Free Republic

They stage their health care town halls. They hand out lab coats to make their doctor donors look authentic. They treat soldiers as “pretty good photo ops.” So, this Iron Chef revelation about Michelle Obama’s produce is entirely in keeping with Obama Theater: "For months, the Food Network ran ads about a forthcoming episode of “Iron Chef America,” its flagship chefs plus secret ingredient versus time competition. The show would take place at the White House garden, with Michelle Obama making a cameo and plugging her responsible-eating initiative. The network promised it would be its biggest episode ever." "The buildup...

The cover of Nobel Laureate Al Gore's new book "Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis" was intentionally doctored to exaggerate the appearance of hurricanes in the northern hemisphere as well as reduce the amount of ice present in the Arctic. Maybe even more ominously, Florida was so diminished it's almost totally gone. As reported by Florida State University hurricane expert Ryan Maue at the website Watts Up With That, the truth was apparently inconvenient for the Global Warmingist-in-Chief (h/t NBer Blonde): The cover opens and closes half and half - so you only see one hurricane...as in...

I was reading the Chron’s piece about Sheila Jackson Lee’s town hall, when something caught my eye: One supporter, Dr. Roxana Mayer, a physician who does not live in Jackson Lee’s district, praised the reform plan for overhauling a broken system. “I don’t know what there is in the bill that creates such panic,” she said. In this video, Mayer claims to be a general practitioner, eliciting applause and even a hug from Queen Sheila: I’m not sure why, but something didn’t smell right. So my colleagues and I did a little digging, and wouldn’t you know it? Roxana Mayer...

A Denver-based veterans organization has voted to disband after accusing its founder of fabricating an identity as a former Marine captain who served three tours in Iraq and was at the Pentagon on 9/11. Thirty-two-year-old Richard Glen Strandlof, who used the name Rick Duncan, founded the organization, the Colorado Veterans Alliance, about two years ago. Major Carl Redding, spokesman for the U.S. Marines, said there is no record of Richard Glen Strandlof or Rick Duncan serving in the Marines. Strandolf appeared several times as a campaign spokesperson attacking Republicans in 2008 on national security issues. Colorado Republican State Chairman Dick...

LONDON (AFP) – Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Saturday said he was "deeply concerned" by rocket attacks into Israel and retaliatory air strikes by the Jewish state, and called for restraint from both sides. "I am deeply concerned by continuing missile strikes from Gaza on Israel and by Israel's response today," Brown said, reiterating statements made by the Middle East Quartet -- the European Union, the United Nations, the United States and Russia -- that only peaceful means would provide a lasting solution. A spokeswoman for the British premier's Downing Street office said Brown had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister...

As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will overlook or dismiss the gorilla in the pulpit. Three little letters, great big problem: G-O-D. I'm bathing in holy water as I type. To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn't soon cometh. Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party. And, the truth -- as long as we're setting ourselves free -- is that if one were to eavesdrop on private conversations among...

Pelosi Says She Heard Disputed Bible Verse from Priest By Pete Winn CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer April 29, 2008 (CNSNews.com) - The office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told Fox News last week that Pelosi heard the disputed Bible "passage" she used in her April 22 Earth Day message from a priest in San Francisco. Brit Hume reported last Thursday on "Special Report with Brit Hume" that Pelosi's office had told Fox News that the Speaker had "heard a priest quote the verse many years ago during a mass in San Francisco." On Thursday, Friday, and again on Monday,...

In response to Jason’s post of an anti-McCain YouTube video, I offer this video of Romney, made by the same exact organization that produced the McCain video. Also, I take issue with the statement “This Youtube is making it’s way into activists inboxes all across the nation as we speak.” The anti-McCain video has… brace yourself… 139 views, while this anti-Romney video has 4,796 views. Enjoy. http://race42008.com/2008/02/02/conservatives-fighting-romney/

DANDONG, China — In a Bank of China branch in this river city that borders North Korea, a currency changer stinking of alcohol pulled out a thick wad of cash from around the world and carefully removed a counterfeit 2003 series U.S. $100 bill. The fake came from a North Korean businessman, he said, adding that, "The ones from Europe are much better." Were these fakes, so close to perfect that they're called "supernotes," made in the isolated communist country? The man, who refused to give his name for fear of arrest, shrugged and said he doubted that the North...

A couple of yahoos interrupted Hillary Clinton’s speech tonight in Salem by waving big signs and chanting “Iron my shirts!” Clinton asked that the lights be turned on, apparently to see them better and declared. “Oh the remnants of sexism, alive and well tonight,” to applause. She then talked about breaking glass ceilings, before joking as the pair were hustled out: “If there’s anybody in the audience who wants to learn to iron his own shirt, we can talk about that.” We followed.to ask what the heck they were thinking. Nick Gemelli, who is 21, and born at least a...

