Free Republic

After I write a column that rips Barack Obama up one side and down the other, talks about our debt or the fact that we essentially don’t have borders any more, there are usually conservatives who show up in the comments section or email me something like, “I agree with you 110%, but what’s the solution? What policy do we put in place to fix everything that’s going wrong? When are we going to have another Ronald Reagan ride in on a white horse and fix what’s wrong?” Here’s the problem with that: It’s the wrong mentality. It’s sort of...

Amidst the various twists and turns of our nation’s negotiation with Iran on a nuclear deal, one thing is clear: the American people are skeptical. Americans know that a nuclear Iran is a threat to every nation. Our concern is not just Iran in possession of a nuclear bomb; we all know that the leadership of Iran continues to threaten its neighbors and the World. Iran is the world’s largest state-sponsor of terrorism and there is little doubt that if they had nuclear weapons, they could transfer those weapons or nuclear material to their global terror proxies. This week, the...

Barry Strauss’ The Death of Caesar begins with the triumphant Julius returning to Rome, surrounded by allies and well-wishers—many of whom would eventually take part in the plot to kill him—and then takes the reader on a compelling tour of the events surrounding Caesar’s assassination and the subsequent struggle between competing parties and conceptions of Roman government.The struggle for power is the heart of this skillful, accessible account. Strauss is keen that we understand just how ruthless the men of Rome were, noting how Brutus had once locked debtor councilmen in their homes until they starved to death. He provides...

My notebook computer is dying and needs replacement. I like the idea of replacing it with a tablet/laptop hybrid, as I can think of a number of ways to make my life more productive if I could use both. I go out to jobsites and gather information on paper, then bring it back and enter it into the computer and produce reports. Seems to me the info could be entered into a tablet and skip a step. I also do a fair bit of work with graphics and such, but for that I normally hook up to a large monitor...

Dear Diary: A singer often in need of a handy practice area, I sometimes vocalize in the subway (in addition to busking). The cathedral-like acoustics of these underground passages are friendly to the voice, and on my lunch break I can loosen my tie and warm up with some scales. I have found a little cul-de-sac perfect for this at a station near work, out of the paths of the Midtown commuters rushing through. Passers-by who hear my tenor coloratura sometimes pop their heads around the corner in curiosity; some smile or wave. But I go there for the architecture,...

JALALABAD, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber attacked a crowd of people waiting to collect their pay at a bank here on Saturday, killing 33 and wounding at least 50 in the bloodiest such attack so far this year, officials said. All of the victims were civilians, according to the police. The blast was one of three separate explosions heard in quick succession in this eastern city around 8 a.m. Saturday, the police said. Unusually, the Taliban spokesman for eastern Afghanistan, Zabiullah Mujahid, disavowed the bank attack soon after it happened, denying in three different languages on Twitter that the insurgents...

Social scientists have found that by the time children enter kindergarten, there is already a large academic achievement gap between students from wealthy and poor families. We still don't know exactly why that's the case. There's a sense that it at least partly has to do with the fact that affluent mothers and fathers have more intensive parenting sytles—they're more likely to read to their kids, for instance—and have enough money to make sure their toddlers grow up well-nourished, generally cared for, and intellectually stimulated. At the same time, poor children often grow up in chaotic, food-insecure, stressful homes that...

The Senate Foreign Relations committee approved Tuesday afternoon the Corker-Menendez bill requiring that any deal the Obama Administration makes with Iran has to be approved by congress unanimously. Technically Congress won’t be voting on the deal, they will be voting on whether or not to remove the sanctions. However if the sanctions are not removed there will be no deal from Iran's point of view. But that's not the big story. After Sen. Corker announced a compromise everyone knew the bill would pass with bipartisan support, although no one could have foreseen unanimity. The big news is that Obama folded....

This is the strangest book of note I have ever read. And that’s as it should be, since the subject is Russia, the strangest country of note I have ever visited. Peter Pomerantsev has written the most bitter indictment of a nation’s politics and society going wrong since William Shirer’s 1941 Berlin Diary. Pomerantsev has also written a calm and incisive report on the current state of affairs in Russia. Yet it reads like a comedy of manners, a dark and grotesque comedy of manners, a State Department white paper co-authored by Evelyn Waugh and Franz Kafka. And not only...

Republicans are most enthusiastic about the prospects of nominating Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for president, a new HuffPost/YouGov poll finds, but they're open to rallying around a number of potential candidates--with the possible exception of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.Members of the party are generally optimistic that whoever emerges from the crowded field of prospects will succeed. Three-quarters of Republicans predict their party will win back the presidency next year, and most look favorably on several of the politicians fighting for the nomination.Walker generated the most excitement of the six candidates tested, with 45 percent saying they'd be enthusiastic to...

