Free Republic

An attempted jihad attack on Christmas Day has revealed that Americans are much more vulnerable to such attacks than most have believed – while government officials whistle in the dark. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old son of a wealthy Nigerian banker, tried to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 just before it landed in Detroit. In response, Barack Obama chose not to cut short his golfing vacation in Hawaii; the White House announced that he would “likely” have something to say about this latest attempted jihad attack on U.S. soil “in the next few days.” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano...

In post-Bush blame assignment operations. Obama-era lefties show a marked lack of cohesion and consistency on whether trying to ignite your explosive-laden underwear on a plane is a big deal or not, whether heads need to roll or not, and in which part of the fish the rots starts. News first. ABC: top Yemeni AQ bombmaker’s work. It was bigger than the shoe bomb. But this underwear bomb’s detonator failed. Apparently, this means they’ll need to see us with our pants off, one way or another. ABC again. The Times of London has more on the other way of detecting...

Sunday's chilling terror news wasn't the removal of a Nigerian man from the same Northwest Airlines route targeted by a would-be bomber two days earlier. Sunday's disruptive passenger just wasn't feeling well. No, the chilling news came from James Carafano, a defense and homeland security expert at the Heritage Foundation: The foiled Christmas Day plot, he says, is the 28th unsuccessful attempt to bring terror attacks to America since Sept. 11, 2001. This attempt, which could have scattered passengers and plane parts across frozen Michigan tundra, may trace to Yemen. That's where thwarted martyr Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab claims he obtained...

"Now beginning the Era of Captivity, the American people have entered a new stage in their once extremely productive lives. This new phase has been purposefully designed to be unproductive and will be called 'existence.' Existence, however, will soon degrade and devolve — with no one stopping the perpetrators of this abhorrence — into subsistence. After that chapter has been written and read, life will have become so essentially bitter and untenable that additional deteriorations in life-conditions will carry no significant meaning — other than base survival. Since the Usurper and Dictator in Chief Barack Hussein Obama assumed power and...

Barack Obama’s Anti-Semitic Websiteby Pamela Geller During the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama’s website, Organizing for America – over which Obama has editorial control — played host to a series of vile anti-American, Jew-hating posts and pieces. It was overwhelming. There were numerous, heinous calls for Jewish genocide and incitement to hatred. And it is happening again, right now, on the official website of the man who is supposedly the leader of the free world. The site was and is closely policed. The site moderators remove material that they consider to be “disrespectful to our other users” and to “detract...

Senator John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) is reporting for duty again and again it is a task for which he is woefully unqualified. The former presidential candidate has suggested becoming the first high-level US emissary to make a public visit to Tehran, Iran since that country's 1979 Islamic revolution. While the Obama administration seems to be in favor of such a trip, the people of Iran who are risking their lives to protest the regime Senator Kerry wants to meet with have a very different opinion. continued

THE THWARTED Christmas Day airplane bombing raises three causes for alarm. First, it illustrates a screening system that remains porous enough to let a suspect board with the same explosive shoe-bomber Richard Reid attempted to use in 2001. Second, it exposes a terrorism bureaucracy too clumsy to catapult the suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, at least to a higher level of preflight scrutiny after his father came forward with warnings that he might pose a danger. Third, if it is true that the suspect received explosives training from al-Qaeda in Yemen, the incident underscores the emergence of that troubled nation as...

As my brother Kevin headed off to Christmas Eve Mass in the Maryland suburbs, I asked him how he thought the first year of Barack Obama had gone. He didn’t have to pray long over that one. “Fine,” he replied, “if you like unmitigated disasters like the Hindenburg and the Redskins season.” If it’s Christmas, it must be time for my conservative brother to take over my column and turn it a blazing shade of red. So without further ado, here is Kevin unplugged, offering a perspective from “the real America,” as one of his favorite Republican philosophers, Sarah Palin,...

As some Houston leaders called on Sunday for measures to help guard against future terrorist attacks, others questioned why the Nigerian man charged with trying to destroy a Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit spent time last year in Houston. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is believed to have traveled to Houston in 2008, but no details of the trip were available Sunday. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston declined to discuss any connection Abdulmutallab might have to the city, saying details of the investigation remain classified. U.S. government officials did confirm that they are looking into his travel itinerary, but the FBI...

