Free Republic

By ROGER SIMON | 7/7/09 4:58 AM EDT Sarah Palin violated several commandments and is now getting roasted by political mandarins and media elites. Photo: AP Sarah Palin is a sinner. She has violated several commandments and thoroughly deserves the savage beating that she is now getting from political mandarins and media elites. If it were not for one simple fact, I would say she was through in politics. And that fact is that if the Republicans were picking a nominee today, they would pick Sarah Palin. No? Don’t believe me? Who would beat her? Tim Pawlenty? Bobby Jindal? Haley...

The National Education Association, the nation's largest labor union, voted July 5 to reject a proposal officially to remain neutral on the issues of abortion and family planning. Also during its annual meeting in San Diego July 1-6, the NEA went on record as supporting laws legalizing civil unions and "gay marriage" -- it said either are acceptable -- and it backed efforts to repeal federal legislation that "discriminates" against same-sex couples, which presumably could target the Defense of Marriage Amendment. The proposed bylaw amendment regarding abortion would have invalidated NEA Resolution I-16 on family planning, which says NEA "supports...

Imagine a city where all the major economic planks of the statist or "progressive" platform have been enacted: * A "living wage" ordinance, far above the federal minimum wage, for all public employees and private contractors. * A school system that spends significantly more per pupil than the national average. * A powerful school employee union that militantly defends the exceptional pay, benefits and job security it has won for its members. * A powerful government employee union that does the same for its members. * A tax system that aggressively redistributes income from businesses and the wealthy to the...

WASHINGTON'S traditional means of projecting power abroad was growing "increasingly obsolete" and its billion-dollar military hardware could be as ineffectual against future threats as the heavily fortified Maginot line was in defending France against the Nazis, a senior Pentagon adviser has warned. In a wake-up call to US military chiefs, Andrew Krepinevich, a leading architect of the counter-insurgency strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan, argued that the Pentagon was ill-equipped to counter rising powers such as China, hostile states such as Iran, the threat from irregular forces such as Hezbollah, and terrorists such as al-Qa'ida. It was also wasting billions on...

Seven Reasons for Leftist Anti-Semitism By: Don Feder GrassTopsUSA.com | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 Old joke: Walking down a street, a rabbi is accosted by an anti-Semite who tells him “The Jews are to blame for all of our problems.” The rabbi replies, “You’re absolutely right. It’s all the fault of the Jews – and the redheads.” Puzzled, the anti-Semite asks, “Why the redheads”? The rabbi responds, “Why the Jews”? But for the left, anti-Semitism makes perfect sense – almost as much sense as socialized medicine. Except for Islam (with which it’s increasingly allied), the left has a near-monopoly on...

PRINCETON, NJ -- A Gallup Poll finds a statistically significant increase since last year in the percentage of Americans who describe the Democratic Party's views as being "too liberal," from 39% to 46%. This is the largest percentage saying so since November 1994, after the party's losses in that year's midterm elections. Most major demographic and attitudinal subgroups show at least a slight uptick since 2008 in perceptions that the Democratic Party is too liberal. The increasing perception of the Democrats as too far left comes as President Obama and the Democrats in Congress have expanded the government's role in...

Embezzler Bernard Madoff, who swindled clients out of at least $50 billion, was sentenced to 150 years imprisonment Monday. Very few media reports have focused on the damage that Madoff did to left-leaning foundations and political causes. I wrote about this topic in the American Spectator in January. The record-breaking fraud is forcing the closing of the JEHT and Picower foundations, longtime supporters of leftist groups. Left-wing groups funded by those charities include ACORN (known for its massive voter-fraud campaigns), the Center for Constitutional Rights (a pro-Castro member of the open borders lobby), and Alliance for Justice (which supports habeas...

ON Sunday, the citizens of Honduras woke up with one president and went to bed with an other. Manuel Zelaya was forced out of the country -- replaced, with full backing from the Congress, the nation's courts, and its military with Interim President Robert Micheletti. Some have denounced this dramatic change as a "coup d'etat" and an assault on democracy. In truth, it was much more of a last-ditch effort to protect Honduras' constitutional order and rule of law from a reckless populist. Honduras and the United States have a long history of friendly relations. We signed a free-trade treaty...

