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There has been a lot of "advocacy" type of postings here. Take a pause and listen to a speech from one of the greatest figures to grace the White House in the 20th century. I would politely ask that the infighting stop, and start discussing issues and the best way to carry it forward. Put a brake on emotional investment and think hard about what the different candidates are saying and their policies. And for the paid shills that are obviously here: may you be exposed and your heads put on a pike.

Since joining the Trump campaign as a national spokeswoman in November, Katrina Pierson has served as an attack dog of sorts for Donald Trump, attempting to expose his critics and opponents as faux conservatives who are simply pulling the wool over the eyes of the American people. And yet, Ms. Pierson's own statements reveal she is a self-proclaimed devotee of Malcolm X (whom she has referred to as her "idol") and has a history of attacking conservatives as racists, sneering at Christians who are unable to "handle the truth" and mocking candidates who open up about their faith on the...

The billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has told the BBC that the United States "should set a better example" by taking in more refugees. Mr Gates said his home country "had the capacity" to follow the examples of Germany and Sweden, who were "to be congratulated" for welcoming migrants. But he acknowledged that relaxing immigration laws "was not easy". Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Gates added that governments were dealing with "tight budgets". However, he emphasised that the issue was largely a political one, and that "the total number of refugees is not a world record".

A report that the Islamic State has been forced to cut the pay of its fighters in Iraq and Syria has sparked interest in a possible aid package for the beleaguered infant state. "It's a simple matter of fairness," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon observed. "With both Russia and the United States taking military action against them the Islamic State is in deadly peril. Maintaining the necessary fanaticism for those it sends into battle absent adequate financial rewards may be too big of an obstacle for them to overcome. It may be appropriate for us to provide some funding to...

Some time ago I said that many establishment Republicans dislike Ted Cruz so much that they would even back their nemesis, Donald Trump, if necessary to keep Cruz from winning. This is one time I wish I had been wrong. The establishment has long held Cruz in contempt but didn't believe he had any realistic chance of securing the GOP nomination. Now, with his campaign success, he's scaring their pants off. Former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole has issued apocalyptic warnings against nominating Cruz, and I've just received an email that Sen. Orrin Hatch prefers Trump over Cruz as well....

Explanation: The Big Dipper is an easy to recognize, well-known asterism in northern skies, though many see the Plough or Wagon. Famous bright nebulae of the north can also be found along its familiar lines, highlighted in this carefully composed scene with telescopic insets framed in the wider-field skyview. All from Messier's catalog, M101 and M51 are cosmic pinwheel and whirlpool on the left, spiral galaxies far beyond the Milky Way. To the right, M108, a distant edge-on spiral galaxy is seen close to our galaxy's own owl-faced planetary nebula M97. Taken on January 16, the wider-field view seems to...

It's 2016. Isn't it about time a black person won an Academy Award? Well, okay, black people have won Academy Awards.* But shouldn't black people be nominated every time the awards are held? And don't say, "Leave us alone, we picked a black guy already," because that makes you sound like the 2016 Democrats. Charlotte Rampling, who's nominated this year for her role in a movie you haven't seen, made the mistake of saying the #OscarsSoWhite boycott campaign is racist. Sure, it's literally true that demanding concessions based on race is racist, but that doesn't mean she should say it....

The French Prime Minister has warned European leaders about saying that refugees will be "welcome" in Europe, because in just seconds their message will be "shared on smartphones in the refugee camps of Libya." "A message that says 'Come, you will be welcome,' provokes major shifts," Manuel Valls told the BBC in a video interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday. He said that Europe would likely become "totally destabilized" if it took in all refugees fleeing war-torn Iraq and Syria. ... Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem and European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi in Davos...

Pierre Louis Opont, president of Haiti's electoral council, said the runoff vote was being pushed back for security reasons. But he did not say when the election, already postponed twice before, would be rescheduled. The announcement led to jubilation from demonstrators marching to oppose the election. They danced on the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince, but the mood quickly darkened. Gunshots were fired as protesters clashed with police. The postponement is nevertheless expected to ease unrest after days of protests in the deeply impoverished country of about 10 million people, at pains to rebuild from a devastating earthquake six years...

