Free Republic

Moscow has said no “Christmas ceasefire” was on the cards after nearly 10 months of war in Ukraine, with fighting looking set to drag on through the winter. ...Zelenskiy had called on Russia this week to start withdrawing its troops by Christmas as the first step towards a peace deal, but Peskov said on Tuesday there would be no peace with Kyiv until Zelenskiy accepted the “realities” on the ground – referring to Russian control over parts of four Ukrainian regions it annexed in September following coercive and illegal “referendums”. After a series of lightning Ukrainian counteroffensives, Kyiv has regained...

A federal court in Buffalo has weighed on the side of music venues and musicians who oppose Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus-related restrictions on live music....At issue are Cuomo’s orders, enforced by the State Liquor Authority, that prohibit venues with liquor licenses from selling tickets or using cover charges for live entertainment, and ban advertising for such shows. The rules permit only music that is “incidental” to a dining experience, not the main draw. The most recent ruling came in a case filed by Buffalo guitarist Michael Hund. He argued the rules are unconstitutional and keep him from earning a living....

... During protracted negotiations over the health care bill, Obama was criticized for giving congressional leaders too much leeway and too little direction, and for bending too easily to the timetables of Capitol Hill. No more. Aides say that with the momentum from the most complex domestic bill to pass Congress in 45 years, Obama now will push Congress to close campaign-finance loopholes opened by the Citizens United case, adopt his overhaul of the No Child Left Behind education bill, and perhaps even tackle a clean-energy bill. “He goes into these into these negotiations, and into these legislative battles, with...

How much public privacy do presidential families deserve? Not as much as Barack Obama wants. Earlier this month, according to the New York Post, Secret Service agents demanded that customers temporarily hand over cell phones in D.C.’s “Good Stuff Eatery,” where Michelle, Malia and Sasha were eating cheeseburgers, onion rings and fries. Why? To prevent diners from snapping cell phone pictures of the first daughters. Now on Martha’s Vineyard, Obama has issued strong media directives about photographing the girls when he’s not with them. No word on whether regular Joes and Janes will again have to hand over cell phones...

Barack Obama - Narcissist or Merely Narcissistic? Sam Vaknin Ph.D.August 11, 2008Barack Obama appears to be a narcissist. Scroll down for a detailed treatment. Granted, only a qualified mental health diagnostician (which I am not) can determine whether someone suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and this, following lengthy tests and personal interviews. But, in the absence of access to Barack Obama, one has to rely on his overt performance and on testimonies by his closest, nearest and dearest. Narcissistic leaders are nefarious and their effects pernicious. They are subtle, refined, socially-adept, manipulative, possessed of thespian skills, and convincing. Both...