http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/philosophy-news/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 01:41:09 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286223/posts Of all the reactions to Sarah Palin's Friday morning press conference, the most common by far is bafflement followed by gentle and not-so-gentle mockery. Those who've long since deemed Palin a criminally incompetent Lady Macbeth were delighted to see her crash and burn. Sensing some kind of ulterior motive, one emerging narrative is that she is abandoning ship before some messy ethics violation is revealed in an effort to preserve her 2012 presidential viability. One outlandish theory I've toyed with is that she intends to build a new life as an evangelical super-celebrity, the tough-but-loving mother of a large Christian... Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286223/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 01:41:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285760/posts The first Independence Day rolled unevenly across the country, prompting spontaneous celebrations and demonstrations. Today, of course, legislation is available for viewing throughout the process. But these days, one can hardly imagine a public declaration of the massive bills that govern our lives. Even Congress and the president can't be bothered to read them. The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285760/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 04:45:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285759/posts John Adans: Yesterday, the greatest question was decided which ever was debated in America; and a greater perhaps never was, nor will be, decided among men. A resolution was passed without one dissenting colony, "that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States." ... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285759/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 04:41:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285714/posts Dear Sarah, Please forgive my presumption in writing you, but since no one else seems willing or capable of saying these things, which I think sorely need saying, and since they concern you, and what this country is all about, namely: freedom, individuality, and character, I've taken this liberty and beg your indulgence. I'm somewhat appalled by all those who publicly and privately have presumed to know what prompted your decision to step down as Governor of the State of Alaska, and even more appalled by those who presume to tell you what you now ought, or even must do.... Independent Individualist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285714/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 01:40:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285650/posts Next time someone tells you intelligent design is “based on religion,” you might point him to American Founder Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. As I explain in a special July 4th edition of ID the Future, Jefferson not only believed in intelligent design, he insisted it was based on the plain evidence of nature, not religion. Ironically, the critics of intelligent design often think they are defending the principles of Jefferson. The National Council for the Social Studies, for example, claims that intelligent design is religion and then cites Jefferson’s famous Letter to the Danbury Baptists calling... Discovery Institue http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285650/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 22:39:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285520/posts 9 women, 4 children injured by rampage Muslims apparently angered because a Christian man driving a tractor reportedly tried to pass a Muslim on a motorcycle have rampaged in one village in Pakistan, destroying Christians' homes and throwing acid on women and children as they fled, according to a new report from Barnabas Aid. The ministry reported that the violence this week happened in the village of Bahmani Walla in Punjab state in Pakistan, which is dominated by Islamic influences. WorldNetDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285520/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:35:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285491/posts Hi, A MUST SEE And Listen To VIDEO For This 4th of July 2009: GREAT VIDEO TO WATCH FOR THIS 4th OF July 2009 Peace! Dan Iraqs Inconvenient Truth :: Iraq War News Updates9 You Tube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285491/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 16:58:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285425/posts My childhood friend of 31 years visited my home on base, in Quantico, a few months after I gave birth to my first baby. As we took a leisurely stroll one evening through the lingering humidity of early September, I explained to her how different military life is from the world in which we grew up in San Francisco. We passed rows of colorful houses on the tree-lined, manicured blocks and gazed at the playgrounds around the neighborhood, ready to welcome the children of the officers who live there. American flags hung from virtually every front door. The occasional "My... