Free Republic

THE OLYMPICS PART ONE: BACKGROUND Published July 19th, 2008 As we approach the August 8th opening of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the XXIX Games of the Olympiad in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, it seems fitting to try to understand exactly what these “games” are. Their history may be examined on various websites, one of the best being http://www.musarium.com/kodak/olympics/olympichistory/. The Official Website of the Olympic Movement declares: “Olympism is a state of mind based on equality of sports which are international and democratic. It is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body,...

MAY I HAVE YOUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION, PLEASE!!! In the absence of good material, I have opted to spend a few moments in unbridled rant… 1. Are you people really happy with the extreme lack of sincerity when it comes to political candidates? 2. Don’t tell me what “flavor” you are! I could care less if Republicrat or Demican or Greendipendent. 3. If there are no just plain-ol’ “Americans” left let’s just close the dang door and call it what it is… OVER! Today’s politicians stand there with their smug attitudes and silly self-righteous smirks on their faces and pontificate from...

SANTA BARBARA: THE HORROR, THE HORROR! Published July 18th, 2008 “Santa Barbara is sometimes referred to as the American Riviera. Her beautiful beaches, majestic mountains and colorful culture make Santa Barbara a premier resort destination.” (Quoted from the City of Santa Barbara home page: http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/Visitor/) Do note that the first feature mentioned is the town’s “beautiful beaches.” Not mentioned is the fact that some of the most expensive real estate on the planet is located in and around the area. No, I’m not a Santa Barbara realtor. However, Santa Barbara’s beauty and prosperity put the lie to Speaker of the...

The constant bad news from the liberal media corporations is very dangerous! I've been finding communist/Stalinist propaganda like this all over the net: Frankly the people ranting against "community" don't realize how they've benefited from it - it was non-profit inventions like the internet, computers, modern electricity, phones, x-rays, penicillin, radio waves, and lightbulbs (Göbel), that make life better today. (*Also* state funding of science, medicine, & university research!) "Conservatives" like to rant about how everything good came from greed, but it's just a huge lie: 1. The computer - “This came from pure scientific thought, and not at all...

Orin's and David Kopel's posts below discuss whether Heller recognized a constitutional right to self-defense. I'm inclined to say the answer is yes, for the following reasons: 1. Heller recognized a right to keep and bear arms in self-defense, which logically presupposes some legal right to self-defense. Why would the Constitution let you keep an object for a certain purpose, when all use of the object for that purpose could be outlawed? 2. Heller often talks of a "right to self-defense" in contexts that suggest it is of constitutional statute, e.g., "That of the nine state constitutional protections for the...

The hippie generation taught us to laugh at the parents and grandparents who defeated America's enemies, bought us our first car and paid for our college. The hippies brought us social acceptance of drug use which spawned death and wrecked families; sexual freedom that imprisons human dignity; a sneering condescension for the squirrel that hoards his nuts against a hard winter. The hippie generation has defied the wisdom of the ages by redefining family, gender, and marriage. They even tried killing off God! How stupid is all of mankind that came before them! We are now suffering the rotten fruits...

The following is a Term paper written by a young Vietnamese woman now married to one of the Pilot's I served in Viet Nam with. Lily was born after American involvement ended in Viet Nam and the Communist takeover. She is enrolled in a Business Law Course and the Term paper was for that class. Her effort was awarded with a 100% Posted with the permission of Lily. Do You Really Want to Rear Your Child in a Socialist Society?By Lily Cuc WhiteI was born and reared in a Socialist Society. Here is my personal testimony as to how good,...

You see, the problem with holding a particular ideology is that, unless you’re a total recluse, someone in your inner circle will eventually reveal your intentions (albeit, unintentionally). There has been a lot of scrambling behind the scenes then in public to try and cover up the mess Michelle Obama made when she declared, “for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback." She made this statement in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Later the same day in Madison Wisconsin, she said, “For the first time in my...

