Free Republic

Ah, the religion of peace Note: the (totally broke) US has given Pakistan  (who hate us and hid Bin Laden) BILLIONS in aid ...

Imagine discovering that your police force, funded through local taxes, has begun diverting patrols to a neighboring town instead of protecting your own. Most people would be up in arms, and rightfully so. A similar impulse informs Ron Paul’s foreign policy. He claims our military is off adventuring outside its jurisdiction. It is a message which appeals to a loyal base of supporters who believe that America’s military ought to respond to direct threats against American lives, rather than police the rest of the world. There is a legitimate argument for refocusing our military, but not as Ron Paul and...

Oh those wily jihadists, they must have had their fingers crossed. Earlier this month we reported on the release of high-ranking Taliban officials in exchange for a promise to start peace negotiations: This must be Winning The Future and can therefore be filed under WTF?! The Guardian is reporting that the U.S. has agreed to release top-ranking officials from the Taliban in exchange for a promise to start peace negotiations. Never mind that AK-47 behind the purple curtain. I repeat - The Obama administration is releasing high-level terrorists caught on the battlefield, in exchange for a promise. Shockingly - at...

If there are no easy answers or good choices about what America should do in Afghanistan/Pakistan, what are the most promising and prudent complex answers and the best bad choices? I know it's a difficult, disturbing subject, but please take a look at what I am sure you'll agree is a fair and thoughtful discussion about America's involvement in Afghanistan. You'll be far better informed at the end of this video. Darrin talks live with Colonel Tim Kirk in Kabul about Afghanistan and Pakistan's prospects for peace. Ambassador Chris Alexander's illuminating new book The Long Way Back is distilled.

“Look, the Taliban, per se, is not our enemy.” - VP Joe Biden December 2011 Two weeks ago the White House told us that the Taliban was not our enemy. Iran Press TV reported that nine missiles were launched in the attack on Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. There were initial reports of several casualties. UPDATE: Press TV has more on the attack: The U.S. Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan came under 2 missile attacks on Saturday, as the American soldiers were celebrating the New Year’s Eve. Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they have fired 9...

The Ariel University Center of Samaria held a special conference on Monday, entitled “Best Plans for a Peaceful Israel/Palestine” conference. The conference, the second of its kind, featured three Israeli and three Arab speakers, each of whom presented his idea for a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The event was attended by students at the Ariel University Center, some of whom are Orthodox Jews, but also by some Israeli-Arab students and Palestinian Authority Arabs from the PA-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria. This made the conference even more significant, since Ariel is considered by the PA a “settlement” built on...

PA reportedly submits new Quartet offer to restart negotiations, demand Israel releases 100 Palestinian prisoners; Israel rejects offer fearing renewal of only low-grade talks. The Palestinian leadership submitted a proposal to renew peace talks with with Israel that drops their long-standing demand that Israel ceases all West Bank settlement construction, a top Israeli official said on Wednesday. According to officials with knowledge of the proposal, the Palestinian Authority informed the Quartet two weeks ago that it would renege on its demand for a settlement freeze if Israel releases 100 prisoners as a show of good will.

Sean Hannity's use this week of President Reagan's Christmas Message may have noted the stark difference between the content of that message with those of last year and this year.The contrast we may not have been able to draw, however, is the contrast between the current President's messages and the words and celebrations of Presidents throughout the past 200 years.Without reviewing them all, however, and especially for young people who may visit FR, may I suggest that visitors here also visit the web site of Wallbuilders.com where such information has been collected and referenced. Democrats and others who may think...

The PA announced today that it is abandoning swaps and negotiations. That means it has formally abandon Oslo and the Roadmap both of which require negotiations. We are back to Res 242. Khalid also admitted the PA has no interest in reaching a bilateral agreement with Israel - that is, peace - and plans to continue on its current unilateral track. By Ted Belman The Palestinian/Israeli conflict has entered a new era. Since the UNSC passed Res 242, it had been focused on the “peace process,” which included the Madrid Conference, the Oslo Accords, The Roadmap, Annapolis and finally Obama’s...

Media, "experts," and governments finds it very hard to understand an amazing phenomena. No matter what they offer to the Palestinian Authority (PA)--even if it includes money, concessions, and steps toward statehood--the PA says "no." I wouldn't even bother to write this since the answer seems so simple but a lot of people who are paid to deal with this stuff don't get it. So let me elucidate: The PA wants everything, an independent state on all the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem with no restrictions, no recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, no serious security guarantees,...

