Free Republic

INDIANAPOLIS— Anti-smoking advocates are on the verge of success in the Indiana General Assembly but must wait out House Democrats' boycott of a divisive labor bill. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in both the Senate and House is pushing to ban smoking in most public places and workplaces, including bars. The only exemptions it includes are the gambling floors of casinos and pari-mutuel betting parlors, private clubs and cigar and hookah bars.

Aug 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Friday the U.S. economy needed more stimulus to get it moving, putting in a plug for government measures shortly before the White House unveils new proposals to boost job growth. Concluding a trip to Asia that focused primarily on China, Biden also said a final decision had not been made on whether Washington would sell Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan and noted Beijing knew America viewed its one-child policy as "abhorrent." Reacting to a leadership switch at the top of ratings agency Standard & Poor's after...

The United States and several of its major allies on Thursday called on Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to give up power. The carefully choreographed announcements came after months of popular protests and increasingly deadly reprisals that the United Nations commissioner for human rights said amounted to crimes against humanity by the Syrian authorities. President Obama, who had faced criticism for not acting more assertively, ordered the freezing of all Syrian assets within American jurisdiction, banned imports of Syrian oil and barred American citizens from having any business dealings with the Syrian government, which the administration once courted in the hopes...

Warren Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Mormon church that practises polygamy, is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars after he was given the maximum sentence for taking girls as young as 12 to be his brides. SNIP ...a Texas jury took just 40 minutes to hand him the toughest sentence open to them – life in prison for aggravated sexual assault and 20 years in prison for sexual assault of a child... SNIP The polygamist Mormons, under Jeffs's leadership, refused to renounce plural marriages and now have about 10,000 followers. The jury heard that Jeffs...

A personal answer from Gerald.The LDS Church has a long standing policy on politics. It has three components to it: Political neutrality, Involvement in issues of moral or community, Individual involvement. SNIP In the United States, while many Mormon politicians are considered conservative, they are found in all political parties. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat from Nevada, often disagrees politically with Republican Mitt Romney, former presidential candidate. Yet both are active and faithful LDS, who are allowed the freedom to make their own political choices without Church interference. In other nations, LDS often are less conservative than their American...

Friday, January 5 Dear Damon, I appreciate your moderate and respectful reply to my objections. It is often hard for non-Mormons to understand how Mormons believe all we do. You at least see how Mormon beliefs and our way of life could be satisfying to educated, reasonable people, among whom you presumably would include Mitt Romney. What troubles you is the implication of belief in prophetic revelation: Would Mormons perform any dire deed for their prophet no matter how contrary to conscience? And what about the belief that the United States and the Church might combine to dominate the world...

Just a headline so far. This is the third time in two days this has happened.

A pretty big quake just hit again...

From a CBS News poll: 57 percent of respondents said the harsh political tone had nothing to do with the shooting, compared to 32 percent who felt it did. Republicans were more likely to feel the two were unrelated - 69 percent said rhetoric was not to blame; 19 percent said it played a part. Democrats were more split on the issue - 49 percent saw no connection; 42 percent said there was.Independents more closely reflected the overall breakdown - 56 percent said rhetoric had nothing to do with the attack; 33 percent felt it did.The telephone poll was...

Book of Mormon/DNA evidence   Criticism DNA samples taken from modern Native Americans do not match the DNA of modern inhabitants of the Middle East. Critics argue that this means the Book of Mormon's claim that Native Americans are descended from Lehi must be false, and therefore the Book of Mormon is not an ancient record as Joseph Smith claimed. See also: Source(s) of the criticism Response Few criticisms of the Church have received as much media attention as this criticism, with so little thought and science being applied to the question. DNA attacks against the Book of Mormon account fail on...

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korea will hold its largest-ever winter live-fire drills Thursday in an area adjacent to North Korea, the South Korean Army said on Wednesday.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Christ is out of Christmas at the St. George Ferry Terminal. In what Catholics see as political correctness run amok, the city Department of Transportation (DOT) has removed a Nativity scene from the terminal, with an agency spokesman saying that the display was not authorized to be there. But a menorah, marking the celebration of Hanukkah, and a Christmas tree remain on display in the terminal. Catholics said the move was a nightmare before Christmas. "We take this as a tremendous affront," said Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, a watchdog of religious and...

RAW VIDEO: Mysterious Contrail Off Calif. November 9, 2010 5:29 PM <SNIP> Video posted on the CBS Los Angeles website shows an object flying through the evening sky Monday that left a large contrail, or vapor trail. While cruising the skies Monday at sunset, Sky2 captured on video what appears to be a missile making its way up into the sky from over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. Pentagon officials were stumped by the event. “Nobody within the Department of Defense that we’ve reached out to has been able to explain what this contrail is, where it came from,”...