Tonight it is National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer speaking instead of President Obama. Regarding this weekend's violent crackdown on protesters in Tehran which has killed at least five people, Mr. Hammer condemned the "unjust suppression of civilians" and quoted Mr. Obama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech saying, "It is telling when governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation". Why are we getting rehashed rhetoric from a third party instead of hearing from the president himself? continued

Now beginning the Era of Captivity, the American people have entered a new stage in their once extremely productive lives. This new phase has been purposefully designed to be unproductive and will be called ‘existence‘. Existence, however, will soon degrade and devolve—with no one stopping the perpetrators of this abhorrence—into subsistence. After that chapter has been written and read, life will have become so essentially bitter and untenable that additional deteriorations in life-conditions will carry no significant meaning—other than base survival. Since the Usurper and Dictator in Chief Barack Hussein Obama assumed power and rule over American citizens in January...

Obama Addresses Airline Security in Low-Key Fashion By Anne E. Kornblut Monday, December 28, 2009 KAILUA, HAWAII -- President Obama has performed a difficult but familiar balancing act over the past few days: ordering new security measures in the wake of an attempted airliner attack without excessively alarming the public -- or triggering an outcry from civil liberties advocates. He has done so almost entirely out of sight. On vacation in Hawaii, tucked away in a lush neighborhood where his family is renting a waterfront home, Obama dispatched surrogates back in Washington -- chiefly Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano...

Veteran Civil Rights Division attorney Christopher Coates is no longer chief of the Voting Section, according to the division’s Web site. There was no official announcement of the personnel change in the long-troubled section, which most recently has been embroiled in the controversy over the New Black Panther Party voter intimidation case. Main Justice noticed the change on the Voting Section Web site. Taking over for Coates in an acting role is Chris Herren, a deputy chief of the section, according to the Web site. Alejandro Miyar, a spokesman for the Civil Rights Division, wasn’t available for comment Sunday. Coates...

Friday: nothing. Saturday: nothing. Sunday: nothing.The White House Web site has not been updated since Thursday, Christmas Eve.Following the refusal of Barack Obama to personally address the Christmas Day terror attack on Northwest Airlines flight 253, the Obama administration has not posted one word about the attack at WhiteHouse.gov. Zip. Zilch. Nada.It's like Obama can't be bothered. And really, he can't. Today he went to the gym, played basketball and had a picnic at the beach as part of his $4000 per day Hawaii vacation.The White House leaked to reporters this evening that Obama will make some remarks on the...

President Barack Obama scores well among ethics watchdog groups in his first year in office, though they’d still like to see more from the president. Obama has wielded the power of the White House to craft an executive order that limited lobbyist hires in his administration, push federal agencies to share more of their data with the public and begin releasing visitor records for the executive complex on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The current strategy from the White House is especially odd considering the issues the president did make an effort to address. Remember the Cambridge Cop Mr. Obama excoriated for "acting stupidly" on national TV this summer? The Chicago Sun Times columnist Lynn Sweet points out (H/T TWT's Amanda Carpenter) that the White House blog has made no mention of the terror attack. Apparently hanging out in Hawaii is more important to reporters who hated Crawford, Texas trips with former President Bush than reporting the importance of a presidential response on a terror matter, so Mr. Obama's avoiding them is not...

The Twelve Days of Health Care On the first day of Health Care Obama gave to us: A Fine for no Health Coverage On the second day of Health Care Obama gave to us: Two Backroom Deals and a Fine for no Health Coverage On the third day of Health Care Obama gave to us: All illegals covered Two Backroom Deals and a Fine for no Health Coverage On the fourth day of Health Care Obama gave to us: Big Pharma payoffs All illegals covered Two Backroom Deals and a Fine for no Health Coverage On the fifth day of...

Amazingly, these Obama lies, or to put it mildly, "broken promises", all are from the same speech given during his 2008 presidential campaign. When I first saw the title of this video, I assumed that the lies were snippets taken from several speeches, then sliced together. When I watched it, I realized that they were rifled off, one right after the other. Can you imagine what the press reaction would have been if George W. Bush had rattled off this many lies?...

