Free Republic

Some of my best friends are gay. Suspiciously large numbers, it has sometimes been suggested to me. But that’s OK, I’m cool with that. What my friends get up to in the privacy of their own homes - or, indeed, the scary back room of their local boite - is very much their own affair. And if they want to get married (Hell-ooo! Why sacrifice the single greatest benefit of being gay?), well I’m probably OK with that too. I don’t believe that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice so I guess it’s only fair that gay men and women too...

Lutheran ministers who are in same-sex relationships will not be allowed to serve as clergy in United Methodist congregations despite the new full communion agreement between the two denominations. Bishop Gregory Palmer, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, made clear on Wednesday that UMC's ban on noncelibate gay clergy still stands. "Our Book of Discipline on that subject did not become null and void when they took that vote," said Palmer, according to the United Methodist News Service. "It still applies to United Methodist clergy." Palmer was referring to the highly publicized vote last week by the chief...

Thirty-five percent (35%) of American voters say passage of the bill currently working its way through Congress would be better than not passing any health care reform legislation this year. However, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that most voters (54%) say no health care reform passed by Congress this year would be the better option. This does not mean that most voters are opposed to health care reform. But it does highlight the level of concern about the specific proposals that Congressional Democrats have approved in a series of Committees. To this point, there has been no...

Something we have always known, animals are smarter than people.

Funny stuff!

The Democratic National Committee released a web video yesterday entitled "Enough of the Mob," which suggests that Republicans and their allies are "organizing angry mobs" to "destroy President Obama and stop the change Americans voted for." The video concludes by asking supporters to call the Republican Party and "tell them you've had enough of the mob." The phone number of the Republican National Committee then appears onscreen. Those who call the number are told to press one if they are calling in regard to the DNC video. When they do, they are told to call a different phone number "to...

OVER much of the last four decades, John A. Allison IV built BB&T from a local bank in North Carolina into a regional powerhouse that has weathered the economic crisis far better than many of its troubled rivals — largely by avoiding financial gimmickry. And in his spare time, Mr. Allison travels the country making speeches about his bank’s distinctive philosophy.

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather called on President Barack Obama to form a White House commission to help save the press Tuesday night in an impassioned speech at the Aspen Institute. “I personally encourage the president to establish a White House commission on public media,” the legendary newsman said. Such a commission on media reform, Rather said, ought to make recommendations on saving journalism jobs and creating new business models to keep news organizations alive. “A truly free and independent press is the red beating heart of democracy and freedom,” Rather said in an interview yesterday afternoon. “This is...

Follow @MittRomney on Twitter http://bit.ly/vSRdm The official Romney twitter. Follow Mitt for his daily reads, updates and announcements.

The financial sector has just delivered a message to California, roughly translated as, “Quit working on cow tails and apologies to long-dead people.” A group of the largest banks in the US has announced that it will stop accepting California IOUs by Friday. The state will run out of cash by the end of the month if it cannot issue IOUs, as long as its $24 billion budget gap remains unresolved: A group of the biggest U.S. banks said they would stop accepting California’s IOUs on Friday, adding pressure on the state to close its $26.3 billion annual budget gap....

British banks and stockbrokers may refuse to take on American clients if new international tax proposals outlined by President Obama are passed. By Louise Armitstead Last Updated: 12:02AM BST 24 May 2009 The decision, which would make it hard for Americans in London to open bank accounts and trade shares, is being discussed by executives at Britain's banks and brokers who say it could become too expensive to service American clients. The proposals, which were unveiled as part of the president's first budget, are designed to clamp-down on American tax evaders abroad. However bank bosses say they are being asked...

New Hampshire lawmakers unexpectedly rejected a bill on Wednesday that would have made the state the sixth in the United States to authorize gay marriage. The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives voted down the bill in a 188-186 vote, hours after its Senate approved the legislation 14-10 along party lines. An earlier version of the bill passed the state's House of Representatives on March 26. Both chambers had been asked to approve language that would give religious institutions opposed to gay marriage legal protections, including the right to decline to marry same-sex couples. That wording was added by Governor John Lynch,...

In the midst of the mounting mayhem surrounding Miss California USA Carrie Prejean, the pageant’s state directors Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler rallied together a bevy of beauty queens (including the reigning Miss Teen USA Chelsea Gilligan as well as former pageant princesses Miss Universe 1997 Brook Lee, Miss USA 2003 Susie Castillo, Miss USA 2004 Shandi Finnessey, Miss Teen USA 2006 Katie Blair, former Miss Californias Raquel Beezley and Tamiko Nash and even Miss USA 2009 judge Claudia Jordan) to film a PSA entitled "I Believe … The Beauty of California." The gorgeous girls gathered together at a studio...

The Republican Party suffered a major blow on Thursday when Tom Ridge, the former Pennsylvania governor and Secretary of Homeland Security, announced that he will not run for the U.S. Senate in 2010. “After careful consideration and many conversations with friends and family and the leadership of my party, I have decided not to seek the Republican nomination for Senate," said Ridge in a written statement. Ridge's decision not to run is a boon to Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa. The longtime moderate Republican senator switched parties on April 28 to avoid a tough GOP primary challenge from former Rep. Pat...

The Fox Network is making a smart business move by passing on tonight's press conference celebrating President Obama's first 100 days in office. Other networks are losing millions of dollars of advertising revenue to air what amounts to an unpaid political ad.

The turning point for Stephan Jung came in February, around the time bonus checks were slashed. A veteran of UBS, one of many banks tarnished by the financial crisis, Mr. Jung realized that the old Wall Street would not be bouncing back any time soon. It was time to head for the new. “After 10 years, I did not see a future for myself,” said Mr. Jung, 42, who quit to parlay his sales expertise into a career at Aladdin Capital, a small but rising investment firm run by others who had also left some of the most venerable names...

Virginia state legislators are refusing to accept Obama's 'stimulus' funds. This is reported by Human Events. Now that's a tea party. http://twitter.com/IlGOPAssembly

From Sacramento -- Tom Campbell is a rarity. He's a politician who carefully thinks through contentious issues and takes positions based on his notion of good government. Good politics seem to be a low priority, if one at all. Not that all politicians are finger-to-the-wind opportunists. Each varies by degree between being a policy wonk and political survivalist. But Democrats tend to genuflect to labor, particularly public employee unions. Republicans tend to cower before the anti-tax crowd, to name one. Campbell is practically all wonk. And he must have missed the memo to rookie politicians about going along to get...

Is Mitt Romney the new boss of the GOP? I know Michael Steel is the chairman. I know that Palin still enjoys a high degree of popularity among conservatives. I'm aware that Governor Jindal of Louisiana seems to have a huge upside and promising future. But, Mitt Romney seems to possess something -- call it competence, his success, demeanor or his presidential tone and image -- it is either one of those things, or perhaps all of them, that give him a unique standing in the GOP. Already setting the tone for 2012, back in February Mitt Romney won the...

KTVA reports: Governor Sarah Palin announced that she is proposing a bill that will allow the state to accept only 55-percent of federal recovery funds. Palin gave several examples that underlined her reasoning for wanting to reject the funds. In total, if the bill were passed, $515-million of the almost $1-billion would be rejected by the state. Please keep in mind the language in the "stimulus" bill that allows the state legislature to go around the governor in accepting "stimulus" funds.