Free Republic

With his approval rating dropping to historic lows, unemployment at an epic high and the Dow closing in the gutter, President Barack Obama is cutting his losses and taking a few days off. The president will be staying with his family at the Blue Heron Farm, a sprawling, $50,000-per-week estate with plenty of room for staff and Secret Service agents accompanying him on the trip. Mr Obama boarded Air Force One with First Dog Bo on Thursday as a new poll showed a startling loss in the commander-in-chief's favourability before he heads to Martha's Vineyard.

Israel's leftists get money for being that way, says one of them in rare confession. Are Israel's leftists pure ideologues or guns for hire? Yotam Feldman, who was born into the leftist camp – his father is liberal lawyer Avigdor Feldman – believes the latter. In a Hebrew language post at the "Eretz HaEmori" blog, Feldman says that in his life, he has witnessed how Israel's "human rights movement" became a source of income for its activists. He relates how his father's old Subaru "gradually turned" into a BMW, and how the family moved from a rented apartment in Yafo...

"In my house growing up, The Times substituted for religion," Jill Abramson told the New York Times yesterday upon being designated the paper's new executive editor. "If The Times said it, it was the absolute truth." This quote prompted blogress Ann Althouse, who is a much nicer person than we are, to contemplation: Let's analyze the analogy. A newspaper is like religion, believed in, and taken, unquestioningly, as true. Then what happens when you are in charge of it?

Joseph Stiglitz has created a frisson of excitement among the chattering classes with his recent piece in Vanity Fair. Stiglitz thinks that maybe the uprising on the Arab street will come here. His article decries the fact that in America, a small percent of the population has the greatest amount of wealth. He says they monopolize "the nation's income." The nation's income? What exactly does that phrase mean? Stiglitz' article is a classic re-statement of Marxism's critique of free enterprise. The idea that the rich somehow "control" all the wealth in the country, that they act in concert, that their...

You’re next, Ohio! President Obama’s “Organizing for America” is ramping up its efforts to protect public union privileges from the objections of tax serfs. A few thousand public union troops descended on Columbus Thursday, angry at Republican Governor John Kasich’s initiative to weaken their collective bargaining powers. A chipper article in the Huffington Post reassures us that organizing efforts are now only “a week behind” Wisconsin. And look how well that’s going! If you’re an Ohio parent, you should probably start stockpiling educational materials, so you can teach your kids after the union teachers abandon them to join protests at

Most of you won't know the name John Wiley Price, but he's obviously a man well qualified to hold a position at the Eric Holder Justice Department. What has Price, a Dallas County Commissioner, done to distinguish himself? He told a group of five citizens, "All of you are white. Go to hell!" CBSDFW.com reports on the story, writing: Six citizens addressed the court. All of them talked about the recent controversial departure of county Elections Administrator Bruce Sherbet. Sherbet, who was the Elections Administrator for 24 years, said he felt Price and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins forced him...

If it is allowed to be implemented, Obamacare will eventually do deep and irreparable harm to our nation’s budget deficit. But while Obamacare is more of a long-term threat to fiscal health at the federal level, it is a clear and present danger to the states. Of the 34 million Americans who gain health insurance through Obamacare, over half (18 million) will receive it through Medicaid. While Obamacare will pay for all of the benefit expansion for the first three years of the law, and 90% of it after that, Obamacare never pays for any of the state administrative costs...

Can't seem to FREEP today. No doubt the communists are attacking! To the barricades!!

Man paints picture of all the past presidents...surprise with Obama....

Even Willy Wonka might struggle to use this much chocolate. Yesterday, somebody bought 241,000 tonnes of cocoa beans. The purchase was enough to move the entire global cocoa market, sending the price to the highest level since 1977, and triggering rumours and intrigue in the City. It is unclear which person, or group of traders, was behind the deal, but it was the largest single cocoa trade for 14 years. The cocoa beans, which are sitting in warehouses either in The Netherlands, Hamburg, or closer to home in London, Liverpool or Humberside is equivalent to the entire supply of the...

All five constitutional challenges to Arizona's controversial new immigration enforcement law will be heard by one federal judge in Phoenix. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton already was assigned two of the cases. On Friday, she ordered the other three transferred to her. The cases at least for now remain separate, but Bolton says it's clearly in the "interest of judicial economy" to have one judge preside over all five. She also notes that all five cases remain in early stages of consideration. The Arizona law takes effect July 29 unless blocked by a court. Its provisions include a requirement that...

