Free Republic

The outcome of state legislative elections last year ensured that same-sex “marriage” will continue to be hotly debated this year, with legislators in some states seeking to legalize it (Maryland), repeal it (New Hampshire), or amend their Constitution to prevent it (Indiana). During such debates, Family Research Council and other pro-family groups note social science evidence showing children raised by their own mother and father, who are committed to one another in a lifelong marriage, are happier (experience better mental health), healthier (have better physical health), and more prosperous (attain higher socioeconomic status) than children raised in any other household...

There was fresh controversy today over child sex abuse and the Catholic church when an archbishop's aide claimed the majority of paedophilia was being perpetrated by gay men. Father John Owen, the communications officer for the archdiocese of Cardiff and a Catholic chaplain at Cardiff University, was a guest on BBC1's The Big Questions. His remarks concerned last Wednesday's publication of the Ryan Inquiry, a 2,565-page report detailing the abuse and rape of children in Ireland's Catholic institutions, and came days after the newly-appointed archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, angered charities by saying it took courage for...

From the document, - What is Democratic Socialism? – “We are not a separate party. Like our friends and allies in the feminist, labor, civil rights, religious, and community organizing movements, many of us have been active in the Democratic Party. We work with those movements to strengthen the party’s left wing, represented by the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The process and structure of American elections seriously hurts third party efforts. Winner-take-all elections instead of proportional representation, rigorous party qualification requirements that vary from state to state, a presidential instead of a parliamentary system, and the two-party monopoly on political power...

There is no one more persistent than a liberal with a bad idea. He knows his intellectual and moral superiority make him infallible, so he easily convinces himself there is nothing wrong with his idea; it is the world that is mistaken Even the facts cannot be the facts when they disagree with his idea. So he forges ahead against all reason, attempting to remake the world until it accepts he was correct all along. Which brings me to the subject of gun bans. As useless as bans have proven, liberal politicians will raise the subject over and over. Thankfully...

An astute commentator notes something about CNN's "poll" of VP debate previewers that on the one hand is utterly predictable given CNN's track record, yet it is still appalling: CNN declares that its poll finds Biden the winner, but CNN never discloses any information about who participated in the poll. This would be like asking people whether they liked the Red Sox or the Yankees and not revealing what percentage of phone calls were made to Boston versus New York. Without that information, the results are more than worthless - they are manipulative. CNN's headline deeclares that "Debate Poll Says...

CHICAGO (Reuters) - People who experience the anxiety, racing heartbeat and rapid breathing of a panic attack have a higher risk of a heart attack or stroke, researchers said on Monday. "Our study adds panic attacks to the list of emotional states and psychiatric symptoms that have been linked to excess risk of cardiovascular disease and death," wrote study author Dr. Jordan Smoller of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Previous research found people with persistent feelings of depression, anger and hostility are at higher risk of heart attack, according to the study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The...

It is not for nothing that Vladimir Putin, the president of the Russian Republic, is a former member of the KGB. From its earliest days, Soviet Russia maintained a vast army of spies around the world and penetrating the United States remained high on its list of priorities. In 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Robert Hanssen, a FBI special agent who was a Russian spy, judged to be one of the most damaging moles in U.S. history. As Bill Gertz, a Washington Times reporter, notes in his latest book, “Enemies: How America’s Foes Steal Our Vital Secrets—and How...

Associated Press Rhonda Galbraith/AP Photo Members of the pop group 'N Sync, Lance Bass, left, Chris Kirkpatrick, second left, Justin Timberlake, center, JC Chasez, second right, and Joey Fatone, right, arrive at a party celebrating their entrance into motion pictures, at Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2000. NEW YORK - Lance Bass, band member of 'N Sync, says he's gay and in a "very stable" relationship with a reality show star. Bass, who formed 'N Sync with Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, tells People magazine that he didn't earlier disclose his sexuality because...

Surprising Jump in Tax Revenues Curbs U.S. Deficit By EDMUND L. ANDREWS WASHINGTON, July 8 — An unexpectedly steep rise in tax revenues from corporations and the wealthy is driving down the budget deficit this year, even though spending has climbed sharply because of the war in Iraq and the cost of hurricane relief. On Tuesday, White House officials are expected to announce that the tax receipts will be about $250 billion above last year's levels and that the deficit will be about $100 billion less than what they projected six months ago. The rising tide in tax payments has...

A political reporter who was on the road with Gore during campaign 2000 takes a highly critical look at the post-election-day efforts by Gore and his team to, in the author's view, "steal the election." He chronicles the events as they unfolded day by day, and provides much behind-the-scenes reporting on the Gore team. Word from the Publisher AT ANY COST is the inside story of exactly how Al Gore dragged a one-day presidential election into a five-week ordeal and nearly pulled off the largest act of political larceny ever in American politics. Award-winning reporter Bill Sammon spent months on...

Our view: Reacting to student protests, community is more sensitive about foreign symbols, in part because of 9/11 attacks Tucson, Arizona | Published: 04.03.2006 When you want to relay an important message, clarity is vital. You don't want to send mixed signals or express your views in a way that can be misinterpreted or, even worse, seen as a threat. We bring this up because protesters who have rallied against possible immigration reforms in the Legislature and Congress are apparently confusing a lot of people in our community. In demonstrations and school walkouts in Tucson and other cities, the participants...

