Free Republic

WASHINGTON – The president's top economic advisers are pledging to work with their counterparts around the world to restore confidence and stability to financial markets roiled by tight credit and worries about a global economic slowdown . The President's Working Group on Financial Markets said in a statement Monday it planned to quickly implement the expanded authorities granted to federal regulators by the $700 billion rescue package passed on Friday. The working group was formed after the 1987 stock market crash. The group, which includes Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, said it planned to move...

I just found out late last night that my local public high school is not saying the Pledge of Allegiance at any point during the school day. Is this the norm?? This information came to me via a foreign exchange student we are hosting who is in her senior year of high school at our local public institution. We were talking about her first week of school which commenced 8/27 and she said they have not done the pledge even once yet! She knew what it was, she knows the words - she learned them before coming here. But her...

Don't read their lips when California's Republican lawmakers say 'no new taxes' – they've put it in writing, signed their names, essentially inviting their own party to oust them if they renege. Every GOP lawmaker except Fair Oaks Assemblyman Roger Niello has signed the "Taxpayer Protection Pledge" this year, casting a shadow on budget talks by making any vote to raise taxes a potential career killer. "If you break the pledge, the people who voted for you will say, 'Excuse me, not only did you raise my taxes but you lied to me,' " said Grover Norquist, president of Americans...

Local TV stations in Iowa reporting that Shawn Johnson will be doing the Pledge of Allegiance at the DNC convention. Looking for links to the story.

<p>BEREA, Ohio (AP) - A man who wore press credentials and took photographs from a platform interrupted Barack Obama's town-hall meeting Tuesday by shouting complaints that the Democratic presidential candidate had not called for the audience to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Obama invited the heckler to lead the audience in the pledge, and he did.</p>

Boulder High School students are planning a protest against the Pledge of Allegiance in the courtyard of their school Thursday morning.

Who knew that newbie Democrat congressman Jason Altmire (4th District) and Republican congressman Tim Murphy (18th District) would ever "town hall" together? The reason there are no answers is because there were none to be found. Today Murphy and Altmire sent out a news release announcing that they would host two joint town hall meetings together:

Last Friday, Newsweek released a poll that had Sen. Barack Obama up 15 points over Sen. John McCain. Today, the LA Times along with Bloomberg released their poll showing Obama up, you guessed it, 15 points over the presumptive Republican nominee. The LA Times/Bloomberg polling data shows in a four-way race that Obama is over McCain 48 percent to 33 percent with independent candidates Bob Barr and Ralph Nader holding a combination of 7 percentage points and the rest are undecided. In a two-way race, Obama's lead narrows only slightly to 12 percentage points. University of Virginia political science professor...

Move-On.org is taking a firm stand on a campaign promise that Barack Obama made that said he would filibuster any wiretapping bill that had retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that let the feds listen in on. MoveOn says in the letter “We need him to honor that promise.” The posting urges supporters to tell Obama how they feel by calling his presidential campaign to let him know that “you’re counting on him to keep his word.” Last Friday Obama announced his support for the intelligence surveillance law that is highly unpopular with most left activists; the money, momentum and votes...

Bill and Jill Bill Burton, communications director extraordinaire for the Obama campaign reached out and touched someone today on the McCain campaign: his counterpart, Jill Hazelbaker. Here is the content of the email he sent out to reporters before the McCain conference call: “Jill – hope you’re well. We’d like to add our campaign counsel, Bob Bauer to your conference call with Trevor Potter so that we can arbitrate some of the disagreements that the two of them have over the meeting they recently had. If you can please shoot me the dial-in, Bob is available to join for the...

When he formally announced his presidential candidacy last year, Sen. John McCain was inches away from making an unprecedented pledge: if he were elected, he would serve only one term as president. It could have been an earth-shifting moment for the campaign and the primary. At the time, McCain’s fundraising pace was falling well short of its target and Republicans were not treating McCain as the frontrunner. The idea to serve one term had long been discussed among top advisers, and McCain was on board. A one-term pledge was set to be the central thread of his presidential campaign, and...

