Free Republic

Perry promises to "get Americans back to work," but his policies -- from backroom drug company giveaways to green energy subsidies -- eerily mirror the unseemly big business-big government collusion that has characterized President Obama's presidency. Judging by his record in Texas, Perrynomics might just be low-tax Obamanomics. ... Muckrakers at the Los Angeles Times and the Austin American Statesman have shown a strong correlation between Perry's biggest campaign contributors and the money handled by these funds and Perry's other public-private partnership. Almost half of Perry's "mega-donors," according to the Times, have received profitable favors from the Texas government. Poultry...

YouTube clip featuring Ronald Reagan on NBC news, June 21, 1979 A vintage 1979 NBC news report from Douglas Kiker. It's from 2007 The Chris Matthews Show discussion Fred Thompson's late entry into the presidential race. Reagan: I just don't think the people are ready yet to be revved up. And I think that the canidates are gonna stay on too long... What's there going to be talked about in October of 1980?" Hat tip to Conservatives4Palin.com poster "bedr1" for this Reagan clip, along with some some additional name recognition polling info on Palin and Thompson, respectively. Thanks, "bedr1"!Thompson name...

Gov. Perry chose to bypass the legislature and on Feb. 2, 2007, he issued an executive order making Texas the first state in the country requiring all sixth-grade girls to receive the three-shot vaccination series (which cost about $120 per shot). ... The controversy over Perry's decision deepened as it came to light that his former chief of staff was a lobbyist for Merck and that his chief of staff's mother-in-law, Rep. Dianne White Delisi, was the state director of an advocacy group bankrolled by Merck to push legislatures across the country to put forward bills mandating the Gardasil vaccine...

Everyone has written-off Iowa. In fact, we've been very curious as to why McCain -- who opposes Ethanol subsidies -- has "wasted" his time there this year. I'm on a conference call right now with McCain campaign manager Rick Davis. According to Davis, McCain's internal polling shows them "dead-even in Iowa." Davis says this is the reason Obama is headed there to campaign ...

Paling Campaign Speech in Johnstown, PA Gov. Palin gave a remarkable pro-life speech today in Johnstown, PA--one that deserves its own thread. It is a powerful, hard-hitting, emotionally touching witness to the pro-life cause delivered sincerely by a loving mother and determined leader. It's easily the best pro-life speech given by any politician this entire campaign. For those who want to get directly to her pro-life comments, that portion of the nearly 30 minute speech begins approximately at the 00:12:40 mark as she talks about children with special needs. From there she segues into the larger issue of abortion....

I pierced it with a rusty nail (I hope Jesus's tetanus shots are up to date). And then I simply threw it in the trash, followed by the classic, decorative items of trash cans everywhere, old coffeegrounds and a banana peel. My apologies to those who hoped for more, but the worst I can do is show my unconcerned contempt. By the way, I didn't want to single out just the cracker, so I nailed it to a few ripped-out pages from the Qur'an and The God Delusion. They are just paper. Nothing must be held sacred. Question everything. God...

Yes, the sad little cracker has met its undignified end, so stop pestering me. The cracker, the koran, and another surprise entry have been violated and are gone. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the details, what little of them there are.

The "Vatican" Endorses "Darwin"? News reports from a variety of sources are claiming that the Vatican has endorsed evolution and condemned Intelligent Design.  For example, at Science and Theology news the headline declares, "Vatican sides with Darwin."  The subheader for the piece states, "There is no more confusion swirling around the Vatican over its stance on ID. Darwin has won out, and scientists are breathing a collective sigh of relief." Glad to know that scientists care so much what the Vatican says about things like this. Then there is The Australian, which states, "The Vatican has issued a stout defence...

CSI MEDBLOGS: FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF CT BRAINS TURNS UP NEW ASTOUNDING EVIDENCE If you look carefully at this time line you will see that Terri had "NORMAL" CT's of the brain on 2/25 and 2/27... There is categorically and absolutely NO WAY Terri could have suffered MASSIVE ANOXIC INJURY TO THE BRAIN ON 2/25 AND HAVE NORMAL CT SCAN ON 2/27... IF TERRI DID NOT SUFFER ANOXIC DAMAGE ON 2/25 THEN THE REASON FOR HER BRAIN ATROPHY WAS CAUSED BY SOMETHING THAT OCCURRED after 2/25 namely in the hospital during February or march of 1990... So Terri WAS HIT ON...

The answer's probably staring me in the face, but I couldn't find it the FR Help section or in the Edit Account section of the personal menu.

