Free Republic

Reporting from Costa Mesa— Michele Bachmann, struggling to regain her footing in the GOP presidential contest, Friday assailed rival Rick Perry, saying he abused his power as governor of Texas and rewarded political donors in a manner similar to President Obama. (snip) She compared it to the federal controversy unfolding around Solyndra, a solar equipment maker that received a $535-million federal loan guarantee and which went bankrupt last month. Republicans have suggested that the guarantee was pushed by the White House to reward a major campaign donor with ties to Solyndra's biggest shareholder, a charge the Obama administration denies. Bachmann...

RUSH: Perry goofed up by using an executive order on the Gardasil -- there's no question he goofed up on it -- instead of taking it to the Texas legislature. He's admitted that over and over again. I think one of the reasons that Perry gets tired is that he had all the questions. He had to answer every question three or four times last night, and he did it smiling. I tell you, I would have probably (by the third or fourth time they came at me on this) have said, "What more do you need to hear on...

After scoring points against Texas Gov. Rick Perry in last night’s Republican debate on the issue of Gardasil vaccinations, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann made a statement on the Fox News Channel that she was informed Gardasil caused one child’s mental retardation. On his Tuesday radio show, Rush Limbaugh thought attacking Perry on that issue was ill-advised but admitted Perry had “goofed up” with that executive order. “Alright, Perry goofed up by using an executive order on the Gardasil,” Limbaugh said. “There’s no question he goofed up on it instead of taking it to the Texas legislature. He’s admitted that over...

The right and wrong way to talk about Gardasil; Update: A really, really stupid attack on Palin Tweet By Michelle Malkin  •  September 13, 2011 11:42 AM A month ago, I was “fringe� for spotlighting Rick Perry’s Gardasil problem. As I said then, it’s not just a “single-issue,� one-off problem. It’s about his instincts, judgment, non-apology apology, and ethics.For everyone still catching up, here’s my column from a month ago.Now, Gardasil is the search word of the day. And there’s a new development.After successfully highlighting Perry’s troubling abuse of executive power during last night’s debate, Michele Bachmann risks blowing it with some...

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- A back-to-school campaign is drawing criticism for encouraging graffiti among school-aged children. The campaign, dubbed by the art-retailer Aaron Brothers as "Artrageous," is hosting free events and giving out free "graffiti starter kits" to participants. But city council members are calling the move outrageous by promoting an act of vandalism as art. Councilman Dennis Zine introduced a resolution this week trying to stop the company from hosting the event, claiming kids may be tempted use the tools for illegal reasons. Zine is seeking a seek and desist order to legally prevent the store from holding the...

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's last-minute efforts to get Democratic voters to the polls include an interview with Ryan Seacrest. Yes, that Ryan Seacrest, host of "American Idol." The interview will air Tuesday on Seacrest's nationally syndicated radio show. Obama is also taping interviews Monday with local radio hosts in Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Honolulu and Miami. Those interviews will air on Election Day. Though Obama has no public campaign schedule between ahead of Tuesday's elections, White House officials believe he can reach his party's base from the White House. Obama is also holding conference calls Monday night with campaign volunteers...

Helen Thomas Defends Comments on Israelis in Radio Interview Thomas Says Remarks on Israelis 'Distorted,' Calls Charge of Anti-Semitism 'Baloney' By DEVIN DWYER WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2010 Veteran White House journalist Helen Thomas, who resigned in June over comments many viewed as anti- Semitic, has taken to the airwaves to defend the remarks, saying they were "exactly what I thought." "I hit the third rail," Thomas told Ohio radio station WMRN-AM in an interview that aired today. "You cannot criticize Israel in this country and survive." Thomas, 90, caused an uproar May 27 when she said Israelis should "get the...

A few years ago, Merle Haggard was diagnosed with lung cancer and nearly became the latest country music legend to be felled by the unforgiving combination of hard living and age. Haggard beat the disease, returned to touring and now, at 73, he’s the subject of a PBS “American Masters” special airing tonight. The documentary, “Merle Haggard: Learning to Live with Myself,” portrays a man trying to come to terms with a life that took him from a train-hopping delinquent to an ex-con to a country music superstar, thanks to hits like “Mama Tried” and “Okie from Muskogee.” Haggard has...

