Free Republic

A Democratic senator hired an unpaid intern who was an undocumented immigrant but a documented sex offender. Apparently Senator Menendez needed an immigrant to do sex offending that Americans won’t do. Meanwhile, Representative Jim Moran is “embarrassed” by the revelation that his voter-fraud-orchestrating son smashed his girlfriend’s face into a garbage can and pleaded guilty to assault. The girlfriend appears to be doing what she can to make the story go away. But don’t worry, the phrase “war on women” may still only be used to describe people who don’t want to pay for someone else’s birth control. ... Obama’s...

Bearded Nathan Grindal, 33, was enjoying the match between star champ Phil Taylor and Kim Huybrechts when some of the 4,500-strong audience spotted his likeness to the son of God. Chants of "Jesus" quickly spread through the rowdy crowd, interrupting play at Butlins in Minehead, Somerset. Security was called before six bouncers escorted upset Nathan from the Cash Converters Players' Championship, being shown on ITV4. As he left a chant of 'Stand up if you love Jesus' broke out, with many of the boozed-up crowd getting to their feet. Nathan, a labourer, was escorted to a nearby bar where security...

Question,...Is it possible, that we could make some sort of statement, that if Obama is found out to be illegally elected, we could prosecute some of the people that covered up his lies to get him elected? It's too late to stop anything now, IMHO, but later, investigations could turn up some evidence that may be accepted. To have Arapio say, positively, that Obama's records are fake and no one even looks at it is criminal, in my mind. If some knew we were coming after them no matter how long it takes, maybe someone would crack. Someone has to...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: This story isn't getting a lot of play, but it should be. Many powerful Democrats, even some of the most liberal among them, are supporting what amounts to dismantling of Obamacare, and they are using Republican language to make their case. These Democrats are attempting to repeal some of the funding mechanisms as well as the cost containment measures that were purportedly inherent in the law. This is a piece by Dr. Susan Berry at Breitbart.com. "With some of their most influential constituent groups facing onerous tax increases that are slated to help fund the law’s mandates...

HONOLULU – Hawaii, at last. President Obama’s delayed Christmas vacation began at 11:42 p.m. (Hawaii time – 4:42 a.m. on the East Coast) when Air Force One touched down at Hickam Air Force Base here. Mr. Obama stepped off the plane into the sultry Hawaiian darkness with two members of Congress, Senator Daniel Akaka and Representative Mazie Hirono, both Democrats of Hawaii, who accompanied him for the 10-hour flight home. The president hopped into his S.U.V., and his motorcade sped off in a hurry to take him to his wife and daughters, who left Washington Saturday for their luxury rented...

Republicans are failing to define their party's purpose during the fiscal-cliff talks. After the presidential election, the biggest question out there is: What should the Republican Party stand for? The fiscal cliff, no matter the result, was an instant opportunity to elevate the party's basic beliefs. Instead the GOP is disappearing beneath waves of Beltway process. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell have worked hard to keep their thumbs stuck in the dam of rising tax rates. Still, the fiscal cliff is looking more each day like an inside-the-Beltway CYA operation. Does anyone in the country beyond the halls of Congress...

What separated the likes of Huelskamp and Amash from Labrador and Mulvaney was not opposition to budget compromises. The big, obvious difference in their voting records is that Huelskamp and Amash flip-flopped on the budget written by Paul Ryan and voted with Democrats to kill it in committee. The Ryan budget, which had been hailed in 2011 by Rush Limbaugh as “substantively superb and politically brilliant,” squeaked through the Budget Committee in 2012 on a 19-18 vote.

Economist Jed Kolko at Trulia writes: Housing in 2013: What’s In, What’s Out. Kolko discusses five predictions for 2013, the first is on inventory: 1. OUT: Will Home Prices Bottom? IN: Will Inventories Bottom? The big question this year was whether home prices had finally hit bottom. We now know the answer is a resounding “Yes”: every major index shows asking and sales prices rising in 2012. The key question in 2013, though, is whether prices will rise enough so that for-sale inventory–which has fallen 43% nationally since the summer of 2010–will hit bottom and start expanding again. The sharp...

I, SILVERDENE EMBLEM O'NEILL (familiarly known to my family, friends, and acquaintances as Blemie), because the burden of my years and infirmities is heavy upon me, and I realize the end of my life is near, do hereby bury my last will and testament in the mind of my Master. He will not know it is there until after I am dead. Then, remembering me in his loneliness, he will suddenly know of this testament, and I ask him then to inscribe it as a memorial to me...