I nearly choked on my coffee when I read that Obama thinks Pelosi will go down as one of the finest speakers in the U.S. Whatever he's drinking I don't want any. It makes people delusional. Reid must drink the same. Why else would he think that "but for him" we'd be in a depression?

If you’ve been puzzled by the NRA’s endorsements of liberal Democrats and wondering what would happen if it got its way, here’s the voting records of a sample of the NRA’s liberal Democrat buddies. Note: NARAL is a pro abortion group ACU is the American Conservative Union, NTU is the National Taxpayers Union GOA is the Gun Owners of America SEIU is the Service Employees International Union a far left group. Their cumulative scores are as follows: NARAL 67.5% ACU 18.2% NTU 11.7% SEIU 90.3% GOA C- The numbers strongly suggest that the NRA is perfectly pleased with the way...

A Christian militia group was a target of at least one of a series of weekend raids the FBI conducted in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, a Michigan militia leader says. The FBI said Sunday that it had conducted raids in the three states, resulting in at least three arrests. Federal warrants were sealed, but a federal law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity said some of those arrested face gun charges and officials are pursuing other suspects. Some of the suspects were expected in court Monday. It wasn't clear what prompted the raids, but Michael Lackomar, a spokesman for...

OK, I am an idiot. Where do I go to read about things such as: how do I set up a ping?

The Senate immigration bill now being resurrected is long on promises and short on actual reforms. Outside of providing amnesty to an estimated 12 million aliens living in the United States illegally, the bill contains little substance. No guarantee for control of our borders. Insufficient fraudulent document protections. No real protections against alien gangs and criminals. And no fixes for our broken visa system. In other words, it is a huge step in the wrong direction, a bill that would reward 12 million lawbreakers and only serve to weaken the security of our nation. To counter this misguided bill, Representative...

Eerie turquoise light spotted over Norway has sparked a mystery, with suggestions it could be a missile test. The Norwegian Metrological Institute has received hundreds of phonecalls from confused observers but so far has been unable to identify its origin. Some experts have speculated that the phenomenon might have been caused by a Russian rocket launch. However, the Russian embassy insists such claims are completely unfounded. Neither meteorologists, astronomers, or the Armed Forces have offered a solution to the matter. The light was captured by amateur photographer Jan Petter Jorgensen while he was on his way to work at a...

This article is in Norwegian, but the photo and video is pretty strange!

Last week, Oliver Miles, Britain’s former ambassador to Libya and a pillar of the country’s foreign policy establishment, put his thinking cap on, put pen to paper and came up with the following thoughts in a column in the Independent newspaper about the presence of the esteemed historians Martin Gilbert and Lawrence Freedman on the board of the UK’s latest Iraq Inquiry: “Both Gilbert and Freedman are Jewish, and Gilbert at least has a record of active support for Zionism,” he said. “…if and when the inquiry is accused of a whitewash, such handy ammunition will be available. Membership should...

The Marine Corps is moving to ban dogs with aggressive temperaments from Camp Pendleton and other bases under a policy developed after a 3-year-old boy at Camp Lejeune, N.C., was fatally bitten by a pit bull. The banned breeds are pit bulls, Rottweilers and wolf hybrids. Families moving into base housing are no longer allowed to bring those breeds. Families already in housing can keep their dogs until Sept. 30, 2012, but only if they receive a "good-dog" waiver.

Here's your chance to let the media know where the people stand on our faith in God, as a nation. NBC is presently taking a poll on "In God We Trust" to stay on our American currency.

This 4 minute video just shows you what innovative things you can do with scholarship. It allegedly claims that a prominent figure in the world today is associated with Satan. Click This link to watch the video

Should the motto "In God We Trust" be removed from U.S. currency?

Should the motto "In God We Trust" be removed from U.S. currency? * 15052379 responses FReep MSNBC Poll but be sure you read it first it is designed to trick you!

[From the webstie]. . . Notice: In spite it may constitute a violation of Netiquette I decided to copy the full article, however with refference to Israëlinsider, in order to ensure it’s continued availabilty on the internet. Given the possible implications of the information contained herein we cannot exclude attemtps to surpress it. Futhermore at this stage of the investigations oilforimmigration does refrain from expressing a clear opinion about the validity of the theories and conclusions reached by Israëlinsider...."If Barack Hussein Obama II is Malcolm X’s biological son and ideological heir, it would uniquely explain the mystery of why he...

