Free Republic

BEREA, Ohio (AP) -- A man who wore press credentials and took photographs from a platform interrupted Barack Obama's town-hall meeting Tuesday by shouting complaints that the Democratic presidential candidate had not called for the audience to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Obama invited the heckler to lead the audience in the pledge, and he did.

Madison, WI - Seated cross-legged onstage in a large upholstered chair, one of the world's best-known religious leaders delivered his trademark messages of compassion, peace and unity with typical humor, verve and humility Saturday afternoon. In response to a written question from the audience about Tibetan culture being strong enough to still mount widespread demonstrations against Chinese rule this year, he also ventured into the political arena. “I want to make clear. We always respect the Chinese people, not the Chinese government,” he said, to loud applause, adding that the uprisings were pro-freedom, not anti-Chinese. For the more than 7,000...

In the patois of punditry, “charismatic” has come to mean little more than “like a rock star.” But the striking thing about the charismatic leader is the extent to which his followers regard him as a healer of wounds, an alleviator of pain. In this sense, surely, Senator Barack Obama is charismatic. The carefully knotted ties and the dark, conservatively tailored suits only accentuate the exoticness of his shamanism; he has entered the American psyche not as a hero but as a healer. The country, or much of it, has longed for such a figure, a man from the once-oppressed...

The candidate’s post-masculine charisma tempts America in the age of Oprah. Summer 2008 In the patois of punditry, “charismatic” has come to mean little more than “like a rock star.” But the striking thing about the charismatic leader is the extent to which his followers regard him as a healer of wounds, an alleviator of pain. In this sense, surely, Senator Barack Obama is charismatic. The carefully knotted ties and the dark, conservatively tailored suits only accentuate the exoticness of his shamanism; he has entered the American psyche not as a hero but as a healer. The country, or much...

Jay McKinnon, a self-described Department of Homeland Security-trained document specialist, has implicated himself in the production of fraudulent Hawaii birth certificate images similar to the one endorsed as genuine by the Barack Obama campaign, and appearing on the same blog entry where the supposedly authentic document appears. The evidence of forgery and manipulation of images of official documents, triggered by Israel Insider's revelation of the collection of Hawaii birth certificate images on the Photobucket site and the detective work of independent investigative journalists and imaging professionals in the three weeks since the publication of the images, implicate the Daily Kos,...

Dalai Lama draws 50,000 to Seattle stadium By Laura Myers Sat Apr 12, 7:27 PM ET Tens of thousands of people packed a Seattle sports stadium on Saturday to hear the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, call for nonviolence and to make the 21st century a "century of dialogue." Drums played, American Indian chiefs wearing feathered head-dresses danced and organizers said about 51,000 people -- many of them families -- listened under sunny skies to the Dalai Lama speak about compassion. Sitting in a red chair under a canopied stage on the stadium field, the robed leader made no...

Open Windows Today's Scripture “Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10 AMP). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria God wants to open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings on you today! But you have to do your part first. Your part is to...

. "...as a person, I love him,'' the Dalai Lama said about President GW Bush. ``We immediately became friends. He's a very nice person.''

WASHINGTON — The Dalai Lama said he was "deeply touched" Wednesday by his receipt of the Congressional Gold Medal, which he received in an ornate ceremony under the U.S. Capitol dome -- but not before having a hearty laugh over his inability to speak perfect English. "It is a great honor for me to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. This ... will bring tremendous joy and encouragement to the Tibetan people, for whom I have a special responsibility," the Dalai Lama said, reading from his prepared remarks. The Dalai Lama was surrounded by top congressional leaders and President Bush Wednesday...

Former President May Still Be Ultimate Power Broker (CBS) HARLEM -- At about 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, 13 floors above 125th Street off Fifth in Harlem, the former President of the United States walks into a packed double conference-sized room with not enough room on the riser in the back for all the TV cameras. And only two or three of the cameras are from local news or the usual networks. Many are from business outlets, and half are from international news agencies, particularly outfits that cover Latin America. Because standing there with Mr. Clinton are Frank Giustra, one of...

