Free Republic

"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed."- Noah Webster, An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, 1787 These are eloquent words spoken by as educated of a man as there was at the time. Noah Webster is an American icon, an editor of the Federalist Papers, an eminent author, and an opponent of slavery. He also lived in a different era where different...

Dinesh D’Souza, one of the foremost Christian apologists of our time, spoke at the University of Oklahoma on Wednesday night with an address titled “The God Decision: Delusion, Confusion, or Truth?” He gave an elegant espousal on why there is a large amount of evidence that points toward the existence of some sort of supernatural creature, namely God. For those relatively unfamiliar with the Indian born speaker he was mesmerizing. Having seen him in almost twenty speeches and debates, I was still awestruck with not only his intelligence but his ability to convey his message in layman terms. Upon the...

Russia's nuclear chief said Thursday that the startup of Iran's first nuclear power plant, set for this weekend, will demonstrate that Iran is entitled to peaceful use of nuclear energy under international supervision. Sergei Kiriyenko said Thursday at a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that the launch of the nuclear reactor in Bushehr will also show that Russia respects its obligations. Russia signed a $1 billion contract to build the plant in 1995, but its completion has been put off for years. Delaying the project has given Russia continued influence with Iran in international attempts to have it...

Democratic Congressman Pete Stark has become a YouTube sensation in past weeks. When confronted by tough questions from his constituents resorted to sarcasm and condescension. His pompous manner is utterly revolting to watch, but it was something he said at a Town Hall meeting in Wayward CA on 7/24/10 that was nothing short of frightening. Mr. Stark was quoted as saying that “healthcare is now a right rather than a privilege” which prompted a woman at the meeting to bring up the following question. 'If the government can force healthcare upon the masses, and make it compulsory for physicians to treat any...

In a morbid show of bravado, Iran has dug mass graves for US troops should the United States decide to implement Adm. Mike Mullen's contingency plan to strike Iran, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guard said. Adm. Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that the US military has a contingency plan to attack Iran, although he thinks a military strike is probably a bad idea. Gen. Hossein Kan'ani Moghadam, who was the Guard's deputy commander during the 1980s, said graves have been dug in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province, where Iran buried Iraqi...

The Pied Piper first led the rats and then the children out of Hamelin; we still have our rats and our Pied President is leading our children into poverty. The Obamacrats seem to like poverty: they have followed Bill Clintons’ successfully reformed Federal aid for dependent children system that shrank the welfare rolls with what amounts to the largest welfare spending increase ever. When government pays for something, you get more of it. Irony abounds here: the welfare trap closes particularly on single black women –girls, really- who have children but lack the skills or the attitude necessary to support...

The father of Anwar al-Awlaki, the U.S.-Yemeni citizen who has been dubbed as al Qaeda's top English-language Internet recruiter, will sue the Obama administration in an effort to stop U.S. drones from trying to kill his son. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights announced on Tuesday that they are representing Nasser Awlaki in his efforts to remove his son from a list of people that may be killed or captured by the CIA or U.S. military. Jameel Jaffer, a litigator and director of the ACLU's National Security Project, traveled with a colleague to Yemen earlier...

Turkey is poised to become the first line of global defense against the threat of Iranian ballistic missiles, with the United States considering installing sophisticated radar systems in the country, according to a U.S. report. According to the Washington Post, the U.S. is close to activating a partial missile shield over southern Europe. As part of the deployment, Department of Defense officials are nearing a deal with either Turkey or Bulgaria to install high-powered X-band radar. If a deal goes through, the initial phase of the shield could become operational during 2011, the Post said. Plans by the previous U.S....

...Savage was picked as the offering of appeasement to Muslims because he is a thorn in the White House’s side, but also because the administration knew that few, if any major media outlets would cover the story, much less defend him. However, demonizing Savage is not the primary motivation behind the ban. At the heart of this act are both the belief that appeasing the Muslims will ease tensions between communities and also the idea that it is morally justifiable to act in the perceived benefit of the entire society even when it is at the expense of the individual....

The Obama administration has approved the bid by cloning company Geron to undertake the first trial involving the use of embryonic stem cells in humans. They have never been used before in people because the cells cause tumors and have been plagued by immune system rejection issues when tried in animals. Scientists and pro-life advocates say human embryonic stem cells are not ready for trial because problems associated with the cells in animals haven't been solved. The Food and Drug Administration had initially placed the trial on hold but Geron indicated today that the agency is now allowing it to...

