Free Republic

Trump administration deserves credit for its part in this positive news. https://t.co/bwpbDe0WT3— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) September 15, 2020

Mark Twain is credited with the witticism that says, “No man’s life, liberty or property is safe while Congress is in session.” There is no telling what Mark Twain would say if he could see today’s Congress. Humor aside, the remark is right on target. What can we do about it? Rick Perry has a pretty good idea about what we can do about Congress. Make it part time. Congress spends far too much time in Washington and there is little they do that we can really consider worthwhile. What does Congress do? For starters, it spends money. It spends...

The New START Disarmament Treaty with Moscow passed the Senate in late December 2010, 71 votes to 26. Several Republicans voted with the Democrats and Independents, despite strong pressure from the GOP grassroots to vote against it. There is no question that Richard Lugar, as co-leader, with leftist Democrat John Kerry of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was the leading Republican in favor of the treaty, and must ultimately take responsibility for its ratification. Leftist journalist and member of the infamous JournoList, Spencer Ackerman wrote in The Washington Independent, In the spirit of self-criticism, something that I see my New...

Part One of our new Watch Wisconsin series is here. Today’s second installment brings you the lovely union thugs attacking GOP Gov. Scott Walker as the “dictator” governor, “Hosni Walker,” and “Mubarak of the Midwest” (see vid clip at 2:15): And via Brian Fraley at the The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy: llegally striking teachers from Madison East High School students dragged hundreds of students to their union protests at the Wisconsin Capitol yesterday. “But they knew they were just happy to be out of class. See this raw video from today’s government union rally in opposition to...

In part one, we revealed there are only two kinds of government when you strip away all the smoke and mirrors. Big Government (BG) or Limited Government (LG). Or as we will see in this chapter, “top down” or “bottom up.” The choice you make determines if you support freedom or slavery. Today we’re going to talk about why in more detail. To start, I need to say that this chapter explores the role of religion as a tool of statecraft. It’s going to discuss how rulers use religion to get what they want. It is not a comment on...

An ObamaCare change will cost taxpayers a bundle and lead to poorer drug coverage. There is a little-noticed provision buried deep in both the House and Senate health-care reform bills that is intended to save billions of dollars—but instead will hurt millions of seniors, impose new costs on taxpayers, and charge employers millions in new taxes. As part of the Medicare Modernization Act in 2003, Congress created a new drug benefit—called Medicare Part D—for retirees at a cost of about $1,900 per recipient per year. Many private employers already provided drug coverage for their retirees, and the administration and Congress...

WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has stopped telling a story of a pregnant woman's medical tragedy after an Ohio hospital challenged its accuracy last weekend. But recent accounts of the episode have omitted key details that suggest there was more truth in the essence of Clinton's tale than her critics, and even her presidential campaign, have acknowledged. Since early March, the New York senator has often told campaign audiences a heartbreaking story of a young Ohio woman who began having problems with her pregnancy. She said the woman was twice turned away by a local hospital because she...

WASHINGTON - Three Republican congressmen who parted with President Bush by meeting with Syrian leaders said Wednesday it is important to maintain a dialogue with a country the White House says sponsors terrorism. "I don't care what the administration says on this. You've got to do what you think is in the best interest of your country," said Rep. Frank Wolf (news, bio, voting record), R-Va. "I want us to be successful in Iraq. I want us to clamp down on Hezbollah." Washington accuses Syria of backing Hamas and Hezbollah, two groups it deems terrorist organizations. The Bush administration also...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2006 – With reports circulating of a Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said quelling the Taliban is only part of the bigger response needed for a secure and peaceful country. “It’s not eliminating the Taliban. It’s ending terrorist violence in Afghanistan,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” today. “We have defeated (terrorists, but) to defeat them completely, to take them off the agenda, for us that is the purpose.” President Bush will meet in Washington with Karzai and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf later this week to discuss the best way to accomplish this....

In Nazi Germany, the first step in Hitler’s effort to eliminate opposition was to undermine the influence of churches and people of faith. Since the church in Nazi Germany was receiving state subsidies, it wasn’t too hard to get compliance, but the consequences of that compliance was devastating. In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes the effects of Hitler’s policies on the church, and how that ultimately led to the collapse of the moral fabric of the nation. We all know what occurred after that. There are several linchpins of liberty. The first is property rights. If...

WASHINGTON, Sep. 5, 2006 -- President Bush today released his updated National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, which outlines the U.S. government’s strategy to protect and defend American interests at home and abroad from terrorism. “The best way to protect America is to stay on the offense,” Bush told an audience today at the Military Officers Association of America here. “Since 9/11 our coalition has captured or killed al Qaeda managers and operatives and scores of other terrorists across the world. The enemy is living under constant pressure, and we intend to keep it that way.” The strategy update emphasizes that...

