Free Republic

36 years old, massive heart attack. He was in reasonably good shape and non drug user, but had a family history of heart issues. Please send prayers/thoughts/vibes/whatever. And if your family has a history of heart problems, please stay on top of things.

With her silk scarves and immaculate make-up, Ding Yu looks every inch the modern television presenter. Indeed, for the past five years she has hosted a hugely successful prime-time show in China which has a devoted following of 40 million viewers every Saturday night. But while in Britain the weekend evening entertainment will be The X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing, Ms Ding’s show features harrowing – some would say voyeuristic – footage of prisoners confessing their crimes and begging forgiveness before being led away to their executions. The scenes are recorded sometimes minutes before the prisoners are put to death,...

Today at the far right fever swamp known as Free Republic, somebody posted a link to our latest article about Ron Paul’s connections to the white supremacist subculture, which led to an amusing and revealing sequence of comments. *snip*Then, when it finally sank in that they were talking about an article at Little Green Footballs, they dropped this uncomfortable line of discussion and united to attack their common enemy instead:

Ron Paul picked up a major endorsement from an evangelical leader when Dr. James Linzey, president and founder of the Military Bible Association, endorsed the candidate. Lizney, who served as a military chaplain for over 24 years and retired with an honorable discharge, has hosted Operation Freedom, a television program in Europe. Before founding the Military bible Association, he travelled the world as an evangelist. In a statement to Congressman Paul declaring his endorsement, Lizney said, “Having thoroughly examined your political philosophy and finding that your platform is 100% in line with the Constitution of the United States of America,...

I just got word that my grandmother has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She's been in and out of the hospital with various ailments the last two weeks, and they tracked it down to this. The good news, from what I understand, is that the mass is on "the body" of the pancreas which makes surgical removal an option. Please include Dorothy in your prayers. My family and I appreciate it.

The New York legislature is debating a statewide ban on e-cigarettes, the Associated Press reports. Health advocates point to the addictiveness of electronic cigarettes as part of the reason such a ban would be appropriate. “I got interested in this because I saw all these ads for e-cigarettes, so I did some research,” said Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. “I found what is in the e-cigarettes is a mystery.” Rosenthal’s bill would ban e-cigs in the state until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can look into and regulate the battery-powered devices. The Assembly Health Committee will first vote on the bill...

If you're feeling particularly masochistic, check out this video... hereDon't blame me for bleeding ears though.

For the past couple of months I’ve been writing about the “mainstreaming” of paleo-libertarian Ron Paul; he’s been a regular guest on Fox News and other networks, and his drones have been heavily involved in organizing “tea party” demonstrations. Lots of LGF readers didn’t want to believe this was happening.Well, it really is happening.The weird economic theories of Ron Paul are Winning GOP Converts. A funny thing has started happening to Paul since his long-shot presidential campaign ended quietly in the summer of 2008. More Republicans have started listening to him. There are the media requests from Fox Business Channel...

I know a lot of people want to deny it, but statistics posted and analyzed at FiveThirtyEight.com show a strong correlation between attendance at tea parties and support for crazy uncle Ron Paul: Were the Tea Parties Really a Libertarian Thing? What we seem to have is an audience that was about two parts Ron Paul/libertarian conservative (with its strength out West and in New Hampshire) and one part Sarah Palin/red-meat conservative (with its strength in rural areas, particularly in the South). This is perhaps not an accident, since Paul and Palin are just about the only Republicans to have...

Here’s an AFP report on “tea party” demonstrations: Anti-Obama ‘tea party’ protests mark US tax day. NEW YORK (AFP) – Critics of President Barack Obama marked national tax day Wednesday with “tea party” protests that Republicans are calling the birth of a grassroots opposition, but Democrats dismiss as a fraud.Initially small crowds gathered under blustery skies in Washington, New York and Boston to protest taxes, government bailouts, and Obama’s big-spending budget proposals.Organizer Eric Odom said protests would take place across almost 800 cities in a “new day for the freedom movement.” Who is Eric Odom, in addition to being the...