An Arizona state bill that would give law enforcement greater authority over arresting illegal immigrants has caused national uproar and could set the stage for court battles over how far states can go when it comes to immigration policies. The bill would it make it a crime for immigrants to have no alien registration document, and undocumented citizens would be charged with "trespassing" simply for being in Arizona. The bill allows police to question and arrest people without warrant if there is "reasonable suspicion" about their immigration status. It would become illegal for people to employ illegal immigrants or to...

Was the Bush administration’s Terrorist Surveillance Program a violation of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which forbids domestic wiretapping without a warrant? And was the New York Times’s decision to reveal the existence of the highly classified program, against warnings that it would gravely damage national security, an act of journalistic heroism and a powerful blow on behalf of civil liberties? Affirmative answers to both questions have been the standard liberal line ever since the Times broke the story of the NSA wiretapping program in December 2005. With a verdict on March 31 in the al Haramain Islamic...

If pro is opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress? Congress!

American Life League 16 March 2010 CONTACT: Katie Walker540.659.4942| kwalker@all.org  Washington, DC (16 March 2010) – Three weeks ago, a woman named Angie Jackson live-tweeted her RU-486 medical abortion obtained at Planned Parenthood. As Angie described her mental and emotional state, and detailed the pain and trauma of her experience, the story made national headlines, and captivated and horrified the nation.      Today, American Life League released its annual survey of Planned Parenthood locations. The American Life League report confirms that the nation’s largest abortion purveyor has increased the number of facilities committing medical abortions by 130 percent –...

Recent electoral successes, including Scott Brown’s landmark victory in Massachusetts, have positioned Republicans once again for a role in governing, and far sooner than they might have supposed. But are they ready to govern? It all depends, for the problem with many Republicans (and I am a Republican) is that they, along with liberals, subscribe at a visceral level to The Narrative. What is The Narrative? The Narrative is the official story about America. It is a story composed by the political left, which entered American public life with the progressive movement in the early 20th century and was elaborated...

Posted: Wednesday November 11, 2009 at 2:01 pm EST by Judie Brownhttp://www.all.org/newsroom_judieblog.php?id=2839 The problematic nature of pandering to politicians with half-measures while announcing to pro-life troops that a victory has been achieved is not a new malady. It has been a relatively consistent pattern woven into National Right to Life Committee politics for many years now.  Having said that, the problem with what is currently being said about the Stupak Amendment to the Pelosicare bill is the most egregious I have seen in my 40 years of pro-life activism. For starters, on Saturday, November 7, NRLC sent a letter to each member...

The American Life League 10 November 2009 CONTACT: Katie Walker540.659.4942| kwalker@all.org Washington, DC (10 November 2009) –On Saturday night, National Right to Life Committee and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops gave Speaker Nancy Pelosi the push she needed to pass HR 3962, the “Affordable Health Care for America Act.� Some pro-lifers heralded victory. The Stupak Amendment kept some abortion funding out of the government-run public option. Others, including American Life League, called the night a crushing blow to human rights and the battle for a culture of life. "As the health care debate moves into the Senate, the...

Note: The following text is a quote: Home • The White House Blog A Washington that is More Reflective of All of America Posted by Norm Eisen on November 09, 2009 at 04:10 PM EST Just a quick post to report on a meeting today with a group of lobbyists and others who currently chair Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITACs). The group had objected to the Administration's new policies barring the appointment (and reappointment) of federally registered lobbyists to agency boards and commissions. Although we have previously addressed their views here and here, we feel it important to meet with...

Today there are many different views and thoughts about just what the term “Sin” means. Just the word alone gives people the Hee-bee-Gee-bees. People do not like to think of themselves as “Sinners.” They say or think, “Well, I’m not that bad. I’ve never killed anyone. If you only knew the good I do...(and so on and so forth).” These statements and sentiments are expressed in attempting to justify themselves in light of the realities of their "sinful"condition. (John 3:19-21, Hebrews 6:1; 9:14). Sin, as defined in God’s Word, the Bible, is the transgression and violation of the righteousness and...

Republicans Distance Themselves From Heckler Who Shouted "You Lie!" During Obama's Speech President Obama said he accepts the apology of Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who interrupted the president's speech last night to yell, "You lie!" after a line about how health insurance would not be provided to illegal immigrants. Share The president brushes off Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during health care speech. "I'm a big believer that we all make mistakes," the president told reporters today following a meeting with his Cabinet members. "He apologized quickly and without equivocation, and I'm appreciative of that."

