Free Republic

Yesterday, the Senate narrowly voted (51-48) to raise taxes on 1.2 million small businesses, which will likely kill more than 700,000 jobs at a time when nearly 13 million Americans are out of work. Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Jim Webb (D-VA) joined all Republicans in bipartisan opposition to the tax hike. This is President Obama’s economic plan. This is what he asked Congress to do. And he recently told a fundraising crowd that his economic plan has been working. “Just like we’ve tried [Republicans'] plan, we tried our plan—and it worked,” he said. But Obama’s Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner,...

<p>"And I confess the progress didn't come quickly, and it did not come easily," President Obama said about his time as a community organizer in Chicago. "Sometimes it didn't come at all. There were times where I thought about giving up and moving on. But what kept me going day in and day out was the same thing that has sustained the Urban League all these years. The same thing that sustains all of you. And that is the belief that in America, change is always possible. That our union may not be perfect, but it is perfectible."</p>

Syrian rebels have threatened to attack Russia's naval base at the port of Tartous if Moscow continues to supply weapons to President Bashar al-Assad's regime. "We have a warning for the Russian forces: if they will send any more weapons that kill our families and the Syrian people we will hit them hard inside Syria," said Louay al-Mokdad, a logistical coordinator for the Free Syrian Army (FSA). "Informers inside the regime are telling that us that there is a big weapons shipment arriving at Tartous in the next two weeks. We don't want to attack the port, we are not...

Via e-mail today July 25, 2012 Senate Committee Vote Today on UN Treaty—Keep Calling! Michael Farris is founder and chairman of Homeschooling Legal Defense Assocation HSLDA, and homeschooling father of 10. Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: After a brief postponement the U.S. Senate has decided to continue to push forward the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and has scheduled a mark-up and committee vote for tomorrow. As we have mentioned in previous updates, HSLDA believes that this treaty, while sounding good in name, could become a tool to restrict our rights as citizens and...

President Obama has added his voice to the push for limits on Americans' gun use in the wake the massacre last week at a movie theater in Colorado. Obama, speaking Wednesday evening to the National Urban League, affirmed his belief in Americans' right to own guns, but he singled out assault rifles as better suited for soldiers than civilians. "I believe the Second Amendment guarantees an individual the right to bear arms," Obama said. "But I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not on the streets of our...

UNITED NATIONS – The arms trade treaty being hammered out by the United Nations is nearing completion, and the current draft shows it could lead to perpetual attacks on the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment and American foreign policy, critics say. The document, which critics say has been framed by countries hostile to U.S. interests, allows for future amendments to be approved by just two-thirds of states showing up at an amendment conference. That means it could be agreed to by the U.S., put into effect and then changed over Washington's objections. And even if the U.S. Senate refuses to ratify...

With a little help from his friends, former congressman Virgil Goode has taken a key step toward getting his name on November’s presidential ballot in Virginia, submitting more than 14,000 signatures to the State Board of Elections.... ..Goode was a Democrat for much of his career, then became an Independent and finally a Republican for his last six years on Capitol Hill. Now Goode is getting assistance from yet another party, the Independent Greens, whose members have collected thousands of signatures for him.... ...“Virgil supports rail, and that’s our big issue and he’s with us on that,” said Carey Campbell,...

<p>In a move that serves as a capstone to Rep. Ron Paul’s colorful career, the House on Wednesday approved a bill that would let Congress’s chief investigators conduct a full audit of the Federal Reserve’s shrouded decision-making process.</p> <p>The overwhelming 327-98 vote sends the bill to the Senate where Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, has previously expressed support for an audit — though it’s unclear he’ll carve out time for the legislation this year.</p>

PREAMBLE             The States Parties to this Treaty. Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.Recalling that the charter of the UN promotes the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world’s human and economic resources;Reaffirming the obligation of all State Parties to settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered, in accordance with the Charter of the UN;Underlining the need to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade of conventional arms and to prevent...

