Free Republic

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA — In our interview, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich discussed what kind of First Lady his wife Calista might be. Gingrich is quoted in the new e-book “THE RIGHT FIGHTS BACK,” by Mike Allen and Evan Thomas, saying she would be in the Nancy Reagan mold. So that’s where we started. What did he mean by that? I asked. “First of all she is a very strong personality, which Nancy Reagan was,” Gingrich said. “She actually describes herself as being a cross between Nancy Reagan and Laura Bush with just a slight bit of Jackie Kennedy...

(snip) At four months short of age 17, Carl made a decision that altered his life; he opted to enlist in the Marine Corps. He ranked high on his aptitude tests and passed the physical, he said, and took the oath on April 17, 1977. Then, when he turned 17, "they came and got me. At midnight on his birthday, "I was off the bus and following the yellow footprints" on the pavement at the Parris Island, S.C., Marine base, he said. Once the tough training began, he said, he immediately second-guessed his decision, shocked by the reality of boot...

Democrat Senator from North Dakota, Kent Conrad, while defending the Obama Administration's decision to try al Qaeda terrorists in civilian courts, said: "If people don't believe in our system, maybe they ought to go somewhere else." Really Senator Conrad? Would you like to retract that statement? I am a Gold-Star Father, meaning my son Sergeant Eddie Jeffers was killed in Iraq. I am opposed to terrorists being tried in civilian courts. Did I mention that I am a 22 year Army veteran? Is it okay with you if invoke my free speech rights?

President Barack Obama has brought a more relaxed style to the White House, according to Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times, among other things going suit coat-less in the Oval Office and allowing others to do the same. Obama critics will probably hold this against him and mark him down as disrespecting the presidency. But the Oval Office is an office after all, even if it is the world's most famous one. At bottom, it is a work space albeit it holds an almost sacred place in the hearts of many Americans. Most Americans probably won't begrudge Obama...

(People of Berlin – people of the world – this is our moment. This is our time.) I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we've struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We've made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.

While some ends may justify some means, in very extreme circumstances, it is still unavoidable that the means we choose will inevitably also transform, to some extent, the ends we achieve. So, personally, I normally overwhelmingly prefer civil means and civil discourse to their uncivil twins. For the United States, similarly, I believe civil means and civil discourse has served us most well in building a peaceful, prosperous union. I have faith that most of the American people feel likewise. A recent poll, from Democrat electoral consultants Democracy Corps, shows a stable attachment to Republicans since 2004 (43 percent), but...

In addition to the havoc wrought by the judiciary in our times, there is the havoc wrought on the judiciary itself by others. Some have blamed the murders of a judge not long ago, and the murder of another judge's family, on critics of judicial activism. But, in each of these cases, the motive seems plainly to have been personal animosity growing out of a judge's ruling against the particular individuals concerned. It is doubtful if these murderers had ever read a law journal article or a Federalist Society paper on judicial activism. It is one of many signs of...

It seems President Fox of Mexico does not like people pointing out why he is a failure. To hide his failure, he decides to not only insult Americans, but Mexicans as well. Just look at one of Fox's recent comments: "There is no doubt that Mexicans...are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States." He said this in a speech broadcast in part on local radio and reported on newspaper web sites (Reuters, Fri. May 13). LibertyPost.org reports the comment this way: "There's no doubt that the Mexican men and women...are doing the work...

Passed by the Texas House of Representatives, a bill that bans high school cheerleaders from performing "sexually suggestive" routines -- effectively taking the "hip" out of "hip-hip-hooray". Bill author Al Edwards, a Democrat from Houston, said that "we see that as a result [of lewd routines] more of our young girls being pregnant in middle and high schools, dropping out of school, having babies, and having AIDS and herpes." The bill, which doesn't define what constitutes sexually suggestive behavior, was mocked by several legislators. One said it was "stupid" and "insulting" that the issue was even being discussed, and others...

The responses to this article against homosexual "marriage" made me angry, especially the one comparing mixed marriage to gay unions. As a product of at least 3 generations of mixed marriages from both parents I find it EXTREMELY insulting to be compared to homosexuals. First of all, their is only one "race" on this planet, the human one. Second, the minor physical characteristics which make us look different; melanin in the skin, bone structure, hair follicle shape, etc--are all physical, observable characteristics that are immutable. Conversely, there is no gay gene! I am continually outraged by the comparison of mixed...

Only in Canada: The say the Mounties "Always get their man," but it's the widows who pay. This is a disgrace! WIDOWS OF Mounties killed recently on duty in Alberta, including one shot dead during a standoff, have been stuck with hefty funeral bills by the national police force. Lesley Massey said the RCMP insisted on a full regimental funeral for her husband Dennis, a 33-year member who died in a traffic accident when a trailer came loose from a gas tanker and landed on his car. Massey said the force told her it would handle all arrangements, which it...

It has been recently claimed that America's denial of marriage rights to homosexuals is morally equivalent to and indistinguishable from America's previous denials of civil rights to blacks. It should come as no surprise that the homosexual lobby has launched a campaign to use black America for its pernicious purpose of promoting same-sex "marriage." Blacks have proven time and again to be a useful tool in promoting the sick desires of black leaders, the Democratic Party and the elite white feminist movement (yes, most feminists are upper-class angry white women) – why shouldn't radical homosexuals continue the trend? If we...

Entertainer banned after Bush remark Presidential 'chicken legs' joke leads bookstore's customers to complain ---------- Apparently, it's become un-American--or at least highly controversial--for a woman to publicly say that the president of the United States' body is less than perfect. A Baltimore acoustic artist has been banned from playing the Fredericksburg Borders Books & Music store--apparently because she made fun of President Bush's legs between songs in her show Friday night at Central Park. Julia Rose, a singer-songwriter and a fitness advocate who often shows audiences her six-pack abs, told a Fredericksburg Borders audience Friday: "George Bush has chicken legs....