Free Republic

Starting in April, the practice will ask patients to pay doctors directly for their care and no longer will accept payments from insurance companies except for Medicare. "We believe that insurance companies are making it increasingly difficult to practice patient-centered medicine," the doctors in the practice wrote to patients this month. The doctors are joining the small but growing number of physicians who since the late 1990s have tried going the "direct pay" or "concierge" route, where doctors typically care for a smaller group of patients who are willing to pay for easier access to their physician. It's a trend...

HYANNIS (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - A 5-year-old boy faces possible suspension, after building a gun out of legos, during his after school program. Joseph Cardosa is part of the after school program at Hyannis West Elementary School, on Cape Cod. His parents received a letter a few days ago that said Joseph has received his first written warning for using toys inappropriately, and that upon a secon written warning, he will be suspended from the program for two weeks. Joseph's parents, Shelia Cruz and Octavio Cardosa, say the school is taking things too far. "It's not like he's designing...

It's the truth. Clarke made his case during a radio spot last week. He urged residents to learn how to use a firearm so they can defend themselves in case of an emergency. I know this is scary stuff. It's scary to think that law enforcement may not be there to respond to your emergencies. And when they do respond, they may not get there in time to save you. From experience, I know law enforcement is not automatic. Milwaukee is a big city and on a Friday or Saturday night there are a lot of things going on. When...

As a citizen of the United States, I am proud of the deep-rooted patriotism of my forefathers. Many lives have been sacrificed in order to maintain the liberty which we all enjoy, including those of many of my ancestors. I was deeply saddened by recent tragedies such as those in Colorado and at Sandy Hook. However, I am troubled by the fact that our legislators are rushing to strip away the constitutional rights of the American people. The media attempts to reinforce a need for more strict gun control, yet anyone who spends any amount of time seeking the truth...

The Obama administration has developed its own proposals for immigration reform that are more liberal than a separate bipartisan effort in the Senate, including a quicker path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, people with knowledge of the proposals said.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's school voucher overhaul racked up a victory Monday when a panel of appellate court judges granted to stay a federal district court judge's ruling to block the program's implementation in Tangipahoa Parish. Tangipahoa appellate court voucher ruling U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The ruling means the 50 students currently enrolled in the program in Tangipahoa Parish will not be removed from schools. Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said while he was pleased the ruling mentioned the wider court case of his and various other teachers organizations against the state, he was...

DIABALY, Mali (Reuters) - Residents of Diabaly feared for their lives when French air strikes pounded their small town in central Mali, shaking their homes and turning the pick-up trucks of Islamist fighters into burning, twisted metal. Despite that, they are grateful to France. Children in bare feet and tattered T-shirts now play among the trucks' charred wreckage -- a visible reminder that the town was the focus of the French-led war against al Qaeda-linked rebels bent on carving an Islamist state out of the Sahara. "I've told the children not to play with the trucks but I can't stop...

President Obama's nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense has prompted a number of questions about his positions on issues of importance to our national security, specifically our relationships with Israel and Iran. It is our hope that the Confirmation Hearings held by the Senate Armed Services Committee will address these issues and shed some light on Senator Hagel's positions and past statements. While Senator Hagel's record of service to the United States is worthy of respect, his position on Israel and the role of the United States in the Middle East gives us apprehension. Israel is...

President Barack Obama is not just a radical leftist; he is obviously so ensconced in his ideology that he believes -- or wants you to believe -- that anyone who opposes him must have sinister motives. One of his recurring themes is that some Republicans would work with him but can't do so for fear of reprisal from Grover Norquist on taxes, the National Rifle Association on guns, the conservative House caucus, radio talk show hosts and your garden-variety racists, who allegedly oppose Obama just for sport. In mid-January, Obama accused the "gun lobby" of "ginning up" fears that the...

REGINA, Saskatchewan, January 28, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A prominent Saskatchewan homosexual activist has been charged with possession of child pornography and suspended from his position as an English professor at the University of Regina, according to the Regina Leader-Post. Nils Clausson, 66, was reportedly charged with one count of possession of child pornography after the university tipped off police. "Notification by the university of some activities over there" led to Clausson being charged, said Sgt. Ron Weir of the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit. "In regards to a place of employment contacting us, that doesn't happen very often," he added....

Live from New York! It’s King George the Third!!!!!!!!! Brought to you by CNN! CNN’s Piers Morgan, a British citizen, has been in the news lately for his views on gun control. He’s for it. He’s not so big on the U.S. Constitution. As he made clear in this exchange with Breitbart’s Ben Shapiro. At one point, Morgan picked up a booklet copy of the U.S. Constitution Shapiro had brought with him, saying: Morgan: “…you come in and brandish your little book…” Shapiro: “That’s the Constitution of the United States.” Later in the show was this exchange as Shapiro made...

