Free Republic

I'm seeing a lot of comments today along the lines of, " The red states should consider secession", and "Civil War 2 is coming". To those saying such things: I can only hope that you're self-aware enough to realize that you're simply venting. There isn't the slightest chance that the US is going to break up in the next 4 years because of the re-election of Obama. On the off-chance I'm wrong, please contact me in advance of your attack on Fort Sumter.

Remember the Great Ammo Shortage of '09, when you couldn't find a box of .45 ACP at Wal-Mart to save your life? At the same time, prices on any vaguely tacticool firearm almost doubled. What's going to happen this time around? Just as bad? Better? Worse?

There will almost certainly be two retirements on the Court, and possibly as many as four by 2016...and the Democrats control the Senate. Obama will be able to pack the Court for the next 20 years. Just my cheery thought of the night :-(

Just how prepared should you be to ride out a disaster, man-made or otherwise? For purposes of this thread, we'll define the various levels of "prepping" as follows, mostly dependent on how long you can "ride it out" before needing to leave your home or receive aid from the authorities: Level 0: Nothin'. Your emergency supplies consist of half a box of Cheerios and a cigarette lighter. In case of disaster, you'll be first in line for some government-issue MREs and a seat at a football stadium. Level 1: While you don't keep things at home with disasters in mind,...

Paul Kurtz, who sought to debunk psychics, astrologers and anything related to the paranormal, has died. He was 86. The secular humanist philosopher died Saturday at his home in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst. His death was announced Monday by the Center for Inquiry, which he founded. His family isn't releasing the cause. Kurtz founded the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and The Skeptical Inquirer magazine, which advocates relying on science and reason to examine everything from alien sightings to homeopathic remedies. He also was a well-known voice for the idea that decisions and behavior should be guided by science and...

Well, I've dropped off my ballot.  Voted a straight Republican ticket, natch.  "No" on retaining all judges (never seen one kicked out, but I can at least try to make them think about job security!).   Ballot issues:  "No" on all except marijuana legalization.  If someone wants to get stoned, go ahead...it's none of my business any more than if they want to get drunk.

WH Smith has banned children from buying magazines about shooting – even though it is legal for them to own a gun.  Britain’s biggest newsagent has introduced an over-14s limit on all copies of country sports magazines following a campaign by animal rights activists.  The retailer, whose founding family owned a highly prized shoot in Buckinghamshire, will enforce the restriction on hobby magazines including Shooting Times, because it understood children are not allowed to obtain a firearms certificate until they are 14. However under the current law, there is no minimum age for applying for a shotgun certificate in the...

The number of unaffiliated is now at its highest point ever and has increased 5% in the past five years,the Pew/PBS poll found. More Americans than ever say they don’t identify with an organized religion — a trend that is growing among all segments of the population, a poll released Tuesday found. One in five American adults, or 19.6% of the population, are now religiously unaffiliated, a Pew Center/PBS survey finds. Atheists and agnostics now make up about 6% of the U.S. population. The number of unaffiliated is now at its highest point ever and has increased 5% in the...

Suppose that for whatever reason, the United States decided to limit the number of Federal holidays to five...and it's up to you to decide which five they are.  Which would you pick?  For reference's sake, here's the current list: New Year's Day Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. President's Day Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day If there's a holiday you want that's not on the list, you can pick it. Full disclosure:  I'm stealing the idea from this thread from Democratic Underground: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021495822 The most five most popular holidays at DU...

Doctors at Long Island’s North Shore Hospital say Grace Sung Eun Lee is competent and made her wishes clear. Woman's parents say removing her from life support would be suicide and condemn her to hell She is paralyzed from the neck down, tethered to breathing and feeding tubes — but Manhattan bank manager Grace Sung Eun Lee still managed to mouth four words Wednesday. “I want to die.” Doctors are trying to honor Lee’s wish, but her devout parents believe that removing the tubes is suicide — a sin that would condemn the 28-year-old to hell. They’ve gone to court...

When I write about some Tax Court decisions, the title “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” seems to be called for.  I don’t use it, because it would get old pretty quickly and I can’t have that.  Speaking of things getting old, that is a behind the scenes question in the recent case of Jo Delia Hovind.  She and her husband Kent E Hovind were interested in the age of the earth. ... Turns out there is money to made in promoting young earth creationism.  The Hovinds became tax paying job creators.  Only they had some trouble with the tax...

To hunt in the state of Texas, if you were born within the last 30 years, you need to have passed an approved hunter education class and carry the proof with you. Unless you pay $10 for a one year deferral, like I did last year. Unfortunately that deferral is a Let me back up a second here. The term “Fudd” is derived, of course, from the Elmer Fudd, the hunter in the Looney Tunes cartoons. And in Pennsylvania, it’s used to describe a certain kind of person. Specifically, one who believes the only purpose for firearms is hunting, that...

An overwhelming majority of people want gun magazines that show animals being killed for sport consigned to newsagents' top shelves alongside pornography, according to a new public opinion poll. An even higher proportion want the sale of such publications restricted to people over the age of 18. Eight-four per cent of respondents to the NOP poll, which was commissioned by Animal Aid, favour a ban on the sale of gun magazines to children. Seventy-four per cent want them banished to top shelves. The results come in the wake of the publication of a new Animal Aid report, called Gunning For...

http://www.isidewith.com

Dianne Feinstein announced Wednesday that she’s re-entering the battle over gun control during her keynote speech to the California delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Feinstein was president of the San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors on what she calls that city’s “day of infamy” in 1978, when a former colleague shot and killed Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Since then, Senator Feinstein has been one of the most vocal proponents of gun control on Capitol Hill. She promised California delegates she’d return to Congress to reintroduce “an updated assault weapons bill.” At the delegates' breakfast, she said that, "Weapons...

Looking a for a spell that will make your partner lust for you and only you? Or a black magic revenge incantation to curse your enemy? Or maybe a good old-fashioned $51 demon-obliterating potion that promises to “destroy heavy demonic energies, entities, beings and forces” is all you need. ...Beginning Aug.30, the online auction site will ban the sale of curses, spells, hexes, magic, prayers, blessing services, magic potions, healing sessions and more. Perhaps it’s the intangibility of hexes and curses that makes them tough to host. “EBay regularly reviews categories and updates our policies based on customer feedback,” a...