Free Republic

That's the question Politico asks, but it's really only half of Barack Obama's problem in this standoff: President Barack Obama’s greatest adversary in the latest budget battle isn’t the Republican leadership in Congress — it’s his confidence in his own ability to force a win.He has been so certain of his campaign skills that he didn’t open a line of communication with House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell until Thursday, a week before the spending ax hits. And when they did finally hear from Obama, the calls were perfunctory, with no request to step up...

'Seventy years ago today, three German students were executed in Munich for leading a resistance movement against Hitler. Since then, the members of the White Rose group have become German national heroes - Lilo Furst-Ramdohr was one of them.'

An Israeli Arab group, "The Al-Aqsa Heritage Institute," on Thursday issued a statement demanding that Israel halt its plans to bring more Jews to the Kotel (Western Wall) - which, the group claims, is holy not to Jews, but to Muslims. In fact, the group says, Israel is "defiling the holiness of the site" by conducting Jewish prayers there. In Jewish tradition, the Kotel is the outer retaining wall of the Holy Temple, which stood on the Temple Mount, approximately at the same location as the Al-Aqsa Mosque. When the Holy Temple was destroyed nearly 2,000 years ago, Jews were...

“I don't necessarily agree with everything that I say.” ― Marshall McLuhan On the occasion of George Washington’s birthday, I would like to submit a proposal to Congress naming Marshall McLuhan the patron saint of Politicians. You all remember Marshall; the man considered the father of the electronic age, who coined the term “media” and was the first to take note of the fact that “the medium is the message.” Ironically, Mr. McLuhan’s complex theories on how the electronic gods we create come to rule us have been reduced to sound bites, such as “we become what we behold.”  ...

Petitions for a nap space in Harvard Yard, extended dining hall hours, and weekend brain break are all slated to receive official responses from Dean of Harvard College Evelynn M. Hammonds, likely by the end of the semester. The student-initiated petitions were submitted to Hammonds as a part of the “We the Crimson” initiative, started by the Undergraduate Council last November. The initiative features an online portal that students can access to submit petitions and vote for other submitted petitions. At the end of each month, the top three petitions are submitted to the administration for an official response. One...

'This is Wonky, a poor puppy left with a heartbreaking disability after being dumped on the street as a baby, who now needs a new home where she will be loved. The eleven-week-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross was given her unusual name because of severe problems with her malformed front legs developed because she was separated from her mother. Experts say she desperately needs care and attention after being afflicted with horrific joint 'knuckling' that has left her unable to walk very well. Wonky was found wandering the streets as a stray and was brought to Dogs Trust by a...

Comcast pulls gun shop ads from cable network Updated: Feb 18, 2013 4:23 PM CST By Kristen Abraham (02/18/13) - A gun shop owner said firearm manufacturers, distributors and retailers are being targeted unfairly after Comcast announces it's dropping all gun shop ads from its nationwide cable network. The cable company recently acquired NBC Universal and this is a long standing policy there. When a local ad agency recently placed an order for Williams Gun Sight in Davison Township, it was denied. Owner Tom Wright said he'll take his business elsewhere. "I thought it was ridiculous, we are a legitimate...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that Karl Rove should not play the role of kingmaker in congressional races across the country. Mr. Gingrich said it would be “repugnant” for Mr. Rove to use his newest super PAC — Conservative Victory Project — to ward off candidates that he doesn’t deem fit for a general election race. “I am unalterably opposed to a bunch of billionaires financing a boss to pick candidates in 50 states,” the Republican wrote in an op-ed that appeared in Human Events, a weekly conservative newspaper. “This is the opposite of the Republican tradition of...

'A BABY sloth shows some love to its handler — by giving her a hibiscus petal. The tiny animal named Matty grabs the bloom in its three-toed paws before leaning back to offer it to keeper Claire. The adorable footage was filmed at a sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica.'

A 25-year-old man has been arrested and charged in the fatal shooting of an Ellenwood teenager on Feb. 5, according to Atlanta police. Darnell Hudson turned himself in on Feb. 15 on a warrant for the murder of 17-year-old Wilton Smith-Muirhead, police said. He was charged and taken to the Fulton County Jail. The shooting happened around 3:30 p.m. in the 500 block of James P. Brawley Drive in Atlanta.

