Free Republic

The United Way of Western Connecticut said it rejects conspiracy theories claiming it knew about the Dec. 14 Newtown, Conn., school shooting three days in advance and leveraged that knowledge to raise money. “It’s preposterous,” executive vice president Isabel Almeida told The Daily Caller Tuesday, dismissing what she called a “flawed” Google search result that suggests her organization issued a statement of condolence — and launched a support fund for the victims’ families — on Dec. 11. That fund has raised more than $6 million, the group reported Jan. 4.

Hubble observations of a speedy galaxy weigh on the Milky Way and indicate that our galaxy is at least a trillion times as massive as the sunMilky Way GREAT GALAXY: The Milky Way maintains a fleet of some two dozen satellite galaxies whose motions help reveal its mass. Image: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team Although scientists know the masses of the sun and Earth, it's a different story for the galaxy. Mass estimates range widely: At the low end, some studies find that the galaxy is several hundred billion times as massive as the sun whereas the largest values exceed two trillion...

Each fall, United Way focuses on fundraising campaigns. Most people encounter these requests for giving through their workplace. The United Way encourages individuals to donate to a variety of local charitable organizations or to the United Way itself. Each local United Way determines whom they will support through their grant programs and their lists of charitable organizations in the area. While most United Way organizations claim they do not fund programs for abortion services, in truth, some do support Planned Parenthood or other abortion-advocate agencies. The national United Way does fund Planned Parenthood; their website states: No United Way funds...

Video: http://nation.foxnews.com/michele-bachmann/2011/07/05/michele-bachmann-dances-storm

I am in Washington, D.C. surrounded by expensive SUVs, Hummers, Mercedes, and “environmentally friendly” Priuses sporting stickers with Hope and Change, Socialism 2012, advertising socialism and communism, to the detriment of the “evil” capitalist system that afforded them those cars and a luxurious lifestyle.

Defense: As Russia invests in new weapons and China increases military spending by double digits, the administration conducts a new review looking to cut our nuclear arsenal even beyond misguided treaty obligations. The F-15 Eagle that lay smoldering in the Libyan desert was downed not by hostile fire but by "mechanical failure." It's a perfect metaphor for the current administration's downgrading of national defense from a constitutional imperative to an optional budget item. The F-22 Raptor was designed to replace our aging F-15 fleet, which is older than the pilots who fly them and whose wings are almost literally falling...

Price of oil rises 30 percent in 2010; gasoline prices could hit $4 a gallon in 2011 NEW YORK (AP) -- The price of oil is poised for another run at $100 a barrel after a global economic rebound sent it surging 34 percent since May. That could push gasoline prices to $4 a gallon by summer in some parts of the country, experts say. Flying, shipping a package and ordering a pizza all likely would get more expensive in the new year if that happens and companies pass along higher energy costs. Some economists say rising energy prices will...

The gospel is no stranger to religiously pluralistic environments.1 The disciples first proclaimed the good news throughout the religiously mixed Mediterranean world with its many gods and temples, Greek philosophies, and emperor worship. Today's religious pluralism, however, offers an appealing approach to liberal democratic Western societies by claiming that all religions are equally capable of salvation or liberation, none being superior to another.2 This agrees with educator Allan Bloom's analysis of our culture: "Conflict is the evil we most want to avoid."3 Isn't it arrogant to proclaim Jesus as God's unique revelation in the face of other religions? As feminist...

Prince Charles yesterday urged the world to follow Islamic 'spiritual principles' in order to protect the environment. In an hour-long speech, the heir to the throne argued that man's destruction of the world was contrary to the scriptures of all religions - but particularly those of Islam. He said the current 'division' between man and nature had been caused not just by industrialisation, but also by our attitude to the environment - which goes against the grain of 'sacred traditions'.

The idea of specifically recruiting military veterans to run for marginal House seats was part of Rahm Emanuel's master plan when he ran the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006. The strategy helped Democrats win back the House. Now Republicans are taking a page from the Book of Rahm and mounting their own effort to run veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars. The Washington Times reports that the number of vets running this year will be double what it was in 2008 -- and most of the 40 who are running are running as Republicans. The surge comes at...

