Free Republic

Full title: What Jamaican Maroons and the Founding Fathers have in common: When fighting a superpower, it is not possible to free every single person We live in an age were now even the most fringe of arguments, the idea of reparations, is a widespread part of presidential elections. The problem with this is that if the progressives had any consistency they would be demanding that Britain pay reparations to American blacks. The Founding Fathers didn't bring all of these slaves here. King George did. All three of them. Queen Anne did. King William did. Queen Mary did. King James...

The United States will remain the world’s only global economic superpower until 2035 even though China’s role in the world economic landscape will become more important, according to Beijing’s latest predictions, in an apparent toning down of the mainland’s public ambitions for its future role in global economy. While the report by the Development Research Centre of the State Council (DRC) does not directly address the rivalry between China and US, it does attempt to project a relatively low profile role for China over the next two decades. It is often assumed that China will overtake the US as the...

<p>WHAT’S the most powerful country in the world? There’s a good case to be made that it’s China. There are many kinds of power – diplomatic, cultural, military and economic. So an easier question to ask is: What’s the world’s largest economy? Almost certainly China. Many might protest. After all, the US still produces the most when measured at market exchange rates. But this comparison is misleading, because things cost different amounts in different countries. Gross domestic product (GDP) is supposed to measure the amount of real stuff – cars, phones, financial services, back massages, etc – that a country produces. If the same phone costs $400 in the US but only $200 in China, China’s GDP is getting undercounted by 50pc when we measure at market exchange rates. In general, less developed countries have lower prices, which means their GDP gets systematically undercounted.</p>

Toward the end of the presidency of George H.W. Bush, America stood alone at the top of the world—the sole superpower. After five weeks of “shock and awe” and 100 hours of combat, Saddam’s army had fled Kuwait back up the road to Basra and Bagdad. Our Cold War adversary was breaking apart into 15 countries. The Berlin Wall had fallen. Germany was reunited. The captive nations of Central and Eastern Europe were breaking free. Bush I had mended fences with Beijing after the 1989 massacre in Tiananmen Square. Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin were friends. The president declared the...

A battle of interplanetary proportions is brewing on Capitol Hill. It’s not “Star Wars,” but partisan lines are quickly being drawn in a budget battle over the future of NASA, which could have a long-term impact on the space agency’s ability to explore the deepest corners of space as well as the ground beneath our feet. On one side are Republicans who accuse the Obama administration of taking its eye off the ball by funneling too much money into research about the planet Earth, rather than focusing on distant worlds and stars. On the other, Democrats argue that the administration’s...

Does anybody really buy the Left’s faux outrage over former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani’s opinion, offered at a private event for Wisconsin governor Scott Walker last Wednesday, that President Obama does not love America? After all, it’s a matter of orthodoxy on the right that Barack Obama’s opinion of America ranges from mild disapproval to outright hatred. In my own estimation, it is somewhere between. A thought experiment for you: How do you think a spouse, a friend, or a colleague would react if you suggested — in your nicest voice — “I think you’re wonderful, but I...

I’ve heard from tons of people regarding yesterday’s  “What’s Your Superpower” post. Some who previously hadn’t realized they possessed superpowers, like HHS. Until they read my blog, HHS had contended they had “no legal authority to exclude the U.S. territories from ObamaCare.” Then (ahem) upon “reflection” HHS: discovered new (super) powers after "a careful review of this situation and the relevant statutory language," that enabled them to 'selectively exempt' American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, and Virgin Islands from Obamacare. Most impressive, as up till now only Barry and DOJ were allowed to circumvent the law of the...

Don’t blame me, Blonde Gator started this last week with her pig poster:But that got me wondering: Do we all have super powers? Clearly BO does; sometimes he deploys them with nothing more than his phone. Other times, it’s just his pen. It’s awesome. Still, I remember not so long ago when he lamented being burdened with his super power: "It is a vital national security interest of the United States to reduce these conflicts because whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, one way or another we get pulled...

“WHY is it that everybody is so eager to use military force?” America’s cerebral president betrayed a rare flash of frustration on April 28th when dealing with a question in Asia about his country’s “weakness”. Barack Obama said his administration was making steady, if unspectacular, progress. By blundering into wars, his critics would only harm America. Mr Obama was channelling the mood of his people, worn out by the blood and treasure squandered in Iraq and Afghanistan. A survey last autumn by the Pew Research Centre suggests that 52% want the United States to “mind its own business internationally”, the...