In a move to increase its relevance in the presidential selection process, the Golden State is set to jump up its primary from June of 2008 to February 5th, less than a year away. This may benefit New York's presidential aspirants, and especially its Republican one. Last week I noted Giuliani's electric support at the California Republican Party convention. A recent poll has resoundingly brought forth the same message. This morning, the Wall Street Journal's John Fund notes the following numbers: With California moving its presidential primary to Feb. 5 of next year, what Golden State voters think about White...

Pundits of all political persuasions have been chattering about whether Rudy Giuliani, whose name is invariably modified by the description "social liberal," can overcome the objections of many religious conservatives to win the Republican nomination. Will his assurances to appoint judges in the mold of Roberts, Alito and Scalia be "enough" to put their concerns to rest? Will conservatives overlook social issues in an election focusing largely on foreign policy? The more interesting question is whether Giuliani can establish a new description of what it means to be "socially conservative." Perhaps to be socially conservative means something more than just...

Giuliani Strikes a Note With California GOP Testing the Waters, Former N.Y. Mayor Garners 4 Ovations SACRAMENTO, Feb. 10 -- Rudolph W. Giuliani came west to learn whether his brand of Republican politics has a chance among party members significantly more conservative than himself. By the time he had received a fourth standing ovation Saturday at the California Republican Party convention, the answer seemed clear. Equating the U.S. fight against terrorism with the Civil War and the Cold War, Giuliani told about 750 of his party's faithful that failure in Iraq would turn that country into a "massive headquarters for...

At first glance, the congregation gathered in a warehouse in Doral, Fla., seems like a typical Hispanic evangelical group. There's the 10-piece band, the singing and swaying, the whooping and hollering. But look a little more closely. There's not a cross in sight. The lectern is emblazoned with a near replica of the U.S. presidential seal, except that it reads in Spanish, government of god on earth. Off to the side stand three burly guys in dark suits with Secret Service-style earpieces. When a door by the stage opens, the guards leap into action. They surround the man with slicked-back...

What can be more astonishing between a saint confusing people and a rogue speaking the truth? Two such unexpected observations became media bytes recently. The Dalai Lama, on a month-long trip to the US and South America, said at San Francisco and Chicago that Islam is a religion of compassion which is being unfairly marginalised by few extremists. Ye Xiaowen, the Director of State Administration for Religious Affairs, recently said that Buddhism can reduce social divisions in China better than Islam and Christianity, adding Buddhism can help believers cope with fast-changing society plagued by wealth gap and social unrest. In...

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Authorities say a businessman pardoned by former President Clinton has been found dead inside his South Beach condo. Miami Beach police say 63-year-old Almon Braswell was found dead October 28th in his Ocean Drive condo by his employees. It's believed he died from a previous injury. Additional information hasn't been released. The Miami-Dade County medical examiner is labeling Braswell's death as "unclassified" pending more tests. Clinton granted 177 pardons and clemencies just before leaving office in 2001. Braswell was pardoned of convictions for fraud and other crimes stemming from false claims in 1983 about...

ROME (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama said after meeting Pope Benedict on Friday that "a few mischievous Muslims" should not be allowed to give the Islamic faith a bad name. Muslims worldwide were offended by a speech by the Pope last month in which he quoted a Byzantine emperor who said the Prophet Mohammed spread Islam by the sword. The backlash has been sometimes violent and hardliners declared war on the Pope. The exiled spiritual leader of 6 million Tibetan Buddhists living under Chinese Communist rule said Benedict and his predecessor John Paul II, who died last year, shared with...

Veteran U.S. civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, right, walks past an anti-U.S. banner placed among the rubble of a building that was destroyed following Israeli bombardment during the 34-day long Hezbollah-Israel war, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006. Jackson, who said Tuesday that an Israeli soldier seized by Palestinian militants and two others held captive by Hezbollah are alive, also said Syria, a main backer of both Hamas and Hezbollah, wanted to be involved in a prisoner swap that included the three Israelis and Syrian nationals detained by Israel in the Golan Heights....