With the ink barely dry on the California Supreme Court's decision upholding a ban on same-sex marriages, proponents are already preparing new political and legal efforts to overturn the ban. But at least some pollsters and legal experts think those efforts may be too soon to have a good chance to succeed. "I think the pro-side would have a significant challenge in 2010," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. "I think it would be less of a challenge in 2012." DiCamillo's observation was echoed by Mark Baldassare, director of research at the Public Policy Institute of California. "It...

That's what a House of Representatives bill, proposed by Rep. Linda T. Sanchez and 14 others, would do. Here's the relevant text: Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person, using electronic means to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.... ["Communication"] means the electronic transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user's choosing, without change in the form or content of the information...

US Navy snipers killed three Somali pirates who had been holding an American merchant skipper on a lifeboat last night, rescuing the hostage unharmed. The US Navy Seals opened fire from about 25 metres away under standing orders from President Obama when they saw one of the pirates pointing an AK47 at Captain Richard Phillips’s back, putting his life in imminent danger. All three pirates were killed. A fourth, who had come aboard a nearby US warship to negotiate, was taken into custody. He was reported to be as young as 16. Captain Phillips, a former Boston taxi driver who...

Government plans new credit, mortgage programs By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer 19 mins ago WASHINGTON – The government introduced a pair of new programs Tuesday that will provide $800 billion to help unfreeze the market for consumer debt and to make mortgage loans cheaper and more available.

PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging Barack Obama's qualifications to be president. U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick on Friday night rejected the suit by attorney Philip J. Berg, who alleged that Obama was not a U.S. citizen and therefore ineligible for the presidency. Berg claimed that Obama is either a citizen of his father's native Kenya or became a citizen of Indonesia after he moved there as a boy. Obama was born in Hawaii to an American mother and a Kenyan father. His parents divorced, and his mother married an Indonesian man. Internet-fueled conspiracy theories...

Philip J. Berg, Esquire, of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking a Declaratory Judgement and Injunction that Barack Obama does not meet the qualifications to become President of the United States. In the lawsuit Berg alleges that Obama is not eligible for the presidency because he is not a naturalized citizen, and/or lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia, and/or has duel citizenship with Kenya and Indonesia. Berg said that he has filed the suit on behalf of the Democratic Party and citizens of the United States for their best interests. Berg, an attorney with offices in...

Democrat sues Sen. Obama over 'fraudulent candidacy'Lawsuit disputing U.S. citizenship based in part on discredited claims By Drew Zahn © 2008 WorldNetDaily Posted: August 23, 2008 A prominent Pennsylvania Democrat has sued Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic National Committee and the Federal Election Commission, claiming that Obama is not a natural-born citizen and, therefore, is not eligible to be president of the United States. Philip J. Berg, a former member of Pennsylvania's Democratic State Committee and former deputy attorney general of Pennsylvania, filed the lawsuit this week in U.S District Court, asking the court to declare Obama ineligible for the...

FReep This Poll! "Should the motto "In God We Trust" be removed from U.S. currency?" Yes. - It's a violation of the principle of separation of church and state. No. - The motto has historical and patriotic significance and does nothing to establish a state religion. Click onto the link provided. Vote your choice. Thank you FReepers.

The NATIONAL ENQUIRER is releasing the photograph that the world has been waiting for – the first-ever picture of John Edwards and his love child! The stunning “spy photo” shows the former presidential contender holding his infant daughter Frances Quinn Hunter at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles – where the ENQUIRER caught him visiting the baby’s mother, his mistress Rielle Hunter.

I didn't post a link to this because I wasn't sure if we could link to snopes.com, but I felt it important enough to post. It's amazing that no one in the MSM is at all concerned whether or not Obama is a natural-born citizen, but we better make damn sure McCain is! Check out how thorough snopes researches the question. Plus the fact that they claim the status is "undetermined." This was posted today at snopes.

THIS IS A PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW I CONDUCTED WITH JOHN MCCAIN ON WEDNESDAY: (Who is the real John McCain – the guy who voted 95 percent with the president or the guy in his first two ads running from George W. Bush like a scalded dog?) Look at the voting records…..Senator Obama has the most extreme voting record in the Senate and does not have the record of reaching across the aisle I disagreed with the president on climate change, on the conduct of the war, on detainees, on spending…Obviously there have been disagreements between myself and the...

Just in case you didn’t think the Obama campaign couldn’t get more arrogant, the Obama campaign unveiled a new Presidential Seal in his run for the Presidency. I’m not sure if this is just supposed to be a cheap campaign gimmick or we’re supposed to actually take this seriously. Is Obama really supposed to look more "presidential" sitting behind this thing? The hilarious thing is that this silly seal might just land him or one of his staffers in jail for 6 months because it’s an obvious rip off of the Seal of the President among others.

