Free Republic

The Illinois political director of President Barack Obama’s campaign allegedly threatened a Chicago NAACP official because he did not support Obama’s reelection campaign.David Lowery, the president of the South Suburban Branch of the NAACP, alleged to CBS Chicago that Louis Raymond, the Obama official, threatened him during a phone call because Lowery did not support Obama. Lowery felt Obama did not adequately address the concerns and issues of the black community. “You know what? I know everything about you,” Raymond allegedly said, according Lowery. “We’ve been watching you, and since you don’t support Obama, we’ll deal with you.” Lowery filed...

The Shelby County Commission has filed a subpoena in federal court asking for the identities of all online commenters in The Commercial Appeal's stories about suburban plans to create their own school districts. (snip) On June 26, the County Commission attorneys filed a federal court motion to block the Aug. 2 referendums to start school districts in Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland and Millington. They argued that the people who arranged the referendums are trying to discriminate against African-Americans by carving out majority white suburban districts from the new unified school district. (snip) But, Levy said, "Let's hypothesize that people...

After days of ridicule for launching a conspiracy theory-fueled investigation into Barack Obama’s birth certificate, Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett on Tuesday backed off his threat to keep the president off the ballot in November and apologized to his state. “If I embarrassed the state, I apologize, but that certainly wasn’t my intent,” Bennett said in an interview with Phoenix radio station KTAR. “He’ll be on the ballot as long as he fills out the same paperwork and does the same things that everybody else has.” Bennett said he still intends to keep asking Hawaii for verification that Obama’s...

The House passed the administration’s offshore wind power bill Friday amid accusations Gov. Martin O’Malley secured votes on the House Economic Matters Committee with disparity grants to committee members’ districts. “Those of you who have been here longer than two weeks know there’s a lot of complicated pressures that go into making a bill pass or fail,” said House Minority Leader Anthony O’Donnell. “Sometimes it takes a little nudge, sometimes it takes a carrot, and sometimes it takes a stick.” The disparity grant program in Maryland provides subsidies to jurisdictions with income tax receipts that fall below 75% of the...

The recent flap over the Obama Administration’s edict that all employers must provide birth control, including abortifacients, as part of heath insurance benefits for employees has given us a “teaching moment,” says representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.). “We have established the fundamental principle that employers may not force their views on employees by refusing to cover the costs of birth control measures,” Wasserman-Schultz crowed. “The days of employer oppression of employees are over. The government has stepped in to defend the working class.” The Congresswoman dismissed complaints that the Obama Administration’s move wrongfully violates individuals’ rights to act in accord with...

"Reizei's [Princeton U.] Blog from America"(My Translation/Summary): "There were three reasons for the stunning Rick Santorum three-state victory which shook the GOP establishment and dented the crown of the presumed frontrunner Mr. Mitt Romney....(snip)........(The) Third explanation is bound up in a very interesting religious development as we speak. At the end of January, the Obama Administration made the following mandate: "Catholic related schools, institutions, and hospitals must be forced to provide birth control (pill), etc. under the health plan of the United States, even to those who are not Catholic believers, otherwise they are in violation."The Obama Administration was...

No, it's not true that the Establishment (such as it is) is responsible for the sorry state of the non-Romneys in the current Republican field. It's not the Establishment's fault that Jeb Bush, John Thune, Paul Ryan, Mitch Daniels, Chris Christie and others stayed out of it, while an ex-pizza salesman, a political crank, a congresswoman who served five years in the House, an eccentric former House speaker whose foibles proved too much for even his caucus, and a shrill and divisive hard-line culture warrior who lost his last race five years ago by a 17-point margin, decided that this...

While we were students of the state education apparatus, how many of us had to write research papers where we were asked to "change the world"?I'm sure we can all remember a writing prompt similar to this: "If I could change one thing about the world, it would be …" or "How I can make the world a better place."Often, these writing prompts were given to us when we were not even old enough to think about abstract concepts like war and politics.Were these assignments teaching us to think critically? In some cases, this is possible. For the most part,...

