Free Republic

... Another thing that brings the community together is the Christmas holiday. Christmas is my favorite holiday, and my family has adopted many different traditions over the years. ... Many of these traditions show how Christmas fosters a sense of community, bringing together people who have little else in common to share in the magic and promise of the season. For a little while, we can put aside our political, cultural, and social differences and just watch trains go around a track, sing Christmas carols, watch dancers and musicians marching down the street, or just admire the lights and decorations...

This week could be the last push to re-create Virginia's health care system in Barack Obama's image. The House Democrats plan to hold votes this week aimed at replacing the system that has made our country one of the best health care innovators in the world, with a new plan where government regulates prices and procedures, and citizens are required to buy government-dictated health insurance whether they like it or not. Virginians and Americans are outraged at the plan. Opposition is so great that a Republican won a Senate seat in Massachusetts. Democrats are so scared of public opinion they...

Last week, this paper ran an editorial attacking ex-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, saying "If there was ever any doubt that Sarah Palin is a fool, she has removed it." ... the paper's editorial was off base, short on facts, long on innuendo and did a disservice to her considerable achievements. ... The editorial said Palin was partisan and predictable when attacking Rahm Emanuel for using the word "retarded" as a pejorative. ... The editorial misses the bigger point. Rush is a private citizen commenting on a talk show. We may not like what he says, but he speaks for himself....

For all the claims of opponents, political advertisements rarely contain absolute falsehoods. When they do, even the most biased news outlets feel compelled to call out brazen lies. But there is a wide gulf between outright lies and the truth. Much of the political warfare is fought in this murky battleground of “technically correct” and “deliberately misleading.” News organizations are less likely to police this turf, and when they do, enforcement is often clouded by the political leanings of the reporters and editors. Here’s a little quiz. Which candidate for governor, being questioned by several reporters, turned to the female...

Could politics have changed grieving mother's views? By CHARLES REICHLEY Columnist Potomac News Wednesday, August 10, 2005 I heard Cindy Sheehan on C-Span Tuesday morning. Cindy Sheehan is the mother of Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004. Casey had just arrived in Iraq. When a group of soldiers were ambushed, he volunteered for the rescue mission which took his life. His mother is sitting on a road in Crawford, Texas demanding a meeting with President Bush. This would be her second meeting. Last June she was in a group of families of fallen...

The President and Joe Liberman rebuke the Democrat leadership By CHARLES REICHLEY Columnist Potomac News Wednesday, November 16, 2005 When I wrote last week about Democrats living in the past, I did not know the President would raise the same issue in his Veterans Day speech. I'm glad he did. It is long past time to stop re-hashing the vote for war, and it's about time the President answered the false charge that he lied to get us into the war. In his speech, Bush said: "The stakes in the global war on terror are too high, and the national...

When it comes to Iraq, Democrats prefer shouting from the sidelines By CHARLES REICHLEY Columnist Potomac News Wednesday, December 7, 2005 I recently described how the Democrats are playing Monday-morning quarterback on the Iraq war, making false and baseless accusations, and undermining our efforts, in order to score political points. But this is just a symptom of the refusal of the Democrat leadership to take an active role in running the country. Instead of participating in important and difficult decisions, they choose to sit on the sidelines, watching and hoping government failure will convince voters to put them back in...

Another side of George Allen Potomac News Thursday, September 28, 2006 It's been quite a month for Sen. George Allen, looking to represent Virginia for another six years. While he's tried to discuss a comprehensive Energy Strategy and his National Innovation Act education plan, he has been beset by a barrage of negative attacks driven by his opponents. After the latest smear, several black church leaders rose to his defense. Bishop Gerald Glenn, who opposes Allen on the Iraq war and other issues, said, "I think what's happening is character assassination, blatant and unparalleled." The Rev. Martin Brown added: "We...

The secret ballot is fundamental to our election process. But it wasn't always that way. It was only through hard lessons learned about voter intimidation that secret ballots gained widespread use by the late 1800s. Only by making it impossible for party bosses, company enforcers, and union thugs to know how a person voted could elections truly be free. But now labor unions want to end the use of secret ballot elections for employees choosing whether to have union representation. And the Democratic Party is supporting their anti-democratic agenda. At issue is a practice called the "card check." When a...

