Free Republic

Now it’s getting interesting. You’ve had over three years to vet President Barack Obama. Yet in three years in office and over a year of campaigning beforehand, you have either been oddly uninterested or purposefully ignorant of Barack Obama’s educational history. You were, however, quite interested in George Bush’s transcripts. This uncharacteristic absence of curiosity about an American president alarms us. At $15 trillion, our nation’s debt is the highest it has ever been – and it keeps growing. We’re not convinced that Barack is as smart as you media elitists keep insisting he is. We therefore offer in reward...

The sky is falling! Many interest groups and journalists raced to tell that to the public when a modest but important bill became law in Tennessee early in April. The law instructs teachers and administrators to "create an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that encourages students to explore scientific questions, learn about scientific evidence, develop critical thinking skills, and respond appropriately and respectfully to differences of opinion about controversial issues." What's not to like? The law, similar to one in Louisiana, also protects teachers who help students (I'm quoting from the official legislative summary) "understand, analyze, critique, and...

Rose Marie Belforti, a small town cheese maker in rural New York, is at the epicenter of the effort to banish Christians from living out their faith in public office. Belforti, a Bible-believing Christian, has been the elected town clerk for nearly a decade. After the New York legislature redefined marriage and ordered clerks to issue same-sex "marriage" licenses, Belforti had a surprise visit from a lesbian who wanted a marriage license. Rose did what she would do for anyone--she offered an appointment. Just not with her. The women weren't denied a license, but Rose, in anticipation of a conflict...

For some Americans, as for the Founding Fathers, the separation of church and state means that the government and religious bodies ought not to exert power over the other’s areas of legitimate authority. To others it means that religiously informed policy proposals may not become the laws of the secular government. So, on this meaning, a law that prohibits embryo-destructive research would violate the separation of church and state, since (it is assumed) such a law reflects a sanctity-of-life ethic derived exclusively from a theological tradition. Notice that the latter understanding is concerned not with the actual content of the...

I’ve watched South Park for years, and have watched other Comedy Central programming more occasionally, believing until recently that it provided a cutting-edge environment for satire. Unfortunately, the network has now caved twice to radical Islamist terrorism, once in 2006 and again last month, in two episodes of South Park that skewered major religious figures while censoring the satire of Trey Parker and Matt Stone on Mohammed. Instead of staying out of religious satire altogether, the brave souls at Viacom have apparently green-lit a new series that will poke fun at Jesus … again: Comedy Central might censor every image...

Yet another jaw-dropper for a president whose stock-in-trade is manufacturing a false image. Yesterday, after botching the first-pitch at the Washington Nationals' home-opener, the president was asked a simple question: Who, while growing up, was your favorite Chicago White Sock? Obama, who lived and worked in the Sox' South Side ‘hood, might have named a number of players-Bill Melton. Richie Allen. or Moe Drabowsky. Instead, he whiffed. Seems the White Sox fan can't name a White Sock (and refers to the well known former Chicago landmark Comiskey part as "Cominsky" park). This is typical of Obama, who when not lecturing,...

President Barack Obama intends to address the nation's schoolchildren Tuesday in a speech that the kids apparently can watch on classroom TVs. I guess he wants to welcome the students back to school and urge them to study hard and set goals and remind them, despite his convenient presence on the screen, that they are in charge of their own education. Don't we already know that? Back in 1991, President George H.W. Bush gave a similar speech, broadcast from an eighth-grade classroom in Washington, D.C. And yes, the Democrats criticized the president for doing such a thing. Other than the...

Imagine owning a successful business you've built from the ground up. Maybe you provide several dozen people with good-paying, full-time jobs or are one of only a few businesses left in a small community. You've likely made difficult decisions just to keep your business afloat and employees on staff during these tough economic times. One day you're given notice that you have 30 days to close your doors; no explanation, no chance to appeal -- just an ultimatum. I'm willing to bet few people would take that directive kindly. Sadly, this scenario is not a figment of imagination -- it's...

A few thoughts after the Cairo Address. I don't know about you, but I am increasingly weary of our national leader trying to win friends and influence enemies by fancy word-work mixed with apologies for America's past sins — real or imaginary. Yes, the presidential speech in Cairo could have been a lot worse. But in the opinion of this veteran of 40 years of Mideast reporting President Obama really stretched it. Islam has "always been a part of America's story." That's news to me. And why beat your breast over American involvement in the 1953 overthrow of Iran's Mossadeq...

President Obama has reneged on an increasing number of his pledges on taking office — from guaranteeing a transparent, accountable administration to ending CIA "renditions" of suspects to foreign nations known for torture. Now, however, he has a golden chance to fulfill his often-repeated goal of achieving a "common ground" in the abortion wars. Two pro-life Democrats — Congressman Lincoln Davis of Tennessee and Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania — have introduced the Pregnant Women Support Act (HR 2035 in the House, S 2407 in the Senate). As Davis says, "It's not about pro-life or pro-choice." It's about "what we...