Brandt Dahl wasn't exactly aiming for the Student of the Year Award when he refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance last week at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Junior High near Moorhead. But I suspect the eighth-grader may have had a little more swagger in his step after publicly setting school administrators there back on their heels. If Brandt's infraction had been a smart-alecky spitball, his one-day, in-school suspension -- one of four meted out to errant students -- might not have been viewed in some quarters as Dilworth's equivalent of Abu Ghraib. But in recent decades, the slightest school pressure to...

The Human Shield Movement has announced it reached its 10,000th pledge member. The lucky guy to sign on as a Human Shield Volunteer number ten thousand is Steven Morris from Birmingham UK. Morris has pledged to use his body as a “human shield” against an “attack on Iran” from “neo-con” President Bush. Volunteers from 22 countries not from Iran have pledged to travel to the Middle Eastern country at a moment’s notice to place their “human shields” or in simpler terms, their bodies in front of civilian infrastructure in Iran in order to “prevent what they believe would be...

Three small-town eighth-graders were suspended for not standing at the start of the school day Thursday for the Pledge of Allegiance. "My son wasn't being defiant against America," said Kim Dahl, mother of one of the students, Brandt, who attends Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Junior High School in western Minnesota. Brandt told the Fargo Forum that Thursday's one-day in-school suspension, "was kind of dumb because I didn't do anything wrong. It should be the people's choice." Kim Dahl said the "punishment didn't fit the crime. If they wanted to know why he didn't stand, they should've made him write a paper." She said...

SURVEY Do you agree with Edgerton High School's decision to allow the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish? Yes, I agree with the decision. No, the policy should be changed. I'm not sure. I don't care. Other.

"At the mere mention of doing the pledge there were groans and boos. Then, when the district chair put the idea of doing the Pledge of Allegiance up to a vote, it was overwhelmingly voted down. One might more accurately say the idea of pledging allegiance to the flag (of which there was only one in the room, by the way, on some delegate’s hat) was shouted down."

They All Pledge Allegiance, For The School By JOE ELIAS   From left, Andrew Weit, Alex Beitzer and Jared Heisey of the AV Club at Susquenita High School producing a program on the school's closed-circuit TV network. The students recently recruited well-known locals to be filmed reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. (Photo by John C. Whitehead)     DUNCANNON, Pa. — Michael Bruetsch has stopped being surprised every time the word "indivisible" is botched while someone recites the Pledge of Allegiance.Add a video camera, and he almost expects it to happen."If people are going to make a mistake, that's where...

Kim Jong-il in Baffling China Pledge North Korean leader Kim Jong-il caused some head-scratching when he unexpectedly pledged not to break faith with China in a meeting with a high-ranking Chinese official. Kim met Chinese President Hu Jintao’s special envoy Wang Jiarui, the head of the international department at the Central Committee of China’s Communist Party, in Pyongyang on Wednesday. According to China’s Xinhua news agency, Kim said his country “will not betray and break faith with China.” He told the Chinese special envoy that friendship between North Korean and China is a precious asset left by the two countries’...

The New Hampshire Union-Leader has a new term for Granite State voters who gave Hillary Clinton her surprise victory over Barack Obama: suckers. In a scalding editorial, the state's most significant newspaper rips Hillary for breaking a pledge she signed in New Hampshire not to campaign in states that broke the scheduling rules or to seek to have their delegates seated. They bluntly call her a liar: COURTING VOTERS in Iowa and New Hampshire, last August Sen. Hillary Clinton signed a pledge not to "campaign or participate" in the Michigan or Florida Democratic primaries. She participated in both primaries and...

I wrote this pledge about 7 or 8 months ago, and have made it into a video and posted it in a forum for people to sign. It's no Evil Empire Speech, but it solidly embodies what I believe. And what I hope my generation believes(though with our reaction to Obama I have my doubts). Watch the video here:Pledge of a Generation video Sign the pledge here if you wish:Sign the pledge

Mike Huckabee just left the university where I work. He gave a standard stump speech, which seems to be going farther to the right. (Thank you Jim Pinkerton!) However, after the speech Huckabee had a press conference on campus and made some significant news. He signed a "No Amnesty Pledge" from NumbersUSA.

