Free Republic

We're far enough along in the Republican primary process -- though not a single vote has been cast -- that the field has winnowed down to a small number, and we can begin to project how each of them might win the nomination. I see this is as three-man race right now: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio. Why? Because for everyone else, the path to the nomination begins with "and then a miracle occurs." Well, maybe not a miracle. But they're basically waiting for some spectacular and unexpected change of events that will break their way and suddenly...

As the planet warms because of excess heat trapped by human-emitted greenhouse gases, the atmosphere can hold more moisture.

I was a big fan in the early 80's. I had a week long correspondence with him in the mid 90's. I loved reading his Chaos Manner column in Byte magazine along with Garcia s circuit cellar. It was a great mag. I've been rereading some of his works lately and just reminiscing. Jerry Pournelle s Iron law: ...in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: those who work to further the actual goals of the organization, and those who work for the organization itself. Examples in education would be teachers who work and sacrifice to teach...

Just had a 7.1 earthquake hit 176 miles south of Anchorage. Yikes. Wife and I thought the house was going to collapse. Any Alaskan Freepers care to weigh in?

Qatar asked for clearance from the U.S. Government to purchase 72 F-15E Strike Eagle derivatives, but the request has been slow-rolled. Now, almost two years later and after the Iran Nuclear Agreement has been implemented, there are high hopes the deal may finally be allowed to move forward. Considering that Qatar remains a close ally of the U.S. in the region, and their fighter business has traditionally gone to European manufacturers, penning a deal for dozens of F-15 Strike Eagles seems like a no-brainer. Yet, politically, this would seem not to be the case. Aside from Israel and Saudi Arabia,...

A Supreme Court decision not to review the fact that although the U.S. Constitution requires tax bills to be launched in the U.S. House, Obamacare, which raises an estimated $800 billion in taxes, was launched in the Senate, will mean trouble for the United States, critics contend.

On the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, many GOP presidential contenders were not silent. While Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton continue to defend the horrors of abortion, Republicans Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina, and Ben Carson took to social media. Recognizing the tragedy of over 58 million lives lost, these candidates explained why they stand for life. Donald Trump, however, has been silent on abortion, the March for Life, and Roe v. Wade all day. He is the only GOP front runner to avoid making a statement. Issues concerning Trump’s pro-abortion past continue...

Since Ted Cruz walked onto the national stage, he has been consistent in leading the attack against the corrupt Washington Establishments of both parties. Redolent of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He has done that with a level of articulate intelligence and perception virtually unprecedented in Washington. I served President Reagan in the White House Office of Policy Development, and I have studied his speeches and writings for years. Cruz embraces the same three dimensional political and policy framework as Reagan - fearless, consistent, free market economics, Peace through Strength National Defense, and Traditional Values Cultural Conservatism. On issue after...

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Spock the cat is suffering from a case of mistaken identity. Spock’s owner wants her neighbors to know that he really is just a lovable and mischievous domestic cat, and not a bobcat or other wild animal. Collen Pizarev told the San Jose Mercury News that a neighbor accused her of harboring a bobcat, after seeing her 27-pound, 46-inch Maine Coon peering out the window. Another neighbor mistook the massive cat for a lynx.

I usually enjoy reading Ann Coulter's columns thanks to her acerbic wit and gutsy grit. But, being human, she has flaws, among which is a penchant to suspend rationality when advocating for her flavor of the year in Republican presidential candidates. In past years, it was Chris Christie and Mitt Romney. Now, thanks mainly to his tough stance on immigration, it's Donald Trump. This infatuation has caused her to write some ridiculous things about the eligibility of Ted Cruz for the presidency. Her use of the term "naturalization" is, frankly, unworthy of her status as a law school graduate. A...

