Free Republic

Great for political self-awareness: take the quiz and map your Bible-clinging, gun-slinging reactionary views- you misguided anti-progressive, you-

For the past several months, the media has tried helping the White House spin unemployment numbers. Whenever initial jobless claims go down, media analysts hail it as a sure sign that the “recovery” is gaining strength. When initial claims rise, it’s an “unexpected” sign that the recovery may take a while longer to show some effects. All of that is nonsense. The employment picture hasn’t changed much at all in the past six months despite all of the media spin. Initial jobless claims have been flat since the end of October, as this chart from Uncommon Misperceptions shows: Actually, the...

I will start.

Shipping Into The U.S. Unexpectedly Jumped In December John Carney and Kamelia Angelova Jan. 12, 2010, 4:58 PM Shipping into the U.S. climbed from November to December, defying typical seasonal trends and perhaps demonstrating growing demand in the U.S. "December was a surprisingly good month that put a promising end to 2009," the research company Panjiva said in a report issued today. Specifically: There was a 3% increase in the number of global manufacturers shipping to the U.S. market There was a 2% increase in the number of U.S. companies receiving waterborne shipments from global manufacturers Traditionally, these numbers decline...

That Horrible Q3 GDP Report Was Even Worse Than You Thought Joe Weisenthal and Kamelia Angelova Dec. 28, 2009, 5:53 PM Last week the Commerce Department announced that in Q3 GDP had been revised down to 2.2% growth after first clocking in at a brisk 3.8%. The number was the latest blow to those who are still holding out hopes of a V-shaped recovery. Not only was the headline number disappointing, but a deeper drill-down is also depressing. As Goldman Sachs analyst Jan Hatzius pointed out in a recent note, major GDP components, including consumption, residential investment, and business investment...

ObamaCare's true cost of the health care bill being proposed by Harry Reid and his fellow Democrat hucksters is $1.8 trillion over ten years, not the $849 billion as deceptively claimed.

The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) House Republican staff, which earlier this year created a chart mapping the bureaucratic complexity of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s original health care proposal (H.R. 3200), has combined similar analysis by the House Republican Conference with the earlier chart. The analysis details new additions to the health care bureaucracy contained in the new version of the Speaker’s bill (H.R. 3962) that were not previously listed. Let’s just say the Speaker’s vision for government-run health care hasn’t gotten any simpler.

At midyear 2008, there were 4,777 black male inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents being held in state or federal prison and local jails, compared to 1,760 Hispanic male inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents and 727 white male inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents.

The Obama administration and far-left democrats have been redefining a number of common words lately. Just yesterday (September 20th), the President blatantly defied the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of taxes. One redefinition that has persisted for several weeks is “racism” and/or “racist”. We’ve all heard it. If you disagree with Obama, you’re a racist. If you are against ObamaCare, you’re a racist. If you’re a capitalist, you’re a racist. If you’re a conservative, you’re a racist. (see handy chart below)And … you might be a racist if you think ACORN, the community organizing group mired for years in one controversy after...

If you're old enough, you've probably come across Rube-Goldberg cartoons, which were humorous drawings of elaborately overengineered devices designed to perform some ridiculous task. Want an automatic toothpaste dispenser? A Rube-Goldberg machine may be just your ticket: Well, Democrats are not to be outdone. They can design a crazier and more elaborate device than anybody. Just take a look at the chart of what their health care plan looks like: Source: http://docs.house.gov/gopleader/House-Democrats-Health-Plan.pdf Without a doubt, this is the craziest, most bizarre, most expensive, and certainly most dangerous, Rube-Goldberg contraption ever devised. By the time you wind through the rodent's maze...

Rep. Kevin Brady: “This chart identifies 31 new federal programs, agencies, commissions, and mandates that will be in between patients and … their doctor.”

