Free Republic

There are at least two sides to every issue, and each side can make an earnest, heartfelt case for its side, and make it appear as if reasonable people can disagree. Like Walter Mondale's people, for example, telling us on November 1, 1984 that Walter had a good plan for the American people and that he was the better candidate. A couple of days later there was that little 49 state landslide that told them they were full of sh*t. This is where the Dems sit today on the drilling issue.

Yes, it’s tough being a conservative voter these days. But the truth is it’s always been. Think about it. There have been 232 years of U.S. history. In how many of them could you have shared a conservative principle such as the one that follows with big shot politicians, bureaucrats, and judges and received a truly honest, deeply committed handshake of agreement in return? “I believe Jefferson was entirely correct when he observed that ‘the people themselves . . . are the safest depository of [political power].’ I also believe that because Jefferson condemned judges who practice ‘on the Constitution...

When is the last time food managed to become a campaign issue? The answer is four years ago, when Republicans and conservatives made much of the fact that the “elitist, effete” John Kerry ordered a Philly cheese steak sandwich topped with Swiss rather than Cheez Whiz. Campaign coverage has become more and more substance-free over the years, with this year’s obsession over ministers and Hillary Clinton’s experience with firearms ranking as the absolutely silliest display, probably ever. There was a day when American journalism had no standards, but even those – by comparison – were sobering, serious discussions of policy....

Democrat Bill Foster won the Illinois House seat occupied for more than two decades by former Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert, who retired before the end of his term. The result shows that Democrats not only have political enthusiasm on their side but that Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who endorsed Mr. Foster, is a campaign asset down ballot, at least in his home state. ...To his credit, Mr. Oberweis did talk about lower taxes, smaller government and other Republican themes. But as in his past campaigns, the issue he hit hardest was illegal immigration. One of his infamous Senate ads featured...

It’s one thing for Barack Obama to have a minister, friend, and sounding board who supports and admires Louis Farrakhan and whose church gave him an award. It’s another thing for Obama to dissemble about it. That’s what Obama did recently when he told Jewish leaders in Cleveland, “An award was given to Farrakhan for his work on behalf of ex-offenders, completely unrelated to his controversial statements.” In fact, the award, named for Obama’s minister Jeremiah Wright Jr., was given for “lifetime achievement” and for Farrakhan’s “influence on the African-American community.” The presentation of the award last December and the...

Almost 35 years have passed since the Supreme Court decided to end America's argument about abortion. Because of the court's supposedly therapeutic intervention in the nation's supposedly inadequate democratic debate about that subject, the issue still generates an irritable irrationality that was largely absent before 1973. ...Nevertheless, it is said that if the Republican Party wants to be competitive in California in presidential politics, it must nominate a pro-choice candidate, of which there is only one -- Rudy Giuliani. This is almost certainly true. It certainly is irrational because pro-choice Californians have next to nothing to fear -- just as...

How popular is global warming as a political issue? So popular that even conservative state lawmakers are getting into the act, using the issue to sell everything from building dams and nuclear power plants to thinning forests. The arguments are simple enough: Higher temperatures reduce mountain snowpack, so more dams are needed to capture winter precipitation that falls as rain. Nuclear power plants produce few greenhouse gases, the leading cause of manmade warming. Forest fires, on the other hand, send plenty of gases into the air -- so why not encourage timber companies to clear more brush to reduce fire...

TRENTON, N.J. - Global warming could strain the Northeast's power grid, farms, forests and marine fisheries by the next century unless carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by 3 percent each year, according to a report released Wednesday. The climate in the nine states — from New Jersey and Pennsylvania up to Maine — could become like that of the South with longer, much hotter summers and warmer winters with less snow, the report by the Union of Concerned Scientists said. "This has enormous implications for human health. It puts a lot of stress on the energy system. It could lead...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2006 – With reports circulating of a Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said quelling the Taliban is only part of the bigger response needed for a secure and peaceful country. “It’s not eliminating the Taliban. It’s ending terrorist violence in Afghanistan,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” today. “We have defeated (terrorists, but) to defeat them completely, to take them off the agenda, for us that is the purpose.” President Bush will meet in Washington with Karzai and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf later this week to discuss the best way to accomplish this....