As I watched the speeches of the victors in the Iowa caucuses, I was stunned at how vague the comments of the candidates were. "Unity." "Change." "Hope." "Faith." What do these words mean besides evoking vague memories of films of Der Fuhrer screaming "Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Fuhrer" to wild masses at Nuremberg? Mostly nothing, I suspect. So, from my safe little office in Rancho Mirage, California, I will start to offer some specifics of what government can do to redeem these vague phrases. A pledge that if the candidate is President, he will: Not allow there to be...

From the RPV website: The Republican Party of Virginia State Central Committee yesterday evening passed a motion requesting the Virginia State Board of Elections withdraw the “statement of intent” requirement before participating in the 2008 Republican presidential primary contest. While the committee did request the Virginia State Board of Elections to withdraw the requirement to sign a statement of intent for the 2008 primary, State Central re-emphasized their commitment to closed primaries by passing a resolution supporting party registration in Virginia. “The State Central Committee was very clear about including all Virginia registered voters that share our values and believe...

<p>BOULDER, Colo. — About 50 Boulder High School students walked out of class Thursday to protest the daily reading of the Pledge of Allegiance and recited their own version, omitting "one nation, under God."</p> <p>The students say the phrase violates the constitutional separation of church and state.</p>

Waving signs and American flags, Boulder High School students this morning will stage the first of what could become many Pledge of Allegiance protests in the school courtyard. Members of the activist Student Worker club are inviting their peers to leave class every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. — when the pledge is recited over the intercom — and meet in the courtyard to say a revised version of the pledge that doesn't reference God. Club President Emma Martens, a Boulder High senior who's leading the protest, wrote this new version: "I pledge allegiance to the flag and my constitutional rights...

In the two decades since Americans for Tax Reform began asking candidates to sign a pledge not to raise taxes, no Republican has been nominated for president without doing so. That track record might end in 2008. While all of the top four contenders are talking about the need for low taxes, only former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has signed on the dotted line. The other candidates may feel they have enough stature to avoid signing the pledge. But two things are different about this election that might play into their decision. With the first baby boomers set to retire...

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine - President Bush, using all the trappings of his family's oceanfront estate, worked on a cozier relationship with France and its new president Saturday. Bush welcomed Nicolas Sarkozy, the French leader known for his fast-paced style who may also be this White House's last true chance for better relations between the two nations. "He's bringing a good brain, good vision and goodwill," Bush said from his parents' compound, which juts out like a finger pointing into the Atlantic Ocean. Bush called Sarkozy a friend who could be counted on to speak frankly. "We have had good disagreements —...

Bainbridge Council Still Unpledged to Saying the Pledge By Rachel Pritchett rpritchett@kitsapsun.com BAINBRIDGE ISLAND After being handed a decision on whether the Bainbridge Island City Council would precede meetings by saying the Pledge of Allegiance, the council exercised a bit of freedom — and sent the decision back to Mayor Darlene Kordonowy. Not that the issue is settled just yet. The mayor, in face of e-mail criticism that followed her order to council members to make the call, said she will make a statement at a Wednesday meeting in response. Kordonowy said she'll announce that if the members want...

Please note that Romney, Brownback, and Hunter are not even on this list from last year. Romney only signed after he heard the call of poltical expediency.

Some 500 people from five dozen countries pledged allegiance to the United States and became citizens Wednesday in ceremonies in St. Paul. They'll be joined by thousands of others in Minnesota this year. n Meanwhile, state DFL legislators began pushing a package of bills to make life easier for immigrants. n "This is a good-justice thing," Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, said Wednesday. "It's an American-dream thing." n The proposals call for: • A TAX BREAK: Tax credits for naturalization fees — the money people pay to become citizens — which increase from $400 to $600 this summer. • A...

"What Does The Enemy Think?" Posted by Hugh Hewitt | 8:20 AM My conversation with House Republican Leader John Boehner is posted here. The audio is here. The interview triggered a flood of angry e-mail as the impression grows that Republican leaders are not only not supporting the war, but pretending to do so even as they offer resolutions in both chambers that can only be seen as votes of no confidence in President Bush, Secretary of Defense Gates, General Petraeus and the troops. One exchange with Congressman Boehner: HH: What do you think the enemy thinks about your benchmark...

