Free Republic

A Constitutional Law instructor, Michael Connelly, has actually read the mammoth new health care law. (He must be one of a very few who have). His opinion of it, sent on to us by email, confirms some of our worst fears: The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009. I studied it with particular emphasis from my area of expertise, that of constitutional law… What I found was far worse than what I had heard or expected.

This is a fulcrum moment in history. If the Democrats succeed in “kicking down the door”, “crossing the threshold”, “vaulting over the fence” – to use Pelosi-Obama metaphors – by passing their “health care” bill, which is actually a bill to turn America towards unstoppable socialism, they will have a clear field in front of them. The Left’s “long march through the institutions” brought Obama to the most powerful position in the world. Now the purpose of the long march can be realized: a collectivist world. Then the brief American experiment in liberty – successful though it has been while...

With Iran's hard-line mullahs and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps unmistakably back in control, Israel's decision of whether to use military force against Tehran's nuclear weapons program is more urgent than ever. This Story Time for an Israeli Strike? End the Spat With Israel In Morocco, an Alternative to Iran Iran's nuclear threat was never in doubt during its presidential campaign, but the post-election resistance raised the possibility of some sort of regime change. That prospect seems lost for the near future or for at least as long as it will take Iran to finalize a deliverable nuclear weapons capability.

It seems harsh to suggest the Pentagon top brass don't know what they're doing. But those who care to read the transcript of the press conference at which the sacking of the top American general in Afghanistan was announced may find that conclusion hard to resist. "In some ways we're learning as we go here," said Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs. It was not a reassuring admission. The public defenestration of General David McKiernan, a distinguished career officer who took command in Kabul less than one year ago, was brutal in that cold, callous way peculiar to...

The liberals are at it again. In a new bill introduced the first day of present session of Congress, and with zero coverage from the MSM, H.R. 45 (Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009) targets all gun owners in the U.S.A. This nefarious bill seeks to strip us all of our Constitutional Rights to possess and bear firearms of any distinction. It requires, within the first two years, that all new guns be registered. The bill goes retroactive after two years. Meaning that two years after the passage of the bill, ALL FIREARMS in a...

After the Mumbai jihad there was a response of "Do good deeds." The Jews of Chabad (the sect that had its members tortured to death) asked for Jews to do "mitzvahs," good works. A yoga group that had some of its members killed believes that love will triumph. Then Deepak Chopra weighed in with his "think good thoughts" campaign. Chopra's effort has the "magic" of if a million people pledge to think good thoughts the world will change for peace. All of these efforts may be summarized by one phrase: Be Nice.

Obama's economic narrative of the mortgage crisis ignores the facts. He has put free-market capitalism at the root of the current mortgage industry debacle, denying the real history of government interference in that market. On September 15, with banking giant Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy protection, Obama was given the opening to begin weaving his anti-capitalist storyline. And that he did. Artfully blurring the mortgage industry crisis with generalized tax policy, Obama declared, "I certainly don't fault Senator McCain for these problems, but I do fault the economic philosophy he subscribes to. It's a philosophy we've had for the last...

I come to America with a mission. All is not well in the Old World. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic. We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe. This is not only a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself; it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The danger I see looming is the scenario of America as the last man standing. The United States as the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe. In a...

Posted at 10:49 PM on 9/26/2008 by David Horowitz The Debate's Crucial Subtext: Reaction Shots Call me strange but I think undecided and swing voters are more swayed by character than by issues. The issues voters are already committed. Watching the debat this evening I was struck by the inability of Obama to keep his cool when his positions were challenged by his opponent. During the second half of the debate he was rattled and lost his composure almost every time John McCain contested or contradicted what he said. Scowls, inappropriate smiles, shaking of the head, rude interruptions betrayed the...

THE greatest lie intellectuals tell us is that "the pen is mightier than the sword." That's what cowards claim when they want to preen as heroes. Billions of words have been hurled at Sudan's government. The misery in Darfur not only continues but deepens.

The 'Recession' Is a Media Myth Tuesday, April 01, 2008 By John R. Lott, Jr. E-Mail Respond Print Share: DiggFacebookStumbleUpon During the 2000 election, with Bill Clinton as president, the economy was viewed through rose-colored glasses. According to polls, voters didn’t realize that the country was in a recession. Although the economy started shrinking in July 2000, most Americans through the entire year thought that the economy was fine. But over the last half-year, the media and politicians have said we were in a recession even while the economy was still growing. Gas prices are going up. The economy is...