TAMPA, Fla. - Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday pointed to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah as fresh evidence of the ongoing battle against terrorism that underscores the need to keep President Bush's Republican allies in control of Congress. "This conflict is a long way from over," Cheney said at a fundraising appearance for a GOP congressional candidate. "It's going to be a battle that will last for a very long time. It is absolutely essential that we stay the course." Cheney's visit to Tampa helped raise about $200,000 for the campaign of Gus Bilirakis, a state legislator who...

An Arizona lawmaker thinks he's found a way to break the logjam in the state government standstill on illegal immigration. Representative Russell Pearce of Mesa is known for his heartfelt speeches on illegal immigration. Pearce has been working for weeks with members of his own party to forge a comprehensive immigration bill they could send to Governor Janet Napolitano. But now Pearce is pushing to place the measure on the November ballot. Pearce tells the East Valley Tribune that Napolitano is the worst governor in the nation when it comes to immigration and asks why he should trust her on...

Security Issue Kills Domestic Spying ProbeBy DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer 12 minutes ago WASHINGTON - The government has abruptly ended an inquiry into the warrantless eavesdropping program because the National Security Agency refused to grant Justice Department lawyers the necessary security clearance to probe the matter. The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, or OPR, sent a fax to Rep. Maurice Hinchey (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., on Wednesday saying they were closing their inquiry because without clearance their lawyers cannot examine Justice lawyers' role in the program. "We have been unable to make any meaningful progress in our...

Scandals may blunt Dem attacks on GOPAnalysts say recent allegations erode Democrats' hopes to claim the moral high ground By BENNETT ROTH Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau May 5, 2006, 11:15PM WASHINGTON - For months, congressional Democrats have accused Republicans of fostering a "culture of corruption" that led to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal as well as the bribery conviction of Rep. Randy Cunningham of California. But the Democrats' plans to use corruption as a campaign issue have been undercut by the highlighting in the last few days of questionable conduct in the party's own ranks, according to political...

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, April 25, 2006 – A Saudi man facing trial by military commission today followed the example of several detainees before him and rejected his detailed military defense counsel. Jabran Said Bin Al Qahtani, who is accused of constructing circuit boards to be used as timing devices in bombs, appeared in court wearing his tan detention uniform and sporting long, unkempt hair and a long beard. Qahtani was muttering to himself as he was lead into the room and took the first opportunity he had to decry the commissions process. "I don't want this court," Qahtani...

BAGHDAD, April 9, 2006 – Today, on the third anniversary of Iraqi Freedom Day, the Iraqi people celebrate the freedoms that they were denied for more than three decades, and pause to remember the brave people who lead the way out of the darkness of tyranny into the light of freedom. On this day in 2003, Iraqis, assisted by U.S. Marines, toppled the huge statue of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad's Firdos Square. This act was not just symbolic. It signaled the beginning of a fledgling democracy that continues to mature. During the past year alone, Iraqis have...

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, April 7, 2006 – Defense and prosecution attorneys in the military commissions case of an accused al Qaeda propagandist continued the argument here today about whether the detainee has the right to represent himself. Ali Hamza Ahmad Sulayman al Bahlul, a Yemeni believed to be a close associate of Osama bin Laden, did not appear at his commissions hearing today, leaving Army Maj. Thomas Fleener, his appointed military defender, alone at the table. Bahlul asked to represent himself in August 2004, but a ruling by John D. Altenburg Jr., the appointing authority for the Defense...

