Free Republic

The 177 Republicans in the House of Representatives plan to unanimously oppose health-care legislation that would constitute the biggest expansion of insurance to Americans in decades, illustrating the huge divide that remains between the two parties on key issues and setting up a major debate in next year's elections. The universal opposition to the health-care bill, which Congress could vote on as soon as Saturday, was long expected, but Republican wins in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races on Tuesday further emboldened the GOP... If all Republicans vote no on the health reform bill, it would mean not a...

Catholic League president Bill Donohue speaks to the way Catholics and Muslims are treated in the upcoming film, “2012”:When we got word recently that the movie “2012” depicts the Vatican being blown up, along with the famous statue from Rio, Christ the Redeemer, we were unmoved. Why? Because this occurs during the end of the world in a massive destruction. This kind of sensationalism, we reasoned, is standard fare for director Roland Emmerich: he is the guru of the “blow ‘em up” genre of movies. But now we’ve learned that while Catholics get theirs, Muslims are spared. Out of fear,...

It's a mystery. Probably one that will never be solved: (From Associated Press) Soldiers who witnessed the shooting rampage at Fort Hood that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" — an Arabic phrase for "God is great!" — before opening fire, the base commander said Friday.... The motive for the shooting wasn't clear, but Hasan was apparently set to deploy soon and had expressed some anger about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Personally, I blame Bush. Update by Barbarossa: Instapundit adds this tidbit: On NPR I heard — I can’t find the story on...

(11-03) 15:20 PST OAKLAND -- Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and his wife failed to pay more than $239,000 in taxes over a three-year period and have had a lien slapped on their property by the Internal Revenue Service, public records show. ... Yeah yeah yeah, another Democrat politician didn’t pay all his taxes. But Dellums isn’t your typical “the rich aren’t paying their fair share!” Democrat. He was among the luminaries of the 60’s New Left and was the first traveled in April to Cuba to meet with their hero Fidel Castro. Now that’s its been discovered that Dellums has...

In the late 1980s, all anyone could talk about was how Japanese companies were going to take over the world. The Japanese were smarter than we were, more disciplined than we were, more team-oriented than we were, hungrier than we were. Japan was taking over. We were done. Then Japan's bubble burst. And it was payback time. In the late 1990s, all anyone in America could talk about was why Japan was mired in a "lost decade." It was cultural, everyone explained. The Japanese were just too wimpy and "team-oriented" to face the facts. Instead of just facing reality and...

In an RV swing through Northern Virginia in late August, there wasn't really time for Robert F. McDonnell, the Republican candidate for governor, to stop in West Springfield. But an urgent memo awaited from his senior advisers in Richmond...A 20-year-old academic thesis -- in which McDonnell had presented a deeply conservative vision of government and criticized working women, single mothers and homosexuals -- had surfaced. McDonnell needed to sign off on the campaign's response, and then he needed to race to a rally...That moment brought the greatest test of McDonnell's disciplined campaign. Would he be able to maintain his focus...

Democrats said that the outing of a CIA agent, personnel, whatever, was bad, and said that someone's head in the Bush Administration had to roll. Democrats wanted Cheney, but didn't get him. When the New York Times outs Karzai's brother as supposedly being paid by the CIA to do who knows what, Democrats act as if it is no big deal. What gives?

But Mr. Gore we do know you, we also know that you are founder and chairman of the Alliance for Climate Protection. The group acts as a venture capital company for "green start-ups." Venure capitalists never take a salary, gore will make his money when he sells the interest in start-up. Not that Gore isn't making any money on the his green effort. The Alliance pays all-expenses for his worldwide trips on his private carbon burning airplane, taking to speaking events where he makes $175,000 on average. He has to be making the cash somewhere, reports are that his net...

It is so appropriate the democrat symbol is a jackass. They are living up to their mascot. These idiots can't even see their own hypocrisy anymore. Remember Pelosi set a record not too long ago as being the Speaker of a democrat run Congress with the lowest approval rating of the public in HISTORY - 9% approval. When the media and they were ripping Bush for an albeit crappy 27% approval rating. Well Nancy you would have had to TRIPLE your rating at that point just to get back up to Bush's crappy rating. These people are tanking the country....

