Free Republic

Many Americans will learn in the upcoming months and even years that while painful elements of the bill such as Medicare cuts and perhaps higher taxes on wealthy Americans would take effect quickly, the subsidies to help lower-income people buy insurance would not be introduced for three years under the House bill and four years under the Senate version. That could prove to be a liability for Democrats, an opening that Republicans, who have been in lockstep opposition to the bills, are sure to exploit. “They face a significant ‘expectations gap’ because people’s health care costs are going to continue...

Democrats declare themselves unconcerned about a “backlash” in 2010. The public will come to appreciate their health-care handiwork, they suppose. And somehow their supporters will be re-engaged to match the enthusiasm of the apoplectic conservative coalition that is more motivated to defeat Obamaism in 2010 than it was to defeat Obama in 2008. Maybe by then unemployment will have drifted downward. Oh, and there might be a grand bargain with the Iranian mullahs rather than the prospect of a nuclear-armed revolutionary Islamic state. Yes, it sounds far-fetched. Very. And it suggests that the public — which couldn’t be convinced of...

WASHINGTON -- The spirit of Christmas seems to have escaped Congress, maybe even the country. Have you ever encountered such mean spiritedness and political conniving as are now on display on Capitol Hill? In the past, we have had great philosophical divisions in the struggle for civil rights, especially when southern legislators ran the show. In praise of democracy, fortunately they lost. And of course there also was the "red scare" fomented by Sen. Joe McCarthy, R-Wis., in the 1950s when he led the commie-hunting movement that ended up victimizing government officials, academia and Hollywood. We recovered from that, too....

The inadequacy of Barack Obama’s Afghanistan and Pakistan strategy stems from the exigencies of the calendar of the next presidential elections in America, writes Kanwal Sibal The striking thing about Barack Obama’s new policy initiative on Afghanistan and Pakistan announced on December 1 is how little in it is actually new. It re-states the problem in known terms and the proposed way forward treads old ground. This is surprising, as the president spent an enormous amount of time to examine his options, to the point of being accused of dithering, and knew that the implications of the new course he...

Obamacare, as critics have dubbed the president's plan to socialize health care, will be flooded with lawsuits if it ever becomes law, according to an organization that works to protect rights and liberties of Americans. In an alert issued this week, Liberty Counsel, run by President Mathew Staver, promised his organization "is prepared to challenge the constitutionality of the bill since Congress has no authority to require every person to obtain insurance coverage and has no authority to fine employers who do not provide the coverage standards that are required in the bill." "In addition," he warned, "the bill still...

The world, and our region of it, was expecting a lot around this time at the end of last year. We had been promised a new president in the White House, by all measures a historic leader in terms of skin color, the intelligence of his speech and his sincere manner of expression. We had been promised a speech by Barack Obama addressed to the Muslim world that would turn the page on Bush's warmongering and his provocative language of hate. And indeed Obama didn't deprive us of that. He stood before students at Cairo University, reminded us of his...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-adjustments-certain-rates-pay Home • Briefing Room • Presidential Actions • Executive Orders The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release December 23, 2009 Executive Order -- Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay Attached schedule By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the laws cited herein, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Statutory Pay Systems. The rates of basic pay or salaries of the statutory pay systems (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5302(1)), as adjusted under...

I posted a 1981 video of Ronald Reagan reassuring America he is there for us and what he sees as the true meaning of Christmas. HOW BADLY DO WE NEED REAGAN!?!? You will not see any Christmas Tree Ornaments of Mao, transvestites nor with the face of the disgrace & disaster Obama on Mount Rushmore. I added it to The Palins Christmas message posting.

President Barack Obama left the cold weather and bitter politics of Washington, D.C. behind Thursday as he and the first family arrived on Oahu for a ten day Christmas vacation. The president, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha boarded Air Force One in route to Oahu just a few hours after the U.S. Senate passed a healthcare overhaul bill 60-39 that failed to win a single republican vote.“The reform bill that passed the Senate this morning, like the House bill, includes the toughest measures ever taken to hold the insurance industry accountable,” the president said before leaving...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have really screwed up. First of all, the two congressional Democratic Party leaders discounted the black perspective that clearly saw white nationalism working through their leadership as they, and others, attempted to restrain President Barack Obama via an extension of the politics of containment. Along with other “corporate Democrats,” including the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) – all of whom are dependent on corporate contributions and are thereby controlled by corporate interests – Reid’s and Pelosi’s intention is to keep the first black president from leadership of the Democratic Party. President...