Hugh Hewitt, a blogger over at Townhall.com, has started a blogospheric campaign against any Republican Senator who votes against President Bush's escalation. As he writes: If the United States Senate passes a resolution, non-binding or otherwise, that criticizes the commitment of additional troops to Iraq that General Petraeus has asked for and that the president has pledged, and if the Senate does so after the testimony of General Petraeus on January 23 that such a resolution will be an encouragement to the enemy, I will not contribute to any Republican senator who voted for the resolution. The NRSC pledge, so...

Take the Pledge. After you have taken the pledge, please call Senator McConnell's office and urge a filibuster of Senator Biden's and Senator Warner's resolutions. Senator McConnell's office number is (202) 224-2541. The capitol switchboard is 202-225-3121. Senator McConnell's e-mail is here. Yesterday General Petraeus testified that the Biden/Warner resolutions and those like them encourage the enemy. What does it mean, "to encourage the enemy?" It means that the enemy gathers will and strength from the prospect of a collapsing political will to seek victory in Iraq and stability in the region. With that additional strength and will the enemy...

PHOENIX -- A Mesa City Council member refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance before a meeting to protest American involvement in what he calls an Iraqi civil war. "If you're not willing to stand up for what you believe, you don't belong in politics," Tom Rawles said. Rawles told Mayor Keno Hawker of his intention before Monday's meeting but surprised the other five council members with an announcement during a study session before the meeting. "Although I love my country and respect our flag, this is my way of protesting America's continuing involvement in the civil war in Iraq,"...

Public education controversies are more common than 100-degree days in the Arizona desert, due to school districts, state departments of education, and now the U.S. Department of Education issuing one-size-fits-all diktats on curriculum and the values that should be taught in public schools. In my home state of Arizona , the latest controversy is over how many years of math should be mandatory in high schools. Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano wants four years instead of the current two, and Republican State Superintendent of Education Tom Horne wants to keep the requirement at two, saying that increasing the years will result...

I, _________________________________, upon signing this document, do hereby swear and affirm under penalty of forfeiture of office and wages, that I shall: 1.) Make no public statement which demeans, denigrates, or defames any active member, unit, or branch of the U.S. armed services, or the military as a whole, except in cases where an individual soldier or group of soldiers has been tried and convicted of committing a criminal offense or offenses.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Student leaders at a California college have touched off a furor by banning the Pledge of Allegiance at their meetings, saying they see no reason to publicly swear loyalty to God and the U.S. government. The move by Orange Coast College student trustees, the latest clash over patriotism and religion in American schools, has infuriated some of their classmates -- prompting one young woman to loudly recite the pledge in front of the board on Wednesday night in defiance of the rule. "America is the one thing I'm passionate about and I can't let them take...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Student leaders at a California college have touched off a furor by banning the Pledge of Allegiance at their meetings, saying they see no reason to publicly swear loyalty to God and the U.S. government. The move by Orange Coast College student trustees, the latest clash over patriotism and religion in American schools, has infuriated some of their classmates -- prompting one young woman to loudly recite the pledge in front of the board on Wednesday night in defiance of the rule. "America is the one thing I'm passionate about and I can't let them take...

I need some help from those of you in pajamas. My husband and I heard on the Roger Hedgecock show the other day that the well-known litigious atheist Michael Newdow has died. Neither of us can find anything on this in any main-stream media outlet and are starting to suspect either another suspicious lack of reporting, or that both of us suffered simultaneous auditory hallucinations. Has anyone encountered any information on this? We are also contacting the show to follow up, but have not yet received a response. This may not be big news, but down here in San Diego...

CONTACT: Will Fine 202-393-1185 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 24, 2006 PLEDGE CALLS ON LAWMAKERS TO OPPOSE PRIVILEDGED WAGE SCALES FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS

The Pledge I’d Like to See Every Political Candidate Take I, ________________________________________, upon signing this document, do hereby swear and affirm under penalty of forfeiture of office and wages, that I shall: 1.) Make no public statement which demeans, denigrates, or defames any active member, unit, or branch of the U.S. armed services, or the military as a whole, except in cases where an individual soldier or group of soldiers has been tried and convicted of committing a criminal offense or offenses.

