Free Republic

Orthodox Jewry in the United States is "fairly solid" in its opposition to a PLO state in the heartland of Israel - though a slight crack has been noted. For instance, the National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) has urged American political leaders to reconsider its "two-state solution" policy. The NCYI also initiated a grass roots effort aimed at “enlightening” U.S. leaders regarding the dangers of pushing for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. In late 2007, when the future of the Jerusalem appeared to be on the table at the Annapolis talks, a broad coalition of Orthodox organizations wrote...

Opponents of Hugo Chávez today made major gains in legislative elections that could weaken the president's dominant power in Venezuela. The opposition overturned Chávez's two-thirds majority in the national assembly, and claimed to have won most of the popular vote. If confirmed, the result would mark a milestone. The Democratic Unity coalition won at least 60 of 165 seats in the assembly – well short of a majority but enough to end Chávez's ability to appoint judges and other officials and to push through major laws. The opposition said it had won 52% of the popular vote, but that controversial...

Rauf on the Ropes An Islamic community center at Ground Zero seems increasingly unlikely. 13 September 2010 The white flag hasn’t reached the top of the flagpole yet, but Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf all but surrendered on Monday morning in his battle to build a Muslim interfaith community center with a prayer room two blocks from Ground Zero. At an unusual meeting Monday morning at the Council on Foreign Relations in midtown Manhattan, Rauf said that he wanted to find a “solution” to the furious imbroglio over the planned center, which opponents say is inappropriate, insensitive to the memory of...

Ground zero mosque opponents are pounding a “drumbeat of hatred” and ignoring the conservative principles of private property and religious freedom, Texas Rep. Ron Paul says. In an exclusive Newsmax.TV interview, the 2008 GOP presidential hopeful alleged that conservative opponents of the mosque and cultural center two blocks from the World Trade Center site in New York City are blaming all Muslims for the Sept. 11 attacks instead of focusing their ire on al-Qaida, the actual perpetrator. Paul’s stance has placed him at odds with many Republicans, including his son, Kentucky GOP Senate candidate Rand Paul, who voiced his opposition...

When the Landmarks Preservation Commission this week gave the green light for a 13-story mosque blocks away from Ground Zero, Mayor Bloomberg lauded the decision as a testament to New Yorkers' "spirit of openness and acceptance." But, as is increasingly the case on such matters, Bloomberg seems largely to have been speaking for himself. Recent poll results certainly suggest that New Yorkers aren't feeling particularly accepting of the undertaking. It's hard to blame them. According to a Siena Research Institute survey released yesterday, 56 percent of city residents -- and 61 percent of respondents statewide -- oppose construction of the...

NAIROBI (AFP) – A Rwandan journalist who accused the regime of attempting to assassinate a dissident general in Johannesburg was gunned down in Kigali, police said Friday, fuelling tensions ahead of August elections. Jean-Leonard Rugambage's colleagues and media watchdog Reporters Without Borders alleged Thursday's killing was linked to reports alleging the involvement of President Paul Kagame's services in the assassination bid. "He was killed in front of his house when he was going home at 10 pm last night," police spokesman Eric Kayiranga told AFP by telephone, adding that the "unknown gunman" responsible for the attack had fled. Rugambage ran...

Last week, Iran's opposition leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi canceled anti-government demonstrations timed to commemorate the anniversary of last year's disputed presidential election. Secretary of the State Hillary Clinton called the cancellation "regrettable," but missed the larger point. The reform these two men offer is not what the majority of Iranians want: They want an end to the current Islamic regime. One year ago, the Obama administration missed an opportunity to support Iran's uprising. They mistakenly calculated that back-door negotiations with Iran's clerics and promises made by its rulers would bring cooperation on the nuclear issue. The Americans were...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials euthanized a 60-pound female black bear Thursday afternoon that attacked a hiker and ended up becoming an Internet cause celebre. Wildlife biologists determined the young bear that park rangers captured May 13 bit the foot of an unidentified man who got too close with a camera as he was hiking along the popular Laurel Falls Trail the day before. Park spokeswoman Nancy Gray said park policy dictates that all animals who attack humans must be euthanized. The bear was put down "in a humane manner," according to a National Park Service news release Thursday.

Democrats and their media allies are counting on voters forgetting the intensity of their opposition to ObamaCare and other elements of the state takeover of parts of American life formerly safely in private hands. "Six months is an eternity in politics," goes the mantra they chant to reassure themselves that retribution at the polls will not be so terribly bad for them, because, after all, the common folk are pretty stupid and unable to carry an idea for very long. Dr. Chris Link disagrees. Laughter is a potent remedy to forgetfulness. He has produced, with his family, a charming video...

Remember when the Left proudly create their weapon of personal and political destruction: "Borking?" They successfully opposed the nomination of Judge Robert Bork by throwing out every wild and unfounded allegation they could at Judge Bork in hopes that some of them would stick. They gave no consideration to the truth of the charges, the charge was simply made to create a perception of Mr. Bork that would damage his chances of being elevated to the Supreme Court. When President Reagan withdrew the nomination, the Left strode to the microphones to proudly proclaim that they had created a new form...

