Free Republic

Why is gun control the only policy we're allowed to discuss when horrific murders occur? In the liberal mindset, "root causes" of crime begin and end with the Second Amendment. But who pays the price when our public guardians fail to secure our borders, refuse to deport serial criminal offenders, and enable drug-crazed menaces to prey upon innocent citizens? Meet 27-year-old Julio Miguel Blanco-Garcia. An illegal alien from Guatemala, he has lived and worked in Fairfax County, Va., for at least 11 years. The region is a notorious "sanctuary" for immigration law-breakers where elected officials and big business look the...

The man accused of taking Vanessa Pham’s life appeared to be anything but a killer as he approached her at a Falls Church shopping center. He carried his infant daughter and made a request: Could they have a ride to the hospital?

One. That’s how many people showed up for a pro-Obamacare event in Centerville, Virginia. And let’s face it: People didn’t miss the event because they were working. The ambivalence toward the implementation of Obamacare is evidenced throughout the nation, as the President’s left over campaigning apparatus – Organizing for Action – held a number of unattended Obamacare events this weekend. The event, reported by Politico, illustrated the growing displeasure with the President’s signature piece of legislation. When Congress returns from its recess in early September, there is bound to be extensive efforts to defund, postpone, or repeal the President’s clumsy...

A race to define Obamacare to the masses began today between the stacks at the Centreville Library... Just one volunteer stayed to help work the phone bank for the health law, and the event’s organizer bolted after 20 minutes — although he was bound for another Obamacare event, a house party. The poor turnout here in Centreville wasn’t necessarily indicative of what’s happening across the country at other OFA events Sunday afternoon and evening, which coincide with President Barack Obama’s birthday.

Since the last 40 Days for Life ended in March, four more abortion centers — which were sites of 40 Days for Life campaigns — have CLOSED their doors for good!Shortly after the campaign, volunteers learned that a late-term abortion facility in Sacramento, California — where multiple 40 Days for Life prayer vigils had been held outside — had gone out of business.Just a few weeks later, a Planned Parenthood abortion center in Kenmore, Washington — where two 40 Days for Life vigils have been held outside — announced its permanent closure.Then an abortion center in Toledo, Ohio … that...

Abortion rights advocates have long maintained that abortion clinics are safe and that their procedures are no more invasive or dangerous than dental surgery or colonoscopies. Virginia recently passed regulations requiring abortion clinics to have wider hallways and doorways, expanded parking and entrance awnings. Supporters said the ­changes ensure the safety of women undergoing abortions. Opponents said the measure was a veiled attempt to shutter them. “NOVA Women’s Healthcare provided medical services to thousands of women,” Yarmosky said. “It was the largest abortion provider, but thousands of women also relied on them for birth control and other health care, and...

Police searched the Northern Virginia home of libertarian activist Adam Kokesh Tuesday evening and took him into custody, according to a news release posted on Kokesh’s Web site.

Excerpted from "Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces" Sal Culosi is dead because he bet on a football game — but it wasn’t a bookie or a loan shark who killed him. His local government killed him, ostensibly to protect him from his gambling habit. Several months earlier at a local bar, Fairfax County, Virginia, detective David Baucum overheard the thirty-eight-year-old optometrist and some friends wagering on a college football game. “To Sal, betting a few bills on the Redskins was a stress reliever, done among friends,” a friend of Culosi’s told me shortly after...

The man accused of slashing women's buttocks in Northern Virginia malls has pleaded guilty in a Fairfax County court. The Washington Post reports that Johnny D. Guillen Pimentel admitted to sneaking up on four women and cutting their bottoms with a razor or box cutter.

Immigration officials are investigating a report of human trafficking at a home owned by Saudi Arabia in northern Virginia. Two women were rescued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and spokesman Brandon Montgomery said the women - who are from the Philippines - were possible victims of domestic servitude. One woman reportedly tried to flee by squeezing through a gap in the front gate as it was closing. It is not yet clear if the women alerted authorities or if someone else called it in. Fairfax County police were called in to help. 'Homeland Security Investigations DC did encounter two...