North Korea 'makes weapon pledge' The US has been monitoring activity at North Korean nuclear sites North Korea has said it plans to increase the amount of plutonium it extracts for use in nuclear weapons, according to a US scholar. Selig Harrison said North Korean officials had told him they would unload nuclear fuel rods from the Yongbyon reactor by the year's end. Mr Harrison said Pyongyang wants "to use Yongbyon as leverage" to get bilateral talks with the US. The US insists the nuclear issue can only be addressed in six-party talks. Pyongyang walked out of multilateral negotiations with...

Did anyone see tonights Hannity & Colmes show about this? I had the sound down, listening to the radio, and only saw the subject line of that segment. Did anyone caught what Texas city this was about?

Bainbridge Island, WA More people on the island are entering the debate about whether the Pledge of Allegiance should be recited at City Council meetings — something that hasn’t been done until recently. The local chamber of commerce, fearing widespread media attention, has sent out an e-mail urging city and chamber leaders to back Old Glory. And Council member Jim Llewellyn, who personally opposes the practice introduced by Councilman Bill Knobloch, doesn’t appear to be backing down. Last week, Llewellyn polled his colleagues via e-mail about whether the Pledge has a place at City Council meetings. He and at least...

On Bainbridge, Reciting Pledge Makes Some Edgy City council finds itself divided and digging in on both sides of the dispute.More people on the island are entering the debate about whether the Pledge of Allegiance should be recited at City Council meetings -- something that hasn't been done until recently. The local chamber of commerce, fearing widespread media attention, has sent out an e-mail urging city and chamber leaders to back Old Glory. And Council member Jim Llewellyn, who personally opposes the practice introduced by Councilman Bill Knobloch, doesn't appear to be backing down. Last week, Llewellyn polled his colleagues...

Israel rejects Syria's arms embargo pledge By Patrick Bishop in Beirut and Tim Butcher in Jerusalem (Filed: 02/09/2006) Israel last night rejected Syria's pledge to Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary general, that it would prevent weapons being smuggled to Hizbollah across its border with Lebanon. Syrian soldiers on parade at Riyyak airbase President Bashar al-Assad of Syria told Mr Annan during talks in Damascus that he was prepared to deploy his military forces along the Lebanese border to enforce the arms embargo on Hizbollah demanded by security council resolution 1701. Mr Assad has previously warned that Damascus would take...

Listen While You FReep! LIVE Programs every day and each one playing for 24 hours, on weekends or download via iTunes to your computer or mobile device! Listen when it’s convenient for YOU! Call In Number - 866-884-TALK (8255) Heating the EDGE of a New Media! 1pm est- The Right Hour Description: Republican Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, now in his fourth term, has long been a strong voice in opposition to illegal immigration. He also has ideas for reforming the entire immigration system that are controversial and distinctly conservative. Tancredo is probably the best-known voice in the House on...

WASHINGTON — The House, citing the nation's religious origins, voted Wednesday to protect the Pledge of Allegiance from federal judges who might try to stop schoolchildren and others from reciting it because of the phrase "under God." The legislation, a priority of social conservatives, passed 260-167. It now goes to the Senate where its future is uncertain. "We should not and cannot rewrite history to ignore our spiritual heritage," said Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. "It surrounds us. It cries out for our country to honor God."

WASHINGTON - House debate on a bill to protect the Pledge of Allegiance from legal challenges because of the "under God" phrase erupted in heated rhetoric Wednesday with lawmakers from both parties using religious references to support their side. "We are making an all-out assault on the Constitution of the United States which, thank God, will fail," said Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi in opposition to the bill barring most federal courts from ruling on the pledge. The pledge protection act, expected to pass over mainly Democratic opposition, is part of the House GOP's "American values agenda" that House Speaker Dennis...

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance was almost a thing just for children to do at the beginning of the school day for the 50 years prior to June 22, 1942, when Congress approved the pledge as part of the U.S. Flag Code (Title 36). A year later the Supreme Court ruled no child could be forced to recite the Pledge. But it was on Flag Day, June 14, 1954,...