Free Republic

Astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, Bob Crippen, the first space shuttle pilot, and former NASA administrator Mike Griffin are among the eight space leaders who endorsed Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Friday, Space.com reported. The men signed an open letter that explained why Romney is the candidate they most trust to rebuild the U.S. space program. "Restoring the U.S. space program to greatness will require the leadership, management skill, and commitment to American exceptionalism possessed by only one candidate in this race: Mitt Romney," the letter said, according to Space.com. "We support Mitt's...

“I have no comment. Look this is quicksand, and I think that Newt Gingrich, as we all are, is going to be judged by the voters in the primary on the totality of who he is, and that includes everything. People make judgments about our character. They make judgments about our positions. I just don’t have any comment.”

I spent the past week in the vicinity of our nation’s capitol. I was near enough that the stench settled on my location whenever the breeze was unfavorable. Fortunately, I did not have to enter politics’ den of iniquity. I have seen a sizeable chunk of our world. My travels confirmed some things for me. One in particular. Politics is politics. No matter the location, it is clearly and sadly a profession for and of scoundrels. Tailor made for unchecked and even protected criminal activity. To confirm that, you only need to look at what happens when a potential anti-scoundrel...

Former Pennsylvania senator and Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum told ABC News' “This Week” that he expects to soon supplant surging rival Newt Gingrich and become the Republican favorite. “So if you look at all of these little boomlets, they last about four to six weeks. Newt is in about week three,” Santorum said. “So we feel pretty good that, you know, come the middle of December and toward the end of December, as candidates are looking for a candidate they can trust, someone that is authentic, someone who knows what they believe in and why they believe it, and...

At the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Sen. Barack Obama said, “. . . There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America—there is the United States of America.” Those were welcome and commendable words. Unfortunately, they appear to be only words. Since then, Obama has divided us along race and class lines more than any modern president.

With London succumbing to looters and muggers, it’s time to ask what happened to the once-manly English people. The August 9 issue of the Daily Mail, for example, includes a photo of a young man taking off his pants on the street as an impatient looter waits with the emasculated Briton’s sneakers and shirt already in his hands. Luckily the feeble Englishman chooses boxers over briefs, but I can’t help wondering if men such as T. E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill, or Lord Acton could have stomached the state of manliness in this generation of Englishmen. Consider that this latest explosion...

Rush Limbaugh spoke this morning of how he'd rather beat liberals on their ideas over opportunistic scandal. He's both right and wrong about this. Through all the jokes that are being cracked there is, in fact, an idea that should be battled over in this scandal. In politics it's actually the most important idea of them all. The world is going to hell, and so the attention we have been giving Weinergate, I know, seems disproportionate. The left grasps at straws in their defense of him, and the right wants him to stop acting so damn guilty and just...

Newt Gingrich reportedly owed up to $500,000 to Tiffany Posted by Brian Montopoli Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who entered the 2012 presidential race just last Wednesday, is having an epically bad week. And it's only Tuesday. On Sunday, Gingrich angered conservatives by criticizing Rep. Paul Ryan's budget plan and semi-supporting an individual mandate for health care. Now he is being stung by a report that he carried up to $500,000 in debt to the Tiffany jewelry company - and may still be carrying it. Politico got the scoop by looking at financial records filed with the Clerk of the...

An otherwise casual question has turned out to be one of the most elusive and divisive questions of the young 21st century: where was Barack Obama born? The left despises those who ask the question. Some on the right ridicule those who raise the issue, while a sizeable number of Americans are insisting that Obama was born outside of the US and hence he is ineligible to be president. Whether intentionally or not, they are either missing or distorting the real issue. An inquiry to Obama's birthplace should be viewed in light of the sheer weight of the position he...

At a Touchdown Club meeting many years ago, Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant told the following story: I had just been named the new head coach at Alabama and was off in my old car down in South Alabama recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a pretty good player, and I was having trouble finding the place. Getting hungry, I spied an old cinderblock building with a small sign out front that simply said "Restaurant." I pull up, go in, and every head in the place turns to stare at me. Seems I'm the only white fella in...