“Gay marriage” in fact represents a vast expansion of state power: In this instance, the state of New York is declaring that it has the competence to redefine a basic human institution in order to satisfy the demands of an interest group looking for the kind of social acceptance that putatively comes from legal recognition. But as Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York and others argued during the days before the fateful vote on June 24, the state of New York does not have such competence, and the assertion that it does casts an ominous shadow over the future. *****...

To make sense of what's going on in Wisconsin, it helps to understand that the left in America lives in an ideological fantasy world. The dispute between the state government and the unions representing its employees is "about power," Paul Krugman of the New York Times observes accurately, before going off the rails: What [Gov. Scott] Walker and his backers are trying to do is to make Wisconsin--and eventually, America--less of a functioning democracy and more of a third-world-style oligarchy. And that's why anyone who believes that we need some counterweight to the political power of big money should be...

Nothing wrong with profit sharing - as long as it's a private transaction either between an employee and the company or the union and the industry. But Obama's not concerned about that kind of setup. In fact, he makes it sound as if government would have a role in enforcing such profit sharing (video at RealClearPolitics link) "'If we're fighting to reform the tax code and increase exports, the benefits cannot just translate into greater profits and bonuses for those at the top. They have to be shared by American workers, who need to know that opening markets will lift...

The late Murray Rothbard, famous Austrian economist and libertarian, published a collection of essays under the title Making Economic Sense. One subsection was entitled "Politics as Economic Violence." That phrase described, in Rothbard's view, politics' contribution to society. Rothbard's reasoning was simple: Economics is the interaction of people freely making choices while subject to minimal restriction (no theft, coercion, fraud, etc.). Politics is coercion to force outcomes that otherwise would not occur. Thus, politics is violence against economics, or people, because it precludes freedom's running its natural course. A couple of centuries earlier, Thomas Jefferson expressed the same sentiment: "Rightful...

VIDEO HERE.

You can always count on the Obama Administration to prevent major news from breaking until Friday afternoon! Today we learn the ObamaCare Nightmare Law created what is called a "Ready Reserve Corps." What does it do? The law (it's too late folks, this is already law) allows the President to force healthcare workers from each state into national service without their consent ... ...and without the consent of their Governor! The five pages of the 2,700 page ObamaCare Nightmare that deal with this are short on details. The Ready Reserve Corps is some kind of para-military-like group that can force...

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) insists that the recently enacted Obamacare law “does not require anyone to purchase health insurance. Republicans who say the law forces people to buy insurance are lying for political gain.” “The law gives people several options,” Schultz pointed out. “First, and of course, most recommended, is that they may buy insurance coverage. A second option is that they may pay a fine. And the third option is that they may go to prison. So, those who maintain that we have eliminated choice are just plain wrong.”

Arguing that “a loving parent wouldn’t allow her child to eat asbestos or smoke cigarettes, so why should she allow him to eat salt?” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing banning consumer access to salt in restaurants. “Doctors all agree that salt is bad for us,” Bloomberg contended. “Yet, like disobedient children, too many of us can’t resist reaching for the salt shaker. For our own good, this has to be stopped.” Admitting that “control over household use of salt is beyond our grasp given current technology,” Bloomberg said his plan is to “focus on food consumed in...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Peterbilt plant in Madison is shutting down for good on Tuesday. The truck manufacturer is consolidating production with its other plant in north Texas, leaving about 390 Tennessee workers out of a job. The plan temporary shut down in February, when Plant manager Larry Vessels told News 2 the plant would not resume production until the economy improves. Hourly workers at the plant had been locked out since June 2008 because of a labor dispute.

Health Care Reform: Failure to buy health insurance in the just-passed health care bill could get you five years in jail with a $250,000 fine. How can violating a law that's unconstitutional be a felony? The passage last Saturday night of the House health care measure by a fragile 220-215 margin may well prove to be a Pyrrhic victory. In polls, townhall meetings and tea parties, Americans have shown they don't want a "reform" that costs a staggering $1.2 trillion yet fails to meet the left's desire of insuring all the uninsured. And they certainly don't want a bill that...