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 28, 2013, (LifeSiteNews.com) – A former Congressman who sued the Susan B. Anthony List for losing his election in 2010 has lost his case. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black, an Obama appointee, admitted in his seven-page ruling that he could not “see the forest for the trees” when he originally allowed Driehaus' defamation lawsuit to go forward. The former Cincinnati congressman, who identified as a “pro-life Democrat,” filed suit after SBA List threatened to take out billboards saying: “Shame on Steve Driehaus! Driehaus voted FOR taxpayer-funded abortion.” Although the signs never went up, Driehaus said the...

Prominent Republicans are launching a new super PAC they hope will help begin repairing the political damage left by years of anti-illegal-immigrant rhetoric that has dominated GOP primaries and alienated crucial Hispanic voters. The organization, to be called Republicans for Immigration Reform, aims to undermine what organizers call the “extremists” who have pushed party nominees to stake out far-right positions such as opposing a pathway to legalization for millions of illegal workers, students and children. -snip- Spies said the new PAC will most likely favor whatever immigration plans are backed by House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and Sen. Marco...

Sometimes a citizen lawmaker dares to exercise such candor that the inside-the-Beltway crowd recoils in horror at the blatant honesty. Such was the case with Wisconsin’s own Senator Ron Johnson (R) this past week. Johnson captured attention with his tough questioning of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to finally answer questions about the Benghazi disaster of last September. Clinton, demonstrating the cunning political acumen that propelled her and her husband so far on the national political stage, weaved a range of emotions into her carefully prepared opening statement. With her final months...

165 families who reside in the caravan site in Nitzan were given urgent evacuation orders to leave their homes, Ma'ariv reported on Tuesday. According to the report, the families, who took up residence in Nitzan after being kicked out of their homes in Gush Katif, were ordered to pay rent to the government on the caravans but many were unable to or simply refused, citing poor living conditions and a feeling of frustration towards the government over the realty that seven years after the forced "Disengagement" from Gaza many of their lives are still in fragments. Officials in the Tenufa...

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, OH (FOX19) - Police have arrested a Colerain man after he posted a photo of himself on Facebook holding his 1-year-old daughter and a BB gun. Domonic Gaines, 22, was arrested after the incident which occurred at his home on Suliner Drive Sunday. According to reports, police initially believed that Gaines was holding a handgun in the photo. However, police say the gun in question turned out to be a BB gun. The photo depicted Gaines holding his daughter, Paradise Gaines, along with the BB gun. Police say that the close proximity of the gun to the child...

The subject of immigration (and evidently, illegal immigration) has proven to be a divisive issue for conservatives. There are divergent opinions as to which policies should be pursued vis-à-vis the 12 million illegal immigrants who reside in the country. However, as conservatives, there are certain fundamental goals and red lines that we should all unite behind as we commence debate on this issue. Any so-called comprehensive immigration reform proposal that is worth more than a bucket of spit must ensure the following: ■we are not saddled with 12 million new consumers of the welfare state; ■we don’t have 12 million...

The struggle between political forces in Egypt could “lead to the collapse of the state,” the country’s army chief said Tuesday. In a posting to the army’s Facebook page, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said political and economic issues now represented a “real threat” to security. "The continuation of the struggle of the different political forces ... over the management of state affairs could lead to the collapse of the state," General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said. He added that the army would remain "the solid and the cohesive block" on which "the foundation of the state rests." Al-Sisi, who is also...

25) "A woman who demands further gun control legislation is like a chicken who roots for Colonel Sanders." -- Larry Elder 24) "I’ve been to dozens of Tea Party rallies. I’ve given at least a half a dozen or more speeches. I have not yet to find the first racist comment or the first person who approaches me from a racist perspective. I will speak very clearly here. Racism is a part of a lot of things in our country. Good people are the predominant fact of our country. I simply don’t get it. There are good people and bad...

Egyptian Defense Minister Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sisi warned Tuesday that Egypt could be facing collapse. Al-Sisi explained that military units have been stationed in cities next to the Suez Canal, where riots have broken out, in order to protect the canal. "The continuing conflict between political forces and their differences concerning the management of the country could lead to a collapse of the state and threaten future generations," Al-Sisi said in a speech to army cadets that was also quoted on the Egyptian military spokesman's Facebook page. Sisi said the country's economic, political and social challenges signify "a real threat...