PEACENIKS AND THE PRICE OF SURRENDER Gene’s Blog Problems in America — Solutions for America! PEACENIKS AND THE PRICE OF SURRENDER http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/07/17/code_pink/?source=newsletter PEACENIKS! “Why does the peace movement have to dress and act like an irritating children’s birthday party?” headlines this Salon.com article. What else would this author expect? The so-called “peace movement” is populated with the remnants of the “Flower Children” of the 60’s and 70’s and the “Woodstock Generation” and their progeny and fellow travellers. This is the same misguided group which senselessly prolonged the Vietnam War and caused untold losses of American troops in the process. (Think...

I've been reading Michael Dowd's Thank God for Evolution, and at the same time reading about what's going on at the Altenberg 16. It is pretty clear where the next wave of science and theology is going, and sadly, it looks like its going to be another 150 years of chasing our tail. As is starting to be admitted, Darwinism got us nowhere. The point of Darwinism was to remove God entirely from the process of diversification of life, and perhaps even from Creation itself. The hope of Darwinism has always been the three pillars of natural selection: * Heredity...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364281,00.html From FOX News: “LUCKNOW, India — He's a revered Hindu monkey god. And now, he's the chairman of an Indian business school. Hanuman, the popular god known for his strength and valor, has been named official chairman of the recently opened Sardar Bhagat Singh College of Technology and Management in northern India, a school official said Saturday. The position comes with an incense-filled office, a desk and a laptop computer. Four chairs will be placed facing the empty seat reserved for the chairman and all visitors must enter the office barefoot, said Vivek Kangdi, the school's vice chairman. "It...

The Million Mom Marcher-types would have you believe that guns are just nasty – the playthings of rednecks and brutes, and certainly of no use to decent people. But Col. Colt's revolver earned the nineteenth-century nickname "the equalizer" for good reason. As a weapon of self-defense, it ended the age of brawn and put clerks and school-teachers on a par with bruisers for the first time since ... well, ever. With a loaded pistol in hand, the frailest woman could fend off the meanest thug, and a black sharecropper might persuade a racist mob to play nice – somewhere else....

Israel National News - With the prisoner exchange with Hizbullah approaching its tragic climax, dozens of news crews at Rosh HaNikra and throughout the country are broadcasting the reactions of observers to the latest developments. The bitterly contested prisoner exchange is developing into one of Israel's most riveting and painful episodes, while Hizbullah and the PA celebrate victory and renew their threat to kidnap more IDF soldiers. The conclusion of the prisoner exchange began Tuesday night with the release of child-murderer Samir Kuntar and four of his co-terrorists, and continued through Wednesday morning with the release of the coffins of...

Former President Bill Clinton (D) warned voters against electing former prisoner-of-war Senator McCain president. “POWs are not like us,” Clinton observed. “They’ve been held captive in barbaric conditions, tortured and humiliated by this country’s enemies. How can they ever be objective enough to deal with our country’s enemies as president?” Clinton argued that his evasion of military service saved him “from building up the prejudices against and hatreds for different cultures and political systems that could have compromised my ability to govern effectively. My judgment was untainted by any suffering and privation that could have biased my views. The same...

…After reading the comments on “The Lesser of Two Evils” I realized most of them could be divided into two groups: The “Strugglers” and The “Settlers”. Good.This perfectly describes the conditions before and after the founding of America. The only problem in this case is that the settlers of that time came after the struggle, not before. As long as there have been elections there have been those making the claim in one form or the other that, “this is the most pivotal election in history”. Strangely enough, they were probably all correct! Each time we have the opportunity to...

Don Surber reminded us yesterday that it was the one year anniversary of The New York Times startling editorial endorsing surrender in Iraq even if it led to genocide. Nice group of writers, huh? Of course, Barack Obama felt the same way last year and said so. He was for genocide in Iraq before he was against it. But, fortunately they did not get their way. . . .

Two Blogs to consider: http://crusty-old-nuke.blogspot.com/ http://nuclear-free-zone.blogspot.com/ Fighting against the death of the Republic at the hands of the international banking families.

In a thread on a UK site, Katherine of London wrote: "Do any of you actually know what Marxism and socialism are? Americans seem to throw these terms around..." - - - It's all about sovereignty, ma'am. The assumption in old Europe was that God granted sovereignty as the divine right of kings (cf. Filmer: Patriarcha, 1680). The assumption among statists is that sovereignty inheres in the state (cf. Hobbes and Hegel). The axiom of the Declaration of Independence is that sovereignty is an endowment to the individual from his Creator. It is then Men who institute government for the...