On the day when we memorialize those who gave their lives so America would endure, we should ask what it means a citizen of this republic. Here are the thoughts of one American, a credo for the coming millennia. I am an American. I was conceived at Plymouth, born in Lexington and Concord, and reached maturity at Philadelphia. I went through the fires of Shiloh, Gualdacanal, the Chosin Resovoir, Khe Sanh and a thousand other battlefields, and emerged rededicated to the ideals on which America was founded. I am an American. Ever ready to defend my liberty and independence, to...

. . . As the president referred to scripture and skillfully engaged in religious rhetoric, he might consider this verse: "By their fruits you shall know them." (Matthew 7:16). The thousands of pregnancy centers in America today, which offer material and spiritual help to women, did not exist at the time of Roe v. Wade. Will the president raise their visibility and encourage women to seek their help? Will he encourage women who don't want their babies to carry them to term so that others can adopt them? Fewer American women are giving their babies up for adoption. There are...

There seems to be no end to the mind-boggling contradictions that spew forth from the mouths of public figures who claim to be Catholic, but use their media opportunities to discredit the Catholic Church and her teachings through deception. First, there was Kansas Republican Senator Sam Brownback’s statement, made after voting in favor of pro-abortion Catholic Kathleen Sebelius for secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, as reported by the Washington Times. "It's well known that Governor Sebelius and I fundamentally disagree on several issues, and most notably on the issues of life," Mr. Brownback said. "However,...

Gov. Sarah Palin is backing a ballot measure to bypass the Legislature and make it illegal for teenagers to get an abortion without telling their parents. The initiative sponsors, including former Lt. Gov. Loren Leman, applied last week to start gathering signatures. The measure would generally forbid a girl under 18 from getting an abortion unless the doctor informed at least one of her parents beforehand. Palin said she plans to be the first in line to sign up. The governor said she even considered sponsoring the initiative herself, but decided otherwise after checking with the state's lawyers. "I got...

There’s something very curious – even laughable – about watching the media assemble to offer President Obama a grade after the first 100 days. They weren’t exactly a team of dispassionate scientists in a lab. They continue to be what they’ve been all along -- a rolling gaggle of Obama cheerleaders -- only before it was a campaign and now it’s an administration. So now they’re assessing whether their awe-inspiring historic candidate still glows with the luster of victory. Hmm...let’s see. They applied the luster, they boasted of the luster, and you can bet your bottom dollar they’ll continue doing...

Miss California may have lost a pageant, but she's not sorry. She has won a cause. Carrie Prejean's politically incorrect response to a question about same-sex marriage may have cost her the Miss USA crown, but apparently it's going to take more than a few insults from celebrity blogger Perez Hilton to change her mind. "It's unfortunate that this happened, but it's become such a blessing," Miss Prejean said in a telephone interview Tuesday with The Washington Times. "I'm glad I didn't win that pageant, because I now have a cause, I now have a purpose and I'm going to...

A Justice Department memo released by the Obama administration last week indicating that the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” – including waterboarding – apparently helped the U.S. government thwart a terrorist attack in Los Angeles, confirms that waterboarding has helped undermine al Qaeda, Republican lawmakers told CNSNews.com on Wednesday. But Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which provides oversight for the Justice Department, told CNSNews.com he had not yet read the memo on waterboarding, and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) declined to offer an opinion on whether the CIA’s use of waterboarding was justified as...

The first and only federal school voucher program, one that serves 1,900 children, is about to die a quiet death at the hands of Congress, despite its enormous popularity. Under spending legislation Congress just passed, the Washington, D.C., $14 million school voucher program will come to an end after the 2009-10 school year, unless both Congress and the District of Columbia's council reauthorize it. Democrats, the district's council, and the local teachers union have historically opposed the program, which Republicans passed in 2004 with the support of then-D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams. Now with a Democrat-controlled Congress and a president who...

As President Obama lifted restrictions on federal funding of stem-cell research March 9, he defended "letting scientists do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it's inconvenient." Obama contrasts his approach with that of his predecessor, who many say allowed ideology to outweigh science in government decisions. But Obama is wrong, in three ways. First of all, the government has a responsibility to monitor and regulate the activities of scientists, who are not infallible, and like all of us, can be driven by motives of greed or ambition to cross lines...

A state court could rule any day now on Norm Coleman's challenge to Al Franken's 225-vote lead in Minnesota, but the race may be far from over no matter what the judges say. Top Republicans are encouraging Coleman to be as litigious as possible and take his fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if he loses this round, believing that an elongated court fight is worth it if they can continue to deny Democrats the 59th Senate seat that Franken would represent. And in pushing a possible Supreme Court conclusion, Republicans are raising case history that makes...