U.S. defense bill would pay Taliban to switch sides WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The defense bill President Barack Obama will sign into law on Wednesday contains a new provision that would pay Taliban fighters who renounce the insurgency, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said on Tuesday. The provision establishes a program in Afghanistan similar to one used in Iraq where former fighters were re-integrated into Iraqi society, Levin told Reuters. Obama plans to sign the bill authorizing Pentagon operations for fiscal 2010 on Wednesday, the White House said. Reaching out to moderate Taliban members is part of the Obama...

Late in September, a Muslim named Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, was arrested after placing an inert car bomb at a 60-story office tower in downtown Dallas. In March 2009, according to his indictment in U.S. District Court, Smadi declared his intention to wage war in the name of Islam. Yet characteristically, if dispiritingly, Muslims in the Dallas area are now expressing fears of a “backlash,” rather than taking the hard steps necessary to make sure there are no more jihad plotters who are inspired by Islamic teachings, as was Hosam Smadi. Smadi was very clear about the Islamic motivation for...

Ignorance is bliss, so the saying goes, and right about now there are a lot of blissfully ignorant folks prattling about, thumping their chests – characteristic of their simian ancestry save for the scratching of their underarms. I'm talking about those who are taking credit for undermining Rush Limbaugh's enjoining a group interested in purchasing the St. Louis Rams football team. To hear them tell it, Rush is the devil right out of hell for daring to speak his opinion (in a free society), and often for stating the obvious. Those involved would be laughable in their complaint if they...

Over the years, I've noticed that most white "progressives" (= liberals) that I've known -- the ones who are on hair-trigger Al Sharpton Alert for the slightest hint of racism in others -- have one feature in common: they live at the corner of Whitebread Avenue and Mayonnaise Lane. The same people who bray the loudest about how "diversity is our strength" and how great the "diverse inner city" is almost always live in the lily-white outer suburbs themselves -- places where a black or Hispanic person had better have a rake or lawn mower in his hands if they're...

First Daughters Not Vaccinated Against H1N1 President Obama's school age daughters have not been vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says the vaccine is not available to them based on their risk. The Centers for Disease Control recommend that children ages 6 months through 18 years of age receive a vaccination against the H1N1 flu virus. At this time only children with chronic medical conditions are receiving the vaccination because their immune system is not strong enough to fight off the strain. The CDC also says a regular seasonal flu shot does not protect...

Tuesday NFL owners voted to approve Black Eye Peas songstress, Fergie, as the newest celebrity investor for the Miami Dolphins.

Craig Bodeker’s film, A Conversation about Race

President Obama praised U.S. intelligence and other national security agencies Tuesday for cooperating in pursuit of al-Qaeda, saying "real progress" has been made against the group. Speaking at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Obama described an al-Qaeda weakened by both the coordinated U.S. effort against it and the group's own "bankrupt ideology." He also credited his foreign policy, which he described as "leading by example," for helping turn opinion in the Muslim world against the group. "Few Americans know about the work you do, and this is how it should be," Obama said. "Today I want every American to...

Rarely does such an example appear brilliantly illustrating why Projection is one of the two official defense mechanisms of the Democrat Party (the other is Denial). The other day, NY Times editorialist (and, somehow, Economics Nobel Prize laureate) penned a piece accusing Republicans of automatically opposing any policy, action, or statement made by President Obama simply out of spite and he even claimed they would do so even at the expense of the good of the country. The piece starts: The Politics of SpiteOctober 5, 2009If Republicans think something might be good for the president, they’re against it whether or...

I love Rush..I do. But if my memory serves me correctly, he came forward about his vicodin addiction ONLY when he found himself being blackmailed...am I correct? I love Rush..I dislike hypocrites. Tell me where I'm wrong.

Apparently someone tried to blackmail David Letterman by threatening to out several affairs he has had with female staffers on his show. Now, for the record I don’t support anyone trying to blackmail Letterman or anyone else. It’s creepy and wrong. The guy has a six year old and I feel very sorry for that kid who is about to have a rough couple years. I hope the guy who did this goes to jail for a decent stretch. That said, it also occurs to me that this is more than a bit…ironic. Letterman has made a career out of...

