Free Republic

Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life. Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components. Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges. When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well. Here's how it works. As long as the Muslim population remains around...

LOS ANGELES - In the impoverished neighborhood of South Los Angeles, fast food is the easiest cuisine to find — and that's a problem for elected officials who see it as an unhealthy source of calories and cholesterol. The City Council was poised to vote Tuesday on a moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in a swath of the city where a proliferation of such eateries goes hand-in-hand with obesity.

John McCain endorsed a proposal to scrap affirmative action in his home state of Arizona, sparking a strong rebuke from presidential rival Barack Obama and the Rev. Al Sharpton. When asked yesterday in an interview that aired on ABC's "This Week" whether he supports a ballot referendum that would eliminate affirmative action, McCain replied, "Yes, I do." "I do not believe in quotas," McCain said. "I have not seen the details of some of these proposals. But I've always opposed quotas." When pressed as to whether he specifically supports the Arizona initiative, McCain reiterated, "I support it, yes." The proposal...

In 2008, Sao Paulo, Brazil hosted the largest homosexual pride parade ever. A bill, already approved in Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies and currently being debated in the Senate, demonstrates the type of dictatorship the homosexual movement would like to impose on the Christian world. If this bill were to become law it would punish with imprisonment, anyone who criticizes homosexual ideology or practice. This would empower the homosexual movement worldwide, thus reinforcing their plans here in America. Similarly, it uncovers the true goals of the homosexual movement, and, is thus of pivotal importance to freedom-loving people aroung the globe. Religious...

Knowing of your interest in addressing rising energy prices, I want to share with you some thoughts on the current energy situation. There is so much we can do, and I will continue working hard in Congress to lower the cost of gasoline through effective and safe measures. When I came to Congress 14 years ago one of the many issues I began to work on was the critical issue of energy supply. America’s economy was growing and with it was the demand for fuel. At the same time, nations like China and India were throwing off the shackles of...

Republicans always claim the mantle of the anti-Jihadists. And for the most part, they are. But when a supporter of jihad and terrorism comes to the midst of the G.O.P., that anti-jihadist/counterterrorist mantle comes crashing down. The Republican Party simply refuses to denounce pan-Islamists in its midst...

The government watchdog group known as Judicial Watch recently filed a lawsuit against the U.S. State Department, for that agency’s failure to turn over certain documents related to the prosecution of Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean… The suit comes after the government refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request for documents which detailed the agreement made between the governments of Mexico and the United States, which allowed drug smuggler Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila to return to this country to actually testify against Ramos and Compean. The FOIA request was filed by Judicial Watch on April 17, 2008. The...

I haven’t checked to see if their sales are up, but the makers of Dramamine should be experiencing record profits this campaign season. Why, you ask? Simple—the word “change” has been thrown around so much in recent months that it undoubtedly is causing many to buy massive quantities of the anti-nausea medicine… Indeed, the word “change” has moved well beyond being a simple, hackneyed slogan and has now become the mantra of the day. One could even say that “change” has achieved a religious stature, with its adherents solemnly pronouncing the word, eyes glazing over as they achieve their version...

After eight years in the wilderness, the left expects a clean sweep in the 2008 election -- the presidency (and with it the federal bureaucracy) and larger majorities in both houses of Congress. Looking ahead, liberals are determined to derail potential opposition to their plans to accelerate the deconstruction of America. Consequently, they have targeted talk radio. Bringing back the Fairness Doctrine is just one facet of their scheme to eviscerate the only part of the media controlled by conservatives. Crucial to an understanding of the jihad against talk radio is this: The left will do anything to gag its...

<p>Tattoos are the emblems of our age. They bristle from the biceps of men in summer shirts, from the lower backs of women as they ascend the stairs, from the shoulders of basketball players as they drive toward the basket and from every inch of certain celebrities. The tattoo is the battle flag of today in its war with tomorrow. It is carried by sure losers.</p>

The massive hike in electric rates announced by Consolidated Edison this month could not have come at a worse time. New Yorkers already struggling with higher prices for gasoline, food, rent and other necessities must now shell out an average of 22% more to keep the air conditioner running during this heat wave - assuming the power stays on. But don't blame Con Ed for this particular outrage. Don't blame the oil companies or OPEC or the war in Iraq. Blame deregulation. The nation's massive experiment with letting free-market forces determine the wholesale price of electricity has not only failed...

Surrounded by more hoopla than a President, Barack Obama has pushed off on a campaign swing like no other in history. In the event adoring crowds in Europe, Iraq and other stops convince him he's already won the election, it's worth remembering he also faces risks. The list starts with the hazards of open microphones (see Jackson, Jesse), a distinct danger with hundreds of cranky reporters hovering, including the Big Three TV anchors. With Katie, Brian and Charlie bringing their entourages, network bean counters will want big news to justify the big cost. Nothing is bigger than a gaffe caught...

(Porn star Alexia Moore performs on stage ... ... and hurries out of court Friday night.) (Louis Posner) Teams of vice cops swooped down and busted a posh midtown strip club that catered to stockbrokers and bankers - and featured porn stars who charged $5,000 for private trysts. Prominent tax lawyer Louis Posner; his wife, Betty; and 19 others were arrested on a variety of prostitution and money-laundering charges at The Hot Lap Dance Club, which the couple ran out of a velvet-heavy loft, police said. Cops said Posner raked in $1 million over the last 10 months from the...

I'm a lifelong Republican - a supply-side conservative. I worked in the Reagan White House. I was the chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for five years. In 1994, I helped write the Republican Contract with America. I served on Bob Dole's presidential campaign team and was chief economist for Jack Kemp's Empower America. This November, I'm voting for Barack Obama. When I first made this decision, many colleagues were shocked. How could I support a candidate with a domestic policy platform that's antithetical to almost everything I believe in? The answer is simple: Unjustified war and unconstitutional...

First there was the flag pin. Barack Obama refused to wear it. Then he refused to put hand to heart during the national anthem. He sat in a pew while his pastor trashed America. He explained to his rich pals in San Francisco that the hard working folks in Middle America "cling to guns or religion” because they are “bitter” over the tough economic times. Now Obama tells us that we shouldn’t worry about immigrants learning English; our focus should be on getting our children to learn Spanish. He added, "It’s embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak...

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2008/07/12/2008-07-12_daily_news_money_makeover_deep_in_a_fina.html (Sherri Mitchell went into debt to send her daughter to private school.) After 12 years working as a city probation officer, Sherri Mitchell, 43, is worn out. Assigned to an investigations unit, her job is to gather information about juvenile offenders. She wears a bullet proof vest, carries a gun and deals with abused kids, troubled moms and convicts. Mitchell's reports help judges decide whether young offenders remain with their families or are sent to juvenile correctional facilities or group homes. "It's pretty tough," Mitchell said. There are profound challenges at her own home, as well. Determined to provide...

LONDON - The first openly homosexual U.S. Episcopal bishop was barred from a once-a-decade Anglican meeting so he wouldn't become a focus of the global event. Anglicans on all sides of the issue agree: The strategy has backfired. New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson has been embraced by sympathetic Anglicans in England and Scotland who view his exclusion as an affront to their Christian beliefs. Robinson plans several appearances on the outskirts of the Lambeth Conference to be what he called a "constant and friendly" reminder of homosexuals in the church. "I'm just not willing to let the bishops meet and...