Free Republic

In May 2011, Drew Ryun, a conservative activist and former Republican National Committee staffer, began filling out the Internal Revenue Service application to achieve nonprofit status for a new conservative watchdog group. He submitted the paperwork to the IRS in July 2011 for a research site called Media Trackers, which calls itself a "non-partisan investigative watchdog dedicated to promoting accountability in the media and government." Although the site has investigated Republicans like Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Florida Gov. Rick Scott, the site's organizers are unapologetically conservative. Eight months passed without word from the agency about the group's application, Ryun...

This isn't my blog - I just came across it via Twitter. I have been reluctant to think that Crowley and Obama were working off a script....until now.There is a lot on this blog that, in my opinion, doesn't point to any pre-knowledge. However, the second point that is made, and supported by video, is that Obama knew who the questioner was regarding the Benghazi attack BEFORE the questioner identifies himself.The audience is surrounding the candidates in a 180' arc, but Obama turns and looks right at the questioner, then catches himself.

This video records a robocall from a polling company in which a non-responsive answering machine is recorded as a vote for Obama. ANOTHER reason to not put such faith in any of these polls.

The report which Penn State commissioned regarding the Jerry Sandusky scandal has been released. The findings of the commission, chaired by former FBI Director Louie Freeh, are a scathing indictment of the processes and procedures used by Penn State to deal with the allegations of sexual molestation by a football coach.Little is revealed in the report which was not already generally known, but the tone and breadth of the reporting was startlingly harsh. No one is immune from criticism ranging from the president of the university all the way down to a janitor who witnessed an episode of sexual molestation...

How do you make money? A seemingly simple question, but it has serious ramifications. How you answer goes a long way towards your view on how the economy works and what must be done in order for the economy to thrive. Ostensibly, we all want to make money - to provide for ourselves and our families, to save for the future, to support good and worthy causes. Only the monks and Spartans among us seek not to do so. They view money as a hindrance at best and, at worst, evil. Understanding the process by which one makes money is...

Good morning sleepy heads! Hope you got a good nights sleep. Make sure you order a double at Starbucks this morning so you are ready for your day - you've got a lot of explaining to do.Let's talk about this whole recall thing - you know, that groundswell of the grassroots? I'm sure you're confused about the whole thing, but let me give you a hand with this. Let's talk about that difference in the campaign funds spent. Whether it is the sobbing activist on CNN crying that "Democracy is OVER!" or the official press release from the Obama Campaign,...

Erik Erickson, editor-in-chief of RedState.com and a CNN political contributor, reports that he is the latest conservative to be "SWAT"ed. Local police received a call from an individual claiming to be Erickson, stating that an accidental shooting had occurred at his home. Says Erickson, "Tonight, my family was sitting around the kitchen table eating dinner when sheriffs deputies pulled up in the driveway."

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton's torrid 2012 season now includes his first career four-home-run game, all of them two-run shots in a 10-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Hamilton homered off Jake Arrieta in the first and third innings, added another off Zach Phillips in the seventh and topped it off with a one-for-the-books shot against Darren O'Day in the eighth. During the last at-bat, Hamilton took a mighty hack and missed, lined a foul into right-field seats and then sent an 0-2 pitch over the center-field wall. It marked the 16th four-home-run game in major league history. Hamilton is...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — An attorney says a South Texas prosecutor running for U.S. Congress and another lawyer have been arrested in connection with the wide-ranging bribery scheme of a convicted former judge. Attorney John Blaylock said an indictment was expected to be read later Monday charging Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos and another South Texas lawyer, Eddie Lucio. Blaylock, the attorney for Lucio, said he hadn't seen the indictment. An attorney for Villalobos didn't immediately return messages. Earlier Monday, Villalobos confirmed that the federal investigation into former state District Judge Abel Limas includes him. He declined to discuss the...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino has been put on paid leave. Athletic director Jeff Long announced the decision late Thursday, capping a stunning day in which it was revealed that Petrino had a 25-year-old female employee with him during a weekend motorcycle ride that ended in a crash.

Europe is scratching its head over possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will strike down President Obama's signature legislative achievement. As the judiciary and the Obama administration trade legal barbs over the high court's authority, the idea that health care coverage, largely considered a universal right in Europe, could be deemed an affront to liberty is baffling. "The Supreme Court can legitimately return Obamacare?" asks a headline on the French news site 9 POK . The article slowly walks through the legal rationale behind the court's right to wipe away Congress's legislation. "Sans précédent, extraordinaires" reads the article. In the...

MIAMI (AP) — From the T-shirt and hoodie sales to trademarking slogans like "Justice for Trayvon" to the pass-the-hat rallies that bring in thousands, the case of an unarmed black teenager killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer is quickly turning into an Internet-fueled brand. Websites are hawking key chains bearing Trayvon Martin's likeness. His parents have bought two trademarks, saying they hope to raise money to help other families struck by tragedy. Trayvon clothes, bumper stickers, buttons and posters are up for grabs on eBay.

The active page has been pulled, but here is a screenshot of an earlier Politico report. The reporter claims that President Obama is showing his support of unions by flying a flag representing Wisconsin Local #1848.Sorry, lady. That is Wisconsin's State Flag.Donovan Slack is listed as Politico's "lead writer for '44', a living diary of the Obama presidency."

The Treasury Department's inspector general has opened a new front in the investigation of the government loan to Solyndra, the now bankrupt company that had been touted as a model of President Obama's ambitious green energy program, ABC News and the Center for Public Integrity/iWatch News have learned. The new probe involves the $535 million loan, arranged by the Energy Department, but actually processed by the Federal Financing Bank, a government lending institution that falls under Treasury's control. Already, the FBI and the Energy Department's inspector general have executed search warrants at Solyndra's headquarters and questioned company executives.

Close campaigns have a tendency to become ugly campaigns. Ahead of tomorrow's special election, Republican Bob Turner looks poised to capture the vacant seat left by former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner (the latest poll by Public Policy Polling has Turner leading Democrat David Weprin by a margin of 47-41). The unexpected GOP capture of a New York City seat is featuring some some slimy tactics. On Sunday, ThinkProgress's Tanya Somanader reported on a flyer sent out by Turner's allies over the weekend taking advantage of the 10th anniversary 9/11:

http://www.thehopeforamerica.com/play.php?id=8631 Excellent speech by Sen. Jeff Sessions in defense of the Tea Party and those who are standing up to more spending and/or tax increases.

Embattled coach Jim Tressel of Ohio State has resigned. School president E. Gordon Gee announced Tressel's departure in a letter to sent to Ohio State trustees Monday morning. "I write to let you know that later this morning we will be announcing the resignation of Jim Tressel as head coach of the University's football program," the letter said, according to The Columbus Dispatch. "As you all know, I appointed a special committee to analyze and provide advice to me regarding issues attendant to our football program. In consultation with the senior leadership of the University and the senior leadership of...

The judge who ruled the Obama administration's health care overhaul unconstitutional questioned whether the government was reaching beyond its power by requiring citizens to buy health insurance because everyone needs medical care.Under that logic, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson said, the government could force Americans to buy clothes or food. Vinson, who sided with 26 states fighting the much-maligned measure, revealed his own health care story during arguments several weeks ago, an example that helped shed light on his ruling Monday.

After two weeks of negotiations with the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, Cliff Lee has agreed to return to the Philadelphia Phillies.