Free Republic

A common refrain we all hear about abortion is “I don’t want to force my [generally religious] beliefs on another person.” This is a respectable position, at least to a point — after all, the United States enshrines freedom of religion in its very foundational documents and religious people — and irreligious people — are certainly free in the United States to believe as they want on the issue, answerable only to their Creator [or lack thereof]. And while we, as United States Citizens, are free to disagree on things religious, we do all concur (indeed are bound, as part...

Don't Blame Me, I voted for Fred Thompson in the primaries.

Caption these typical Obama supporters, showing their pride:

Recall briefly the hysteria of the media when some lone protestor (allegedly, no one heard him beside the reporter and the Secret Service says it never happened) yelled "Kill him" at a Palin rally. Well, that same media thinks violent attacks on Palin are funny (this is a staged/fake attack, edited into a real report): http://www.break.com/index/crazy-protester-interrupts-palin-interview.html (Note the "where to vote" tag at the end of the hate film.) This is not isolated event. There are literally hundreds of threatened and real attacks against Palin and McCain --- from cartoons threatening violence again Palin, to protestors trying to block her...

Conservatives are, IMHO, soon to be in the decided and percecuted minority. It is accordingly time to utilize methods from the Radical Left playbook "Rules for Radicals" to further our agenda. My suggested targets are: Harry Reid (vulnerable), the owners of Google (soft and naive), and the president of Time Warner (useful). Here are the Rules: RULE 1: "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have." Power is derived from 2 main sources - money and people. "Have-Nots" must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which there is a...

The single-biggest mistake in the Paulson bank-rescue-plan marketing effort has been the failure to explain clearly how taxpayers are going to recoup $700 billion used to buy toxic assets at auction in order to unfreeze the banking system. In other words, folks don’t understand how taxpayers will be paid back, and may actually make profits, which will enable the new government debt to be erased after the Treasury bank-rescue is completed. Here’s the key point: Any loan package bought by the Treasury will be 100 percent taxpayer owned. Period. Let’s walk through this hypothetical for a moment. Through a market-driven...

forty-year old homeless man almost died when he was beaten up in Brussels by a man and his father, both Muslims, because he was drinking beer during the Ramadan. Rachid, the 19-year old culprit, beat his victim Serge with an iron bar with nails. A few days ago Serge had an appointment with a doctor in a policlinic in Blaes Street. He arrived early and, since he had to wait, Serge opened a can of beer. At that moment an elderly Muslim who lives above the policlinic came downstairs. He objected to Serge drinking a beer in public during Ramadan,...

Senator Joseph Lieberman claims he is an independent Democrat; I claim he is neither a Democrat nor an independent. He is an Israeli Senator in the US Senate. He has always voted against the interest of Arabs and Muslims; he has always voted in favor of Israel, even when it was occupying, killing and carrying out a Nazi-like terrorist policy. Lieberman is not one of this kind. There are thousands others who have turned the US, a leading nation in human rights and a beacon for democracy and freedom, into the most hated country in the world. Even the Europeans...

The Fayetteville Observer reads a few tea leaves in the veepstakes and suggests that Eric Cantor may become the dark-horse finalist for John McCain’s running-mate. Cantor has not yet appeared on the convention schedule, which would seem strange for such a dynamic member of the House GOP’s leadership. He also represents a Virginia district, which could prove crucial to holding the state for the Republicans in November: Rep. Robin Hayes is predicting that Sen. John McCain will pick Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia as his running mate. “It sure looks like a great possibility to me,” Hayes said Wednesday. “Eric...

Over the past days, I've done a few profiles on some of the folks considered likely candidates to be McCain's veep. I outlined my problems with Joe Lieberman here. The reasons why Huck is the wrong choice are manifold. Before today, my favorite of the supposed front-runners was Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Pawlenty may still be my favorite, but after having a look at Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor, I think I may have a new favorite. Cantor is SOLID, across the board, on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, securing the border, imposing fiscal responsibility on Washington and the...

Romney is so talented. But two very rich guy Republicans do present problems. Lieberman is a dear man, but would be a disaster. His support for the war in Iraq and for a muscular defense makes him seem moderate. But on everything else he is an orthodox liberal. He has voted against all our good judges, for taxes, and even for partial-birth abortion. That puts him to the left of Joe Biden! John Kyl would be a great pick – a hero to conservatives — except that he’s from Arizona. Sarah Palin is appealing but too inexperienced. Vitiates the argument...