Here we go again.The latest cause for hyperventilation in the right-wing blogosphere is a report from the Department of Homeland Security on the need for vigilance against extreme right-wing groups like Posse Comitatus, militias, “Patriot” groups, and neo-Nazis like the Christian Identity weirdos. Some bloggers, prompted by World Net Daily, are reading this as an attempt to “smear half of the country or more as kooks for criticizing the government’s handling of the economy.” That’s ludicrous. First, this DHS assessment was begun more than a year ago, before Barack Obama was even nominated. It has absolutely nothing to do with...

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, who has been an opponent of the government's bailout plan, spoke Friday with CNN's Kiran Chetry on "American Morning." The Texas Republican says the bailout's infusion of government money will lead to inflation, that our current monetary system is coming to end, and the market, not politicians, can best solve the economic crisis.Kiran Chetry: The last time you were with us you explained why you were against the government's bailout plan, why you were voting against it, and you didn't believe focusing on buying these troubled assets was the smart thing to do. Since then, they've...

One of the burning questions regarding the recently passed bailout, and the one that almost no one has bothered to answer, is how the government intends to pay for it. Governments have three main methods by which they can raise funds: taxation, printing new money, and debt. As our $10 trillion national debt shows, the federal government has always enjoyed raising money by issuing new debt. Money is gained upfront, while the cost of repaying that debt is pushed onto future generations. This method is especially favored today, since imposing $700 billion worth of taxes would lead to widespread public...

After splitting in 2004, Phish is regrouping next March for a three-night run at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va. The March 6-8 shows will be the famed jam band's first since its blowout farewell gigs in Coventry, Vt., more than four years ago. According to the band's Web site, there will be additional touring activity from guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, keyboardist Page McConnell and drummer Jon Fishman throughout 2009. A small supply of tickets will be available directly through the band's ticketing system, with the request period ending Oct. 8. Tickets go on sale to the general...

Obama is a great leader. He can fire people up and get them to do what he wants. He does smart speeches that promise everyone everything they need and make us feel good about our country and how much greater our government could be.But I don't think our next president being a great leader is a good thing. I'm worried about someone smarter than Bush taking over that tremendous power. Charisma and ambition increase my fear exponentially, and a great leader scares me to death. We need someone stupid enough to understand that the president of the United States can't...

In a February interview with MTV, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin lavished praise on maverick Republican presidential contender Ron Paul. She had a few nice things to say about another GOP candidate, Mitt Romney. But Palin made no mention of John McCain. Now that McCain is the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, he has selected Palin as his prospective running-mate for vice president. McCain calls Palin his political "soul-mate." But, in February, at a point when McCain was closing in on the Republican nomination, it sure sounded like she was sweet on Paul. The governor, who sported a Pat Buchanan pin at...

Rock legends Led Zeppelin have reportedly been working on new material. Three members of the band - drummer Jason Bonham, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones - have been meeting up for sessions in a London studio, reports The Sun. The paper says frontman Robert Plant, currently touring the States, hasn't joined his bandmates so far. Jason is quoted as saying: "I've been working with Jimmy and John Paul and trying to do some new material and some writing. "I don't know what it will be, but it will be something." The news is sure to fuel rumours...

Among the likely choices for Obama's running mate, Joe Biden was not the person reformers were hoping to see on the democratic ticket. Radley Balko sums up Biden's drug war credentials: …from a policy perspective, it’s a disaster. Biden has sponsored more damaging drug war legislation than any Democrat in Congress. Hate the way federal prosecutors use RICO laws to take aim at drug offenders? Thank Biden. How about the abomination that is federal asset forfeiture laws? Thank Biden. Think federal prosecutors have too much power in drug cases? Thank Biden. Think the title of a “Drug Czar” is sanctimonious...

We’ve got a jam-packed, exciting day planned for Tuesday, September 2nd, and we wanted to let you know that the events don’t stop after the stage lights turn off at the Target Center. Famed guitarist (and Ron Paul supporter) Jimmie Vaughan will be providing the entertainment for The Rally for the Republic After Party. The party will be taking place at The Lone Tree/Annex (music starts right away on the linked page)- one block away from the Target Center. It will officially start at 9:30 pm, and it will last until 4 am. There is a $10 cover charge, and...

A founding member of long-running Virginia jam band the Dave Matthews Band has passed away, a rep for the band has revealed in a statement released to Access Hollywood. He was 46 years old. “LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia,” the rep stated. “Moore had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.” Moore, who played flute and pennywhistle in...