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) on Wednesday called for President Obama's "czars," or appointed high-level advisers, to testify before Congress about their "authority and responsibilities" in the executive branch. The president's "czars" have become a point of controversy among his opponents because they do not have to be confirmed by the Senate as cabinet-level officials do.

If the wave of terror attacks against Britain can be linked to one man, then intelligence sources say that man is Abu Ubaida Al Masri. He was the 'Holy Warrior', the veteran Muhajideen fighter chosen by Al Qaeda to bring unprecedented death and destruction. With the end of the airline bomb trial, we can reveal his extraordinary role in orchestrating at least four separate plots uncovered against the UK.

With Congress now in recess, the debate over health-care reform has moved to each member's home district. The American people have rightly been asking elected officials many probing questions. While few Americans deny we need health-insurance reform (too many people lack adequate coverage), most believe we receive the best quality health care in the world and do not want to see it compromised.

I asked Judie Brown, president of American Life League, to comment on the latest media release from the Obama-loving, vomit-inducing Catholics United calling on the Family Research Council and the Stop the Abortion Mandate campaign to "suspend these efforts immediately," with CU's executive director Chris Korzen asserting that said efforts "pose perhaps the single greatest threat to the passage of health care reform." Judie Brown's response: 'Catholics United has verbally excoriated the Family Research Council's factual campaign to expose the sordid pro-death underbelly of the Obama health care plan. By doing this Catholics United has united itself to those who...

Group [ALL] Wants Notre Dame Removed From Catholic Directory Over Obama InviteSubtitle: The [Pro-Life Group]American Life League says removing Notre Dame from the Official Catholic Directory would cut it off from a lot of Catholic foundation funding. ... Thousands of people have signed a petition through another organization to protest Obama's scheduled May 17 commencement, complaining that Obama's views on abortion and stem cell research "directly contradict" Roman Catholic teachings. But the American Life League wants punitive measures. The group's statement Wednesday said the league, after learning that the university had invited Obama and planned to give him an honorary...

Racist Margaret Sanger featured at the Smithsonian American Life League has an excellent new video out taking the taxpayer funded Smithsonian to task for celebrating Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger as one of the "Women of our time." ALL exposes Sanger in this video as a eugenicist focused on contracepting and sterilizing those she considered inferior, including the "Negro." From http://hrtl.blogspot.com/2008/11/planned-parenthoods-racist-founder.html American Life League Dear Friends of Life, It's been a little over a month since I last sent out an ALL Report, but that's because we spent that time puting together a very special and very important video report...

SCALIA THE ENEMYby Judie BrownReleased May 28, 2008It came as no surprise when a dear friend, Andy V. of Minnesota, wrote me concerning a comment Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made during an interview with Leslie Stahl on 60 Minutes on April 27. Since I never watch network programming, which is, I presume, a blessing, I simply had no idea what the Catholic Scalia had said. Perhaps you did, but in case you are uninformed, the following is from the transcript of that interview:"What is the connection between your Catholicism, your Jesuit education, and your judicial philosophy?" Stahl asks. "It...

In the 'pings' set in some comments, besides the expected member names, I have seen the word 'All'. Does that 'ping' the message to everyone who already left a comment on that thread? How about those who comment after? And are there other 'special' words, besides 'All'? Thanks.

Big boy rooster greets the hen with a whistle and the hen speaks her mind. A little funny.

YouTube apologizes, restores pro-life video Washington DC, Feb 14, 2008 / 04:51 pm (CNA).- After media coverage and numerous protests for removing a pro-life video report critical of a Planned Parenthood advertisement, the video-sharing site YouTube.com has apologized and restored the video to its site. In its apology, YouTube blamed the video’s removal on a “technical malfunction.”The video in question criticized Planned Parenthood’s “Mile High” advertisement that used an airplane setting to encourage recreational sex and contraceptive use.  The American Life League (ALL) video displayed clips of the risqué advertisement, which is also posted on YouTube.On Monday morning, the ALL...

American Life League video yanked by YouTube CNA STAFF, Feb 12, 2008 / 09:02 am (CNA).- On Monday morning, American Life League (ALL) was informed by YouTube that one of its exposé videos on Planned Parenthood was evicted from their for its “inappropriate nature.” Strangely enough, the ad that the ALL was criticizing remains on YouTube. The banned report explains how a Planned Parenthood commercial helps encourage recreational sex, which ALL’s Michael Hichborn told CNA, “helps their bottom line”. “All we did in our video report was show a couple of clips from Planned Parenthood’s ‘Mile High’ ad and illustrate...

