Free Republic

SYDNEY, March 31 -- The Sydney Opera House, dozens of skyscrapers and countless homes switched off their lights Saturday evening along with many other sites in Australia's largest city to register concern about global warming. The arch of Sydney's other iconic structure, the Harbor Bridge, was also blacked out in the city of 4 million as part of the hour-long gesture, which organizers said they hoped would be adopted as an annual event around the world. Mayor Clover Moore, whose officials shut down all nonessential lights on city-owned buildings, said Sydney was "asking people to think about what action they...

Hugh Hewitt asked this question recently, as a by-product of a discussion that evolved during an appearance at Biola University. His point was that in 2028, for those running for public office, the answer to that question may prove pivotal to their chances of getting elected. That question splinters the conversation into a few directions…why serve?...will it make a difference in my future?...how will it separate me from my peers?...and to Hugh’s larger question…how will I be perceived if I do, or don’t, serve? I’ll deal with the last question first. Guy Sajer, in his excellent book, Forgotten Soldier... a...

SALEM, Ore. - In this season of bleak election forecasts for the Republicans, one bright spot has emerged from an unlikely state: left-leaning Oregon. This traditionally blue state represents one of the Republicans' best shots at picking up a governorship held by the Democrats, with polls showing Gov. Ted Kulongoski and GOP challenger Ron Saxton virtually tied. Elsewhere, the Democrats are on a roll this year, appearing likely to pick up governors' seats in powerful states like Ohio, New York and Massachusetts. The Republican Governors Association has spent $1 million on the Saxton campaign, and more help is likely to...

Suffering the malevolence of what is being Left, has become something of a rite in the passing of citizens of what is Right to champions of Reason; idiocy being a bump in the road to real human progress. But, suffering the obstinance of one's own fools on the Right is virtually insufferable given the political disasters their short-sided, myopic, irresponsible, indignation stands to unleash. Does anyone remember, Perot? It only takes 10% stupidity to yield 8 years of deterioration. Now is not the time to test a unified theory, of righteous abandon. Too much is at stake, to risk an...

You know Portland, Oregon?... it’s a suburb of Berkeley, California. Our Mayor rides bikes with the anarchists and spends federal tax money, i.e., your money, on light rail trains and skyway trams. Although a dangerously oppressive place for conservatives, it has its amusing moments of ironical hypocrisy. It is very common to see both of the following bumpers stickers: “War is not the answer” and “Trees are the answer” stuck on the same car, preferably a hybrid. Ms. Cindy Sheehan will be in Portland Oregon tomorrow evening for a book signing. Sponsoring Cindy is two of the largest home-grown Portland...

The Fleet has arrived today in Portland. We need to get a banner and take it down to the Concourse today that reads, "R.I.P Abu Z! One More Mission Accomplished!" Welcome Back, USS Cole!

RALLY THIS SATURDAY IN PORTLAND. THE PROTEST WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE MEXICAN CONSULATE OFFICE 1234 SW Morrison, Portland. (corner of 12th and Morrison). Saturday April 20, 2006 starting at 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. The reason for the change is that the Carousel program has been switched from Woodburn to Mexican Consulate in Portland. The rally will be peaceful and respectful to the people in the area. If you are going to bring your own sign please make it one that makes a point but is not in bad taste. We will have signs available if you do not have...

SEATTLE - Six young people were shot to death early Saturday at a home, apparently at a party, and the alleged gunman committed suicide when confronted by police, authorities said. Three other victims were taken to a hospital after the shootings in the Capitol Hill neighborhood east of downtown, said police spokesman Rich Pruitt. Two of the three were in critical condition, he said. "It's one of the largest crime scenes the city has ever had," said Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske. He said the victims' bodies were found in several places in the house. Police believe the shooting happened at...

Business Unfriendly From the Oregonian today... "Gov. Kulongoski has eye on corporate tax kicker Rebate - Business leaders will consider plans to pump cash from the $205 million tax break back to the state" Again, government, and in this case, the governor, wants to steal $205 Million dollars of corporate tax surpluses, to fund myriad of dreamt up State programs. Oregon law requires that any surpluses over 2% be returned to the taxpayers…now the governor is eying the corporate portion of the excess to fund his liberal agenda. What bothers me most is that the law is part of the...

