Free Republic

Everyone has a weakness. For me, it’s salted caramel ice cream. For my dog, Lulu, it’s expensive shoes. For most cats, it’s catnip. Here are five things every cat lover should know about this mysterious product that drives cats batty.   1. Catnip is an actual plant. A member of the mint family, Nepeta cataria L. (aka catnip) grows throughout the United States. The plant features small, lavender flowers and jagged, heart-shaped leaves that smell faintly of mint.   2. It’s easy to grow. Cat lovers who possess a green thumb can grow catnip from seed after the last hard...

The side that controls the language of an argument controls the argument, and the side that takes and maintains the offensive controls the entire conflict. The enemy must then react to our actions instead of making us react to his, and continue to react until he is no longer capable of fighting. We are indeed at war with an adversary with whom good faith and win-win negotiation are not possible. Recognize Incrementalism for What It Is Incrementalism is the process whereby an aggressor who cannot achieve his entire long-term objective immediately will seek to do it a piece at a...

I have noticed a number of stories lately about fascias petitions being started at this WH web site. I love it. An opportunity to make a humorous point and skewer this pompous web site at the same time. Lets start a Freeper petition there. Ideas?

WXIX-TV Tucson reporter Ben Swann takes a look at what he called the "politically incorrect" truth about the Second Amendment. In his "Reality Check" segment for the local FOX affiliate, Swann explains the true intention behind the Second Amendment. "This is where American history becomes very politically incorrect because the Second Amendment was not drafted for hunting, or just self defense from an attacker. The Second Amendment was put into place to guarantee the rights of the individual to be equally armed as military, both foreign and domestic, in the event that the citizenry might actually, at some point, have...

The Electoral College vote was just completed in Congress, following results of the 2012 election. It is available at CSPN's video library page Unlike the reading in prior years, there was no call for objections from VP Joe Biden at the podium! (About 20:00 in, is when objections could have been heard) http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Countin

Connecticut State Representative Stephen D. Dargan (D-New Haven), co-chairman of the state’s Public Safety Committee, has introduced a bill that would make public the names and addresses of gun permit holders in Connecticut under the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Dargan’s bill is in response to the Dec. 14th shootings in the Sandy Hook School in Newtown, CT, and also occurs as a Westchester County, NY newspaper, the Journal News, is drawing widespread, nationwide anger for publishing a map with the names and addresses of gun permit holders. The bill, if passed, would reverse the state legislature’s decision, made...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...

Congratulations, genuises. Turns out you’re rich! America: You break it, you buy it. Twitchy.com has more reaction as Obama voters get their latest, smaller paychecks. The next time an Obamabot complains about taxes, or rising prices, or falling wages, or anything else having to do with the money coming out of his own pocket, you just need to ask him one question: “Why are you so greedy?” P.S. Trending: #WhyIsMyPaycheckLessThisWeek P.P.S. “What. Happened? You reelected a lying SCOAMF. That’s what happened.”

(CNSNews.com) – Government unemployment numbers for December showed that while the general unemployment rate remained flat at 7.8 percent, unemployment for women and African-Americans rose despite an economy that created 155,000 jobs. Unemployment for women rose to 7.3 percent in December from 7.0 percent while the rate for African-Americans rose sharply to 14.0 percent from 13.2 percent in November.

EL-ARISH, Egypt January 4, 2013 (AP)Egyptian authorities seized six U.S.-made missiles in the Sinai Peninsula Friday that security officials said were likely smuggled from Libya and bound for the Gaza Strip. Libya's 2011 uprising and subsequent civil war left the country awash in weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, automatic rifles and other munitions. Since the end of the country's eight-month conflict, smugglers have transferred some of the weapons to Islamic militants in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which has faced a security vacuum since the country's own uprising, and from there onward in underground tunnels to neighboring Gaza. Security officials said that police...