WASHINGTON (AFP) – With the US economy mired in its worst crisis in decades, president-elect Barack Obama is likely to chart a new direction away from the unbridled capitalism of recent years but faces a challenge in restoring confidence, analysts say. Obama is likely to be engaged on the economy even before his January inauguration, possibly working on a new stimulus plan in the lame-duck Congress and with some role in the November 15 global economic summit being hosted by outgoing President George W. Bush, say analysts. "President-elect Obama needs to fully engage in economic policymaking beginning now," said Mark...

Scripture, our Evangelical friends tell us, is the inerrant Word of God. Quite right, the Catholic replies; but how do you know this to be true? It's not an easy question for Protestants, because, having jettisoned Tradition and the Church, they have no objective authority for the claims they make for Scripture. There is no list of canonical books anywhere in the Bible, nor does any book (with the exception of St. John's Apocalypse) claim to be inspired. So, how does a "Bible Christian" know the Bible is the Word of God? If he wants to avoid a train of...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2008 – Developing the Iraqi security forces is hard, slow work, the commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq said today. Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik told the House Armed Services Committee today that the Iraqis already have security responsibility for nine of the country’s 18 provinces. Dubik said the Iraqi security forces will assume internal security responsibility for the whole country “sometime between 2009 and 2012.” He said the Iraqis will assume responsibility for external security “in the 2018, 2020 period.” There has been success in Iraq, but that success is mixed with challenges, the...

If Fred Thompson or Duncan Hunter don't "make it" and it becomes necessary to vote while holding my nose and puking, I tried to devise a rational way to determine which RINO (Republican In Name Only) would make me the least ill. I identified my top issues and prioritized them based on: How immediately an issue could impact the nation- Immediate, Urgent, Serious The power of an issue’s negative impact on the nation- Devastating, Powerful, Strong and Once implemented the likelihood an issue could ever be changed- Unchangeable, Changeable. It seemed rational that issues like being conquered by illegal immigrants...

Today I was reading about Anderson Cooper's coverage of the Iowa Caucus and many people were talking about his magic 3D Pie Chart. Apparently CNN is trying out some new toys. I like new toys. I found some still images, but I'm looking for a movie showing off the tech. (Though I can imagine it in my head if I close my eyes. :) ) Better image here. If anyone has a link to a video showing off this technology, I'd love to see it. :) Peace.

BAGHDAD, May 6, 2006 – Coalition officials call it the "measles chart" -- a map of Iraq showing all the planned, in-progress and completed infrastructure projects that makes the country look like it has developed a case of the measles. Green is good on the chart. That indicates completed projects, and most of the dots, triangles, squares and diamonds on the map are green. Yellow means the projects are started, and there is a scattering of those around the country. Red means "planned - not started," and there are some of those - mostly in Anbar province and in eastern...

SACRAMENTO -- When it comes to building new roads, schools, sewers and dams, Republicans in the state Assembly are marching to a different drummer than Democratic lawmakers and even GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Led by Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, Assembly Republicans have called for setting aside a small percentage of the state budget each year for a pay-as-you-go construction program. By contrast, Schwarzenegger and Democratic legislative leaders are proposing a series of bond issues to borrow the billions needed for a massive public works program. The highlight of Schwarzenegger's state of the state speech last month was a call for...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2006 – The Defense Department unveiled the Quadrennial Defense Review today, charting the way ahead for the next 20 years as it confronts current and future challenges and continues its transformation for the 21st century. The 92-page report, sent to Congress beginning today, represents "a common vision of where we need to go and what we need to do," Ryan Henry, principal deputy undersecretary for policy, told Pentagon reporters today. The report was driven, managed and authored by senior leaders throughout the department, from Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to the Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint...

A copy of the Able Danger chart that identified lead 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta as a terrorist operating inside the U.S. a year before the 9/11 attacks is clearly visible in a video of a 2002 speech by delivered by Rep. Curt Weldon to the Heritage Foundation. The Pentagon, the 9/11 Commission and the Senate Intelligence Committee are currently seeking evidence that the bombshell chart, featuring a photo Atta, ever existed - as claimed by three members of the Able Danger team, along with Rep. Weldon. But so far, no physical evidence of the controversial document has surfaced. Until now....