Free Republic

VULGAR CATHOLIC HALLOWEEN COSTUMES October 29, 2009Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on this season’s Halloween costumes:There are costumes depicting Jesus, priests, nuns, ministers, rabbis and imams, and most of them are innocuous. But there are two costumes that are vulgar, and, as usual, they are designed to offend Catholics: a priest with an erection and a pregnant nun, often sold as a pair. Some immigrant groups are upset about an illegal alien costume, but even those who are complaining don’t say it is vulgar. A mere depiction of Muhammad in a Danish cartoon that was anything but vulgar...

http://www.conservatives4palin.com/ - DOWN http://governorpalin4president.blogspot.com/ - DOWN http://texas4palin.blogspot.com/ - DOWN http://sarahpalininternetcoalitionblogger.blogspot.com/ - DOWN I visited other sites.blogspot. and they were up and running. Hmmmmmm

The Federal Communications Commission has unveiled the topics it is looking to discuss as it considers revising its media ownership rules, and one area it is looking to explore could have ramifications for future mergers between broadcast and cable companies and newspaper companies. Specifically, the FCC said it will probe whether it could continue to enforce regulations regarding media concentration by industry or should it find an "alternative structure to determine an ownership limit for all media within a relevant market." Cutting through the bureaucratic speak, what the FCC is saying is that currently it regulates broadcast, radio and cable...

Introduction to the Free Speech ClauseThe issues: What events influenced the thinking of the framers about the right of free speech?  What is the original understanding of the First Amendment? What values does the Free Speech Clause serve?  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment  of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.  IntroductionAlthough First Amendment jurisprudence is almost entirely a creation that began in the 20th century, common law...

Either I have a message worth reading - in which case LGF blocking me makes no difference, or I have nothing worthy to say - in which case acceptance by LGF makes no difference! Meanwhile, after wracking my brain as to why I was banned and seeing who else the good Mr. Johnson has been feuding with, I can only surmise that the above quoted posts and many others which expose extreme Islamists in my blog may have cumulatively been the cause of my banishment. Should that be the case, I can only thank Charles Johnson for elevating my little...

“Dissent is patriotic” was the battle cry of progressives during the last administration. “Dissenters are racists” is their new motto. Because I love my country and vehemently disagree with the current policies does that make me a racist?!?!? I dare any of these progressives to compare their views, their records on race, with mine proud resume on that issue. We’ll see who is truly more progressive… the bigots who tolerate no dissent or this immigrant (from Uruguay, South America), politically conservative, orthodox Jew from Brooklyn, NY, who loves the USA and what it represents? John Adams once said: “There are...

LDS apostle Dallin H. Oaks called on Mormon faithful last week not to be silenced by post-Proposition 8 intimidation, urging members to insist on the free exercise of religion. What really is threatening religious liberty, four gay-rights groups countered Friday in a joint statement, is the church's meddling in a political campaign to deny rights to same-sex couples. "We have always been taught that it is not 'just to mingle religious influence with civil government,' " wrote Cheryl Nunn, executive director of the Foundation for Reconciliation, quoting Mormon scripture. "How can I face my friends in other faiths if I...

Robert McChesney, former editor of Monthly Review, a leading Marxist publication, has dangerously close ties to the Obama administration, Glenn Beck said on his TV show last week. McChesney created the “media reform” organization Free Press, and served on the board of Norman Solomon's Institute for Public Accuracy. He remains on the board of Monthly Review, which has a half-century history of supporting Communist movements and regimes. Echoing President Obama's media diversity czar Mark Lloyd, McChesney supports Venezuela's Marxist strongman Hugo Chavez and that country's crackdown on the media. He even argued that owners of an opposition TV station that...

“What is unique about my case is that my alleged violation of Canadian law took place in the U.S.A. I wrote my book in America, where it was published, and I spoke to American reporters who called me at my home in Pennsylvania. By all standards, what I said and wrote about McMaster University remains well within the libel and defamation laws of our land. Still and all, I am being sued by a foreign entity and have lost not only my freedom but my life savings.”