NEW YORK – Former Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu was sentenced Tuesday to more than 24 years in prison by a judge who accused him of funding his fraud by manipulating the political process in a way that "strikes at the very core of our democracy." U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero sentenced the 58-year-old Hsu, who raised money for Hillary Rodham Clinton and others, to 20 years in prison for his guilty plea to fraud charges and another four years and four months in prison for his conviction at trial for breaking campaign finance laws. In a lengthy criticism of Hsu's...

President Barack Obama’s central campaign promise was a “firm pledge” not to raise “any form” of taxes on families making less than $250,000 per year. This timeline of statements by Obama and White House staff and advisors illustrates a steady retreat from his oft-repeated promise to taxpayers: =======> Check out the timeline at ATR.org...

“And the whole country’s under threat now, with the economic difficulties and political polarization,” said Post, now a professor of psychiatry at The George Washington University. “The need to have someone to blame is really strong in human psychology. And once you have someone to blame, especially when there’s a call to action, some see it as a time for heroic action.”

This summer, characterized by town hall meetings and culminating in the so-called "Taxpayer's Tea Party," was a showcase of American freedom. Even National Socialist Worker's Party member B. Hussein Obama (who is unique among Muslims in having a controversial Church of Christ pastor), the all-powerful Big Brother and black U.S. president from Indonesia and/or Kenya, with his arsenal of confiscated personal firearms, couldn't stop 70,000 (according to the liberal media) to 1.5 million (according to unbiased event organizers) conservatives from marching on Capitol Hill. That said, take one look at America today and it should be no surprise to anyone...

James Carville, the chihuahua-on-steroids who came up with the idea of making Rush Limbaugh “head of the Republican Party” in order to foment pointless conflict, has issued a Democratic fundraising letter claiming that conservative "masters of manipulation" are diverting attention from "the real issues."

The UN has declared Fidel Castro, the longtime Communist dictator of Cuba, the “World Hero of Solidarity.” Castro killed thousands and thousands of people during his rule, torturing some to death (including a few American citizens), and Cuba remains an oppressive dictatorship even today. The award was presented to Castro by the President of the UN General Assembly, (Nicaragua's) Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann. D’Escoto Brockmann also successfully lobbied the Obama Administration to demand that Honduras allow the return to power of its ex-president and would-be dictator, Manuel Zelaya. (Two months ago, soldiers acting on orders of Honduras’s Supreme Court arrested Zelaya...

To hear world leaders and others addressing the United Nations Summit on Climate Change, the threat could not be more real and the need more urgent to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. But in stark contrast to the earnest statements is the carbon footprint associated with their gathering. It happens every autumn: midtown Manhattan becomes the motorcade capital of the world. Each foreign leader in town has a convoy of vehicles. Some of them, like President Obama's motorcade, are 20-to-30 vehicles in length. It's so long - it seems that when the front of it reaches the U.N., the back...

Douglas Kmiec has all the characteristics one would expect of an American ambassador (to malta - a small island off the coast of Sicily with a 99% devout Catholic population -P9) appointed by Barack Obama: intelligent, academic, articulate, soft-spoken and a strong believer in consensus, dialogue and engagement. The Pepperdine University professor of constitutional law is also a devout pro-life Catholic who worked in the Office of Legal Counsel for President Ronald Reagan and until recently considered himself to be a Republican. Why then did he endorse Barack Obama, who is in favour of keeping abortion legal, for President, when...

Cass Sunstein, President Barack Obama’s regulatory “czar,” contends that “most Americans are too wealthy for their own good. They are hogging more than a fair share of the world’s resources and becoming fat and lazy in the process.” Sunstein suggested that “penalties for this country’s contribution to global warming would be an effective and efficient mechanism for achieving the transfer. Who can argue against saving the planet? And if it means American families couldn’t afford that second car or have to eat less meat, they’ll learn to walk more and eat their vegetables—boosting their own health along the way.” The...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held an "emotional" press conference to caution the rest of us "about the language" we use. "We all have to take responsibility for our actions and our words" and "any incitement they may cause." Some people aren't as "balanced" as we may think, Pelosi pontificated. It's hard to decide which is more repugnant, her acting ability or her double standard. Madam Speaker, perhaps you're the one who isn't "balanced." Consider: Would a balanced person equate the Tea Party rallies and town hall meetings you've maligned with the "violence of the ‘70s" to which you referred?