Lawrence W. Schonbrun, the executive director of Class Action Watch, is not a fan of the plaintiff lawyers who purport to represent the little guy, and in an op-ed piece for The Washington Times claims as a general matter that the "class action system was meant to protect us from businesses that cheat large numbers of people out of small amounts of money" but "the cruel irony . . . is that class action lawyers inflict the very harm the class action was intended to remedy." Schonbrun once practiced as a plaintiff's class action lawyer until he saw the light...

FULL TITLE: More than 100 children rescued from clutches of pedophiles in ground-breaking raid across 19 states that saw 245 arrested More than 100 children have been rescued from the clutches of pedophiles after a massive U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency raid. The ground-breaking investigation - named 'Operation Sunflower' - was executed America-wide between November 2012 and the first week of December, and resulted in 245 arrests. A total of 123 sexually exploited children were identified by ICE agents working with Homeland Security Investigations by targeting people who own, trade and produce child pornography. Of those, 44 victims were...

White House petition calls for Joe Biden reality show By Justin Sink - 01/04/13 01:01 PM ET A new petition on the White House's website is calling for a reality show starring Joe Biden, a day after the vice president's jokes at a Senate swearing-in ceremony became a viral Internet sensation. The petition says the program would feature "the daily activities and interactions of the Vice President with elected officials, foreign dignitaries and everyday American families" along with "a glimpse of the lighthearted side of politics." "Vice President Joe Biden has a demonstrated ability to bring people together, whether at...

Government unemployment numbers for December showed that while the general unemployment rate remained flat at 7.8 percent, unemployment for women and African-Americans rose despite an economy that created 155,000 jobs. Unemployment for women rose to 7.3 percent in December from 7.0 percent while the rate for African-Americans rose sharply to 14.0 percent from 13.2 percent in November. Unemployment among African Americans has remained quite high throughout the sluggish economic recovery of the past several years, despite the steady decline in overall unemployment in the economy generally. The number of employed African Americans actually fell in December – a month that...

The numbers, brought to you by Breitbart, are real and from the FBI. I want to say I'm surprised, but I'm not...

ASPEN, Colo. — According to Todd Hartley, to enact new gun legislation in the U.S. would be to “shut the barn doors after the horse has already gotten out.” So in his weekly “I’m With Stupid” column in the Aspen Times on Friday — a column that Hartley claims is meant to encourage aspiring and current gun owners to “seek less violent ways to make up for your shortcomings” — the Basalt resident is attempting another method of gun control. He’s defaming the genitalia of gun owners. “If you own multiple guns or feel the need to possess a military-style...

What a wonderful life we had as kids, not a worry in the world.

Nato has begun to deploy Patriot missiles to Turkey to help Turkish troops repel attacks by missiles or aircraft from neighbouring Syria. The US European Command said its troops and equipment had started arriving in southern Turkey, and more would arrive in the coming days. Germany and the Netherlands are preparing to ship their Patriot batteries early next week. The six battery units are scheduled to be operational by the end of January. Nato approved the deployment of the surface-to-air missiles early last month, after a request from Turkey, amid "grave concerns" that Syria could use chemical weapons. Syria has...

Michelle Obama recently revealed that she and President Obama don’t give Christmas gifts to each other. They merely say, “We’re in Hawaii,” and that’s Christmas gift enough. But actually the present is from taxpayers, and it’s an expensive one. The total cost to taxpayers of Obama’s vacations to Hawaii since becoming president is likely in excess of $20 million, and possibly much, much more. During a time of budget deficits that threaten the nation’s security and its future, the Obamas have chosen to maintain a “family tradition” and vacation halfway around the world instead of finding far cheaper alternatives closer...

Two remarkable legal proceedings are currently wending their way through the federal criminal courts. The cases involve very different parties: Conrad Black, one of the most consequential public intellectuals and businessmen of our era, and James “Whitey” Bulger, a Boston-based alleged racketeer and serial murderer. But both cases highlight some of the same profound problems with the way federal prosecutorial business is done these days. In both cases, as in countless others, the feds have used certain techniques that virtually assure convictions of both the innocent and the guilty, the wealthy and the poor, the violent drug dealer and the...