Free Republic

Put the fireworks in storage. Cancel the parade. Tuck the soaring speeches in a drawer for another time. This year, America doesn't deserve to celebrate its birthday. This Fourth of July should be a day of quiet and atonement. For we have sinned. We have failed to pay attention. We've settled for lame excuses. We've spit on the memory of those who did that brave, brave thing in Philadelphia 232 years ago. The America those men founded should never torture a prisoner. The America they founded should never imprison people for years without charge or hearing. The America they founded...

As they map out a strategy against Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Barack Obama and his advisers plan to emphasize big themes and generational contrasts. .... More broadly, Obama will be using the theme of "yesterday versus tomorrow," with McCain billed as the candidate of the past and Obama as the candidate of the future. This would also bring the age issue into the campaign. McCain would be the oldest person ever sworn in as president, at 72, and many Americans have expressed concern to pollsters that the Arizona senator is past his prime.

Historians credit left-wingers with coining "politics of fear" to belittle Sen. Joseph McCarthy's campaign against communists in the U.S. government. The phrase went into hibernation in the 1960s, a torpidity even warmonger-in-waiting Lyndon Johnson's daisy-girl ad couldn't disturb, only to reemerge in the 1980s to denigrate Ronald Reagan's Cold War-winning strategy. These days, the phrase has become the lefties' No. 1 rhetorical trump card against the war against Islamic terrorism. To them, Americans have more to fear from the Bush administration than from the terrorists who seek to bring America to heel. Sen. Barack Obama uses it in almost every...

In the wake of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, Wolf Blitzer of CNN made much of an e-mail, exclusively provided to him by a close associate of Bhutto and a Hillary Clinton supporter, casting blame on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for her murder. We can now understand why Musharraf’s November 3 state-of-emergency decree took foreign news outlets like CNN off the air. Musharraf, who is one of the main targets of the Al Qaida international terrorist organization, recognizes that the so-called “CNN effect” in global affairs can destabilize foreign governments, including his own. It’s no wonder that he recently complained about being...

World climate talks in Bali have gone into their scheduled last day amid fierce disagreement over targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. EU ministers have warned they will boycott a US-led climate summit next month unless the Bush administration backs firm targets for emissions cuts. The US favours allowing governments to set voluntary targets. Indonesia is trying to broker a compromise that would remove firm targets from the final text. Delegates spoke of some progress behind the scenes. My own country, the US, is principally responsible for obstructing progress in Bali Al Gore Q and A: Bali summit "We are...

Is Ron Paul crazy for his position on the war and for criticizing our nation's foreign policy? Many believe this to be the case. But, might we be mischaracterizing Ron Paul by over simplifying or clouding the issues? A much closer examination based on facts and sound principles is in order. In the end I will conclude that Ron Paul is indeed crazy. Sorry to spoil it for you. There are many things in his favor. To answer pressing questions of our time, Ron Paul relies on historical facts many American's are ignorant of. He isn't afraid to reveal clandestine...

CHICAGO - Late on a balmy Friday night in Wicker Park, a gentrifying neighborhood just northwest of the Loop, a small tribe of 20-somethings gathers outside a corner bar. Their leader, a petite, energetic 25-year-old named Meghann Walker, hands out leaflets to people heading inside. "Do you guys know Ron Paul is going to be in town tomorrow?" Walker asks a short-haired young woman in jeans and flip-flops. "There'll be a lot of good people there, that's for sure."

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress signaled its disapproval of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with a vote Tuesday to tighten sanctions against his government and a call to designate his army a terrorist group. The swift rebuke was a rare display of bipartisan cooperation in a Congress bitterly divided on the Iraq war. It reflected lawmakers' long-standing nervousness about Tehran's intentions in the region, particularly toward Israel—a sentiment fueled by the pro-Israeli lobby whose influence reaches across party lines in Congress. "Iran faces a choice between a very big carrot and a very sharp stick," said Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the...

CPT Part 1 - A Corrupt, Un-Christian Legacy In 1984, Ron Sider's impassioned speech in Strasbourg, France, at the Mennonite World Conference, led to the formation of the "Christian Peacemaker Teams". No matter how sound the original idea, it quickly became corrupted into yet another leftist, blame-America group. The use of Vietnam-era war protester and socialist Gene Stoltzfus as the first director of the group made it clear what direction the group would follow. I will put up more details when I have a chance, but for now, let's look at where CPT is not: CPT's supposed expertise in encouraging...

by Mark Finkelstein August 17, 2006 - 07:00 Here are the facts: On 9/11, the occupants of a hotel right across from the WTC flee their rooms. A hotel security guard informs the FBI that in the room-safe of an Egyptian hotel guest, he found an aviation radio. The radio could be used to communicate with airborne pilots. The Egyptian, Abdallah Higazy, who is attending college in the US, is arrested, and undergoes tough interrogation, including suggestions that his family could be subjected to investigation by Egyptian security. After offering various implausible stories, the Egyptian admits that the radio is...

