Free Republic

The two Palestinian polities in Gaza and in the West Bank, are both in an advanced state of deliquescence. Their disastrous condition is discussed here: “Palestinian Society Sinks into Shambles,” by James Sinkinson, JNS.org, August 10, 2023:Palestinian society is in disarray.In two major West Bank towns—Jenin and Nablus—the Palestinian Authority has lost control, and rogue gangs rule the land. Last week, thousands of Gazans protested in the streets—risking brutal backlash from the Hamas regime. Meanwhile, talks in Egypt meant to reconcile the PA and Hamas after 17 bitter years have again hopelessly failed.The PA’s authority no longer extends much beyond...

President Joe Biden touted his past support for an organization called the Biden Cancer Initiative on Wednesday, as he announced a “Moonshot” on cancer research — but ignored its scandal-plagued history, which arose in the 2020 campaign. As the New York Post reported in 2020, the organization — which Biden opened after leaving office in 2017, but closed just two yeas later — spent no money on cancer research, but spent millions of dollars of donors’ money on staff salaries. The Washington Free Beacon had reported earlier in 2020 that the Biden Cancer Initiative spent 65 percent of its total...

It's appearing obvious that Trump will win South Carolina, and logic would tend to indicate that that makes him the odds-on favorite to win the Republican nomination (baring any GOPe dirty tricks at the convention). While I will gladly vote for Trump over Clinton or Sanders, I'm still disheartened. Ever since the last day of Reagan's administration, America has been in need of conservative leadership. GHW Bush's squishiness gave us Clinton. GW Bush barely won election. I'm glad he was in office after 9/11 instead of Gore, but he loaded us up with tons of debt and a lot of...

Has there ever been a lamer duck than George W. Bush? How he went from winning a clear majority of the 2004 popular vote to his current dismal showing is a topic that will fascinate historians in the future. The answers will assuredly revolve around Hurricane Katrina, the war in Iraq, and the financial meltdown that has panicked Wall Street and made a Democratic victory this November all but certain. Yet, even as Bush gets swept into the proverbial dustbin of history, it would be a mistake to succumb to the temptation of viewing everything he did as wrong. But...

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Thursday told a huge gathering of young people that they were inheriting a planet whose resources had been scarred and squandered to fuel insatiable consumption. His latest appeal to save the planet for future generations came in a address to some 150,000 youths in Sydney after he rode through the city's harbor standing on the outdoor deck of a white ferry as dozens of boats blew their horns. "Reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are also scars which mark the surface of our earth, erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world's mineral and...

New York politicians allowed up to one-third of the $20 billion in federal aid awarded to the city in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to be squandered right under their noses, an analysis by the New York Daily News found last December. But that hasn't stopped some of the same politicians from complaining all weekend about a mere $80 million cut in New York City's federal anti-terrorism budget. Senators Hillary Clinton, Charles Schumer and Rep. Peter King say they're outraged over the new cuts, with Clinton and King teaming up to launch a post-card writing campaign against the Department...

One of the wisest pieces of advice I can ever offer is to always deal in reality. Sometimes reality stinks, and it's easier to craft an elaborate fantasy world that soothes our inner turmoil. But, ultimately, it's a dangerous game to avoid The Truth. For those of us who follow California politics and who have invested countless hours in championing ideas and policies that would make this a freer, more prosperous and better state, it's tempting to assuage ourselves by thinking that the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis still matters. It's easy to lie to ourselves and suggest that...

After the 2004 election Schwarzenegger met with political advisers to discuss how he could regain momentum. Schwarzenegger had denounced Democratic legislators as "girlie men", vetoed bills pushed by Democrats and tried to unseat Democratic legislators. Despite his failure in legislative elections, Schwarzenegger had emerged with high popularity and had personally intervened to defeat a ballot measure that would have weakened the state's "three strikes" law. How could Schwarzenegger leverage his popularity to move an agenda through a Capitol dominated by Democrats, immune to punishment at the polls, thanks to a 2001 bipartisan gerrymander of legislative districts? The strategy that emerged...

Saturday, September 7, 2002 $19 billion in taxes squandered By Nancy ZuckerbrodAssociated Press writer       WASHINGTON — A half dozen of the largest federal agencies squandered $19 billion in erroneous payments last year, and the total amount wasted is probably far greater, according to a report released Friday.       Improper Medicare payments accounted for more than half the money, according to the study by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress. The government also paid out more than it should in housing subsidies and tax refunds.       The mistakes occurred when...