What Would America Do if Situation Were Reversed? Kennedy Taught Us A Lesson RFFM.org Commentary Barack Hussein Obama says we should use diplomacy with Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, regarding that nation's plans to develop a nuclear weapon. This wouldn't be bad advice if that same Iranian leader had not promised to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. And, with a nuclear weapon, that threat one day would become a reality. It is obvious Mr. Obama has never heard of the saying, "Those who forget history are bound to repeat it." And Obama has also forgotten what Democratic...

Jayna Davis, the author of THE THIRD TERRORIST, the exhaustive work that proves a Middle Eastern connection to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Federal building, is interviewed by RIGHT TALK'S Paul Schiffer. This is from 3 or 4 years ago, and the audio is no longer available online...until now, I have added pictures to the audio to make it a video.

A few miles north of Tel Aviv lies the town of Herzliya on the Mediterranean seacoast of Israel.  Within Herzliya, Barry Rubin and many others labor to run a think tank and publishing effort called Global Research in International Affairs or simply, GLORIA Center.  Mr. Rubin reaches back into the archives of the New York Times to bring forth the history we are doomed to repeat if we elect a Barack Obama administration.  While we are once again, as a people, being scolded to confer, negotiate and empathize with the most bloodthirsty, barbaric of the world’s powermongers, it is instructive to look...

So writes Ralph Peters. In an editorial today he explains what should be crystal clear to anyone that has ever studied history: THE greatest lie intellectuals tell us is that “the pen is mightier than the sword.� That’s what cowards claim when they want to preen as heroes. Billions of words have been hurled at Sudan’s government. The misery in Darfur not only continues but deepens. While intellectuals wrestled with compound sentences, Darfur degenerated from selective oppression to savage anarchy.Legions of columnists and commentators have deplored Robert Mugabe’s monstrous rule in Zimbabwe. But none of the hand-wringing by American, European...

JTA - Religious Jews support U.S. Sen. John McCain for president in much higher numbers than non-religious Jews, a poll found. The 39 percent of U.S. Jews who said religion is important in their daily lives evenly split their support for the presumptive candidates in November -- Arizona's McCain for the Republicans and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democrats -- at 45 percent, according to a Gallup Poll released Tuesday. more

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says his government is hoping that a President Obama will reestablish a U.S. diplomatic presence in his country. “The absence of a U.S. Embassy reduces the ability of our government to effectively communicate with the U.S. government,” Mottaki asserted. “The present arrangement is no substitute for the face-to-face interaction we enjoyed when Jimmy Carter was the U.S. president.” The United States has not had a formal diplomatic presence in Iran since the embassy was overrun by Iranian “students” and the staff taken hostage in 1979. Since that time, the Swiss Embassy has represented U.S. interests...

Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard gave an interview to a French magazine. "Psychologies Magazine", July-August 2008 issue "I didn't say that insurance companies destroyed the towers. I said that I don't trust what the US government and the media say. My words have been misunderstood. I think there are a lot of shadows in the official version. Numerous American citizens ask to reopen the 911 investigation. A real investigation.

Just in time for summer. Obama Beachwear. Presidential nominee and below-average bowler Barrack Obama said his indecision on Iraq will attract more undecided voters to his side. He's pretty sure about that anyway. Obama recently back tracked from his promise to immediately pull troops out of Iraq; instead, he will evacuate troops in 16 months. Or 18 months. Thereabouts. "In 20 months, or so, our troops will be back," said Jerry Stinger, a foreign relations expert tied closely with the Obama campaign. "So, in a little over two years, all the troops will be back with their loved ones. Probably."...

In what the media are hailing as “a breath of fresh air that adds a large dollop of class to the campaign,” presidential contender Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) disassociated himself from supporter General Wesley Clark’s contention that Republican rival Senator John McCain’s military record should count against him. “The truth behind General Clark’s remarks is beyond question,” Obama said. “While fighting in Vietnam, McCain did bomb innocent women and children, lose his plane and get captured by the enemy. Not a sterling record, to be sure. But these mistakes occurred long long ago, when McCain was a young man. They...

