Free Republic

Italy's social fabric is being torn by recession and tensions are growing among its citizens, Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Sunday. Speaking to a group of students in the central Italian town of Arezzo, Monti urged Italians to stick together and "not give up" in the face of a shrinking economy and rising unemployment. Monti's technocrat government has imposed painful austerity measures since taking office last year, and in recent days ministers have responded to calls from politicians and the media to show more compassion for the plight of ordinary Italians. "The country is now marked by profound social...

A 26-year-old regularly preaches in a mosque in Solingen - Cologne City Superintendent: His theses are an "impertinence", Representatives of Muslim organizations distance themselves Anti-Christian expressions of a radical Islamic preacher concern the Protestant Church Association of Cologne City. The 26-year-old Austrian Mohamed Mahmoud was released in September 2011 after a four-year prison sentence in a Vienna prison on charges of forming and promoting a terrorist organization . After a short stay in Berlin, he moved at the end of 2011 to Solingen, near Düsseldorf. Currently he is living in Erbach in Hessen(Odenwald).

As Islamist terrorists are being arrested in Baku for a plot to attack both the American and Israeli Embassies; as Muslims torture, murder, and exile Christians from their native Arab lands; as Hamas constantly bombards Israeli civilians with rockets launched from Gaza; even as Iran is threatening to send many "caravans of tens of thousands" of hostile Iranians to march on Jerusalem—guess what subject drew 225 eager audience members and the media to an upper west side Jewish Community Center? The subject du jour was:"Combating Islamophobia," which featured panelists Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali. The moderator: None other...

Rep. Gohmert (R-TX) questions DHS Secretary Napalitano ... the relevant section starts at about minute 4:00 I hadn't seen this here before.

The American Free Press, which markets books like “The Invention of the Jewish People” and “March of the Titans: A History of the White Race,” is urging its subscribers to help it send hundreds of copies of Ron Paul’s collected speeches to voters in New Hampshire. The book, it promises, will “Help Dr. Ron Paul Win the G.O.P. Nomination in 2012!” Don Black, director of the white nationalist Web site Stormfront, said in an interview that several dozen of his members were volunteering for Mr. Paul’s presidential campaign, and a site forum titled “Why is Ron Paul such a favorite...

Thousands of Muslims gathered in London on Saturday at a rally "to fight extremism and promote a moderate, inclusive version of Islam." The event's organizers, Minhaj-ul-Quran International, said prior to the event that some 12,000 Muslims are expected at Wembley Arena. The group's founder, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, told journalists that killing innocents is forbidden in Islam and Muslims must integrate into the societies in which they are living.

The left-leaning mainstream media and liberal Democratic politicians continue to refer to the Tea Party as extreme, wacko, and out of touch with the American public. Clear evidence indicates exactly the opposite. Many of us are getting increasingly annoyed when we hear the Tea Party called extreme, right-wing wackos, or other unbecoming names along that vein. Of course, almost everyone I know decidedly left of center deems him- or herself centrist. My knee-jerk liberal neighbor thinks he's a centrist. I have gone back through every posting on his blog, and they are all as far left on whatever subject he...

DETROIT- The accused Christmas Day underwear bomber's request to be freed was denied Wednesday in court proceedings repeatedly disrupted by his yelling phrases including "Osama is alive.". Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is defending himself in one of the highest profile terror cases in the US since 9/11, made several outbursts during jury selection proceedings in a Detroit federal courthouse and propped his feet on the defense table, prompting courtroom security to intervene. US District Judge Nancy Edmunds later reprimanded him, saying, "If you are asked to stand to address the jurors or address the court, you need to stand. Is...

Arguing that Tea Party conservatives are “an impediment to the proper governance of this country,” Senator John Kerry (D-Mass) demanded the media stop “propping these nuts up.” “It’s one thing for Democrats and Republicans to have respectful disagreements over how much spending or taxes should be increased,” Kerry said. “It’s another thing entirely when outsiders who have no idea how Washington works to interfere with the governing process by trying to impose their twisted vision of an America where government is denied the powers it needs to meet the people’s needs.” Kerry criticized the media for “failing to point out...