The official White House blog slammed Glenn Beck today, accusing the host of displaying a "disregard for the facts in an attempt to smear the Administration's efforts to win the Olympics for the United States." Last night, the conservative firebrand attacked the President for lobbying hard to get the 2016 Olympics to come to Chicago. Today, the White House released a point by point rebuttal of some of Beck's statements. Here's an example from the post, which is titled, "Trying to Turn a Point of Pride into a Moment of Shame":

The White House is collecting and storing comments and videos placed on its social-networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube without notifying or asking the consent of the site users, a failure that appears to run counter to President Obama's promise of a transparent government and his pledge to protect privacy on the Internet. Marc Rotenberg, president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said the White House signaled that it would insist on open dealings with Internet users and, in fact, should feel obliged to disclose that it is collecting such information. "The White House has not been adequately...

Stop Blaming the Messenger By Ari Bussel Ten days ago, the Los Angeles Times published an Op-Ed by an Israeli Professor from Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). The article called for a boycott of Israel. It was neither on the front page nor written by a known anti-Semite, but the community is up in arms. Suddenly, the local Jewish community in Greater Los Angeles finds the message delivered daily by the Los Angeles Times unpleasant. I say suddenly, but over the past three decades, there have been repeated calls to cancel subscriptions and withdraw advertisement dollars, to very...

1st Amendment: Mark Lloyd, a disciple of Saul Alinsky and fan of Hugo Chavez, wants to destroy talk radio and says free speech is a distraction. The new FCC diversity "czar" says Venezuela is an example we should follow.When Mark Lloyd was appointed July 29 as the chief diversity officer at the Federal Communications Commission, a nation focused on ObamaCare and a deteriorating economy took little notice. But as angry constituents flood town hall meetings and call in to talk radio, a man dedicated to silencing them sits at the right hand of the president. They share a common hero...

Sweden's fervent defence of free speech has sparked a diplomatic storm with Israel over the government's refusal to condemn an article accusing Israeli soldiers of smuggling dead Palestinians' organs. The row is likely to overshadow a visit to Israel by Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt next month, right in the midst of Sweden's presidency of the rotating European Union, a key player in the Middle East peace process. Many ordinary Swedes back the government's stance of not condemning the piece by Aftonbladet, the country's top-selling daily, according to a survey released on Wednesday. In an online poll answered by 24,000...

Swedes are one of the few ethnic groups still allowed to spank the Jews in public:). Worst kind of racists or not, we Swedes know we are superior to all others when it comes to material standard of living, Amen (no, the $ 37, 000 Volvo V70 is not an "average" vehicle in Norway and Switzerland!), therefore we could now begin to foster Israel into a truly PC nation. Israel ought to get a great deal of support form us Westerners, but must accept that free speech is a part of true Civilization. Sweden might have welcomed too many Muslim...

“Fishing” for an Appropriate Response by Norma Zager “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.” Edward R. Murrow Richard Nixon had an enemies list. Joe McCarthy gave a pass to those who turned in their communist neighbors and friends. The Nazis had the Hitler Youth who happily turned their traitorous family into the Gestapo for a new pair of black boots. In 2009 we have the “fishy” Chicago version of turn them in and we’ll take them out. In my last article, many responded they were...

NEW YORK – Monotone TV personality Ben Stein has been stripped of his Sunday New York Times business column because of his work as a pitchman for a credit monitoring company. New York Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis released a statement Friday that said the newspaper decided it would not be appropriate for Stein to pitch for FreeScore.com while writing his column.

For over 14 years, I've been professionally involved in the street-art community, hosting events where artists paint live installations, and producing and promoting national art tours. I've personally known the key players behind the Barack Obama "Hope" posters for many years—one being a former employee of mine, another a former colleague. I'm excited for their accomplishment and sense of pride for participating in Obama's historic presidential campaign. When asked by my former employee to be involved with the Hope poster distribution, I declined on philosophical grounds, but fully appreciated and understood their passions. But that said, it feels to me,...

Cass Sunstein, a Harvard law professor and friend to the national Messiah, has been tapped to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Sunstein was one of the major influences on a young Obama’s attitudes on government regulation and economics, a scary proposition considering the degree to which the Obama administration is attempting to pull us toward Soviet-style communism. According to the Journal, many of those familiar with Sunstein’s work and philosophy have said that his fingerprints are obvious in many of the administration’s policies, including credit card reform and...

The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders says it is concerned by what it calls the growing repression of journalists and cyber-dissidents in Iran. In a report issued Sunday, the RSF (Reporters Sans Frontieres) announced the detention of five more journalists. RSF says 41 journalists are currently imprisoned in Iran a month after the country's contested election. RSF says Iran is currently the world's biggest prison for journalists, and is becoming the world's most dangerous place for them to operate. RSF says the recently-detained journalists include photographers Majid Saidi and Tohid Bighi, blogger Henghameh Shahidi, and journalists Somaieh Nosrati and...