It was on page 6 of my daily newspaper that an important reminder of Saddam’s capacity for WMD was published: the movement in secrecy of 550 tons of ‘yellowcake’ uranium from Iraq to Canada on July 5. 550 tons! Can they really continue their lies about no possibility of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Saddam’s Iraq? I know they will try to spin this, but can any honest person now still maintain that Saddam was not able to reconstitute his nuclear weapons’ capability left to his own devices? Can any honest person continue the nonsense of “Bush lied”? Although U.N....

She is the most popular elected politician in America. She's the yougest. She's a woman (attract Clinton's supporter) Her records are HIGHLY conservative STRONGLY pro-life She represents the energy the GOP lacks among its officials She voted for the second largest cut in the history of the Alaskas's budget Sarah Heath Palin (née Sarah Louise Heath, born February 11, 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho) is the current Governor of Alaska. She is the youngest governor in Alaskan history (42 years old upon taking office), as well as the first woman to hold the office in the state. In addition to being...

Author's Note: When I first wrote this series over a year ago, RFFM.org received some criticism about my viewpoint on the issue. In fact, one reader demanded that his name be removed from the e-mail list. Since then, of course, we have become aware, via various media and Internet sources, of a long series of “white guy” blaming from several leftist groups. This non-exclusive list includes Rev. Jeremiah Wright from Sen. Barack Obama’s former church, Father Pfleger also preaching (or rather screeching) from Wright’s pulpit and former (or maybe still) Obama friend--Pentagon bomber Bill Ayers...

Below are some of interviews from radio station WTIC in Hartford, Connecticut. The talk show host's name is Jim Vicevich, and his show runs from 10 AM until Rush limbaugh. These are from 2 separate interviews.

Even though the July 4th holiday has passed, it's still important to remember what it truly means. Today's "Geeks On Caffeine" cartoon delves into history just a bit, but also takes a brief look at...um...lingere? See for yourself! NOTE: The author requests that you please visit the web site and not copy the cartoon into this thread. Thanks!

Leading defense officials from the United States and Israel, meeting in Israel this week, raised the controversial attack on the U.S. ship USS Liberty, by Israel, in June 1967. The attack has caused considerable controversy over the years despite both governments being reticent to publicly discuss the affair. It is rare that defense officials from either side discuss the attack which killed 34 U.S. service personnel, and wounded 171 others. In talks this week however between the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Michael Mullen, and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, together with other senior Israeli...

WHEN OUR JOHNNYS AND JANES COME MARCHING HOME AGAIN When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again was an inspirational American Civil War Era song. (See http://www.contemplator.com/america/whenjohn.html for info, lyrics and midi download.) Today, most of us anxiously await the day our Johnnys and our Joes, our Janes and our Joannes, will come marching home again from the Mideast–after their long and arduous journey is completed, successful, and victorious. If that’s not how they return, their sacrifices and America’s casualties will have been in vain. Our Democratic/leftist brethren have learned from VietNam, when they literally spat on our returning troops. (Anyone who...

Since I began posting on FREEREPUBLIC.COM, TOWNHALL.COM, CONSERVATIVEOASIS.COM, and on other conservative websites, the responses there and hits on my website, http://genelalor.com, lead me to blieve there is indeed hope for America! Thank you all and thank you, God!

This video of the release of the 15 hostages, including 3 Americans, was taken by Colombian special forces on July 2, 2008.

http://msunderestimated.com/2008/07/05/an-unrepentant-proud-american/

Several reporters from The New York Times board the Q train at DeKalb Avenue during the morning rush and marvel at the diversity of the 128 passengers in a single subway car and see “all the homelands, all the ages, all the professions” that comprise “New York City in the summer of 2008.”The Stiletto offers her own tribute to our nation’s diversity on this, the 232nd anniversary of our Declaration of Independence from monarchal tyranny – especially the diverse ways in which we choose to pursue happiness (or not) - with this collection of articles: † Couch Potatoes (and those...

