Free Republic

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm)…" and so begins the President’s Oath of Office that he must repeat upon taking office. (Art. II, Sec. 1, [8]). *** In the days of the founding of the United States, this was no idle statement. It was considered a binding obligation upon the person reciting the oath that he would do everything in his power ("to the best of my ability") to "…preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Of equal significance is the oath taken by both Senators and Representatives at the start of each new Congress in January...

June 22, 2004, 9:44 a.m. Post-Americans They’ve just “grown” beyond their country. By Mark Krikorian The Wall Street Journal editorial page published another of its periodic eructations on immigration last week. This one was essentially a campaign ad for Utah Congressman Chris Cannon, the administration point-man on immigration in the House of Representatives, who was forced into a primary (being held today) because of his avid support for illegal-alien amnesties. The reason for the Journal editorial, not to mention its sneering tone, is not obvious. Cannon is way ahead of his opponent, former state legislator Matt Throckmorton, according to...

CROCKETT was then the lion of Washington. I was a great admirer of his character, and, having several friends who were intimate with him, I found no difficulty in making his acquaintance. I was fascinated with him, and he seemed to take a fancy to me. I was one day in the lobby of the House of Representatives when a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in its support — rather, as I thought, because it afforded the speakers a fine opportunity for...

Just curious as to what freepers think about this. Is the foreign aid for the tsunami unconstitutional? If yes, why? If no, why not?

As the death toll mounts in the areas hit by Sunday's tsunami in southern Asia, private organizations and individuals are scrambling to send out money and goods to help the victims. Such help may be entirely proper, especially considering that most of those affected by this tragedy are suffering through no fault of their own. The United States government, however, should not give any money to help the tsunami victims. Why? Because the money is not the government's to give. Every cent the government spends comes from taxation. Every dollar the government hands out as foreign aid has to be...

Like him or not, as Americans we should all stand together to say NO to any change in the US Constitution that would allow foreign-born, naturalized citizens to run for and hold the highest office in this great land...Apparently a movement is underway to change the US Constitution. We must stand up to this and oppose it. Please sign the No2Arnold Petition

Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Though Congress never voted to support and implement Agenda 21 -- and its implementation has been accomplished through executive orders and the activities of NGOs -- there is evidence that some representatives tried very hard to push it through early on. Full text: Why didn't the American public find out a long time ago how some members of Congress are pushing for the United States to submit to an international regime of comprehensive control? After all, the evidence is in the open -- all congressional bills are in the public domain, along with a list of...

Any day now this nation could find itself part of an international treaty that abolishes freedom on seven-tenths of the world’s surface. That’s because the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, a treaty that has remained latent since Bill Clinton’s presidency, has reemerged as a threat to this nation’s sovereignty, thanks in large part to Senate Foreign Relations Chair Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and his fellow committee members. In February, this committee voted unanimously to bring the treaty to the full senate for consideration; Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is responsible for scheduling legislation for votes, has not...

Ousted Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore is focused on trying to get his job back but will not rule out a third-party run for the presidency that could threaten President Bush's re-election chances. At a recent speaking engagement, the man who became famous for his defense of a Ten Commandments monument was asked during a question-and-answer session whether he would run for president, reported Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund. "Not right now," Moore said, according to Fund, who noted Moore's friends say he is undecided about whether to run for president or to wait two years and seek...

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640, USA. Press Release William Howard Taft and the First Motoring Presidency, 1909–1913 by Michael L. Bromley ISBN: 0-7864-1475-8 447pp. 86 photographs, statistics, notes, glossaries, appendices, bibliography, index $49.95 illustrated case binding (7 x 10) 2003 William Howard Taft declared, “I am sure the automobile coming in as a toy of the wealthier class is going to prove the most useful of them all to all classes, rich and poor.” Unlike his predecessors, who made public their disdain for the automobile, Taft saw the automobile industry as a great source...

<p>Conservative activists fear that they are not exercising as much influence on the Bush White House as they did in previous Republican presidencies.</p> <p>In a memo to hundreds of fellow conservatives, a former Reagan administration official says traditional views are being edged out by a neoconservative "national greatness" ideology that accepts big government and advocates interventionist foreign policy.</p>

The delays and wrangles about President George W. Bush's scores of unconfirmed judicial nominees highlight the underlying issues between the two political parties. The Republicans want constitutionalists and the Democrats want judicial activists. The term judicial activism came into the popular lexicon because of the much-criticized decisions of the Earl Warren Court. Conservatives don't want judges who write their own social and political opinions into the law, while liberals praise what they call a "living" Constitution that is constantly updated by liberal justices. Two federal district court decisions on July 18 in different states offer a good teaching lesson in...

http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Even in a city where cross-dressing is a protected right--if not a cherished tradition--San Francisco leaders have turned heads recently by appearing publicly in a new type of trans-political apparel. Members of the ultraliberal San Francisco City Council have suddenly taken on states' rights--normally a conservative stance--as their cause celebre. Their opponent is none other than ultraconservative Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft--normally a states' rights advocate--who is asserting the supremacy of the federal government.

This essay is an extension of some of the ideas in an earlier post, which may be found at: The Conservative - Libertarian Schism: A Harmonization Since the posting of the abovementioned essay, a number of FReepers have written me to comment on "the missing ingredient" of libertarianism: a respect for the law, in particular for the supreme law of the land, the Constitution of the United States. Adherents to the libertarian philosophy, they claim, are entirely too willing to flout the law and to disregard Constitutional stricture in their boundless devotion to principle. I won't dismiss the charge out...

Byron York's "Schumer's Attack" points to the dilemma Republican judicial nominees are facing in the ongoing confirmation battle in the Senate. On one hand they want to assure the Senate that they'll apply the law, not make it — which is fine. But on the other hand, they're reluctant to say much about that law, for fear they'll compromise their independence and, ultimately, the rule of law. That's fine too — except that it won't wash with Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee bent on discovering the nominees' ideas about the law and whether those ideas satisfy an ideological litmus...