Free Republic

"Electronic voting machines count 80% of the votes cast in America today. But are they reliable? Are they safe from tampering? From a current congressional hearing to persistent media reports that suggest misuse of data and even outright fraud, concerns over the integrity of electronic voting are growing by the day. And if the voting process is not secure, neither is America's democracy.... In 2002, Seattle grandmother and writer Bev Harris asked officials in her county why they had acquired electronic touch screen systems for their elections. Unsatisfied with their explanation, she set out to learn about electronic voting machines...

With the recently thwarted terrorist attacks, Democrats are once again attacking Bush for the war in Iraq...not only calling it a distraction, but blaming Bush for creating even more terrorism. This is nonsense! It's past time for those who are well-informed to remind people of the threat Saddam posed "regardless" of WMDs. It's also time to point out that Iraq didn't just become a terorist state as a result of the Iraq War as Democrats claim; it already was. In fact, the war in Afghanistan...all by itself, pretty much guranteed that Iraq would eventually become an even greater threat, regardless...

While nobody is going to say that FEMA and the federal response to Hurricane Katrina has been a model of efficiency, what should be acknowledged, however, is why it wasn't. From FEMA's own Website: "SOME THINGS FEMA DOES NOT DO": - Physically rescue people or serve as "first-responders" in a disaster – that is the responsibility of local and state police, fire and emergency personnel. (This is exactly why FEMA notes that they won't arrive for 72-96 hours after a natural disaster passes). - Building dams or levees or activating sand-bagging activities – generally the responsibility of local/state officials and...

New Orleans' motto is "Let the good times roll," but its homeland security efforts since 9-11 are anything but laissez faire. New Orleans, famed for its Mardi Gras festival--which draws 1.5 million revelers--is also home to five major universities, nuclear power plants, petroleum facilities and refineries, chemical plants, and seaports, all of which require heightened security attention in the post-9-11 threat environment. New Orleans also has infrastructure elements such as reservoirs, pipelines, and electrical power systems to protect. On top of that, says Colonel Terry Ebbert, director of New Orleans' Homeland Security and Public Safety Department, "We're the only city...

From even before the beginning of this crisis, the Louisiana Governor, Kathleen Blanco, has treated this situation as a political issue. As I watched her last Sunday morning press conference, I was amused at how she invoked the presidents name on several occasions. Blanco noted how she spoke to the president the day before (Saturday, Aug. 27) and how it was Bush who called her to issue a state of emergency for the state of Louisiana. This was unusual since I know (from living in Florida) that it is usually the Governor who makes this declaration. But even more unusual...

DON'T SPARE THEM ANY PITY, the Democrats who are now decrying the "politics of personal destruction." The left in this country invented and perfected the politics of personal destruction. They used it against fine men and women like Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, William Rehnquist (remember the charge that he was a drug addict?) and Prof. Carol Iannone. --Snip-- If you want a reminder of what the leaders of the Democratic Party are capable of, review the history of Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court in 1987. Bork was then a federal appeals court judge, former solicitor general and former...

Tonight O'Reilly had a flashback to his interview with Rather from May, 2001. While I remember being a little put off that BORE didn't grill him as much as I would've liked, it seemed much more interesting the second time around. Not only did Rather say "who among us hasn't lied about something," he reminded us that not only was Clinton an "honest man"...but that the Republicans were engaged in a conspiracy to bring him down.

This is an article from MRC on February 17, 2004. I find it more relevant today, than it may have been then. When a liberal Democrat faces a personal charge, the national media find ways to avoid discussing it in public. Is there proof of wrongdoing, or merely suspicion? Is it relevant to their public role? Does everybody do it? Do voters even care? When they want to, the media can usually find an excuse to spike an uncomfortable story before the feeding frenzy ever begins.      Reporters could not justify pursuing the Bush "AWOL" story by citing any actual...