Mr. President, As a student who was shot and wounded during the Columbine massacre, I have a few thoughts on the current gun debate. In regards to your gun control initiatives: Ban on Military-Style Assault Weapons The evidence is very clear pertaining to the inadequacies of the assault weapons ban. It had little to no effect when it was in place from 1994 until 2004. It was during this time that I personally witnessed two fellow students murder twelve of my classmates and one teacher. The assault weapons ban did not deter these two murderers, nor did the other thirty-something...

Several people have been asking who I would like to see elected once Pope Benedict steps down. This is always a delicate question, for numerous reasons. First, it is quite clear that I do not, nor should I, get a vote. Whatever opinions I hold are simply that: my opinions and hopes. Second, should someone “off my list” be elected, I would not want people to think that I “disapprove.” Just like everyone else, I have various qualities that I would like to see in the new pope, but I also will pledge my undying fidelity and unceasing prayers to...

STERLING, Va. (CBSDC) — If you enjoy packing heat while sipping a hot cup of coffee, Friday is your day. Firearms owners and gun rights advocates are heading to local coffee shops to celebrate “Gun Owners Support Starbucks Day.” It’s their way of saying ‘thank you’ to the Seattle-based coffee franchise for — as they see it — not infringing on their Second Amendment rights.

An 18-year-old Florida woman was only slightly injured this week when she was shot by her friend’s oven, police said. Aalaya Walker was visiting a friend in St. Petersburg Monday when they decided they wanted some late-night waffles, The Tampa Bay Times reported. So Walker began preheating the oven—unaware that her friend, JJ Sandy, 25, was storing a magazine from his .45-caliber Glock 21 in the oven. The magazine exploded about 9 p.m. ET, spraying casing fragments at high speed and striking Walker. She managed to pick some of the fragments out of her leg and chest and then took...

Not only have they been successful, at overthrowing the corrupt Gov’t, they’ve drafted a Constitution, that will stop this from happening ever again. That’s not the best part… The best part, is that they have arrested ALL Rothschild/Rockefeller banking puppets, responsible for the Country’s economic Chaos and meltdown.

Michigan's newest member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, R-Milford, is introducing his first bill. Under the measure, small businesses could avoid sanctions for violating federal regulations if they correct the problem within a required time period. "For the 89 percent of employers in America with fewer than 20 employees, there is an ever-present fear that they may be sanctioned or even put out of business for a violation of any one of the seemingly endless array of federal regulations," Rep. Bentivolio said. "The list is so long, at over 80,000 pages, that it is almost unknowable. "This bill is...

Lawmakers in at least half a dozen states, including California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, have proposed legislation this year that would require gun owners to buy liability insurance — much as car owners are required to buy auto insurance. Doing so would give a financial incentive for safe behavior, they hope, as people with less dangerous weapons or safety locks could qualify for lower rates. “I believe that if we get the private sector and insurance companies involved in gun safety, we can help prevent a number of gun tragedies every year,” said David P. Linsky, a...

Comments The Homeland Security Department has launched a new online resource that makes cybersecurity career and training information more readily available to federal employees and the public. The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies website is part of an effort to elevate cybersecurity awareness as well as educate the government and public about education, careers and workforce development opportunities available in the cybersecurity field. “DHS is committed to working with our partners in academia and throughout the private sector to develop the next generation of cyber professionals to protect against evolving cyber threats,” said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. “NICCS...

(Click Link for Video content) Amber Lyon, former CNN reporter who lost her job as a consequence of reporting the truth about Bahraini governmental abuses, exposes how CNN international was payed to make documentaries that reflected well on the country.

Today the Defense and Prosecution will be back in court to discuss the various motions filed by both the Defense and the Prosecution: While there are many aspects to be determined, the key question before the court is will Martin family attorney, Benjamin Crump, be deposed and held to account? Judge Nelson is going to have to decide if she will allow/instruct Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump, to be deposed. This is a defining moment in more ways than most can imagine. Benjamin Crump manufactured and manipulated the evidence that led to George Zimmerman’s arrest. This is not disputed. The...