Mel Gibson has become the designated Hitler-of-the-Month for August 2006, displacing both Saddam Hussein and Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the previous front-runners. However, conservative Christians, before rushing to condemn or defend their fallen hero, might ponder the incident for a moment, before presuming to form an opinion. To give credit where it is due, Zev Chafets, in his LA Times commentary “Slurring More than His Words”, makes several valuable points. To begin with, Mr. Gibson’s first line of defense—the Tequila made him do it—is absurd. As Chafets commnts, “Evidently Gibson wants people to believe that, although he personally loves Jews, the...

Dalai Lama has links with CIA, Indian Army: China Saibal Dasgupta BEIJING: China on Wednesday accused the Dalai Lama of collaborating with CIA and Indian armed forces to organise the 'Indian Tibetan special border troops'. They also accused him of being involved in a 'swindle' by using wrong facts to mislead world opinion about the situation in Tibet. The Dalai Lama continues to work for Tibetan independence under the guise of seeking autonomy for the region, China said in a statement. The Dalai Lama's demand for "one country, two systems" for Tibet as is the situation in Hong Kong and...

Link to story due to copyright restrictions: Evangelist arrested on federal charges (opens in new window)

Link Only: Evangelist arrested on tax evasion

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man who conned dozens of farmers out of 2 million yuan (135,770 pounds) to grow trees he said would be used in the 2008 Olympics has been jailed for 12 years, a Chinese newspaper said on Tuesday. Liu Lutang was barking up the wrong tree when he duped more than 50 farmers into contracts to buy saplings of a maple tree for 20 yuan ($2.50) each, promising them he would buy them back at a higher price after six months, the Beijing News said. "He told the farmers (they) would be used in the Olympics,"...

Former President Bill Clinton praised evangelical Christians on Thursday for their recent efforts on global warming and debt relief for poor nations and said he sees growing understanding between people of different faiths. Clinton made the remarks while accepting an award from the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. He said that as president he had "a consuming interest in the intersection of religion and politics." He said evangelicals, few of whom voted for him, "were instrumental in the biggest debt relief initiative in history in my last year as president because they believed in the admonition of the Scripture to...

SAN FRANCISCO - The Dalai Lama urged religious leaders Saturday to reach out to Muslims, saying Islam is a compassionate faith that has been unfairly maligned because of a few extremists. 'snip' He said all human beings are prone to violence if they lose control of their emotions and not to judge an entire faith based on a few people. "A few mischievous people are always there," he said.

The Dalai Lama says that were Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden killed that hatred would cause another 10 like him to spring up, in an interview with a British newspaper. He also revealed the workings of his relationship with US President George W. Bush, said Westerners had become too self-absorbed and repeated his opposition to homosexuality in a wide-ranging interview. The Dalai Lama said modern terrorism was born out of jealousy of Western lifestyles. "Fundamentalism is terrifying because it is based purely on emotion, rather than intelligence," the 70-year-old monk said at the seat of his government-in-exile in the northern...

It's past time for the Church to start acting like the Church and lift the bushel off of her smoldering candle. The abortion holocaust "will" end only when the Church says so. Thus far She hasn't shown much concern over millions of dead children. The play-dough Jesus that many serve just doesn't seem to care enough about murdered children to "call" more Christians to action. He has, after all, been molded into our image and wouldn't think of demanding something of his people that isn't self gratifying and comfortable. That's the great thing about play-dough; you can reshape it into...

A part-time business professor at the University of Southern California was arrested Friday on charges of conning investors, including former students, out of millions of dollars he claimed he was using for real estate projects. Barry Landreth, 36, was arrested at his home in Coto de Caza, where FBI agents also seized a luxury car, bank accounts and show horses, authorities said. Landreth ran Webster Realty Investors and apparently told his victims he was developing commercial property in Las Vegas and Chicago, and that investments in the projects would bring returns of 190 percent in 30 to 45 days. "This...