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285425/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 14:41:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285418/posts Part III: A is AChapter V: Their Brothers’ Keepers SynopsisIn California a copper wire breaks on a Taggart phone line. The last replacement wire has been sold to black marketeers with government connections, and no one will report anything because of possible repercussions from those with pull. An employee calls Dagny in New York to report the break, and Dagny asks Eddie to have their Montana people ship copper wire to California. Jim says cryptically that there soon won’t be any problems with copper. Jim complains about an uncoordinated transportation policy. Dagny judges that the Rail Unification Plan has failed,... A Publius Essay http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285418/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 14:26:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285354/posts Photo courtesy of Oleg Volk) Two recent stories serve as reminders that while it’s great when the “good guys” win, there still can be a personal price to pay. Sugar Land, Texas – Working the night-shift as a computer technician paid off when James Arther awoke to his dog barking around noon. Alarmed by the barking, he retrieved his 9mm handgun just in case: "I opened my bedroom door and saw the guy," said James. "It looked like he was running towards me with a weapon like a screwdriver and I was scared." Arther shot the intruder once in the... Austin Gun Rights Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285354/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 11:50:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285350/posts ROME (AFP) — US President Barack Obama said in an interview published Friday he thought Pope Benedict XVI would "share my approach" on policy in the Middle East.Obama, who is due to meet the pope on July 10, told Catholic Italian newspaper Avvenire he was keen to discuss the situation in the Middle East with the head of the Roman Catholic Church."It is a subject I am keen to discuss with the pope, I think he will share my approach," said Obama, who will meet the pope after the G8 summit in the central Italian town of L'Aquila.Obama has made... afp http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285350/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 11:42:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285318/posts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0wr8egTnYw Youtube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285318/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 09:30:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285289/posts My father, Rush H. Limbaugh, Jr., delivered this oft-requested address locally a number of times, but it had never before appeared in print until it appeared in The Limbaugh Letter. My dad was renowned for his oratory skills and for his original mind; this speech is, I think, a superb demonstration of both. I will always be grateful to him for instilling in me a passion for the ideas and lives of America's Founders, as well as a deep appreciation for the inspirational power of words which you will see evidenced here: "Our Lives, Our Fortunes, Our Sacred Honor"... Rushlimbaugh.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285289/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 06:04:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285211/posts What happens when you put a Muslim imam, a Christian priest, a rabbi and a Buddhist monk in a room with 10 atheists? Turkish television station Kanal T hopes the answer is a ratings success as it prepares to launch a gameshow where spiritual guides from the four faiths will seek to convert a group of non-believers. The prize for converts will be a pilgrimage to a holy site of their chosen religion -- Mecca for Muslims, the Vatican for Christians, Jerusalem for Jews and Tibet for Buddhists. ...secular Turkey are not amused by the twist on the popular reality... Reuters.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285211/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 01:38:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285085/posts With 82% of Morocco's Imams lacking formal training, a new qualification programme aims to provide better religious guidance to the Moroccan people and to counter extremism. Nearly 45,000 imams will undergo training under a new programme launched by the government on June 26th, part of a larger plan to reform religious affairs in the kingdom. In 2004, the first religious affairs reform plan led to an overhaul of the Islamic affairs ministry, revision of the legislation on places of worship, and the modernisation of religious instruction in Morocco. Ahmed Toufik, Minister for Islamic Affairs and Habous, explained that the 200... Magharebia http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285085/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 21:37:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285005/posts “Last week, four Southern Baptists were arrested for plotting to blow up St Patrick’s Cathedral. The men, who became born-again Christians in prison, wanted to kill and terrorize Catholics.” If that was the opening paragraph in a newspaper story you were reading, your gut reaction would be – huh? Baptists don’t do things like that in the name of their faith. Neither do Catholics, Presbyterians, Seventh Day Adventists or Mormons. But when we read the headline in a May 21st New York Times’ story -- “4 Accused of Bombing Plot at Bronx Synagogues” -- it was ho-hum stuff. It wasn’t... Don Feder.Com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285005/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 19:10:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284955/posts Despite this fact, PETA members go straight to the gutter to attempt to save potential chickens in distress. Like a deranged cult group, the young and impressionable (almost exclusively female) are recruited, stripped, and sent all but naked into the streets to decry the fate of a chicken, bird, rabbit, you name it. In what should enrage the feminist groups around the globe, PETA objectifies partially nude women in bondage-like 'cage' depictions that reduce women to nothing more than cheap sex objects. In other words, PETA attempts to swap one form of 'meat' with another form of the same. This... The Conscience of Kansas radio program http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284955/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 17:38:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284953/posts I was asked to write a brief history of the Church of the Incarnation, in Highlands. North Carolina, for a local magazine. The piece was intended to be about the building itself, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and was built in 1896. But you cannot research the history of a church without also researching the history of the people who brought that church into being. Of the dozen people who formed the congregation for this church, one was Sarah Whiteside Norton. She was the first non-native American child born in the Highlands area, the daughter of... Special to FreeRepublic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284953/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 17:36:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284948/posts Cardinal Justin Rigali Washington D.C., Jul 2, 2009 / 08:17 pm (CNA).