Free Republic

The economy has added more jobs than expected in each of the past three months, pushing down the unemployment rate to 8.3 percent and marking the best six-month streak of jobs numbers since 2008. But President Obama’s former economic adviser said today that this seemingly rosy economic picture probably won’t last. “I think the main thing that [President Obama] ought to worry anybody is that the growth rate is probably not as sustainable as at high a rate as it’s been, so the pace of expansion, which for six months has been pretty impressive, it may just slow down a...

ABC's Jonathan Karl Tuesday published a piece now prominently featured at the Drudge Report with a headline guaranteed to be the Obama-loving media's lead story concerning something Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich wrote over five years ago: "Gingrich ’06 Memo: 'Agree Entirely With Gov. Romney' on Health Care." Inside the actual document uncovered by BuzzFeed’s Andrew Kaczynski, the former Speaker didn't "agree entirely with Gov. Romney" at all (emphasis added):

A truck driver who won a $380,000 Lamborghini in a convenience store contest crashed the sports car six hours after he got it, and he now plans to sell the 640-horsepower convertible because he can't afford the insurance or taxes. "I already had offers on it. I'm going to sell it," David Dopp said Wednesday. "I have bills more important than a Lamborghini. I've got a family to support." Dopp, a 34-year-old truck driver for Frito-Lay, spun out of control just a few hours after taking the keys to the Murcielago Roadster that he won in a "Joe Schmo to...

Many in the media and some well-known politicians have characterized those demonstrating against Wall Street and big business as a spontaneous grass-roots movement similar in purpose to the tea party. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Let's start with the important differences. The tea party movement is universally consistent in its emphasis on the return to the principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence and eager for the restoration of constitutional governance. The tea party protests are intended to bring attention to the unrestrained compulsion of our elected representatives toward boundless growth of the government and display a...

Russia: U.S. intelligence has apparently concluded that Moscow was behind last September's bombing of the U.S. Embassy in the nation of Georgia. But the Obama administration still thinks Russia is our friend. The more things change, the more they stay the same. In the 1970s, President Carter celebrated America's liberation from its "inordinate fear of communism" and boasted after the 1979 Vienna Summit that "President Brezhnev and I developed a better sense of each other as leaders and as men." Less than six months later, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Today, President Obama takes Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Ray's...

Not there but @CBSNews producer on ground tells me #RollingThunder crowd pretty anti-media, very protective of @SarahPalinUSA7 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

MIAMI, Fla. – Are U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal natural-born citizens of the United States, and thus eligible for the presidency? It's a simple question, but the answer may not be so easy. The next national election is less than 18 months away, and both rising Republican stars have been touted as potential contenders for either the No. 1 or No. 2 spot on a presidential ticket. But their eligibility is in doubt since both men's parents were not U.S. citizens at the time their future political children were born, WND can reveal. That...

White House: Revenge attacks for bin Laden death 'entirely possible' By Sam Youngman - 05/13/11 12:07 PM ET The White House said Friday that the U.S. intelligence community is "in a state of high vigilance" for revenge attacks after the killing of Osama bin Laden. White House press secretary Jay Carney responded to reports that more than 80 were killed in Pakistan Friday as a response to bin Laden's death by saying that it is "entirely possible, even likely" that terrorists "might try to respond with revenge attacks of some kind." The terrorist network al Qaeda has promised revenge for...

A respected economic expert is warning that a recession is definite by December and that U.S. stock prices are going to plunge, thanks to Federal Reserve strategies and the soaring price of crude. John Taylor, founder of the FX Concepts hedge fund and former vice president at Citibank, says the U.S. economic recovery has taken place thanks in large part to the Federal Reserve's money printing campaign, known as quantitative easing, which ends in June. "Recovery has never really gotten off the ground. It's all government stimulated," Taylor tells CNBC. "We'll be in a recession by the end of the...