If you haven't yet heard, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin recently endorsed Donald J. Trump for president. It was shocking to many, since Palin was seen as a Tea Party type of candidate throughout her career. Meaning, why didn't she endorse the staunchest conservative in the race, which is clearly Ted Cruz? Check out how the Reuters poll has shifted since Palin gave Trump the thumbs up. Cruz down 6, Trump up 6. That's a huge swing in just a few days time. The biggest question however, is how in the world is former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush still...

On the wall in my study is an autographed photo from Ronald Reagan. Along with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, William Wilberforce, Margaret Thatcher, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and and Martin Luther King Jr., he's part of my "Political Heroes Hall of Fame." In a persons lifetime, it is rare to encounter an individual of character, consistency and competence like these courageous leaders. When one does, it behooves us to honor the man or woman with our prayers and support. I am convinced that, in answer to our prayers, one such person has "come into the kingdom for such a time...

This is the daily discussion thread for the Free Republic 2016 Caucus. Commentary isn't allowed on the Caucus thread itself. If you want to discuss the Caucus, this is the right thread. If you'd like to VOTE in the Caucus, please go here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3387425/posts Thank you everyone, now let 'er rip!

Conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer said Friday on the Fox News Channel that he believes it is now a three person race for the Republican 2016 nomination, with Donald Trump most likely to win. Speaking on "Special Report," the syndicated columnist used $100 in "casino chips" to illustrate his point. Krauthammer placed a $40 bet on the chances that Trump would secure the nomination, followed by a $30 bet on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in third with $20 and Krauthammer reserved $10 for "wine, women and song."(continued)

King John of Austria was no saint. Many historians believe he had an illegitimate son. But when the Ottoman empire threatened to destroy Western Civilization, John provided the answer to the fervent prayers of millions of Christians. Muslims had conquered most of Christendom: all of the Middle East, the Near East, North Africa, and much of Eastern and Mediterranean Europe. They amassed a giant navy, seeking to finally attack Rome. But they utterly failed. Before the battle, King John of Austria led his outmanned troops in prayer, entrusting their fates to the mercy of Christ. The result was one of...

In 2013, the tea party rallied to Matt Bevin against Donald Trump. RedState and tea party groups around the country swung into action in an ultimately unsuccessful bid to get Matt Bevin through the primary against Mitch McConnell. We were completely out-funded by establishment interests and Washington lobbyists. It turns out, one of those establishment interests was Donald J. Trump. In 2013, Donald Trump gave $220,000.00 to organizations, many of them dedicated to stamping out the Tea Party. From Karl Rove’s American Crossroads to Mitch McConnell’s Super PAC, Trump spread out money. Rove got $50,000.00 and McConnell got $60,000.00. Trump...

The Fox News Poll is conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R). The poll was conducted by telephone with live interviewers January 18-21, 2016 among a random national sample of 1,009 registered voters (RV). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The Trump campaign added a pretty slick app to their campaign website. All you do is type your Iowa address in and you are immediately brought to your caucus location along with instructions and directions. For instance, use this address and see how intuitive and fast this app is. 4910 Deer View Rd, Cedar Rapids, IA 52411 I posted this for our Iowa Freepers to make sure they are aware of it. Also, for those who think Trump is not taking the ground game seriously, this should reassure you otherwise.

January 23, 2016 Saturday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 Sm 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27 David returned from his defeat of the Amalekites and spent two days in Ziklag.On the third day a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.Going to David, he fell to the ground in homage.David asked him, "Where do you come from?"He replied, "I have escaped from the camp of the children of Israel.""Tell me what happened," David bade him.He answered that many of the soldiers had fled the battle and that many of...

Welcome to the Free Republic CaucusPlease read the rules, and participate according to the guidelines provided.  Thank you. Only vote on this thread on: 01/23/2016  another thread will pop up five minutes before: 01/24/2016Wait to vote until 12:00 midnight EST, and don't vote after 12:00 midnight EST at the at the end of the day.  Look for the new thread. Votes outside the 24 hour period, will not be counted.  Give it five minutes or so on each end, so you are sure to get your vote counted. If you have quesitons, FReep Mail me.  DO NOT disqualify your vote...