- Pro-lifers and defenders of marriage reacted critically on Tuesday to an Obama administration proposal to use taxpayer funds for abortions in the District of Columbia and to a federal court's denial of a referendum involving same-sex “marriage.”Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia and chair of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a Tuesday letter that no one can support funding abortions in the nation’s capital and still claim to support reducing abortions.“The evidence is overwhelming, and universally recognized by... cna http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284948/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 17:22:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284886/posts A new Zogby poll shows that a majority of Americans support intelligent design. According to the poll, only 33 percent stated that they believe in Darwinian evolution, while 52 percent stated they believe life was guided by intelligent design. Steve Meyer is the director for science and culture at the Discovery Institute. In his new book Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design, Meyers suggests that the digital revolution is fueling the popularity of intelligent design. "In the book I've written, I discuss the evidence of the digital code that's inside life -- the four-character digital... OneNewsNow http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284886/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 15:42:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284687/posts The restoration of frescoes by Michelangelo in the Vatican has revealed what is believed to be a self-portrait of the artist. The face is in a wall mural in the Vatican’s Pauline Chapel or Cappella Paolina, according to Maurizio De Luca, the Vatican’s chief restorer. The chapel, which is used by the Pope and not open to the public, was unveiled this week after a restoration costing €3.2 million (£2.7 million). Professor De Luca said that a figure on horseback in a blue turban in Michelangelo’s The Crucifixion of St Peter was clearly the artist. “This is an extraordinary and... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284687/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 07:55:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284584/posts David Frum has done conservatives a great favor, and we should be thankful. The favor is not that he has written another negative piece about Gov. Palin. No, that's nothing new for Frum, who has been bashing the governor since she stepped up onto the national stage. Frum's gift to conservatives is that in the article, he clearly demonstrates why Vichy Republicans cannot be trusted to act in the GOP's best interests. Referencing Todd Purdum's VF hit piece which has caused such a stir, Frum itemizes Purdum's anti-Palin talking points from the VF smear job, and then he makes this... RedState.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284584/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 02:50:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284540/posts More bad news for Barack Obama. The first major book to be published on his presidency has shot up to the No. 1 spot on The New York Times' bestseller list the very first week of its release. Unlike the fawning media coverage the Obama White House has come to expect, this new best-seller "Catastrophe" paints a deeply negative picture of Obama and his policies. "Catastrophe: How Obama, Congress, and the Special Interests Are Transforming a Slump Into a Crash, Freedom Into Socialism, and a Disaster Into a Catastrophe . . . and How to Fight Back" is authored by... News Max http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284540/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 01:15:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284395/posts First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, along with her mother, Marian Robinson, will join President Obama when he travels to Russia, Italy and Ghana next week. The First Couple will meet with Pope Benedict XVI on July 10 at the Vatican.The White House announced in May that Mrs. Obama would visit Ghana -- and only recently confirmed that she will be with the president for the entire swing. The president will deliver two major speeches during the trip -- in Moscow, on U.S.-Russia relations, and in Accra, before the Ghanaian parliament. Not all details about Mrs. Obama's... Politics Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284395/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 20:39:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284378/posts   MSNBC.com On marriage: Let’s call the whole thing off Author Sandra Tsing Loh is ending her marriage. Is it time you did, too? By Sandra Tsing Loh The Atlantic updated 6:27 a.m. PT, Mon., June 22, 2009 Sadly, and to my horror, I am divorcing. This was a 20-year partnership. My husband is a good man, though he did travel 20 weeks a year for work. I am a 47-year-old woman whose commitment to monogamy, at the very end, came unglued. This turn of events was a surprise. I don’t generally even enjoy men; I had an entirely manageable... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284378/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 20:20:07 GMT