Donald Trump believes the Koran teaches a “very negative vibe.” And, he’s also a Christian. That’s what he said during an interview with CBN’s David Brody that aired this morning on the “700 Club.” His comments, included below, were in response to Brody’s question about whether or not Trump has concerns about the Muslim holy book:

So it’s not all about the president’s birth certificate after all. It’s also the Koran. In an interview with CBN, Donald Trump reveals there’s a bit of a religious scholar under all that wonderful hair. Discussing the Muslim holy book, Trump says “The Koran is very interesting. A lot of people say it teaches love and there is a very big group of people who really understand the Koran far better than I do. I’m certainly not an expert to put it mildly, but there’s something there that teaches some very negative vibe.” Trump suggests that suicide bombings may be...

Potential Republican presidential contender Herman Cain is known for his straight-talking style and willingness to discuss issues other politicians dare not touch. In his latest interview with Christianity Today, the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO opened up about his faith, his calling in life and his aspirations for political office. In blunt terms, Cain, a Christian, made no bones about his thoughts on the role of Muslims in modern American society and ... “God didn’t keep me here to go play golf, and relax, and take life easy,” he said, referring to his against-the-odds battle back against stage-4 cancer. “I believe...

Santorum is going to get a lot of heat for this. When the Islamic supremacist tools in the mainstream media challenge him on it, he should ask them if they think the death penalty for apostates, stoning for adultery, amputation of the hand for theft, the denial of the freedom of speech, and institutionalized second-class status for women and non-Muslims is not evil. They will then, following some smooth Islamic supremacist deceiver, claim that those things are not part of Sharia; Santorum should then challenge them to name one Muslim country that has ever implemented Sharia without implementing those measures,...

...and he filled tanks feeding the boat’s 200 horsepower Mercury engine with gas that had been blended with 10 percent ethanol. “I heard a station in Greenville had straight gas, but I just took it to the next one I could find. Within 10 minutes, my engine started failing,” Gray said. “(The ethanol) had crystallized and crumbled and had clogged my fuel line, and I had to tear out all of the fuel system.” Gray saved hundreds of dollars by repairing it himself, but his troubles with the motor are nothing new to marine shop owners, lawn mower mechanics and...

Republicans could relinquish a significant portion of the gains they made in the midterm elections if they "allow" the omnibus spending bill to pass, Sen. John McCain said Wednesday. The Arizona Republican said that Tea Party activists who helped the GOP make large inroads on Democrats are "enraged" about the $1.1 trillion measure to fund the government that contains nearly $8 billion in earmarks. "They gave us a second chance last November ... And if we Republicans allow this thing to go through, then I'm not sure they're going to give us another chance," McCain said during an interview with...

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - A relatively new state law bans registered sex offenders from using social networking websites like myspace and facebook, but prosecutors say it's rarely used in court. The law was enacted in December of 2008. Prosecutor Kelly Miller says the law is great idea, but difficult to enforce because registered sex offenders on probation typically use the internet in the privacy of their homes. They often use different screen names and don't have their pictures on the account. It often takes a court order for police to gain access to computer information needed to verify the account...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_Manning

Charles Town, WV (CNN) - As he stumps for a string of Republicans in increasingly bitter races, Sen. John McCain warned candidates against overconfidence and defended recent searing attacks on his Democratic colleagues. "These are harsh times," he said, in response to a reporter's question about his criticism of Sen. Barbara Boxer and a conference call in which he slammed Sen. Patty Murray over the use of earmarks.

State Supreme Court justices Richard Sanders and James Johnson stunned some participants at a recent court meeting when they said African Americans are overrepresented in the prison population because they commit a disproportionate number of crimes. Both justices disputed the view held by some that racial discrimination plays a significant role in the disparity. Johnson also used the term "poverty pimp," an apparent reference to people who purportedly exploit the poor in the legal system, say those who attended the meeting. Sanders later confirmed his remarks about imprisoned African Americans, saying "certain minority groups" are "disproportionally represented in prison because...

Beginning last week, President Obama's approval rating is now the lowest it's ever been, with just 45 percent of Americans saying they're satisfied with the job he's doing, according to Gallup...Yet as supporters peel away by the day, one group has yet to significantly give up on the president: African Americans. Though Obama no longer enjoys the 96 percent black approval of months past, he's still never known what it's like to not have the support of at least 80 percent of African American voters. Currently, more than nine out of 10 blacks polled approve of Barack Obama's job performance,...