President Obama, who has come under harsh criticism from gay rights advocates for not yet acting on many campaign promises on gay issues, Monday afternoon said that his administration has made some progress on behalf of gay Americans and plans to do more. "I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that," Mr. Obama said at a reception for LGBT Pride Month at the White House. "It's not for me to tell you to be patient anymore than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans who were petitioning...

Most of us on the right fully admit that leftists hate America as we know it. Well they do not even hide it. Watch as Democratic NY State Senators will not stand for our Pledge of Allegiance, and even stop one from doing so. Like President Obama, they are truly a disgrace to America.

Over the past year I have been going over articles about Asperger's syndrome. Asperger's syndrome is considered to be a highly functioning form of autism yet it is also considered to be a disability. Members of the autism community have worked for years trying to downplay the severity of the disorder. I first heard about Asperger's in 1998 while watching a documentary. Asperger's disorder was first invented by a German doctor named Hans Asperger. (the disorder was named after him.) Asperger did study on children who though they were bright were considered awkward. The world health organization began to use...

If conservative candidates for political office really can't find serious, successful, and foolproof ways of actually "fixing everything leftist" so that they really are conservative, pro-free market, pro-capitalistic, and long-term solutions to issues instead, then they shouldn't run for political office. Profound brainstorming for actual, pro-conservative, pro-free market, pro-capitalistic, long-term solutions on all issues really needs to be front and center, prior to the '10 and '12 elections. Too many non-leftists are still "cowering in corners" in fear of the dominant left, instead of seriously finding ways of ending "everything leftist" for good! Let's really get the political momentum successfully...

Summary: The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has become America’s most prominent leftwing community group. Little-known until now, ACORN has played a major role in the subprime mortgage mess that has undermined Americans’ support for free market problem-solving and set off a worldwide chain of fi nancial troubles. It is also implicated in vote fraud schemes from coast to coast. ACORN aims to give America change that socialists can believe in – by any means necessary. It is deliberately organized to avoid scrutiny. But with an FBI probe underway, millions of dollars in back taxes owing, and...

Leon Trotsky (1879–1940) was the organizer, propagandist, and military leader of the communist seizure of power in Russia following the revolution of 1917. He was communist dictator Lenin's heir apparent, until Stalin usurped this position. Intolerant, tactless and impatient, Trotsky had an unbounded faith in Marxism, which was reinforced by his uncritical acceptance of Darwinism...

Nowadays blacklists are a silent way of trying to destroy people and their careers. And that suits those doing the blacklisting particularly if they call themselves liberal and claim to care about censorship and human rights. But some liberals forget to keep quiet and make public what is really going on. [W]e asked a number of US companies to work for us. We needed companies to make DVDs and provide translated subtitles for our new documentary Not Evil Just Wrong...it challenges liberal orthodoxy - taking a critical look at environmentalism and Global Warming hysteria. [T]he Atlanta based International Services translation...

A startling number of children are falling through the cracks at one Chicago Public School. More than half of the kids didn't even pass the eighth grade. As CBS 2's Jim Williams reports there is fierce debate about who's to blame. It is a debate that gone on for years in poor communities: do you blame the schools for the students' poor performance or do you blame their parents? The mother of a one student who failed eighth grade says she got no warning her son was struggling. The school says she was notified, and other parents insist she did...

"The administration has remained as quiet as possible during the Iranian election season and in the days of street protests since Friday's vote." -- Washington Post , Monday June 15, 2009 "We're going to withhold comment. … I mean we're just waiting to see." -- Vice-President Joe Biden "We are monitoring the situation as it unfolds in Iran but we, like the rest of the world, are waiting and watching to see what the Iranian people decide." -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "Most countries appeared to be taking a wait-and-see approach, including the European Union and China, Germany, Italy...

TEL AVIV – The Huffington Post is serving as an Internet meeting place for the spread of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel propaganda, including wild conspiracy theories and vicious slurs, according to a new report. The Committee for Middle East Reporting in America, or CAMERA, monitored the Huffington Post for a brief period in March and May, finding the talkback threads that accompany the site's news articles and opinion columns routinely contained an alarming amount of hate material. The report said that while such talkbacks can also be found at other sites, such as Britain's Guardian and the Independent newspaper websites, CAMERA...

ROME (AP) — Italian police arrested six people Thursday in raids on a group of suspected radical leftists who were allegedly planning a terror attack, authorities said.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, says he won’t take any action on the controversial card check bill –– titled the Employee Free Choice Act –– until Minnesota Democrat Al Franken is sworn in as senator, Politico reports. Harkin, the lead sponsor of the bill in the Senate, made the comment Wednesday on the theory that he would be able to avert a Republican filibuster against it if Franken is awarded the legally snared seat. Although union workers are lobbying for the measure, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups are ramping up efforts to defeat it. As far back as...