An interesting look at opposites. On her worst day Carly Fiorina outshines Hillary Clinton.Fiorina can discuss hard facts and choices without sounding shrill and disconnected, like Mrs. Clinton does. They're both grandmothers. I think Fiorina's grandchildren got the best of the bargain between these two women. SERIOUS and SUBSTANTIVE: - Bret Baier Interview With Carly Fiorina 9:00 that will hold your interest. SUPERFICIAL and SECRETIVE: - Kara Swisher Interview With Hillary Clinton 30:00 "..get people into a nice warm purple space."

President Obama says that evidence that the Islamic State has opened a training camp in Mexico, just a few miles from El Paso on the Texas border, vindicates his decision to grant expedited amnesty to illegal immigrants from Latin America. "We've all seen the atrocities these terrorists are capable of," the President observed. "Who can blame Mexicans for fleeing? To deny these refugees sanctuary would be inhumane. To deport them would be cruel and unusual punishment. To delay their integration into our society merely on the grounds that Congress has failed to enact the necessary legislation would be barbaric." Obama...

U.S. military officials are concerned that Iran's support for Houthi rebels in Yemen could spark a confrontation with Saudi Arabia and plunge the region into sectarian war. Iran is sending an armada of seven to nine ships — some with weapons — toward Yemen in a potential attempt to resupply the Shia Houthi rebels, according to two U.S. defense officials. Officials fear the move could lead to a showdown with the U.S. or other members of a Saudi-led coalition, which is enforcing a naval blockade of Yemen and is conducting its fourth week of airstrikes against the Houthis. Iran sent...

With just two of a dozen or more presidential candidates having declared their intention to run for office, South Carolina’s tea partyers are already lining up behind Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. In the latest Winthrop Poll released Wednesday, Walker and Texas Senator Tex Cruz were in a statistical tie among the 1,000 or so likekly GOP voters polled. But poll director Scott Huffmon says support between mainstream republicans and Tea Party backers may be split — at least for now “The Tea Party Likes Scott Walker to the tune of people who approve of the Tea Party picked Scott Walker...

Voilà! In addition to handling a private/official email problem, flying coach, and carrying her own luggage, Hillary Clinton may now be able to add to her list of outstanding accomplishments singlehandedly resolving the contention surrounding immigration reform. Recently, on a tightly stage-managed listening tour Hillary, granddaughter of alleged immigrants, revealed her acute sensitivity for the plight of – you guessed it – immigrants. An empathetic Hillary had this to say about how illegal immigrants are being treated in America: We are turning down people who really want to work. I mean they are here to work and a lot of...

Watching Hillary Clinton reach out and touch ordinary Americans is excruciating. In working a crowd of regular folks, Hillary is fingernails on the blackboard in a pantsuit. It is difficult to imagine anyone more out of touch with their own affect, movement, and connection to the people around them. She is unable to talk, touch, listen or smile in a natural manner. She doesn't seem to know what to do with her hands, where to direct her eyes, her scope of awareness is restricted. A blind person with a stick would be better than Hillary Clinton at reading people around...

EWTN Video Former Lutheran Minister Discusses Her Conversion Mon. Apr. 20 at 8:00 PM ET Tue. Apr. 21 at 1:00 AM ET Fri. Apr. 24 at 1:00 PM ET JAMIE AND JACK MCALEER Former Lutheran Jamie McAleer explains what made her seek out the Catholic Church, while Jack McAleer discusses what called him back. Hosted by Marcus Grodi.

"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

Protesters' Chants Filter Into Court's Immigration Action Hearing BY SUZANNE GAMBOA A panel of federal appeals court justices peppered lawyers with questions Friday in a closely watched case that is holding up President Barack Obama's move to shield millions of immigrants from deportation. Throughout the hearing, chants and drumming by supporters of Obama's action who were protesting outside the courtroom filtered into the packed courtroom. A coalition of 26 states, led by Texas, sued to block Obama's action which also provides work permits to many of the immigrants who would get the deportation deferrals. The hearing was on an appeal...

Undocumented Immigrant Not A Criminal,’ California Attorney General Says April 17, 2015 LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — California Attorney General Kamala Harris made waves this week after telling the San Francisco Chronicle that “an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal.” On Friday, in an exclusive interview with CBSLA, Harris echoed that comment. “An undocumented immigrant is not a criminal,” she reiterated. “I’m a career prosecutor. I’ve personally prosecuted everything from low-level offenses to homicides. Unfortunately, I know what crime looks like. I know what a criminal looks like who’s committing a crime. An undocumented immigrant is not a criminal.” Those comments,...