Free Republic

8 years ago today, August 8, 2006, my friend Matt Hooten took his own life. He was just 23 years old. I’ve wanted to write about his death for years but the pain and the emotion involved in doing so was something I had not yet had the courage for.

Majority of the Inspectors General find themselves unable to perform their duties to audit the federal government Inspectors General (yes, that’s the plural) are considered watchdogs for the government. Their jobs primarily focus on “uncovering waste, fraud, and mismanagement”, which is an important function to keep government programs and agencies in check. A serious breach of trust is evident, therefore, when 47 of 73 Inspectors General pen a letter to Congress describing “serious limitations on access to records.” That’s 64% of the total watchdogs who express such concerns.

Obama's Cairo Speach: A self-deluded fool gave it, a man determined to avoid confronting the enemies of mankind until an Islamic-inspired genocide required it “A greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: assalaamu alaykum” The speaker had what one might imagine, given his background, a better insight into Islam, Muslims, and the Middle East than others who had preceded him. He said he was seeking “a new beginning” that was “based on mutual interests and mutual respect” because his nation and those in the Middle East shared “common principles—principles of justice and progress, tolerance and dignity of all...

No acronyms for the Islamic State: The acronym IS, formerly ISIS, should be banned from the public lexicon. Call IS what it is: The Islamic State and its blood-drenched “caliphate”. Al Qaeda was called al Qaeda and no one ever identified it as AQ. That President Barack Obama put al Qaeda on the run, a plank during his 2012 re-election bid, is a lie evidenced by the fact the new caliphate put Christians on the run in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere.

Do Christians Have a Duty to Remove Bad Officials From Office? In the previous article we asked, “Do Americans have a right to oppose unjust authority?” Such a right was obviously assumed by the Founders. We likewise examined whether Christians have such a right, as well. In answer, we found the earliest theories regarding what became Resistance Theory resulted from the assumptions of the Protestant Reformation being applied to society during various crises involving early Protestant communities. Therefore, whether such a right truly exists, the entire theory was proposed by Protestants, using biblical, historic and classical arguments, ostensibly to achieve...

Michael Yaki, a Democrat who has worked for Nancy Pelosi and is now a United States Civil Rights Commissioner, believes that college students are too stupid to be allowed to exercise freedom of speech. His remarks were made in regard to whether there should be campus speech codes. In fact he thinks these codes should be tightened. With breathtaking hubris and not even a single ounce of self-consciousness, this classic Democrat saboteur said, “Certain factors in how the juvenile or adolescent or young adult brain processes information is vastly different from the way that we adults do.” Yaki went on...

If a Secret Service agent were to tell you that candidate Obama or President George W. Bush have attended events in a post-9/11 era in which magnetometer screening was waived because of overflow crowds, would this shock you? What if said agent were to note that when Vice President Biden threw out a first pitch at the Baltimore Orioles season opener in April of 2009 before 48,607 fans, literally none of them had been screened with magnetometers, while Biden himself was not wearing a bulletproof vest? Author Ronald Kessler alleges these stories and many more in his new book, “The...

When one speaks with fellow Republicans about the future of the GOP, it is common to receive some negative feedback. This is because many conservative/libertarian Republicans feel the party has simply not done enough to challenge the Obama agenda. There is a widespread feeling among the rank and file that the country is hurtling toward socialism while Republican leaders sit on the sidelines and either do nothing or propose ways to manage socialism more effectively. ... I have given up on the GOP and am simply not sure it can ever be reformed. ... For a Third Party to be...

Worried about the spread of Ebola in the United States? A Boston Globe-owned website has some advice for you: shut the f— up! Unlike here, the tweet embedded in the middle of a Boston.com story about increasing fear of the virus doesn’t use the dashes. And its inclusion is no accident: the flow chart graphic is central to their coverage. It’s just one of several stories underscoring the relatively bizarre approach our media is taking to Ebola’s spread. Number one: anyone worried about it is a paranoid, delusional freak and two, let’s use this as a new way to bash...

The sign of peace at Mass has not always led to serenity among liturgists or within the congregations gathered each Sunday in Catholic churches around the world. After nine years of study and consultation, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments has told Latin-rite bishops around the world that the sign of peace will stay where it is in the Mass. However, the congregation said, “if it is foreseen that it will not take place properly,” it can be omitted. But when it is used, it must be done with dignity and awareness that it is not a liturgical...