CNA STAFF, Feb 12, 2008 / 09:02 am (CNA).- On Monday morning, American Life League (ALL) was informed by YouTube that one of its exposé videos on Planned Parenthood was evicted from their site for its “inappropriate nature.” Strangely enough, the ad that the ALL was criticizing remains on YouTube.The banned report explains how a Planned Parenthood commercial helps encourage recreational sex, which ALL’s Michael Hichborn told CNA, “helps their bottom line”.“All we did in our video report was show a couple of clips from Planned Parenthood’s ‘Mile High’ ad and illustrate how it was nothing more than a...

Contact: Michael Hichborn of American Life League, 1-540-226-9178 WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Judie Brown, president of American Life League, released the following statement concerning an order by Delaware Court of Chancery Master Sam Glasscockon to give guardianship of Lauren Richardson to her mother, who wants to remove Lauren's feeding tube. Lauren is 23 years of age and, due to a heroin overdose, is now in a persistent vegetative state. At the time of the overdose, Lauren was expecting the birth of her baby and reports indicate that she was kept alive to allow her to give birth, which she...

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq, Nov. 20, 2007 – Nearly every time Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael Pruitt flies his Apache in Iraq, his brother, Army Capt. Joseph Pruitt, knows exactly what’s happening to him, good or bad. (Left to right) Capt. Alicia Pruitt; her husband, Capt. Joseph Pruitt; his brother, Chief Warrant Officer Michael Pruitt; and his wife, Capt. Kristi Pruitt, pose for a photo at Camp Striker, Baghdad. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Both brothers’ wives, in turn, also have a finger on the safety and wellbeing of their husbands and brothers-in-law. The four Pruitts...

American Life League Unveils New Online Map With Location of All US Planned Parenthood Centers Map coordinators are hoping to encourage peaceful and prayerful protests at all PP sites. By Meg Jalsevac WASHINGTON, DC, October 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The American Life League (ALL), in cooperation with their affiliate organization STOP Planned Parenthood (STOPP), has launched a highly detailed online map that pinpoints the exact location of each of Planned Parenthood's (PP) 860 clinics across the United States.  The new webpage also provides information regarding any scheduled protests that take place on a regular basis at the PP locations. The...

Jason Atkins is going to court to fight for the right to webcast cockfights. By KEVIN SITES, FRI SEP 7, 4:38 PM PDT MIAMI - Ask Jason Atkins about the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal, and his reaction is anger and disgust. "I just thought, you know, [he's] gotta be the worst criminal I've ever seen," he says. 'Girls and Guns' is among the features on Jason Atkins' ToughSportsLive Web site. Animal rights advocates might find that response surprising, because Atkins's Web network, ToughSportsLive.com, features live cockfighting from Puerto Rico — which, while legal there, is banned now in all 50...

 Amnesty International, which formally announced two weeks ago a new worldwide policy backing women's right to abortion in some cases, is being charged with having "duped" pro-life pop stars who contributed their time and talents to a CD released to raise money by the anti-torture group for victims of violence in Darfur. "The human suffering going on right now in Darfur is horrific," said Erik Whittington, American Life League's youth outreach director and director of Rock for Life, an organization of anti-abortion musicians. "To add insult to injury, however, using this tragic abuse of human rights to raise money for...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton is ready to propose a new federal plan that would offer high-quality preschool to every 4-year-old in America. The Democratic presidential candidate says the universal Pre-K plan would cost about ten billion dollars. Speaking on NBC's "Today Show," she said evidence shows such preschool programs save money in the long run -- and that students have fewer behavioral problems and stay in school longer. The New York senator says she'd pay for universal preschool by closing tax loopholes and eliminating Bush administration programs she disagrees with. The proposal would give federal funds to states...

Planned Parenthood’s Child Molester Cover Up EXPOSED! Life Dynamics, Inc. (LDI), in partnership with Traditional Values Coalition, is providing irrefutable proof that Planned Parenthood (PP) is deliberately covering up the sexual molestation of girls! Sexual activity with underage girls is illegal in all 50 states—yet Life Dynamics discovered that Planned Parenthood counselors are willing to cover up sexual crimes against underage girls by adult males! LDI encouraged a team of girls to call PP clinics and pretend to have been sexually abused by adult males. In case after case, PP counselors willingly ignored state law to cover up these molestations...