OKLAHOMA CITY – Protesters, activists and the simply curious were few and far between midday Saturday when the Occupy OKC “public pep rally” was held in Kerr Park, as part of what has grown to be a week-long “occupation" of the downtown Oklahoma City park. The moderator of the event encouraged all of the folks in the park - whose rallying cry was “We are the 99 percent” and were following the lead of Occupy Wall Street in New York - to gather around the oval by the Kerr Park fountain and amphitheatre and share with the rest of the...

This virulent nest of world liberals, is formed of increasingly rabid Judeophobes who see nothing wrong in the mishandling and abuse of a whole people. Liberals are notorious for claiming to be supporters of victims of tyranny, and portray themselves as the defenders of liberal values of freedom, tolerance and human rights. But all stops at the facade. ...They are intolerant, abusive,..The United Nations resolutions that concern -condemn- Israel, are abundant. For instance, their Human Rights Council has passed more resolutions condemning Israel than it has all other states combined. As recently as March 2011, the UN Human Rights Council...

About five years ago, I was invited by the Hoover Institution to lecture at Stanford University over the course of a week. Coincidentally, Israel's Independence Day fell during that week, so I was invited to speak at the celebration held by pro-Israel students. In my talk, I noted that the crux of the problem in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was that most Palestinians wanted Israel to cease to exist. After my talk, a woman walked over to me and introduced herself as a peace activist. She told me that she could not agree with me because Palestinians, in her view, were...

The UN showdown, President Obama's steadfast support of Israel, and PM Netanyahu's '"Straightforward" speech at the 'Theature of Absurd'. Our Guest is Queens Assemblyman Rory Lancman - A staunch vocal support of Israel and a leading voice in the fight against Militant Islam terrorism.

In preparation for 'peaceful coexistence' with Israel, and in honor of Ramadamadan 'Palestinian Authority' Television's Best Mothers program visits the mother of a suicide terrorist. On occasion of the Ramadan, PA TV has launched a new program called The Best Mothers. Every day, the edited 10-minute program shows a different Palestinian mother in her home, talking about her children. Last week, PA TV chose to visit the mother of Darin Abu Aisheh, a suicide bomber who blew herself up at a roadblock in 2002, wounding three Israelis. Let's go to the videotape.

Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas is in Europe this week seeking to convince the Spanish and Norwegian governments to support the Palestinian bid to sidestep negotiations with Israel and have the UN General Assembly recognize Palestinian sovereignty over Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem in addition to Gaza. The Palestinians know that without US support, their initiative will fail to gain Security Council support and therefore have no legal weight. But they believe that if they push hard enough, Israel's control over these areas will eventually unravel and they will gain control over them without ever accepting Israel's right to exist. Fatah's UN...

SYDNEY, Australia (JTA) -- The awarding of a peace prize to the American Jewish intellectual Noam Chomsky, a strident critic of Israel and of American foreign policy, is drawing criticism in Australia. The citation for this year’s Sydney Peace Prize, announced Wednesday, says that Chomsky was chosen “for inspiring the convictions of millions about a common humanity and for unfailing moral courage.” “The choice of Noam Chomsky continues a pattern of Sydney Peace Prize recipients who have demonstrated questionable credentials as legitimate peace-makers,” said Vic Alhadeff, chief executive of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies. “It does nothing...

In a recent major speech at the State Department, President Obama, addressing the ‘democratic’ revolution in the Middle East and North Africa and predictably Israel became the main point of attention again. Obama, like many of his predecessors (Carter, both presidents Bush, Clinton) has made another attempt to resurrect the peace process between Israel and so-called Palestinians. During his recent speech, addressing the Middle-East North African issues, President Obama stated: “The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps” Even before the speech, Obama knew that it is not an acceptable proposition...

America: land of the free, home of the brave — and peaceful? Don’t bet on it. China, Senegal, Egypt, Cuba and Indonesia are among the many nations ranked more peaceful than the U.S. according to the fifth annual Global Peace Index, which ranked 153 nations according to a set of 23 strict criteria that includes ongoing domestic and international conflict, societal security and militarization. The U.S. ranks 82nd on the list, right behind Gabon, and just before Bangladesh.