Obama is missing! The American People Demand to Know:  WHO SENT YOU???  Obama has lived for 48 years without leaving any footprints -- none! There is no Obama documentation -- no records -- no paper trail -- none -- this is no accident. It is being done on purpose with Media help - but to serve whom & why???  MISSING-HIDDEN DOCUMENTS: Original, vault copy of Certificate of Live Birth in the USA -- Not Released (1 version hidden in Hawaii, Original found in Kenya) Certificate of Live Birth -- Released - Proven Counterfeit (www.ObamaFiles.com) Obama/Dunham marriage license -- Not...

The man accused of opening fire at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC on June 10, James W. von Brunn, left a trail of unhinged writings around the internet. The anti-semitism of von Brunn is the first thing one notices when visiting these bizarre websites. However, like those of most "white supremacists", many of von Brunn's political views track "Left" rather than "Right." Clearly, a re-evaluation of these obsolete definitions is long overdue. For example, he unleashed his hatred of both Presidents Bush and other "neo-conservatives" in online essays. As even some "progressives" such as the influential Adbusters magazine publicly...

At least there's one place in America that's wearing like Teflon through the recession: Washington, D.C. Most corners of the economy may be struggling, but in the nation's capital it's boom times, baby. According to new data, the area's unemployment rate dropped to 5.6% in April from 5.9% in March. This is the second consecutive month of improvement for Washingtonians, and it's leagues from the national unemployment rate, which hit 9.4% in May. With unemployment for all government workers about half the private sector's rate, the Beltway has been spared the tightening elsewhere. The federal government is the second largest...

The Democratic Party's attitude to elections is admirable: Win. And recent history has shown it will do anything to do so. When, if not now, will Republicans develop such a fighting spirit? Democrats invest - with taxpayer money, mind you - in groups like ACORN that, among other sordid tactics, seek out Skid Row bodies and wheel them to polling places. All the Democratic National Committee needs are vans and smelling salts. Pop culture and the "education system" have done the rest, making "D" the default choice on Election Day. Democrats brazenly take policy positions - think government services and...

Is Judge Sonia Sotomayor a judicial activist? Just hours after Sotomayor's selection to fill the upcoming vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, special interest groups began the hunt for the dreaded activist in her, sifting decisions and speeches for evidence. Soon she will answer her critics' drumbeat of accusations of judicial activism in her confirmation hearings -- a familiar drumbeat today wherever a judge or a nominee sits on the political spectrum. Judicial activism means different things to scholars, politicians and special interest groups. But the term is often used in political rhetoric to identify decisions with which people disagree...

The economic recession should have meant easy votes for Europe's left-wing movements, longtime critics of unchecked capitalism. Yet as Europe goes to the polls, left-leaning parties across the continent are looking likely to falter. That's true both for those in government, such as in the U.K. and Spain, and in the opposition -- such as France, Germany and Italy. France's Socialist Party is trying hard to rally voters ahead of Sunday's European parliamentary elections. "Let's unite with all the French who contest free market, unfair policies that aim at deregulating everything," party leader Martine Aubry urged at a pre-election rally....

The "righteous wind" that has propelled the American left to unprecedented success over the last year has forced most of the American right into an underground bunker. Those few conservative politicians like Dick Cheney who remain topside are blasted with an additional gale force of invective and vitriol. In the left's ferocious desire to implement "change" there seems to be little patience for any meaningful dialogue about what America should become. The leftist onslaught that met Dick Cheney's recent defense of his country pales in comparison however to the ugly reception Democrat Al Smith received in 1936 when he challenged...

What do you think are the core reasons that motivate people to become leftists?

PARIS -- The economic recession should have meant easy votes for Europe's left-wing movements, longtime critics of unchecked capitalism. Yet as Europe goes to the polls, left-leaning parties across the continent are looking likely to falter. That's true both for those in government, such as in the U.K. and Spain, and in the opposition -- such as France, Germany and Italy. France's Socialist Party is trying hard to rally voters ahead of Sunday's European parliamentary elections. "Let's unite with all the French who contest free market, unfair policies that aim at deregulating everything," party leader Martine Aubry urged at a...

