Free Republic

September 19th, 2010 Posted By Pat Dollard. 2008 gave America an incredibly charismatic candidate for President of the United States. Speech after speech showed a candidate with increasing momentum as primary race after primary race concluded. And then came the nomination, more speeches, culminating in an election night victory. According to the person sitting across from me, those were incredibly exciting times, even for one who had been a participant with three previous presidential hopefuls. Barack Obama appeared to move from one city to the next effortlessly, gaining confidence and motivation with each campaign stop. He was remarkable to watch....

The United States government in no way condones such acts of disrespect against the religion of Islam, and is deeply concerned about deliberate attempts to offend members of religious or ethnic groups. The embassy wants to emphasize that we strongly condemn the offensive messages, which are contrary to U.S. government policy and deeply offensive to Muslims especially during the month of Ramadan. President Obama made clear in Cairo in his speech on June 4, 2009 that he considers it part of his responsibility as President to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they occur. And during his recent Iftar...

Members of the Congressional Muslim Staff Association (CMSA) hosted a panel discussion on Capitol Hill Tuesday to discuss the perception of Islam among Americans in the wake of the current debate over the proposed Park51 Islamic center and mosque project to be located just two blocks from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. The primary point of agreement among all three panel participants was that those who oppose Muslim initiatives — such as the so-called “Ground Zero” mosque — are Islamaphobic and ignorant. A recent CBS poll revealed that 71% of Americans believe it is inappropriate to build a mosque so...

With President Obama completing his first year in office this week, we are giving you the chance to weigh in on how you think he has done on the job. Below are 10 categories for you to give the president your grade (in A-F format), including an overall grade at the end.

The arrests of two men in Amsterdam for questioning in a terrorism investigation comes at a time U.S. law enforcement officials have been on a heightened state of alert to a possible hijacking of U.S. carrier flights from the Middle East, according to one senior U.S. official. As a result, air marshals were onboard a Chicago-Amsterdam flight yesterday and kept a close watch on two suspicious passengers who had triggered security alarms, but were allowed to travel for "investigative purposes," law enforcement sources told ABC News.

A district court's ruling in a dispute over Barack Obama's eligibility to be president, if allowed to stand, would strip minorities in the United States of "all political power" and leave the laws to be based "upon the whims of the majority," according to a new filing in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The brief was filed by Gary Kreep of the United States Justice Foundation, who is representing Wiley S. Drake, who was a vice presidential candidate on the 2008 ballot in California, and Markham Robinson, an elector from the state. The case also involves a long...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A key House Republican wants to restrict Indian gambling's most controversial trend - tribes moving off their reservations, sometimes into urban areas, to build casinos. Instead, House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., would create "Indian Economic Opportunity Zones" where numerous tribes could build casinos in one area, potentially creating mini-Las Vegases around the country. The ideas are contained in draft legislation Pombo's committee circulated Thursday in advance of a hearing set for March 17. Pombo said he is trying to respond to complaints about the spread of off-reservation gambling. "I don't want to take an opportunity...