Federal authorities have launched an investigation into a Saudi Arabian compound in Northern Virginia over suspicions its residents may be engaging in human trafficking. Federal and local police responded to a call from a house in the D.C. suburb of McLean and found “two potential victims of trafficking” who hailed from the Philippines, Raw Story reported. One of the women tried to run. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the investigation could move sluggishly because of complications from diplomatic immunity rules.

Police are investigating an anonymous forum poster who praised Boston bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and later made a threat against a Catholic high school in Fairfax, Virginia. The online poster goes by the handle “Prophet Muhammad” and has made several disturbing statements on the Fairfax Underground website in the last month. On Friday, he posted a threat against Paul VI Catholic High School: “Inshallah, Paul VI High School will be the scene of another massacre. Allahu akbar!” “Inshallah” is an Arabic phrase that means “God willing.” “Allahu akbar” means “God is the greatest.” Both sayings are commonly associated...

-snip- For most of their lives, federal workers in Mantua say, having “United States Treasury” atop their paycheck meant security, pride and a sense of mission. Things change: Now it means having to defend yourself against arguments, from strangers and even from your own relatives, that you’re an overpaid and underworked leech.

Today is my "Going Galt" day as I retired in preparation of moving to the retreat in the mountains. To wash the taste of work and DC out of my mouth and to bask in the atmosphere of good vibes I decided to go to the 1000-table gun show at the Dulles Expo center about 15 miles from DC. As I approached the neighborhood, traffic was so heavy I could hardly even get off the highway, "No biggie," sez I as it was Friday afternoon. As I approached the Expo Center I saw a different truth, that it was traffic...

With plenty of two-income highly educated families, the D.C. region already has a reputation as one of the most affluent in the country. But the area is fast emerging as a home to the truly rich as well. High-end luxury retailers are responding. Brands such as Aston Martin are expanding their operations into the area — betting, for instance, that there will be plenty of customers who can afford the $280,000 sports car James Bond drives in the movies. Nearby in Tysons, a Saint Laurent store and the high-end electric car maker Tesla are also set to open their doors.

There aren’t more, because some people just don’t like to pay tolls, and others haven’t figured how they can take advantage of the lanes. Transurban is happy to have anybody’s toll money, whether they are locals or long-distance travelers, but the lanes are designed largely for the benefit of local travelers. The entrance and exit system reflects that. The Tysons area business and civic leaders with whom I’ve talked express optimism about the lanes and seem hopeful about the two new access points at Westpark Drive and Jones Branch Drive. At this early stage, the most vexing thing about the...

CREDO, a progressive grassroots group, is organizing a march on the National Rifle Association's lobbying arm in Washington, D.C. Monday. "After the shooter Adam Lanza, no one is more to blame for the massacre of 20 first graders and six women at the Sandy Hook Elementary School than the National Rifle Association," CREDO wrote on the Facebook page where the march is being organized. "To stop the senseless killing we must first stop the NRA."

You’re Invited to a Victory Rally with Mitt Romney and the Republican Team! Monday, November 5, 2012 Doors Open 12:45 PM | Event Begins 2:45 PM *The first 500 attendees will receive free souvenir footballs!* Recreation and Athletic Complex George Mason University 4350 Banister Creek Court Fairfax, VA 22030 All attendees will go through airport-like security and should bring as few personal items as possible. No bags, sharp objects, umbrellas, liquids, or signs will be allowed in the venue. Cameras are permitted. For Questions, Contact Us At: TeamVA@mittromney.com or (757) 279-8253 For Important Campaign Updates: Text VA to GOMITT (466488)...

9:00am rally; doors open at 7:30am McLean Central Park Please go to www.mittromney.com to register and print your ticket!

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) -- President Barack Obama has a diagnosis for what he considers rival Mitt Romney's shifting positions: Call it a case of "Romnesia." Making a direct gender-pitch in hotly contested Virginia, Obama tells a college crowd that when it comes to issues important to women's health and jobs, Romney has conveniently overlooked his past stands.