Free Republic

"Far be it from me to understand the meteoric rise of Donald Trump, but many folks have been willing to overlook his not exactly iron-clad conservative bona fides because of his apparent determination to fix a broken government and upend the entrenched establishment. And who could disagree with stopping the flood of illegal immigration, strengthening our borders and making sure we make better trade deals? However, conservatives willing to overlook his shifting opinions on social issues and unclear policies for repealing and replacing Obamacare may be having second thoughts after this latest attack on Scott Walker, after his endorsement of...

There's so much nonsense being spewed in this country. I'm drowning in it. I can hardly breathe anymore. The Donald Trump phenomenon is built on nonsense and born from nonsense. His surrogates and minions in the media drop 80 tons of nonsense on every conversation like a nuclear bomb incinerating everything in its path and wiping out any chance of a coherent dialogue. Exhibit A: I wrote a blog post last week listing a few of the so-called conservative leaders in media and politics who sold out to Trump. Maybe you read it. Amanda Carpenter, a writer for one of...

Business leaders are plotting to take down Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) as part of a broader effort to punish lawmakers over the government shutdown. In a letter obtained by The Hill, prominent Michigan donors request financial backing for Amash’s primary challenger, Brian Ellis. Seven individuals, including prominent Michigan businessmen Mark Bissell, J.C. Huizenga and Mike Jandernoa, signed the fundraising plea. They argue that Amash “and others have effectively nullified the Republican majority in the U.S. House.” “[Amash] and a small group of like-minded legislators rejected Speaker Boehner’s plea to pass legislation requiring Congress and the president be subject to ObamaCare,...

A black-clad gunman who marched into a Georgia elementary school “was ready to die” before a brave school clerk convinced him to surrender to police. The suspect, Michael Brandon Hill, burst into the front office of Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy near Atlanta and began barking orders to two staff members inside about 1 p.m. Tuesday, ABC World News reported. “I’m not playing,” the 20-year-old man allegedly said. “This is for real. This is not a show.” Antoinette Tuff, a bookkeeper for the Decatur school, told the news station that she was with one other staff member when Hill...

Just days after the Republican National Committee (RNC) rejected most proposed rules changes that would undo the power grab from last year’s convention, a number of grassroots activists stopped by to express their disappointment with party leaders and let them know that they would not give up the fight. Shortly after 10am, around 50 activists (pictured above) showed up at RNC headquarters in Washington, DC to present a representative from the party with a open letter to Chairman Reince Priebus that hit at the heart of grassroots’ frustration with the party. “As grassroots fiscally conservative activists from states across the...

Excerpt, first three paragraphs: Anti-taping laws hurt democracy by shielding the powers that be from accountability, writes provocateur James “Break in, bribe, seduce and lie; anything to break through that palace guard and get the story,” said investigative reporter Robert Scheer, according to a article by Abbie Hoffman in a decades-old edition of Mother Jones magazine. Sometimes I’ve broken through the palace guards, and other times the palace guards have nearly broken me. What didn’t jail me made me stronger and smarter. I’ve become all too familiar with civil and criminal statutes that are bad for democracy because they insolate...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Jeff Flake says it is "inevitable" that his party will see one of its own run for president while supporting gay marriage.</p> <p>The Arizona lawmaker on Sunday said the shifting political landscape will eventually yield a candidate who backs same-sex marriage and predicts that candidate would find support within the GOP.</p>

The article, from the somewhat sordid “Daily Mail,” reprints Italian news reports. In pertinent part: So when the appearance of a disgraced cardinal threatened to cast a shadow over his first engagement, Francis I made sure it couldn’t happen again – by banning him from his own church. Cardinal Bernard Law resigned as Archbishop of Boston in 2002, after being accused of actively covering up for a litany of paedophile priests.’ Despite the scandal which exploded to engulf the entire church, he was given an honorary position at the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome. Though now retired, the cardinal...

Just two days after President Barack Obama sailed to re-election over Mitt Romney, boosted by more than 70 percent of the Latino vote, some Republicans are striking a new tone on illegal immigration.

Mitt Romney’s eldest sister, who has backed prominent Democrats for office and is in Tampa showing support for her brother, had some reassuring words Wednesday for women concerned about the Republican Party’s hard line on abortion. Mitt Romney would never make abortions illegal as president, Jane Romney said when National Journal asked her about the subject after a “Women for Mitt” event. "He’s not going to be touching any of that,” she said. “It’s not his focus.” Democratic warnings that abortion rights are under threat are an ungrounded fear tactic, Jane Romney said. “That’s what women are afraid of, but...

He just said to his parents on Wolf Blitzer “You guys said we did it for a show.” Wolf didn’t seem to notice. Video at the link.

Vatican newspaper says Obama sought 'common ground' at Notre Dame By John Thavis Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican newspaper said U.S. President Barack Obama sought common ground on the divisive issue of abortion in his commencement address at the University of Notre Dame. The newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, said the president also confirmed that pushing for a more liberal abortion law would not be a priority of his administration. The comments came in a L'Osservatore report May 18, the day after Obama spoke at the university in Indiana. "The search for a common ground: This seems to...