When the buider and I laid off the corners to excavate for my house we oriented the longest side toward the south southwest. By placing most of the windows on this sunniest side, we hoped to capture some of the free heat of every cloudless winter day. This orientation was to have an unexpected consequence each Advent; one that we could not have anticipated. As sun moves southward toward the winter solstice, our apparent sunrise actually becomes earlier; closer to the time listed in an almanac. In the summer the rising sun is blocked for several hours by a hill...

STIMULUS SERMON (Genesis 47:13-27) ... So we see that economic hard times fell upon Egypt, and the people turned to the government of Pharaoh to deal with this for them. And Pharaoh nationalized the grain harvest, and placed the grain in great storehouses that he had built. So the people brought their money to Pharaoh, like a great tax increase, and gave it all to him willingly in return for grain. And this went on until...

New radio wave observations are giving astronomers their closest look yet at the supermassive black hole believed to be lurking at the center of our galaxy. Reporting in the Sept. 4 Nature, a team has, for the first time, resolved features as small as the black hole’s event horizon — the gravitationally warped region from which nothing, not even light, can escape. “We have now entered a new era, one in which we can directly image structure at the event horizon of a black hole,” asserts Christopher Reynolds of the University of Maryland in College Park in a commentary accompanying...

The Bountiful Republican does admit Romney's downfall in his campaign may have stemmed from opposition he received within the national party from segments in the South, where some view Mormons as being members of a cult. The Mormon religion is still relatively new to a large segment of the nation's population, and over time people's perspective of the LDS faith will change, she said. The increased acceptance may open the way for a Mormon to someday become president. "People didn't think a Catholic could be president, (John F.) Kennedy proved them wrong," Christensen said. "(Richard) Nixon was a Quaker." But...

Astronomers unveiled today what they are calling the best map ever produced of the Milky Way galaxy. The new view shows our spiral galaxy as it would look face-on to a very distant observer. The map is based on findings about the structural evolution of the Milky Way presented this week at the 212th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in St. Louis, Missouri. Robert Benjamin of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater was among the scientists who presented results at a briefing today with reporters. The researchers determined that the Milky Way actually has two fewer major arms than previously believed....

McCain scares me more than Hillary. At least we know what she represents. A “maverick” like McCain is so off the wall and unpredictable it’s kind of like living with a lunatic - you live in constant fear and trepidation of what the lunatic might decide to do next! I last voted democratic for Jimmy Carter in 1976, But if McCain becomes nominee of the party I will vote Democrat because McCain has hurt the conservative movement more than any other Republican. Can you image what liberals ideas would become law if he became president? At least Hillary would have...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates spent this morning on Capitol Hill and plans to spend more time there next week, a top Defense Department spokesman said here today. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell conducts a news conference, Sept. 20, 2007. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly A. Burgess, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Gates is talking to members of Congress in hopes of making the war a less contentious, political crisis and more of a manageable long-term commitment to the region, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters. This morning was the...

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary January 10, 2007 Fact Sheet: The New Way Forward in Iraq       Highlights of the Iraq Strategy Review (PDF)      Background Briefing by Senior Administration Officials      In Focus: Renewal in Iraq The President's New Iraq Strategy Is Rooted In Six Fundamental Elements: Let the Iraqis lead; Help Iraqis protect the population; Isolate extremists; Create space for political progress; Diversify political and economic efforts; and Situate the strategy in a regional approach. Iraq Could Not Be Graver – The War On Terror Cannot Be Won If We Fail In Iraq.  Our enemies throughout...

Cooking Food the Old-Fashioned Way Soldiers can depend on cooks to come through with a hot meal. By Sgt. Tony White 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment SAMARRA, Iraq, Dec. 18, 2006 -- It’s another day in Iraq. It’s 5 a.m. Do you know where your cook is?The 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment soldiers at Forward Operating Base Brassfield-Mora may not know, but they certainly know where to find them at breakfast, lunch and dinner. "Since we, soldiers, are providing meals I actually feel better because I am actually doing my job out here, not just doing head count."...

We're on the way to defeating Taliban By Patrick Bishop (Filed: 12/09/2006) Whatever doubts are being entertained at home about the war in Afghanistan, the Briton driving the Nato-led campaign is adamant that the good guys are winning. "The governor of Kandahar came up to me the other day with a huge grin on his face and hugged me," said Lt Gen David Richards, commander of Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is helping the Afghan government to establish its authority. "He said there is no longer any doubt down in the south that Nato can fight and win....