Dear FRiends, We're going to need your support now more than ever to get through these bad times. And with these foolish godless liberal/progressive politicians from both parties delving deeper and deeper into statist/socialism things are bound to get worse unless commonsense conservatives band together to find a way to fight them off. As we all know, America was founded on the principle that all men are created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, including the rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. America was the first and only nation as far as I...

Rush Limbaugh: Jim....What's His name, Free Republic Got Banned at CompuServe And... Rush LimbaughJuly 24, 2012Rush is talking about the early internet and mentions Jim Robinson and Free Republic. Free Republic Rules!

Fighter jets have bombed eastern areas of Syria's second city Aleppo, a BBC reporter near the city says. The attack is seen as a significant escalation in the conflict. It is thought to be the first time that warplanes have been used in Aleppo, our correpondent says.

Here are campaign-released portions of the nominee-presumptive’s 2pm ET speech… "It is reported that Bob Gates, the President’s first secretary of defense, bluntly addressed another security problem within this administration. After secret operational details of the bin Laden raid were given to reporters, Secretary Gates walked into the West Wing and told the Obama team to “shut up.” He added a colorful word for emphasis. Lives of American servicemen were at stake. But astonishingly, the administration failed to change its ways. More top-secret operations were leaked, even some involving covert action in Iran. This isn’t a partisan issue; it’s a...

As NewsBusters previously reported, ABC's Brian Ross on Friday falsely accused a Tea Party member of being the "James" Holmes that orchestrated the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado. "Jim" Holmes during an interview with the Daily Caller had some harsh words for his accuser saying, "What kind of idiot makes that kind of statement?” “Really, seriously, how do we take a journalist seriously when it’s pretty clear they really haven’t done any sort of check on their facts?” told the Caller's Alex Pappas: Holmes informed Pappas that ABC News didn’t contact him before Ross went on air. In fact,...

A woman died of injuries she received during an abortion at a local Planned Parenthood clinic Friday. Tonya Reaves, 24, of the 1500 block of N. Kildare, was pronounced dead at 11:20 p.m. Friday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. She was taken to the hospital from the Planned Parenthood clinic at 18 S. Michigan Ave. An autopsy done Saturday listed the woman’s cause of death to be hemorrhage, with a cervical dilation and evacuation, as well as an intrauterine pregnancy as contributing causes, according to the medical examiner’s office. Her death was ruled...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Democratic leader of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Monday that the White House appears to be responsible for some leaks of classified information. "I think the White House has to understand that some of this is coming from their ranks," Sen. Dianne Feinstein told a World Affairs Council forum.

Texas US Senate Debate on Texas FOX StationsTed Cruz vs. David DewhurstLIVE STREAM

During the chaotic aftermath of the Colorado shooting on Friday, a particularly chilling moment came when ABC News spoke to the mother of suspect James Holmes by phone. The network reported that the woman, reached in California, "told ABC News her son was likely the alleged culprit, saying, 'You have the right person.'" The article also said that Holmes's mother was "apparently speaking on gut instinct" when she "immediately expressed concern her son may be involved in the shooting death of at least 12 people overnight." Today, she disputed that account, claiming her quotes were misused. If true, that would...

Arlene Holmes, the mother of Colorado theater shooting suspect James Holmes, has suggested that ABC News mischaracterized her when it reported that her initial statement to the reporter, "you have the right person," was a reference to her son. "This statement is to clarify a statement made by ABC media. I was awakened by a call from a reporter by ABC on July 20 about 5:45 in the morning. I did not know anything about a shooting in Aurora at that time," Holmes said in a statement this afternoon, read to the national press by attorney Lisa Damiani. "He asked...

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Contrary to legend, it wasn't the federal government, and the Internet had nothing to do with maintaining communications during a war. A telling moment in the presidential race came recently when Barack Obama said: "If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen." He justified elevating bureaucrats over entrepreneurs by referring to bridges and roads, adding: "The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all companies could make money off the Internet." It's an urban legend that the government launched the Internet. The myth is that the Pentagon...