Mormonism Unveiled is a book written in 1834 by E. D. Howe. It was printed and published by the author. The copyright on it is long expired so I am free to reproduce the information here. Mormonism Unveiled can be considered the first 'anti-Mormon' work. It is an examination of the teachings of Mormonism existing at that time and claims to contain eye-witness accounts and sworn affidavits by those who knew the family of Joseph Smith. If this is true, then we can actually read what people who knew Smith and his family had to say about their character, manners,...

By now, most people (with the exception of many psychotherapists) recognize that the self-esteem movement officially launched by California in 1986 has been at best silly, and at worst injurious to society, despite whatever small benefit it may have had to some individuals. The movement was begun by California assemblyman John Vasconcellos. As the New York Times reported, “Mr. Vasconcellos, a 53-year-old Democrat, is described by an aide as ‘the most radical humanist in the Legislature.’” In an interview at the time, Mr. Vasconcellos told me he had personally benefited from therapy. It enabled him to improve the poor self-esteem...

Barack Obama has used his Presidency to do little more than weaken the United States of America and now events are spiraling out of control around both him and us. His first real focus was to go on an apology tour. President Barack Obama has finished the second leg of his international confession tour. In less than 100 days, he has apologized on three continents for what he views as the sins of America and his predecessors. Mr. Obama told the French (the French!) that America "has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive" toward Europe. In Prague, he...

My oldest son, Keith (not his real name), is an adult. He lives with our family at home, and he probably will for the rest of his life. As a child, Keith was extraordinary. He was extremely verbal at an early age, immensely creative, and astonishingly literate. Keith's senior year in high school was remarkable for the range of activities in which he was engaged and the energy that he invested in them. He was an active member of our church youth group, showed promising acting talent as he participated in a drama club, earned a brown belt in karate,...

We all believe we have it. We profess our virtues because of it. We talk about it. We want others to believe we have it. We are comfortable displaying it if the threat of employing it is marginal. It is not for the morally languid, as the greater its strength, the greater the assumed responsibility. Character: the synergistic power of a man’s morals, honor, ethics, honesty, courage, integrity, and loyalty.

Election Day is almost here! Now I would never presume to tell you for whom to vote. However, I would like to let some Founding Fathers remind you of some very good principles to follow when voting. Have you decided yet for whom to vote? If so, what criteria did you use to make your decision? We all certainly look at the positions of the candidates on the issues that are most important to us and try to find the one that matches our positions the best. But, have you considered the most important quality? Here’s what Noah Webster said...

There were two rallies in Washington this past weekend. One headed by Glenn Beck and the other by Al Sharpton. Only one of the rallies stressed the kind of character, honor, accountability, and sense of unity necessary for America’s survival and recovery and was inclusive of all, regardless of race or religion. It’s no surprise that it wasn’t Sharpton’s.

When the framers of the United States Constitution completed their work in 1787, they acknowledged that the success and future of the republic as established by that document was dependent on the honor and integrity of its leaders and citizens. As John Adams wrote: “Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Today, the Obama administration, the majority of the members of Congress, much of the Judiciary, academia, and the media represent the culmination of the degradation of ethics and character, which has put the United States in...

When I first started coaching age-group swimming (almost 40 years ago), I made a copy of the late John Wooden's “Pyramid of Success” to use with my swimmers, the 100 or so 5- to 18-year-old kids who made up the Amador Polar Bears. My girlfriend (now my wife) wasn't terribly impressed with my artistic efforts and made for me a much nicer poster-board version of the pyramid. For 15 years, I began each swimming season by going over the basic elements of the pyramid with my swimmers. I used the pyramid also at the little Christian schools where I served...

I would readily forgo the White House Manischewitz in exchange for an end to the bitter herbs he is dishing out to Israel. This Monday, President Barack Obama hosted his second White House Seder. As a Jewish American I am grateful to the president for highlighting the festival of Jewish emancipation, but given a choice, I would readily forgo the White House Manischewitz in exchange for an end to the bitter herbs the president is serving Israel. Publicly shunning Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and privately berating him is not going to be forgiven because of gefilte fish and matza balls....