Israeli Defense Minister Barak’s warning that, if Hizbullah attacks it, Israel would defend itself against the whole regime, got all the attention, but almost unnoticed is his further alert that U.S. military aid to Lebanon may fall into the hands of terrorists. President Obama announced intent to raise that subsidy to $100 million. More specifically, Min. Barak put it, “…the walls between the Lebanese armed forces and Hizbullah—it's quite porous. And whatever you give the Lebanese armed forces might end up in the hands of Hizbullah, be it technology or weapons or whatever.“ (Arutz-7, 7/27/10). This column’s prior analysis made...

A lawsuit filed Monday by a former Bell police officer makes a variety of serious allegations about city officials and suggests voter fraud in a 2009 election. According to the lawsuit, filed by James Corcoran, off-duty police officers in Bell distributed absentee ballots in a 2009 municipal election and told would-be voters which candidates to support. The former police sergeant alleges in the suit that he was forced out of his job of 25 years in retaliation for informing state and federal authorities about the officers’ actions and reporting alleged misconduct involving City Administrator Robert Rizzo and other city officials....

Results stress importance of counseling safer-sex practices, even for older patients This release is available in Chinese.Physicians who prescribe erectile dysfunction drugs for their male patients should be sure to discuss the importance of safer sex practices, even with older patients: that is an important implication of a report in the July 6 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The analysis of insurance records of more than 1.4 million U.S. men over 40 found that those who used ED drugs were more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases than were non-users. "Anyone who does not practice safer sex, no matter...

There was fresh controversy today over child sex abuse and the Catholic church when an archbishop's aide claimed the majority of paedophilia was being perpetrated by gay men. Father John Owen, the communications officer for the archdiocese of Cardiff and a Catholic chaplain at Cardiff University, was a guest on BBC1's The Big Questions. His remarks concerned last Wednesday's publication of the Ryan Inquiry, a 2,565-page report detailing the abuse and rape of children in Ireland's Catholic institutions, and came days after the newly-appointed archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, angered charities by saying it took courage for...

There is no shortage of threats facing America today or emerging on the horizon. In Afghanistan, our military is engaging a dangerous enemy while global terrorism, fueled by a radical ideology, will take more than firepower to defeat. All the while, Iran continues its march toward acquiring nuclear weapons, North Korea continually provokes its neighbors, and China is arming itself faster than any other country in the world. Each of these threats is unique and presents its own set of challenges, which is why America's armed forces must be prepared on all fronts. This requires that we consistently strengthen our...

LOS ANGELES | Abby Sunderland’s quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world was star-crossed from the start, and weather was always the principal villain. Originally scheduled to launch in early December to avoid the chilly winter weather and deadly waves in the Indian Ocean, the California teenager and her team met with delays equipping her boat, Wild Eyes, money shortages and unfriendly hometown weather. When she finally set sail Jan. 23, experienced sailors issued warnings given the late start, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When kids are hurt, stressed or emotionally upset and want their mommy, it is for a valid reason. A new study reveals that talking with one’s mother actually helps lower the level of cortisol, a stress hormone. The soothing effect of the mother’s voice is believed to release oxytocin into the brain. Oxytocin is a feel-good chemical that naturally enhances a person’s mood. Seth Pollak of the University of Wisconsin-Madison led the study. Pollak and his team asked 61 girls between the ages of 7 and 12 to deliver a speech or complete a set of math problems in front...

A retired Congressman thinks politicians who want to condemn the controversial immigration law in Arizona should take a second look at their oaths of office. Duncan Lee Hunter, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, hasn't read the Arizona law but from what's he's heard, it sounds to him like the cities and counties declaring resolutions against the state need to reexamine their oaths of office. “Do they also oppose the federal law that says it’s illegal to come into this country without coming in the right way?” Hunter asked when interviewed at a San Diego golf tournament to...

In latest quarterly survey by the National Association for Business Economics, the index that measures employment showed job growth for the first time in two years -- but a majority of respondents felt the fiscal stimulus had no impact.

