Free Republic

Just like during the last economic crisis, homeless encampments are popping up all over the nation as poverty grows at a very alarming rate. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than half a million people are homeless in America right now, but that figure is increasing by the day. And it isn’t just adults that we are talking about. It has been reported that that the number of homeless children in this country has risen by 60 percent since the last recession, and Poverty USA says that a total of 1.6 million children slept either in...

In a 2008 political ad, then Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton asked “Who would you want answering that three a.m. call,” referring to Barack Obama’s lack of experience if he were to face a world crisis. Well, that three a.m. call came on September 11, 2012, from the American Embassy annex in Benghazi, Libya, while Hillary was the Secretary of State and Obama the President, and wouldn’t you know it, neither one answered the phone. In fact, to this day, no one knows where either one was, or what they were doing, over the 13 hours of the attack that killed...

I just sent this email to the RNC --- anyone with me??? I would like to respectfully suggest a new "campaign" for the improvement of our Republican Party. Reince Priebus has already stated that Republicans who did not honor their Pledge to support the Nominee would face some form of disciplinary action. It's time to do that NOW!!! Today I saw a Hillary Clinton ad where "Republican" after "Republican" said horrible things about OUR Nominee. The ad finished with something like "Too dangerous even for Republicans". We sincerely want to say that those people on the ad are NOT Republicans...

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers have joined forces with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) pipe band to record a single for the 9/11 anniversary. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-37328031

During my writing this election, I’ve warned Democrats and voters afraid of Donald Trump that Bernie Sanders was the only way to defeat the GOP nominee. My advocacy for Bernie in over 200 articles in The Hill, Salon, and The Huffington Post was fueled in large part by my admiration for his honesty and message. As a result of being an inspiration to millions, polls showed Vermont’s Senator consistently beating Trump by over 10 points. In contrast, Hillary Clinton was only up by 2.7 points over Trump the other day. Furthermore, time is no longer on Clinton’s side. She’ll need...

Abandoned America: Haunting images of the crumbling schools, decaying churches and rusting prisons that have been lost to time. Photographs taken by Matthew Christopher, who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mastered, edited and mixed by MacThunder.

I don't normally post You Tube videos on Free Republic, but my buddy Scooter has outdone himself here. The video is only 18 seconds long, but I assure you, it's laugh-out-loud material, and MUCH-NEEDED levity for today.

Video Link

Libyan forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar said on Monday they had tightened their control over four major oil ports, casting a Western-backed project to unite Libya and revive oil exports into deep uncertainty. Haftar's forces met little resistance as they seized the terminals at Ras Lanuf, Es Sider, Zueitina and Brega in an operation launched on Sunday, displacing a rival armed faction aligned with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. The advance is the latest power struggle over the OPEC nation's energy assets, after the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi and the chaos that followed...

For this automated poll, a sample of likely households was chosen from the population registered to vote in the state of Florida, and there were 781 completed responses to six poll questions The survey was conducted September 7-8. The margin of error, with a 95% confidence interval, was 3.5%. The demographic breakdown of the respondents was 69-13-13-6% white/black/Hispanic/”other”, while the party registration of respondents was 43-39% Democratic/Republican (18% Independents). The geographic breakdown of the respondents was as follows: 40% from Central Florida, 17% from North Florida, 24% from South Florida, 16% from South Central Florida, and 3% from the “university”...

11/6/12: D-4,266,317 voters; R-3,131,144 voters; UAF-1,110,554 voters 9/5/16: D-4,094,000 voters; R-3,175,000 voters; UAF-685,390 voters

A lesbian couple has returned to their leadership roles in their Catholic parish in the diocese of Dublin, Ireland, even applauded from the pews, while the faithful Catholic parishioner who raised concerns about the scandal of their same-sex "marriage" continues to be shunned. Anthony Murphy, editor of The Catholic Voice Ireland, spoke with Church Militant and offered his reaction. Murphy was the one who had initially expressed concerns about the lifestyle of Jacinta O'Donnell and Geraldine Flanagan, a "married" same-sex couple at St. Michael's Church in Athy, and as a result, they stepped down from their roles as choir directors....