President Obama is on his way to a delayed Hawaiian vacation with his family now that the showdown over extending the payroll tax cut has been settled. He called it “some good news just in the nick of time for the holidays.” Before leaving the White House the president signed the bill extending the payroll tax cut for two months. It will affect 160 million American workers. Mr. Obama acted Friday after the House and Senate approved the 2 percent tax cut extension. The legislation also extends unemployment insurance for jobless workers and forces Mr. Obama to make a decision...

The “red-green alliance” in Tennessee between the liberal-left and Islamists is alive and well but made even more novel with the participation of Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Never one to shy away from Obama’s agenda for the U.S., Governor Haslam’s push to elevate the political status of Muslims in his state must leave Tennesseans wondering if their Republican governor is actually a Democrat. Governor Haslam’s promotion of the Islamist agenda in his state progressed from having his Commissioner of Safety and Homeland Security work behind the scenes to support and partner with the American Muslim Advisory Council to having...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Do you know, in addition to me being responsible for your state of panic over the fiscal cliff, I lead the Never Surrender Wing of the GOP. This is Norman Ornstein last night on the Charlie Rose Show. Norman Ornstein, the American Enterprise Institute resident scholar, and they were talking about the Republican Party. Charlie Rose said, "Is Boehner less afraid of his caucus than he has been in the past?" ORNSTEIN: You've got groups like those led by Rush Limbaugh saying never give up, never surrender, we didn't do anything wrong, they'll come to us. You've...

Obama proposed this last year and now its back on the table: This week, the Wall Street Journal’s John D. McKinnon and Andrew Ackerman are reporting that House Speaker John Boehner “is willing to consider curbing the tax-exempt status of municipal-bond interest, subject to negotiations with the White House.” Reality check...the only reason investors buy muni bonds is because of the tax exempt status. They pay less interest than other bonds that are already taxed so if they are gonna tax the muni's....might as well get the higher interest rate. So what happens then? Local, county and state municipalities will...

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Public Safety Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan — who is stepping down amid a flurry of controversy — may be in line for a judgeship, Gov. Deval Patrick suggested this afternoon. Asked by a Herald reporter at a State House press conference today whether he intended to nominate Heffernan to become a judge, Patrick grinned widely. “Well, you know, she’d make a great judge,” said Patrick. “And that’s all I’ll say about that right now.” Heffernan was listed as a reference on the job application of Sheila Burgess, the state’s ex-highway safety director who resigned after her checkered, four-page driving record...

MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels are gaining ground and might win, Russia's Middle East envoy said on Thursday, in the starkest such admission from a major ally of President Bashar al-Assad in 20 months of conflict.

PHILADELPHIA - It's a union protest designed to bring you to tears. Residents at the Vista apartment building on the 2800 block. of N. 47th St. in Philadelphia's Wynnefield section are losing their minds over a recording played by protesters from IBEW local 98. Last Wednesday, the union set up an iPod and loudspeakers that plays this recorded message: "Your community is crying for jobs, participation and fair wages." It's what comes next that brings a tear to the eye: an extended crying jag by a seemingly fussy infant. The recording- which began last Wednesday- runs each weekday from around...

Over the past two days, the yield on the Treasury 10 year rose from 1.6451% to 1.7213%, about 7.6 basis points. Somehow, investors didn’t get The Fed’s memo about more monetary easing. The recovery from the recession (which ended June 2009 according to the National Bureau of Economic Research) has been slower than molasses. 1. U6 Unemployment/Underemployment remains at daunting levels. 2. Salaries and Wages (divided by GDP) continue to fall. 3. The M1 Money Multiplier seems to have leveled out at a low altitude signifying that banks are not lending as much as previously. 4. The M2 Money Velocity...

Boehner plans to leave Washington amid "fiscal cliff" stalemate Reuters – 29 mins ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner plans to go home to Ohio on Friday, his office said, in a sign that there is no deal in sight to avert the looming "fiscal cliff." Spokesman Michael Steel added, however, that should President Barack Obama decide he needs to talk or meet with Boehner again, "Ohio has both cell phone service and airports - so ... it won't be a problem." Steel said Boehner - the top Republican in Congress - will likely...

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, regressive, Marxists, and Obama supporters, et. al.: We have stuck together since the late 1950s for the sake of the kids, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has clearly run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right for us all, so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and...