Walk in Supernatural Strength in 2006 By Pastor Benny Hinn Samson was at one time a man of great strength. Judges 16:29 presents the picture of a man who had been physically broken and taken captive by the Philistines. He was shackled and chained to the pillars. In addition, the Philistines had gouged out his eyes, drained his strength, humiliated and abused him, and threw him into prison as a slave. A captive of his enemies, the man was sick and blind. But in that seemingly hopeless setting, God gave him supernatural health and strength at the moment he prayed....

JANUARY 8--Oprah Winfrey's been had. Three months ago, in what the talk show host termed a "radical departure," Winfrey announced that "A Million Little Pieces," author James Frey's nonfiction memoir of his vomit-caked years as an alcoholic, drug addict, and criminal, was her latest selection for the world's most powerful book club. In an October 26 show entitled "The Man Who Kept Oprah Awake At Night," Winfrey hailed Frey's graphic and coarse book as "like nothing you've ever read before. Everybody at Harpo is reading it. When we were staying up late at night reading it, we'd come in the...

Listen While You Freep! All programs are replayed for 23 hours and again on weekends so tune in when it’s convenient for YOU! Call In Number - 866-884-TALK (8255) Heating the EDGE of a New Media! 1pm EST - "There have been ten generations of Americans since this nation was founded... Each left this nation in a little better condition than they had inherited it from their parents. This is the first generation at risk of doing the opposite. Why? I have come to believe that it is because we failed to acknowledge and discipline ourselves with the spiritual truths...

The spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, has crossed the border into India after an epic 15-day journey on foot from the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, over the Himalayan mountains. There had been no news of his safety or whereabouts since he left Lhasa on 17 March with an entourage of 20 men, including six Cabinet ministers. Many thought he had been killed in the fierce Chinese crackdown that followed the Tibetan uprising earlier this month. Travelling at night The Dalai Lama had to cross the 500-yard wide Brahmaputra river, and endure the harsh climate and extreme heights of the...

We did it... We protested churchill. There was a collection of pro-Churchill moonbats that showed up, and we protested them as well.

TROUBLE SPEAK Ward Churchill copied 'original' art piece Takes a swing at TV reporter who confronted him -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: February 26, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com Professor Ward Churchill Adding to a growing list of allegations, controversial University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill appears to have violated copyright law by claiming a reknowned artist's work as his own. Churchill, whose integrity has been challenged since news broke earlier last month of his paper blaming victims of 9-11 for the attacks, made an Indian-theme serigraph in 1981 called "Winter Attack" and printed 150 copies. But one of the buyers,...

Televangelist Gene Scott Dies at Age 75 LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gene Scott, the shaggy-haired, cigar-smoking televangelist whose eccentric religious broadcasts were beamed around the world, has died, a family spokesman said. He was 75. Scott died Monday after suffering a stroke, said the spokesman, Robert Emmers. The longtime pastor of Los Angeles University Cathedral began hosting a nightly television broadcast of Bible teaching in the mid-1970s.

Ward Hill as a member of the schismatic Boulder/Denver branch of AIM [American Indian Movement] as spent his whole life trashing the FBI and police. Here is what he said in his "Roosting Chickens" article. He is an anarchist who publishes his books through anarchist publishers. He wants to trash our law enforcement and intelligence organizations so that we will be destroyed. He doesn't want to make them better. He want the USA off the planet. He has often depicted the FBI and CIA as terrorist organizations.

Ward Churchill is the professor from Colorado University who called the dead in the World Trade Center "Nazis" and also said that the US deserved 9/11, and that we should have not fought back. Prof Churchill may get fired from the University of Colorado-Bolder He may appear on March 1st, time pending, if the administration approves of it.

The controversy actually erupted in late January when students at Hamilton College in -- of all places -- Clinton, New York, protested a scheduled appearance by Churchill based upon assertions he had made in an essay entitled "Some People Push Back: On the Justice of Roosting Chickens." "As for those in the World Trade Center," Churchill wrote, "well, really, let's get a grip here, shall we? True enough, they were civilians of a sort. But innocent? Gimme a break." Leaving aside for the moment the burning question of whether "gimme a break" is proper professorial nomenclature, Churchill continued blithely smearing...

