Free Republic

The face-off between the ruling party and the people continues to unfold, as Democrat politicians hold town hall meetings across the country to build support for the Obama administration's latest power grab, misleadingly labeled 'health care reform.' The faux outrage politicians manufacture on demand has been replaced by real outrage. Outrage at the American people for failing to understand the nuances, the broad outline of a 1,000 page plus bill that most politicians haven't even read. Hey, that's what staff is for, explained new Democrat, Arlen Spector. Peons from fly-over country are daring to challenge the carefully scripted and (deliberately?)...

As one White House official explained it to me Limbaugh became an issue not because he is the most prominent Obama critic but because the talk show host embodies “hyper-partisanship.” Limbaugh became a stand-in for White House view of Republicans as a party that is not constructive, not willing to seek common ground and out of touch with a bipartisan thirst for solutions to pressing economic problems. Obama’s aides connect the dots and see a picture of a dark, unappealing political landscape on the right in which Republicans have become so in-grown that not one of them felt free to...

AIG is trying to take the bull's eye off its back. The embattled firm took down its most prominent sign in Manhattan and asked employees to return their controversial bonuses by 5 p.m. today. The fuss over $165 million in bonuses for execs in the risk-taking Financial Products division that first caused all the problems led to subpoenas and death threats. CEO Edward Liddy last week asked those who got $100,000 or more to give at least half the money back. Management asked execs in the unit to let them know by 5 p.m. if they plan to return all...

When the media keep repeating that someone is beyond the pale, some people are bound to believe them. Recent events show that radicals will even try to kill people who have been demonized in this manner. Perhaps that is the goal behind the policy of demonization: to neutralize and remove the people’s democratically elected representatives. Recently, we are being confronted with the bizarre phenomenon of defenders of Western freedoms, including Jews, being demonized as “Nazis,” while subsequently Nazi methods are used to eliminate them. The authorities, meanwhile, do not come to the aid of the victims since the latter are...

Democrats took a swipe at Republicans - and conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh - with a Web page launched Wednesday morning on the official site of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The page - found at imsorryrush.com - allows users to construct a Mad Libs-style message to Limbaugh using "the secret Republican Apology Machine" and sign it with the name of prominent Republicans who've released mea culpas to Limbaugh recently - including Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. [Snip] Limbaugh made headlines on his radio show when he stated, four days before Barack Obama's inauguration, that he wanted...

Michael S. Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company run by his sister for services that were never performed, his finance chairman from that campaign has told federal prosecutors. Federal agents in recent days contacted Steele's sister, a spokesman for Steele said yesterday. (snip) Fabian's claims emerge as Steele begins his new role at the RNC, where he oversees the raising and spending of hundreds of millions of dollars in party money. The former Maryland lieutenant governor has faced questions about his handling of campaign money...

GENEVA (Reuters) – The world's top diplomat for Islam called on Friday for an end to what he termed efforts to equate the religion with terrorism and said the 'demonization' of Muslims around the world must be fought. But speaking soon after the U.N. General Assembly passed an Islamic-sponsored resolution condemning "defamation of religion" for the fourth year in a row, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said his group was committed to respecting freedom of expression. There was a "rising tide of incitement to religious hatred and discrimination and intolerance targeting Muslims," he told a meeting called by the Organization of the Islamic...

Doing the Holocaust “Schtick”   By Hillel StavisFrontPageMagazine.com | Friday, May 16, 2008 “Some U.S. citizens travel with an unconscious attitude of superiority” “Being openly gay or lesbian is outside the cultural norms of Palestinian life…” “It is best that you not raise the issue of being gay or lesbian with Palestinians..” “It’s best not to practice your Hebrew with Palestinians even if someone uses it with you.” “It is better not to wear a kippah or yarmulke in Palestinian communities.  Again, while our hosts are glad to meet Israelis and Jews, there are many eyes and ears watching...

Army must make law enforcement against settlers a policy backed by action Mooky Dagan Published: 09.21.06, 14:49 For years human rights organizations have pointed out the complicity between the Israel Defense Forces command headquarters in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israeli settlers, nurtured by policies intended to facilitate the Judaization of the West Bank. The army’s bond with the settlers leads to a policy of non-action as far as maintaining the law and the security of Palestinians, who are subject to constant violent harassment by their illegal neighbors. While the IDF and the Civil Administration (which deals with civilian conflicts...

John McCain has been the darling of the U.S. media since his 2000 slugfest with George W. Bush for the Republican nomination. McCain has studiously courted this media approval, but with the Senator's eyes set on 2008, McCain realizes the coziness with the press is a double-edged sword and an actual impediment to the GOP nomination.It's amusing to watch the slow, yet inevitable shift in the media's attitude toward their favorite GOP politician these past six years. You always knew that if McCain were to get the Republican nomination in 2008, all of his liberal media pals who had been...

Baruch Marzel, a disciple of the late extremist Meir Kahane and leader of the National Jewish Front party, recently sent a threatening letter to Hadash MK Mohammed Barakei warning that he was sending appraisers to assess the value of his home in advance of his "expulsion." Barakei sent the letter on Monday to the Knesset security chief, who then passed it on to the police for inspection. Barakei, who lives in Shfaram, warned that he could not be "responsible" for Marzel's safety if he enters onto his property. In the letter, Marzel said that after Barakei supported the "transfer of...

There was something truly sinister about this past Friday's edition of Haaretz, the paper of record of Israel's Left. Although it was the eve of Rosh Hashana, which is traditionally a time for spiritual introspection and national unity, the editors of Haaretz had other, far less holy thoughts on their minds. After three months and countless hours of investigation by over a dozen of its top journalists, the paper decided to devote an entire special section of its holiday edition to "The price of the settlements." The 40-page (!) pullout, complete with charts, maps and colorful graphs, was clearly designed...

The Boy Who Cried Wolfowitz A mispronunciation with undertones. By Christopher Hitchens Posted Monday, June 9, 2003, at 12:24 PM PT "Yes that's all very well," said the chap from the BBC World Service, "but what about this man Vulfervitz who seems to run the whole show from behind the scenes?" For the fifth time in as many days, and for the umpteenth time this year, I corrected a British interviewer's pronunciation. You see the name in print, you hear it uttered quite a lot in American discussions, you then give a highly inflected rendition of your own. ... What...

An animal lover assassinated by a vegan ...a nationalist, he will be buried abroad PIM FORTUYN told The Times last week that he was driven above all by a love of The Netherlands. But the murdered Dutch nationalist has chosen to be buried in a small village in Italy. Mr Fortuyn was a well-known animal lover who was never without his lapdogs Kenneth and Carla. The man suspected of killing him is a vegan animal rights activist who believes that protecting animals civilises people. Mr Fortuyn’s views on immigration were reviled by many in The Netherlands. Yet thousands turned out...