President Bush may follow in the footsteps of his brother Jeb and convert to Catholicism, several European papers are reporting. In the wake of the president’s visit to see Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, Italian newspapers, citing Vatican sources, said Bush was open to the idea of converting to Catholicism. The Italian newspaper Il Foglio referred to such talk about Bush’s possible conversion and stated that “anything is possible, especially for someone reborn like Bush.� Noting that Tony Blair converted to Catholicism after leaving office as Britain’s prime minister last year, the paper also stated that “if anything happens,...

The passionate debate over immigration and workers' rights has dropped a few degrees from past years, but hundreds or thousands of demonstrators are expected to march through downtown Seattle during afternoon rush hour Thursday with a basic message:   "We are not undocumented. We are not illegal. We are workers." Or, as a bilingual flier for the event states in Spanish, "No somos ilegales. No somos indocumentados. Somos trabajadores."Until the nation's broken immigration system is repaired -- a process that might take years -- the rights of workers must be protected, organizers said Monday in announcing the ninth annual march.They...

<p>But he's still a constitution trampling RINO and unless he repeals McCain-Feingold, repudiates amnesty and global warming, drops all support for embryonic stem cell research and stops talking about partnering up with the Democrats and instead swears to fight the evil bastards he won't be getting my support.</p>

Paterson's greatest sin is not that he was horny. Rather, he's cheap. It's as if he were in competition with New Jersey's deposed gay governor, Jim McGreevey, who engaged in sexual ménages à trois with his wife and his hot, male driver following dinner at that fine wings-and-skins emporium, TGI Friday's. Paterson's tastes were so low-rent, he made up with his wife, Michelle, with an intimate liaison at the same Manhattan Days Inn where he met with various women whose names escape. Days Inn, David? Was Motel 6 booked? There is one more thing you need to know about New...

The thunderous applause was still ringing in his ears when the state's new governor, David Paterson, told the Daily News that he and his wife had extramarital affairs. In a stunning revelation, both Paterson, 53, and his wife, Michelle, 46, acknowledged in a joint interview they each had intimate relationships with others during a rocky period in their marriage several years ago. In the course of several interviews in the past few days, Paterson said he maintained a relationship for two or three years with "a woman other than my wife," beginning in 1999. mo here

OCALA, Fla. -- A 10-year old Ocala girl brought her lunch to school and a small kitchen knife to cut it. She now faces a felony charge after being arrested. The school and the sheriff's office disagree on the reason for the arrest.

Former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter says that the danger of waging war on Tehran is that “it is just not worth it”. In an interview with Detroit's weekly Metro Times, the weapons expert and dissenting patriot Ritter said unless there is a radical reawakening in the Congress, the chances of American lawmakers blocking military strikes against Iran are very low. ""What we can lose is everything, and what we gain is nothing,"" the former Marine Corps intelligence officer warned. When asked what the U.S. should do to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons, Ritter dismissed the issue as...

It’s not a smoking gun, but it’s smoking-related, and it’s there in bright medical images: evidence of microscopic structural damage deep in the lungs, caused by secondhand cigarette smoke. For the first time, researchers have identified lung injury to nonsmokers that was long suspected, but not previously detectable with medical imaging tools. The researchers suggest that their findings may strengthen public health efforts to restrict secondhand smoke. “We used a special type of magnetic resonance imaging to find these structural changes in the lungs,” said study leader Chengbo Wang, Ph.D., a magnetic resonance physicist in the Department of Radiology at...

Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards will outline a plan Sunday to provide immediate relief to families struggling with high heating oil bills and to ensure affordable prices in the future.Noting that home heating oil prices in New Hampshire have surpassed $3 a gallon, the former North Carolina senator is calling on Congress to release some of the nation's home heating oil and crude oil reserves as a way to bring down prices by increasing supply. He also is urging Congress to fully fund the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, according to a copy of his plan provided to The...

Labor provisions could be tucked into ag legislation. WASHINGTON -- Farmers, immigrants and their Capitol Hill allies are hoping to graft an agricultural guest-worker plan onto the multibillion-dollar farm bill.Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., hasn't yet decided whether to push the controversial guest-worker measure when the Senate considers the farm bill next week. Behind the scenes, though, proponents are counting votes and lobbying furiously."Now we're getting down to the nitty-gritty, where real hard decisions have to be made," said Dan Haley, a lobbyist for the California Strawberry Commission and other farm groups. "We can't wait around."Tactically, this is a very tough...