Since the end of World War II, our country has had three great presidents: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. Their politics varied, but these giants stand in sharp contrast to our last three presidents, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and now Barack Obama. The first two presided over gravely flawed presidencies; the third is on his way to outright failure. What makes these two presidential trios so different? A recent visit to the Truman Museum and Library in Independence, Mo., made me ask what made those great presidents great. The answer is character. The three greats...

Black History Month is a time not only to honor our past but also to survey the progress yet to be made. Why does the black underclass continue to struggle so many years after the civil-rights movement? Martin Luther King dreamt about an America where women and men are evaluated on the basis of character rather than skin color. The fight for equal dignity, however, was derailed by a quest for political clout and “bling.” The goal of equality measured by outcomes, sought by means of government-directed racial inclusion programs, overshadowed the more challenging campaign for true solidarity based on...

I didn’t grow up on a farm. We feel blessed to been able to raise our children in the country. Although I’m not sure that qualifies them as growing up on a farm either. Truthfully, one of the main reasons I wanted to raise our children in the country was so they could work. I realize that sounds extremely foreign to most people. The concept of children “pulling their own weight” has been a part of the American tradition up until, well probably, my generation, unless of course, you were raised on a farm. Farm kids have always grown up...

During the Henry Gates Officer Crowley racial controversy there was a telling picture of Crowley assisting a disabled Henry Gates as both walked a few paces behind the ever haughty and imperious Barack Obama. As Obama was strutting before the cameras championing racial equality, the Officer, who had been portrayed as a racist by Gates, relinquished pride and exhibited compassion for his accuser. If what Michelle Obama professes is the truth and "actions speak louder than words," the picture of Crowley compassionately aiding and guiding Gates down the Rose Garden steps said a mouthful. Officer Crowley's empathy, as compared to...

In defense of Bill Clinton, their democrat president, the liberal media campaigned to convince Americans that character does not matter. In the midst of the Clinton scandals, I was shocked to hear even a minister say Clinton's affairs were a personal matter and did not affect his presidency. The media spin worked. An extraordinary man was featured on the Glenn Beck TV program, Jon Huntsman, founder of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Asked by Beck to share, Huntsman told a tale of amazing integrity. In the 80s, Huntsman sold his business for 54 million dollars. The buyer's lawyers were slow. In...

Apologies to all of my FReeper friends for an extended absence from the forum. I have checked in now and then, and did not want to answer some pings and not others, so have merely participated in 'spectator mode' these past few months. I am offering the following as a Christmas wish for all of you -- some of whom I have known here for longer than ten years. Despite long silences over that time (often on both ends), I believe we all share a timeless common bond, formed by a love of country that will not die ... and...

"Leaders of high moral character are indispensable in the preservation of liberty. But in a democracy, is not the character of its leaders essentially a reflection of the character of its people? Leaders are elected by the people, albeit through an imperfect system that often obfuscates candidates' character, ability, and intent. Nevertheless, if the people elect leaders who lack the character to apply self-restraint, then the people are ultimately responsible for the results. To borrow a phrase from the technical world: "garbage in, garbage out." When candidates lacking character are elected, the results are predictable. The marble halls of Washington,...

- By Ian RansomThere's little doubt that many are disgusted by the subterfuge that accompanied the passing of the "Pelosi Care" bill. If you're like me, you might even feel a tad sick, even after the encouraging signs of revival in VA, NJ and, yes, NY 23, where the GOP lost a battle so that authentic conservatism might soon win the war, as it were. Sarah Palin's response to the bill via Facebook, however, is inspiring enough for all of us and remains a potent warning. Her point about how the nation is speeding to the point of unrecognizability is...

Generation Cynical Sarah Carlsruh, November 6, 2009 “Cynicism exists. It’s toxic,” said Michael Josephson at an October 29th presentation on “High School Character” at the National Press Club. Josephson is president of the Josephson Institute of Ethics (JIE), which recently released its study on the link between high school attitudes and subsequent adult conduct. In its study, the Institute found that “younger generations are significantly more likely to engage in all forms of dishonest conduct than those who are older.” This raises the question, is the study measuring the increasing moral degradation of society or simply the fact that older...