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2006 – A new Defense Department Web site that debuts April 3 will feature government-funded scientific studies of medical issues experienced by military members during deployments, a contractor involved with the project said here today. The DeployMed ResearchLINK site will initially contain 1991 Gulf War-related medical research that's been compiled by government researchers, Dr. Francis L. O'Donnell, a physician and DoD medical consultant, said. Around June, additional medical information gathered from Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom will be added. The site contains "information that you really can't find anywhere else about what's going on within not only...

Trying to harness the momentum of marches nationwide, local leaders are planning a series of events, culminating with a massive demonstration next weekend to support undocumented immigrants. The organizers of the April 9 event are from about 30 community and religious groups in the county, including some that traditionally do not take to the streets. “We can't remain silent while the people, many of whom pray in our churches, keep living in the shadows and facing the fear of deportation,” said Rosemary Johnston of the Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights, one of the organizers. The marches have a common goal:...

Rice: Iran a Menace Beyond Nuclear Issue Wednesday March 29, 2006 1:31 AM By ANNE GEARAN AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday that Iran was a menace for reasons other than its alleged drive to build a nuclear bomb and that the U.S. and its allies have ``a number of tools'' if Tehran does not change its ways. ``I think there's no doubt that Iran is the single biggest threat from a state that we face,'' Rice told a Senate panel. She claimed strong international backing for the U.S. position that Iran...

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2006 – The Defense Department is considering issuing new instructions to military commissions that specifically prohibit the admission of evidence that's been obtained by torture, a senior DoD official told reporters here today. "This has been one area where there has been some concern raised, and so the department is taking a look at it and may issue a separate instruction on it," DoD spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters. President Bush has been clear that the United States does not condone torture, Whitman said. "The Department of Defense, of course, abides by that admonition," Whitman said,...

Issues involving illegal immigration and border enforcement will be in front of Congress and President Bush this week. Over the weekend, governors from across the United States began their push for the federal government to address illegal immigration. Republicans and Democracts asked for action, ranging from better technology on the border to a guest worker program. This comes before the Senate begins consideration of several immigration proposals, the latest coming from Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever is scheduled to testify before the Senate on border issues. The governors’ plea shows that this is a national issue...

Climate scientists issue dire warning David Adam, environment correspondent Tuesday February 28, 2006 The Guardian (UK) The Earth's temperature could rise under the impact of global warming to levels far higher than previously predicted, according to the United Nations' team of climate experts. A draft of the next influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report will tell politicians that scientists are now unable to place a reliable upper limit on how quickly the atmosphere will warm as carbon dioxide levels increase. The report draws together research over the past five years and will be presented to national governments in...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2006 – The Defense Department will participate in a re-review of a slated acquisition of shipping terminal operations at six major U.S. ports by a United Arab Emirates-owned firm, a senior Pentagon official said here today. It's too early to say, DoD spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters, which department representatives would work with the re-review that's to be conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. DoD elements were part of the first review also. Dubai Ports World, owned by the United Arab Emirates government, bought British-owned ports operator Peninsular and Oriental Steam...

Vatican Says Jerusalem "Issue" is Too Important to Leave to Israel, PA 19:15 Jan 03, '06 / 3 Tevet 5766 (IsraelNN.com) The legal counsel of the Vatican in Israel, the priest David Jaeger, said today that Jerusalem is too important of an "issue" to be left to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Jaeger further expressed criticism of Israeli policy regarding holy sites in the country. "The issue of Jerusalem," the representative of the Roman Catholic Church said, "is to important to leave in the hands of the Israelis and the Palestinians." The Catholic Church has been making efforts to obtain...

The purpose of this essay is to offer practical suggestions for prospective Conservative candidates, considering entering the lists for the coming 2006 Primaries. While this entire web site--with the partial exception of our Literary Corner--is intended to serve as a resource center for Conservative youth, willing to challenge the prevailing Socialist/Egalitarian dogma in the schools and on the campuses of America and other Western Nations, many of the pieces may be too keyed to that parochial purpose to be ideal for the sometimes even more emotionally driven battles on the political hustings. This article will be campaign specific in purpose,...