Old Palafox Street is an aging, two-lane stretch of road running through the middle of Pensacola, Florida. To the east of Old Palafox, the next major road is Interstate 110 and in between those thoroughfares rests the sprawling campus of Pensacola Christian Academy, quickly followed by the even more sprawling campus of Pensacola Christian College. Both campuses are crammed with spotlessly maintained buildings and grounds. They stand out starkly amid the visible economic decline that surrounds them. The area is littered with empty, boarded-up buildings and abandoned strip malls. Less than a mile north of the Academy on Old Palafox...

Nov. 12, 2004 — Former event planner Aaron Tonken admitted in an exclusive interview with ABC News that he used millions of dollars that were supposed to go to charity to get A-list stars and politicians to attend some of Hollywood's biggest fund-raisers. "I was a con artist," Tonken said. "I broke the law in many areas. Knowingly and unknowingly." Now serving time at a federal prison in Southern California, the pudgy, fast-talking 39-year-old said he used cash, expensive jewelry, luxury getaways, and even political donations to get celebrities to perform or appear at his charity events. Tonken says sometimes...

Thousands of listeners rose, cheered and clapped wildly as the Dalai Lama not only called for peace, but declared war obsolete. "My interests in the future, my economic prosperity, depend very much on others, including my enemy -- and theirs depends on me," the revered head of Tibetan Buddhism told nearly 13,000 listeners Sunday in Sunrise. "In ancient times, nations would only think `my interests,' then destroy the enemy and enrich themselves," he continued. "Today, with modern economy and ecology, everything is interdependent. Our interests are the same as others'. "So I think the concept of war is out of...

<p>Controversy develops over Reagan funeral speakers...</p> <p>'President Clinton really held out all hope the funeral would be a nonpartisan event, like Nixon's was,' a top Clinton source said on Tuesday morning. 'He's angry and disappointed neither he nor President Carter have been asked to speak, as of yet'...</p>

LOS ANGELES - Prosecutors dropped charges of solicitation to commit murder against a man who allegedly offered to kill Kobe Bryant's accuser. In exchange, Patrick Graber, 31, pleaded no contest to one charge of grand theft before Superior Court Judge Katherine Mader, the district attorney's office said. He faces up to three years in state prison when he is sentenced May 13. "His main goal was to get money," said Deputy District Attorney Marguerite Rizzo said. "We felt this was an appropriate plea in this case." Prosecutors dropped one count each of solicitation to commit murder and solicitation to dissuade...

Face it, you'll never be rich Why do Americans still believe in the rags-to-riches fairy tale? In this final extract from his explosive new book, Michael Moore explains why the corporate bosses will never let the American dream become a reality Tuesday October 7, 2003 The Guardian Buy Dude, Where's My Country? at Amazon.co.uk Perhaps the biggest success in the war on terror has been its ability to distract the nation from the corporate war on us. In the two years since the attacks of 9/11, American businesses have been on a punch-drunk rampage that has left millions of average...

For those who have paid attention, it is obvious that Juanita Broaddrick is a compelling witness. She lived a nightmare that she always wanted to be private but that became public. Juanita never wanted to testify. That is why she made the initial mistake of signing an affidavit that came from Bruce Lindsey, who was quite a behind the scenes fixer and apparently also an affidavit mill. Talk about a lowlife with no conscience. When she had to testify under oath, Juanita told the truth as she lived it. She came forward reluctantly. She had government contracts that could be...

SUPPORT THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF UPDATE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT DRAFTED AGAINST THE PRESIDENT! CRITICAL ACTION ITEMS BELOW! 3/13/03 We have just learned that House Judiciary ranking member John Conyers (D-Mich.) assembled more than two-dozen prominent liberal attorneys and legal scholars on Tuesday to consider articles of impeachment drafted against President Bush by activists seeking to block military action against Saddam Hussein. Conyers was the only Member of Congress to attend the meeting, however Ramsey Clark--former attorney general was also there. "We had a pretty frank discussion about putting in a bill of impeachment against President Bush," said Francis Boyle, an Illinois law...