Look out, Webb's got a gun Charles Reichley Thursday, March 29, 2007 On Monday, James Thompson, an aide to Virginia Senator James Webb, was arrested carrying a loaded gun into the Senate Office building in Washington D.C. Thompson spent a night in jail for carrying a pistol without a license. That was one night too many. Senator Webb is a strong supporter of gun rights. He has a concealed carry permit, and a strong rating from the National Rifle Association. And Virginia is a good state for gun owners. The District, on the other hand, has banned guns. A federal...

The lost art of civility "A week of 'I can't believe you just said that'." That's how writer Robyn Disney of the Macon Telegraph described offensive comments muttered by radio host Don Imus about the Rutgers women's basketball team last week after their loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the NCAA finals. Imus created a stir on his morning radio/TV show with derogatory banter about the team. He started by saying "That's some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos." He later called the Rutgers women "nappy-headed hos." Critics want Imus fired for his statements. He has been suspended...

Last April, an unbelievable tragedy unfolded in Blacksburg. A student, armed and angry, plotted and carried out a brutal assault on the students and faculty at Virginia Tech. After an early morning attack which left two people dead, he locked the doors to an academic building, and then moved methodically from room to room, shooting the occupants while they sat, stood, hid or attempted to flee. ... This Sunday, another unbelievable tragedy unfolded in Colorado. A young man, armed and angry, plotted and carried out a brutal assault on members of a Christian mission organization and a church. After an...

I am not a pet person. I mean, I love animals, I just don't like being responsible for more than I have to. ... So we bought two cute little ferrets along with a cage and supplies. The first cage wasn't "right," so we had to get another one. We started "potty-training," which apparently means if we see a ferret "about to go," we stick them in the litter box and hope they do their business before climbing out. Buying pets is just the beginning. You are responsible for their very lives. You have to feed them, clean them, care...

... So, how is the Democrat’s “common sense plan” working? In the six years before they took control, oil increased an average of about $5 a year. But in the 16 months the Democrats have been responsible for the nation’s energy policy, the price of oil has risen to $126 — an increase of almost $70 a barrel or $5 each month. If I had a choice, I’d take $5 a year over $5 a month. Meanwhile, gas prices on the Democrat’s watch went from $2.20 a gallon to $3.67, an increase of almost 10 cents a month. The Democrat’s...

Ever since they took the reigns of government in 2007, the Democrats have been trying to “end the war” in Iraq by quitting the fight and leaving Iraq in the hands of our enemies. ... None were more opposed to the troop surge than Senator Barack Obama. And no one stood more firmly for the surge than Senator John McCain. ... But a funny thing happened on the way to the Democrat’s Iraqi surrender — we are actually succeeding. It is possible that by the time the next president takes office, our troops could be coming home — under a...

... Supporters said it had much of what I wanted -- strong enforcement, a border fence, only non-criminals allowed, fines, back taxes, a separate temporary guest worker program without permanent resident status. But it turns out that is not true. The bill has almost none of those things, and is an insult to those who support the sane middle ground on this issue. ... Let's start with the basic premise -- we want to stop new illegal immigration. But according to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill will at best only stop 25 percent. Some people would give amnesty in...

<p>The new Democratic majority in Congress has put forth its "plan" for Iraq, which consists of surrender starting Oct. 1. The president vetoed the measure, but it is not going away. The only argument for most Democrats is whether the troops should come home today or in a few months.</p>

I don't know if Cho Seung-Hui, the person responsible for the deaths of 32 people at Virginia Tech last Monday, is the "typical" mass murderer. But I do know more about him than I care to know, and he has received more publicity than he deserves, thanks to NBC showing his home video. A lot of people make uplifting videos of themselves accomplishing good in this world, but NBC has no interest in them because they wouldn't get ratings. But execute dozens of innocent teachers and students, and you get a first-class ticket to stardom. Everybody is scrambling to tell...