Wall Street, the Fed and the oval office are determined to convince you that the U.S. economy is on the upswing. After all, the economy grew at a 4% annualized rate in the second quarter.  And jobs growth continues to exceed 200,000 new jobs monthly — assuming, of course, that you buy into the manipulations used to calculate the jobs picture and disregard the inconvenient truth that our economy is gaining more low-wage part-time jobs and losing more higher-wage full-time jobs. So, apparently, life outside my front door is hunky-dory, peachy-keen and all-around nifty — at least that’s what...

What’s the fastest way to admit guilt? Censor the truth. Reader, you put the pieces together on this one, and trust your instincts. What follows is a true account of the events of 48 hours, and more broadly, of several years. It is a microcosm of everything that is wrong with American politics in the Age of Obama, where both parties are complicit in a national suicide pact. Beyond the corrupt politics of petty corruption, the political establishment is not only silent about an ongoing genocide in the Middle East and North Africa, but actively providing support, weapons, and training...

According to District of Columbia, City Council member Phil Mendelson, gun ownership and the carrying of firearms “must be more heavily restricted [in D.C.] than any place else in the nation.” After all, says Mendelson, “four U.S. presidents have been assassinated by gunfire” “and there are frequent threats on the foreign diplomatic corps.” (1) But Mendelson and the rest of D.C.’s gun grabbing, Democrat gentry were finally stripped of their ability to ignore the Constitution when the District’s longstanding ban on carrying a firearm for self-defense was declared illegal. On July 26th, U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Scullin provided gun...

As per its common dictionary definition, theft is described as “..the taking of another person’s property without that person’s permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it.” To commit a theft a person or entity must act in a state of mens rea or guilty mind and with full intent to deprive the victim of property rightfully belonging to him or her. For thousands of years those in power have taken what does not belong to them and given it to others with no claim to such property in order to boost their own ego...

A rare occurrence recently in the Pacific Ocean as more than 40 international naval ships joined together for a single photo shoot.

In a prime example of the negative politics employed by the modern Democratic Party, an apparently misread Facebook post led to an amateurish and inflammatory attack against a Republican Party hopeful. US Representative Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) accused her opponent of attacking the African America community, attributing a Ben Carson quote that was posted on GOP challenger Lawrence Kaifesh's Facebook campaign page. On her own Facebook page, Rep. Duckworth lambasted Kaifesh for his alleged comments "claiming African-Americans are dependent on government." Although favored, Rep. Duckworth is engaged in a surprisingly competitive race with Kaifesh for Illinois 8th Congressional district, which covers...

Two published studies coming from locations as diverse as Montana and Duke University have reinforced conservatives’ intuitive understanding that socialists and Democrats–being members of a Party dedicated to socialism–are likely to be cheaters. With its disdain for rules, honesty and ethics, socialism finds a home in the Democrat Party. Many of its most prominent members are regularly elected and re-elected by voter fraud and have been tried and convicted of serious crimes. It is not uncommon for those who have worked in political campaigns at any level of government to experience some form of Democrat cheating. It will start with...

10) As a kid, was original choice for roll of ‘Webster’. 9) Has every Barry Manilow song on CD. 8) Bowling champ. 7) Has already tried to talk Michelle into having ‘multi-lateral negotiations’ with Condi Rice.....

The failure of Canadian feminist groups to condemn an Ontario Islamic Cleric for his shockingly sexist comments has drawn much criticism, and rightfully so. As pointed out by many, the same ‘strong independent women’ who a few years ago organized what turned into the international protests called ‘Slut Walk’ in reaction to the ill-spoken words of an Ontario police officer have chosen to ignore the latest verbal assault. Of course, this is pure hypocrisy.

Making controversial statements is nothing new for me. Neither is the reaction that usually follows. But perhaps no other issue causes as much discussion, debate, and condemnation from others than when I present my position on the issue of homosexuality. As a known Christian, I have been told that I MUST think a certain way and that I MUST believe a certain way regarding not only people who are gay, but regarding their entire lifestyle as well.