The new report’s title offers a glimpse into the strategy’s likely focus on countering violent extremism on the domestic front by working with state and local governments, nongovernmental and community organizations, and a wide spectrum of private American citizens. Such efforts should hone in on three key areas of concern: countering extremist ideologies, enhancing social cohesion, and building resiliency within American communities...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Local communities, not Washington, are best suited to counter violent extremism, according to a new national strategy the Obama administration took more than a year to produce. The strategy pointedly does not focus on threats from Muslim extremism.

Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, campaigned for office last year promising to raise taxes on high earners, so it was no surprise when he proposed a tax increase on families making more than $150,000 a year to help close a $5 billion budget gap. In negotiations with the Republican majority in the Legislature, he compromised and reduced the increase to those making $1 million or more, but Republicans are refusing to consider any income tax increase.

  Religious Fanatics? What About Secular Fanatics? David C. Stolinsky July 7, 2011 …no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.– U.S. Constitution, Article VI We frequently hear about religious fanatics, but there are also secular fanatics. Examples include Marxists, radical environmentalists, and health zealots. These people strive to control all human activity until everyone conforms to their ideas. Like all fanatics, they believe that you can’t have too much of their favorite thing. What I am discussing here is a specific type of secular fanatic, one...

After months of planning and preparations, the program for the 2011 meeting of the Mormon History Association, to be held at the well-appointed Dixie Center in St. George, Utah, is now set. Not only will we bask in the sun-splashed beauty of southern Utah, but we look forward to hearing from a terrific lineup of speakers and panels about the latest in Mormon history scholarship. SNIP Sandwiched between these terrific plenary sessions are six concurrent sessions on Friday and Saturday. You can find a complete listing of papers and presenters in the preliminary program on the MHA 2011 conference website....

The libs rhetoric seems more and more to be stuck on labeling conservatives (or, for that matter, anyone who doesn't agree with them) as "extremist," and it will only get worse. Let's look at some examples and you decide.

Sarah Palin’s trip to India and Israel is a great opportunity for her to boost her foreign policy credentials, solidify future potential alliances, learn more about the issues by engaging directly with the movers and the shakers and develop relationships which will be important to her should she become president. But, it’s also an opportunity for those who are enemies of America to size up a potential opponent; and if you are a Muslim extremist bent on establishing Sharia law worldwide, Sarah Palin represents a serious threat...... .....This may at first seem like not a big deal, but it’s crucial...

Attack on U.S. airmen at German airport appears motivated by Islamic extremism, officials say

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik rejected the argument that his office might bear more responsibility for the assassination attempt on Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Az) than Sarah Palin or Rush Limbaugh. “There are those who say that considering the numerous death threats Jared Loughner has made against various persons over the last year my office should have taken action against him before his Tucson shooting spree,” Dupnik said. “But these threats were against unimportant people and therefore of admittedly narrow scope. The broader threat was, and continues to be, that of right-wing extremism. Palin and Limbaugh are the foremost proponents of...

Sharron Angle on Wednesday rejected criticism that she shares responsibility for creating a charged political atmosphere that might have contributed to the mass shooting in Arizona. "The despicable act in Tucson is a horrifying and senseless tragedy and should be condemned as a single act of violence by a single unstable individual," Angle said in a statement that laid blame solely on the man authorities said attempted to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., on Saturday. Six people were killed; Giffords was among the wounded. Angle said efforts to blame her or other Tea Party figures in the attack were "irresponsible."...

n response to a query by the L.A. County Libertarian Examiner, Pima County Arizona election officials have confirmed that Pima County Sheriff Clarence W. Dupnik will next be up for election in 2012. Mary Martinson, of Pima County Elections prompty replied to our question and said "The Sheriff in Pima County is up every 4 years. The Sheriff’s term is 4 years. The next time he (Dupnik) will be up for election is August 28, 2012." His official webpage states that Sheriff Dupnik, who turned 75 yesterday, was first appointed Sheriff in February 1980 and has been re-elected seven times....