A tough new abortion law remains on hold. An Oklahoma County judge Monday extended a temporary ban on enforcing the state law. District Judge Noma Gurich set the next hearing for Jan. 21. The 2010 law requires a doctor or technician to perform an ultrasound at least an hour before a scheduled abortion so the pregnant woman can see the images of the fetus. The doctor or technician must describe the ultrasound images to the woman, even if she objects. A patient can avert her eyes. Two of the state's three abortion providers, the Reproductive Services clinic in Tulsa and...

I was raised in a Christian family, consistently went to church, and attended Christian school for a good portion of my life. Having familiarized myself with the religion in these ways, I have become appalled with the apathy of many of these believers in relation to their actual knowledge of their cherished faith. What shocks me the most about Christians is their willingness to forego the verification process in determining whether the religion they subscribe to is legitimate. I find the most ludicrous part of many Christians’ belief to be their inability to adequately defend their faith. They cite their...

Beginning at 1 P.M. E.T. CNN began running a story on lawsuits being brought against the Arizona immigration law. CNN failed to tell you this, but leading legal experts say that these suits have “little chance” to prevail in court. The CNN anchor referred to analysis of a contributor while saying “We know there are so many lawsuits out there, but what is the basis of this one?” Apparently 7 lawsuits constitute “so many”. They covered two citizens with what they referred to as “Mexican ancestral heritage” who are also both police officers in the state and are bringing suit...

It may sound a bit bizarre but President Obama’s radical vision on how to deal with the current state of America has been exhausted copiously and with resounding failure by the New York Knicks. Now I understand that preliminarily it may seem a bit outlandish, but bear with me and hopefully in due course we’ll be seeing eye to eye. What has been Obama’s motto, the reverberating dictum that he’s been trying to shove down our throats since he took the oath? Spending will create jobs, spending will boost the economy, spending will bail us out of any financial crisis,...

The Obama administration has introduced a new official policy banning the word "Islam" in describing America's terrorist enemies. The administration’s recently released National Security Strategy defines the enemy as “al-Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates”. However, leading experts warn that failure to realize the Islamic component in terrorist acts is severely detrimental. In addition, such a policy is in contrast to the Top Afghan Commander General Petraeus’s counterinsurgency manual. In the manual, co-authored by General James Amos, it refers to "Islamic insurgents," "Islamic extremists" and "Islamic subversives." It also describes the various ties between Muslim support groups and terrorists. In addition...

With the newest member of the Senate, Republican Scott Brown, committing his vote to the financial regulatory bill the only action left to pass the bill is the appointment of a replacement for the late Senator Robert Byrd. West Virginia’s Governor Joe Manchin is expected to announce a replacement sometime later this week. Brown, who will give the Senate the sixty votes needed to pass the bill, stated that he in no way thinks that the bill is perfect, but believes that it is a necessary measure in order to insure confidence in both the economy and financial markets. Today...

n a push back against international efforts to save a 45-year-old woman from death by stoning, an Iranian justice official insists that “Western media propaganda” will not prevent him from carrying out the execution as soon as he gets final judicial approval. Malek Ajdar Sharifi, the judiciary chief of Iran’s East Azerbaijan, says the crimes committed by Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani were so heinous that “if she had only cut [off] the head of her husband, it would have been better than what she has done.” He told the Iranian New Agency in Tabriz, the provincial capital, that “the verdict has...

The Republicans are missing; all that shows up is a big “NO!” sign. Democrats replaced them because people disliked what the Republicans had been doing; now people dislike still more what Democrats are doing. Part of that is the seeming arrogance: brute force passage of unpopular laws in a “we know what’s good for you and we’re going to force it onto you whether you’re smart enough to want it or not” scenario. The buyer’s remorse decimating the Democrats reinforces Republican determination to oppose Obama’s policies; even Senator Olympia Snowe’s well-rounded progressive heels have squared off some. But being the...

Prime Minister to present U.S. President with outline of new policy ideas regarding the peace process, with goal of transitioning from proximity talks to direct negotiations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will fly to Washington on Monday evening to meet with President Barack Obama for the fifth time since the two leaders took office. A senior source in Jerusalem said that Netanyahu hoped the meeting would enable him to regain Obama's trust after months of tension regarding West Bank settlement construction. Netanyahu was planning to present Obama with a number of proposals for coordinating progress in the Middle East peace process,...

Report drafted by IHH, the Turkish NGO which spearheaded the May 31 flotilla, calls says IDF deadly takeover 'an attack against all humanity and peace'. The Israel Navy's deadly takeover of a humanitarian aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip was a pre-mediated "terrorist" attack motivated by hostility, the Turkish NGO that organized the convoy wrote in a special report released on Tuesday. "Israel exhibited an example of illegal action by stopping the attempts for breaking the embargo in Gaza which is a collective punishment of Palestinians," according to the report compiled by IHH regarding the May 31 raid on...