Free Republic

With the date of its imposition in the United States on January 1, 2014, drawing nearer, what President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA) calls the health insurance provider fee, or, as it is known under its more general name, the health insurance tax (HIT), is arousing increasing opposition. Beginning in 2014, the ACA assesses a fee on health insurance providers that, across the industry, will total USD8bn, increasing to USD14.3bn by 2018, and then will continue to increase based on premium trends every year. The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) has estimated that the fee, which, it has said,...

But surprisingly, not a single major hurricane, defined as a Category 3 storm or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale —with minimum wind gusts of at least 111 mph (178 km/h) — has directly hit the United States in nearly eight years. That's twice as long as any major hurricane landfall "drought" since 1915, and by far the longest on record since data began being collected prior to 1900. As of today (Sept. 12), it's been 2,880 days since Hurricane Wilma, the last major hurricane to strike the United States, made landfall on Oct. 24, 2005. The reasons behind this drought...

Israeli and Jewish targets all over the world are likely to be sought out by terrorist organizations in the coming weeks, the Israeli government’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau warned in strikingly strident tones on Monday, listing dozens of countries where it said it had “concrete” indications of a terrorist threat. It cited concerns about terrorist acts timed to coincide with the forthcoming Rosh Hashana (New Year), Yom Kippur and Succot festivals, and also said that the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US was likely to be “a favored period” for al-Qaeda and other global jihadist groups to attempt to...

Paul and Chriss will be discussing the mysterious death (killing?) of Rolling Stones reporter Michael Hastings with San Diego reporter Kim Dvorak who has uncovered new information on the "incident".

Ah, some gallows humor on a Sunday evening. Currently trending on Twitter is the now popular hashtag: #obamacarehitsongs. Here are some of the offerings... #obamacarehitsongs Highway to Hell Let's Get Retarded ‘Who Let the Docs Out?' And we'll have fun, fun, fun till the doctor takes the oxygen away... (Don't Fear) The Death Panel. Bill me, Maybe Money for Nothin' Back in the U.S.S.R. Livin on a prayer. We Don't Need No Obstetrician How much is that Doctor in the Window Take it to the limit .... Or whatever my co pay is Another one bites the dust. Proud Barry...

Waves as high as 7m (22 ft) have hit parts of Chile and coastal areas are on alert as high winds and tidal currents sweep across parts of South America's coast. Footage showed huge waves surging onto the streets of Antofagasta in Chile where at least one injury was reported following the dangerous weather. In Peru, parts of the country's coastline were hit with waves as big as 5m (16 ft) and the weather caused flooded streets in the seaside city of Chimbote.

Steve Neal, Chicago's premiere political columnist for decades, famous for his encyclopedic knowledge of history and political lore, for endlessly swapping stories with political junkies and for his books that ranged from a biography of Wendell Wilkie to the correspondence between Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry Truman, died Wednesday at his Hinsdale home. He was 54 and had been hospitalized overnight this week at Northwestern Hospital for a heart problem, his family said. Hinsdale police said they responded to a “carbon monoxide alarm’’ Wednesday afternoon at the home. Mr. Neal was among the city's most savvy political analysts, but unlike many...

An audio produced by the group's media arm, the al-Malahem Foundation, and posted on militant websites said it offered three kilograms of gold worth $160,000 (£99,000) for killing the ambassador, Gerald Feierstein. The group said it will pay 5 million Yemeni riyals (£14,000) to anyone who kills an American soldier inside Yemen. It said the offer is valid for six months. The bounties were set to "inspire and encourage our Muslim nation for jihad," the statement said.

<p>A high-speed chase through two North Texas counties this morning may involve the suspect wanted in connection with Tuesday’s murder of the head of Colorado’s Department of Corrections.</p> <p>This morning’s incident began in Montague County, where, just north of Bowie, a sheriff’s deputy pulled over a man driving an older model black Cadillac with Colorado license plates. According to several news accounts, that man then fired three times at Deputy James Boyd, who took two bullets to the chest — he was wearing a bullet-proof vest — and one in the ear. Boyd was transported, via helicopter, to a Fort Worth hospital; his condition is unknown at present, but Wise County officials say his injuries are non-life-threatening.</p>

On Thursday night, conservative radio host Mark Levin attacked Fox News host Bill O’Reilly and the “has-beens” at CNN for their “hit” on Rep. Michele Bachmann after she was caught racing away from a CNN reporter confronting her over factually inaccurate claims about the president’s “lavish” White House living. On Tuesday, CNN reporter Dana Bash attempted to confront Bachmann over her claims that the president has an extraordinarily luxurious lifestyle, but was famously met with deflection and a race away from the camera. On The O’Reilly Factor last night, the eponymous Fox host criticized Bachmann for her “trivial attacks on...