BAGHDAD, Aug. 11, 2006 -- Bettering the lives of Iraqi youngsters is what Peter Debski says is the best part of his job. Project engineer Peter Debski poses for a photo with local children at a youth center in Baghdad’s Kadamiyah district in February. Debski said renovating the facility is one of the most fulfilling things he’s done in his career. Photo by Norris Jones  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. He’s been involved in overseeing millions of dollars of reconstruction work in and around Baghdad over the past 10 months, including new water and sewer networks, electrical distribution...

8/10/2006 - PHOENIX (AFPN) -- Nearly 90 Air Mobility Command Airmen participated in the 35th Annual Tuskegee Airmen National Convention here July 31 to Aug. 4, celebrating the history of the nation's first black combat pilots. The event was particularly memorable for one participant attending his first convention. "I found out after speaking to Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson that my great uncle, Lt. Vincent Mitchell, was a pilot with the 99th Pursuit Squadron," said Maj. Alex Cole, an Air Force Two pilot assigned to the 1st Airlift Squadron. Colonel Jefferson not only knew Lieutenant Mitchell, but also shared...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is "part of the problem" of illegal immigration into the United States. That according to Rep. Tom Tancredo, a fellow Republican, who blasted Schwarzenegger's reluctance to secure the California-Mexico border with additional National Guard troops, despite such a request from President Bush. Appearing on "The Big Story" on the Fox News Channel, the Colorado congressman and author of the just-released book "In Mortal Danger" was asked by host Julie Banderas, "What do you think about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger not upholding the president's wishes?" "I'm very disappointed in it, of course," responded Tancredo. "Disappointed in the fact...

U.S. Air Force Capt. Erick Turasz, 28th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron aircraft commander, taxis a KC-135 behind a U.S. Air Force B-1B before take off on a refueling mission, June 16, 2006. Turasz is deployed from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jason Smith KC-135 Aircrew Vital Part of Mission Success The mission premise seems simple: refuel B-1s enroute to and returning from a mission; in reality, flying a 1950s-era KC-135 to refuel an aircraft it wasnÂ’t designed to refuel is never an easy task. By U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jason Smith...

BAGHDAD, April 24, 2006 — Last week, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense marked the founding of the Iraqi Air Force. Seventy-five years ago, on April 22, 1931 at a small airport in the Washash neighborhood of Baghdad, five pilots and 32 aircraft mechanics officially became the Iraqi Air Force. Today’s Iraqi Air Force is an efficient and growing member of Iraq’s Joint Security Forces, making important contributions to the safety and liberty of the Iraqi people. The five operational squadrons of the Iraqi Air Force provide key reconnaissance and transportation support to Iraq’s civil and military security forces. One transport...

Border Forts Part of Iraqi Path to Self-Governance Thirty-nine of the 45 planned border forts have been completed; they will also serve as a location to train border police. By Claude D. McKinney Gulf Region North U.S. Army Corps of Engineers SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq, April 11, 2006 — Each completed border fort along the Iraq-Iran border brings the security of Iraq closer to its goal of self-governance. There are centuries old histories of conflict between the people occupying the lands along Iraq’s northeastern mountains and the placement for each of the 45 planned border forts was determined by identifying the...

Lost World (part two) found in the Caribbean By Charles Clover (Filed: 14/02/2006) A treasure trove of undiscovered marine life has been found on an underwater mountain top in the Caribbean. Scientists found an average of a new species a day on a 14-day dive on the little-studied Saba Bank Atoll, a submerged volcano which is the world's third largest coral atoll. The Saba Bank Atoll rises from the abyssal depths to just 25ft below the surface The expedition, which was plagued by high winds and strong currents, found 200 species of fish where only 50 were recorded before, among...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 4, 2006 — The beginning of a new year is a time to reflect on the past and look toward the future. Last year was a monumental year. The year began with the successful election of a transitional government, the Iraqi people wrote and ratified a constitution and recently held another successful election. Along the way, more than 15 million Iraqis registered to vote and an increasing number voted in each event, due in part to an increasingly secure environment. A key to the improved security environment was the growth and capability of Iraqi police and army...

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Dec. 16, 2005) -- Millions of Iraqi citizens flocked to the polls Dec. 15 to vote under the new Iraqi Constitution, giving birth to a Middle East democracy. Gen. George W. Casey, Multi National Force-Iraq commanding general, said Iraq's transition into democracy "has not come about by accident or coincidence, but by shear will power and the determination of the Iraqi people.” Even Saddam loyalists, who turned their backs on January's election, have done an about-face and encouraged fellow Sunnis to vote in the Parliamentary elections, according to news reports. Some Sunnis went so far as...