Free Republic

On Capitol Hill, politicians hear only those who get loud enough to cause a ruckus on their turf. Many times, these are anti-war groups like Code Pink or 9/11 “truthers”. That’s why 40 Vets for Freedom members from across the country (with only four days notice) stormed the Hill on July 17 and refused to be silenced. Vets for Freedom (VFF) is a group of nearly 15,000 veterans -- 7,000 of whom are Iraq and Afghanistan vets and some that are currently deployed. One of the group’s key purposes, according to news reports, is to advocate that Republican leadership not...

For the National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH), columnist Anna Quindlen, and the film’s producers, this was the “gotcha” question that revealed a gaping hole in pro-life rhetoric. In the latest issue of Newsweek, Quindlen said the demonstraters in the video try to “worm their way out of hypocrisy,” because they chose not to judge and criminalize women in crisis situations. Historically, women were not imprisoned for having abortions -- the doctors who gave them were. From a moral standpoint, there were two victims -- mother and child. Why should it be any different now? Neither the filmmakers nor Quindlen...

The only Republican presidential candidate he specifically praised was Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.), saying he “like[d] his politics” though it would be an “act of nature” if he were to win the nomination. Support for Paul has been highly controversial and partisanly split since Paul asserted that America was attacked on 9/11 because of its own policies fault in a recent debate. Novak also asserted that he would have voted for the recently killed Senate immigration bill and he “didn’t think it was an amnesty bill but if everybody thinks it is -- that’s as good as it being an...

Left-leaning The New Republic (TNR) gained new notoriety in recent weeks by publishing of a trio of columns by the “Baghdad Diarist,” an American soldier who was serving in Baghdad and who wrote under the admitted pseudonym “Scott Thomas.” The stories written by Thomas were shocking and distasteful, telling of actions by soldiers in his unit, such as the exhumation of children’s skeletons (and the wearing of one of their skulls “like a crown”), the purposeful running over of dogs with armored vehicles, and the ridiculing of a female contractor for her disfigured appearance, which was purportedly caused by an...

Should citizens -- acting in good faith to report suspicious activity -- be subjected to lawsuits by Islamic activists? Democrats think so. Last week, they attempted to strip away the “John Doe” provision from the new Homeland Security Department legislation. For now, they have failed. Reps. Peter King (R-NY) and Steven Pearce’s (R.-NM) “John Doe” amendment was crafted after a group of Muslim activists filed a lawsuit against U.S. Airways and the undisclosed passengers who complained about abnormal behavior that resulted in the now-infamous flying imams’ removal from the plane on November 20, 2006. The King-Pearce amendment, which creates a...

"I prefer the word 'progressive,' which has a real American meaning, said Clinton. "I consider myself a modern progressive, someone who believes strongly in individual rights and freedoms, who believes that we are better as a society when we're working together..." She fearfully ducked behind every excuse to avoid being labeled, as though 'progressive' weren't a synonym for 'liberal.' Messages based on real convictions were apparently absent on cornerstone issues like alternative energy, gay marriage and public school as panelists hopped around words as if they were playing dodge ball – hoping whatever tumbled out of their mouths wouldn’t put...

Oprah Winfrey may be the celebrity steroid that catapults Democratic presidential hopeful Illinois Sen. Barack Obama to the nomination. It started in 2005 when Oprah gushed over Obama, trading stories on set about their odd names growing up (he was told become “Barack Smith” or “Joe Obama” while people told her name to change to “Suzie.”) His good looks, charming smile and idealistic language -- the stuff that empty-worded speeches ("What we've had is a shortage of hope…”) are made of -- have taken hold of some -- Oprah included. She showed her affection this week by announcing a $2,300...

Rudy Giuliani’s campaign is again under attack by The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) who last week released a video packed with claims against the presidential candidate. Urging citizens not to vote for Giuliani, IAFF purports to speak on behalf of some of 343 firefighters lost on 9/11 by featuring friends and family members in the video. Though IAFF says they are non-partisan, President Harold Schaitberger is a “longtime supporter of Kerry,” and the IAFF endorsed the Kerry campaign in 2004. Schaitberger introduces the video as “part of our ongoing political education process.” But it’s more than that. IAFF...

"If Home Depot is serious about protecting the environment, they must stop advertising on Fox -- a network that consistently spreads misinformation about and denies the existence of global warming," says a petition on www.foxattacks.com. Since the dawn of the information age, groups have tried to manipulate news organizations by going after their advertisers. The first casualty was in the “Marlboro Man” and smoking. That battle still rages with hearings on Capitol Hill regarding the use of smoking in movies and the manipulation of the ratings system to appease the anti smoking crowd. Even in the recent attacks on the...

Betty Williams, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for helping start peace talks in Northern Ireland, said the other day, “"Right now, I could kill George Bush." Though the New York Times isn’t suffering that bad a case of Bush Derangement Syndrome, its July 8 editorial said: “President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have used demagoguery and fear to quell Americans’ demands for an end to this war. They say withdrawing will create bloodshed and chaos and encourage terrorists. Actually, all of that has already happened -- the result of this unnecessary invasion and the incompetent management of this...

