Free Republic

Less than a month after Hillary Clinton proposed giving every child born in the United States a $5,000 gift, she told a crowd in Iowa last week that she now wants to give families $1,000 in annual matching funds to into a 401(k) retirement account. Of course, all of this giveaway money would come from the government after she confiscates more money from the evil rich. According to a report from the Associated Press’s Nedra Pickler, to qualify for this annual gift toward your retirement, you need to make $60,000 a year or less, or not be working at all....

The CNN series “Religious Warriors” and PBS presentation “City of Lights”, have focused attention on religious extremism in the complex political life of today’s world. Fundamental questions remain – some funny, if the answers didn’t create such tragic consequences. On the holiday of Passover Jews ask Four Questions. I have four more to offer.

The Anti-Defamation League did its part to right a historical wrong this week. But was it too little, too late? The ADL, probably the most influential group representing the Jewish community in the United States, announced in mid-August that its position is now to acknowledge the Armenian genocide. This comes as a reversal of the organization’s previous position, which was to take no position, and to argue that the question is best left to historians, not to Congress. It's yet another case of events from many decades ago having a profound effect on the debates of today.

In recent days, it has become increasingly clear to me that our political future as a nation, and especially the chances of our governance being anything to the right of Marxist lies along one of two paths – fight or flee. This may sound extreme, but I believe one side has already chosen the former option. From the utter obstinacy of the MoveOn.org and Daily Kos crowd on Iraq, to the Sierra Club on energy, to big-city mayors on illegal immigration, the liberal left has already determined to do whatever it takes to force its policies on us all –...

The crash you heard last week was the fall to earth of Michael Vick, who, in one off-season, went from NFL superstar to object of near-universal scorn. Vick’s indefinite suspension following an admission of crimes related to dog fighting was well deserved, albeit tardy. In a perfect world, it would prompt reflection that all people might be created equal in the eyes of God, but not in the spotlight of celebrity.

Our nation is at war against Islamic fascists who want to destroy us. Our military is fighting this war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our intelligence agencies are fighting this war throughout the world. The Democratic and Republican parties are at war over political power and control in Congress. The public has to fight to be heard by its government. Our free market economy is fighting to stay free. No matter how you slice it, there is war all around us. This makes the 2008 presidential election that much more critical. We need to elect a real leader as president of...

Atlas shrugged three years ago when one of the greatest tragedies in modern American military history struck: Pat Tillman, football-player-turned-Army Ranger, died in Afghanistan from friendly fire. Pat Tillman is often called a hero. The term "hero" has been cheapened and overused, although few can actually define it. American Heritage Dictionary defines "hero" as a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life. This fits all our service men and women, although it seems that some people are more heroic than others.

Michael Vick was always something of an Allen Iverson for Atlanta. Without him, the team is terrible, and with him, the team can never be great. He’s a wonderful athlete who dominates little more than the highlight reel. Truth be told, I seriously doubt the Falcons would have ever succeeded with Vick at the helm. As far as I’m concerned, the dog-fighting scandal was one of the best things that could have happened to the Falcons. They had to get rid of him somehow, even if they didn’t want to accept it. Michael Vick had a special appeal with the...

Elvira Arellano entered the United States illegally in 1997 and was deported back to Mexico soon afterward. Only days later, she re-entered the country, used a fake Social Security number and went undetected for several years until she was caught again in 2002. Somewhere in there she gave birth to an anchor baby who now carries American citizenship.

In a cacophonous political environment, it matters a great deal that on the largest questions of the day, the president is right. For anyone who was willing to invest 43 minutes to actually listen, President Bush during an appearance yesterday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention cut through the cacophony to remind Americans of why we are in Iraq – and why the conventional storyline is wrong.

File this in the category of “Revealing Much More Than Intended.” A print ad for a new computer processor made by Intel Corp. was yanked before it ever appeared in the United States, with one minor exception. The ad’s problem? At the very least, it’s racist.

BUENOS AIRES – The government has increased import tariffs here on a range of goods, in an effort to curb the flood of Chinese imports. Predictably, the move by President Nestor Kirchner has been widely popular with the Argentine business community, but has furrowed the brows of international bankers and economists.

As The Economist recently reported, in China tradition demands that a man be buried with his wife. If an unmarried male passes, he too must be buried with a special lady friend and the burial ceremony will bind them together forever. How can you ensure that you too will cross over to the other side with your better half? Depends on how much you are willing to pay. Grave-robbing has found a new market: Corpse brides. However, to satisfy the exponentially growing demand, the necro-matchmakers are now turning to a new source of the dead – the living.

We are still a month away from General David Petraeus' report to Congress on progress in Iraq, and Democrats are already trashing its credibility, before it has even been given. From Speaker Nancy Pelosi accusing the White House of hiding behind Petraeus to a Washington Post column calling it "a White House con job in the making," the left is doing its usual adept job of spewing treasonous rhetoric over things that only exist in their Bush-hating conspiracy-riddled minds.

If Karl Rove was responsible for dividing America and shredding the Constitution – heady achievements for a political consultant – inquiring minds want to know: Who is the liberal Karl Rove? And since the answer is obviously, “There isn’t one,” perhaps we can glean something from asking why.

Karl Rove leaves Washington D.C. with mountainous political and strategic achievements, and yet empty-handed. His great dream of changing the political geography forever is unrealized. If most presidents come to Washington to govern within the framework of their political ideology, Rove hoped that his man would go way beyond that and permanently change the political landscape, ushering in a new era of lasting conservatism. Rove is a visionary, and in the early days of the Bush ascendancy – something he engineered almost single-handedly – it appeared he might triumph.

Someone in the Obama campaign needs to get on this. It may soon be time for the United States to go to war with Canada. Ever the international chest-puffer, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is making noise about its determination to defend its “natural sovereignty” in the waters of the Arctic Ocean.