An Arapahoe County Court judge has granted a request to seal the case against James Holmes, the 24-year-old shooter who killed 12 and wounded 50 during a screening last night of "The Dark Knight Rises." The motion, filed in Arapahoe County court, asks for the records in the case to be sealed, including search warrants, affidavits, orders and the "case file." ... disclosure of the court records would be "contrary to public interest" and "could jeopardize the ongoing investigation."

Dear FRiends, We're going to need your support now more than ever to get through these bad times. And with these foolish godless liberal/progressive politicians from both parties delving deeper and deeper into statist/socialism things are bound to get worse unless commonsense conservatives band together to find a way to fight them off. As we all know, America was founded on the principle that all men are created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, including the rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. America was the first and only nation as far as I...

BYERS, Colo. – Less than a month before carrying out the midnight movie massacre that left 12 dead, suspected shooter James Holmes applied for membership at a private gun range, unnerving the club’s owner whose calls to Holmes’ apartment reached a “creepy, weird” Batman-inspired voicemail message. “His answering machine message was incoherent, just bizarre, really bizarre -- slurring words, but he didn’t sound drunk, just strange -- I could make out “James” somewhere in it,” Glenn Rotkovich, of the Lead Valley Range, in Byers, Colo., told

Rank Alexa Ranking Website 1 188 foxnews.com 2 217 wsj.com 3 255 telegraph.co.uk 4 591 dailycaller.com 5 736 townhall.com 6 948 nationalreview.com 7 1063 nypost.com 8 1151 freerepublic.com 9 1342 theblaze.com 10 1491 realclearpolitics.com 11 1572 military.com 12 1759 zerohedge.com 13 1811 breitbart.com 14 2046 reason.com 15 2105 rasmussenreports.com 16 2576 washingtontimes.com 17 2962 freebeacon.com 18 3419 michellemalkin.com 19 3542 hotair.com 20 3935 westernjournalism.com 21 4160 weeklystandard.com 22 4639 pajamasmedia.com 23 4639 pjmedia.com 24 4694 myway.com 25 5252 thehill.com 26 5281 investors.com 27 5328 washingtonexaminer.com 28 6528 althouse.blogspot.com 29 6785 newsbusters.org 30 7078 rushlimbaugh.com 31 7101 freedomworks.org 32 9194...

The Talk Shows July 22nd, 2012 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Gov. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.; Michael Chertoff, former secretary of Homeland Security Department; William Bratton, former Los Angeles chief of police; and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Netanyahu; New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg; coverage of the Colorado shooting.THIS WEEK (ABC): Hickenlooper. STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; former Sen. George Allen, R-Va.; former Gov. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

(CBS News) Sources say investigators have found key evidence in dumpsters and trash bins outside of James Holmes' apartment, including a shipping label from an internet ammunition store called BulkAmmo.com. Investigators also tell CBS News they have recovered a surveillance video of James Holmes picking up approximately 150 pounds of ammunition at a Federal Express outlet in Colorado. They've interviewed a UPS driver who says Holmes had 90 packages delivered to his workplace on the University of Colorado medical campus. And sources say over the past several months, Holmes spent about $15,000 as he was putting together his deadly arsenal...

To: onyx; anonymous; somebody; LibLieSlayer; glock rocks; dayglored; BuckeyeTexan; Monthly Donors Thank you very much, Florida and Canada FReepers!The New Monthly Donor CountRound 1 is complete!8 NMDs and 2 $-a-DaysThank you very much, Maryland FReeper!The count for Round 2 is 8!These FReepers have prepaid or will pay $10 for each new monthly sign-up!somebody has prepaid for Round 2!LibLieSlayer has prepaid for Round 3!glock rocks has prepaid for Round 4!dayglored has prepaid for the first NMD for Round 5!somebody will sponsor nine NMDs for Round 5!BuckeyeTexan will sponsor Round 6!anonymous has prepaid for Rounds 7 & 8!Woo Hoo! 18 New Monthly...

