Free Republic

I don’t understand the idea that ideology is a bad thing. Notice the contradiction here? “Ideas are a bad thing.” That itself is an idea. Democrats, some party insiders say, are going over a cliff. They’re going all-out socialist. Even Communist. One of their leading figures wants to tear down every single building in America and build new ones, conforming to environmentalist standards. Most of her colleagues in the Establishment either agree, or are reluctant to be seen disagreeing. Is ideology to blame for this madness? No way. It’s not ideology that’s to blame. Ideology simply means the presence of...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Amid the poverty and deprivation of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian women struggle to find a taste of normality that is taken for granted in much of the rest of the world.

David Kramer, a former State Department official, said in a deposition on Dec. 13, 2017 that he provided a copy of Christopher Steele's dossier to reporters from McClatchy, NPR, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and BuzzFeed and to CNN's Carl Bernstein. He also shared the report with State Department official Victoria Nuland, Obama National Security Counsel official Celeste Wallander and Illinois GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger. ... Kramer said he also met Mother Jones's David Corn, The Guardian's Julian Borger, and Washington Post reporters Tom Hamburger and Rosalind Helderman. Kramer also said that ABC News's Brian Ross showed him...

David Kramer, the John McCain aide who leaked the discredited Christopher Steele dossier on President Trump, testified in a libel case that he spread the unsubstantiated anti-Trump material all over Washington during the presidential transition. Mr. Kramer, a former State Department official and a Trump detractor, leaked dossier material to the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post’s Fred Hiatt, CNN’s Carl Bernstein, National Public Radio, McClatchy news service and others, he said. But his most momentous meeting was with Ken Bensinger of BuzzFeed. In Washington during the Christmas holidays, he let Mr. Bensinger read the dossier. He then stepped away....

~Favorite Dog or Cat Songs ~ Al Stewart - Year Of The Cat *Video* Three Dog Night - Mama Told Me (Not To Come) *Video*

The Israeli army attacked Thursday overnight targets in Gaza Strip, hours after two rockets were fired at Tel Aviv from Gaza, a first since Israel's 2014 campaign in Gaza. According to the Israeli military, the Iron Dome missile defense system was activated. It is assumed that the rockets landed in open areas due to the fact that no damage or injuries were reported as of yet. The last time rocket alerts were activated in Tel Aviv was two years ago, in what turned out to be a false alarm. The flare-up comes three weeks before Israel holds its general election.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 14, 2019 Contact: Press@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) released the following statement after voting to disapprove of the national emergency declaration regarding the border: “I stand with President Trump on the need for a border wall and stronger border security, but the Constitution clearly states that money cannot be spent unless Congress has passed a law to do so.” On March 4, 2019, Dr. Paul introduced the Border Enforcement, Security, And Funding Enhancement (BE SAFE) Act as a constitutional, fiscally responsible alternative. The BE SAFE Act would impose a $2,500...

MANILA, Philippines — One of the United States Navy's command ships docked in Manila last Wednesday for its first port visit in the country in three years. US 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge arrived in the country's capital to reconnect with the Philippines as its last port visit was in 2016. While in Manila, the US Navy personnel will participate in community service and cultural exchange events, including 7th Fleet band engagements, the US Embassy said.

DOVER, N.J. – That’s the report from New Jersey Globe. According to editor David Wildstein, “Federal Bureau of Investigation agents are interviewing Dover Democratic leaders and volunteers [on Wednesday] about local politics, including questions about undocumented immigrants voting in the 2018 primary election.” Click here to read the full story. Last year’s close-fought Democrat primary ended in a lawsuit alleging voter fraud. Superior Court Assignment Judge Stuart Minkowitz ultimately declined to overturn the election. While it’s unclear how, if at all, this possible fraud was perpetrated, fears of illegal immigrant voting in New Jersey elections were justifiably heightened last year...

Long before she became infamous for her arrest as part of what prosecutors say was a scheme to make sure some of America’s richest kids entered some of America’s top colleges, actress Felicity Huffman was fighting educational equality. A brief video emerged on Twitter showing Huffman, who starred in ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” sporting a “Cool Mom” top posing with the number 10,400,650. “The number represents just one of the 130 million girls who don’t have access to an education. If these girls were a country, they would be the tenth largest in the world, approximately the size of the U.K....