This vote is indeed historic. This Congress will be remembered for its arrogance, corruption and stupidity. In the year of 2009, a Congress ignored the coming economic storm and impending bankruptcy of our entitlement programs and embarked on an ideological crusade to bring our nation as close to single-payer, government-run health care as possible. If this bill becomes law, future generations will rue this day and I will do everything in my power to work toward its repeal. This bill will ration care, cut Medicare, increase premiums, fund abortion and bury our children in debt. This process was not compromise....

This vote is indeed historic. This Congress will be remembered for its arrogance, corruption and stupidity. In the year of 2009, a Congress ignored the coming economic storm and impending bankruptcy of our entitlement programs and embarked on an ideological crusade to bring our nation as close to single-payer, government-run health care as possible. If this bill becomes law, future generations will rue this day and I will do everything in my power to work toward its repeal. This bill will ration care, cut Medicare, increase premiums, fund abortion and bury our children in debt. This process was not compromise....

Nebraska’s Republican governor has a stern message for Ben Nelson, the senior Democratic senator from his state: We don’t want Washington to cover all the costs of the proposed expansion of Medicaid under health care legislation. “The last few days have made Nebraskans so angry that now it’s a matter of principle,” Gov. David Heineman told POLITICO. “The federal government can keep that money

Iced Earth mainman Jon Schaffer has announced a new project/solo album that he’s been working on the last several months called Sons of Liberty, which he will be unveiling and talking about this Friday (December 18) on the Alex Jones show. Schaffer will be in the studio with Alex on Friday December 18th at 2pm CST. The show is broadcast from 11am to 3pm CST to over 80 stations nation wide. To find a station near you, check here or stream it LIVE for free from Infowars.com. Prison Planet members can watch the interview from PrisonPlanet.TV. On Friday, December 18th,...

We're undergoing "a fundamental economic reset," Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer told House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi in February. Our consumption patterns are "structurally broken," Eamonn Kelly, CEO of San Francisco's Global Business Network, told a group of Bay Area chief executives in March. Henceforth, Wall Street "just won't be half of our economy," President Obama said in May. "We don't want every single college grad with mathematical aptitude to become a derivatives trader. Part of the post-bubble economy that I'm describing is one in which we are restoring a balance between making things and providing services." In other...

Gov Palin interview with Greta Van Susteren was probably one of her best interviews, in that interview Van Susteren asked Palin about resignation, quitting, ethic violations and the prospect of dealing with attacks in future political positions. This is to all of those hacks, the misinformed and the haters that hide their true intentions against Gov. Palin, and you know who I'm talking about.......here are excerpts. PALIN: Because it was the best thing for the state of Alaska to be able to progress the conservative agenda up there without the distraction that the new normal in Alaskan politics had become...

Dear Friends And Far-Flung Family, What a year of “hope and change” it has been. Just one year ago we had a president whose approval rating was below 50 percent, health care reform was politically unpopular and it looked like the war in Afghanistan would go on forever. Just look how far we’ve come! Sasha and Malia love living in the White House. It’s even better now that they have their new friend in the White House, too. He’s cute, he’s dopey, he’s always making messes for us to clean up, but what can you say? He’s the vice president,...

Sarah takes on Big Oil: The compelling story of Governor Sarah Palin's battle with Alaska's 'Big 3' oil companies, as told by the state's top oil and gas editors, Kay Cashman and Kristen Nelson (Hardcover) Product Description Sarah takes on Big Oil illuminates Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's rise to power, along with her successes and failures in dealing with the industry that is the lifeblood of the state's economy. This book is a must read for those seeking to understand Palin's qualifications for national leadership. Purchasers of Sarah takes on Big Oil qualify for a free, two-year, online subscription to...

IT’S been a tough year for fashion. The juice has been virtually squeezed out of it. Luxury retailers, after seeing margins erode like Nantucket beachfront, have leaned on designers to cut their prices. To stay afloat, design houses are reducing quality and promoting value. Meanwhile fast-fashion chains are eating their lunch as they reproduce runway looks in six weeks. As a symbol of self-inflicted misery, the listless, half-starved model may be perfect after all. At least the fashion world had Michelle Obama and Sarah Palin to help avoid the impression that, you know, nobody cares about clothes and big dangly...