Liberal Media Hypocrisy Test. See if you can find the hypocrisy in the follow clip from MSNBC.

In today’s America, if we were to make a list of crimes from most serious to least, racism would rank near the top. Racism is worse than murder, fraud, extortion, wife-beating, and all types of corruption. All you have to do is allege that your opponent is a racist, and you can get away with just about anything. Ask O.J. Simpson. Racism trumps everything else, if today’s media are to be believed. Accuse the President of lying, you’re a racist. Suggest that a congressman stole millions of taxpayer dollars, you’re a racist. Express an opinion at a townhall meeting, you’re...

Democrats seem to have shifted their thinking on a number of issues since President Obama took the oath of office. Figure some Dems have more faith in government with a like-minded man at the helm, and besides, circumstances have changed. But also figure that some Democrats were just looking for sore spots -- and their anti-Bush rhetoric was based not on principle, but raw opportunism. When Obama picked Eric Shinseki to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, the left applauded because they liked the contrast with President George W. Bush. Shinseki was their hero because he had told Congress that...

DURING last year's presidential campaign, when it seemed likely that Barack Obama would win, conservatives would joke, "One thing's sure: After January 20, dissent will no longer be the highest form of patriotism." We had heard that a lot during the George W. Bush years: "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." Many on the left thought they were quoting Thomas Jefferson; actually, the words apparently come from Howard Zinn, the contemporary leftist historian. And it's a dumb thing to say: Certainly, dissent can be a form of patriotism. But the highest? Where does that put what Sergeant York and...

Jared Polis criticized for "medical tourism" investment By Michael Roberts in Follow That Story, PoliticsThursday, Sep. 17 2009 @ 10:40AM Jared Polis. ​Representative Jared Polis has staged as many if not more healthcare town halls in recent weeks than any of his Colorado congressional colleagues. But the conservative CompleteColorado.com site questions his private investment in another healthcare-related enterprise: BridgeHealth International. The company's approach is typically shorthanded as "medical tourism," a term defined as "the notion of individuals traveling abroad for care and savings" amid a "What We Do" section of its website that goes on to suggest that BridgeHealth offers...

Quick Vanity - if those who critize Obama are racist, doesn't that make everyone who viciously attacked Sarah Palin a sexist?

I traveled on the Tea Party Express tour bus as a singer/songwriter, entertainer and spokesperson; 16 states, 34 rallies in two weeks. I experienced vicious racial verbal attacks, not from the tea party protesters. The racial hate expressed against me all came from the left, people who support President Obama's radial socialist agenda. Unfortunately, my deleted email box is littered with numerous messages expressing the following: "You are the dumbest self hating f****** n***** I have ever seen!" These racists are outraged by my opening lines I boldly proclaimed at each rally. "Hello my fellow patriots! I am NOT an...

Dear President Obama: Today I read of your administrations plan to re-define September 11 as a National Service Day. Sir, it's time we had a talk. During your campaign, Americans watched as you made mockery of our tradition of standing and crossing your heart when the Pledge of Allegiance was spoken. You refused to comply as an American. You, out of four people on the stage, were the only one not honoring our tradition. We noticed. During one of your many speeches, Americans heard you say that you intended to visit all 57 states. We all know that Islam, not...

It seems that Andrew Sullivan’s application for US citizenship hangs in the balance — but not really, and that is the issue. Gawker and other sites report that this past summer, blogger and columnist Sullivan was arrested on national seashore in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, for illegal possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor that would incur a $125 for Sullivan, if he was found guilty. No big deal — it happens a lot in that area of our country. The only stumbling block is Sullivan’s pending U.S. citizenship, which might have been adversely affected should he have been brought to court. Enter...

Ah, Democrat hypocrisy. Dost thou know no bounds? We are reminded this morning by Glenn Thrush at Politico: In 2004, Democrats delivered a “Chorus Of Boos” during Bush’s Bush’s State Of The Union when he called for renewal of the Patriot Act., according to the Washington Times.In 2005, Dems howled, hissed and shouted “No!” when Bush pushed for Social Security reform in the SOU: “Foreshadowing the contentiousness of the coming debate, Democrats broke decorum and booed twice,” according to the National Journal. At the time, CNN’s Bill Schneider remarked, “It was unusual. I had never heard it at least at...