To: xxxxx Friends, Let the resounding defeat of Senator Joe Lieberman send a cold shiver down the spine of every Democrat who supported the invasion of Iraq and who continues to support, in any way, this senseless, immoral, unwinnable war. Make no mistake about it: We, the majority of Americans, want this war ended -- and we will actively work to defeat each and every one of you who does not support an immediate end to this war. Nearly every Democrat set to run for president in 2008 is responsible for this war. They voted for it or they supported...

The urgency of halting the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and moving toward their elimination, could hardly be greater. Failure to do so is almost certain to lead to grim consequences, even the end of biology's only experiment with higher intelligence. As threatening as the crisis is, the means exist to defuse it. A near-meltdown seems to be imminent over Iran and its nuclear programmes. Before 1979, when the Shah was in power, Washington strongly supported these programmes. Today the standard claim is that Iran has no need for nuclear power, and therefore must be pursuing a secret weapons programme. "For...

It's all our fault, yours and mine. It doesn't matter what for, specifically; we're to blame for everything. Our lax attitude toward greenhouse-gas emissions and global warming is why Northern Europe is having a colder-than-normal winter - or is it warmer than normal? The Americans and their crazy government, you know. And it's our fault that the polar bears are - or maybe are not - in danger. And don't even get them started on what U.S.-developed genetically modified foods are going to do to the planet. A little American carelessness, a few genes go haywire, and suddenly we're beset...

Karen Hughes, President Bush’s newest undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and the caretaker of America’s image abroad, has her work cut out for her. A Zogby survey of 3,900 Arabs in Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates has uncovered massive distrust of U.S. motives in the Middle East. Unkindest cut of all, Arabs would prefer that President Chirac and France lead the world rather than us, and, rather than have us as the world’s lone superpower, they would prefer the Chinese. While Arabs are not as rabidly anti-American as in the aftermath of the...

Sgt. Mark Seavey was outnumbered, but not alone at the moonbat townhall hosted by Reps. Jim Moran and John Murtha last week. Near the end of the marathon session, a Vietnam veteran, General Wagner, stepped up to the microphone to deliver a message from the mother of an Iraqi war vet who gave his life for his country and for the mission. After reading a scathing letter addressed to Murtha, Wagner talked about his own experience in Vietnam: General Wagner speaks the truth Download the video (.wmv file). A snippet of Wagner's remarks: I visit Walter Reed [Army Hospital] and...

PATRIOT GUARDS: FIGHTING THE HATRED By Michelle Malkin   ·   December 27, 2005 01:50 PM The execrable Fred Phelps and his "church" continue to disrupt the funerals of fallen soldiers across the country. Jim Hoft has the latest. The good news is that veteran bikers of all political stripes have united to form the Patriot Guard Riders. Their mission: We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us. We don’t care what you ride, what your political...

UN-MERRY CHRISTMAS, N.Y. TIMES By Michelle Malkin   ·   December 23, 2005 10:23 AM Here's what Chicken Little journalism gets you: Hat tip: Gerard Van der Leun at The American Digest, which you should be reading every day.

Cindy Sheehan, anti-war movement icon, has deep ties to the Code Pink organization. Will she be going on their, "Friendship Delegation" to Cuba in January? Or on their communist pilgrimage to Venezuala to attend the World Social[ist] Forum in February? Code Pink is yet another anti-war organization, socialist in orientation and leadership, that is dishonest about their goals and aims, tirelessly calling the United States an oppressive terrorist power. Let's go to Cuba? Feel like Bush is trying to crush your dissent? Tired of chanting death to America at anti-war rallies only to find that the American people won't join...

This coming Monday October 24th is the official release date for Michelle Malkin's new book, "Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild". ===== ===== At Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0895260301/ ===== From the Inside FlapUn·hinged adj : affected with madness or insanity; [syn: brainsick, crazy, demented, distracted, disturbed, mad, sick, unbalanced] - The American Heritage Dictionary *** Warning: Unhinged liberals are hazardous to the nation’s health. They’re slashing your tires. Burning your lawns. Heaving pies at Republican pundits. Hurling racist epithets at minority conservatives. Nursing nutty conspiracy theories. And pining publicly for the murder of President Bush. And they call us crazy? In Unhinged: Liberals...