Washington (CNN) -- Five more House Democrats said Tuesday that they will vote against Senate health care legislation, which puts opponents of reform just 11 votes shy of the 216 needed to prevent President Obama from scoring a major victory on his top domestic priority. An ongoing CNN analysis shows that opposition in the House to the Senate health care plan has reached 205 members. A total of 27 House Democrats, including nine who supported the House plan in November, have indicated that they would join a unified Republican caucus in opposing the Senate plan, which passed in that chamber...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama vowed Saturday to salvage his health reform drive and crusade for change despite a "blizzard" of opposition, as he left a snow-buried White House to rally wavering Democrats. Obama motorcaded through deserted Washington streets during a historic winter storm to fire up a party rocked by panic and disaffection after the president's reform drive hit a roadblock ahead of mid-term polls in November. "(It's) good to be among friends. So committed to the future of this party and this country ... a blizzard ... Snowmageddon here in DC!" Obama told Democratic National Committee members...

As the Democratic party tries to conjure up new procedural monkey-business to ram Obamacare down our throats should Scott Brown be declared winner of today's Special Massachusetts Election, Rasmussen is reporting that support of the Democratic plan is at an all time low. The latest Rasmussen poll on the Democratic party initiative reports that just 38% of voters nationwide favor Obamacare, a tie for the lowest level ever . Fifty-six percent 56% of voters oppose the plan. As has been the case throughout the debate, those who feel strongly about the issue are more likely to be opposed. Just 18%...

An Iranian nuclear physics professor has been killed in a bomb attack in the capital Tehran, Iranian media say. They say that Masoud Mohammadi died after a remotely controlled bomb exploded near his home. Iranian media describe him as a "devoted revolutionary professor" killed by "anti-revolutionary" groups. It comes at a time of heightened tension in Iran, following June's disputed presidential election and mass protests against the government. Prof Mohammadi of Tehran University "was killed in a booby-trapped motorbike blast" in the city's northern Qeytariyeh district, Press TV said. It showed pictures from the scene of the blast, saying windows...

Voter Attitudes Towards Health Care Plan Harden - 58% Opposed Wednesday, December 30, 2009 Many have questioned whether those who favor or oppose the health care plan in Congress really know what’s in it. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey suggests that they have a decent understanding of the bill and that voter attitudes towards the legislation have hardened. While several individual components of the plan are popular, reminding voters of what’s included in the plan has virtually no impact on support for the overall legislation. This suggests that there are not major surprises in the legislation that will...

A Less Than Opaque Look At Mel Watt's Motivations To Kill The "Audit The Fed" Bill /snip The Tom Woods' congressional testimony last week Friday in favor of the 'Audit the Fed' bill had two very curious turns, he set off extremely hostile questioning from two congressmen, by the hearings Committee Chair Barney Frank and Representative Mel Watt. Every other Congressman that questioned Woods, and Fed General Counsel Alvarez, was seemingly concerned about where the money the Fed is printing is actually going. But not Frank and Watt. I discussed Frank's hostility, here. Watt was even more hostile. It looked...

"It ain't over till it's over," said the philosopher Yogi Berra. As every sports fan knows, momentum can change in a hurry. The opponent can make a costly mistake that opens the door, a key play can give your team the edge, or you may simply catch a lucky break that changes the course of the game. In what has become the defining issue of the moment, President Obama and the Democrats are attempting to paint passage of ObamaCare as inevitable, and survey ratings that many Americans expect some form of ObamaCare to pass. There are many hurdles to be...

"Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." - George Orwell President Obama has been agitating for the authority to criminalize political opponents since he took office. First there was the raft of DHS reports profiling conservatives as terrorists. Then came the push for a new fairness doctrine, subsequently refined to be achieved in diversity regulations to be imposed on local radio stations. Following these attacks on free speech was the much debated hate crimes legislation, considered by many to be a back-door path to silencing critics of the administration. But, while dangerous to...

"Thousands of people have gathered at a mosque in Guinea's capital, Conakry, to identify those killed in Monday's opposition rally against military rule ... Soldiers used live rounds against huge crowds of protesters on Monday ... Eyewitnesses have told human rights groups of soldiers raping women in the streets during the crackdown ..."

Here we go again. We've seen this scenario many times before: 1. Politicians propose legislation sure to cost the productive classes billions more of their money; 2. Seeing little benefit from the proposal, citizens show their anger in opposition to it; 3. With help from the legacy media, controversy and confusion ensue among the public; 4. Politicians create focus groups and polls to identify opportunities for "clarification" of the plan; 5. Highlighting obscure details as solutions to real problems and vilifying those who oppose them, supporters spin their message through every available media outlet; 6. The public grows weary of...