Hillary Clinton attended the 9/11 tributes and remembrances Sunday morning in New York City. Donald Trump was there too along with thousands of 9/11 family members, memorializing the fallen and showing American fortitude 15 years after that tragic day. For Mrs. Clinton, it was a difficult morning. She stumbled and nearly fell as she attempted to get into her waiting van. She was literally held up and dragged into the van. Her press pool was kept away meaning the only video evidence of her collapse was from a few bystanders. Media reports described it as a “medical episode.” Clinton’s campaign...

Democratic operative James Carville sought to reassure Americans that the scope of any potential election fraud is too small to be concerned about. "It has been my experience that the maximum number of fraudulent votes from any one voting machine is around 100," Carville said. "I know of no presidential election that has ever been decided by 100 votes one way or the other. It would take an army of hackers to rig enough machines to reach a decisive impact on the outcome. And I just can't imagine that anyone would be willing to go to such lengths to steal...

Full title: Deeply unpopular Hollande calls for France to 'embrace' Islam and rejects calls for a nationwide burkini ban Islam can co-exist with secularism, President Francois Hollande said Thursday, warning in a speech seen as preparing the ground for a re-election bid that the anti-terror fight should not undermine French values. The deeply unpopular Hollande has yet to announce whether he will run for a second term next year, but is widely expected to be a candidate. In a passionate plea for tolerance, he defended the country's Muslim minority following a vitriolic debate on the banning of the Islamic burkini...

Connect the dots with a little history, and an alarming picture emerges of Kaine's adventures with radicals and revolutionaries in 1980s Latin America. Reports indicate that in Honduras, “Mr. Kaine embraced an interpretation of the gospel, known as liberation theology...” This wasn't mainstream “Catholic thought” at the time. It was a radical, Marxist-based ideology at odds with the Church, the pope, and the United States, but supportive of (and supported by) the Soviet Union.

TAMPA, Fla. - Police say a Florida man asking if a bulletproof vest "still worked" was fatally shot by his cousin. A Tampa police report says Joaquin Mendez, 23, put on the vest late Saturday and "wondered aloud whether it still worked." Police say his cousin, Alexandro Garibaldi, 24, pulled out a gun and responded, "Let's see." Officers found Mendez outside the house with a gunshot wound in his chest. Mendez died at a hospital.

Michigan appears to be about average in access to dental care. There are about 7,700 dentists in the state and over 10,000 dental hygienists. In 2011, there were 6.2 dentists per 10,000 people, exactly the national average. But there is a concerning trend: Michigan’s dentist population skews older than average and the state may be facing a dentist shortage in the near future. Results from a 2011 survey of Michigan dentists reveals the problem. At that time, 37 percent of dentists were between 55 and 64 and another 15 percent were over 65. This means that over half the dentists...

A scholar of Islam has warned of civil war across Europe as more young Muslims facing poor job prospects turn to radical groups, it has been reported. Professor Gilles Kepel, from the Sciences Po in Paris, France, said a growing 'Jihad Generation' is likely to continue to carry out terror acts in European cities. The aim of their terror activity is to both incite hatred towards Muslims and, in doing so, cause further radicalisation among young people, the professor of political science said.

A Texas woman was arrested Saturday for allegedly conspiring to commit murder after her husband, a Dallas-area fire captain, was found shot dead in his car. Bob Poynter was found dead in his car along the road around 11 p.m. Friday after witnesses reported seeing a woman trying to get the attention of drivers. Chacey Poynter, 29, told officers that her husband had been shot and police found Bob Poynter dead in the car from a single gunshot wound, according to a Royse City Police Department press release. The fire captain’s wife gave “suspicious and conflicting” information, according to the...