Monday April 19, 2010 The Definitive Paper Showing Homosexuality at Root of the Sex Abuse Crisis TODAY'S HEADLINES   |   SEND NEWS TIPS   |   DONATE SHARE:  E-MAIL   PRINT      By John-Henry WestenApril 19, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A must-read paper produced by Human Life International Research Director Brian Clowes has closed the book on the question of whether homosexuality in the priesthood is a root cause of the clerical sexual abuse crisis.  Citing numerous research studies, Clowes demonstrates that homosexuality is strongly linked to sexual abuse of minors, and that celibacy is definitely not a cause of pedophilia.Clowes cites studies, including:...

"I think there's a huge disconnect between the stock market and the real economy," says Lynn Tilton, founder and CEO of private equity firm Patriarch Partners. With a portfolio of more than 70 small and mid-sized businesses, many of them manufacturing companies, Tilton has a strong understanding of Main Street. Having previously held varied positions at a number of Wall Street firms, including Goldman, Oppenheimer and Morgan Stanley, she also understands that world.

SANTIAGO, Chile – The Vatican's second-highest authority says the sex scandals haunting the Roman Catholic Church are linked to homosexuality and not celibacy among priests. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, made the comments during a news conference Monday in Chile, where one of the church's highest-profile pedophile cases involves a priest having sex with young girls. "Many psychologists and psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no relation between celibacy and pedophilia. But many others have demonstrated, I have been told recently, that there is a relation between homosexuality and pedophilia. That is true," said Bertone. "That is...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's brother-in-law Dr. Hagai Ben-Artzi on Wednesday called U.S. President Barack Obama an anti-Semite in an interview with Army Radio. "It's not that Obama doesn't like Bibi," he referring to Netanyahu using his nickname. "He doesn't like the nation of Israel." Netanyahu was quick to distance himself from Ben-Artzi's remarks, saying he completely disagrees with his brother-in-law. Netanyahu said he has a deep appreciation for President Obama's commitment to Israel's security, which he has expressed many times, and also for the deep ties between the two countries.

As a nationwide strike highlights Greece's painful effort to fix its finances, much of the rest of the world is confronting an equally sobering reality, says analyst Fareed Zakaria. "You can't spend money you don't have forever and hope people will lend you money, which is what has been going on," Zakaria said in an interview with CNN. He says governments, particularly in developed countries, rushed to bail out financial institutions in the economic crisis, leading to a massive increase in public debts. Now the bill is beginning to come due.

Internal Toyota documents derided the Obama administration and Democratic Congress as “activist” and “not industry friendly," a revelation that comes days before the giant automaker's top executives testify on Capitol Hill amid a giant recall. According to a presentation obtained under subpoena by the House Oversight and Government Relations committee, Toyota referred to the “changing political environment” as one of its main challenges and anticipated a "more challenging regulatory" environment under the Obama administration's purview. This document, in addition to piles of other records, will be front and center this week as the Japanese automaker girds to face lawmakers hungry...

People are afraid to lose money and an unusual study released on Monday explains why -- the brain's fear center controls the response to a gamble. U.S. | Science | Health | Lifestyle The study of two women with brain lesions that made them unafraid to lose on a gamble showed the amygdala, the brain's fear center, activates at the very thought of losing money. [...]

I recently suggested that seniors will die sooner if Congress actually implements the Medicare cuts in the health-care bill put forward by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. My colleagues who defend the bill—none of whom have practiced medicine—predictably dismissed my concern as a scare tactic. They are wrong. Every American, not just seniors, should know that the rationing provisions in the Reid bill will not only reduce their quality of life, but their life spans as well. My 25 years as a practicing physician have shown me what happens when government attempts to practice medicine: Doctors respond to government coercion...

Dr Dave Football Prognosticator With His Weekly Picks 13 Detroit at 19 Chicago Lock Of the week 1:00 PM FOX Soldier Field 24 Cincinnati at 13 Cleveland Lock of the week 1:00 PM CBS Cleveland Browns Stadium 17 Seattle at 28 Indianapolis Lock of the week 1:00 PM FOX Lucas Oil Stadium 26 NY Giants at 13 Kansas City Lock of the week 1:00 PM FOX Arrowhead Stadium

French President Sarkozy sees Obama as very naive and arrogant. Sarkozy is worried about the Western world with such a flawed president leading America.