The signing of the Hamas Fatah unity deal in Cairo is a setback for peace and an advancement for terror, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told reporters in London on Wednesday. “What happened today in Cairo is a tremendous blow to peace and a great victory for terrorism,” Netanyahu said. “Three days ago terrorism was dealt a resounding defeat with the elimination of Osama Bin Laden. Today in Cairo it had a victory,” said Netanyahu. He charged that in signing this deal, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had “embraced” an organization that had condemned American action against Bin Laden, who it...

The Vatican has said that it hopes Osama bin Laden’s death will lead to the growth of peace and not hatred. Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said in a statement that the al-Qaida leader held the “gravest responsibility for spreading hatred and division among people, causing the deaths of countless people, and exploiting religion for this purpose.” He suggested, however, that his death was not an occasion for rejoicing but rather one for reflecting on man’s responsibilities. “Faced with the death of a man, a Christian does not rejoice in anything, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before...

A leading nationalist has filed a criminal complaint against Peace Now leader Yariv Oppenheimer for giving U.S. embassy officials in Washington information with the intention of “damaging the country.” The alleged crimes are punishable by life in prison or even death. “I hope that American pressure on the government of Israel will bring about an implementation” of orders against a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria, he said in a document revealed last week by WikiLeaks. Itzik Shadmi, head of the Binyamin Region Residents’ Committee, said, “Peace Now for years incites policies against Israel in order to weaken the communities...

A Manhattan hearing on homeland security exploded yesterday after an Arab-American activist testified that she was taught as a youngster to "hate Jews" and "hate America" ... "Check what's going on -- it's not a secret," Nonine Darwish, president of Former Muslims United, said....

An organization called the Institute for Economics and Peace has crunched some numbers and some up with the U.S. Peace Index, a ranking of the most peaceful states in America. Minnesota comes in at No. 4. Maine came out on top overall. Louisiana, on the other and, ranked dead last.

Peace also has become a budget consideration. The research contends that the “absence of violence” can reap economic benefits. A more peaceful U.S. could save $361 billion a year while the “release of trapped productivity through the abatement of violence” would generate an additional 2.7 million jobs. “Violence creates costs for both business and government, it also reduces productivity, which if unleashed will create additional economic growth,” the index said, citing, among other things, “growing incarceration” as a particular drag on the economy.

A week ago Bassam Ali Qa'id, 26, was loyal to Yemen's hated President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and part of a state security machine which has shot at, tear-gassed and beaten democracy protesters.

Peace according to Bill Ayersby Thomas P. Healy March 23, 2011 Educator, author and Vietnam-era activist Bill Ayers is scheduled to give a talk at the seventh annual Midwest Peace & Justice Summit on March 26. He'll deliver the keynote address, titled "Organizing for Social Justice in Troubled Times." **SNIP** NUVO: How has the growth of the right-wing echo chamber to counter the so-called liberal media influenced efforts to create a culture of peace? Ayers: It is troubling to hear all of the right-wing propaganda and see the way it feeds on itself, and also the way The New York...

Bolivian President Evo Morales has called for US President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize to be revoked following his decision to attack Libya. 'Two years ago we heard that President Barack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize, but is he defending peace in the world now, or isn't he instead fomenting violence?' Morales told reporters, days after Obama ordered the bombing of Libya military targets as part of an UN-approved effort to protect civilians.

I HAVE been exposed to Palestinians since I was in first grade in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia They were my favorite teachers. They were the most dedicated and the most intelligent among all my instructors, from elementary to high school. When I was attending New York-based SUNY Maritime college (1975-1979), I read a lot of books about Palestinians, Arabs and the Israelis. I have read every article about the many chances the Palestinians had and missed to solve their problem, especially the Camp David agreement between Egypt and Israel. I have seen and read about the lives of the Palestinians in...

Esther 7 1So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, ‘What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.’ 3Then Queen Esther answered, ‘If I have won your favour, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me—that is my petition—and the lives of my people—that is my request. 4For we have been sold, I and my people,...

Kucinich: If Resentment Grows, Peace Will be DelayedInvestigatory Hearings of Muslim Population a Step in the Wrong Direction Washington, Mar 11 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement regarding the Committee on Homeland Security hearing titled “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response.” “In the nine years since the dreadful attacks on September 11th, America has sought to reconcile differences among ourselves and with the world. We have sought friendship with Muslim and Arab communities. President Obama, at the beginning of his term, traveled to the Middle East, underscoring the importance...