Special to the NNPA from Black Voice News (NNPA)—The California State Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is endorsing a ballot initiative for this November to legalize and tax recreational marijuana use. In addition, a recent poll suggests that Californians support the measure as well. NAACP State President Alice Huffman said the organization is backing the initiative, to counter marijuana arrest rates. She contends that it unfairly targets African Americans and other minorities. From a recently published article, Huffman states: “There is a strong racial component that must be considered when we investigate how...

JUNE 8, 2010 Rush Limbaugh and Kathryn Rogers: Why Elton John Played Their Wedding By Zev Chafets A lot of people were unpleasantly surprised to learn that Elton John, one of the world’s most proudly prominent gay entertainers, played at Rush Limbaugh’s Palm Beach wedding to Kathryn Rogers last Saturday night. Evangelicals voiced dismay that a pious fellow like Rush would give legitimacy to the libertine Sir Elton. Limbaugh-haters jeered at what they considered el Rushbo’s hypocracy. This demonstrates that even after more than twenty years on the radio, not everyone understands who Limbaugh actually is. For starters he is...

WASHINGTON, June 7, 2010 – Helen Thomas announced Monday that she is retiring, effective immediately. Her decision came after her controversial comments about Israel and the Palestinians were captured on videotape and widely disseminated on the Internet. Thomas later issued a statement: ``I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon.’’ Thomas will mark her 90th birthday on Aug. 4.

BREAKING: Fox News is reporting that Helen Thomas has announced her retirement effective immediately from the Hearst Corporation, and as a member of the White House Press Corps. In the video above, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs today called anti-Jewish remarks by Helen Thomas “reprehensible”: “I think those remarks were offensive and reprehensible. I think she should and has apologized. Obviously those remarks do not reflect the opinion, certainly, I assume, of most of the people in here, and certainly not of the administration.”

Elon John Sings At Limbaugh’s Fourth Wedding Openly gay singer was reportedly paid $1 million to perform at event Singer Elton John received a $1 million fee to perform in front of 400 guests celebrating radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh's fourth wedding Saturday night, People Magazine reports. Limbaugh, 59, wed Kathryn Rogers, 33, at the Breakers hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. Limbaugh is an outspoken opponent of gay marriage while John is openly gay and in a civil partnership with male partner David Furnish. Celebrity guests at the wedding reportedly included former Bush adviser Karl Rove, baseball slugger George Brett,...

**If you TiVo there are Spoilers** Who are you and what have you done with Jack Bauer? That’s what I wanted to scream at the pod person who starred on “24” last Monday. When the conservative creators of the show left and liberals took over, I was apprehensive. But by and large, the quality of the program kept up. I snorted, of course, when a bad character was threatened with torture by other bad guys. She was hauled into a medieval chamber filled with pincers, hot pokers and iron maidens. Then she was strapped down, a washcloth was draped over...

As the buzz surrounding Tron Legacy continues to grow - an impressive feat, considering the film itself isn't even due out until December - Disney is reportedly putting the pieces in place for a sequel already. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has given Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz the job of coming up with a script for what'd be a third Tron movie. This isn't dissimilar to the tactics that Warner Bros employed with Sherlock Holmes last year, when work on a second movie had begun even before the first had been seen. The upside of the gamble,...

Leftist Politics Destroyed ‘24’ 2010 March 31 by Chris Yogerst tags: 24, Jack Bauer Since 2001, there haven’t been any shows that have excited me more than 24. In fact, I can’t think of the last show that kept me on the edge of my seat like 24 did during its first few seasons. Its ability to attack terrorism in a way that takes no prisoners was not only timed perfectly after 9/11 it also provided a captivating story. Each commercial break felt like an eternity and the weeks in-between episodes were true tests of patience.The 24 we see...