In public school classrooms across the country, religious liberty is under assault. Last month in Florida, two Christian student leaders at Pace High School were barred from speaking at their graduation ceremony due to fears they might mention their faith in violation of a court order stemming from an anti-religious lawsuit filed by the ACLU. Across the country in California, UCLA administrators grudgingly allowed senior Christina Popa to thank Jesus in her graduation testimony after a widespread public backlash against their initial decision to sanitize any mention of Jesus from her statements (in Colorado, former high school valedictorian Erica...

President Obama, strategizing yesterday with congressional leaders about health-care reform, complained that liberal advocacy groups ought to drop their attacks on Democratic lawmakers and devote their energy to promoting passage of comprehensive legislation. In a pre-holiday call with half a dozen top House and Senate Democrats, Obama expressed his concern over advertisements and online campaigns targeting moderate Democrats, whom they criticize for not being fully devoted to "true" health-care reform. "We shouldn't be focusing resources on each other," Obama opined in the call, according to three sources who participated in or listened to the conversation. "We ought to be focused...

...snip..."The 47-year-old former radio talk show host, who now broadcasts commentary on his Web site, urged his blog readers earlier this month to "take up arms" against Connecticut lawmakers and suggested government officials should "obey the Constitution or die."

The Christian based Thomas More Law Center which is involved in the lawsuit against the US Government for bailing out AIG which in turn helps promote sharia banking is backing up Christians once again. This time Christians were told that they cannot walk around and pass out Christian literature during the annual Dearborn Arab International Festival. I cannot imagine who complained....

...today police are saying that one blogger, Harold “Hal” Turner, crossed the line when he suggested some Connecticut government officials should “obey the Constitution or die. ”Turner, a New Jersey native, was apparently angry about proposed legislation that would have given lay members of Roman Catholic churches in Connecticut more control over their parish’s finances, the Associated Press is reporting. The blogger and radio show host turned himself in to the Connecticut police this afternoon on a charge of inciting violence.

Look's like Obama's new pick has some history in ruling against freedom of speech on blogs. This gem comes from NBC: President Barack Obama’s nominee to fill a Supreme Court vacancy has yet another tie to Connecticut. She sided against a student in the infamous “douche bag” case, and that has upset some free-speech advocates. Sotomayor joined two other judges from the 2nd Circuit in ruling that the student’s off-campus blog remarks created a “foreseeable risk of substantial disruption” at the student’s high school and that the teenager was not entitled to a preliminary injunction reversing a disciplinary action against...

Geert Wilders the only politician in Europe who is brave enough to take on Islam is going to trial for speaking the truth about Islam. In the meantime the Netherlands is slowly falling to Islam.

At Right of Course (FMJRA Site O’ Th’ Day at The Other McCain), Chance makes an important observation about Obama at Notre Dame: The other problem with this whole ‘open discussion’ argument is the very people making it. These are the same people who see no problem at all with the near monopoly the left holds on the public and secondary education system. There is no open discussion on evolution or global warming, it is taught as absolute fact. I took several Sociology courses at two separate state universities (my college career was long and meandering). There were no opposing...

Humanities Center event features poets, journalists, novelists Harvard News Office For some, words are both a way of life and a way of risking life. Last year, 877 writers and journalists around the world were killed, jailed, or attacked. That’s according to PEN International, a global association of writers. A recent PEN event celebrated — among others — the memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian writer hanged for his activism in 1995. In a testament to the fearful power of his words, his body was burned with acid and buried in an unmarked grave. An audience of 90 at Harvard’s...

This morning, an advertisement came on Fox News Channel. It was for Sean Hannity's show tonight, (May 5), saying that Paula Deen was furious at Joe Biden, and would verbalize her 'no holds barred' thoughts on "Hannity" tonight. On the Hannity page, here is what it says: On Fox News home page Hannity - here is what is just to the right of Sean Hannity's picture - in the box: "Tuesday, May 5: • Beef With Biden: Celebrity chef Paula Deen dishes out major heat over the vice president's swine flu scare!" Look for yourself - (if it is still...

Three years ago I was the publisher of a magazine that printed pictures of some Danish cartoons of Muhammad. They were newsworthy because those cartoons sparked riots in the Muslim world that killed more than 100 people. We wanted to show our readers what all the fuss was about. But by doing so, I was charged by the government of Alberta with “hate speech,� and prosecuted for 900 days by 15 government lawyers and bureaucrats at Alberta’s human rights commission (HRC). I was finally acquitted, but not before spending $100,000 in legal fees. Funny: I thought freedom of speech, freedom...