Eagle Scouts need not apply. Valedictorians, ditto. So you say English is your native language? Tough break, kid. You live with your mother and your father? Strike 2. Never been arrested? Strike 3, you’re outta here. Come back after you drop out of school, or get pregnant. Now comes the latest memo from the Department of Transitional Assistance, formerly known as welfare. If you liked the welfare Cadillac program, you’ll love the “DTA Youth Works/Summer Employment program.”

The data is in for April. Obamanomics is failing terribly. Here's what happened: 1. Household personal income (inflation adjusted) rose, but every penny — and then some — went into savings or paying down debts. Consumer spending, on which Obama is betting to stimulate the economy, actually fell. None of the stimulus money was sent. None. 2. Meanwhile, to pay for this stimulus spending that didn't stimulate, Obama had to borrow so much money that long-term interest rates have almost doubled since he took office, forcing postponement of business expansion and hiring across the board. What a record! In April,...

The big beasts of Europe are set to claim victory for the Right in this week’s elections, leaving the Left to wonder why it has failed to benefit from such a serious economic crisis. Left-of-centre parties in government and in opposition are struggling in the six countries of Europe that choose the majority of MEPs in the biggest multicountry elections yet held, according to an analysis of polls due out today and seen by The Times. About 375 million people in 27 member states are eligible to vote. Governing left-wing parties in Spain and Germany are struggling while the socialist...

N. Korea says trial of two U.S. journalists will begin 3 p.m. SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's highest court will begin trial of two U.S. journalists at 3 p.m., the official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday. "The Central Court of the DPRK will start a trial of American journalists Laura Ling and Seung-eun Lee from 3 p.m. Thursday on the basis of the indictment already brought against them," the one-sentence report said. The female reporters were detained on the border with China on March 17. North Korea accused them of illegally entering the country and committing unspecified...

Bloomberg article. Link only. The judges used the same argument Sotomayor used in one of her decisions; the 2nd Amendment does not apply to the states. If this is true, then by the same 'logic' none of the other amendments apply to the states either.

Two US women journalists will go on trial in North Korea's highest court Thursday on charges that could send them to a labour camp, amid growing international tensions sparked by Pyongyang's nuclear test. The pair were detained by North Korean border guards on March 17 along the narrow Tumen River which marks the border with China, while researching a story about refugees fleeing the hardline communist state. Pyongyang has said they will face trial for "hostile acts" and illegally entering the country, with the hearing to be held "on the basis of the confirmed crimes committed by them." South Korean...

I was just watching Fox News for the live coverage of Obama signing a proclamation honoring President Reagan's 100th birthday. Obama walked Nancy Reagan over to the signing table and he sat down. He picked up the first signing pen and began to sign the bill. Mrs. Reagan spoke up, "Oh, you're a lefty." "I am a lefty", Obama admitted. In the room, there were a few knowing laughs accompanied by some uncomfortable ones. There was a lot of loud laughing in my room! HA!

Leftists are using the murder of abortionist Dr. George Tiller to urge Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to reconsider the now-withdrawn politically motivated DHS report that labeled all conservatives, libertarians, and returning veterans as potential right-wing terrorists.After being subjected to weeks of withering criticism from across the political spectrum, Napolitano quietly pulled the embarrassing report that seemed calculated to chill the speech of critics of the Obama administration's agenda. (After the report was publicized Democratic lawmakers like Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin said it was unacceptable for DHS to label right-wing Americans as potential terrorists.) But the horrifying slaying of Dr. Tiller in his church on...

Excerpt: At my bible study there are men who believe all Muslims are going straight to hell. One of them has a son in the Air Force and gets shot at regularly flying into Baghdad. Of course I usually stick up for Islam, saying 99.999% of Muslims are good people, peace loving, and just want a warm home, food, and education for their kids like the rest of us. I argue the Muslim fundamentalists are no different than the Christian fundamentalists, like that nutcase that killed Tiller. The sheer volume of Muslim violence, against Christians, against the US, against each...

Leftists falling all over themselves denying the obvious: Islamic extremism kills. Black Muslim converts kill. Pacifism kills. Antiwar leftists kill. Leftist extremism kills. Left-wing haters kill. Liberal fascism kills. Leftist ideology zealots kill. Leftist terrorism kills. Left-wing violence kills. Socialism kills. Marxism kills!

