Free Republic

Straightforward. Awesome. President. These are a handful of phrases participants used to describe Donald J. Trump in Frank Luntz's focus group Wednesday evening, nearly all supporters of the current Republican frontrunner. They were a group filled with emotion. For one man, a changing of the guard from Obama to Trump is the stuff of which political dreams are made. "I want Trump to look at Obama on Election Day and go, 'You're fired.'" But in the wake of Trump's call this week to ban all Muslims from entering the country, which has drawn rebukes from nearly every Republican in Washington,...

The unsung heroes of your community’s police force are its capable K-9 unit. These talented pooches can serve alongside a police force for upwards of a decade. As any pet owner knows, one of the hardest things in life is saying goodbye to your best friend. Police in West Deptford, New Jersey had to do just that late last week. Noted police dog Judge, who retired from active service in 2013, was given a hero’s farewell as he was walked into the vet’s office to be put down:

PLEASANT HILL -- A gay teenager denied his Eagle Scout award because of his sexuality turned in an online petition with more than 400,000 signatures Wednesday urging the National Boy Scouts of America to change its policies against allowing gay members. Ryan Andresen of Moraga marched into the front office of the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council on Ellinwood Way along with his parents and a former member of the same Boy Scout troop who came out as gay two weeks ago. Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, also attended and presented Andresen with a resolution honoring his achievements with the Boy Scouts....

Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson had a very close friend in his life – his dog, Hawkeye. Tumilson, a former San Diego resident, was killed August 6 in the Chinook helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of 29 other American servicemembers. Tumilson’s funeral was on Friday in Rockford, Iowa at Rockford Senior High. Hawkeye was one of the 1,500 souls who attended. As you can see by the gut-wrenching photo on the right, Hawkeye refused to leave his master’s side during the service. Video here

Republican Allen West's win over incumbent U.S. Rep. Ron Klein by 7,000 votes in Broward County assured him of the win, Palm Beach County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Siegel said Tuesday night....frpa

HAVANA – President Raul Castro abruptly removed some of Cuba's most powerful officials Monday, putting a personal stamp on the government in the biggest shakeup since he took over from his ailing brother Fidel Castro a year ago. The changes replaced some key Fidel loyalists, including the longtime foreign minister and the secretary of the Council of State, with men closer to Raul. They also reduced the enormous powers of a vice president credited with saving Cuba's economy after the fall of the Soviet Union. But analysts saw no immediate indication that the changes are related to hopes for closer...

MANY sympathetic Westerners view Chinese society along the lines of what they saw in the waning days of the Soviet Union: a repressive government backed by old hard-liners losing its grip to a new generation of well-educated, liberal-leaning sophisticates. As pleasant as this outlook may be, it’s naïve. Educated young Chinese, far from being embarrassed or upset by their government’s human-rights record, rank among the most patriotic, establishment-supporting people you’ll meet. More...

(IsraelNN.com) According to a poll carried out by the Smith Institute, 70 percent of Israeli youth believe that Israeli Arabs are not loyal to the state. Half said they would change their minds if Arabs participated in non-military national service. Seventy-three percent of respondents said they identified as Jewish first, with their Israeli identity in second place. The teens overwhelmingly trusted the IDF over the government, with 73 percent saying they have full confidence in the army and only 11 percent saying the same for the government. Five percent said they had no trust in the army, while 54 percent...

HAYFIELD -- The public might have grown weary of the war in Iraq, but Sgt. 1st Class John J. Tobiason never tired, never wavered in his belief that what he and his country were doing was the right thing. That sense of certitude shines through in letters he wrote to his American Legion friends back in Hayfield. In one, he contemplated the possibility of his own death. "I love my country, and I know that if I was to die for it, it would've been an honor dying for something so precious as freedom is for all of us," Tobiason...

The Best Choice Is Also a Good Choice Why social conservatives should support Mitt Romney for president. By James Bopp Jr. It would be foolish to imagine that social conservatism can achieve any significant success without a president who strongly supports social conservative positions. The reason for this lies primarily in the president’s power to appoint judges. Social policy in America has been largely shaped by the federal judiciary, which has imposed an unrelenting liberal agenda on a reluctant people. The law, as it concerns the issues of abortion, religious freedom, pornography, gay rights, sexual license, family, and marriage, has...

VIDEO: Romney gubernatorial debate November 2, 2002 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_w9pquznG4 VIDEO: Romney senatorial debate October 1994 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9IJUkYUbvI In response to YouTube's posting of Romney's pro-abortion comments during the 1994 U.S. senatorial campaign debate with Sen. Ted Kennedy, the Romney campaign last month issued a news release that attempted to mislead the public by portraying his support for abortion on demand as "ancient," failing to acknowledge that he maintained that pro-abortion position until -- according to his own tale of alleged conversion on the issue -- November 2004. The Romney news release said "opponents have focused attacks on ancient footage from 13 years...