Navy Senior Chief Dwayne Beebe, center, embraces Jonathan Franqui, right, after proposing to him during the gay pride parade Saturday, July 21, 2012, in San Diego. SAN DIEGO (AP) — Some of the loudest cheers Saturday at San Diego's gay pride parade were for active-duty troops marching in military dress, the first time that U.S. service members participated in such an event while in full uniform. Dozens of soldiers, sailors, and Marines marched alongside an old Army truck decorated with a "Freedom to Serve" banner and a rainbow flag. They were joined by dozens more military personnel in civilian...

Barak: Israel may seize advanced weapons in Syria By REUTERS Israel Defense Minister tells Israeli TV Ch. 10 he has instructed military to prepare for possible operation if Syrian government attempts to hands missiles or chemical weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel is preparing for a possible military intervention in Syria in case the Syrian government hands missiles or chemical weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Friday. "I have instructed the military to increase its intelligence preparations and prepare what is needed so that ... (if necessary) ... we will be able to consider carrying...

Muslim shouts ALLAH HU-AKHBAR and tries to grab Olympic Torch during run to stadium! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAZHlvKQEhY

BOW, N.H.—Hours after a shooter killed a dozen people in a Colorado cinema, Mitt Romney scrubbed a scheduled campaign rally Friday and instead offered his somber condolences and prayers to the victims and their families. “Our hearts break with the sadness of this unspeakable tragedy. Ann and I join the president and first lady and all Americans in offering our deepest condolences to those whose lives were shattered in a few moments, a few moments of evil in Colorado,” Romney told a few hundred people gathered at a lumber yard here. “I stand before you today not as a man...

Breitbart News spoke to James Michael Holmes, the Tea Party member falsely identified this morning by ABC News' Brian Ross and George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America as the possible suspect in the mass shooting early this morning at a screening of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. He is a 52-year-old Hispanic conservative who joined the Tea Party after becoming disillusioned with the Republican party. "It was freaky," said Holmes, describing his reaction when ABC News speculated that he was the culprit who entered a crowded theater and opened fire on dozens of innocent men, women, and...

Here is the first photo of "Dark Knight" theater shooter James Holmes.

Police say apartment of lone wolf killer James Holmes, 24, is booby-trapped as his mother says 'you've got the right man' By EMINE SINMAZ PUBLISHED: 08:18 EST, 20 July 2012 | UPDATED: 10:35 EST, 20 July 2012 Police have evacuated the area surrounding the apartment of the man suspected of shooting dead at least 12 people and wounding 50 others during a late-night screening of the new Batman movie as they reveal his home is booby-trapped. James Holmes, 24, told officers he had explosives stored at his apartment when he was arrested after opening fire at random at the mall...

<p>ABC News and Brian Ross are apologizing for an "incorrect" report that James Holmes, the suspect in the Colorado theater shooting, may have had connections to the Tea Party.</p> <p>"An earlier ABC News broadcast report suggested that a Jim Holmes of a Colorado Tea Party organization might be the suspect, but that report was incorrect," ABC News said in a statement. "ABC News and Brian Ross apologize for the mistake, and for disseminating that information before it was properly vetted."</p>

James Holmes, the suspect arrested in connection with the mass shootings at a screening of the new Batman movie early this morning in Aurora, CO, could be a registered Democrat, according to documents obtained by Breitbart News. Earlier, ABC News' Brian Ross and George Stephanopoulos speculated on Good Morning America that Holmes was a Tea Party member, based solely on a name appearing on a Tea Party website. The James Holmes for whom Breitbart News has obtained documentation is 25 years old (the suspect has been reported as 24 years old). He has links to addresses in both Colorado and...

The young man who is in custody after allegedly gunning down 12 people in a mass shooting spree overnight in Aurora, Colorado has been identified as local resident James Holmes, according to federal authorities.

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — A gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire early Friday at a suburban Denver theater at the opening of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," killing 14 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. The gunman, who is in custody, stood at the front of the theater and fired into the crowd about 12:30 a.m. MDT at a multiplex theater in a mall in Aurora. "Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates...

