Free Republic

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday. Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state laws. The new policy is a significant departure from the Bush administration, which insisted it would continue to enforce federal anti-pot laws regardless of state codes.

Within 12 months, the Japanese were killing more than 40,000 dolphins every year. Most were fed to children in school meals, with the rest being exported to China. Ironically, recent scientific research suggests that the Japanese authorities might be endangering the health of their own children through this practice. Dolphin meat is full of toxic mercury, cadmium, DDT and carcinogens such as dioxins and PCBs. Some cuts of dolphin meat have more than 5,000 times the safe level of mercury. Such levels can very quickly lead to severe nervous system problems and even insanity. The dolphin meat is so toxic...

After two successive elections that have exposed the Republican Party to ridicule for its lack of diversity and narrow demographic appeal, the GOP suddenly finds itself with an unexpected bounty. From the West Coast to the East Coast, in some of the smallest and largest states in the nation, the party is currently fielding an unusually diverse crop of serious statewide candidates drawn from the seemingly endless list of constituencies the GOP lost in 2008—notably women, Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans and young people. Electing just a few of these prospects would give the party a dramatic facelift and go...

Those of you who know me here on Free Republic are aware that I am a Puerto Rican, and as part of the island's cultural tradition, I have inherited strong Catholic beliefs from my parents.  I have raised my own two children as Catholics, hoping that they too could share in my culture and religion. Both were baptized and confirmed. I had hoped both would learn to love God as I had. Up until last weekend, I thought I had done a pretty good job. I am a lot less confident in my parenting now. On Saturday, my son called...

WASHINGTON - Estados Unidos deberá responder en dos meses la querella presentada por un abogado puertorriqueño ante la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) en reclamo del voto presidencial. Santiago Cantón, director ejecutivo de la CIDH -que responde a la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA)-, notificó al abogado Gregorio Igartúa que a partir del 22 de abril el gobierno de Estados Unidos tendrá dos meses para exponer sus puntos de vista. Igartúa denunció en 2006 ante la CIDH el hecho de que los residentes de Puerto Rico no tienen derecho a votar por el presidente de Estados Unidos. Cantón le...

Abstract Background Previous cross-sectional study showed altruistic behaviors were harmful on major depression (MD). It is needed to investigate the impact of altruistic behaviors by its contents on the development of MD prospectively. Methodology/Principal Findings The National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) in 1995–1996 and the MIDUS Psychological Experience Follow-Up study in 1998 were analyzed (weighted N = 563). Financial support of 10 or more dollars per month had a significant impact on the development of MD in comparison to no financial support (OR: 2.64, 95% CI: 1.05–6.62). Unpaid assistance and providing emotional support were not...

President Obama’s budget director said the White House would consider using a Senate procedural tactic so that only 50 votes would be rquired to pass major healthcare and energy reforms. Peter Orszag, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the administration would prefer not to use the budget reconciliation process to push through its package. But he added: "We have to keep everything on the table. We want to get these.... important things done this year." Orszag called healthcare in particular "the key to our fiscal future." Orszag made the comments on ABC’s "This Week with George...

I was searching google for information on Free Republic when I came across this anti-semitic liberal hate site. This is slander, and the moonbats who made it should be ashamed of themselves. It appears to be a wiki, which means it's editable! If we could figure out a way to freep this wiki and edit it to be more accurate, we could score a huge victory for true conservatives!

As the new Democratic majority prepares to take power, Republicans have become, as Phil Gramm might put it, a party of whiners. Some of the whining almost defies belief. Did Alberto Gonzales, the former attorney general, really say, “I consider myself a casualty, one of the many casualties of the war on terror”? Did Rush Limbaugh really suggest that the financial crisis was the result of a conspiracy, masterminded by that evil genius Chuck Schumer? But most of the whining takes the form of claims that the Bush administration’s failure was simply a matter of bad luck — either the...