Free Republic

On Thursday, Indiana governor Mike Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) into law, and some celebrities, politicians, and journalists--including Miley Cyrus, Ashton Kutcher, and Hillary Clinton, just to name a few--are absolutely outraged. They say the law is a license to discriminate against gay people:

THE BRAINS BEHIND BLACKMUN Harry Blackmun's papers reveal that, more than any justice in memory, he gave his law clerks control over his thinking and writing when he was on the Supreme Court. By David J. Garrow I HARRY A. BLACKMUN SERVED ON THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT for almost a quarter of a century, beginning in 1970 after his selection by President Richard Nixon and ending in 1994 with his retirement at age 85. When Blackmun's papers were opened to public inspection in March 2004, five years after his death, laudatory news stories highlighted his evolution toward a more...

Questions about Huma Abedin By Andrew C. McCarthy July 21, 2012 4:00 A.M. Der Spiegel pointed out the obvious: “A certain role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the transition process [to ‘democracy’] in Egypt seems acceptable to the Obama White House.” It was early February 2011, the moment when the uprising that would oust Hosni Mubarak was bubbling over in Tahrir Square. The prominent German newsmagazine figured, who better to ask about the Muslim Brotherhood than the American political establishment’s resident foreign-policy genius, John McCain? So, the reporter asked him, does Obama’s tolerance of the Muslim Brotherhood “concern you”? Senator...

**For every Southern boy 14 years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when itÂ’s still not yet two oÂ’clock on that July afternoon in 1863, the brigades are in position behind the rail fence, the guns are laid and ready in the woods and the furled flags are already loosened to break out and Pickett himself with his long oiled ringlets and his hat in one hand probably and his sword in the other looking up the hill waiting for Longstreet to give the word and itÂ’s all in the balance, it hasnÂ’t happened...

Do I have blood on my hands? Major gay-rights groups are saying so. Each of us who opposes gay mar riage, they say, is responsible for the terrible and tragic suicides of gay teens that recently hit the news. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/don_blame_me_for_gay_teen_suicides_l1Wt32kEJFFve2SzkjbpYP#ixzz12xiSdgo0

The Most Egregious Performance Ever by a Federal District Judge August 13, 2010 2:29 PM By Ed Whelan Consider the totality of Judge Walker’s conduct in the anti-Prop 8 case: Let’s start with Walker’s initial case-management conference when he determined, to the surprise even of plaintiffs’ lawyer Ted Olson, that the case couldn’t be resolved, one way or the other (as other courts have done in similar cases), as a matter of law but would instead require extensive discovery into supposed factual issues. Let’s continue with Walker’s insane and unworkable inquiry into the subjective motivations of the more than seven...

The Imam's Daughter Witnessing to Muslims When people encounter -- really encounter -- the love of God in Jesus Christ, their lives change. And one new book shows that’s also true for Muslims. All too often, Christians associate only with other Christians. If they share their life in Jesus at all, they tend to do so with the link-minded. But a new book reveals how important it is to reach out in love to those we may perceive as different from us, or even feel uncomfortable with, including Muslims. In her new book, titled The Imam’s Daughter, Hannah describes her...

In Washington State, another referendum on gay couples' equality was also a squeaker. But in this one, gay couples won. The state's domestic partnership law grants gay couples all the rights of married couples at a state level. The usual forces tried to reverse it, as they tried in Maine. But in Washington, the gay side won by 51.1 to 48.9 percent. Again, it's such a slender margin, it's stupid to draw any vast conclusions. But I do want to point out that, from the perspective of just a decade ago, to have an even split on this question in...

Who are these people?! Where do they come from?! Ordinary Americans might wonder why anyone would stoop so low as to follow Glenn Beck, Fox News and Dick Armey (and their corporate sponsors masquerading as "FreedomWorks") as they organize their "9/12 March On Washington" to cynically exploit the 9/11 attack. Patriotic Americans might question the organizer's aim to provide a media forum for dimwitted right wingers to scream "Liar!" "Socialist!" "Antichrist!" "Muslim!" "Death Panels!" "He's not an American!" and so on and on and on about the commander in chief charged with defending us from further attacks. And some people...

June 9, 2009 The Anti-Reagan By Patrick Buchanan Despite his boldness, Barack Obama seems as fated to fail as were Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter. And for the same reason: a belief in his own righteousness and moral superiority, and a belief that his ideals and his persona count mightily in the modern world...

WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush deflected a secret request by Israel last year for specialized bunker-busting bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran's main nuclear complex and told the Israelis that he had authorized new covert action intended to sabotage Iran's suspected effort to develop nuclear weapons, according to senior American and foreign officials. White House officials never conclusively determined whether Israel had decided to go ahead with the strike...