In the heyday of the Oslo peacemaking era, it would be the work of American diplomats to prevent Israeli outrage over the horrific murders Friday evening of five civilians -- including three children -- in the West Bank settlement of Itamar from undermining the "peace process." But today there is little peace process to protect. With the exception of three weeks in September 2010, there have been no negotiations between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority during the entire Obama administration. Indeed, there has been less peace diplomacy between Arabs and Israelis in the current administration than during...

Very lightly reported in the principal media, several heroes of Palestine “broke into the house of Udi and Ruth Fogel (36 and 35 years old, respectively), and stabbed them to death along with their 3-month-old daughter, Hadas, and two sons, Elad (3 years old) and Yoav (11).” YouTube promptly removed a video – not of the actual murders (there apparently was none to remove) but showing still photos of the dead Israelis. As all left thinking people know, YouTube did the right thing. The many heroes of Palestine have for too long been disparaged in the media.  While these heroes’...

Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu will present a new Mideast peace initiative at the AIPAC convention in May in the US. A senior diplomatic source in Jerusalem said the plan focuses on the recognition of a Palestinian state within temporary borders and security arrangements for Israel. The source said the plan offers the easing of restrictions on the Palestinians but with an emphasis on Israel's intention to continue construction in the large settlement blocks and in Jerusalem. Sources in Jerusalem say that Israel has indicated to the quartet that regarding the peace process with the Palestinians, it prefers the Jerusalem Washington...

US President Obama this week called on Jewish leaders to speak to their colleagues in Israel and to “search your souls” over Israel's seriousness about making peace, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported Wednesday.

.....Just a few years ago the United States was genuinely feared on the world stage, and dictatorial regimes, strategic adversaries and state sponsors of terror treaded carefully in the face of the world’s most powerful nation. Now Washington appears weak, rudderless and frequently confused in its approach. From Tehran to Tripoli, the Obama administration has been pathetically slow to lead, and afraid to condemn acts of state-sponsored repression and violence. When protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against the Islamist dictatorship in Iran in 2009, the brutal repression that greeted them was hardly a blip on Barack Obama’s teleprompter...

ou often hear it said that, "Islam means peace." This comes not just from Muslims, but from our own politicians. George W. Bush said that Islam is a, "Religion of Peace." You hear that Islam is a faith which should be respected, and the US has gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid offending Muslim sensibilities in the Iraq and Afghanistan. We also hear over and over that Muslim terrorists have "hijacked" or "misunderstood" their religion. Only a tiny portion of Muslims are terrorists, so they must just be a loony fringe. Any group that contains over a billion people is...

For 33 years the Camp David accords between Egypt and Israel were used as proof that negotiated accords could and would bring peace in the Middle East. But the peace accords could not outlast Sadat and his VP Mubarak. With Sadat assassinated by the Muslim Brotherhood, and Mubarak driven out by a Brotherhood-Leftist alliance, the peace accords have proven themselves to be every bit as useless as the critics said they were. Ayman Nour, one of the leading liberal opposition politicians, has declared that the Camp David accords are over, and might be preserved only if Israel agrees to end...

You might not have ever heard of this group, but you will recognize the names in this article. I know Glenn Beck has mentioned this, and indeed it is true, Socialists are working with people with ties to the Islamic Brotherhood and others. Power mongering makes for strange bedfellows, but in the name of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" I suppose it fits. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP (ICG) 149 Avenue Louise Level 24 B-1050 Brussels Belgium Phone :+32-2-502 90 38 URL: http://www.crisisgroup.org/ NGO that seeks to avert and resolve deadly conflicts around the world Many of its...

Mohamed ElBaradei, one of the key leaders of Egypt's protest movement, has brought his country's peace treaty with Israel into doubt in an interview with Der Spiegel. From the Der Spiegel Interview: SPIEGEL: Are you now saying that a government that included participation by the Muslim Brotherhood would continue on with Mubarak's policies toward Israel? ElBaradei: No. Something the Israelis also need to grasp is that it's impossible to make peace with a single man. At the moment, they have a peace treaty with Mubarak, but not one with the Egyptian people. The Israelis should understand that it is in...

