Free Republic

I need some advice. I have a rather large collection of vinyl records that I plan to record to an external computer hard drive. The record player that I have uses i-tunes to process each cut onto the computer. Does anyone on here have any experience with this that could maybe recommend a different/better idea to handle saving everything on to the hard drive. I am looking for flexibility in moving the finished product between computers. This is going to be a pretty long-term project, what with cigar and bourbon breaks, and I want to get it as near right...

Taqiyah: The practice of concealing one’s beliefs and foregoing ordinary religious duties when under threat of death or injury. — www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/011-taqiyya.htm IN THE ISLAMIC FAITH, deception, either Taqiyah or Kitman — in Islamic jurisprudence, the art of making ambiguous or deceptive statements — is permitted under certain very specific circumstances. It is the political form of Taqiyah to which I refer when I say that such lying without embarrassment or repercussion has become a too-often-used tool — indeed, the de facto policy — of the left. Several recent examples serve to confirm this:

Twice a year Panama City Beach hosts Warrior Beach Retreat were wounded Warriors for an all-expense-paid vacation. Local businesses cover the expenses of more than a 100 combat-wounded warriors and their spouses or caregivers. During this the time the local community honors the vets to the beach for a time of relaxation and appreciation. Unfortunately, this event during Spring break, young punks from the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity had a Vietnam era liberal flashback and started insulting and spitting on wounded American vets. Warrior Beach Retreat was founded by Linda and Philip Cope in 2009 when their son Joshua lost...

Congress on Thursday took a first, perhaps historic step toward phasing out the 20-year-or-bust retirement system the U.S. military has used to shape and retain its career forces since the end of World War II. The replacement plan, as endorsed by the House armed services’ personnel subcommittee, is a blended system that would cut by 20 percent the value of future force annuities in return for an added tool to build nest eggs earlier — a 401(k)-like Thrift Savings Plan with government matching of service member TSP contributions. The enhanced TSP, with matching of monthly deposits of up to five...

Turkey’s president has lashed out at country leaders who have recognized the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide on the centenary of the massacres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday accused France, Germany, Russia and Austria—whose leaders or parliaments recently described the killings as genocide—of supporting “claims constructed on Armenian lies.” He accused the United States of siding with Armenia, although President Barack Obama stopped short of using the term in his annual message. …

A right wing anti-EU party has enjoyed success in Finland’s election that saw the governing National Coalition suffer a dramatic defeat. After a campaign dominated by domestic issues, the opposition Centre party won 49 seats of the 200 up for election, while the anti-EU Finns Party won 38 and the governing National Coalition won 37. As a party of the populist right, the Finns latches on to voter discontent wherever it can be found. It did so spectacularly in the 2011 elections, where the party (previously known as the True Finns) expanded its vote share by an historic 14.9% vote...

Last week, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) tweeted a picture of himself and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C) holding an AR-15. Rep. Buck later reported that the photo was taken in his Capitol Hill House office. While a photo of two congressmen posing with the most popular rifle in the United States (and one trigger-locked and without a bolt carrier group at that) shouldn’t raise any rational public safety concerns, it apparently caused enough handwringing for the D.C. Attorney General’s Office that they referred the picture to the Metropolitan Police Department for further investigation. The AG’s office seemed to have allowed their...

The popular Boudhanath Stupa has also developed major cracks, said witnesses. Photos of the destroyed structure is being circulated on the internet and messages of support and condolence pour in from all over the world. Many Tibetans have expressed their solidarity with the people of Nepal on their facebook pages.

Today in America, there is no shortage of individuals who love "the lie" (2 Thess. 2:10-12). Whether one be conservative, progressive, liberal or a moderate (political or spiritual) all are quite receptive to a godless delusion and are willingly oblivious to the ETERNAL REALITIES of time and ETERNITY (John 3:16-17, Acts 4:12, Rom. 10:2-4, 3:23, 6:23, 1 John 4:10, Rev 20:11-15, Rev. 21, 22:1-5). Whether one be conservative, progressive, liberal or a moderate (political or spiritual) all are quite receptive to a godless delusion and are willingly oblivious to the ETERNAL REALITIES of time and ETERNITY. Whether it be global...