This year seems to be one for comets. In addition to the two projectiles that will zoom near Earth, a third one has recently been discovered. The newest one, though, won't fly by our planet. Instead, it will pass uncomfortably close to Mars in 2014. Named C/2013 A1, the comet will fly near the Red Planet on Oct. 19, 2014 according to preliminary orbital prediction models. The icy missile is thought to have first originated from the Oort Cloud, which is a hypothetical region containing billions of cometary nuclei located around our solar system. Comets have struck planets in the...

Iran, the day before Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks at the United Nations, claimed Tuesday it successfully fired four missiles at a mock sea target representing warships. The timing of the missile tests is part of Iran’s propaganda campaign to instill fear among Israel and American leaders, who have warned that the “military option” is on the table if Tehran does not stop its unsupervised nuclear development and enrichment of uranium that can be used to manufacture a nuclear warhead aimed at Israel. The Ahmadinejad regime has claimed successful military tests at a dizzying rate, but several analysts have said...

Police in China's Zhejiang province have detained a couple accused of burying an elderly woman alive after crashing into her, state media say. The couple, both 25, hit the 68-year-old woman as they returned from a night out drinking at a karaoke bar on 30 April, police said. They buried her at a construction site in the city of Yuyao to cover up the accident, police said. It is not clear whether they knew she was alive when they buried her. Police said the accident occurred as the couple drove back from the karaoke bar late at night. An eyewitness...

Assassinations are a big hit againBy MATTHEW STEVENSON | 5/10/12 9:33 PM EDT As a useful instrument of statecraft, assassination is somewhere between impressment (dragging sailors off neutral ships) and piracy (the poor man’s defense appropriations). Nonetheless, the Obama administration has elevated the gangland rub-out into an article of faith — what with predator drone strikes, CIA “executive actions” and “no-fly zones,” which usually include a few Tomahawks directed down the chimney at a dictator’s hideout. The romance with assassination is a legacy of World War II, when it was felt that if only “someone” had murdered Adolf Hitler (many...

Sue me. I hope every Freeper has a fantastic 2012. May we say bye bye to Obama. May Christians unite and stop quibbling over silly stuff. May all of us remain open enough to welcome young people (like me) into the ranks of conservatives. May Free Republic continue to thrive. May God provide an upcoming Reaganesque politician down the road. May civil war not happen. May your pantries be full.

A 6-year-old boy struck by a car at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was listed in fair condition Sunday at Gillette Children's Hospital. Zachary Drew, his mother and three siblings had been on his way to greet his father who was returning from an 11-month tour in Iraq with the Oklahoma National Guard, the boy's mother said Saturday. They were crossing the ramp to the terminal around 8 p.m. Friday when the accident happened. The little boy suffered a broken leg and nose, lost most of his teeth, and he may need reconstructive surgery on his jaw. "This guy turns the...

Toddler in China hit by 2 vehicles, then ignored, diesBy Keith B. Richburg, Published: October 21 BEIJING — A 2-year-old girl who was run over by two vehicles and left lying in the street ignored by bystanders died early Friday morning in a Guangdong hospital, Chinese media reported. She had been in a coma since the incident one week ago. The plight of the little girl, identified as Xiao Yueyue, ignited an intense round of public soul-searching here on why so many people — 18, according to surveillance video of the scene — could pass by an injured, bleeding toddler...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (JTA) -- If there’s anything that can bring the Jews of Tennessee together, it would be barbecue. This past weekend, the 23rd annual Kosher BBQ Contest and Festival drew thousands of Jews from Tennessee and around the country. It attracted a group of Muslims, too. Turns out they're not bad at cooking kosher brisket: The Memphis Islamic Center’s team, the "Halal Smokers," won a third-place award for their brisket entry. The commingling of Jews and Muslims among tables heaped with baked beans, hamburgers and ribs provided a counterpoint to anti-Muslim protests in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and death threats aimed...

It's coming, folks. Wake up the neighbors. I'll be in Houston speaking tonight (go here for tickets). Bring everyone you know. Get armed with knowledge. It's war, and it's just beginning. Possible Al-Qaida Hit List Targets Specific Americans NBC News hat tip Van An al-Qaida-linked website has posted a potential hit list of targets that include names and photos of several U.S. officials and business leaders, calling for terrorists to target these Americans in their own homes, NBC New York has learned. The FBI has sent out a new intelligence bulletin to law enforcement agencies, warning that this new web-based...

A Jewish school bus is blown up by devout Muslims, while the world gyrates to the deathly beat of the Islamic war drum. A Jewish school bus. Where is the President? Where is the UNSC? We are being led by the evil and the inhumane. I do not know how Israel will respond, but it is rational to restate the obvious: there is no such thing as disproportionate force when responding to a missile attack on a school bus. Missile from Gaza hits Israeli school bus; 2 hurt Yahoo JERUSALEM – An anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip struck...