Free Republic

(Reuters) - In a small town in Syria's east, Islamist militants have taken unclothed mannequins they see as sexually enticing out of the shops. ... Of all the hundreds of rebel units, al-Nusra is considered the most effective. Its fighters, who seek out death in battle as a form of martyrdom, have achieved victories in attacks on several military bases across the country. They still represent a small fraction of the armed anti-Assad groups fighting in Syria but are growing in size and influence. ... Al-Nusra have been shrewd. They took control of the nearby al-Ward oil and gas field...

The one thing that Hagel, Kerry and Brennan all have in common, besides being Washington insiders, is that they all agree that terrorism is basically a misunderstanding. All three fancy themselves men of the world who know more than the peasants back home because they have spent a few days being shepherded through high level meetings in Brussels, Riyadh and Beijing. They have spent decades marinating in talking points and they know, for example, that terrorism is due to poverty and that Islamic terrorists aren't really Muslim, they just try to convince us that they are to trick us into...

'Big Gay' now 'biggest, baddest, boldest bully on the block' Big Pharma and Big Tobacco each have had their day in the sun, and may again sometime, but one pro-family group says there’s another increasingly aggressive and powerful juggernaut at play in America: “Big Gay.” Bryan Fischer, director of issue analysis for the American Family Association, told WND in an interview, “‘Big Gay’ has become the biggest, baddest, boldest bully on the block.” He was reacting to revelations that the Boy Scouts of America are considering giving in to the homosexual lobby and opening their doors to homosexual scouts and...

In The Detroit News, Daniel Howes argued that the state needs to spend more money on higher education. That will lead to more state economic growth, he argued. There have been plenty of other states that have bought this theory and spent more money on higher education. Their results are not encouraging. In 2007, Richard Vedder and Matt Denhart explored the link between state appropriations to higher education and state economic growth. No matter how he sliced it, there was simply no connection between government subsidies to universities and growing your economy. In fiscal year 1980, the proportion of personal...

Trying to focus on the markets for today and each day and the economic news A number of people have talked about such a thread. Lets see how it goes. This is where you can impart some investment wisdom to your fellow freepers. You can vent about the big one that got away. You can chime in how Obama is out to wreck American capitalism. If you see another FR economic thread you like and want to link to it here, please do Ping list -- on or off let me know here or via freep-mail. If I missed you...

- FrontPage Magazine - http://frontpagemag.com - Can Rahm Emanuel’s Illegal Thug Tactics Be Stopped?Posted By Michael Volpe On January 31, 2013 @ 12:15 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | 5 Comments A number of pro-2nd Amendment groups have condemned a series of letters written by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel encouraging both Bank of America and TD Bank not to honor credit lines with gun manufacturers, but so far, Emanuel is not facing any legal action for his interference in a private contract.Last week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel sent a letter from his office to two banks, Bank of America and TD...

Israel Carries Out Strikes Against Syrian Chemical Warfare ProgramThis story is still developing with contradictory reports in the air, but it would appear that Israeli jets struck targets inside Syria. There are report of a strike on a convoy headed from Syria into Lebanon, possibly carrying long range rockets and chemical weapons to Hezbollah, as well as on a military research center in Jamraya possibly linked to the SSRC, the organization that runs Syria’s WMD and long range strike programs. These two events may be related, as Israel had warned Assad that transferring WMD’s to Hezbollah would be considered a...

If you thought Republican presidential hopefuls were insane to refuse to raise their hands during a 2011 primary debate when asked whether they'd support a deficit reduction deal with $10 in spending cuts to $1 in tax increases, look at Washington today. In August 2011, President Barack Obama signed a debt ceiling deal that promised more than $2 trillion in spending cuts over a decade and zero dollars in new revenue. The package included $1.2 trillion in "sequestration" cuts -- $85 billion this year out of a $3.8 trillion federal budget -- which are supposed to begin March 1. This...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just as President Barack Obama is pushing new initiatives on gun control and immigration, the gloomy old problem of a sluggish economy is elbowing its way back into prominence. Consumer confidence is falling, the economy is contracting and large automatic spending cuts are threatening to hit the Pentagon and other programs, with uncertain consequences. These troubles arise as Obama's public approval is improving and as he begins to use his sway to promote the key features of his second-term agenda. The White House, the Federal Reserve and independent economists attributed the shrinkage in gross domestic product and...