How mayor of A.C. was exposed as impostor Increased national scrutiny led Bob Levy to admit he was no Green Beret. By Edward ColimoreInquirer Staff WriterJames Simmons was suspicious.The Vietnam veteran had read a newspaper article referring to Atlantic City Mayor Bob Levy as a former Green Beret and wanted to recruit him for a veterans' group.But when Simmons sent the mayor a letter more than a year ago seeking proof of his service in the Army's Special Forces during the Vietnam War, he received no reply and began checking for himself.He used Internet military databases such as homeofheroes.com, enlisted...

<p>A Tacoma man who falsely claimed he was a decorated war hero when he took the stage at demonstrations held in opposition to the U.S.'s role in Iraq was sentenced this morning to five months in prison in U.S. District Court in Seattle.</p>

Just inside the entrance to Beijing's silk market, a sign reads "Promote the Development of National Brands and Protect Intellectual Property Rights". But the high-minded slogan seems to have little meaning for the two smiling young women brazenly selling fake Max Mara jackets barely 20 ft away from it - and in full view of the market's management offices. The sign is brand new, part of a plan to relaunch the silk market - perhaps the world's most notorious emporium of fake goods - as a source of high-quality, Chinese-made products. China has launched a crackdown on fake goods in...

The most interesting political matchup right now is between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani because they're running for the same voters. Over the last 20 years, the largely accurate conventional wisdom has been that the GOP could not nominate a pro-choice politician, just as the Democratic Party could never nominate a pro-life one. Some Republicans, including Ronald Reagan and the elder George Bush, had to move from a middle-of-the-road position on abortion to the right-hand guardrail, while some Democrats who once leaned to the pro-life side of the road had to...

Our correspondent examines how the party masterminded its move to the centre and reined in liberals to seize hostile territoriesThey wear cowboy boots, chew tobacco, love hunting, hate abortion, want less government spending — and some voted for Ronald Reagan. Now they are headed to Congress as Democrats. Although the Democrats’ victory was above all an overwhelming repudiation of the conflict in Iraq, it was also built on the back of moderate, often conservative candidates recruited to compete in traditionally Republican territory. When Congress returns in January, both the House and Senate will see something of an ideological shift, with...

The director of the only museum that has agreed to show a group of recently discovered paintings attributed to Jackson Pollock said today she'll show them even if laboratory tests show that the works are fake. "At this point, there's no question that they'll be shown," said Sandra Trop, director of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, N.Y. But she added, "call me back afterwards. I might change my mind." The discovery of the disputed Pollocks in 2003 has triggered one of the hottest controversies in the art world. Case Western Reserve University professor Ellen Landau thinks the works...

The Book of Mormon is often dismissed as gibberish by those who have never taken the trouble to read it. In fact, its very existence poses a serious puzzle if it is not what it claims to be - an ancient record. Below is the Book of Mormon Challenge, an assignment that Professor Hugh Nibley at BYU sometimes gave to students in a required class on the Book of Mormon. The following text is taken from the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.8, Ch.11, Pg.221 - Pg.222: Since Joseph Smith was younger than most of you and not nearly so...

The revelation that a groundbreaking mobile phone chip is a fake has shocked China, where the home-grown 'invention' had become a source of considerable national pride.  Shanghai's prestigious Jiaotong University announced at the weekend that the Hanxin DSP (digital signal processing) chip had been faked by inventor Professor Chen Jin, who was also the dean of the university's School of Microelectronics. Rumours of foul play have been swirling around the project for several months, and appear to have provided the impetus for the investigation of Professor Chen. One anonymous online forum post that began circulating in China in January...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- An investigation concluded that a Des Moines woman faked her own death to avoid paying traffic tickets. Polk County investigators said Kimberly Du, 36, faked her own obituary and forged a letter telling a Polk County judge she was dead. Du is spending time in the Polk County Jail in connection with a forgery charge. Court documents show that Du tried to avoid paying several tickets by sending a letter to the courthouse. The letter is allegedly signed by Du's mother and said Du died on Dec. 5, according to court documents. Investigators said the information...

Jyllands-Posten denies reports that it published cartoon apology in Arabic newspapersDanish newspaper Jyllands-Posten has denied reports that it was behind an ad published in Arabic-language newspapers to apologize for cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammad that have sparked deadly protests around the world. Earlier, news agencies reported Saudi Arabian newspapers printed an apology on behalf of the Danish newspaper. The full-page advertisements appeared in al-Sharq al-Awsat, which is printed around the Arab world, as well as the local al-Riyadh and al-Jazira. They were dated February 5, but an advertising spokesman at al-Riyadh said it may have taken time for the papers,...