Thursday afternoon, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) listened to President Barack Obama‘s stump speech in Jacksonville, Florida and took to Twitter to condemn it as “class warfare,” part of which he said sounded like a “speech by left wing 3rd world leader.” Echoes Becoming more like Kenya

Behold what a prominent politician's "CYA" instinct hath wrought:   Facing questions about why she and other top Congressional officials won’t release their tax returns, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) downplayed her previous demands for presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney to release his, calling the issue a distraction. As recently as Wednesday, Pelosi had strongly urged Romney to provide further disclosure of his tax returns. But today, while maintaining Romney should release more documents because of “custom� and “tradition,� Pelosi said the issue was trivial compared with economic issues. “We spent too much time on that. We should...

Police in Aurora, Colorado, say they've responded to an early Friday shooting at an Aurora movie theater. A hospital says it's received 20 patients relating to the shooting. Jacque Montgomery, a spokeswoman for the University of Colorado Hospital, said all the patients are suffering from gunshot wounds. Injuries range from minor to critical. KUSA: Shooting at Aurora movie theater CNN affiliates in the area report that multiple people have been shot.

o—Up to 20 people have been injured in a shooting at a movie theater near Denver, police said. Aurora, Colo. police said there are fatalities but they don't know how many. Police dispatchers said calls about the shooting started coming in about 12:30 a.m. local time Friday from a mall theater that was showing the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises." Police said one person has been arrested, but no other details were available. Police spokeswoman Cassidee Carlson said "the scene is still very active and we have little information for release at this time." Swedish Medical Center spokeswoman Nicole...

20 Hurt in Colo. Shooting at Dark Knight Movie BOMB SQUAD ON THE SCENE IN AURORA By Mary Papenfuss, Newser Staff A least 20 people were injured early this morning in a shooting and a possible explosion at a movie theater in Colorado, NBC is reporting. The violence occurred at a Century 16 theater in an Aurora mall following a midnight showing of the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. One suspect is in custody, and a police bomb squad is on the scene. Three local hospitals were alerted to prepare for a "mass casualty" incident involving at least...

Fox News front page: BREAKING NEWS: Shooting at Colorado Movie Theater, AP Reports

AURORA, Colo. - Police say there has been a shooting at a movie theatre near Denver, and a hospital spokeswoman says there may be several victims. Aurora, Colo. police say they are responding to a shooting at a movie theatre at a local mall. Police spokeswoman Cassidee Carlson says "the scene is still very active and we have little information for release at this time."

This morning on the Senate floor, Senate majority leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, pledged to block Republican efforts to vote on the repeal of Obamacare and tax cuts:

Washington, DC - The US House of Representatives has passed an amendment unanimously that cuts down $650 million in military aid to Pakistan as Republicans sought to tamp down demands for still deeper reductions. Congressman Ted Poe had demanded a $1.3 billion cut, but later settled for the 650 million cut. "Pakistan is the 'Benedict Arnold' to America in the war on terror. They are disloyal, deceptive and a danger to the United States," Poe, who had moved the amendment, said. "This so-called ally continues to take billions in US aid, while funding the militants who attack us. And we've...

Simply put, people are not shopping at J.C. Penney. AFA and OneMillionMoms are showing success in the effort to educate people to Penney's aggressive national campaign to promote "gay" marriage. The company is going downhill fast. Since February, the company stock has lost more than half its value, and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its credit rating on J.C. Penney Co. further into "junk" status.Snapshot of J.C. Penney under same-sex marriage crusade February 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 JCP announces Ellen DeGeneres as their new spokesperson. JCP launches catalog ad featuring two "gay" moms. JCP launches catalog...

Dear FRiends, We're going to need your support now more than ever to get through these bad times. And with these foolish godless liberal/progressive politicians from both parties delving deeper and deeper into statist/socialism things are bound to get worse unless commonsense conservatives band together to find a way to fight them off. As we all know, America was founded on the principle that all men are created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, including the rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. America was the first and only nation as far as I...