Contemporary Military Issue Papers - Army War College Many, Many documents to read. Far too many to post each one. Have fun.

Louisiana investigates improper cremations Disposal of Katrina victims at issue By Maurice Possley and John McCormick, Tribune staff reporters. Maurice Possley reported from Baton Rouge and John McCormick from Chicago Published October 30, 2005 BATON ROUGE, La. -- As hundreds of Louisiana families wait to claim the bodies of loved ones still lying anonymously in crowded morgues, the state medical examiner is investigating at least one parish coroner for allegedly disposing of Hurricane Katrina victims improperly. "We have been informed that there have been cremations of evacuees, either identified or unidentified, without the consent of the next of kin and...

NEW YORK - New York Times reporter Judith Miller has addressed an issue that raised eyebrows in the journalism community: her statement that she had "clearance to see secret information" while covering the invasion of Iraq. In a first-person piece last weekend, Miller wrote that because of that status, "I was not permitted to discuss with editors some of the more sensitive information about Iraq." The statement led some to charge that the Times had allowed Miller to become compromised by the military. But Miller told the paper for a story published Thursday that her "clearance" was akin to the...

The area covered by sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk for a fourth consecutive year, according to new data released by US scientists. They say that this month sees the lowest extent of ice cover for more than a century. The Arctic climate varies naturally, but the researchers conclude that human-induced global warming is at least partially responsible. They warn the shrinkage could lead to even faster melting in coming years. "September 2005 will set a new record minimum in the amount of Arctic sea ice cover," said Mark Serreze, of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC),...

KRTSANISI, Republic of Georgia (Sept. 27, 2005) -- Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program U.S. Task Force logistics Marines have been issuing the Republic of Georgia’s 22nd Light Infantry Battalion 275 types of equipment ranging from weapons, vehicles and uniforms to pencils, folding chairs and mess kits. The ongoing gear issue at the Krtsanisi National Training Area, Republic of Georgia, which began Aug. 17, is almost complete, according to 1st Lt. Marcelino Hsie, the GSSOP logistics officer and native of Tucson, Ariz. According to Hsie, the gear has been permanently issued as a donation to the 22nd Battalion under parameters...

SACRAMENTO - With a second hurricane blasting the South, state Senate leader Don Perata was scheduled today to join the governor in backing a potential bond measure that would be used to strengthen aging levees in the San Francisco Bay Delta. The Oakland senator - considered the most powerful Democrat in the state - was set to urge Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and fellow lawmakers to support legislation for a statewide bond that would address California flood protection and other infrastructure woes, according to an advance copy of a radio address set for today. "Major levee breaks would jeopardize drinking...

WASHINGTON - The House voted Thursday to let Head Start centers consider religion when hiring workers, overshadowing its moves to strengthen the preschool program's academics and finances. The Republican-led House approved a bill that lets churches and other faith-based preschool centers hire only people who share their religion, yet still receive federal tax dollars. Democrats blasted that idea as discriminatory. Launched in the 1960s, the nearly $7 billion Head Start program provides comprehensive education to more than 900,000 poor children. Though credited for getting kids ready for school, Head Start has drawn scrutiny as cases of financial waste and questions...

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats face conflicting pressures as John Roberts' nomination as chief justice advances, prodded by liberal groups to oppose the appointment yet considering whether a vote in favor might temper President Bush's choice for a second Supreme Court vacancy. "In three days of testimony, Judge Roberts gave no reason for optimism that he would vote to uphold a woman's right to choose," the National Women's Law Center said in a memo circulated Monday, part of a sustained effort by liberal groups to maximize Democratic opposition to the nomination. "There's been extensive outreach to senators and their staffs by...

The best way to confront the US and EU3 dictatorship is to "impose an embargo on oil sales to those countries, said an English-language paper here Sunday commenting on last Thursday "unfair" resolution of the UN nuclear watchdog against Iran. The 'Tehran Times' suggested in its editorial that the world oil-rich states should form a united front in order to confront "Western neocolonialist countries." Criticizing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution against Iran, the paper said that it was ratified "to meet the objectives of the Zionist regime and the United States." It added that the resolution, issued under...