THE United States is “America” to most people. But that word refers to the continent. When applied to the United States, it is better spelled with a “k,” as in “swastika.” It’s the country most Filipinos want to visit. But if you’ve ever been involved in any group or activity faintly progressive; if you have relatives or friends who have been there; or you’re from a country that its officials say harbors “terrorist groups,” you’d be tempting fate to go there. No matter how vague or past your involvement, it could earn you a strip search, an interrogation session with...

Anti-Americanism is a phenomenon which, though common and ubiquitous, is difficult to explain because it is illogical, irrational, contradictory, and mysteriously primitive. A good deal of it is parroting. And, oddly enough, a parrot has recently emerged in England which may cast light on the subject. This bird had been owned by a long-distance truck driver who emigrated, bequeathing it to a bird sanctuary. There it behaved well; but there were exceptions. In succession, a local mayor, wearing his chain of office, a police inspector, and a female vicar — all visitors to the sanctuary — were subjected to four-letter...

I'm watching Larry King Live and I notice that he (and Anderson Cooper, CNN in general, and Keith Olbermann) are all expressing outrage at the lack of support to the people of New Orleans that have been without food or water for 3 days. However, Larry King's guests are all Republicans. Not a single Democrat or member of LA government has been on his show. Not a single mention of the LA government's previous evacuation plan, especially with regards to transportation to those on welfare with no savings. I know it's still early and we shouldn't be blaming anyone, but...

By: Michael Medved Monday, Aug 22, 2005 At the end of August the American Left wallowed joyously in 1960's nostalgia, taking comfort and joy in the alleged parallel between the wars in Vietnam and Iraq. Grey-haired folksinger Joan Baez, startling millions with the revelation that she is still alive, found her way to Crawford, Texas, where she delivered an impromptu protest concert (including the insufferable "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?") for several hundred supporters. At the same time, Senator (and Vietnam vet) Chuck Hagel curried favor with the mainstream media (cementing his claim to the coveted epithet "maverick") with...

Full Blown Humanitarian Crisis in NigerArmstrong Williams August 8, 2005Niger is facing a holocaust. Famine has ravaged the nation. Inflation is vertical and shows no signs of slowing down. Nearly a million children are facing starvation, after severe drought and locust swarms wiped out much of Niger's vegetation and livestock last year. Already the second poorest nation in the world, where one in four children under the age of 5 dies each year of hunger, the death toll now threatens to exceed any war or famine in the modern era, if only because no end appears in sight. Each day...

Where are they? Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are the supermen of the civil rights establishment — able to leap tall buildings in a single bound to get in front of a picket line. When victim politics calls, the demagogic duo leap into patented action: March. Boycott. Shakedown. Repeat. But the raging reverends are nowhere to be found as a scandal involving the liberal radio network Air America and a Bronx, N.Y.-based inner city charity for poor children brews. Why the silence?

<p>HERE'S one thing New Yorkers do not need — Colorado pin heads telling us what to think.</p> <p>Just last week, the Aspen Institute was an obscure, left-listing think tank boasting a high-fallutin' roster of billionaires, moguls and retired government types, who regularly gather in a circle in the Rocky Mountains to think Big Thoughts.</p>

I guess Kerry really is as dumb as his mediocre college grades suggest. Check out his latest email to supporters, below. Here's a guy who lost in 2004 due to being rightfully painted as a flip-flopper. So of what does he accuse W? Of being resolute! Throw us in that briar patch, Mr. Teresa, please! Also, note his disingenuous claim that "I've never met an American who doesn't want to see America succeed in Iraq." Does Kerry expect us to believe that he hasn't met Michael Moore, an honored guest at Kerry's convention? ------------------------------------ Dear , Last night the President...

I am abnormal and wish to explain. I am abnormal, according to leftist extremist Reggie Rivers, who writes a column in the Denver Post, because I believe in defending (and have defended with my life, as have millions more true Americans) the flag which represents the principles for which so many Americans have died. Frankly, I am proud to be so abnormal. In his latest anti-American tirade in the way-to-the-left Post, "Radical Reggie" continues his never-ending attacks on America by stating that "the flag is not without its problems." People like Osama bin Laden love it when Americans attack their...

What do our students understand about the war we’re in and how we are fighting it? With all the condemnations from political groups, the media and the Blame America First crowd, what do our young adults believe about our nation? That question is second only to the question of what we have to do to win the war, and not only because our young adults are called on to fight it. This war will outlast our generation and eventually it will be they who have to reckon with our enemies and decide our course. We – and they -- are...