"No loyal citizen of the United States should be denied the democratic right to exercise the responsibilities of his citizenship, regardless of his ancestry. The principle on which this country was founded and by which it has always been governed is that Americanism is a matter of the mind and heart; Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry."

WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY By Howard Fineman Newsweek Updated: 6:48 p.m. ET July 20, 2005 July 20 - George W. Bush keeps surprising the wise guys. They keep thinking that he’s going to be something other than what he is and that he will do something other than what he says he will do. Well, he and Karl Rove built his career on West Texas Bible Belt conservatism, with deep ancestral ties to the Establishment “up East.” And it was that president—half Cambridge, all “Come to Jesus”—who chose John G. Roberts Jr. for the U.S. Supreme Court. In the words of the...

WASHINGTONPRESIDENT BUSH'S emphasis on loyalty as opposed to stature has met its ultimate test. He has saved the biggest of his choices -- the anemic Treasury Department -- for last. The issue can be defined simply: Does he have the nerve to promote his chief of staff, Andrew Card, to the position Card appears to covet? And does he have the nerve to thumb his nose at the tut-tutters who would fault such an appointment on qualification grounds?Recent history would compel a "yes" to both questions, but in an administration in which secrecy is second only to loyalty, recent history...

The 1940s found a world at war. Hostilities had commenced with Japan's invasion of China several years before; Europe's bloodletting began when Nazi Germany and Communist Russia invaded Poland in 1939. Germany subsequently occupied Denmark, invaded Norway, and blitzed through the Low Countries and France. Although ostrich-like Americans thought the U.S. could stand apart, wiser heads knew the U.S. could not ignore evil's threat not only to American security but to civilization and to decency. In 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt named Henry Stimson Secretary of War and Frank Knox Secretary of the Navy (prior to the establishment of the Defense...

WRITTEN BY LT.COLONEL CHARLES WADE Wednesday, October 13, 2004 Even before the primary elections, President Bush’s military service was a political issue as was Senator Kerry’s military service which he touted and others questioned. Reporters continue to seek comment from candidates, political operatives, and pundits. It seems that everyone is an expert, and everyone has an answer. Some of the more interesting responses have come from Republican senators who typically begin by asserting that they honor Senator Kerry’s Viet Nam service, but… Honor: What is that all about? What virtues are honorable? More important, what virtues are both militarily and...

In their Iraqi mountain hideaway Turkey's most wanted men stay loyal to the cause Michael Howard visits the Kurds' high altitude refuge as they become a thorn in the side of the Americans Wednesday October 8, 2003 The Guardian (UK) The route up to Osman Ocalan's headquarters, nestled in the rugged cliffs of the Qandilmountain high on the Iraq-Iran border, is treacherous yet surprisingly busy. Mule trains bearing the party faithful weave their way up precipitous paths, through dwarf oak and wal-nut trees, sheets of corrugated iron lashed across their backs like metal wings. "We are preparing for winter, not...

Signatory of Israel pilots' letter says regrets signing petition By Amos Harel and Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service Colonel Ran, one of the 27 signatories of the pilots' letter of refusal, in which they stated that they would not participate in operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said Sunday he regretted signing the letter, and was changing his mind. The move came after a slew of criticism of the pilots' move from government figures and from fellow Israel Air Force airmen. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, speaking in a holiday interview to Israel Radio on Friday condemned...

There's a popular myth, duly repeated in most news accounts, about the effort to recall California Gov. Gray Davis: The state's most prominent Democrats have "ruled themselves out" as potential gubernatorial replacements should the effort succeed. That's not what the politicians themselves say. While elected Democrats are all on record as opposing recall, they've been more circumspect about their ambitions. Politicians are a self-seeking group; few, if any, would pass up the opportunity to become governor just so Davis can hang on to the job. True to form, the state's top Democrats are keeping their options open. Just look at...

A Father’s Day tribute to our priests From the pages of Our Sunday Visitor June 16, 2002, issue 6/12/2002 This is the article which appeared in the June 16, 2002, issue of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper. To read additional tributes, CLICK HERE.A Father’s Day tribute to our priestsThank you, FatherAs an affirmation of the priestly vocation during these troubled times, Our Sunday Visitor dedicates this Father’s Day to those priests whose faithful ministry has touched our lives in a special way. Our readers have submitted several hundred brief tributes expressing praise and gratitude to pastors, associates, teachers and others,...