In the dead of night on December 17, 2009, President Barack Hussein Obama placed the United States of America under the authority of the international police organization known as INTERPOL, granting the organization full immunity to operate within the United States. Last Thursday, December 17, 2009, The White House released an Executive Order "Amending Executive Order 12425." It grants INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization) a new level of full diplomatic immunity afforded to foreign embassies and select other "International Organizations" as set forth in the United States International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945. By removing language from President Reagan's 1983...

Must see fresh videos of Iraninan Revolution in progress. http://www.youtube.com/user/2009IranRevolution

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) said Sunday that it is fair to blame the Obama administration for the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit on Christmas Day. Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Select Intelligence Committee said that the administration has not taken the threat of terrorist threats on the U.S. seriously. Asked by Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace if it is fair to blame the Obama administration for the attacks, the Michigan Republican replied ""Yeah, I think it really is." Hoekstra said that increased domestic threats have made themselves more evidence this year, with...

The "ought" decade was one promise after another turned into trauma for California. It began with a popular Democratic governor, judging from the voter majority that put him in office. But his popularity plummeted in tandem with the state's nosediving finances. The decade ends with a Republican governor who, at first, was every bit as popular, judging from the wide voter margin that elected him. His popularity and the state's finances likewise hit bottom. The chief distinction between Democrat Gray Davis and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger may be that the former was recalled from office, and the latter will be permitted...

One of Europe's solutions to the perceived global warming threat is trying to regulate carbon emissions through Carbon Credits The way it works is the government sets a or cap on the total amount of a pollutant that can be emitted. Companies or other groups are issued emission permits and are required to hold an equivalent number of credits. Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from those who pollute less. In effect, the buyer is paying a charge for polluting, while the seller is being rewarded for having reduced emissions by more than was needed....

Here is video of the nephew of Iranian opposition leader Ali Mousavi, reportedly laying on the ground shot in the back on Azadi Street, or Freedom Street, during clashes in which security forces reportedly fired on demonstrators. There were protests all across Tehran today against the thug Ahmadinejad's regime. A crowd in the Southern city of Sajin also fought police today to try and rescue two prisoners who were being hanged. . . . (VIDEO)

I have been a law-abiding citizen all my life. I've always played by the rules. That is about to change. The early morning passage yesterday of the Senate health care bill requires every American to purchase health insurance. I refuse. I will not abide by this bill if it is passed into law. And if the government levies a fine, I will not pay it. I've had enough. There comes a time when a line in the sand must be drawn. I've just drawn mine. I've listened to the outright lies our politicians have spouted in order to pass this...

"Should the debt incurred by the United States be the direct result of one administration's actions, the reimbursement of that debt shall become the sole responsibility of that administration. Should that administration be unable to reimburse such debt by the end of their tenure, the reimbursement of that debt shall be carried out though the incarceration of appropriate parties for the appropriate periods." In other words, the United States could send their president(s) to jail along with others who are ultimately responsible for the debt that they personally produce during their administration; potentially for life!

My intellectual mentors were two of the most unlikely characters you can imagine. They were both immigrants to Peace River Country from Europe. They were both well read and primarily self-taught learned men, who knew the classics; were prepared to argue politics, religion, or literature with any man walking the earth at that time. Todd or Tadeusz Podbereski, a huge Pole who stood six foot six and weighed well over 300 pounds, was a devout Catholic who brooded over Homer’s Illiad could recite several of Shakespeare’s plays and most of the bible from memory. He could never resist the opportunity...

Barry 00000 stars in the new Hawaii 00000

An FBI spokeswoman in Detroit said Sunday's incident turned out to be nothing serious.investigation shows that this was a non-serious incident and all is clear at this point," the FBI spokeswoman told Fox News.

Until recent decades, American public policy consistantly prohibited dual citizenship. Since 1795, Congress has required that all candidates for naturalization formally renounce allegiance to their native land and any other foreign power. That requirement remains part of national law and is an integral element of the citizenship oath. The rationale for these policies is that citizenship requires undivided loyalty to one country.

HONOLULU — The United States is strongly condemning the violence in Iran, offering its support to those who seek universal rights. National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer on Sunday denounced Tehran's "unjust suppression of civilians" in a crackdown that has killed at least four people, including the nephew of an opposition leader. Hammer says governing through fear and violence is not just. Hammer quoted President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, saying "it is telling when governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation."Witnesses and opposition Web sites said Iranian...