Most Americans are sleepwalking right now through the early reign of Obama the Magnificant. He tells them he is cutting spending, cutting taxes, and cutting the deficit, and they believe him. When they find in 2010 and 2011 that he deliberately misled them and has been doing just the opposite, and they are deep in the soup as a result, public opinion will turn decisively against him. Meanwhile, our "mainstream media," which should be called the Party Controlled Press, are quite successfully maintaining the smokescreen in promoting the Obama propaganda line, acting as slavishly as Pravda and Izvestia did towards...

Carrie Prejean was not competing for the title of Miss Soviet Union, Miss Cuba or Miss Venezuela. She was not competing for a title in a Marxist nation. Ironically, she was competing for Miss U.S.A. Back where I come from, people were noted for speaking their minds. They were famous for having “big mouths.” They did not “know their place.” They did not “keep in line.” You see, I come from America, where freedom of speech was considered essential.

For years, the Western world has listened aghast to stories out of Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations of citizens being imprisoned or executed for questioning or offending Islam. Even the most seemingly minor infractions elicit draconian punishments. Late last year, two Afghan journalists were sentenced to prison for blasphemy because they translated the Koran into a Farsi dialect that Afghans can read. In Jordan, a poet was arrested for incorporating Koranic verses into his work. And last week, an Egyptian court banned a magazine for running a similar poem. But now an equally troubling trend is developing...

Freedom of Speech is under attack by liberal America! Filmmaker John Ziegler went to USC during an award ceremony for Katie Couric’s interview of Sarah Palin to ask questions and offer a differing point of view regarding her performance. And speaking of the quality of this interview, it is unimaginable that anyone with any kind of journalistic talent could deem Ms. Couric’s handling of this interview worthy of an award.

For weeks, the case involving racist e-mails sent to a Battle Ground city councilman was put on hold, pending word from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle. The e-mails were from Battle Ground teenager Christopher Reinhold, who used the name "battleground anonymous." They were sent to Councilman Paul Zandamela, an African-born man from Mozambique who had been sworn into his position the night before the first e-mail was sent, on Jan. 8, 2008. Lawyers at the U.S. Attorney's Office became interested in the case and on Friday wrote to Reinhold's defense attorney, Jon McMullen, that they would let the case...

China's move to block YouTube has been criticised by a leading advocacy group that promotes constitutional liberties in the digital age. The Centre for Democracy and Technology told the BBC: "China's actions fail to live up to international norms." The video sharing site has been off limits in China since Monday. "China's apparent blocking of YouTube is at odds with the rule of law and the right to freedom of expression," said CDT president Leslie Harris. "Anytime a country limits or takes down content online , it must be forthright and specific about its actions and do so only in...

The Missouri Libertarian Party, the third-largest political party in the state, issued the following statement regarding a “Strategic Report” issued by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) on February 22nd, which became known to the public late last week: An internal document designed for law enforcement education purposes inaccurately and dangerously implies that among the indicators of possible involvement in extremist, militant militia activity is support for the Libertarian Party. This memo and its findings are potentially dangerous to both the people of Missouri and to our system of free political speech. The memo claims that membership in, among other...

How the UN is trying to take away your freedom of speech Christopher Hitchens (and, very briefly, Frank Gaffney and others) explain on Lou Dobbs why the UN/OIC blasphemy law is so dangerous. ... OR (backup link) Law Makes Blasphemy Illegal in U S Christopher Hitchens

Geert Wilders' speech in New York on February 23: Thank you very much for inviting me. And – to the immigration authorities – thank you for letting me into this country. It is always a pleasure to cross a border without being sent back on the first plane. Today, the dearest of our many freedoms is under attack all throughout Europe. Free speech is no longer a given. What we once considered a natural element of our existence, our birth right, is now something we once again have to battle for. As you might know, I will be prosecuted, because...

The White House announced last week that the President "does not believe the Fairness Doctrine should be reinstated." The Fairness Doctrine, which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) -- acting under Ronald Reagan -- repealed in 1987, would dictate that broadcasters cover issues of public importance and devote equal time to both sides of controversial issues. On its face, the administration's recent comments seem to deflate hopes of the expanding roster of groups and politicians calling for revival of the Doctrine. The American Spectator reported recently that Henry Waxman (D-CA) already met with the FCC staff to discuss ways to...

