Free Republic

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."