It has come to this, America. Democrats have decided that if you don't agree with their policies, you are to be fined. And if you don't pay the fine, you are a criminal and will be sentenced to jail. That's right, Democrats are criminalizing dissent. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has decided to leave language in her heatlhcare bill that criminalizes and prescribes jail time for any American that does not want to buy private healthcare insurance. Think of this, America. I am telling you that the U.S. Congress has decided to force you to buy the product of...

Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal urged his party Tuesday to shift to offering health care solutions instead of just rejecting what [Alleged] President Barack Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress are proposing. “I think now is the perfect time to pivot and to say, not only here’s what we’re against, and not only here’s how we’re going to contrast ourselves, but here’s what we’re for,” Jindal said in an interview with POLITICO. Jindal acknowledged that the Republican Party for years had been too slow to stake out positions on the health care debate “to our peril and the nation’s...

American Voters believe in the US Constitution, even if the liberals in Congress act as if they never read it. The Obamacare bill working its way through the U.S. Senate includes a provision that requires all Americans to either buy health insurance or pay a $750 annual penalty. From their point of view it makes sense, because by enrolling relatively healthy younger people who might not usually purchase insurance in the plan, it helps to pay for the older people who generally need more services from health insurance. Of course there is absolutely NOTHING in the constitution giving the federal...

Senator Baucus. What can we say about him, other than he's another Biden, being put up to shovel an even worse plan than HR3200, in order to make people rather have THAT piece of crap. These bills are great to use to mail to people, to keep all the various issues and aspects of why this is so terrible, on hand and in your mind. Mail them to your lawmakers with a note about how we're watching them, we know the score, and we will kick their asses out of there at the next opportunity when we have the chance...

The great thing about fixing healthcare is not missing the opportunity to turn a bunch of regular people into criminals. You don't want healthcare, too damn bad. You're now a criminal. You don't have a choice. You are going to forcibly be made to enter a legal contract against your will. (This is against the law by the way). All contract law is void unless both parties entered into the contract voluntarily. There's little terms like "COERCION" and "AGAINST THEIR WILL" and stuff like that. How about someone gives you an abortion against your will? Didn't want it? Too bad....

HealthCare Reform Will Ruin Your Insurance And Your Job The healthcare reform that is being pushed by the President and Democrats in Congress is a terrible bill. It's purpose is very clearly designed to end private insurance and move everyone in the country towards the public option, socializing healthcare in effect, while pretending that choice is still an option. It would be one thing if Obama and Reid and Pelosi came out and said they liked socialist healthcare, and thought the country should move in that direction. If they admitted the expense, and the likely destruction of private insurance, you...

It's becoming clearer day by day. The President and Democrat leaders have been doing the Hustle. Not only hustling voters from the get-go, but hustling all year to push their statist legislative agenda through Congress. And, most often, they're attempting to do so in the still of the night. Why? Because undemocratic Democrats understand better than they're given credit that a solid majority of Americans occupy the center-right. Democrats, especially party liberals, well appreciate that last November's election wasn't a resounding mandate, but, rather, a small window through which to squeeze massive leftwing measures. Wasn't it the lighthearted Rahm Emanuel...

In an effort to avoid totally selling out his previous position in opposition to the so-called “card-check” bill (Employee Free Choice Act) that would authorize unions to represent workers without first having a secret ballot vote, Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) has suggested a compromise that both proponents and opponents find unpalatable. While Specter’s proposed amendment would not change the no-ballot provision of the bill, it would restrict a union’s persuasion efforts. Under the Specter amendment, threats against property would continue to be permitted, but threats against persons would be criminalized. “We don’t want to totally inhibit the union’s opportunity to...