It was widely reported that Theresa May paid a visit to Angela Merkel in Berlin shortly before the Chequers meeting. What did they discuss? We weren't told at the time. According to a confidential source who has seen a complete transcript of the meeting, the two leaders agreed to a plan that Mrs May allegedly told the Chancellor would "appease" Brexit voters while nonetheless enabling her to get rid of those Tories who were (in her words) "against progress and unity in the EU." According to the transcript, Mrs May is also reported to have agreed "to keep as many...

Optimism among small companies in the United States improved in February, snapping a five-month losing streak that was the longest in two decades on brighter views of future conditions. The National Federation of Independent Business optimism index rose to 101.7 from a two-year low of 101.2, according to a report March 12. Five of 10 index components improved, including views about the current environment for expansion and capital spending plans. The measure is showing signs of stabilization after the government shutdown and remains at a historically elevated level despite cooling from a record 108.8 in August. “Now that the government...

The Hamas-run “interior ministry” in Gaza vowed on Thursday night that it would take action against those responsible for the rocket fire on central Israel, Channel 13 News reports. "The rocket fire was carried out without the consent of the Palestinian factions. The security forces in the Gaza Strip will take measures against those who violated the national consensus," said the ministry, according to the report. Two rockets were fired earlier on Thursday towards the Gush Dan region in central Israel, setting off air raid sirens in the area, including in Tel Aviv. Sources in Gaza confirmed that the rockets...

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RpqxJnYkWo A series of red alert sirens sounded Thursday evening in the Gush Dan region in central Israel. In addition, an explosion was reported in the city of Or Yehudah near Tel Aviv. The IDF confirmed that two rockets were fired at Gush Dan. One rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome system. The remains of a rocket fell in northern Tel Aviv. .....

Several Democratic donors were among those charged Tuesday in a federal crackdown on a nationwide fraudulent college admissions conspiracy. Most of the press reaction Tuesday centered on Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, two prominent Hollywood stars charged in the sting. Huffman, when not acting, is a generous donor to Democratic candidates. Huffman has donated thousands of dollars since 2016 to Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), according to the Federal Election Commission's site. Prior to that, she donated frequently to President Barack Obama's election efforts. She is far from the only Democratic donor on the list, some of whom have also...

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) on Thursday slammed Vice President Pence for having said he would not dine alone with women, calling it “outrageous.” In a brief interview with MSNBC, the 2020 presidential candidate was asked what she thought about Pence. “I disagree with him when he suggests it’s not possible to have meetings with women alone by himself,” she said. “I think that’s ridiculous — the idea that you would deny a professional woman the opportunity to have a meeting with the vice president of the United States is outrageous.” Harris was referring to comments Pence made to The Hill...

IANS -- The slow-moving US plans to set up six nuclear power plants in India have received a boost as the two nations reiterated their commitment to strengthening security and civil nuclear cooperation during the 9th India-US Strategic Security Dialogue. A joint statement issued on Wednesday after the dialogue, where the Indian side was headed by Foreign Secretary Vijay K. Gokhale, said that Washington "reaffirmed its strong support of India's early membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group". "They committed to strengthening bilateral security and civil nuclear cooperation, including the establishment of six US nuclear power plants in India," it added....

Government watchdog Judicial Watch is set to interview former White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes about Benghazi and Hillary Clinton's illegal email server. They've been given the green light by a federal court to do so. Here's what they're looking for: -Whether Clinton intentionally attempted to evade the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by using a non-government email system; -Whether the State Department’s efforts to settle this case beginning in late 2014 amounted to bad faith; and -Whether the State Department adequately searched for records responsive to Judicial Watch’s FOIA request. Other...

Tory MP Scott Mann has attracted mockery on social media after calling for strict new knife control measures including for every blade sold in the UK to be fitted with GPS tracking systems. In a post on the micro-blogging platform Twitter, the representative for North Cornwall went on to declare that Britain should create a “national database” of people who own knives, “like we do with guns”. Anyone found to have carried a knife outside their property “had better have a bloody good explanation”, Mr Mann wrote, adding that there could be “obvious exceptions” for activities such as fishing. Responses...

The slew of criminal charges in the sweeping college cheating scam originated from an unrelated federal case in the Boston area — and a financial executive desperate for mercy, according to a new report. The feds were tipped off to what would be the biggest college admissions scheme ever prosecuted thanks to the businessman, who was under investigation in a securities fraud case, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. In a bid for leniency, he told investigators that Rudolph “Rudy” Meredith, the head women’s soccer coach at Yale, solicited bribes from him in exchange for recommending his daughter for admission...