Free Republic

On Dec. 13, 2011, Marine Lance Cpl. Christian Brown was leading his squad on a foot patrol in Afghanistan’s Helmand province when he stepped on an explosive device that blew off both his legs, one above the knee, the other below his hip. He also lost part of his right index finger. Last Sunday, almost exactly a year since those grievous injuries forced him to learn to walk on two successive pairs of prosthetic legs, Brown was “humiliated” to the point of tears on a Delta flight from Atlanta to Washington after being clumsily wheeled to the back row of...

Via Daily Caller: “That statement is an embarrassment. That is a hostage statement. That’s a mob of al-Qaeda sympathizers in Egypt, forcing the United States make a statement essentially of apology, on 9/11 of all days, for something we’re not responsible. I would issue a statement saying to the mob, ‘go to hell.’ The way America works, the way democracy works is that everybody has a right to express themselves. We don’t police our speech. And you ought to apologize to the United States for storming the embassy and the violation of the ultimate sacred principle of democracy, which is...

Emotion overcomes Joy C. McDonald each time she pauses to think about what her future might hold. She could lose her job, her small rented home and custody of her three children — all because her two little dogs supposedly scared a neighbor’s elderly chicken to death. According to McDonald, the penned bird apparently suffered a heart attack when her two Chihuahuas barked at it while running loose in their rural Lafayette County neighborhood. A chicken heart attack?

I’d like you to take a look at DrudgeReport. There is an all-out war on Newt Gingrich, not merely by the left-wing media, but particularly on the right side of the political divide. Drudge has run as many as nine negative articles about Gingrich simultaneously, but he is running few negative articles about Romney, and those he does run are only half-negative, so it’s becoming clear that Drudge is trying to manipulate the outcome in the direction of a result he prefers. I surely hope conservatives realize that nobody in media is pure, because everybody has biases. In the case...

I should be fair. It’s not simply Karl Rove, but the whole GOP establishment class(which George Will says doesn’t exist,) demonstrating this double-standard in media punditry. Despite her impertinence in other respects, at least S.E. Cupp included Christie in her demanding article of Friday, but I’m beginning to wonder if all of the attention on Christie isn’t intended for another purpose. While it’s difficult to stomach the hypocrisy of those who have argued that it’s too late for a Palin entry, saying precious little about a prospective Christie entry in the same context, this could be a media phenomenon with...

For all their contrasting looks, Chris Christie and Barack Obama are alike in one critical respect: both are the kind of politician endangered elites offer up when they correctly perceive their power threatened. To preserve their dominance, establishments seek above all to protect the orthodoxies they have enshrined and the trends they have fostered. By doing so, they maintain the interests of those they depend upon critically for support, and they limit the damage that challengers can cause. This stasis is sold by wrapping it artfully in the bright colors and shimmering bows of novelty.

CNN has posted an article by S.E. Cupp and I must say I disagree with Ms. Cupp completely. She argues that the Christie and Palin question is a detriment to the GOP. Add Ms. Cupp to the long list of people trying to tell us when it’s too late for this one or that one. Lately, it’s become an absurdity to watch. I can’t imagine that it’s possible that she believes her own impatience ought to drive the party’s choices, but there she is demanding: “Time’s up, Christie and Palin. In or out?” Excuse me if I fail to take...

One of the constant smears leveled at Sarah Palin is that she “quit” her office as Governor of Alaska. The word “quit” is used in the form of a smear, in order to paint her as less-than-committed, but the truth of the matter is that in resigning her post, what she actually did was a magnificently honorable act, rarely done in politics. How many times have you wondered if Barack Obama shouldn’t simply do the honorable thing in the name of the country, and step aside? The problem is that would still leave you with President Joe Biden, so it...

It’s been just more than 24 hours since I defended Rick Perry against the smear by Jonathan Martin about his intelligence, but today, a bit of information arrives to more strongly suggest that Mr. Perry has other problems. In addition to the other instances in which his conservative credentials have come into question, now arises the question of his tacit support for Hillary Clinton’s healthcare plan of 1993. In a letter to Mrs. Clinton, then Agriculture Commissioner expressed support for the ill-fated overhaul plan. Many are inclined to ignore this because in addition to being an eighteen year old letter,...

