Free Republic

Link only http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-election-trump-mexico-idUKKCN10S0FL

A couple months ago, my husband and I went to the theater to watch “The Giver.” I had heard that it had a pro-life message, so I was pretty excited to see it. It was an intense movie. Well, it was for me, anyway. If you haven’t seen it, you really should. It’s a movie about a futuristic type of life where there is no emotion, no love, no hate, no war, and no death. Sure, people die. But they don’t call it death…they call it “going elsewhere.” It is a society where only the “best” people are kept. Those...

The biggest question mark over Ron Paul has always been his affinity for unsavory wack jobs on the fringes of American politics, but these days he’s turning that question mark into an exclamation point. The Daily Beast reports that the ex-Texas Congressman is creating the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, a think tank concerned with what Paul considers important foreign policy and civil liberty issues. It appears that the institute’s board contains some truly bizarre characters: Putin shills, Serb genocide apologists, 9/11 truthers, and pro-Confederate loons. Here’s a summary of one of the members, John Laughland: A prominent...

I would add 9/11 Truther, but there’s only so much room in the headline to list all his many virtues. Let’s start with the obvious one. Here is how Eric Margolis, a member of the Academic Board of Ron Paul’s new Institute for Peace and Prosperity, greeted the election of Barack Obama. Americans did not `liberate’ Iraq, but they certainly liberated their own nation last week by sweeping the Republican Party from power. One prays America’s long nightmare of foreign aggressions, fear, religious extremism, and flirting with neo-fascism is finally at an end…A forward-looking Democratic Party that represents America’s increasingly...

The Pope Was Right All Along by Russell Shaw on January 11, 2013 ·  The disruptive results for individuals and society spawned by the revolution in attitudes and behavior regarding sex, marriage, family, and childbearing that erupted a half-century ago have become too obvious to ignore. These things were predictable–in fact, some people actually predicted them from the start–but by now their impact has grown so painfully apparent that even secular voices are being raised in alarm.The problems are increasingly visible in the United States. They include an aging population with fewer young workers to support the elderly, along...

A powerful quote from a source that might surprise some readers:Beneath the issue of contraception is a question about the role ideals and norms play in our communal lives. Yes, they restrict our behavior in ways that are sometimes inconvenient. Yet in doing so, they intrinsically call us and our communities toward a life that we might not otherwise choose on our own. What's more, they amplify the need for repentance and reconciliation, rather than watering down such a need through the "pragmatic" concession to the fallenness of the world. We may occasionally fail to meet them. But confronting our...

Flags of member nations flying at United Nations headquarters in New York City. (U.N. Photo by Eskinder Debebe) (CNSNews.com) – Y-PEER, a youth initiative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), says "more needs to be done to ensure young people's sexual and reproductive rights" -- especially "the right to choose," a reference to abortion. The statement also says all young people globally have the "right to confidentiality" and the right to "be free from judgment."Tyler Ament of Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) told CNSNews.com, "The statement doesn't mention the age specifically, but the UN defines youth...

Not What They Supposed The terror connection missed by the Clintonistas. by Stephen F. Hayes Four months after the start of the Iraq war, two former senior Clinton administration national security officials took to the pages of the New York Times to demand accountability for the Bush administration's claims about Iraq and terrorism. Or, as they put it in their opening sentence, "Iraq's supposed links to terrorists." Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon wrote that the Bush administration's assertions about Iraqi support for terrorism were "suspect" and demanded scrutiny. One sure way to know the truth about Iraq and terrorism, they...

Intermountain Power Plant Expansion Threatens Tourist "Views," Not Health - Serves Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena Preface: A proposal to extend the energy contracts for Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena from 2025 to 2050 to accommodate expansion of the Intermountain Power Plant in Delta, Utah for a third coal-fired module has met with stiff resistance by the National Resources Defence Coucil (NRDC), the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations who have cited this as a "moral cause." The power plant's 710 foot stack, which is a technological marvel, removes 99.75 percent of all the particulates that would have gone into the atmosphere in...

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Electricity producer Mirant Corp. (Other OTC:MIRKQ.PK - News) said on Tuesday that it had emerged from bankruptcy protection after two-and-a-half years and secured $2.35 billion in financing. The Atlanta-based company, which converted more than $6 billion of debt and liabilities into equity under its reorganization, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2003 after failing to reach a deal with creditors to restructure its debts. Last month, power producer Calpine Corp. (Other OTC:CPNLQ.PK - News), filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing debts of $22.5 billion against $26.6 billion in assets. Mirant, which owns or...

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Merchant power company Calpine Corp. unveiled Wednesday an ambitious plan to knock $3 billion from its heavy debt load by the end of the year, one year sooner than earlier targeted. The plan, which aims to lower the company's annual interest payments by $275 million and trim $200 million from its annual operating costs, also includes selling up to eight power plants and shuttering others that are not turning a profit. Shares of the San Jose, Calif.-based electricity provider surged 53 cents, or 27%, on the news to $2.51. Calpine (CPN: news, chart, profile) , struggling...

Excerpt... Second, Avista and Mirant Corp., co-owners of the Coyote Springs 2 gas- fired generating facility, have signed a non-binding letter of intent for Avista to purchase Mirant's half interest in the facility. If the transaction is successful, Avista will own the entire facility and an additional 140 megawatts of generating capacity to serve its customers' future energy needs. "Our decision to seek to acquire full ownership of the plant is driven by a potentially attractive price, together with Avista's familiarity and experience with the facility," said Ely. "These factors outweigh other considerations such as the concentration of more energy...

'Last piece of puzzle' secures finance packageReliant Resources and its bankers agreed Monday to a $6.2 billion financing package that should put to rest any bankruptcy fears surrounding the Houston power company. Mark Jacobs, Reliant's chief financial officer, called the package -- the vast majority which doesn't come due until 2007 -- a landmark transaction. "This is really the last step that we needed to take here to stabilize our capital structure," Jacobs said in an interview. "This is really the last piece of the puzzle." The company announced the package around 10 p.m. Monday. Last year, the main power...