IT WAS REPUBLICAN JOE WILSON FROM SC

Michael Moore solidified his position as one of the biggest phonies of our times while at a recent Venice Film Festival outing. He debuted his latest sham documentary called “Capitalism: A Love Story.” Thanks to the free enterprise system, Moore has become super wealthy himself, which makes the two-hour flick a case study in hypocrisy. “Capitalism is an evil,” Moore proclaims, “and you cannot regulate evil.” According to Moore, regulating capitalism doesn't work, so his prescription is, “You have to eliminate it and replace it with something that is good for all people and that something is democracy.” Guess it...

Two things that would end hypocrisy and make the world a better place: Priests should be allowed to get married, and the New York Times should update its Ethics Policy. The venerable and vulnerable newspaper finally starts talking about the “Pogue Problem” out loud to its readers. For years David Pogue has covered Apple (and other tech companies). And for years he has been authoring books on Apple products. He doesn’t get paid by Apple for the books, but his bias is clear and he has been accused to conflicts of interest more than once by other mainstream media. Dan...

Obama transition chief and head of the leftist Center for American Progress, John Podesta, laid in to Glenn Beck tonight with a spirited but after the fact defense of former Obama administration official Van Jones that was posted tonight at Think Progress:Van Jones is an exceptional and inspired leader who has fought to bring economic and environmental justice to communities across our country. He has chosen to resign because he believed he was serving as a distraction to the president’s agenda. I respect that decision. Van was working to build a common ground agenda for all Americans, and I am...

While an Associated Press photographer was embedded with Marines in Helmand last month, a Marine convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, or RPG. It struck Lance Corporal Joshua M. Bernard severing his legs. He was treated on the scene, but later died at a combat field hospital. The AP took still photos and video of the attack, and of Bernard, as he lay dying. Several weeks later, while working on a feature story about the war in Afghanistan, the AP reporter met with Bernard's family and told his father that they had photos and video of their son before...

This summer's health care debate has centered around the creation of a government-run insurance program to compete with those offered by private insurers. President Barack Obama says "public option" isn't intended to end private health insurance, repeatedly telling us that if we like our private plans, we'll be able to keep them. A government plan, he and congressional Democrats insist, will simply provide needed competition for private insurers. And this will be a good thing, of course, because competition leads to better service, lower costs, and more consumer choice. Now a cynic might question the sincerity of the president's newfound...

A Westport lawmaker who voted to hike the state sales and alcohol taxes was spotted brazenly piling booze in his car - adorned with his State House license plate - in the parking lot of a tax-free New Hampshire liquor store, the Herald has learned. Michael J. Rodrigues’ blue Ford Crown Victoria, emblazoned with his “House 29” Massachusetts license plate, was parked outside a Granite State liquor store on Interstate-95 South over the weekend, according to a witness who provided pictures to the Herald. The witness, who requested anonymity, claimed he approached Rodrigues, noted his State House plate, and asked...

A Westport lawmaker who voted to hike the state sales and alcohol taxes was spotted brazenly piling booze in his car - adorned with his State House license plate - in the parking lot of a tax-free New Hampshire liquor store, the Herald has learned. Michael J. Rodrigues’ blue Ford Crown Victoria, emblazoned with his “House 29” Massachusetts license plate, was parked outside a Granite State liquor store on Interstate-95 South over the weekend, according to a witness who provided pictures to the Herald.

A Westport lawmaker who voted to hike the state sales and alcohol taxes was spotted brazenly piling booze in his car - adorned with his State House license plate - in the parking lot of a tax-free New Hampshire liquor store, the Herald has learned.

Disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been privately talking with friends about a possible comeback, and is considering a run for statewide office next year, several sources told The Post. Less than 18 months after he left Albany in a prostitution scandal, Spitzer has held informal discussions in recent weeks about the possibility of making a bid for state comptroller or the US Senate seat currently held by Kirsten Gillibrand, sources said. The hooker-happy Democrat has also discussed his own halfway-decent poll numbers in recent surveys, which have shown him more popular than Gov. Paterson, whose own numbers have tanked.