We’ve witnessed the opening salvos in the battle for the nomination. The punditry has lined up to take shots at GOP candidates, including those not yet in the race. Each declared candidate is scrambling to establish a niche with the primary electorate, and as they do, there exists not only a whispering dissatisfaction with the current choices, but also an increasing friction between them as they attempt to consolidate their support. In the most recent polling, Governor Perry has the clear lead, at the moment, with Governor Romney tailing off. More significantly, Michele Bachmann has fallen to fourth place behind...

I have a copy of Rick Perry’s Fed Up! on my bookshelf. In the book Perry sounds like the kind of solid conservative Americans would like to have in the movement. I must say I enjoyed the book, and agreed with what was written. Thing is, it seems Perry himself does not. One of the main themes of the book was going back to the Founder’s original intent of a decentralized government, with the states more in charge and responsible for things affecting the people. The entire book is an homage to the Tenth Amendment. Another strong theme is, Perry...

Looks Tough Firing Blanks If you're a Tea Party member, or you have significant sympathies with them, I'd caution you against climbing aboard Rick Perry's TransTexasCatastrophe. The Media is doing everything possible to paint this guy as a bronc-busting, cattle-roping, Texan, but in truth, there are more than a few things you ought to know about him. He's no friend to individual rights, except in an election season, and he's not really the trend-setter he'd have you believe. His record on jobs isn't actually so swift as he'd have you believe, and he's got less in common with the average...

Been pondering Rush's comments and the fact that the media does not know who they have elected. This song was going through my head the past few days by Al Wilson entitled "The Snake". Now the song is about a foolish woman who in spite of her better judgment rescues a poor half frozen snake and takes it home. The media really knows better for they had all the warning information on Obama and then some. And the arrogance and radicalness of Obama could very well come back to bite them royally. So in honor of the media, here is...

August 1, 2020 (New York) — Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, Jasmine Basran, is taping up the last of her boxes as the movers empty out her large office on Manhattan's Second Ave. "We just couldn't justify such a large space when our mission to the UN has been so reduced." There was barely a whimper in Canada when the Department of Foreign Affairs announced in 2018 that staffing for Canada's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York would be cut from more than 30 to fewer than 10. "Our diplomatic presence now needs to be concentrated...

The New York Times apparently sees nothing wrong with disclosing the existence of two vital national security programs, but deems the non-outing of a non-undercover CIA agent a grievous threat to this nation’s survival. So much so that in the minds of its editors it merits indicting everyone from Dick Cheney on down. Although their hopes ultimately proved groundless, the left still managed to make hay out the Valerie Plame affair. They even succeeded in destabilizing the administration for a time by hamstringing some of its most capable operatives. It would, however, be short-sighted not to see that the trouble...

I was attending morning services at a conservative Christian church lately. There comes a time when the children are called to the front for special Bible story time as normal part of the service. The story teller tells the story as they always do and then at the end they ask one of the children if any of them would like to lead the prayer time. A little boy about 5 or 6 years old volunteers. The little boy starts his prayer saying a few things, and then he said pouring out his heart, "God, please help President Bush to...

August 31, 2004 THE AIRWAVES Long Stifled, Iraqis Make Most of Chance to Vent on Talk Radio By SABRINA TAVERNISE BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 26 - A housewife calls to talk about a broken sewer pipe. A student calls to talk about a lost love. A shopkeeper calls to say what he thinks of the violent insurgency that has swept his country. The callers have reached Iraq's first talk radio station, Radio Dijla, which opened in April and has been putting Iraqis' opinions directly on the air, mainlining democracy from a two-story villa in central Baghdad for 19 hours a day....

Just announced over the radio that the MO Supreme court has ruled that the Secretary of State "SHOULD" put the amendment on the August ballot. But did not order him to do so.

Ok, people I need some help. I know I've seen the answer somewhere, but just can't locate it. I have a friend that tells me that Bush has more judges confirmed at this point than any previous president including Clinon. Can anyone give me links/documentation of comparisons how the Bush nominees have fared compared to say Clinton, Bush I, Reagan etc. percentage confirmed, days waiting for confirmation/hearing???

I was reading the new book just out by Robin Moore entitled, "The Hunt for Bin Laden" and came across some excerpts that I wanted to cite in honor of my NY friends. This book has been hard to put down and parts of it are simply hilarious. So, with the setting in Afghanistan early on in the conflict...quoting from pages 74-75 and 99: ----------------------------- Like it's Vietnam predecessor, "Puff the Magic Dragon," the Spectre is easily described by Special Forces troops on the ground as "raining death." With Chain guns, and autoloading 105mm cannon, a 25mm Gatling gun and...