Kilroy letter may have influenced AIG company's decision Thursday, April 23, 2009 3:00 PM By Jonathan Riskind THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH WASHINGTON -- Did an inquiry by Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy on behalf of a desperate constituent facing foreclosure persuade a giant AIG-owned mortgage company to take part in an Obama administration-crafted loan modification program? In a back and forth exchange between Indiana-based American General Finance and Kilroy, D-Columbus, the mortgage company doesn't acknowledge a cause and effect in its reversal. And AIG indicated that the chain of events leading up to the change of heart predates Kilroy's involvement. But the...

Passed the House, Passed the Senate, and outlawed Religion for those in 'volunteer' programs: last week, the House passed the Serve America Act (SAA), which will triple the number of federally funded "volunteer" positions, create a "Clean Energy Corps" to weatherize homes, and make September 11th a "National Day of Service." Like many federal assaults on the taxpayer, the SAA is a bipartisan offense: It passed by huge margins in both houses. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-MA, the primary sponsor, got a standing ovation after the vote was in, and co-sponsor Orrin Hatch, the Utah Republican, gushed that "the whole Kennedy...

Please copy, paste, and circulate this press release from the Governor of Missouri. Note the Web domain of the press release, governor.mo.gov. This is not "someone's blog," a "rumor," or a "smear." It is the official Web site of Missouri's state government. The Governor of Missouri says openly that Barack Obama conspired to misuse his state's law enforcement resources to "threaten and intimidate his critics."We cannot overemphasize the gravity of Governor Blunt's accusation. While we are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice, "Conspiracy against rights" is a felony under the U.S. Code, Title 18 (Crimes). At present, Governor Blunt's...

Across China, Security Instead Of Celebration Washington Post[Saturday, July 19, 2008 11:54] Police Crack Down on 'Hostile Forces,' Apply New Safety Measures By Edward Cody Washington Post Foreign Service YENGISHAHAR, China July 19 - Shortly after dawn on July 9, the local government here bused several thousand students and office workers into a public square and lined them up in front of a vocational school. As the spectators watched, witnesses said, three prisoners were brought out. Then, an execution squad fired rifles at the three point-blank, killing them on the spot. The young men had been convicted of having connections...

The Point | In defense of waterboarding By Mark Bowden No one should be prosecuted for waterboarding Abu Zubaydah. > Several investigations are under way to find out who ordered the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes, apparently an effort to cover up evidence of torture. Leaving aside for a moment the wisdom of destroying the tapes, I'd like to take a look at what was allegedly done to Zubaydah, and why. > When captured in Pakistan in 2002, Zubaydah was one of the world's most notorious terrorists. The 31-year-old Saudi had compiled in his young life 37 different aliases and...

Top Scholar Predicts “Slow Motion Humanitarian Tragedy” in China Stinging rebuke delivered during address to World Economic Forum in Dalian, China By Samantha Singson NEW YORK, September 21, 2007 (CFAM.org) - Likening the Chinese one-child policy to a “slow-motion humanitarian tragedy,” prominent demographer Nicholas Eberstadt urged the Chinese government to “immediately and without reservation” scrap the coercive population control program that has been “a tragic and historic mistake.” Eberstadt delivered the stinging rebuke during an address to the World Economic Forum held in Dalian, China earlier this month. Eberstadt told officials that while the population control program has achieved its...

Late-Term Abortionist's Patient Drops Bombshell Testimony Of Illegal, Coerced Abortion TOPEKA, Kansas, September 10, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A former patient of abortionist George R. Tiller gave jaw-dropping testimony before a joint interim legislative committee Friday, telling the detailed story of her late-term abortion experience that, as described, violated the Kansas ban on such abortions at nearly every turn. "This is perhaps the most explosive testimony that has every been heard at the Capitol. Based on this testimony alone, Tiller's medical license should not survive to the end of the day," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "We demand that the...

by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorAugust 31, 2007Wellington, New Zealand (LifeNews.com) -- The leading pro-life group in New Zealand is calling on that nation's parliament to draft legislation to make it illegal for people or groups to pressure or coerce a woman into having an abortion. The measure is similar to legislation some states in the United States have considered.Right to Life New Zealand cites the bill the Michigan legislature approved as evidence that this kind of legislation is not without precedent.The group says it is "trying to establish procedures to make sure that a woman is not intimidated into an abortion...