Jack Bauer's latest rough day will be his last on TV. FOX drama "24" will conclude with its current eighth season, star Mary Lynn Rajskub Tweeted on Friday, breaking the news. VIEW THE PHOTOS: Kiefer Sutherland "Just found out we got the word officially," she Tweeted. "This is 24's last season." FOX later confirmed the news, calling it a joint decision between "24" star and executive producer, Kiefer Sutherland, and showrunner Howard Gordon. [...]

TLC's 'American Chopper' reaches end of the road 54 minutes ago (AP:NEW YORK) "American Chopper" is riding off into the sunset. The popular TLC series based on the feuding Teutul family and their custom-built motorcycle business is going off the air after six seasons. TLC said Wednesday that the final episode will air Thursday. The end isn't a surprise. Paul Teutul and his son, Paul Jr., have frequently fought on the air. The son recently left the New York-based Orange County Choppers to start his own business, and the two are in a court dispute over money. The network said...

For the sixth time in 11 days, President Barack Obama was back before the cameras Thursday, talking about airline safety and anti-terrorism. He then left quickly for a second White House room to meet with Senate chairmen and press them to have a health care bill on his desk no later than next month. Two very different issues with one common thread: Obama engaging, shedding his famous detachment after watching the intensity of his support drop dramatically since last spring. To get health care, he must be both a broker and a buffer, absorbing the heat for difficult decisions at...

COPENHAGEN — Has Copenhagen collapsed? That seems to be the growing sentiment inside the city's Bella Conference Center, where officials, environmentalists and even delegates to the international climate conference began streaming out Friday evening. What began with excitement and anticipation two weeks ago ended Friday night with disappointment and anger for thousands. "This is a sad day for my country," said Mama Konate, chief delegate from the West African nation of Mali. "We have worked very hard to reach this agreement. And now it seems over. Without a deadline, I don't know if we will ever finish." The conference, the...

A hilarious edit of an old comic book hammers Charles Johnson's decent into madness. http://racedetective.blogspot.com/2009/12/green-lizard.html

(Reason #)8. A right-wing blogosphere that is almost universally dominated by raging hate speech (see: Hot Air, Free Republic, Ace of Spades, etc.)

One day last summer, Gene Mulak, observing carnage in the sand trap, decided it was time to rescue the Leader of the Free World. "Open the clubface more!" the golf pro yelled to President Barack Obama. A rank of bodyguards stiffened when they heard the shouting, but the commander-in-chief continued to hack away, sand flying, recalls Mr. Mulak, a resident professional at the Vineyard Golf Club in Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Mr. Obama waved off the guards and welcomed Mr. Mulak into the pit. The pro says he gave the president tips on his golf stance and his swing, both of...

Hours after the Fort Hood massacre, a grieving nation looked to the president for consolation and leadership. Instead, it got light banter and a "shout-out" before President Obama read a perfunctory statement. The president has always had a reputation for coolness, but in this case, he was utterly detached. He can't blame the scriptwriter for his astonishing lack of empathy.

News reporting that holds accountable those with power and influence has been a vital part of American democratic life, especially in places with daily newspapers profitable enough...to maintain substantial reporting staffs. That journalism is now at risk...American society must now take some collective responsibility for supporting news reportings....In a comprehensive report commissioned by the Columbia University Journalism School, we suggest a number of public sources of support for this news reporting: - The Internal Revenue Service or Congress should clarify tax regulations to explicitly allow new or existing local news organizations to operate as nonprofit or low-profit entities, allowing them...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "The Simpsons" is giving one lucky contest winner the chance to make others yellow with envy by creating a character for the animated TV series. The new Springfield resident will appear in an early 2010 episode featuring Chris Martin of Coldplay as guest star. The contest, part of the Fox show's 20th-anniversary celebration, is for those 18 and older. It opens Friday and runs until 11:59 p.m. EDT Oct. 24.

Hitler was able to get the Olympics to Munich!

Quote: President Obama took his chances on a high-profile visit to Copenhagen because the White House was getting a "clear message" that his presence could clinch the Olympics for Chicago, The Chicago Tribune reports. "The intelligence that we had from the U.S. Olympic Committee and Chicago bid team was that it was very close and therefore well worth our efforts," said Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser. "The message was that...a personal appeal from the president would make a huge difference." President Obama first tried lobbying quietly through phone calls, and had not decided until a few days before...