Last week, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) brought renewed attention to the plight of a growing number of veterans who have been unjustly stripped of their Second Amendment rights. In an April 14 letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Sen. Grassley takes the Department of Veterans Affairs to task for overreaching policies that have resulted in the names of well over 100,000 veterans and dependents being placed in the FBI’s National Instance Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as prohibited from possessing firearms. Federal agencies are required to forward information to the FBI about individuals who have been disqualified by agency action...

As surely as the hot, dry Santa Ana winds bring blue skies to the coast and wildfires to the hills, severe California droughts bring calls to build desalination plants up and down the seashore. All that ocean water, begging to be converted to fresh and pumped into our pipelines, would solve our water supply problems instantly and permanently, boosters say. In the coming months, the drumbeat will only get louder. That's not only because the current drought is the longest and most severe in memory, but because a $1-billion desalination project scheduled to start operating in Carlsbad this fall will...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida suspended one of its fraternities on Friday after allegations that its members hurled drunken insults and spat at a group of disabled military veterans at a Panama City Beach resort. The school said on Friday that it is charging the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity with obscene behavior, public intoxication, theft, causing physical or other harm, and damage to property. The suspension came after the fraternity had already suspended operations itself and expelled three of its members after finding they had behaved inappropriately. "I am personally offended and disappointed by the behavior that has...

Script will not allow me to copy and paste text.

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI) completed its case against Sweet Cakes by Melissa, a Gresham bakery that refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple planning to marry. The bakery was fined $135,000. Following the decision Sweet Cakes immediately started a GoFundMe page and raised over $100,000 before it was shut down. As for the decision, BOLI issued the following statement on Friday regarding the agency’s Proposed Order in the Sweet Cakes case: “The facts of this case clearly demonstrate that the Kleins' unlawfully discriminated against the Complainants. Under Oregon law, businesses cannot discriminate...

The iconic Swayambhunath stupa in Kathmandu was relatively lucky in the aftermath of the devastating Nepal earthquake. Only one person was killed in the area though the earthquake shook the entire structure and reduced old houses, small shops and smaller temples in and around the complex to rubble within 15 seconds. Pilgrims and tourists were shocked at first and ran for the exit. As the entire structure shaked vigorously, people were thrown in different directions, while others struggled to get back on their feet. Some got stuck under the debris, and when they were pulled out by people nearby, their...

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. Acts 3:6 For those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ as the provider of healing, hope and miracles I heard a story which brought all of those things together perfectly. A dear friend of ours named Candace told us a story of her miracle of healing. When God has a plan there is nothing we can do to stand in his way which is what gives Christians everywhere hope....

Over the past decade, there have been two reports of open carriers being attacked.   In one case, the attacker tried to grab the openly carried pistol; in the other case, the reason for the attack is unknown.  Both attacks failed.  There have been two other reports of open carriers having their firearm stolen.  One of those cases was in an area where an openly carried firearm was required to be unloaded. It is more likely for concealed carriers to be attacked, because the attackers do not know that they are armed.   The vast majority of criminals do not want...

Early reports from witnesses suggest Katmandu’s backpacker haunt Thamel was largely undamaged by the massive earthquake that hit Nepal on Saturday. People reached by phone in the neighborhood said that while many of the buildings in Thamel were cracked, only a few older buildings had collapsed. A magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck near the Nepali capital, Katmandu, just before noon on Saturday, causing widespread damage and killing more than 90 people, authorities said.

PODCAST at link When Ukrainians began toppling statues of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin at the height of the Euromaidan revolution, it seemed almost retro. As if we had gone back in time to 1991. And in some ways we had. Because to many of its supporters, last year's Ukrainian uprising represented reviving the dashed hopes and promise of that heady time. Hopes for a truly independent Ukraine that had broken from its Soviet past -- and was free from Russian domination in its present. But as Ukraine's pro-Western rulers are now learning, putting these hopes into practice is a lot...

The flow of illegal immigrants has dropped to its lowest level in years judging by the number being apprehended along the border, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Friday as he sought to be more transparent about his department’s performance. Mr. Johnson said the drop is coming despite an improving economy, which generally draws more illegal migrants. Instead, the secretary said, a boost in manpower and technology along the southwestern border, coupled with public messages in Latin America discouraging would-be migrants from making the journey have helped turn the tide. Through the first six months of fiscal year 2015, which...