It's Chrismas Eve, and instead of sugar plums dancing in my head, I can't get Wordsmith's post about Obama's latest Executive Order out of my mind. It is like a kid getting his first jigzaw puzzle... my mind twists and turns with the repercussions. I've been pondering the implications... since pondering and speculation is all we can do at the moment. I've also been searching codification docs, old EOs, wondering if this is business as "usual" or what. I am also seeing many blogs are misinformed, thinking INTERPOL is a newly added organization to the immunity list of IOIA. Not...

Paul A. Ibbetson Here is the 12-22-09 epsiode of the Conscience of Kansas radio program with Tim Carney, author of Obamanomics, political mind and song writer, Roger Weber, and Larry Halloran of the 912 project. Enjoy the political reading of "The Night Before Christmas."

"REPLY OF THE APPELLANTS TO THE OPPOSITION TO THEIR MOTION FOR ORAL ARGUMENT Opposing our motion for oral argument the appellees assert in a quite conclusory fashion that all three reasons of Rule 34(a)(2) are met here. (Doc No.12200734) The first prong that they assert is true here is that the present appeal is frivolous. This is so because the judge below found that the case was frivolous. That finding, based largely on “blogging and twittering” and “vetting” on the Internet by America’s “vigilant” people, was not supported by any actual legal authority. In fact the assertion by the judge...

Former Governor Sarah Palin via Twitter said that this morning’s vote to takeover healthcare by the Senate will “ awaken a sleeping giant” and action will be taken. She then says Americans will take action when light begins to shine on big government growth and corruption. c tomrrw's Healthcare Takeover vote=the sleeping giant will awaken&action will b takn by"average"Americans as lite shines on big govt growth - Sarah Palin The Senate joined the House this morning in thumbing their noses at the American people by passing healthcare reform. The bill actually has nothing to do with reform and more to...

It’s like America woke up one morning and yelled “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore, as soon as I get off work.” The general mood is anti-big government with a heavy dose of anti-establishment mixed in. The lucky beneficiaries are likely to be Republicans, though Republicans are by no means free from the wrath of Tea Partiers. As hand-picked establishment candidates (Charlie Crist, Dede Scozzafava, Trey Grayson) are chosen for primaries across the country by establishment Republicans, conservative voters have different plans. As those candidates sink, anti-establishment candidates like Rand Paul and Marco Rubio...

We are all constitutionally guaranteed equality, happiness and welfare. The commerce clause guarantees that the government has unlimited powers and it has a responsibility to the people to guarantee equality, happiness and welfare. Health insurance as an entitlement is just a start. We are constitutionally guaranteed the equal right to health care. Everyone is entitled to equal health care. We're also guaranteed the right to die. Ain't none of us getting out of here alive. Now, people without burial insurance are placing a huge burden on society. If you die without burial insurance, then the costs of burial insurance goes...

It was total vomitorium overload in 2009, you know that first “historic” year of the Obama presidency. And little is as annoying as these common phrases and themes that populate the Obama presidency. So, with that first year filed away neatly in the toilet, let’s say goodbye in 2010 to the worst of 2009...

There is no better way to describe the so-called health care plan than Tucker's quote. It is not about improving health care; it never was. Oh there may be some dim bulbs in Congress that truly believe they have improved the country and the health system with their latest efforts. But sincerity is not an excuse for stupidity. Reality does not give a damn about good intentions.

So far, many courts have avoided the issue of dealing with the merits of whether or not Obama is legally eligible to occupy the office of President by denying "standing" to those wishing to press the issue. It seems to me that no court could argue that a person does not have "standing" to defend themselves from someone who pretends to assume the power of life and death decisions over them. Just look at how difficult it is to execute those sentenced to death by our courts due to the endless legal appeals they force on the system. These folks...

Further proof to support President Barack Obama’s assertion that America is no longer a Judeo-Christian nation will be unveiled on New York’s Eve. When the ball drops at midnight on Times Square, a massive message will appear on the 26-foot by 20-foot JumbroTron not to issue New Year greetings but to maintain that Islam is a religion of peace and goodwill, despite a rash of recent attacks by radical Muslims on American soil.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said Thursday that Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's job is "very safe" in the wake of a letter penned by a surprising political couple requesting the Justice Department to investigate him. Liberal blogger Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake.com and Grover Norquist, the head of the conservative Americans for Tax Reform, yesterday penned a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking for an investigation for Emanuel for his role on the board of Freddie Mac earlier this decade. The couple allege that Emanuel's position is a reason why Justice has not investigated the public-private...