'Large numbers of kids coming downtown … with guns' (Editor’s note: Colin Flaherty has done more reporting than any other journalist on what appears to be a nationwide trend of skyrocketing black-on-white crime, violence and abuse. WND features these reports to counterbalance the virtual blackout by the rest of the media due to their concerns that reporting such incidents would be inflammatory or even racist. WND considers it racist not to report racial abuse solely because of the skin color of the perpetrators or victims.) EDITOR’S NOTE: The links in the following report may contain offensive language. Indianapolis? A hot...

Gayle Trotter of the Independent Women's Forum testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, and did an excellent job in appealing to the young women/mothers at home on the subject of why the AR15 is so suitable, and even potentially necessary, for them as a home defense tool. Where-oh-where is the news reporting on this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SWGCDcTIb4

If ever there were a moment for Democrats to press their political advantage, this is it. Their message on many of the biggest national issues — taxes, guns, education spending, financial regulation — has widespread support, and they have increased their numbers in both houses of Congress. But after years of being out-yelled by strident right-wing ideologues, too many in the Democratic Party still have a case of nerves, afraid of bold action and forthright principles.

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem A New Journey…The Names of God in The Scriptures El Gibbor - Mighty GOD(Isaiah 9:6) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

It’s a little-known fact that about 30% of returning soldiers are diagnosed with PTSD. These brave men and women, mentally scarred from their service to our country, deserve nothing less than our unwavering support. Instead, they are now in the crosshairs of the gun control lobby. With the VA’s existing massive information sharing with NICS, we already have a precedent for large-scale revocation of veteran’s rights. All it takes is for one of Eric Holder’s decrees to include PTSD, and suddenly one of the most passionate, patriotic segments of Americans will be labeled a danger to society. Ask yourself: Do...

Pray For Our American Heroes and Our Nation (Deuteronomy 7:9) Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him God Bless America!

On Tuesday evening, Dr. Laurie Roth invited me to be a guest on her nationally syndicated radio program, The Roth Show. In the hour I was on with her, we discussed, among other things, my column from Tuesday, “Can They Be Stopped?” My conclusion in the piece was that it will be nearly impossible to stop this lawless president and his criminal administration, since Congress and the courts are either fellow-traveling commies or scared, shrinking violets. My thinking in the column was The People versus the diabolical Barack Obama (or whatever his name is) and his communist cohorts in the...

Will the Swift Boat Vets oppose Kerry as Secretary of State? I can't think of a worse choice for the position (Except Hillary Clinton)! Kerry? That's not scraping the bottom of the barrel. It's lifting the barrel and going underneath!

Yesterday's report of a 0.1 percent GDP decline for the fourth quarter came as a surprise to most forecasters. But it actually masks considerable strength in the private economy. Namely, housing investment in the fourth quarter jumped 15.3 percent annually, business equipment and software spiked 12.4 percent, and real private final sales rose 2.6 percent. All in, the domestic private sector of the economy increased 3.4 percent annually -- a very respectable gain. And here’s one for the record books: Working ahead of year-end tax hikes, individuals shifted so much money to the fourth quarter at the 35 percent top...

Intent on splitting the Republican Party – exploiting seams on illegal immigration and gun control, to start – Democratic leaders have hit upon a new strategy to destroy any semblance of Republican coherence: backing Tea Party candidates they believe will fail, and in the process, weakening whoever wins the Republican primary in a general election. It’s a Machiavellian maneuver meant to sow the seeds of discord. First on their hit list: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who has long been under fire for his handling of issues including the fiscal cliff. Democrats want to hurt him in the primary...

The Best Time Today's Scripture “The vision is yet for an appointed time...” (Habakkuk 2:3, NKJV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria The scripture says, “The vision is for an appointed time.” That means there is a specific time already determined for the fulfillment of the desires God has placed in your heart. The appointed time is the best time! We have to trust that God can see the big picture for our lives. He knows what’s up ahead. He knows what we’re going to need, who we’re going to need, and when they need to show up. If...