Immigration battle has implications for GOP's future BY DICK POLMAN Knight Ridder Newspapers PHILADELPHIA - The furor over immigration that is raging in Congress, on radio talk shows, on cable TV shoutfests, and in the conservative blogosphere is actually a high-stakes duel over the image and direction of the Republican Party. Two powerful factions of the GOP coalition are warring openly - a clash that threatens to further imperil the party's shaky prospects for success in the November congressional elections, while exacerbating internal tensions that could reignite during the 2008 presidential primaries. The business lobby, which pumps big bucks into...

DRUG used to treat Alzheimer's disease can also be used to boost brainpower in the healthy, say doctors. Donepezil has a 'remarkable impact' on a wide range of functions, including memory, concentration and ability to learn. The findings led to predictions yesterday that it could go on sale over the counter as a 'smart pill' in a few years. A conference in Bristol heard that the widespread sale of such drugs known as 'cognitive enhancers' would have huge implications for society. Dr Andrea Malizia, a consultant senior lecturer in the department of psychopharmacology at Bristol University, said: 'The potential for...

December 16, 2005 IT was inevitable, given the prevailing mind-set within government and the media, that Sydney's beachside violence this week would be called race riots. The NSW Premier, his ministers and many newspaper headlines all used the term. However, a more ungainly but nonetheless more accurate description would have been multicultural riots. For the doctrine of multiculturalism is really to blame. The tensions that exploded this week were defined into existence by multiculturalist policies and ideas. It wasn't the youths at Cronulla beach who decided that all Lebanese constitute an ethnic group. That was done for them by politicians,...

Free iPod is no free lunch By Larry Getlen • Bankrate.com Free product solicitations on the Internet are as pervasive as porn spam. The question is whether they're believable. Surprisingly, some offers are not rip-offs, and can land you a slew of free stuff. Unsurprisingly, others are just as dubious as they sound. As with anything else, the general rule is that buyers should beware, and that "free" is never as free as you think. Still, there are sites out there offering free merchandise that actually deliver what they promise. If you have patience, perseverance and some willing friends, you...

ATLANTA -- The deputy, a 51-year-old woman just 5 feet tall, was simply no match for the inmate she was escorting to the courtroom, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound former college linebacker on trial for rape. Authorities say Brian Nichols overpowered deputy Cynthia Hall, took her gun, and easily gained access to the courtroom, where he went on to kill the judge and a court reporter. Security cameras captured images of him overpowering the deputy, but no one, it turned out, was watching the screens. There were more security gaffes. Earlier in the week, Nichols was found to have had two homemade...

GEOSTRATEGY-DIRECT INTELLIGENCE BRIEF Duelfer: 'A lot of material left Iraq and went to Syria' Posted: October 16, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Oct. 6, Charles Duelfer, an adviser to the CIA, did not rule out Saddam's transfer of Iraqi missiles and weapons of mass destruction to Syria, reports Geostrategy-Direct, the global intelligence news service. Duelfer agreed that a large amount of material had been transferred by Iraq to Syria before the March 2003 war. "A lot of materials left Iraq and went to Syria," Duelfer said. "There was certainly a lot of traffic across...

<p>U.S. intelligence agencies are warning the federal government to be on alert for a terrorist attack around the July Fourth holiday, especially at military facilities and large gatherings, according to U.S. officials.</p> <p>Officials familiar with an internal report outlining the concern said it indicates that an attack might take place from a high vantage point, although there was no further explanation.</p>

Ex-Rep. Janklow Faces Wrongful-Death Suit By CARSON WALKER, Associated Press Writer SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The family of a motorcyclist killed in a collision with a car driven by Bill Janklow has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the former South Dakota congressman. AP Photo Janklow, who resigned from Congress on Tuesday, was served with papers at the Minneapolis airport on his way from Washington to Sioux Falls, said Ronald Meshbesher, a lawyer for the family of Randy Scott. Janklow was convicted last month of speeding, running a stop sign, reckless driving and second-degree manslaughter in the Aug. 16 death of...

<p>Federal officials say more signs of "prevention fatigue" are reflected in the latest report on AIDS — a 17 percent increase in new HIV cases among gay men over the past three years. "HIV is not over in the United States," said Robert Janssen, director HIV/AIDS prevention division for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The fight is as urgent as it was 20 years ago."</p>

Environmental Factors Key in Developing Children's Intelligence; New Research Shows How Parents Can Improve the Odds for Higher IQ 8/11/03 8:00:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: Patty Donmoyer of the School of Public Policy at George Mason University, 703-518-4454 WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A child's IQ is shaped long before he/she enters elementary school and is affected more by environmental factors than previously thought, says a new book, which offers advice to parents for improving their children's IQ Maximizing Intelligence, written by David J. Armor, an education expert and public policy professor at the School of...

ECONOMY NOT TO BLAME FOR STATES' BUDGET WOES The financial problems racking many state governments this year have less to do with the weak national economy than with the ability of governors and legislators to manage money wisely, according to a USA Today analysis of how the 50 states spend, tax and balance their budgets -- or don't. Utah, Georgia and Delaware are the best financial stewards, according to the analysis of the states' financial performance: o The key to their success: restraint -- during the economic boom of the late 1990s, these states limited both spending growth and tax...

Former White House consigliere James Carville inadvertently admitted on Sunday that while his former boss Bill Clinton served as president of the United States, his top priority was his own sex life. Carville's comment was offered in the heat of an argument with his wife, Mary Matalin, over whether the Bush administration had lied about arrangements for the president's visit to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln last week. It went unnoticed until WABC Radio's Steve Malzberg reviewed the Carville quote for his Sunday overnight audience. A transcript of the Clinton spinmeister's remarks, delivered just hours before on "Meet...