The G.O.P. has taken a lot of criticism from conservatives over the past several years, first for their mismanagement and overspending as the majority party in Washington, and now for ineptitude or reluctance to boldly fight the liberal-fascist-socialist takeover of the nation in their role as the voice of opposition. The frustration with the Republican establishment has been augmented by poor choices of candidates on the local and national levels, with the push for John McCain and the unabashed backing of Dede Scozzafava in New York’s 23rd District. The climate in the country is beginning to change, however, and it...

From Physicians for Civil Defense, "American Lives: Two for a Penny." The following is a wallet card that costs about half a cent, and the information it contains can mean the difference between life and death if Iran gives terrorists a nuclear weapon to detonate in an American city. Note that the cost to provide this card to every American ($1.5 million) is probably less than Barack Obama spent on his recent junket to Copenhagen. With regard to copyright, the accompanying letter says, "The enclosed yellow card offers a half-penny antidote: copy and disseminate." Our knowledge of civil defense corroborates...

A writer for TIME magazine reports that the president and his family are not attending Christmas services. Gee, what a surprise! Barack Hussein Obama has consistently shown his lack of understanding of the Holy Bible, his disdain for the spiritual meaning of Christmas (no Nativity crèche in the White House), and his propensity to bow to Muslim leaders. But the fact is that NO TRUE CHRISTIAN can support abortion and the federal funding thereof. Don’t give me the “representative of the majority” nonsense. Here we sit on the precipice of the massive mountain of federal control of the health care...

It’s no cause for celebration, and Sarah Palin’s not the type for schadenfreude, but she was right about the death panels. So right, in fact, that the death panels are receiving some very special and probably unconstitutional protection in the Senate health care bill. The creation of the so-called Independent Payment Advisory Board – the panel that decides who goes without coverage so costs can be cut – cannot be repealed, according to language Harry Reid has inserted into the bill, without a supermajority vote of two-thirds. Death panels? There are no death panels! Stop listening to that crazy cackling...

Beware of the Sleeping Giant– Sarah Palin warned the big government democrat-socialists: Tomorrow’s Health care Takeover vote Will cause the sleeping giant to awaken and take action. “Average” Americans will take action as light shines on big government growth and corruption. The democrats have bribed enough senators and will vote tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM EST to take over health care. May December 24, 2009 be the beginning of the end of big government socialism in America. We Will Never Forget.

A lefty Political Action Committee called Bold Progressives PAC is fed up with the political lies of ... President Obama. They are chiefly upset at his lie that he never campaigned on the public option part of his socialist healthcare plan. Being good commies, Bold Progressives are a bit ticked off that Obama took a step back from his initial stated intention to torpedo any healthcare bill that didn't have a public option included. So, these folks got ticked enough to produce an ad calling Obama on his lies... Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...

The announcement by Alabama Rep. Parker Griffith that he is switching to the Republican Party is just the latest warning sign that the Democratic Party -- my lifelong political home -- has a critical decision to make: Either we plot a more moderate, centrist course or risk electoral disaster not just in the upcoming midterms but in many elections to come. Rep. Griffith's decision makes him the fifth centrist Democrat to either switch parties or announce plans to retire rather than stand for reelection in 2010. These announcements are a sharp reversal from the progress the Democratic Party made starting...

As I have been saying, the voices against Islam are on the rise here in America and deservedly so. Here is my Christmas Eve message to CAIR and Obama,Islam is no better than Nazism and it needs to be looked upon with the same disdain. Merry Christmas CAIR! CAIR asks Obama to address rising anti-Islam hate

The shadow of the head of U.S. President Barack Obama falls upon a copy of the U.S. Constitution as he makes a speech on America's national security at the National Archives in Washington, May 21, 2009. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Is the Age of Obama the beginning of the end of America, the last best hope of earth? President Obama's curtsy to the Saudi king and his reverential bow before the Japanese Emperor was one of those "right-wing" criticisms that I thought, at the time, was mostly much ado about very little of substance. I now take that back. It was...

