Free Republic

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will not vote for a must-pass government funding bill next month if it includes money for construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. "That will not stand," Schumer, D-N.Y., warned Monday in a Senate floor speech. "It would be inappropriate in our judgement to insist on the inclusions of such funding in a must-pass appropriations bill that is needed by the Republican majority to avoid a government shutdown." A short-term funding measure expires in April.

VICENZA, Italy, March 11, 2008 – Friends, yoga, a family support group, online courses, a trip to England and a toddler lifted 24-year-old Samantha Windell out of her funk when her husband, Chase, went to war. Samantha Windell and her 14-month-son Damion check for messages on their computer from their deployed soldier, Spc. Chase Windell. Photo by Krista Brown  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “The first few months after my husband deployed were miserable,” Windell admitted from her home in Bamberg, Germany. “I wanted to stay at home the whole time.” When Spc. Chase Windell deployed to Afghanistan...

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the rate of family violence in this country has dropped by more than half since 1993. I've been trying to figure out why. A lot of the credit has to go to the people who have been quietly working in this field: to social workers who provide victims with counseling and support; to women's crisis centers, which help women trapped in violent relationships find other places to live; to police forces and prosecutors, who are arresting more spouse-beaters and putting them away. The Violence Against Women Act, which was passed in 1994, must...