill at a popular South Florida restaurant spiraled into a brawl Sunday, as angry patrons hurled glass mugs, chairs and Christmas ornaments in a melee that left a waiter hospitalized, police say. ---- snip When police arrived, the party that had started the fight left the restaurant and were outside in the parking lot. Multiple witnesses identified several of the patrons as being involved in the brawl, including 29-year-old Roosevelt LaGuerre, 29-year-old Claude Galland, 25-year-old Eurasha Fonseca and 19-year-old Abby Gay Thompson.

The recent release of a Senate report commissioned by Democrats regarding torture of terrorism suspects in order to obtain vital information was a waste of $40 million of taxpayer money. It already had been documented extensively that three suspects were waterboarded and that sleep deprivation and other such techniques were used to extract vital information from terrorists. Though the report says otherwise, that information played a part in the apprehension or annihilation of many upper-echelon terrorist leaders, including Osama bin Laden. The high-profile release of this information at a time when we are engaged in war with various terrorist groups...

It's the season for giving. That doesn't mean it's the season for government. Government creates loyalty in the minds of citizens by pretending to be Santa Claus, doling out gifts and favors. Politicians claim they help those unfortunates who aren't helped by coldhearted capitalism. The truth is, government gets in the way of charity, making it harder for people to help others and for the poor to help themselves. It also gets in the way of commerce, which is what really makes people better off. When I was in college, President Lyndon Johnson declared "an all-out war on human poverty....

Sony hacks: Sorkin says media are 'morally treasonous' By Anthony Zurcher Editor, Echo Chambers The messages read like something from a bad Hollywood film about Hollywood. The misbehaviour of egotistical studio executives, petulant stars and dictatorial directors seem almost too cliched to be true. But, apparently, they are. Major media outlets have been sifting through the voluminous trove of Sony Pictures emails made public by an anonymous group of hackers known as the Guardians of Peace for more than a week, picking out the particularly salacious details. The resulting stories have provided a candid look at the sometimes ugly, sometimes...

Formerly the "Fans of Quinn and Rose Discussion" thread, our group been meeting here since 2008. We still hold out hope that our favorite talk show hosts will come back on the air but, whether they do or not, our friendly group will still meet to start the day. So if you are preparing to go to work, are getting home from work - or happily retired - stop in and say mornin' and share the latest news, discuss the weather, share a recipe, or whatever!

Allow me to unite America's left, right and center in just three words: No, Jeb, No. Former GOP Florida governor Jeb Bush made the obvious official this week when he announced on Facebook that he's "actively exploring" a 2016 White House run. Of course, he's running. That's what inveterate politicians do. Well, I hate to break it to Jeb Inc. There's no popular groundswell for Bush Part III. None, zip, nada. Independents, progressives and conservatives are all weary of the entrenched bipartisan dynasties that rule Washington and ruin America. Only in the hallowed bubble of D.C. and New York City...