Most presidents become a joke at some point. It's a matter of when and how. Both points should concern this president. In Winston Churchill's words, "a joke is a very serious thing." Or it can be, when the joke is about a very serious thing. "Saturday Night Live" has long been a comedic benchmark. Last weekend, SNL took its first hard hit at President Obama. Fred Armisen, who plays the president, gave an Oval Office address: "When you look at my record it's very clear what I've done so far and that is nothing. Nada. Almost one year and nothing...

Couldn't resist. He blames Bush for everything else. I guess Obama has inherited his low poll numbers from Bush too....

That's it Folks wow Chicago tossed out in the FIRST round!

More than $10bn in advertising disappeared from US media markets in the first six months of this year, according to new data that show intense pressure on media owners and ad agencies as they search for other business models. Preliminary figures from Nielsen show a 15.4 per cent year-on-year decline in US advertising revenues, the largest drop for any period in the decade since the marketing and media measurement group began compiling such reports. The study showed sharp differences in the behaviour of different media and product categories, with cable television the only medium on which ad spend increased, up...

After a day of spear fishing and lobster diving, a group of boaters got the scare of a lifetime when a shark jumped into their boat. Michael Powers and his friends were on-board a 21 foot boat Saturday, when a shark decided to pay them an unannounced visit. "One minute it was in the air, the next minute it was in the boat just beating everything in God's creation," Micheal recalled. "It hit one of the crew members. It hit Patricia, then it went between Paul's legs and my legs in the back. We're all scattering for cover trying to...

Letterman has jumped the shark. The recent bad jokes about Palin and her daughter shows that Letterman has jumped the shark. A term used to describe a TV shows beginning of the end. This usually corresponds to the point where a show with falling ratings apparently becomes more desperate to draw in viewers. In the process of undergoing these changes, the TV or movie series loses its original appeal. Shows that have "jumped the shark" are typically deemed to have passed their peak. Face it if Letterman cannot or will not attack Obama or the Clintons so his show has...

TV Guide bought the famous Jump the Shark website, and pretty much got rid of it. (You can still see most of it archived at www.archive.org) So someone came along and created a brand new website to fill that void, they call it "Bone the Fish" What Happened to JTS? Jump the Shark? You can do the same here as you did on Jump The Shark. You can comment, submit topics for discussion, and vote.

Is it just me? Gerald Warner Barack Obama inauguration: this Emperor has no clothes, it will all end in tears This will end in tears. The Obama hysteria is not merely embarrassing to witness, it is itself contributory to the scale of the disaster that is coming. What we are experiencing, in the deepening days of a global depression, is the desperate suspension of disbelief by people of intelligence - la trahison des clercs - in a pathetic effort to hypnotise themselves into the delusion that it will be all right on the night. It will not be all right....

No intro today...instead supplies for what we will need to get through this crap. Barf bags for everyone. ***Please note Jimmay Cartah is being introduced as I did this....so I have plenty of barf bags.

"But if she wants to run for president she's gonna have to get somebody to move to Anchorage, Alaska and help her take her game to another level," he said smiling. "Let's be clear about this ... it's really cold there most of the year."

RALEIGH, N.C. – Barack Obama accused Republican rival John McCain on Wednesday of stooping to low tactics by labeling the Democrat a socialist. "I don't know what's next," Obama, the presidential candidate, said at an outdoor rally in North Carolina. "By the end of the week, he'll be accusing me of being a secret communist because I shared my toys in kindergarten. I shared my peanut butter and jelly sandwich." Obama turned to ridicule to rebut McCain's daily references to Obama's encounter with "Joe the Plumber." McCain has capitalized on a moment when Obama told an Ohio plumber that he...

In a video posted Thursday on Funnyordie.com, the actor-turned-director reprises his role on "The Andy Griffith Show" as a way to rally support for Barack Obama. While speaking into the camera, Howard has his beard shaved, dons a youthful red wig and puts on the kind of outfit he would have only worn as Opie Taylor in the `60s.

