Free Republic

The Knesset held a tense discussion Wednesday afternoon over Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom's recent demand to investigate Israel for the alleged extrajudicial "executions" of Palestinian terrorists. Science Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) called Wallstrom's remarks "insane," and said they gave a boost to terrorism. An Israeli copywriter named Guy Ordever used humor to fight Wallstrom, creating a video based on a Swedish TV broadcast with Hebrew subtitles, that has received 730,000 views in four days. The huge number corresponds to about 9% of Israel's total population. A version of the video with English subtitles has been uploaded by a new...

Trump leads Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is in second place in the GOP race, among likely Republican caucus-goers, 37% to 26% Sanders, meanwhile, has opened up an eight-point lead over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, leading her in Iowa 51% to 43% Donald Trump holds a commanding lead in Iowa as Sen. Bernie Sanders takes control of the Democratic race in the critical first-in-the-nation voting state, according to a new CNN/ORC poll released Thursday. Trump leads Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is in second place in the GOP race, among likely Republican caucus-goers, 37% to 26%. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida,...

The big news this week wasn't that Bernie Sanders has opened up a 27-point lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. The big news was that Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump. Sarah Palin? Yes. That Sarah Palin. I was at CNN watching her remarks at an event in Ames, Iowa and it seemed to me that (a) the woman who, in 2008, was the perky, intelligent, and exuberant Governor of Alaska who had been tapped by the campaign of John McCain to be his vice-presidential running mate. In 2016, she is a depressing combination of Sunset Boulevard's Norma Desmond and...

A FRUSTRATED refugee centre worker has revealed shocking incidents of cheating, death threats and demands for a luxury life from migrants. In a searing indictment of the behaviour of some refugees, the woman said her idealism has been eroded and virtually destroyed. At first she said was enthusiastic in her role of helping process tens of thousands of migrants arriving in Germany on a weekly basis. Now, she says she is disillusioned, disheartened and on the verge of quitting due to demands and sexual harrassment. She told Welt am sonntag newspaper she took on the role at the refugee centre...

Latest CNN poll in Iowa today (1/21/2016) has Trump leading Cruz by 11 points, Trump 37%, Cruz 26%. Link: http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/21/politics/iowa-poll-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-donald-trump-ted-cruz/index.html

Everyone step back a second and take a breath.

Athens, January 21, 2016 Hierarchs of the Church of Greece have commented on the decision of local authorities to open a crematorium in the city of Patras, reports AgionOros. Bishop Chrysanthos stressed that "the war against the Church is now being waged openly. Cremation and other manifestations of the new morality (for example, "free cohabitation", civil partnerships and so on) have nothing to do with the Orthodox tradition of Greece". *** Metropolitan Justin of Kalamaria, commenting on the decision to open the crematorium, said: "Many claim that the Church should care for people's souls only and leave the body alone....

"This proposal to more aggressively normalize relations and to move to warm relations with Iran not only breaks with President Obama's policy, it breaks with the sober and responsible diplomatic approach that's been working for the United States," Jake Sullivan, Clinton's senior policy adviser and the State Department's former director of policy planning, told reporters in a conference call. "The proposal would not succeed, but it would cause very real consternation among our allies and partners." Brian Fallon, Clinton's national press secretary, added that Sanders's position would make him politically vulnerable during the general election, given heightened national fears about...

I have just recently been summoned to court for an emergency hearing in my divorce case. My wife's attorney has told the court, that I am intending to file bankruptcy, which is not the case, and they are seeking to have me quitclaim the deed to them, based on several threats in negotiations. I am not, and will not file, but they seem to have convinced the judge to make me quitclaim my lawful property, and to not receive any compensation, based on heresay evidence. I need serious legal advice, from some lawyers in NH law. I cannot believe this...

Trump has the formula to win. He is combining a country-wide populism with a national conservative mood instigated by seven years of abuse from the Obama administration and acquiescence by the uniparty. People are fed up. For years now, 70% of Americans have felt the country is going in the wrong direction. I have written many rants. You each have your own rants about what's wrong with the country and everyone has just had it up to here; we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore. People say Trump sold out in Iowa on the ethanol...