That's my Ann!

Barack Obama’s Gallup approval rating of 52 percent may well be lower at this stage of his presidency than any US leader in recent times with the exception of Bill Clinton. But he is still worshipped with messiah-like adoration at the United Nations, and is considerably more popular with many of the 192 members of the UN than he is with the American people. The latest Pew Global Attitudes Survey of international confidence in Obama’s leadership on foreign affairs shows strikingly high approval levels for the president in many parts of the world – 94 percent in Kenya, 93 percent...

Ever since Glenn Beck took to the Fox television airwaves recently to offer a bizarre reading of the art commissioned 70 years ago for New York's Rockefeller Center, I've been puzzled by the graphic design element of his 9-12 Project. The logo (pictured) for his affiliated groups' rally in Washington, D.C., this weekend derives from century-old communist, socialist and other left-wing designs. Those were the motifs he railed against in his Rockefeller rant. For the logo, three raised and clenched red fists are superimposed over the U.S. Capitol. Obviously the bloody fist represents the tea-baggers' themes of unity and resistance....

GAO lists Postal Service as a troubled agency in need of immediate action WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Government Accountability Office on Tuesday added the Postal Service to its list of high-risk federal agencies in need of change. The post office has been struggling with a sharp decline in mail volume as people and businesses switch to e-mail both for personal contact and bill paying. The agency is facing a nearly $7 billion potential loss this fiscal year despite a 2-cent increase in the price of stamps in May, and cuts in staff.

A Fox News Channel commentator, Glenn Beck, said he believed President Barack Obama was a racist. Beck made the statement during a guest appearance on the "Fox & Friends" morning show. He said Mr Obama had exposed himself as a person with "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture". His remarks came during a discussion over Mr Obama's reaction to the arrest of the Harvard University scholar Henry Louis Gates junior Mr Gates is black and was arrested for disorderly conduct by a white policeman over a misunderstanding about a break-in at his home. A spokesman for...

A new literature review, published by The Lancet, emphasizes the great proportion of HIV/AIDS cases among men who have sex with men (MSM) in sub-Saharan Africa, a fact often ignored in the fight against AIDS in Africa. The study concludes, however, that the solution to the problem lies in greater openness to homosexual practices from the African nations and better access to interventions, a solution that experts from the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) have called "simplistic." The review, principally authored by Dr. Adrian D. Smith of the University of Oxford, calls for greater acceptance of...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--A social researcher who has studied sexual behavior for 24 years believes the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has sound reasons for maintaining its prohibition against gay scoutmasters. A homosexual cannot automatically be considered a child molester, said Judith Reisman, president of the Institute for Media Education in suburban Louisville, Ky. But with 17-24 percent of boys being abused by age 18, nearly as many as the 25 percent of girls, there is cause for concern, she said. Since heterosexuals outnumber the homosexual population about 44 to 1, as a group the incidence of homosexuals molesting children is...

How should the Catholic community respond to men and women who think that a person's sex change operation would solve their problem? Catholic teaching in this area is clear. It is impossible to "change" a person's sex. Hormone treatments, cosmetic surgery and surgery to mutilate the sex organs do not change a person' sex. Confusion in this area has come about because people tend to defer to scientists, particularly in areas where their personal experience is limited. Therefore, when doctors, including those from the prestigious Johns Hopkins, have promoted "sex change" operations for physically normal men who believed they were...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aJsSb4qtILhg&refer=worldwide Link only, per the rules of King Bloomberg I's news service.

"M*A*S*H"'s Major Charles Winchester has stepped out of the tent. Actor David Ogden Stiers tells Gossipboy.com, "I am [gay]. Very proud to be so." Later in the interview, he said, "I wish to spend my life's twilight being just who I am."

If you ask anybody why they got into this business and they say it was for the money, they are either certifiably insane or no longer in the business. Funny. Few in journalism call it a business. We like to think we forfeited bigger paychecks to pursue something that is essential: speaking truth to power, comforting the afflicted, afflicting the comfortable. And there is a lot of truth to that. Most people in newsrooms are idealistic. They think of their work more as a vocation than a job. But at the end of the day, we produce something - journalism...