WASHINGTON (Jan. 18, 2007) -- The Medal of Honor awarded Jan. 11 at a recent White House ceremony belongs to all service members, according to the parents of the man who earned the honor. Cpl. Jason L. Dunham of Scio, N.Y., posthumously received America's highest military decoration two years and nine months after succumbing to a mortal brain injury while fighting in Iraq. He served with K Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, based in Twentynine Palms, Calif. "We're accepting this honor for Jason, but we're also accepting this in all the servicemen and women's names," said mother Debra Dunham. "Jason...

As the year comes to a close, dozens of commentaries will be written with the goal of encapsulating the entire year into a few thousand words. As I firmly believe that only a fool would attempt to condense 365 days of activity into a few paragraphs, I won't even try. My approach is to whet your appetite so that you will learn more about a particular event this past year, and in the process become committed to living out a pro-life commitment in word and deed. Over the last twelve months two of the most articulate defenders of life, and...

All you need is ubuntu You and me, me and you, lots and lots, for us to do By Sean Coughlan BBC News Magazine Bill Clinton told the Labour conference to get into ubuntu. Eh? Ubuntu. That was what Bill Clinton told the Labour party conference it needed to remember this week. "Society is important because of Ubuntu." But what is it? Left-leaning sudoku? U2's latest album? Fish-friendly sushi? No, it's a word describing an African worldview, which translates as "I am because you are," and which means that individuals need other people to be fulfilled. The former president, husky-voiced...

Let us all celebrate the 10th year anniversary of Free Republic. I can honestly say that I have met more quality people here at FR, than I have in my personal endeavors....and my personal endeavors are all over the world. I also just want to thank my many friends I have made here at FR for their wit, intelligence, and friendship.

The cemetery where all face Mecca By Jonathan Wynne-Jones and Tom Harper (Filed: 24/09/2006) The graves in a new cemetery are to be aligned with Mecca – for Muslims and non-Muslims alike – in a move that has upset many Christians. Burial plots have, by tradition, pointed east, in line with Christian beliefs. But a council in the East Midlands has taken the controversial decision to position thousands of headstones in a new £4 million cemetery facing in a north-easterly direction. High Wood cemetery in Bulwell Muslims bury their dead facing north-east because they believe that they look over their...

Polynesian sailing myth all at sea Judy Skatssoon ABC Science Online Wednesday, 30 August 2006 Archaeolgists believe structures like the Tevaitau fort reflect hostility between population groups competing for resources (Image: Douglas Kennett) The Polynesians had trouble reaching remote South Pacific islands, according to a new study that dents their reputation as great seafarers. An archaeological study shows they settled Rapa, an island southeast of Tahiti, more recently than anyone thought. Professor Atholl Anderson, of the Australian National University, and international colleagues publish their research in the current issue of the journal Antiquity. Dating of charcoal from archaeological sites on...

NAVAL AIR STATION FALLON, Nev., Aug. 28, 2006 -- The U.S. military is capable not only of winning the war on terror, but also of fulfilling its other commitments around the world and dealing with unforeseen circumstances, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told a group of sailors and Marines here today. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld takes a picture with a sailor at the conclusion of a town hall meeting at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., Aug. 28. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, USAF  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “It would be unfortunate if other countries thought...

TV star Nasrallah impresses people on all sides in hopeful Lebanon By Patrick Bishop in Tyre (Filed: 29/08/2006) The leader of Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, became one of the most widely admired leaders in the Middle East overnight after a broadcast in which he impressed audiences of all persuasions. The lengthy, peak-time television interview was watched all over the region. Some viewers likened the portly, smiling sheikh to the Egyptian leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser, who half a century ago became a hero by defying Israel, Britain and France during the Suez crisis. Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah makes his widely admired television...

Archaeologists find 2,500-year-old mummy in Mongolia, tattoos and all Thu Aug 24, 2:18 PM ETAFP/DDP/GAI-HO Photo: This undated picture released by the German Archaeological Institute (GAI) shows a mummified body from... BERLIN (AFP) - An international group of archaeologists has unearthed a well-preserved, 2,500-year-old mummy frozen in the snowcapped mountains of Mongolia complete with blond hair, tattoos and a felt hat. The president of the German Archaeological Institute, Hermann Parzinger, hailed the "fabulous find" at a press conference to present the 28-member team's discovery in Berlin. The Scythian warrior was found in June at a height of 2,600 meters (8,500...