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Former President Bill Clinton said his weight problem and brush with death are the catalysts behind his foundation's initiative of tackling childhood obesity. Once famous for his love of fast food, Clinton told CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta that bad health habits since childhood led to his September 2004 quadruple bypass surgery. That operation, he said, opened his eyes to a larger issue, and he turned his attention to the problem of overweight American children. "The brush with death I had maybe had the biggest impact of all," Clinton recalled. "I realized that one more time I've...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - A judge rejected a U.S. request that a Canadian marijuana activist be held without bail on Tuesday in a case that is likely to ignite debate over the countries' diverging drug policies. U.S. officials say Marc Emery illegally sold millions of dollars worth of marijuana seeds, but Emery's supporters say his business activities were well known for years and tolerated by groups that included Canada's federal health ministry. Emery is a founder of the pro-legalization B.C. Marijuana Party and his arrest comes as the Canadian government is pushing a measure to decriminalize possession of small...

In 1947, Ruhalhah Khomeini, then a mid-ranking mullah in Qom, issued a “fatwa” (opinion) that made it incumbent on “the faithful” to murder Ahmad Kasravi. It took a group of eight “faithful” to plan and carry out the murder several months later. A jubilant Khomeini told his entourage that he had “eliminated that paragon of impiety” for ever. At the time of his murder Kasravi was one of Iran’s leading intellectuals. A veritable Renaissance man, he was a senior jurist at the high court, a distinguished historian, a magnetic orator, a master of the Persian prose, and a best-selling author....

Imams from about 500 British mosques have issued a fatwa condemning violence, which they have presented to politicians at Westminster, as ministers cast around for new laws to help stop a repeat of attacks on London. The fatwa will be read out at mosques during prayers this Friday. Officials say the government is looking to target extremists, particularly Islamic clerics, who glorify or encourage terrorist acts. Such figures could be banned from entering Britain or deported if they are already in the country. Prime Minister Tony Blair will meet British Muslim community leaders today to find ways of tackling the...

Sen. Barbara Boxer says women will die President Bush nominates a pro-life judge to the Supreme Court. Five thousand women a year will die if President Bush nominates a pro-life judge to the Supreme Court — that's the claim of liberal U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. And it's just a sample of the ramped-up rhetoric you can expect as Bush prepares to nominate a replacement for the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor. Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, said Boxer's claim of 5,000 deaths, made to an Associated Press reporter, pure fantasy. "Senator Boxer's reliance on...

Writing in The Observer, Gaby Wood mentions the unthinkable: the Democratic Party letting go of its long defense of abortion rights. In this scenario, the Democrats put up little or no struggle against obviously anti-Roe Supreme Court nominees; let the Republicans do the dirty deed. This so that Democrats can put the issue behind them. Why would they do this? As Wood tells us: "Cynthia Gorney, author of A Frontline History of the Abortion Wars, says she has 'heard it coming from people who you certainly wouldn't have heard it from three or four years ago. It's people who are...

We recently got a call from Don Wycliff of the Chicago Tribune, who we later found out is the "public editor" of that paper. That is supposed to mean that he objectively analyzes complaints about the paper's coverage. He was calling us because we were critical of the media's misreporting of the Iraq War, and we contend that the coverage is a major factor in the military recruiting problem. His bias was apparent in his approach. In his column he did mention a couple examples we cited, but he conveyed his prejudice in how he wrote his piece. Don't take...

WASHINGTON - Thousands of times a year, spy agencies provide government officials with the names of Americans who appear in intelligence reports. John R. Bolton made only 10 such requests. Still, they have become a central issue in his nomination to be ambassador to the United Nations. Intelligence agencies are only rarely allowed to monitor U.S. citizens. When agencies intercept information about an American, intentionally or otherwise, the person's identity is usually protected or the data is destroyed. Bolton asked 10 times for the identities of U.S. citizens or companies whose names were removed from transcripts of classified intelligence intercepts...