There's a new "chill" that has nothing to do with claims of global warming or climate change and everything to do with the failing confidence Americans feel in their own freedoms, according to a new poll. "More Americans this month felt that there was more of a climate of fear over their freedom of association – with more than one in three – 36 percent – saying that they believed Americans had reason to fear punishment or retribution based on who their friends were or who they met with. This is chilling stuff!" said Fritz Wenzel of Wenzel Strategies. The...

Poll is at top of page

MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS ARE JUST DROOLING FOR THIS REID/OBAMA HEALTH CARE FARCENow that Christians have once again celebrated the birth of their savior Jesus Christ with love and sharing it’s sad that we must return to the mundane and seriously imperfect world of political correctness where lies and fraudulent promises are everyday fare for the pretenders. But those who are the most guilty of such deceitfulness have too much at stake to suddenly change to truthfulness. I speak mainly of the current rulers of our government in both houses of Congress and the Administration in the White House. They...

The White House warned political foes Sunday not to provoke a partisan tug of war over terrorism, with President Barack Obama yet to publicly address the thwarted attack on a US airliner. A political storm erupted over the attempt by a 23-year-old Nigerian to bring down a Northwest jet carrying 290 people, as senior Obama aides cranked up a sweeping national and homeland security operation. But the president, vacationing in Hawaii, conspicuously has not commented on television about the Christmas Day drama, apparently seeking to project calm and avoid the political trauma and panic unleashed by past terror incidents. "The...

F for Failure: Economy, Bipartisanship, War on Terror, International RelationsAs Obama’s first year in office approaches, his long calendar of corruption and failure flutters its windblown leaves into the abyss of the past. Let us take a brief look back at the full unmitigated ugliness of the Sham in Chief’s first year in office… for a proper report card. The Economy Obama campaigned on promises to help create jobs and fix the economy. War on Terror On the war, Obama promised to use multilateralism to create a new alliance using soft power. Bipartisanship Obama promised a new era of bipartisanship...

Editor's note: Philip J. Berg, former deputy attorney general of Pennsylvania and an activist attorney who brought a lawsuit challenging the eligibility of Barack Obama to become president of the United States, has written the following reply to Jamie Freeze's Dec. 22 RenewAmerica article "Facts are stubborn things: Obama is a natural-born citizen." Jamie Freeze, a law student, has called any of us who question Soetoro/Obama's citizenship status and constitutional eligibility to serve as U.S. President — a constitutional right of ours, of course — incompetent idiots. Ms. Freeze, however, may want to continue her education. Part of being a...

If conservatives wait until November 2010 we will be: Too little, too late. This is why: The nominations and primary races are shaping up right now. We must nominate conservatives for the November 2010 vote, right now. Deadlines approach soon. GOP county and state organizations are working right now to get their ducks in a row for the 2010 election - and beyond. When conservatives sit back and "wait" - we're saddled with candidates like Dede Scozzafava of the recent RINO insider fiasco in New York, not to mention certain lack-luster candidates for the presidency. Let's look at GOP county...

We don’t get to check in with our good friend Abbey in Cleveland as often as we’d like, because we’re all so busy, and Abbey runs her own business, has started an urban farm in one of the worst parts of the city, and takes care of not only her son Lil’ Remy, but also her “Big Byron” too. She’s got all sorts of critters now, too, from rabbits and ducks to chickens and goats. She always has something interesting to say, so we were happy she gave us a call last night to catch up. In addition to the...

If you read the History and timeline below the game details it asks 'Is it a Game or is it Reality?'. I'm willing to bet 90% of my fellow members here say it is reality as we've all discussed the czars, the Marxism, the destructive economic policies and the drive to destroy America by Barack and company. It is filled with every video with the czars and has helped me turn even a few Liberals away from Obama. Just tell them you found a game online that asks a simple question of Is it a game or is it reality....

U.S. President Barack Obama and his family are taking a well-deserved holiday vacation in Hawaii, a White House spokesman says. The New York Times said Saturday that Obama's Hawaiian vacation was temporarily interrupted Friday by news of the attempted terrorist attack on a flight bound for Detroit. SNIP The Times said Obama's decision to visit Hawaii during the holiday season has not set well with everyone, as the conservative Web site Free Republic offered harsh words on the matter last week. A Free Republic posting said while other U.S. residents "are still caught in the grips of the recession, Obama...