Praise the Lord and Pass the Putin By Norma Zager There is a rumor that a big Hollywood producer has approached Putin to do his own Reality Show. Why? Because Putin makes good TV. He is easily the most entertaining Russian leader since Khrushchev, who blustered and beat his shoes on desks. What a kick to watch. So what is it about Putin that makes him so much fun? After all, the moron in North Korea is an ignoramus and has definitely replaced Tattoo as the short funny guy on that Fantasy Island he inhabits. Yet, he still has the...

Environmentalists are pushing a new way to deal with global warming and overpopulation: the U.S. needs to “de-grow” its economy. What is “de-growth”? It means forcing people to work less to make them more equal, consume fewer goods and use less electricity. Think of it like camping, but for the rest of your life. Environmentalists at the New Economics Foundation in London and the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, D.C. argue that cutting the 40-hour work week and using less electricity is necessary. This includes a living wage requirement and a more progressive tax code. “There’s no such thing as sustainable...

The traditional American posture as the guarantor of freedom and protector of allies, and the scourge of Nazis, Communists and al Qaeda is headed toward a less manageable, every-man-for-himself series of ad hoc arrangements that portend greater international instability in which terrorism and warfare thrive. Here is what happens when the United States is weakened in the eyes of the world: China derides U.S. economic leadership, posits itself a "source of financial stability," and suggests the yuan as a replacement for the dollar. China also announces plans to sell Pakistan two more nuclear reactors. Russia doubles down by offering Iran...

For a country that is supposed to be the most powerful in the world, the fact that Americans have today woken up to find large swathes of their nation closed for business is humiliating.

2010 was also the year China overtook America as the world’s largest car market, as the world’s largest retail market, and as the world’s greatest producer of patents. A year later China became the globe’s greatest user of energy. In 2012 China became the world’s biggest market for PCs, and the primary source of global trade. Just three days ago China unveiled the world’s most powerful computer.

The report, issued by the National Intelligence Council, talks of "inevitable" decline as a large reason for the shift. A new report by the intelligence community projects that the United States will no longer be the world's only superpower by 2030."In terms of the indices of overall power - GDP, population size, military spending and technological investment - Asia will surpass North America and Europe combined," the report concludes."Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds" - prepared by the office of the National Intelligence Council of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence - projects that the "unipolar" world that emerged...

Bun Rany, Cambodia's first lady, gives President Obama a "sampeah" greeting at a tilt usually reserved for servants.

On Sunday The HoustonChronicle,which in 2008 broke a 44 year tradition of backing Republicans and endorsed Barack Obama, endorsed Mitt Romneyfor President in 2012:>>>Like so many others,we were captivated by the Illinois senator's soaring rhetoric and energized by his promise to move American politics beyond partisan gridlock and into an era of hope and change.It hasn't happened. Four years later,PresidentObama's deeds have failed to match his words,much less his specific vows to cut the national debt by half and bring the nation's unemployment rate to 6 percent. As Texans,it is a particular vexation that this president's attitude toward the interests...

....Perhaps the signature accomplishment of the Obama Administration has been its opposition to large energy and industrial projects. The President has blocked the Keystone Pipeline,which would have brought a million barrels of oil to Texas refineries. His administration has shrunk the leasing of federal oil lands and slowed offshore drilling to a crawl. Its Environmental Protection Agency has closed down coal plants and constantly making noise about cracking down on fracking for natural gas.....even as President Obama has pursued the most aggressive environmental agenda in history,attempting to regulate carbon emissions and cracking down on fossil fuels,the nation's environmental enthusiasts have...

President Barack Obama admitted Friday in a radio interview broadcast that he yearns for a "weird superpower"—the ability to speak any language. But flying might be cool, too. Obama, speaking to the "Morning Mayhem" crew on 93.3 KOB FM in Albuquerque, also came out in favor of red chili over green, said the best advice he ever got was "be persistent" and revealed that he has never heard the original version of Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" but has watched a gone-viral video of himself performing it. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s an incumbent president in...