Free Republic

Although many on the left have a vested interest in denying it exists at all costs, the ineluctable truth of the matter is that voter fraud is a widespread phenomenon. Whether it is so rampant that it influences the outcome of major elections, as some maintain, or has unseated incumbent congressmen in past races, is open to debate. However, the recorded episodes of fraudulent voting and the manipulation of the election process, from corrupt Democratic officials in Indiana, to vote harvesters in Texas, to political apparatchiks in Ohio, to the Republican secretary of state of Indiana, demonstrate that the number...

In January, Senator Feinstein will introduce a bill to stop the sale, transfer, importation and manufacturing of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devises. Following is a summary of the 2013 legislation: Bans the sale, transfer, importation, or manufacturing of: -120 specifically-named firearms -Certain other semiautomatic rifles, handguns, shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine and have one military characteristic -Semiautomatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds

The Obama administration's chief environmental watchdog, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, is stepping down after a nearly four-year tenure marked by high-profile brawls over global warming pollution, the Keystone XL oil pipeline, new controls on coal-fired plants and several other hot-button issues that affect the nation's economy and people's health.

Neil Patrick Harris, 39, enjoyed a very merry Christmas with his partner David Burtka and their 2-year-old twins Gideon and Harper. The actor shared photos of the fam via Twitter, which showed Burtka and Gideon donning Santa hats as they made breakfast, and Harper sporting a silly pair of toy glasses that belong to Mr. Potato Head. "Ms. Harper likes Mr. Potato Head's fashion sense," Harris cracked. "She is quite the looker, but I think it's a bit shortsighted." The kids must have worn out the parents, since Burtka was also snapped taking a nap. “Here is @Davidburtka enjoying his...

HARRY REID: 'It Looks Like' We'll Go Over The Cliff Brett LoGiuratoDecember 27, 2012Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said this morning that it "looks like" Congress will fail to come to a deal to avert the year-end fiscal cliff. "It looks like that's where we're headed," Reid said. "I don't know, time-wise, how it can happen now." It's not exactly a surprise — leaders left Washington last week without any imminent signs of a deal in the making. But it's a grim warning just days before tax hikes and automatic spending cuts begin to take effect. Reid opened the Senate...

<p>Crumbling and abandoned, the last remnants of Russia's wooden churches lay dotted in the woodlands of the country's north-western corner.</p> <p>Forgotten by many and in the process of being reclaimed by nature, the few remaining churches are exposed to the harsh elements without any hope of being salvaged.</p>

Since Alinsky works for us now, and I’m about to deploy one of his rules(snip) Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals Always remember the first rule of power tactics: Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.(snip) The rule being deployed today is #4: “Make them live up to their own book of rules.” So I’m afraid I must demand that David Gregory be prosecuted for breaking the law - as he did by brandishing a lethal “high capacity magazine” on Meet the Press(snip) Q: When is a prop just a prop? A: When it’s brandished...

Government Dependents Outnumber Those With Private Sector Jobs In 11 U.S. States By Michael Snyder December 26th, 2012 America is rapidly becoming a nation of takers. An increasing number of Americans expect the government to take care of them from the cradle to the grave, and they expect the government to dig into the pockets of others in order to pay for it all. This philosophy can be very seductive, but what happens when the number of takers eventually outnumbers the number of producers? In 11 different U.S. states, the number of government dependents exceeds the number of private sector...

The Obama administration and the Secretary of State all blame the "fog of war" for their disastrous Ben Ghazi blunder. When Hillary Clinton gets sick, she goes AWOL. When its very obvious that American soldiers "go crazy," they are condemned to death. That's what the U.S. Army is seeking in the case of Staff Sgt Robert Bales. (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in a shooting rampage could face the death penalty if he is found guilty in a court-martial. Our DOD  (Department Of Defense) always wanting to prove how holier than thou they are by...

Sergeant-Major Stan Hollis, of Middlesbrough was the only soldier awarded a VC at D-Day and is believed to have gunned down 100 German soldiersDuring the early hours of June 6, 1944 - D-Day - lines of scared young soldiers waited in the dark for the order to board the landing craft that would take them into battle on the beaches of northern France. At the last minute they were issued with an unexpected piece of equipment — a condom each! ‘What are these for?’ boomed out the voice of Sergeant-Major Stan Hollis, a hulking power-house of a man from...