UN to Award Global PR Firm for Indian Population Control Condom Campaign Program was joint project of USAID and health ministry of Indian governmen By Hilary White NEW DELHI, August 22, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The United Nations has offered its "Grand Award" for achievement in public relations to a US-funded campaign to boost condom sales in India. The campaign, called "Condom Bindaas Bol" (Say Condom Freely), was a joint project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the health ministry of the Indian government. The campaign was meant to convince Indians that the word "condom" was not...

Board may decide that logos on apparel are Election Day no-nos Dayton Right to Life planned to put its name on workers, bringing about the debate of fairness with all decals. The Montgomery County Board of Elections may ban poll workers from wearing clothing with any names or logos after members heard of Dayton Right to Life's plan to put its name on poll workers' shirts.The plan, approved by a top board official, caught board members by surprise. Possible backlash They hope it won't discourage companies and organizations from helping the county find the 2,200 poll workers needed to staff...

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Sen. John McCain will deliver a message Monday to the other Republican presidential candidates: opposing an immigration bill for political gain will only make worse the problems of undocumented immigrants and an unsecured border. McCain plans to talk about the bill at an event here Monday, and excerpts of his prepared remarks take aim at other Republicans in the race. "I would hope they wouldn't play politics for their own interests if the cost of their ambition was to make this problem even harder to solve," McCain said in the prepared remarks obtained by The Associated...

Britain buckles before Saudi threats Financial Times 12/19/2006 Author: Philip Stephens Consider the dry explanation of Britain's most senior law officer: "It has been necessary to balance the need to maintain the rule of law against the wider public interest." Now translate: "Faced with serious threats to the nation's security from the rulers of Saudi Arabia, I have decided to put aside the fundamental principles at the heart of our democratic system of government." Little wonder that Lord Goldsmith, the attorney-general, sounded almost contrite when he called a halt to the long-running criminal investigation into whether a British defence company...

Gov. Mitt Romney (R) supports the proposal, which would require all uninsured adults in the state to purchase some kind of insurance policy by July 1, 2007, or face a fine. Their choices would be expanded to include a range of new and inexpensive policies -- ranging from about $250 per month to nearly free -- from private insurers subsidized by the state. snip As simple as the idea sounds -- buy insurance or else -- the proposal is complex and, in some cases, still unfinished. For instance, it leaves the task of determining exactly how much some low-income residents...

OTTAWA - The Quebec Ministry of Education has told unlicensed Christian evangelical schools that they must teach Darwin's theory of evolution and sex education or close their doors after a school board in the Outaouais region complained the provincial curriculum was not being followed. "Quebec children are legally required to follow the provincial curriculum ... but these evangelical schools teach their own courses on creationism and sexuality that don't follow the Quebec curriculum," said Pierre Daoust, director-general of the Commission Scolaire au Coeur-des-Vallees in Thurso, Que. Mr. Daoust's complaint sparked the province-wide investigation. Quebec law requires school boards to assure...

The violent Muslim reaction to Pope Benedict's reference to Muhammad involves far more than the issue of freedom of speech. The ultimate issue is one of theological truth on the one hand, and the true nature of Islam on the other. Pope Benedict's "indirect" disparagement of Muhammad--who was will denigrated by St. Thomas Aquinas, the touchstone of Roman Catholicism--is by definition a disparagement of Islam. Be this as it may, the Pope now calls for "dialogue." When Islam substitutes dialogue for the sword it will cease to be Islam. Islamic leaders from Muhammad to Ahmadinejad have ever declared war on...

This is one case where silence isn't golden and ignorance isn't bliss. They are dangerous and dumb It's not easy to be shocked by jihad these days, five years and numberless atrocities after the Twin Towers imploded on almost 3,000 fellow citizens. That said, I admit my own jihad-fatigue was broken — shattered, really — by the "conversion" to Islam of Fox journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig videotaped during their two-week ordeal as captives of Palestinians in Gaza. Why? Andrew G. Bostom, writing at Frontpage mag. tells us forced conversions to Islam "have been the norm, across three continents...