Companies: After an all-out war on oil companies from the left in recent years, it bodes well for the future to see Big Oil now recognizing the attack it's under and its duty to fight back. Witness Chevron and Exxon Mobil.Shareholder meetings can be pro forma affairs, but not for major oil companies, which have become a lightning rod for the anti-corporate sentiment gaining traction in U.S. political life since around 2006. Wednesday, Chevron was descended upon by a zoo-full of San Francisco leftists pushing rain forest sentimentalism, Burma, and other pet causes dear to the no-soap crowd. They journeyed...

The unfolding spectacle of Speaker Pelosi attending a briefing, in which the CIA of informed her of enhanced interrogation techniques, and then lying about it, is part of the grave danger to our democracy. The Left is shrinking honesty into an empty, ignored, and mocked virtue. Pelosi is not just lying about being at a vital briefing; she has decided that the best defense is a good offense: accuse the CIA of misleading Congress and, particularly, her. This is much worse than simply holding the wrong policy on issues. Mike Mansfield often held very wrong positions on issues, but he...

Link to Japanese story. Breaking initially from South Korean news organization Yonhap about 30 minutes ago Said former President died in a "mountain climbing" accident. Also speculating suicide.This was the architect of the "Sunshine Policy" of appeasement toward North Korea. Good friend of Clintons. BREAKING

If you’ve ever wondered why radical leftists—who supposedly care about women’s rights—feel compelled to justify Islam’s violent oppression of women, you should read United in Hate by Jamie Glazov. Glazov does an excellent job of examining the love affair between leftists in the West and radical Muslims who treat women as “less worthy than cows and sheep,” as Palestinian writer Souad says in the book. While some liberals in the U.S. and Europe have no problem telling the truth about Islamic gender apartheid, others fanatically defend it.

In an excerpt from his new book, SPIEGEL editor Jan Fleischhauer describes his childhood in a typical West German liberal family, with parents who wouldn't let him eat oranges because they were grown in countries ruled by dictators, and his coming out as a late conservative. I can say with confidence that I know my way around liberals. I've spent half of my life in their company. My parents were on the left, as were my schoolmates and the majority of my teachers, my fellow students at university and, of course, all of my professors. Most of my colleagues are...

In the past Muslims have rioted in Belgium, Denmark and France. So why not add Greece to that list? Hopefully those that support Muslim immigration will wake up before it is too late.

At this point, every American knows that today’s Democrat Party is the anti-American political party in the United States. Run by the Democratic Socialists of America and their Progressive Caucus, funded by the anti-free market international proletariat cabal, DNC collectivism for the greater communal good rules the day. If you are truly “American,” you don’t really need me to list all of the hard left leaps of the last 110 days… But where is the American Party that stands for founding American principles and values of personal freedom and individual liberty? We have lost thousands of good young Americans around...

The Ditch Carp of DemocracyP. J. O'RourkeWe live in democracies. Rule by the majority. Rule by the people. Fifty per cent of people are below average in intelligence. This explains everything about politics.....

Cornell Law Professor William A Jacobson made fun of the press drool over Obama's visit to a local hamburger joint where Kerry-like he asked for dijon mustard. The blog entry drew heated comments from around the nutrootsosphere and Jacobson wondered why, concluding: The nutroots and mainstream media understand that Obama and the corresponding Democratic majorities in Congress were elected through a unique confluence of circumstances which may never be repeated. [snip] There is a lingering question, however, as to just who Barack Obama is, and whether we elected a blank slate who makes it up as he goes. This point...

After winning most battles during his first 100 days, President Obama has begun to hit hurdles in Congress over the twin pillars of his domestic agenda, taking flak from his party's left for not going far enough on health care and seeing his greenhouse gas emissions plan stalled by moderate Democrats and regional concerns. The anger over his health care plan spilled over at a congressional hearing Tuesday when protesters stood and shouted, "Put single payer on the table." They were complaining that Mr. Obama's and Congress' preferred plans don't replace the private health insurance system with one run by...

When I was young and adventurous, during my third trip to Europe, I was accompanied by four friends, all of us poor and thus traveling in winter, when prices were lower. At the time, I believe the standard book was Europe on $25 a Day; we were managing it on circa six bucks a day, per person. One January night, we ended the day in a village buried in the valleys of the Pyrenees Mountains, on the Spanish side, about fifty miles south of the borders with France and Andorra. It was as far as the bus went, so we...