I am a combat veteran. I joined the VFW my first day back in the States, and am a life member. I flew forty missions in the Gulf War, and have received many citations for my combat service, and my non-combat service. There is a flare up underway about John Murtha's combat/decoration history here, here, and on this page is a Brit Hume video on the subject. Based on what I have read in the opening paragraphs of Forgotten Soldier and the entirety of Stolen Valor some people have a habit of exaggerating their combat records...if they have one at...

MOOSEMUSS. Yes, MOOSEMUSS. That is what came to mind when the discussion amongst the right about the Harriet Miers nomination went into full tilt yesterday…MOOSEMUSS. Hat tip to Mr. Atos for planting the seed with his Bangalore Torpedo piece, and after all the rancor yesterday, I thought, MOOSEMUSS. I don’t buy the theory that in an instant, that the President, who incidentally, got the GWOT right, and the John Roberts nomination right, who has Dick Cheney as his VP and Condi Rice as his SOS…blew a gasket and has gotten this completely wrong. I thought…maybe …MOOSEMUSS. I think that the...

Anyone know anything about Blogger/Blogspot being down? Are they experiencing a DOS attack, or just tech errors? A lot of Blogs are currently down.

The finalists are up, and voting is going into the stretch for Hugh Hewitt's weekly Blog of the Week Contest. Every week, bloggers submit a post associated with a subject discussed on Hugh Hewitt's radio program. The submission are linked over at RadioBlogger's site and the finalists are selected for open voting. There are some great submissions there to choose from. So head over and vote! VOTE HERE!

Below was captured from Friday's Oregonian... "For the man in the mirror, the woman in the mirror, the child in the mirror -- still devastated from the Gulf Coast storm and flood -- to travel more than 2,000 miles to Oregon and not see reflections of themselves, a new form of devastation is created. I was compelled to write this in response to the insensitivity to locations for placement of African Americans displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Locations such as Oregon lack a culturally diverse majority to act as a hospitality group having the competency to truly relate to the social,...

Football coaches run reverses because they count on the dynamics and flow of the play to make gains. In the reverse, the flow of the play, save one player, begins in one direction. This flow then demands the same directional flow from the defense. As the offensive flow blends with the defensive flow, suddenly one player, on cue, flows in the other direction. At this point the serious blocking takes place. The offensive line then tries to trap the defensive players in their flow…freeing the end with the ball to run unimpeded in the other direction. The classic reverse. A...

"Disasters are very political events." -FEMA Director James Witt, congressional testimony, April 30, 1996 Major Garret of the Fox News Channel has been exposing a disturbing aspect of Hurricane Katrina response efforts that the rest of the Old Busted Media is ignoring. In a series of breaking stories, Garret demonstrates that both the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army were prevented by local distaster officials - LOCAL OFFICIALS - from providing emergency relief supplies of food and water to the major refuge centers. Garret spoke about this story with Hugh Hewitt on his show both yesterday and today. Hugh...

SUMMER JOBS TO HELP DEFEAT BUSH AGENDA Ask for Terry, (503) 288-7400

The right has become effectively divided by the incendiary comments of Colorado Congressman, Tom Tancredo, essentially suggesting that the U.S. Nuke Islamic Holy sites in retaliation for any comparable Islamicist terrorist attack on an America city. In the midst of growing and converging waves of support and indignation, Tancredo took his case directly to the public in Sunday’s Denver Post , defending sensibilities if not his initial suggestions, ...perhaps the civilized world must intensify its approach. Does that mean the United States should be re-targeting its entire missile arsenal on Mecca today? Does it mean we ought to be sending...

Recently, I made the following comment regarding a posting by Wretchard at Belmont Club. When citizens become the slayers of their brethren the commonality of a unifying culture has ended. Two cultures with opposing values exists in one space at war with one another. In such a case, the culture that is most consistent with its values, regardless of right, will ultimately prevail. The Left has seen to it that one side remains confused while the other remains insulated... one denigrated while the other defended. I submit that the BBC and MSM have become every bit as motivating to butchers...

Keeping it simple this week, I'll let what is being Left speak for themselves. Because, even in the aftermath of recent savagery, what is being Left has more righteous indignation for the President of these United States, than they have for the instigators of mass murder for the sake of jihad. From The Boston Globe's Thomas Oliphant, on Al Franken's Air America show, Thursday morning: (HT: Hugh Hewitt) Franken: So these are monsters. We are dealing with monsters. Oliphant: Yes we are, but not very well in my opinion. And, um, what I think is so awful, in the short...