The Jack White and Alicia Keys song for the next James Bond movie finally has a video, and it's way way worse than you could have ever imagined.

OBAMA'S WORST MOMENT: EXPLOITING DEAD AMERICAN HEROES If this doesn't make your skin crawl and your blood boil, I don't know what. What a nightmare. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgNJmrQj9Bg I was enroute to DC and arrived late to my debate "party". I missed this. Bubba thanks for letting me know. Geraghty nails it over at NRO: Did Obama Have a 'Bush Looking At His Watch' Moment Tonight? I wonder if we had a "Bush looking at his watch" moment tonight. After McCain talked about the bracelet from the mother of a slain soldier, Obama mentioned that he had one, too. Unfortunately, it would...

Minnesota's U.S. Senate race took yet another odd turn Sunday when skirmishing broke out between the top two contenders over whether Democratic candidate Al Franken reverted to his "Saturday Night Live" days to help craft an "SNL" skit that spoofed Republican presidential candidate John McCain. The political website Politico reported late Saturday that Franken had proposed the idea for the skit and was actively involved in its creation; it cited two anonymous sources at NBC, which airs the long-running show. Franken's campaign Sunday denied that Franken had pitched skit ideas. Spokesman Colleen Murray said Franken had talked to SNL producer...

The executive suite at MSNBC is the last hardened corner of America to concede that maybe Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews are nowhere close to the textbook definition of detached, "straight news" anchor. Their decision to abandon what was tenderly called their anchoring "experiment" only acknowledges that the idea was a bust: MSNBC was regularly coming in dead last among the commercial cable-news and broadcast-news network covering the conventions. NBC News is coming to the realization that Olbermann and Matthews aren't only suppressing MSNBC's ratings on election and convention nights, they're ruining whatever credibility NBC's brand retained. When the boos...

Obama On Letterman: 'Palin Would Be The Lipstick' Presidential Hopeful Says Media Took His Words And Ran; Defends Bush Policies On Afghanistan, AIDS In Africa NEW YORK (CBS) ― Presidential hopeful Barack Obama appeared on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in New York on Wednesday after a day of heated debate by media and political pundits over comments some took as a slam against Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Obama spent much of his visit talking about Palin and clarifying his earlier comments. "This is sort of silly season in politics, not that there's a non-silly season, but it...

Americans are much smarter than our media or political leadership give us credit for Well, it’s unanimous. For the first time since this endless election cycle started, it appears that people are finally getting sick and tired of hearing about Barack Obama. Recent news reports show that large percentages of Americans believe Obama is completely over-exposed and given far too much praise and positive publicity. It would be nice if the nation could focus on a different subject, perhaps one that actually has some substance, but the mainstream media simply won’t allow that to happen. Instead of providing coverage of...

The merchant stops the little boy as he is leaving the store and asks him what he’s got in his bulging pocket. “Nothing,” the tyke says, shifting from one foot to the other and staring at the floor. “Did you walk through the candy department?” the storekeeper asks after watching the boy looking around in the candy department. “No.” “Did you pay for everything you picked up in the store today, son,” the shop owner asks. “Yes.” “Can I see what you have in your pockets?” “No.” That’s the image that flashed across my mind when I heard that Barack...

Barack Obama's foreign tour loses him ground back home Tim Reid in Washington Barack Obama denied yesterday that he was ignoring the concerns of ordinary Americans while he tours the world, amid signs that the adulation he is receiving abroad has alienated some US voters. After the Democratic presidential candidate holds meetings with Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron in London today, the last leg of his nine-day international tour, he returns home to a general election campaign with new polls showing him in a tightening race against John McCain, the Republican candidate. Mr McCain and his surrogates have...

Comments and reports about global warming are getting silly and even ridiculous.  Al Gore says we have ten years left. We’re told cooling is due to warming. More rain and flooding and less rain and drought are both due to warming. More hurricanes are predicted while fewer occur. Global temperatures declined as much in the first few months of 2008 as they increased in the previous 100 plus years due to warming. Recently we were told global warming is causing an increase in kidney stones in a travesty of geographic correlation assuming cause and effect. One blogger who began recording,...