Free Republic

A MINORITY VIEW BY WALTER E. WILLIAMS RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008, AND THEREAFTER Destroying Liberty Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis warned, "The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding." The freedom of individuals from compulsion or coercion never was, and is not now, the normal state of human affairs. The normal state for the ordinary person is tyranny, arbitrary control and abuse mainly by their own government. While imperfect in its execution, the founders of our nation sought to make an exception to this ugly part of mankind's...

I read most of the responses to the original 'The McCain Conundrum' thread and am not surprised by the disbursement of opinion. A few saw it as an attack upon their beliefs, which is sad. It was an exercise in freedom, the expression of an opinion, the very same freedom I defended for those who have an opinion contrary to mine. It was not a post in defense of McCain, there are ‘many’ things this man has done that I have serious disagreements with. It WAS and anti-Hitlery and Obama post, because, undeniably, Hitlery and Obama are ten times worse....

Other than the socialist Mike Huckabee and isolationist Ron Paul, John McCain was at the bottom of my list for a preferred candidate. On the other side of the equation, it is looking like Barack Hussein Obama may overrun the ice queen Hitlery Clinton. What makes that scary is Obama is to the left of the ice queen. I have read posts from both sides of the McCain debate, the 'if you don't vote for McCain it is a vote for the democrat' gang and the 'I will not subjugate my conservative principles and vote for McCain' crowd. Personally, I...

We often argue about left/right or conservative/progressive (liberal is a misnomer in the classical sense). I thought a little diversion from the standard debates might be interesting. The link to the Political Compass will allow anyone interested to see where their beliefs fall. It assesses your beliefs both economically and socially, take the test to see where you fall. My score: Economic Left/Right: 6.00 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -1.33 I don't claim to be another Milton Friedman, but my score places my political compass beliefs close to his, far right economically and moderate socially.

A deal in the desert for Sen. Reid? A bill he wrote could have affected the friend who sold the land. By Chuck Neubauer and Tom Hamburger, Times Staff Writers January 28, 2007 BULLHEAD CITY, ARIZ. — It's hard to buy undeveloped land in booming northern Arizona for $166 an acre. But now-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid effectively did just that when a longtime friend decided to sell property owned by the employee pension fund that he controlled. In 2002, Reid (D-Nev.) paid $10,000 to a pension fund controlled by Clair Haycock, a Las Vegas lubricants distributor and his friend...

November 14, 2006 Thank You, Mr. President By George Shadroui Bush has been one of a few conservatives in the country, along with a few folks at National Review and in Congress, to show a little class and grace in the midst of defeat. George W. Bush, who led the Republicans and conservatives to three straight electoral victories, who won the White House against an incumbent Democratic administration, who rallied this nation after 9/11, and removed two oppressive regimes in Aghanistan and Iraq, is suddenly responsible for all that ails the nation. This is no surprise to those of you...

Anyone who cannot admit it was a good day for democrats and a bad one for republicans is not admitting reality. It appears the democrats picked up 30 seats in the House, giving them a 29 seat majority, most of the new seats are moderate democrats. While the Senate has two seats undeclared, an initial assessment would be that democrats will take both and control of the Senate, as they have the lead in both Virginia (down 8000) and Montana (down 4000). AP has declared Tester as the winner in Montana. This was the democratic process in action. So why...

I have just arrived home from the local Talent GOTV effort today. I was privileged to sit in on the end of the day results tally. I am proud to report that the 2006 GOTV effort is smashing the record set in 2004, a presidential year, here in Missouri. They are up over 70% from 2004, and it is ratcheting up even higher. The man in charge of the 2004 GOTV campaign in 2004 got in on the conference call and was amazed at the numbers that the 2006 campaign is generating. Tomorrow is a big day with Ken Mehlman...

And, which Republican woman might they be thinking of… Although she has said she is not interested, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is a top contender for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. Rice receives 21% among registered Republicans and Republican leaning independents along with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Senator John McCain follows with 19%. Florida Governor Jeb Bush, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Senator George Allen, Senator Sam Brownback, Senator Bill Frist, New York Governor George Pataki, Senator Chuck Hagel, Congressman Tom Tancredo, and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney trail with single digit support. 17% of Republicans...

Remarks by Governor Ben S. Bernanke At the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Conference on: The Legacy of Milton and Rose Friedman's Free to Choose, Dallas, Texas October 24, 2003 It is an honor and a pleasure to have this opportunity, on the anniversary of Milton and Rose Friedman's popular classic, Free to Choose, to speak on Milton Friedman's monetary framework and his contributions to the theory and practice of monetary policy. About a year ago, I also had the honor, at a conference at the University of Chicago in honor of Milton's ninetieth birthday, to discuss the contribution of...