Gay pride group sues Star Tribune over ads The organizer of the annual Twin Cities Pride Celebration has sued the Star Tribune, accusing the newspaper of discrimination and breach of contract for refusing to publish ads for the festival. The advertisements showed two men kissing. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Hennepin County District Court, said the newspaper applied different standards to GLBT/Pride Twin Cities because the newspaper had published ads depicting a heterosexual couple kissing. The lawsuit also contends the newspaper breached its advertising contract, and retaliated by failing to publish any of its advertisements, including one that did not...

Mexico Offers Help in Exchange for Visas by Amanda B. CarpenterPosted Mar 27, 2006The Mexican government placed a full-page advertisement in major U.S. newspapers last week that said Mexican efforts to stop illegal emigration into the U.S. would be contingent on the United States' providing a "sufficient number of appropriate visas" to Mexican nationals who now enter the U.S. illegally. The ad was a summary of "Mexico and the Migration Phenomenon," a policy declaration adopted last February by Mexico’s Federal Congress. In the declaration, the Mexican government calls for a "bilateral medical insurance system" for Mexican workers in the U.S....

Sent to me via e-mail... *heheheh* (I think the sign he's giving is pret-ty close...) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has already started her 2008 presidential campaign by aligning herself with the military and pretending to be tough on terror. Fortunately, the ultra-liberal Hillary has yet to brainwash all of the voting public in to believing that her symbolism is really substance. Many have never forgotten that when she was co-president for eight years she was quoted as saying: "I loathe the military." The picture shows that this soldier has been thru Survival School and learned his lessons well. He's giving...

Copyright © 1998-2005 TruthOrFiction.com All rights reserved Picture of U.S. Soldier in Iraq Shaking Hands With Senator Hillary Clinton--But Not Willingly-Truth! Summary of the eRumorThe eRumor includes a picture of a U.S. soldier shaking hands with Senator Hillary Clinton. He is also crossing the fingers of his left hand, which the email says is a soldier's sign for coercion.      The TruthThis eRumor started circulating shortly after Senator Clinton made a Thanksgiving visit to the soldiers in Iraq in 2003. There was a lot of speculation about what the picture really meant. Was the soldier really indicating that...

The Real Story Behind ThanksgivingDid you know that the first [Plymouth Colony Pilgrim's] Thanksgiving was a celebration of the triumph of private property and individual initiative?William Bradford was the governor of the original Pilgrim colony, founded at Plymouth in 1621. The colony was first organized on a communal basis, as their financiers required. Land was owned in common. The Pilgrims farmed communally, too, following the "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs" precept.The results were disastrous. Communism didn't work any better 400 years ago than it does today. By 1623, the colony had suffered...

  Y'know... I like to make jokes that the Left can only get the crowds via Castro-style "bus rides and sandwiches", but this is getting ridiculous.   Clinton's book isn't flying off local shelves The buzz is there -- and it's No. 1 on Amazon -- but area stores stay calm. By M.S. Enkoji -- Bee Staff WriterPublished 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, June 23, 2004 (excerpt)   At the Sacramento store, Norma Valencia bypassed Clinton for a book on personal finance. She had been in Manhattan Monday on business when people began lining up at the other Barnes & Noble,...

A Leftist Professor Strikes Again By Nick Bahl FrontPageMagazine.com | January 23, 2004 I am a 22-year-old senior planning to graduate with a journalism degree and a political science minor from Metropolitan State College in Denver this May. This past semester I took a class called Latin American Politics taught by Dr. Oneida Meranto, a political science professor at Metro State. When I registered for Dr. Meranto’s class, I didn’t know what I was in for. During the past semester Dr. Meranto has wrongfully dropped me from her class; threatened to throw a campus Republican group that I belonged to...