Euthanasia Comes to Montana Courtesy of judicial activism. by Wesley J. Smith 12/29/2008, Volume 014, Issue 15 On December 5, Montana District judge Dorothy McCarter ruled in Baxter v. Montana that the state law banning assisted suicide violates not only the right to privacy guaranteed in the Montana constitution but also the constitutional clause that reads, "The dignity of the human being is inviolable." McCarter found here a "fundamental right" for the terminally ill to "die with dignity"--meaning in the case at hand, to commit suicide by drug overdose. McCarter also ruled that doctors have a concomitant right to be...

Last tenant 'found decapitated' A man who was found with his head severed by a chainsaw was fighting to stay in a block of 70 flats in Hampshire cleared for redevelopment. David Phyall, 50, was the last tenant at the Atlantic Housing Ltd housing association flats in Eastleigh. His body was found by police on 5 July, who said his death was not suspicious. Post-mortem tests showed he died of a "complete transection of the neck". An inquest was opened and adjourned at Winchester Coroner's Court on Friday. There's nothing suspicious about the death Spokesman for coroner A spokesman for...

A Strategy For McCain Hillary Clinton — only more so. By Rich Lowry & Ramesh Ponnuru Editor’s note: A longer version of this piece appears in the new issue of National Review. The good news for Republicans is that Obama can be beaten. The bad news is that the McCain campaign has embarked on a course that — although it has some of the right elements — seems likely to fail. McCain would be most comfortable running in accord with his particular notions of political virtue while emphasizing character, national security, and a few pet causes such as earmarks. If...

Volume 55, Number 7 · May 1, 2008 Two Speeches on Race By Garry Wills Of the two speeches discussed here, Senator Barack Obama's speech at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on March 18, 2008, is available at www.barackobama.com and Abraham Lincoln's at the Cooper Union in New York on February 27, 1860, is available at showcase.netins.net. Two men, two speeches. The men, both lawyers, both from Illinois, were seeking the presidency, despite what seemed their crippling connection with extremists. Each was young by modern standards for a president. Abraham Lincoln had turned fifty-one just five days before delivering...

Dutch to legalise gay sex in public park By Bruno Waterfield Last Updated: 2:28pm GMT 13/03/2008 Dutch council officials will permit gay sex in public areas but fine dog owners who let their pets off the leash in Amsterdam's Vondelpark. Paul van Grieken, an Alderman in the Oud-Zuid district of the city, has startled many Amsterdammers, despite their famously liberal attitudes, with plans to allow public sex as part of this summer's new rules of conduct for the country's best-known park. advertisement "Why should we try to impose something that is actually impossible to impose, which also causes little bother...

Spanking Raises Chances of Risky, Deviant Sexual Behavior Review found physical punishment of kids linked to unprotected, masochistic sex as adults By Amanda Gardner Posted 2/28/08 THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have uncovered another damaging consequence of spanking: risky sexual behaviors, or even sexual deviancy, when the child grows up. "This adds one more harmful side effect to spanking," said Murray Straus, a spanking expert who was expected to present the findings of four studies at the American Psychological Association's Summit on Violence and Abuse in Relationships in Bethesda, Md., on Thursday. Related News * Video: Health News...

Doug LeBlanc is a conservative evangelical and a Republican who is considering doing something he hasn't thought about since before the Reagan era – voting for a Democrat for president. And not just any Democrat – he's taken by Barack Obama. Why Mr. Obama? Because to Mr. LeBlanc, a Virginia writer active in Episcopal Church controversies, the Illinois senator would bring to the White House "a decisive break from President Bush's foreign policy, a shattering of the racial ceiling on the presidency, youthful energy and an exceptionally bright mind."

TIME Magazine Quotes of the Week"I'm throwing away my whole face" - Airline passenger Julie Beasley on disposing her makeup >>   href="/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1223338,00.html">Life In Hell: A Baghdad Diary Photo Essay: Journey into Baghdad Talk Back: Life in Baghdad Table of Contents TIME Archive >> SUBSCRIBE TO TIME MAGAZINE FOR JUST $1.99 Home Nation World Biz & Tech Arts Science & Health Specials Photos Current Issue Past Covers TIME Blogs The Daily Dish Allen ReportEye on ScienceThe Daily RXGlobal HealthTuned In More Sections GenerationsConnectionsGlobal BizInside Biz TIME Archive HomeCollectionsFeedback Customer Service SubscribeRenewChange Address ReprintsGive a Gift MARCUS ROSE / INSIGHT-VISUAL...

June 30, 2006 The Connection Between Faith & PoliticsByBarack Obama (Note: the following is the text of Senator Obama's remarks to 'Call for Renewal' in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, June 28). Good morning. I appreciate the opportunity to speak here at the Call to Renewal's Building a Covenant for a New America conference. I've had the opportunity to take a look at your Covenant for a New America. It is filled with outstanding policies and prescriptions for much of what ails this country. So I'd like to congratulate you all on the thoughtful presentations you've given so far about...