A Virginian didn’t make it onto the Democratic ticket this year, but there’s still a chance one will land a spot with the Republicans. With presidential candidate John McCain expected to name his choice this weekend, U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor of Henrico County continues to be mentioned as a possible running mate. Cantor is in his fourth House term, representing a district that stretches north and west from the Richmond suburbs and includes much of the state’s Piedmont region. It is a Republican stronghold, with more than 61 percent of its voters backing President Bush in 2004. A Richmond native,...

Noth Carolina Rep. Robin Hayes is predicting that Sen. John McCain will pick Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia as his running mate. “It sure looks like a great possibility to me,” Hayes said. “Eric is a tremendous friend, incredibly bright young man. He has wonderful credentials, and I think would be a very good, complementary candidate to John McCain.” Hayes made his comments during and after a meeting with educators at Jack Britt High School. Rumors about Cantor have been spreading in recent weeks and began to grow stronger on Tuesday, Hayes said. Several media outlets are reporting that Cantor...

In 1862, when some of Abraham Lincoln's political allies, furious over the losses at Shiloh, demanded the removal of Ulysses S. Grant from the leadership of the Army of the Tennessee, the first Republican President responded with unequivocal fervor. "I can't spare this man," Lincoln said. "He fights." What John McCain requires in a Vice Presidential choice today is an individual who exhibits the best qualities of an intelligent political fighter. He needs a hard worker – a loyal, principled leader – an individual whose reputation is above reproach. And we are convinced that in this case, the right choice...

10. Inexperience. Romney, a one-term governor who did not run for reelection, has precisely one-third of the elective experience that Dan Quayle had when nominated for Vice President, and Quayle was attacked for his inexperience. A Romney nomination would cut against the grain of one of McCain’s best arguments – Obama’s inexperience – and this is particularly true when placed against Joe Biden. 9. Rommey supporters typically say that he would be good on the economy. But why, exactly? Paul O’Neill and John Snow were both highly successful businessmen, and yet were weak as Treasury Secretary. Why would Romney be...

OK, SO HE'S only one of five Virginians mentioned as possibilities for a national ticket in this year's presidential election. But it's still a kick for Rep. Eric Cantor to be on John McCain's VP list--at least until Friday. Indeed, his three teenage children "think it's cool," Cantor acknowledged last week during a stop at The Free Lance-Star. A fourth-term congressman from the Richmond area whose district includes Culpeper, Orange and Louisa counties and parts of Spotsylvania and Caroline counties, Cantor would bring undeniable strengths to the ticket. A conservative from a swing state in the South (and the only...

This morning, I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), who is here in Denver making the interview rounds. As he phrased it, he's here with the McCain "Truth Squad". Their objective is to "cut through" the glitz and celebrity this week, to highlight what millions of Americans already believe: Senator Obama is not ready to lead. Cantor was in good humor. I asked him how he was enjoying his time behind enemy lines, and he said it was "eye-opening." I told him I need to know if he agreed with my friends at RedState.com that...

So now we know the Democratic ticket: Obama-Biden. We have been promised John McCain's running mate on Friday the 29th. With Joe Biden as the matchup, who among the plausible candidates should McCain take? And who is helped/hurt by the Biden pick? Personally, I think I would disregard at least some of my own prior checklist and take Eric Cantor. Cantor's young (but not too young), smart, conservative, telegenic, and from an important state that is a must-win for McCain (although Virginia seems less important with the news that Obama has suspended his TV ad campaign there, and there's less...

John McCain is set to make his vice presidential announcement within the next three to four days. Names speculated to be on his short list includes Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Tom Ridge, Joe Lieberman, and Congressman Eric Cantor. Most pro-life conservatives want Ridge and Lieberman removed from the list because they favor abortion rights. If McCain wants to keep social conservatives content, he'll have to choose either Romney, Pawlenty, or Cantor. McCain has two crucial considerations to make before choosing a running mate. Could that running mate attack his counterparts with the same gusto as Joe Biden? The other consideration...

Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.), rumored to be on the shortlist of John McCain’s vice presidential candidates, is conspicuously absent from a complete list of speakers at the Republican National Convention. The list, sent to reporters under the header “Republican National Convention Announces Full Program,” includes the names of all other individuals believed to be on Sen. McCain’s (Ariz.) shortlist. Cantor was asked earlier this month to undergo the formal vetting process by the McCain campaign and served as one of his most vocal supporters in the House of Representatives. Rob Collins, a spokesman for Cantor, did not comment directly on...