Note: The following text is a quote: THE BRIEFING ROOM THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary -------------------------------------------------------- For Immediate Release October 19, 2009 NATIONAL CHARACTER COUNTS WEEK, 2009 - - - - - - - BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION In communities across America, people are working together to see our country through challenging times -- educating our children, caring for the sick, and extending a hand to those in need. They remind us that the true character of our Nation is revealed by the good we do when the moment is...

(IsraelNN.com) Judge Richard Goldstone, whose recent United Nations Human Rights Council investigation purported to find evidence of Israeli war crimes in Gaza, once indicted a fictional Serbian character and a dead man for war crimes as well. As in Gaza, those indictments were also allegedly based on "eyewitness testimony." The problem for NATO forces in tracking down the serial rapist was that Gruban from Bijelo Polje, also known as Gruban Malic, is a fictional character. established by the United Nations in 1993. In 1995, one year into his term as chief ICTY prosecutor, Goldstone presented an indictment of several Serbs...

TAKE ACTION... Filling out the form on the right and sending a letter to the Department of the Interior is the next stage of the "Drill Here, Drill Now" campaign. Here’s why:

Suborned in the U.S.A.The birth-certificate controversy is about Obama’s honesty, not where he was born. By Andrew C. McCarthy Throughout the 2008 campaign, Barack Hussein Obama claimed it was a “smear” to refer to him as “Barack Hussein Obama.” The candidate had initially rhapsodized over how his middle name, the name of the prophet Mohammed’s grandson, would signal a new beginning in American relations with the Muslim world. But when the nomination fight intensified, Obama decided that Islamic heritage was a net negative. So, with a media reliably uncurious about political biographies outside metropolitan Wasilla, Obama did what Obama always...

Obama's biggest character flaw James Lewis The President of these United States recently expressed his love for "the Urdu poets," a piece of inspired BS that nobody in their right minds believed for a second. But then the P was narrowcasting to Pakistan, he thought, and Americans weren't supposed to be listening. Yet character is revealed in those little snippets of Obama's mind -- his glorious fantasy life, his everlasting hope that somebody will fall for another piece of schtick, and his essential fraudulence as a human being. Obama's biggest audience is himself, and no doubt he preened and pranced...

Candidate Palin has character problemGREGG ERICKSON Last Modified: June 27th, 2009 06:42 PM **SNIP** That's why it was so refreshing when Sarah Palin, a woman who had stood up against corruption in the Murkowski administration, made openness and transparency in state government a central theme in her 2006 campaign for governor. In November 2006 Palin defeated Murkowski. As Palin's first Juneau press conference as governor was breaking up, she called my wife and me aside. With apparent sincerity she asked us why we had had so much trouble getting public records from previous governors: "Why wouldn't they want you to...

I have to still believe in Santa Claus or how else would I be able to explain my receiving the following email. It was written by Muleshoe ISD’s Special Education Director, Brian Arnold. I read the email and then opened the attachment and found the message that he had written to the staff of Muleshoe ISD on the eve of school dismissing for the summer. A tear comes to my eye each time I read Mr. Arnold’s message. I knew immediately I wanted to share this with you but that permission had to be granted. I requested and received not...

The purpose of the Church and of Catholic education is to turn us into little Christs, to continue the process of our transformation in Christ that began in our baptism. How can Catholic schools help to develop, in both students and staff, the character of Christ. Sanctity is not reserved for a few. Jesus, by His Incarnation and death on the Cross, merited the means of salvation and sanctification for all who believe in Him. He did not give the precept "Be you perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" to a chosen group of persons. . . . He...

Last night, quite late in the evening, and on the show, the girl who has pledged to sell her virginity for the highest bid, convinced her to not "give it up" if a higher bid - individual or cumulative comes in to top the present $3.7 million offer that has been registered. Having done MANY interviews declining similar offers, Natalie Dylan (not her real name) has agreed to remain a virgin, and give ALL of the proceeds (that she had previously agreed to use towards graduate school) instead--to stopping the horrific practice of child sex trafficking.

The news reports seem to vary from day to day. Either condom-based sex education works, or it doesn't. Either abstinence should be the focus, or it shouldn't.But, according to government-supported research at the Heritage Foundation, one thing is clear: Teens who abstain from sex share some characteristics.The National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health identified eight personality and behavioral traits that were associated with both abstinence and academic achievement:• Future orientation, with a focus on long-term goals. • Willingness to postpone current pleasures for larger future rewards. • Perseverance, as in the ability to stick to a task or commitment. • A belief that...