65% Say Miers Confirmation Likely October 13, 2005--Americans are evenly divided as to whether or not Harriet Miers should be confirmed to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. However, the latest Rasmussen Reports survey finds that 65% believe she is likely to be confirmed. Just 18% say that confirmation is not very likely or not at all likely. Despite vocal opposition from many Republican activists, most Republicans across the county support the President's selection. Fifty-four percent (54%) of the GOP faithful say the President's nominee should be confirmed. Only 17% disagree. Republicans supported the nomination of Chief Justice John Roberts...

October 14, 2005 Voted Off the Island By Ronald A. Cass Ever since President George W. Bush nominated White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, a curious game has been played. Initial reaction was cautious and reserved – from Democrats. Republicans, libertarians, conservatives, allies of the President, on the other hand, went immediately into attack mode. Some wrote thoughtful, if highly critical, pieces. Many simply vented their frustration that the President hadn’t made the choice they wanted. By the end of a week, not only had conservatives voted Ms. Miers off the island, but President Bush and any...

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THU OCT 13, 2005 12:52:43 ET XXXXX 2005: PICK PRAISES FEDERALIST SOCIETY IN SPEECH **Exclusive** The DRUDGE REPORT has obtained exclusive excerpts from a speech Bush Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers made to the DC Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society on April 29, 2005. At the speech Miers’ declared, “You [the Federalist Society] are an important ally on many issues, especially in our battles to ensure for our Nation a distinguished Federal judiciary, a judiciary the American people deserve.” MORE Miers went on: “There is a reason White House Counsels have sought out your organization...

Jack Kelly: Knock it off The conservatives whining about the Miers nomination are a petulant bunch Sunday, October 09, 2005 --- Bush compounded matters at his press conference Tuesday, when he said Ms. Miers was the best qualified person, a statement breathtakingly at odds with reality. He'd have been on firmer ground if he'd simply said Harriet Miers was the best qualified conservative who could win relatively easy Senate confirmation. --- I'm no happier about the Miers nomination now than when I first learned of it. But I'm more dismayed by the conservative over-reaction. It's one thing to say there...

Thursday, October 06, 2005 The Case for Miers (when things look blurry) Fear factor As with pretty much everyone on the center-right, my initial reaction to the Miers appointment was anger, disbelief, and opposition. I feared, and many feared, that Miers was another Souter--and without the credentials to match. But I decided to do some research on Miers before I vented in my blog. After looking at the evidence, I came to two conclusions: 1) she's qualified; 2) she's very conservative. 1. Why W picked Miers The pick of Miers was very unexpected: Why Miers? But in retrospect it's not...

October 3, 2005 Harriet Miers, Conservative At the risk of drawing the undying enmity of The Herd, I'm going to state categorically that conservatism is sitting pretty at this hour. That's because Harry Reid has just been hosed – and he doesn't even know it. The navel gazers are nabobing about another Souter. That's silly. The Court will almost certainly move to the right as a result of the nomination and confirmation of Harriet Miers. And here's why. It's true. Little is known about the views of Harriet Miers. But what is known, through official and unofficial channels, paints a...

Betting on shale Oil firms apply for federal permits, look to simplify extraction By Gargi Chakrabarty, Rocky Mountain News September 21, 2005 (excerpt) The Green River shale deposits in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming are estimated to contain 1.5 trillion to 1.8 trillion barrels of oil, and while not all of it can be recovered, half that amount is nearly triple the proven oil reserves of Saudi Arabia.

Conservatives can trust in Miers - Newt Gingrich (excerpts) --- Ms. Miers' first remarks were reassuring in this regard: "It is the responsibility of every generation to be true to the founders' vision of the proper role of the courts and our society." She promised to "strictly apply the laws and the Constitution." --- she proved to be a very effective leader opposing the American Bar Association's official stance in support of abortion, including active support of taxpayer-funded abortions. --- she is deeply committed to the conservative ideal that the people themselves, not an unelected elite, should be able to...

There is no denying that the Meirs nomination has caused a stir. The vitriol has risen in a short sighted furor emblematic of ideological elitism. What was once the purview of the progressive left has taken root in the conservative wing. Only only has to look at the postings in Free Republic. The vituperative rhetoric flows like unctuous bile from the fingertips, bootlickers, bushbots, morons, kool-aid drinkers, as the poster champions his elite point of view by defaming those who disagree. Rather than discussing on a reasoned basis, it has become the land of ad hominem and non sequiturs. I...

By the title, some will think a blanket endorsement follows, but this is a non-endorsement vanity analysis. Who is Harriet Miers and what do we really know about her ? Basically, not much. And there in lies the crux of the matter. Usually it is the far left that provides the knee jerk reactions, in this instance, the far right has emulated the far left. If the best solid reason that can be used to decry her nomination is 1988 democrat donations from her law firm, than you reveal an entrenched ideological mindset. If your best solid reason for supporting...