<p>March 24, 2003 -- IN combat, the ideal leader is the man who remains calm and methodical under fire. Today's 24/7 broadcast news demands just the opposite: raised voices, an atmosphere of crisis and a rush to judgment.</p> <p>After declaring victory on Friday and Saturday, a number of media outlets all but announced our defeat yesterday, treating the routine events of warfare as if they were disasters.</p>

Aug. 13, 2001, 6:43PM Bush's stem cell choice 'prudence', right By GEORGE F. WILL "Americans know this is not the decision that the science community needs to go forward full force." -- Rep. Richard Gephardt PRESIDENT Bush's stem cell decision, both the substance of it and the manner of his making it, changes American politics profoundly. It is now clearer than ever that America's two parties represent a cultural cleavage much deeper and more dramatic than the traditional, indeed banal party divisions about taxes and spending and the like. The parties represent different sensibilities -- different stances toward nature, including ...

Walden speaks with Bush about Klamath water 08/07/01By JOHN BRAGG Email this story to a friend Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., met with President Bush Thursday to discuss the water shortage and drought plaguing the Klamath Basin. Walden was one of about 30 legislators invited to the White House to discuss an array of issues. He said he presented Bush with several recommendations for aiding growers idled by drought. Walden reported that Bush showed personal interest in developments in the farmers’ plight. “He said, ‘We did get some water to those guys, but we didn’t get enough, and it was ...

NEW YORK&nbsp;—&nbsp;At the six-month mark, President Bush receives positive ratings from a majority of Americans. Among "Red States," those states that gave their electoral votes to Bush in the 2000 presidential election, his ratings are considerably higher than in "Blue States" (states that voted for Democratic candidate Al Gore). In the latest FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll, 59 percent say they approve of the job George W. Bush is doing as president, and 25 percent disapprove. In Red States, 64 percent approve of the job he's doing compared to 54 percent in Blue States. &nbsp; Approve Disapprove Nationwide 59% 25 Red ...

Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush kisses Chicago Police officer Jim Mullen, who was shot in the line of duty, after Mullen endorsed Bush at the Fraternal Order of Police Union Hall on Monday, Sept. 18, 2000, in Chicago, Ill. Photo by Fred Jewell (AP)

&nbsp; The Real Military Record of George W. Bush: Not Heroic, but Not AWOL, EitherBy Peter Keating and Karthik Thyagarajan For more than a year, controversy about George W. Bush's Air National Guard record has bubbled through the press. Interest in the topic has spiked in recent days, as at least two websites have launched stories essentially calling Bush AWOL in 1972 and 1973. For example, in "Finally, the Truth about Bush's Military Record" on TomPaine.com, Marty Heldt writes, "Bush's long absence from the records comes to an end one week after he failed to comply with an order ...

White House Proclamation on National Character Counts Week Oct. 14, 2000 | 11:39 a.m. To: National DeskContact: White House Press Office, 202-456-2580WASHINGTON, October 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the White House:NATIONAL CHARACTER COUNTS WEEK, 2000BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAA PROCLAMATIONThe term ``character'' is derived from an ancient Greek word meaning ``to inscribe,'' reflecting the conviction that character is not innate, but rather is instilled through the influence, example, and guidance of the people around us. One of our greatest responsibilities as adults and citizens, therefore, is to ensure that we teach ...

I'm watching live CNN feed of Energy speech given by Bush to autoworkers in Michigan. Wow. He's on the attack on the energy issue. Bush has the crowd going nuts. Standing ovation at the close of the speech. Some quick notes: *Bush held up Gore's Earth in the Balance and read directly from it, quoting Gore's attack on the automobile and the internal combustion engine. Crowd went nuts when Bush said that he didn't view the automobile as an enemy as Gore does. *Bush directly went after the administration on the growing scandal around the SPR sale of oil to ...

Gore supporters jostle pregnant mother, son By Michael GriffinSentinel Political Editor Published in The Orlando Sentinel on October 07, 2000 Patty Sowinski is no babe in the political woods. In fact, when she goes into the real woods, it`s usually to kill deer. But the wife of Orlando Republican political consultant John Sowinski was not expecting the reception she got when she showed up uninvited at Friday`s Lake Eola rally for Democrats Al Gore and Joseph Lieberman. Sowinski, who is 61/2 months pregnant, was carrying a pro-George W. Bush sign and pushing her 21/2 year old son, Andrew, in ...

Friday October 6 2:31 PM ETCheney, Allies Intensify Attack on Gore By Carol Giacomo SHREVEPORT, La. (Reuters) - Republican nominee Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and his surrogates on Friday quickly shed the civility of the vice presidential debate, sharply intensifying attacks against Democrat Al Gore (news - web sites) for not telling the truth. Appearing with Cheney at a rally at the Louisiana State University campus in Shreveport, former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson made the harshest accusations against Gore, the Democratic nominee for president. Simpson, who like Cheney is from Wyoming, asserted Gore had agreed to support the ...