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (AP) - Mourners honored Friday a border police chief gunned down just hours after taking over the post, while President Vicente Fox's spokesman said the United States shares some responsibility for the problem of border violence.'snip'Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, presedential spokesman Ruben Aguilar said the federal government "recognizes the violence in the northern region. It can't be ignored."This is a problem in which the United States also shares responsibility, and that can be solved only through the mutual action of both countries," aguilar said.Aguilar conceded that there had been "a breakdown of society in some...

I don't watch the Bill Maher show on HBO. I haven't thought much about him since he had a show on ABC and implied that the 9/11 attackers were courageous for flying hijacked planes into buildings and killing 3,000 people. At the same time, Maher said that the U.S. was cowardly for attacking terrorist bases in Afghanistan by launching cruise missiles from ships at sea. He is supposed to be a comedian but also tries to come across as someone who makes serious and thoughtful points about political issues. We had to take another look at Maher because after he...

Most Americans have not been paying attention to the bureaucratic wrangling and political jockeying that has plagued the construction of the World Trade Center Memorial at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. But it’s not just New Yorkers and developers and 9/11 families who should care. A good portion of the project is federally subsidized. All of us have not only a financial stake, but also a moral stake, in protecting the honor of the victims­ and the dignity of our country. A Blame America Monument is not what we need or deserve. But it looks like one is already in...

Doctors in Belgium recently released an injured Iraqi girl who was wounded during the US invasion. The hospital billed the US embassy. One of the docs said, "I bet they won't pay." The bill is 66K. I thought maybe we could raise the money (using our tax returns) and pay it off with a little extra for the girl to show this moron up. Any takers? Anyone wanna get a .org going and get this taken care of real quick? If we could raise 60K+ for this website, don't ya think this is worth it - help an Iraqi girl...

Maggie Gyllenhaal has waded into sensitive political waters by raising questions about Sept. 11 and American foreign policy. The 27-year-old actress, who stars in a new film about the 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center, said in an interview last week that the United States "is responsible in some way" for the attacks.

STATEMENT BY SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY ON ANNIVERSARY OF ABU GHRAIB SCANDAL The sad anniversary of the Abu Ghraib torture scandal is now upon us. It's an appropriate time to reflect on how well we've responded as a nation. The images of cruelty, and perversion are still difficult to look at a year later. An Iraqi prisoner in a dark hood and cape, standing on a cardboard box with electrodes attached to his body. Naked men forced to simulate sex acts on each other. The corpse of a man who had been beaten to death, lying in ice, next to...

Once again, the NYTIMES is using the catch-22 agains the US - damned if you do (Iraq), damned if you don't (Sudan). Clown boy's article claims that MTV has been more outspoken and active on Sudan than Bush. The author doesn't mention once the UN, French, Canadian, and Chinese misteps on this issue of course. Bush is writing another chapter of looking the other way on geocide in Sudan. "President Bush seems paralyzed in the face of the slaughter. He has done a fine job of providing humanitarian relief, but he has refused to confront Sudan forcefully or raise the...

In the absence of God, blame has become our prevailing religion FIRST COMES the horror, the chilling horror of the disaster. Then comes the craving for statistics, as if to calibrate a response. Then come the anecdotes, the charity and finally the blame. None is so compelling as the blame. Blame somehow softens the horror. It mutates charity into insurance. There will be post mortems aplenty on the Indian Ocean tsunami. That the world could organise a warning system for the Pacific Ocean because it borders Japan and America but not for the poorer Indian Ocean will be deplored. So...

I was watching CNN's Inside Politics today (no transcript up yet) and they had a panel on - someone from the Washington Post, LA Times (Ron Brownstein) and Time magazine (Karen Tumulty). They were discussing our response to the disaster and the host of the program mentioned that the UN called our response "stingy". Then the panel went on to talk about how we "fumbled" this and were basically AWOL for one day. This just really made my blood boil. What have other countries done? The Brits say over 10,000 of their citizens were on holiday in that area. It's...

Americans weigh down cruise ship 07dec04 DOZENS of seats on the world's most luxurious cruise liner have collapsed under the weight of obese American passengers. The chairs -- on the Queen Mary 2 -- are being replaced or repaired. The seating is mainly in the bar and restaurant areas. Alstom Chantiers, the French company that provided the liner with all its fixtures and fittings, claimed many of the chairs had buckled under the weight of larger passengers. "There are some things that need to be changed or replaced," said a spokesman. "For instance, there are some problems with the chairs...