There is much confusion among the public about efforts in Washington to muzzle talk radio. I get e-mails daily from people who ask me what the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" would actually do – how it would actually work. The answer to that question is simple: No one knows. Legislation targeting talk radio for extinction has not yet been introduced in Congress. In fact, it may never be introduced. And, if it is, it is unlikely to be called the "Fairness Doctrine" because the name has outlived its usefulness to those who seek to stifle free speech and freedom of the...

A pastor at a Berkeley church was sentenced Thursday to three years' probation and fined $1,000 after becoming the first person convicted under an Oakland ordinance barring protesters from coming within 8 feet of anyone entering an abortion clinic. Walter Hoye could have faced up to two years in jail after a jury convicted him last month of two misdemeanor counts of unlawfully approaching patients at the Family Planning Specialists Medical Group at Second and Webster streets. The case was an emotional one, and pro-choice and anti-abortion advocates jammed the Oakland courtroom for the sentencing hearing. Dozens of people unable...

An Oklahoma City police officer wrongly pulled over a man last week and confiscated an anti-President Barack Obama sign the man had on his vehicle. The officer misinterpreted the sign as threatening, said Capt. Steve McCool, of the Oklahoma City Police Department, and took the sign, which read "Abort Obama, not the unborn." Chip Harrison said he was driving to work when a police car followed him for several miles and then signaled for him to pull over. ''I pulled over, knowing I hadn't done anything wrong," Harrison said in a recent phone interview. When the officer asked Harrison if...

With the mega-pork, er, stimulus bill done, Democrats will now turn to regulating political speech they don't like. That is, they're revving up to resurrect the so-called Fairness Doctrine. Created in 1949, the doctrine required broadcast radio and TV outlets (then relatively few in number) to present balanced viewpoints on issues. The FCC repealed it in 1987, noting the dramatically expanded media landscape of the intervening four decades allowed sufficient competition of ideas.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is pushing for return of the Fairness Doctrine even as some of his Democratic colleagues are quietly backing off the idea. Originally instituted in 1949 by the FCC, the Fairness Doctrine required broadcasters over the public airwaves to give equal time to opposing political views.

WAITER DISRUPTS JEWISH WEDDING WITH ARABIC CHANT By LORENA MONGELLI and ERIN CALABRESE January 10, 2009 -- Long Island waiter rebelling against his pastor father terrorized guests at a Jewish wedding reception, blasting a recording of a pro-Palestinian rally that included Arabic chants through the DJ's microphone, authorities said today. Stephen Buttafuoco, 23, was charged with a aggravated harassment as a hate crime for allegedly blaring "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great" - scaring the over 700 wedding guests who were wrapping up the party at the Woodbury Jewish Center around 1 a.m. Jan. 4., Nassau cops said. Buttafuoco,...

Democratic plans to revive government censorship of the radio and TV airways will strike hardest at religious broadcasters who stand in the way of a liberal social revolution. Christian broadcasters tell HUMAN EVENTS they will be targeted once President Obama's appointees gain control of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this year. "The Left Wing, I think, will immediately start filing complaints, and it will in short order shut Christian broadcasting down," says Warren Kelley, president of "Point of View," the first Christian talk show to go on the air via satellite 37 years ago. "I think it will so limit...

Get ready for an unprecedented government assault upon the First Amendment. President Obama will be at the heart of it. using his version of the “Fairness Doctrine”. In 1949, the Federal Communications Commission created the “Fairness Doctrine,” which mandated that federally-licensed radio and television stations “provide a reasonable opportunity for the presentation of contrasting viewpoints” on “vitally important controversial issues.” Rather than be deluged with demands for air time by aggrieved listeners, the broadcasters generally opted not to cover controversial issues, thereby leaving the public less informed. In 1987, President Reagan’s FCC jettisoned the Fairness Doctrine, and conservative talk radio...

“You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” said Barack Obama to Republican leaders Friday. The new president seems to want to make sure that as few people listen to Rush Limbaugh as possible. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) warned Thursday that “legislation is brewing on Capitol Hill that would take away free speech from broadcasters by reinstating a law” -- the infamous “Fairness Doctrine” -- “that would require talk shows to provide equal time coverage of opposing viewpoints on any issues they discuss.” This would wipe out conservative talk shows like Limbaugh’s by mandating that programming reflecting...