Looking for this week’s classic American tale? Forget the rise of Barack Obama. It’s the fall of Flight 1549. There, lined up on the wings of a sinking plane like kids patiently waiting for the school bus, was the real America. Not to name any names, but there are those who believe American society is broken, that our national soul needs healing, that our citizens lack the character to even set our own thermostats. But I believe that the nation this unnamed person will be sworn in to govern on Tuesday is a much better place than many of his...

Don't let it be misunderstood. Those who serve in our nation's military espouse values that confuse the left, confound their purpose, and leave them unable to understand, much less resonate with our service men and women. This week I saw why.

DON'T CLOSE THE BLINDS Just please read and ask yourself what will you do when they come to your door? The other day, my nine year old son wanted to know why we were at war. My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our Country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation. My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our...

I get a big kick out of Democrats insisting that the Republicans should concentrate on the issues instead of focusing on Barack Obama’s own words and affiliations. They call it negative campaigning. It reminds me of 1948 when the crowds would exhort Harry Truman to give the Republicans hell: “I don’t give them hell,� he replied, “I just tell the truth and the Republicans think it’s hell.� According to the Democrats, nobody is supposed to mention Obama’s hostility to his own white relatives; his black hate-mongering religious mentor; his political alliance with unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers; his work with Saul...

Barack Obama and his supporters have tried to claim that his associations with people like Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, James Meeks, John Lewis, Alcee Hastings, Bill Ayers, Mahdi Bray, and Nihad Awad, and his connections with organizations like Trinity United Church of Christ, ACORN, the Muslim American Society's (MAS) Freedom Foundation, and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), were all innocuous. When people question Obama's character vis-à-vis these relationships, his campaign and followers retort that he is being unfairly accused using guilt by association. In fact, Obama has had long-standing relationships, and/or relationships of convenience, with such people/entities, and...

<p>Yesterday Rush said the reason the "they" commitee (as in Noonan and company) doesn't like Sarah Palin is because of her grammar and speaking. She drops her "g" when saying good morning. You know this really has me pissed, who do these hippocrites think they are. Are they afraid of BEAUTY because anyone can learn to speak.........Beauty, Elegance and Grace are attributes they lack and Sarah has.</p>

Click on the link, then click on LISTEN NOW link to hear Marine pilot who was shot down 1 year before McCain http://www.wticam.com/

As the media turns over every rock in the past of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, there has been shockingly little vetting of Barack Obama’s background. Although candidates should not be judged solely by their behavior as adolescents, an examination of their overall past is fair and important, especially as we pick our next president. And former schoolmates can help provide character clues, such as the former Obama schoolmate who told Newsmax that she is surprised he is running for president.

WASHINGTON -- Convicted felon Tony Rezko. Unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers. And the race-baiting Rev. Jeremiah Wright. It is hard to think of any presidential candidate before Barack Obama sporting associations with three more execrable characters. Yet let the McCain campaign raise the issue, and the mainstream media begin fulminating about dirty campaigning tinged with racism and McCarthyite guilt by association. But associations are important. They provide a significant insight into character. They are particularly relevant in relation to a potential president as new, unknown, opaque and self-contained as Obama. With the economy overshadowing everything, it may be too late politically...

A recent Republican campaign ad sarcastically described as Barack Obama's "one accomplishment" his supporting a bill to promote sex education in kindergarten. During an interview of a Republican spokesman, Tom Brokaw of NBC News replayed that ad and asked if that was something serious to be discussed in a presidential election campaign. It was a variation on an old theme about getting back to "the real issues," just as Brokaw's question was a variation on an increasingly widespread tendency among journalists to become a squad of Obama avengers, instead of reporters. Does it matter if Barack Obama is for sex...

I picked up a copy of Time magazine yesterday, in which a columnist declared that issues of "character" were a "distraction" in the Presidential race. Obama actually said the same thing in his North Carolina press conference, that the Reverend Wright affair has been a "distraction." Isn't this what liberals usually say when their own characters come under public scrutiny? What a heap of pure poppycock!