When a liberal complains about media bias, you know you’ve asked a question they don’t like. And they don’t like anything that challenges their dogma. It’s understandable that Bill Clinton would want to discredit Fox News, but why would Michael Moore have harsh words for CNN’s Wolf Blitzer? Rarely is the mainstream media tipped from the left but Monday on CNN’s “The Situation Room,” Blitzer stayed center and Moore wasn’t happy to be challenged. He exploded at Blitzer when his “truth” about the American healthcare system, portrayed in the new film “Sicko,” was questioned by a short video clip countering...

Americans nationwide felt the satisfaction of a job well done when a compromised immigration reform bill was blocked on the Senate floor yesterday morning. Any major reform action is likely stalled until after the 2008 elections so politicians will have ample time to consider the future of immigration for the country. The freshly amended bill, which would have granted 12 million illegal aliens amnesty, had been polished by backers to rally dwindling support but Republican opponents and activists clamored loudly enough to overhaul the reform. “This is remarkable because it shows that Americans are engaged and they care deeply…enough for...

While each organization I contacted agreed the ruling was a positive step, most commented it was a long way from proper reform. “There’s considerable discussion on whether it goes far enough and is clear enough,” said Crouse. It removes severe restrictions on political expressions but other angles of McCain-Feingold need significant reform as well. The decision is twofold as it benefits both conservative and liberal causes -- opening the door for labor unions, environmental groups and other industrial companies as well as faith-based organizations. Many leaders believe McCain-Feingold should be totally reformed. In their written opinions, Justices Antonin Scalia and...

Waiting four months for an MRI, sitting for seemingly interminable hours in emergency rooms and having cancer surgery considered “elective” are a few of the risks those country’s with universal healthcare take. If America listens to Democrats and Michael Moore, waiting lists, under-funding and less medical options are the future of American healthcare. I watched “Sicko” on the internet, where a bootleg copy was posted before the film’s release. Moore’s new film, “Sicko,” released June 29, attacks the American healthcare system, trying to make a case that patients in communist Cuba get better care. The documentary targets viewer’s emotions with...

The immigration reform bill has helped to fashion a hybrid brand of politics. By reaching across political lines, the proposed measure pairs normally conflicting ideologies of political thought in a common bond. Some old-line Congressional Republicans (such as Trent Lott) and new RINOs (such as Lindsay Graham) are accepting amnesty for illegal immigrants while some moderate Democrats appeared almost conservative by opposing the bill and rallying for hard line border security instead. The Blue Dogs -- the moderate Democrats elected in 2006 -- are lining up to help slow -- or even stop -- the bill. The Bush-McCain-Kennedy compromise bill...

Exactly three weeks ago Cuba's Stalinist regime held a "tourism fair" in Havana to kick-off an ambitious plan to boost the Cuban military's tourist booty. To entice and swindle foreign investors, Cuba's propaganda ministry publishes a magazine titled Opciones where Cuba's "Minister of Tourism," Manuel Marrero, boasted of a bold $170 million outlay to upgrade Cuba's tourist facilities from golf courses to yacht clubs to theme parks. Exactly one week ago ( by some peculiar coincidence) NBC's "Today Show" decided to broadcast from Havana amidst smiling, clapping, dancing tourists while Matt Lauer advised viewers on how to legally vacation in...

Calling himself a “blue dog Democrat,” Peter Bultman, an employee of Project Vote Smart (thought not speaking on behalf of the group), supports Tancredo on the immigration issue alone. Bultman has worked for both the Democrat and Republican parties in the past and admitted that Democrat candidate John Edwards would be his second choice for President behind Tancredo. He said that although Tancredo has “stumbled through” some of his responses recently, he has “filled a vacuum in the Republican presidential field by forcing a conversation about immigration.” Bilingual education is another significant component and what initially inspired Tancredo. Thirty years...

A phantom stood behind an invisible podium in the New Hampshire Republican debates last night. But unlike the first two debates, no one tried to pretend former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson wasn’t a key player in the upcoming presidential race. It was another Thompson who introduced Fred to the audience -- by saying he was “Thompson -- Tommy -- not the other one.” Just then, the absence of Fred Thompson seeped into the evening atmosphere. Some say the stalling to officially announce a candidacy is damning -- while others insist it is downright smart. Nevertheless, the silence was a golden...

One of the worst consequences of illegal immigration is the crime some immigrants perpetrate. Illegal alien gang members commit violence across the country -- even in places like Boise and Omaha. They seep into the country, creating cross-state connections rooted in nearly unbreakable, blood-bathed bonds. The statistics show that it’s a huge problem in California and several southwestern states. Now, Congress and President Bush are preparing to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants without providing adequate safeguards against that amnesty being granted to gang-bangers such as MS-13 members.

Former Marine Sergeant Brandon Nordhoff has helped lay many of his unknown brothers to their rest. After his deployment to Iraq in 2003, Nordhoff began volunteering to appear at the funerals of soldiers. The U.S. military honors ceremony includes an honor guard detail and according to law, the honor detail must at least perform a ceremony that includes the folding and presenting of the American flag to the next of kin and the playing of “Taps.” At the funerals of 20 Midwest soldiers, Nordhoff presented the American flag to mothers, wives and kin.