Attorney Philip J. Berg defends Obama birth certificate lawsuits Editor's note: Philip J. Berg, former deputy attorney general of Pennsylvania and an activist attorney who brought a lawsuit challenging the eligibility of Barack Obama to become president of the United States, has written the following reply to Jamie Freeze's Dec. 22 RenewAmerica article "Facts are stubborn things: Obama is a natural-born citizen." Jamie Freeze, a law student, has called any of us who question Soetoro/Obama's citizenship status and constitutional eligibility to serve as U.S. President --- a constitutional right of ours, of course --- incompetent idiots. Ms. Freeze, however, may...

If it wasn't clear to President Obama supporters in the past it is clear today, when it comes to terrorist attacks President Obama is a weak leader....http://wwwstateofamerica.blogspot.com/2009/12/president-obama-terrorist-not-threat.html

Tis the season for political parodies with a Christmas twist. First there was Roland Burris' parody of Twas the Night Before Christmas that read more like a nightmare. Moe Lane advised Burris to fire his speechwriter and then showed him how it is done in his conservative take on the poem. Chris Wysocki at Wyblog created the bloggers version of the same poem when The TrogloPundit came down with a case of writer's block on Christmas Eve. Moving from poetry to songs, here is a clever and humorous parody of the Eartha Kitt rendition of "Santa Baby." I am not...

I have in the past been a skeptic of Sarah Palin. Not of her political talent, which is considerable, but of her grasp of – and even interest in – substantive policy issues. When she abruptly resigned the governorship of Alaska on July 3rd, I wondered if she simply hadn’t the stomach for national politics. And the rambling, disjointed speech she gave that day left me wondering if she even knew why she was making such a momentous and potentially career-crippling decision. But then a funny thing happened: In November, Mrs. Palin debuted her memoir “Going Rogue” with great sales,...

Think back to December 2008. Your governor was in handcuffs, accused of trying to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat -- and of shaking down a children's hospital executive for campaign lucre. In response, Illinois politicians passed middling "reforms" that in some ways enhanced their power and diminished yours. For this, yes, they now praise themselves. Also in 2009, the political heirs of Rod Blagojevich surveyed the abyss of debt they've dug in Springfield and . . . dug deeper. They can't pay today's bills, yet continue to stick taxpayers with obligations to be paid in endless tomorrows. Their motto: "Splurge....

President Obama's plan to force contractors to hire union workers for large government construction projects is proving easier said than done, confusing and costlier than expected. It's been more than a decade since a federal project required bids that include union representation of workers, known as a "project labor agreement" or PLA, and a $100 million project to modernize the 12-story Lafayette Building that houses federal agencies is highlighting the kinks that need to be worked out. The General Services Administration (GSA), for example, first called for PLAs to win bids to rehabilitate the Washington office complex, but earlier this...

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll, released Thursday, shows that 27% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-three percent (43%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -16 (see trends). Thirty-eight percent (38%) now believe the economic stimulus plan passed earlier this year has hurt the economy. Just 30% believe it helped. That’s the first time since the legislation passed that a plurality offered a negative assessment. Most voters (52%) are concerned that the government will do too much in terms of responding to...

Gotta agree with Jonah here....fire Napolitano. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Sunday that the thwarting of the attempt to blow up an Amsterdam-Detroit airline flight Christmas Day demonstrated that "the system worked." Asked by CNN's Candy Crowley on "State of the Union" how that could be possible when the young Nigerian who has been charged with trying to set off the bomb was able to smuggle explosive liquid onto the jet, Napolitano responded: "We're asking the same questions." Napolitano added that there was "no suggestion that [the suspect] was improperly screened." The system worked? You have to be joking....

Long time Democratic Chicago Pol Monique Davis hasn't paid the rent for her offices since 2002. Apparently it doesn't matter either. After all, she's a Chicago Democrat and the rules real people have to live by don't apply to a Chicago Democrat. And like a true Democrat Davis is blaming everyone else. It isn't her fault, you see. Remember the scene close to the end of the Blues Brothers where Jake Blues (John Belushi) was on his knees in the sewer pleading with Carrie Fisher not to kill him? Jake Blues told his jilted and angry lover, "I ran out...