Free Republic

JENKS, Okla. (CNN/KOTV) - It was supposed to be just a practice. But an Oklahoma high school freshman managed to ace one the nation's toughest exams on her first try. Jolee Potts, only 15 years old, earned a perfect score on the ACT. "I just took it as practice my freshman year and I figured I'd take it again junior or senior year, so... I don't have to now," said Potts. Her freshman schedule is packed with four AP classes, Latin and orchestra where she plays the viola. She also makes award-winning documentaries. Potts says going into her first college...

FDIC's expanded authority is part of the 2,300-page Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act signed into law on July 21. The new regime for dissolving megacompanies -- one with almost no judicial oversight and in which creditors' rights are few. A company has essentially no choice about the FDIC taking over as receiver. "It may be difficult to try to draw a box around what that is," said Renée Dailey

Average scores on the ACT college entrance exam inched downward this year, yet slightly more students who took the test proved to be prepared for college, according to a report released Wednesday. The findings sound contradictory. But the exam's authors point to a growing and more diverse group of test-takers — many are likely scoring lower overall, but more are also meeting benchmarks used to measure college readiness. Last spring's high-school seniors averaged a composite score of 21.0 on the test's scale of 1 to 36, down slightly from 21.1 last year and the lowest score of the last five...

Feisal Abdul Rauf, born in Kuwait in 1948, boasts of his issue from an “Egyptian family steeped in religious scholarship.” 1 He presents himself as a Muslim moderate.2 Yet Feisal Rauf's Muslim Brotherhood provenance, radical by definition, is as authentic as it gets. Evidence of family, and direct Rauf Muslim Brotherhood connections * Rauf's father Dr. Muhammad Abdul Rauf (1917-2004), was an Egyptian contemporary of Muslim Brotherhood (MB) founder Hassan al-Banna. * Rauf's father studied and taught at Islam's closest equivalent to the Vatican --- Al-Azhar University --- beside Hassan al-Banna, perpetuating the pious family tradition of radicalism. * In...

Q: Sir, about the Jones Act, has this been waived? And if so, where are the foreign vessels? ADMIRAL ALLEN: Oh, there are a lot of foreign vessels operating offshore, Carol. The Jones Act—we have had no request for Jones Act waivers. If the vessels are operating outside state waters, which is three miles and beyond, they don't require a waiver. All that we require is an Affirmation of Reciprocity, so if there ever was a spill in those countries and we want to send skimming equipment, that we would be allowed to do that, as well, and that hasn't...

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR5175, also known as the Disclose Act, by a 219-206 vote. "Disclose," you see, is an acronym for "Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections." The measure's author, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., also happens to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee -- so you know that the bill has nothing to do with helping Democrats retain their seats. (Just kidding.) Two Republicans voted for the measure; 36 Democrats voted against it. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it deserves to molder. This bill may have passed...

Day 53 of the Gulf oil disaster and no end in sight!On Day 52, I asked: "Does Obama Care More About Protecting Unions Than Cleaning Up Oil Spill? Why hasn't he accepted cleanup help from friends overseas?" Today, we have another report on the Jones Act. Pay special attention to the words of James Carafano from the Heritage Foundation: [VIDEO AT SITE] Jones Act Slowing Oil Spill Cleanup? by: Brian Wilson Fox News June 10, 2010 ...After 50 plus days of oil flowing freely into the gulf, the question could be asked: Why do effective and proven foreign clean up...

When the administration slapped the wrist of one of its top technology officials this spring for violating Barack Obama’s ethics pledge, a spokesman claimed the breaches were isolated incidents. But a Daily Caller investigation reveals a cavalier attitude at the Obama White House toward longstanding safeguards designed to prevent abuses of the Presidential Records Act and other laws – including acts that carry serious legal implications. Two sources say a top White House technology official, Chief Information Officer Brook Colangelo, routinely asked technology vendors for special deals based on his position as a public official.

One of most ironic and stupid things about Congress is its propensity to name bills in a manner that has nothing to do with the substance of the bill. One example is the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. It had nothing to do with responsibility. The newest boondoggle is a monstrosity called DISCLOSE. It stands for Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act, or DISCLOSE Act. It won't strengthen democracy and it wouldn't cast light on anything. An analysis reported in the WSJ shows how wrong things would go. The Disclose Act exacerbates many of these...

After a week of preemptive attacks on a possible IMF bailout of Greece, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) introduces the European Bailout Protection Act, aimed at preventing taxpayer dollars from going to a rescue plan. "This legislation would require that countries like Greece cut spending and put their own fiscal house in order," says Pence, backed up by other members of the House GOP, "instead of looking to the United States for a bailout. We face record unemployment and a debt crisis of our own, and American taxpayers should not be forced to bear the risk for nations that have avoided...