John O'neal is on live with both Carville and Lanny Davis. It's getting really heated

I'm sick of the ignorance by a media that never understood the implications of the Cold War...and even the events and misrepresentations of Iran/Contra. Before one can understand what liberals like to call Reagan's great betrayal, one must have a partial understanding of foreign policy and precedent even before Reagan became president.  Since the days of Harry Truman, every president usually had the full support of Congress when dealing with communist/Soviet aggression. The disgrace of Iran/Contra wasn't what Reagan did...but what an obstructionist (mostly democrat) congress did. From the very day Reagan set foot in office, the far left wing...

Hi.  I'm Bill O'Reilly.  Thanks for watching us tonight. Another victory for the ACLU (search) in its war on Christianity.  That is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo." Take a look at the county seal in Los Angeles because it's about to change. [The County] Supervisors voted 3 to 2 to cave in to the ACLU's demands that the small cross on the right be removed, and it soon will be, even though it's been there for 47 years.  The ACLU's Los Angeles director, Ramona Ripskin (ph), says the cross makes some Angelenos feel, quote, "unwelcome," unquote.  Sane people point out that the...

Have "The New York Times" and "The L.A. Times" declared war on the Bush administration?  That is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo." As we told you a month ago, some press people are using the terrible Abu Ghraib (search) prison scandal as a political hammer.  Some people don't see that as a bad thing, but I do. I think the story should be reported accurately and aggressively, but not used by the media to advance an agenda.  Some facts -- "The New York Times" (search) has put the prisoner story on its front page for 28 straight days.  A total of...

Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly.  Thank you for watching us tonight. John Kerry's dilemma, that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points" memo.  A new "Newsweek (search)" poll says President Bush's job approval rating has slipped to 42 percent, the lowest of his tenure in office.  However, the same poll says that the president and John Kerry remain tied in their race for the top job. Now you would think Kerry would be surging ahead because the president is saddled with chaos in Iraq and punishing prices for gasoline, but that's not the case.  Why?  Two reasons. First, Senator Kerry's...

Tonight on Hannity & Colmes, John Corzine added his name to the list of Democrats calling for the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld. While this is nothing new in light recent events surrounding the controversy in Iraq, I think Hannity led Corzine into wonderfully, uncomfortable position in defending his position. Beginning with the confirmation that Corzine would be voting for John Kerry, Hannity proceeded to quote Kerry's own admission to war crimes in Vietnam. It was priceless to watch Hannity ask Corzine how he could vote for a man who admits to committing war crimes (John Kerry)...and yet, at the same...

For those interested, the author of "Worse than Watergate" is coming up on the final hour of Hannity's radio program. He's been pumping it all day and guarantees some fireworks.

I didn't see this posted...nor had I heard a thing about it until just now. On Thursday, Robert Byrd cast his 17,000th roll-call vote. To mark the occassion, Byrd's Senate Web site features a press release on this milestone, which includes comments from congressional colleagues. Here's what Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut had to say about the once former Klansmen: "It has often been said that the man and the moment come together. I do not think it is an exaggeration at all to say to my friend from West Virginia that he would have been a great Senator at...

Rush is talking about this now, but Neil also mentioned it earlier on his show. Dan Rather began his newscast by lamenting the deaths of the civilian contractors in Iraq. But instead of focusing on the brutality of the enemy, Rather found it neccessary to say that their deaths may have been a result of a failing US economy as "workers" search out employment in the war zone of Iraq. It was the most ignorant, partisan thing I've heard in a long time...and of course, it was just plain wrong.

This is getting old. "I can no longer support GW Bush." As he continues, he's worried about the homeless and those without healthcare. Still on his monologue.

Did anyone else hear this? Hannity just had a woman on named Janet who appears to have worked outside of the US government, but for the Sudanese in some sort of humitarian effort, who has documents of the offers made to Clinton with regards to OBL. Hannity is obviously being skeptical about it all, but she claims to have also went before the committee sometime in October (I think). Anybody familiar with this?

On Now. Discussion on the Sudanese offer of OBL to CLinton. Albright denying it in a clip, but Miniter confirms. Posner on now.