I’ve never criticized President Obama for playing a lot of golf. As far as I’m concerned, the nation is in much better shape when politicians spend a lot of time goofing off. But I’m more than happy to use golf as a humor prop to make a serious points about public policy.Earlier this year, for instance, I shared this golfing cartoon to help emphasize that Obama has been a big spender.Let’s build upon that cartoon with a bit of humor sent to me by a friend from the Caribbean.Here’s some new rules for golf, based on Obama’s soak-the-rich/entrap-the-poor approach to...

The good and wise Pope Leo XIII never condemned an error without commending a truth. In this series on Catholic Social Teaching, then, I believe I should follow the Holy Father’s example. It’s easy to inveigh against what Leo condemns; more rewarding, though, to reveal the beauty of what he commends. In this essay, then, prescinding from his affirmation, in Aeterni patris (1879), of the principle that grace perfects our nature, his defense of Christian marriage in Arcanum divinae (1880), and his condemnation of a radically secular state in Humanum genus (1884), I’d like to take a few small steps...

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter became the latest politician to speak out against the National Rifle Association’s proposal to put armed guards in every American school to dissuade incidents such as the horrific shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., joining New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his Mayors Against Illegal Guns initiative. Nutter, a staunch advocate of gun control, called the idea proposed by NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre a “dumb-ass idea.” Nutter, a Democrat, was speaking about a gunman who shot and killed two firefighters in Webster, N.Y., Monday after they arrived at a house fire....

FXstreet.com (Barcelona) - A fall of 6.4 points in November was registered by the Consumer Confidence indicator released by the Conference Board. Data fell from 75.1 (revised from 73.7) to 65.1, coming much lower than the expected 70.3.

Islamists on the attack in AfricaThe Christmas season’s become a time to reflect on the fate of Christians around the world, from the besieged ancient communities of the Middle East to the tyrannized worshippers in China. But let us not ignore the violent threats to Christians in Africa. Men belonging to Boko Haram murdered at least 10 people in the Nigerian village of Chibok earlier this month. Armed with guns and knives, they slit the throats of victims before burning their houses down. Eleven others were killed the month before in the town of Jaji when a car loaded with...

DAKAR, Senegal — After prayers at the mosque, Ibrahim Lo is off to do some last-minute Christmas shopping. Soon he is eyeing the rows of dolls wrapped in plastic bags on a wooden table as he searches for gifts for his four children. A bouquet of inflatable Santa toys tied to a nearby tree bobs in the air at this outdoor market in the seaside capital as he makes his picks. It looks a lot like Christmas in Senegal, where 95 percent of the 12.8 million residents are Muslim. Even the Grande Mosquee, a mosque that dominates the city's skyline,...

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment aid fell last week to nearly its lowest level in 4 1/2 years, a sign that the labor market is healing. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 350,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's figure was revised to show 1,000 more applications than previously reported. After spiking in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, which ravaged the East Coast in late October, the weekly levels of new claims have now dropped to their lowest levels since the early days of the 2007-09 recession....

My label-mate Jeffrey Goldberg was kind enough to take some time to talk with me about his most recent story in the magazine -- "The Case for More Guns (and More Gun Control)". Both Fallows and I have some disagreements with Jeff on this. Here, Jeff and I try to talk it out. We do not agree. But we also avoided challenging each other to a duel. Ta-Nehisi Coates: Do you own a gun? Are you a gun person, at all? Jeffrey Goldberg: It doesn't make much sense to tell people that you are unarmed. Many businesses and institutions around...

I have seen on Google at least a dozen references to the phrase "we already have armed guards in some schools" or similar phrases. I even saw this on FR, but for some reason cannot access it. Who has an actual source for this? Does anyone have a list or number of schools with armed guards?

The search for a fugitive might have taken a tragic turn; Kenneth Conley escaped from the federal jail in downtown Chicago last week, and one suburban family said the search for Conley claimed the life of their beloved pet. CBS 2′s Pamela Jones reports this past September was supposed to be the 6-year-old pooch’s birthday, not a prelude to his death Christmas Eve.