Read the Declaration today. Then read it to your kids. Talk to them about the sacrifice of time, treasure and life that our Founders made (and that many in their families made as well). Ask them if they would have signed, knowing that as they did so, they were signing their own death warrants. Then remind them that today, as we eat hot dogs and corn-on-the-cob and gasp at amazing pyrotechnical displays (probably from China), we have men and women—almost children themselves—fighting and dying to protect our liberty. Most of you who have discovered this site hold the same profound...

Hurricane Katrina moved Louisiana's government to suspend the second amendment when it declared a state of emergency. Firearms were confiscated by force of law and military power. When the state of emergency was lifted, the second amendment was not restored, and the people's firearms were not returned. A Federal district court ruled that guns confiscated would not be returned to their rightful owners. We're talking about legal firearm owners here. Common sense dictates that removing firearms from legal owners leaves only the criminals in possession of firearms, emergency or no. The Associated Press reported that some police officers asked if...

Help, I am trying to find a particular quote that speaks about the cycle of history where first there is slavery, then freedom, then apathy, then slavery again.

Would today's Democrats ever agree to the language in this document written by our Founding Fathers?

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword: His truth is marching on. Glory, glory, hallelujah!First the good news: Watch and listen to a beautiful patriotic song written by Iraq Vet Eric Keller dedicated to the the service of our brave veterans. "Patriot" From the sublime to the pitiful. . . America has never seen in its history such blatant attempts by a political party to undermine and subvert the populace and the military in a time of war. Soon after the United States stunning and overwhelming ousting of the Saddam regime in Iraq - with Demokrat...

State College’s pacifist community is offering an alternative to the warlike displays of fireworks, barbecues and beer-fueled fistfights that have become synonymous with Fourth of July festivities. The group, Peaceful State, has created Non-violent Resistance and Solidarity Fest, as a peaceful way to celebrate the mid-summer holiday. Since the group does not recognize the existence of the United States, Isreal, and the Aborigine Occupation Zone in Australia, there is no mention of Independence Day or revolution, except in the context of struggle against capitalism and Prince’s former band. Garrison Kegger, who created the concept, said the event gets underway with...

I am tutoring a going-into-4th grade boy this summer, just two hours a week. I have only had him one week so far. Today we were talking about the flag; I have one on my bulletin board. He said, "I sometimes like to put the flag on the ground and step on it." I said, "You DO? Why (you little booger)?" He said, "I sometimes like to do things that are wrong." I only had a few minutes left with him, so I spoke about reverencing the flag and those who had died for our country. I will continue to...

We can talk until we are blue in the face about how Obama really has terrorists as friends, but when you see the video, then you will believe.

Some European officials, speaking under conditions of anonymity, are expressing concerns that Senator Obama may become the next U.S. president. “It’s not that we don’t like Obama on a personal level,” said one source. “He is a lot like us, but that is a cause for worry. We have always counted on America. America saved us from Hitler. America deterred the Red Army from marching into Western Europe. America was there to ward off the bullies who picked on us.” “Maybe having a gauche ‘cowboy America’ to rely on is a crutch we don’t really want to part with,” said...

Dinesh D'Souza breaks out the red pen on Michelle Obama's thesis. "To wreak so much havoc on the English language in one sentence, without conveying anything of substance, is perhaps deserving of a prize. Is this what her professors were thinking when they granted her honors?"

Patriots live, breathe, and exude patriotism because it is part of their fiber. It becomes part of your fiber when you are taught, beginning as a child, that the root of America’s greatness is our freedom. You learn that America has freed millions of people from the grip of tyranny and oppression over our long and storied history. You learn that American freedom still serves as a beacon of hope for billions of people around the world. And while some people may not be proud of our country, Patriots are proud. Video. Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. (Proud to...

Patriots live, breathe, and exude patriotism because it is part of their fiber. It becomes part of your fiber when you are taught, beginning as a child, that the root of America’s greatness is our freedom. You learn that America has freed millions of people from the grip of tyranny and oppression over our long and storied history. You learn that American freedom still serves as a beacon of hope for billions of people around the world. And while some people may not be proud of our country, Patriots are proud. Video. Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. (Proud to...