If the recent cover stories in National Review and the Weekly Standard are any indication, conservative opinion-mongers are taken with the idea of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney running for president in 2008. But, given his record of triangulation on abortion, will pro-life voters be equally enthusiastic? The answer will help determine the viability of Romney's candidacy. Not since Gerald Ford narrowly beat back Ronald Reagan's challenge at the 1976 Republican National Convention has the GOP had a pro-choice presidential nominee. Abortion advocacy reduced 1990s Republican rising stars Bill Weld and Christine Todd Whitman from vying for a place on the...

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney says he is considering a possible bid for the Republican nomination for president in 2008. Meanwhile, Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean is criticizing him by saying he has flip-flopped his position on abortion for political gain. "If someone said, well, you know, the governor's testing the national waters, that's a fair characterization," Romney said. "But I'm planning on running for governor. Time will tell, I'll make a final decision and an announcement in the fall, and we'll go from there." He spoke with the Associated Press about his speaking trips to states that lead off the...

IT'S NOT EASY for Senator John Kerry these days. Having failed to capture the White House and facing the likely prospect of getting steamrolled by Hillary Clinton for the 2008 Democratic presidential nod, Kerry has been doing all he can to stay on the national radar screen. His latest tact, on display at a town hall meeting in Massachusetts on June 2 and eventually reported on by the national media, has been to suggest that he lost the presidential election because too many voters were, basically, ignoramuses and that the major media should now seek his guidance on which issues...

I have learned to appreciate my enemies. They can be useful as indicators as to whether I am on the correct path. Once again they are making me proud. When Kerry returns to Washington he says that he is going to bring up an impeachment issue regarding the WMD falsification charges. He has a memo written by Matthew Rycroft, who is one of Tony Blair's aides. The Downing Street memo, unfortunately for Kerry, doesn't have any quotes from either Blair or Bush. Worldnetdaily.com had a nice article on this new attempt by the left to regain power, with a quite...

POLS PUSH FOR MINT BAN By LINDSAY POWERS Sun May 22, 4:17 AM ET Political momentum is building for safer candy. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told The Post she is raising the issue with the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission early this week. She called the deaths, just two days apart, of Jocelys Santiago, 5, and Ashley Morrison, 4, "completely preventable." City Councilwoman Christine Quinn, who chairs the Health Committee, is introducing legislation this week to ban large, round candy. She also wants a council hearing on the subject before schools let out for summer....

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The City Council has agreed to let voters decide whether to keep a 43-foot-tall wooden cross atop Mount Soledad by donating the land to the federal government. On Tuesday, the council voted 6-3 to place the issue on the July 26 ballot, which also includes a mayoral election. The council rescinded its previous rejection of a plan to donate the land to the National Parks Service for a veterans memorial. That plan had been a key part of a federal bill designed as a last-ditch effort to preserve the cross on public land. Supporters raised more...

A pro-life activist says he's "profoundly disappointed" that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has "snubbed a dialogue with pro-life groups" - after she expressed interest in finding common ground with them. The Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, said pro-life leaders, including himself, have been trying for two months to arrange a face-to-face meeting with Sen. Clinton, but she has declined. In late January, Sen. Clinton urged a group of abortion rights supporters to find common ground with pro-lifers. "We should be able to agree that we want every child born in this country to be wanted,...

SAN FRANCISCO - Among the many land mines that dot the California political terrain, few are as treacherous or unpredictable as the matter of illegal immigration. The subject blew up in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's face last week, at a speech before the Newspaper Association of America. Responding to a question, the Republican governor suggested officials should ''close the border in California, all across Mexico and the United States'' to stem the flow of undocumented migrants. Critics pounced, and Schwarzenegger apologized the next day. He blamed faulty English for the gaffe, and said he was for ''securing the borders'' instead. ''We...