When then-Sen. Barack Obama made a short video for the "peace caucus" delegates to the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, he captured the enthusiastic support of his party's pacifist wing. It was enough to propel him to the Democratic nomination. Hillary Clinton's ad -- showing a red telephone ringing at 3 a.m. -- only emphasized to party pacifists that Obama was their man. And, of course, leading antiwar figures like George Soros heavily bankrolled MoveOn.org and other liberal media outlets -- all echoing the same pacifist line. Pacifism -- as the name implies -- ought to lead to peace. But it too...

He Gives You Power Today's Scripture " And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…" (Deuteronomy 8:18, NKJ). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria God wants to do something great in and through you! He has promises and blessings in store for you that you haven’t even thought of yet. The Scripture tells us that He gives us power to gain wealth. Wealth is simply having abundance. God wants you to live in abundance so that He can use you to be a blessing to others. When we...

The Palestinian leaks show the Palestinian Authority leadership trying to work their way to the answer that "everybody knows." But the secrecy surrounding the documents -- and the reaction to the leak -- confirms the Israelis' worst fear: The Palestinian population does not, in fact, "know" what "everybody knows." And a Palestinian leadership that did "know" what "everybody knows" is now being reviled by its own population as traitors and sell-outs. What, after all, are the big, shameful concessions contained in the documents? Where are the wounds to Palestinian national pride? • The documents as reported demand Palestinian sovereignty over...

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Jan. 24, 2011 – People say it’s not what life throws at you, but how you handle it, that determines your character. Army Spc. Diego Medina mans the turret as a gunner on a mission in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, Jan. 10, 2011. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ashley N. Avecilla (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. For one soldier on the provincial reconstruction team, that’s the story of his life. Army Spc. Diego Medina -- one of the 40 infantrymen who make up the Massachusetts Army National Guard’s 3rd Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion,...

Largest free swinging bell in the world: Shortly before the Epiphany Mass the clapper of the 24 ton bell -- The "decke Pitter" is the German Peace Bell. Cologne (kath.net/KAP) Shock in the Cologne Cathedral: The bell known as "Decker Pitter" by the locals is silenced. On Thursday morning the clapper with a 3.24 Meter diameter and with a weight of 24 tons, the largest free swinging bell in the world, fell. The cause is still unknown. Possibly there was some material weakening in the structure connecting the clapper to the bell itself. No one was injured as the Cathedral...

The latest Latma satire video takes on none other than the far-left organization Peace Now. The video shows “Yariv Googleheimer”, a take on Peace Now chairman Yariv Oppenheimer, describing what his organization does to make sure that no new Jewish homes are built in Judea and Samaria. Showing with pride some of the areas in which his organization has managed to halt Jewish construction, “Googleheimer” speaks proudly about seeing the hills “so bare, without a single hut or building.”

As one influenced by islam in my childhood, I have seen much good from muslims. In camping outings and regular gatherings of great neighbors and friends, I have been blessed with the joys of their presence and laughter in my life. However the muslims I have known are cultural muslims who like to dance, pull out a bottle of wine, and who would never enter a mosque because something inside of them has an abhorrence to the darkness they have seen in faithful muslim mullahs and imams. The only time they might go into a mosque will be for a...

H.RES.1765 Latest Title: Supporting a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and condemning unilateral measures to declare or recognize a Palestinian state, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] (introduced 12/15/2010) Cosponsors (53) Latest Major Action: 12/15/2010 Passed/agreed to in House. The text of H.RES.1765 has not yet been received from GPO (General Printing Office). They are generally received a day or two after being introduced on the house floor.

After meeting Mubarak in Cairo, US envoy says Washington still aiming for "eventual framework agreement." US Mideast envoy George Mitchell said Wednesday that he intends to pursue "substantive" negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, AFP reported. "In the days ahead our discussions with both sides will be substantive, two way conversations with an eye towards making real progress in the next few months on the key questions of an eventual framework agreement," Mitchell was quoted as saying. The US envoy was speaking in Cairo following talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. He said that US aims to "pursue a framework...

The Gaza Strip is doing really well economically and the Hamas regime seems set to go on forever. It's raking in the aid money but every dollar and every project is shaped to ensure that Hamas remains in power, can return to violence in future and...wreck everything again. "There are a slew of products here, and beautiful restaurants. Is this the Gaza we have been hearing about?" asked a Sudanese official arriving there, as quoted by the Palestinian news agency Maan. "Where is the siege? I don't see it in Gaza. I wish Sudan's residents could live under the conditions...