NEVER MIND FACTS,BLAME AMERICAInstead Of Waiting For Full Story, Kerry Gins Up His Attack Machine Based On Flawed New York Times Reporting________________________________________________NEW YORK TIMES’ INK BARELY DRY BEFORE KERRY ON ATTACKBefore 1:30 am Monday Morning, Kerry Campaign Advisor Joe Lockhart Alleged Cover Up.  “Today, the Bush administration must answer for what may be the most grave and catastrophic mistake in a tragic series of blunders in Iraq. How did they fail to secure nearly 380 tons of known, deadly explosives despite clear warnings from the International Atomic Energy Agency to do so?   And why was this information unearthed by reporters...

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes said Monday that women who choose to undergo abortions and the physicians who perform the procedure are essentially terrorists because "the evil is the same." The remarks came as Keyes was explaining why three months ago he said that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were a "warning" from God to "wake up" and stop "the evil" of abortion. "Now, you think it's a coincidence that on September 11th, 2001, we were struck by terrorists an evil that has at its heart the disregard of innocent human life?" Keyes said in a May 7 speech...

Elton John has said stars are scared to speak out against war in Iraq because of "bullying tactics" used by the US government to hinder free speech. "There's an atmosphere of fear in America right now that is deadly. Everyone is too career-conscious," he told New York magazine, Interview. Sir Elton said performers could be "frightened by the current administration's bullying tactics", The singer likened the current "fear factor" to McCarthyism in the 1950s. "There was a moment about a year ago when you couldn't say a word about anything in this country for fear of your career being shot...

The singer who brought us Nipplegate feels that she’s the victim of “a plot by conservative forces” in the U.S. according to the Sunday Express of London. “I was used just to take the attention off what was really going on in the world,” Jackson told the paper. “A lot of things that actually happened, the after-effects, all that was already on the desk but everyone’s trying to point the finger, ‘See what you did, see what you did.’ I didn’t do anything. It was going to happen at some point with someone, it just so happened to be me....

While Americans and Iraqis cheered when Saddam Hussein was dragged from his spider hole in December, there were, obviously, a few notable exceptions. While Saddam loyalists and anti-American Arabs pouted in gloom and doom, back in the U.S. an anti-American poetry hit parade, entitled “My America,” was held shortly after Saddam’s capture. It was the grand finale of San Francisco State University’s fall semester. Even as TV screens showed the captured Hitler of the Middle East in all his pathetic, unkempt glory, the anti-war show on campus continued. As a part of the Creative Writing Department curriculum, more than a hundred and fifty SFSU students...

Given Jon Kerry's now front running status, I thought it would be important to go back and look at his immediate post 911 comments on Fox News Sunday. He rolled out the classic blame America line and implied we were contributory in provoking attacks by our hostility and policies that alienated people. Here's the interview transcript: SNOW: Senator Kerry, earlier on the broadcast -- I want to go back to something you mentioned earlier. Earlier on the broadcast, Attorney General Ashcroft was talking about a series of changes he thinks we need to do to improve our domestic vigilance. You...

Today, we're not asking you to contact your Congressman or Senators to stop another liberal bill. We're not asking you to sign a petition to support a conservative cause. We're not even asking you to donate to a worthy conservative candidate for office. Nope... we're just asking you to throw a party. http://www.rightmarch.net Not a huge party, just a small gathering of your friends, family and acquaintances of your own choosing. No strangers will show up unannounced (unless your friends invite them!). What we're doing is countering an action that the far left group MoveOn.org is spearheading -- "house parties"...

BLAME AMERICA REDUX “I think this President has made a reckless blunder and we are now targets in Iraq….We are in trouble and need the help of all the countries the president insulted before the war in Iraq.” --Howard Dean (September 8, 2003) It’s time to take a step back from the smug, sanctimonious “see-I-told-you-so” rhetoric on Iraq that is dominating the media landscape. Opportunistic Democrats, anti-war radicals, and their friends at the New York Times editorial page have been glowing of late. The more the situation in Iraq seems to be deteriorating, the more gleeful these elites are. Does...

In pursuit of ethnic harmony Waukesha activists seek to end racism by 2006 By SCOTT WILLIAMSswilliams@journalsentinel.com Last Updated: July 30, 2003 Waukesha - Convinced that American racism played a role in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Waukesha County activists are planning a major new effort to promote racial and ethnic harmony. Quotable We need to understand the world; we need to accept theworld. - Mary Baer,co-chairwoman of the Waukesha County Diversity Task Force The kickoff date: the second anniversary of the day of horror. A coalition that includes the YWCA of Waukesha, Waukesha School District and many other groups will...

<p>Those damnable jerks. You'd think they'd be grateful. You'd think they'd applaud and cheer wildly and grovel and offer us their prettiest first-born daughters or at least politely and on bended knee acknowledge our big oily happy capitalist Christian largesse.</p>