DES MOINES, Iowa: Officials announced Saturday evening the 2016 RAGBRAI route stops for cyclists. The course is a southern Iowa route that will lead cyclists through 420 miles of terrain. RAGBRAI officials said they expect more than 10,000 riders. RAGBRAI begins July 23 and ends July 30. STOPS 1. Glenwood 2. Shenandoah 3. Creston 4. Leon 5. Centerville 6. Ottumwas 7. Washington 8. Muscatine

It has become apparent this afternoon and evening, through multiple conversations with the weather observers at Reagan National Airport, that the snowfall totals submitted to the National Weather Service for that location have not been measured properly. As of 8 p.m., 17.8 inches of snow had been recorded at National - Washington, D.C.'s official weather monitoring location. That reflects just a 0.3-inch increase in the three hours since 5 p.m. during which time light to moderate snowfall was being reported at the airport. The National Weather Service has clear guidelines on how to measure snowfall for one simple reason: snowstorms...

In a reversal from claims made on the campaign trail, Ted Cruz's presidential campaign is now saying the senator and his family do have health insurance and never lost coverage. The late night Friday revelation came more than 24 hours after Cruz had told a New Hampshire audience that he and his family were without health insurance and were scrambling to obtain new coverage--and used the claim to slam Obamacare for the mess he was in. In statements to Bloomberg and Wall Street Journal, campaign spokeswoman Catherine Frazier blamed Cruz's false assertion that his family had lost their health insurance...

Establishment "conservatives" are threatened by Trump, much like how Russia's intelligentsia are skeptical of their country's own populist, Vladimir Putin Hats off to Donald Trump for his disparaging remarks about The National Review and their pitiful attempt at a demo job on his campaign in their latest issue. TNR has assembled a collection of testimonials from personalities reputed to be "conservative" and all laying into The Donald. We are defined by our enemies, and the editorial board of The National Review, in defending what it calls the conservatives' "ideological consensus" has highlighted just what is wrong with the party's establishment....

~ SNIPS~ Ailes is mad at Lowry because this move means, in the ongoing war between Fox News and Trump, Fox News has now "given up the moral high ground." Essentially, Ailes understands, that means his network looks like the unfair aggressor that Trump has accused it of being -rather than a neutral arbiter of the news - all while Trump continues soaring in the 2016 GOP primary polls. But on Wednesday evening, Lowry appearing on Kelly's program compromised Fox's position in the war by veering down a vulgar path in his attack on Trump. Even Kelly, who also dislikes...

Conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly and former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan delivered a one-two punch Friday against the National Review, which has used its latest issue to launch a full-scale effort to take out GOP front-runner Donald Trump. The magazine includes essays from conservative writers who argue that Trump would be a disastrous nominee for president and that he lacks authenticity as a true conservative. Appearing on "The Laura Ingraham Show" on Friday, Schlafly swatted away those complaints. "National Review is not the authentic conservative," said Schlafly, founder of the Eagle Forum. "You know (magazine founder) Bill Buckley was for giving...

Some more early '80's music >p> Randy Stonehill

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump suggested on Saturday that he would have had "less difficulty" if he had proposed barring Christians from entering the US instead of Muslims. Last December, the Republican presidential front-runner ignited a national firestorm by proposing to suspend all Muslim immigration and tourist travel into the US. "If I said that about Christians, and if I said 'banned,' I'm telling you I would have had less difficulty," Trump said Saturday. "And that's pretty sad, because we're Christians. I'm Protestant. I'm Presbyterian." Some of Trump's critics have questioned the sincerity of his faith, noting that the real-estate mogul...

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) has been dogged on the campaign trail here in Iowa by a curious protester: a young man holding a sign that states, "Ted Cruz likes Nickelback." Nickelback is a Canadian band that has become synonymous with bad musical taste. The protester appeared at various Cruz events earlier this month and photos of him holding the sign have gone viral. Saturday, he showed up outside a rally hosted by Cruz's super PAC. He was dressed in a Royal Canadian Mounted Police uniform and stood behind Canadian flags he placed in the ground, as well as a picture...

DES MOINES - If nothing else, Donald Trump certainly didn't toe the company line or kowtow to the citizens of Pella, Iowa, while touting his support for eminent domain during his second campaign stop in the Hawkeye State on Saturday. With only eight days until voting, the Republican Party front-runner continued to back eminent domain before a crowd interspersed with locals from Pella and Oskaloosa as the two cities continue to push to build a regional airport next to Highway 163 using the practice. Twice, Trump called the practice a "positive thing" while talking up the necessity of its use....