Caught in the ACT Malcolm A. Kline, April 28, 2010 Although public schools like to trumpet their relevance, the education they deliver usually shows how out of touch they are. “Of the 1.5 million high school graduates who took the ACT during academic year 2008-2009, 33 percent were not ready for college-level English, 47 percent were not ready for college social science, 58 percent were not ready for College Algebra, and 72 percent were not ready for college Biology,” Cynthia B. Schmeiser, the president of the education division of ACT, Inc., told a Senate committee today. “Overall, only 23 percent...

WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives reauthorized the Patriot Act for one year Thursday. The vote was 315-97 . Many liberals in the House opposed the controversial act, saying it tramps Constitutional protections and civil liberties. *snip* The Senate ok'd the package earlier this week. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law.

Obama Quietly Backs Patriot Act ProvisionsWilliam Fisher NEW YORK, 23 Nov (IPS) - With the health care debate preoccupying the mainstream media, it has gone virtually unreported that the Barack Obama administration is quietly supporting renewal of provisions of the George W. Bush-era USA Patriot Act that civil libertarians say infringe on basic freedoms. And it is reportedly doing so over the objections of some prominent Democrats. When a panicky Congress passed the act 45 days after the terrorist attacks of Sep. 11, 2001, three contentious parts of the law were scheduled to expire at the end of next month,...

The Heroic ActThe Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a hero as "a mythological or legendary figure of great strength or ability; or a man admired for his achievements and qualities." A hero goes above and beyond the call of duty to help others. It is someone who has made a sacrifice for the benefit of those who could not help themselves.There are heroes in the Catholic Church. They are the canonized saints. It is true, that all people who enter Heaven are saints, but the canonized saints have done something that is extraordinary and have been made role models for future generations...

Note: The following text is a quote: Maryland Scientist Charged with Attempted Espionage WASHINGTON—A Maryland scientist who once worked in varying capacities for the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been arrested for attempted espionage, David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Channing D. Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director for the FBI’s Washington Field Office, announced today. A criminal complaint unsealed today in the District of Columbia charges Stewart David Nozette, 52, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, with attempted espionage for...

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qxjocm5fCc Video Description - quote: "Homosexuals Must Be Killed" Muslims speak out - Muslim Day Washington, DC October 16, 2009 Disturbing video of Shariah Law anti-gay sentiment uncovered by ACT for America Randy McDaniels (Jacksonville, FL) during Muslim Day prayer event Washington, DC Category: News & Politics Tags: Muslim Day ACT for America Washington DC Homosexual Gay

Patrick Gaspard, considered one of the most powerful figures in the Obama White House, is a "longtime ACORN operative" and former union official, according to a report posted Monday on the American Spectator's online blog. Gaspard's name recently surfaced as the official President Obama dispatched to urge beleaguered New York Gov. David Paterson not to run for another term. Paterson insists he'll continue to run for governor even without Obama's support. Gaspard has extensive ties to organized labor and community-organizing groups. One measure of his influence in the White House: He holds the same "political affairs director" title that belonged...

Many of us are having discussions today about the meaning of the gatherings yesterday. I am sure many are thinking in terms of a new political party. I would suggest another direction. The pitfalls of a 3rd party have been made manifest many times in the past. Furthermore, some of our Founding Fathers warned of the dangers of party loyalty. How else might we hold fast to Constitutionalism/Conservatism/Capitalism/ and not be held hostage to a political party whose members too frequently clash with these principles? I suggest a permanently grass-roots association of patriots who strictly adhere to the idea of...

In a speech to the AFL-CIO, the president accuses critics and special interests of using scare tactics and spreading 'lies' in healthcare debate. Reporting from Cincinnati - In a combative Labor Day speech, President Obama said that the healthcare debate had gone on too long and accused opponents of spreading "lies" meant to persuade Americans that his proposed overhaul would cruelly deny care to the elderly. The president, speaking at an AFL-CIO picnic, said that "special interests" were determined to "scare the heck out of people.

Compared with other students, homeschoolers scored higher than the national average on this year’s ACT, a national standardized test used to gauge educational development and college readiness. Like the SAT, ACT scores are used in the college admissions process to evaluate applicants. Virtually all colleges accept either test, Ed Colby, spokesman for the ACT, told CNSNews.com. Scores are based on the 1.48 million students who graduated in 2009, Colby said. Among those students were 11,535 homeschoolers, he said. Homeschoolers are further prepared for college because they must take initiative to accomplish projects, Slatter said.