There is a right way to cover Sarah Palin and her PR strategy. Greg Sargent, Ben Smith and Matt Gertz double-check Palin’s claim (made on Facebook) that her infamous “death panel” post was a “metaphor” for how health care would be denied to the old or infirm. In the original post, it was pretty clear that Palin was talking about end-of-life counseling, not rationing. Obama himself acknowledged at an August 11 townhall that the "underlying argument" made by Palin was that his health care bill would "mean rationing of care":

Sometimes in life there are just no words available to explain certain events, certain people or certain emotions. That is how I felt this week when I saw President Barack Obama make the comments shown in the video below. He incredulously states the following: “We can’t continue to spend as if deficits don’t have consequences, as if waste doesn’t matter, as if the hard-earned tax dollars of the American people can be treated like Monopoly money.” Since I cannot fully express my outrage at perhaps the most hypocritical words ever uttered by a president of this great nation, I will...

Wither Sovereignty http://threatswatch.org/analysis/2009/12/wither-sovereignty/ Executive Order Amended to Immunize INTERPOL In America - Is The ICC Next? By Steve Schippert, Clyde Middleton | December 23, 2009 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.

Early this Christmas Eve morning, the Senate held its vote for final passage of H.R. 3590, the $2.5 trillion government takeover of the health care industry.  Democrats passed the bill on a 60-39  straight party-line vote.  And it’s still not a sure thing that the bill will ever become law. The bill still must pass the House unchanged by a Motion to Concur or must go to conference for an agreement between the House and Senate Democrats (they’ve excluded Republican leadership from every negotiation so far in this Congress).  Any conference report produced by backroom deals in conference would still...

Goodness, what an absurd year it has been! And it’s been an even tougher year to rate news-wise. Below, I humbly offer my choices for the top stories of the year. The choices are based on a number of things… most were inspired by actual events, some by friends with unique perspectives, and one is from a viral e-mail we’ve probably all received by now. They are listed in ascending order of importance in terms of their impact to our American way of life. And I reserve the right to ridicule where appropriate.

The Senate vote on final passage of health reform almost scuttled their plans, but it looks like the First Family will still make it to Hawaii for Christmas. They've had a whirlwind holiday season so far, starting with the lighting of the National Christmas Tree, through hosting more than 50,000 people for 27 parties and open houses, and ending with a visit by the First Lady, Malia and Sasha, and the family's dog Bo, to deliver cookies to the Children's National Medical Center. The Obamas have also started their own holiday traditions in their new home, adding a Christmas wishing...

Apparently not content with his congressional majority that wishes to force Americans on a long march to healthcare disaster, President Obama has invoked the name of Jesus to broadcast his gospel of spreading the wealth around. Speaking Monday afternoon to a group of children from the Washington, D.C., Boys and Girls Club, the president delivered a mini sermon on “why we celebrate Christmas.” He asked the children if they knew. One piped up and said, “The birth of baby Jesus.” One can imagine the reaction of the media and other elites had a Republican president asked such a question. That...

At what should be the happiest, most wonderfully magical time of the year, a great evil has gripped the nation. The most corrupt Congress in our nation’s history in lockstep with the most corrupt and evil man to ever step foot in the Oval Office are committing acts that amount to no less than treason. As we wrote earlier, in a piece entitled Death of the Republic, some serious maneuvering by Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid slipped some language into the already grossly unconstitutional Obamacare fiasco that would prohibit future Congresses from making changes or repealing key measures of this...

Over the past few weeks I have posted additional material concerning the COLB forgery. I have posted one minor piece a bit off key to keep him off track. But I had a reason for this. While he has been chasing his tail, I have been distributing material and statements to lawyers and other people. As mentioned in my previous post, about this person and what steps I have taken. But as they say on tv “But wait there’s more” Here is the Christmas present to all of ObamaLand...

Guy goes into a bar, there's a robot bartender. The robot says, "What will you have?" The guy says, "Martini." The robot brings back the best martini ever and says to the man, "What's your IQ?" The guy says, "168". The robot then proceeds to talk about physics, space exploration and medical technology. The guy leaves, but he is curious, so he goes back into the bar. The robot bartender says," What will you have?" The guy says, "Martini". Again, the robot makes a great martini, gives it to the man and says, "What's your IQ?" The guy says, "100."...