On January 5, the Council on American-Islamic Relations offered a new service for the Muslim American families among its members: It released a guide titled "A Muslim parent's guide to talking to children about acts of violent extremism." It was meant to help parents guide their children through a new world in which the tide of Islamophobia, as well as the threat of violent extremism, is growing. The guide reflects a difficult new truth: Muslim parents in the US and Canada today no longer just have to worry about giving their kids the "birds and the bees" talk. They must...

The head of the agency that oversees President Barack Obama’s health-care legislation suggested it should not be held responsible for the 12 Obamacare health insurance co-ops that closed their doors to customers last year, according to prepared testimony he is scheduled to deliver today before the Senate Finance Committee. Andy Slavitt, acting administrator for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), was not apologetic in his testimony and accepted no personal responsibility for the co-op failures in 15 states, according to an advance copy of his testimony obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. The closures sent millions of Americans...

Reuters reported in October that Bombardier had offered the CSeries to Southwest, a long shot since the airline maintains an all-Boeing fleet. The CSeries is due to enter service in 2016 after delays and amid cash problems at Bombardier. The plane maker did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokeswoman said this week the plane is "a top contender in several key campaigns." Delta Air Lines Inc on Tuesday said it was considering Bombardier's new aircraft. Another competitor for the United order, Brazil's Embraer SA, declined to comment on the Boeing deal. United is expected to buy more...

HOUSTON, Texas - Presidential candidate Ted Cruz today announced Kansas State Representative Mark Kahrs from Wichita, Kansas Chairman for the Cruz for President campaign. Rep. Kahrs has been active in Kansas politics for over twenty-five years serving in various offices within the Kansas Republican Party, including former Chairman of the Sedgwick County Republican Party and most recently as former Chairman of the Fourth District Republican Committee. Mark was recently chosen by his Republican House colleagues to serve as Vice Chairman of the Republican House Campaign Committee. A fourth generation Kansan, Mark is a small business owner, has served as board...

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told Fox News host Sean Hannity Wednesday that if Donald Trump is elected president, he will continue the “cronyism and bailouts” that has characterized the Obama administration. “Donald has promised he will go to Washington. He’ll cut deals,” explained Cruz. “He’ll go along to get along.”

I feel like an "outsider" amongst my own people - not blacks, but conservatives. Conservatism is as conservatism does, or at least it used to be that way just one year ago. President Obama missed his opportunity to strengthen America. Are we going to miss ours? Those that elected him hoped he would unite our country among racial and ethnic lines, strengthen relationships with our global allies, and fix a perceived "economic crisis," which in comparison to today's national debt and annual deficit spending seems more and more like a balanced budget. I'm convinced our generation will get one shot...

Ever wonder why the federal government would be sending hundreds of foreign refugees to a relatively small town in Idaho? Wonder no more. They’re sent there, many of them, to work in the world’s largest yogurt factory. As WND previously reported, Twin Falls is in line to receive about 300 refugees this year, many of them Muslims from Syria. And the state of Idaho, despite its reputation as a mostly white, conservative farm state, has been a popular destination for refugees in recent years. Boise Mayor David Bieter has gone on record as a huge supporter of President Obama’s welcoming...

Explanation: Sweeping through northern skies, Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) made its closest approach on January 17, passing about 6 light-minutes from our fair planet. Dust and ion tails clearly separated in this Earth-based view, the comet is also posed for a Messier moment, near the line-of-sight to M101, grand spiral galaxy in Ursa Major. A cosmic pinwheel at the lower left, M101 is nearly twice the size of our own Milky Way galaxy, but some 270 thousand light-centuries away. Both galaxy and comet are relatively bright, easy targets for binocular-equipped skygazers. But Comet Catalina is now outbound from the inner...

A U.S. federal court on Thursday rejected a bid by 27 states to block the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of its strategy to combat climate change. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a brief order denying an application seeking to stay the rule while litigation continues.

Washington The annual March for Life, set for Jan. 22, will convene in a new location in the nation's capital for the traditional midday rally. Because of the ongoing refurbishment of the National Mall and strict new regulations that require temporary flooring to protect the grass, the rally has been moved from the West Front of the Capitol to the Washington Monument grounds. "We were lucky to get that. It's going to cost us $70,000, and it's not something we budgeted for," said Jeanne Monahan-Mancini, president of March for Life. "It's the most economical wide-open space we could afford." Other...