March 10, 2008 In Defense of Celebrities By David Gibberman I never thought that anyone would have to defend celebrities. But I've noticed an increasing disconnect between what we know must be true about celebrities and how they're portrayed in the media. For example, we know that most celebrities are committed to combating global warming. So why do we keep hearing only about the few celebrities who compound the problem by driving gas-guzzling limousines, flying in private planes, and owning multiple mansions? Worse, why do we keep hearing only about the few celebrities who think that they can buy their...

Hazel O'Leary 7th United States Secretary of Energy, '93 to '97 Currently serving students "lunch" at Fisk University (You probably know what the Clintons look like) I know, I know. This is water over the dam, under the bridge, old hat, ancient history, and so, who cares? Well, you may want to give a few minutes thought to just how loose Ol’ Bill played with the nations nuclear secrets when he was “running” things. After all, Hill and Bill apparently come as pair, fused at the hip and, same as Costco packaging, you can’t get just one. So, if Bill...

Friday afternoon began with possible tragedy: a hostage crisis at Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign office in Rochester, N.H. As the incident unfolded, Clinton’s campaign closed its doors and canceled her public appearances. But nightfall brought a happy ending: the campaign workers safe, the man in police custody — and the New York senator flying to the scene to express thanks. The hostage-taking itself offered a rare, if small, genuine drama in a campaign season governed by strict schedules and scripted stump speeches. And as soon as it ended, Clinton took full advantage of the opportunity she had unexpectedly been handed....

On Sunday, Bob Mette and his son, Mike, 30, will go to the game at Soldier Field to watch the Bears play the Lions. On Monday, Bob will drive Mike to Iowa, to prison. Mike Mette, until recently a Chicago police officer, is scheduled to begin serving a 5-year prison sentence. His crime? According to the judge's ruling, Mike threw one punch at an angry drunk who chased Mike down the street and attacked him verbally, physically, repeatedly. The drunk is fine now, golfing, having attended college in Dubuque. The last time I checked he was adding to his resume...

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | As the cliche goes, "A conservative is a liberal whose been mugged by reality." Like most cliches, this one exposes a larger truth. Namely, people often base their views on their fantasies of how the world should be than on the reality of how the world actually is.

I’ve received some criticism for trying to figure out the ideological and historical roots of Multiculturalism. Critics claim that it’s all about hate, about a desire to break down the Established Order at any cost. Many of the proponents don’t believe in the doctrine of Multiculturalism themselves, so we shouldn’t waste any time analyzing the logic behind it, because there is none. A desire to break down Western society is certainly there, but I do believe there are some ideas about the desired end result articulated as well.

With the Bush administration now happily basking in the glory of positive coverage in The New York Times and enjoying the warm embrace of the James Baker/Brent Scowcroft wing of the Republican Party, it is hard to imagine that it will reconsider its decision to abandon the Bush Doctrine. That doctrine, named after President George W. Bush and most forcefully enunciated by him, eschewed appeasement of terror-supporting, weapons of mass destruction-proliferating enemies of the free world.

THE WEST AT WAR: MEETING THE ENEMY: WE HAVE LOTS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND WILL USE THEM IF WE HAVE TO, MR BLAIR CHILLING THREAT BY THE GRINNING TALIBAN CHIEFTAIN IT takes a fortnight and 15 fraught phone calls before the short, almost illegible, note is delivered. I have finally been granted a meeting with Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, one of the senior figures in Afghanistan's feared Taliban regime. An ancient taxi takes me to a run-down flat in a dusty neighbourhood of Islamabad, Pakistan. Armed guards usher me into a small and grimy room in Flat 308. It contains a ...

Michael Long Calling Bono A plea to the pop culture elite to speak out http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- AT this moment, the leaders of pop culture-the rock singers, the TV stars, the movie celebrities-have a chance to reform the American mind in almost a single stroke. For the first time in the memory of anyone under the age of 50, Americans are united in passion for country. Moral clarity has entered the minds of many who did not believe in such a thing, and those who needed evidence now see in the events of September 11 that good and bad are animate ...