Free Republic

Former Republican strategist and MSNBC contributor Steve Schmidt said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) was "just awful" and had a "spectacularly bad" night at the Democratic presidential debate Wednesday night moderated by MSNBC. Later, when Gabbard was interviewed by MSNBC host Chris Matthews, Schmidt, a former adviser to Sen. John McCain in 2008, chimed in that her positions are "extreme." STEVE SCHMIDT, FMR. REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I thought that Mayor Pete had an exceptional night. He really demonstrated tonight in a performance that was pretty flawless yes has risen into the top tier of candidates. ...

I think I know what the deal is with all the gushing adoration Tulsi Gabbard has somehow managed to wrangle from ordinarily sensible conservatives. Think of a regular guy walking down the hall in high school, and the head cheerleader passes by and says, “Hi.” The dude’s going to think she’s awesome. Of course, just because she is polite doesn’t mean Regular Joe is ever going to take her to the prom. Tulsi gets Strange New Conservative Respect for several reasons, but the primary one is that she doesn’t seem to hate our guts. She is what an opponent should...

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, whom some pundits had written off as the GOP's nominee, may find a second coming in Iowa, if new poll data holds up. As Mitt Romney's campaign has suffered a startling decline in recent weeks, only to see Newt Gingrich eclipse the former Massachusetts governor's front-runner status, the battle for the Iowa caucuses set for Jan. 3 has become a wide-open race. New survey data prepared for the Perry campaign and shared by a source close within the campaign shows that the Texas governor may be poised to do much better in next month’s Iowa caucuses...

The City of Berkeley, California HATES the military - all branches and they have absolutely no respect for anyone wearing a military uniform. Mayor Tom Bates and the Berkeley City Council have officially taken that stance. There is no other way to look at it. They can deny it all they want to, but there is no hiding from the public record. Here is the proof. On 29 January 2008, the Berkeley City Council voted to tell the U.S. Marines that its Shattuck Avenue recruiting station "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do...

YORBA LINDA – The first Amendment was alive and well today, Presidents' Day, as demonstrators for and against the war in Iraq displayed signs along Yorba Linda Boulevard, in front of the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum. The larger group, a dozen strong, set up on a corner waiving signs criticizing the war and handing out slices of "Bring Them Home-made Pie" to passersby. A man driving a yellow Hummer honked at the group and gave it a thumbs up. They responded in kind. One of the demonstrators, Pat Alviso, waved a sign with a picture of her son. "He...

You can thank me (or throw eggs at me), not the miscounting in Florida, for Al Gore not being the president of the United States. You see, Tennessee did not vote for its favorite son in 2000. I was a voter in Tennessee in 2000. Had Gore been able to carry the state that knew him best, there would have been no need for recounts in Florida. Throughout the three weeks of recounting, the media descended upon Florida. No one came to Tennessee to ask us why we had not voted for our own former U.S. Senator. We did not...

A showdown between anti-war activists who last month defaced a Marine recruiting office and flag-carrying patriots took over a street in Berkeley on Wednesday with noise levels that reached a half-mile away at the University of California in town. Berkeley police officers kept the Code Pink contingent of about 150 separated from the group of about 500 led by Move America Forward, the nation’s largest pro-troop organization. The incidents of abhorrent behavior were rare, but included an anti-war demonstrator trying to knife a pro-troop supporter and two code Pink followers burning flags. A group of Code Pink protesters surrounded a...

On September 15, in a scene that America’s enemies are hoping mimics similar events in the 60s and 70s, a coalition of anti-American amateur anarchists will descend on the nation’s capital attempting to convince the US Congress to surrender in the War on Terror. They won’t know even know to whom they’d like us to surrender, nor what the terms of such a travesty might be. But their ilk didn’t care in the 70s and the new crowd doesn’t care now. But this time, also flocking to the Capitol with a far greater sense of purpose, direction and duty, will...

If Giuliani can get through primaries, he stacks up well For a guy commonly regarded as a hero after 9/11, Mayor Giuliani is too quickly dismissed by presidential handicappers. Here's why he deserves a second look. St. Petersburg Times

Ralph Rojas doesn't figure Pastor Fred Phelps has earned any converts in his forays to southwest Kansas. "Absolutely not," said the Patriot Guard Riders member from Garden City. Members of Phelps' Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church have traveled to Reno County, Dodge City and Garden City in recent months to protest at the funerals of area servicemen killed in Iraq. They say such deaths are God's punishment for what they see as acceptance in the United States of homosexuality. Rojas questions if Phelps' message is sinking in. He thinks the church's methods - besieging a grieving family with shouts and pickets...

In Minnesota we are in the middle of a story that has dropped from view in the media, but it is a story that should attain national prominence. The Democratic Party has undertaken a campaign to suppress two advertisements giving voice to the sentiments of Iraq war veterans and Gold Star Families who support the war. Brian Melendez is the chairman of the Minnesota Democratic Party. This past Thursday Melendez called a press conference and condemned the first of the two advertisements -- the one featuring the veterans -- as "un-American, untruthful and a lie." The two advertisements can be...

Hollywood A-lister Bruce Willis is set to buck the Hollywood trend of running from the heroics of the American troops in Iraq and is set to make a pro-war film about the American soldier. In the film, American soldiers will be accurately depicted as the brave fighters for freedom and democracy that they are, according to a report in the Sunday Times UK. The patriotic actor recently put his money where his mouth is - offering up a million dollar bounty on the heads of Islamofascists Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri or Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The photos aren't showing up for some reason, but go here to see them: Fort Liberty Actors Charleton Heston Charleton was ranked #28 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. Charleton is the Co-chairman of the American Air Museum in Britain. Charleton was elected First Vice-President of the NRA in 1997 and was elected President in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001. Charleton was President of the Screen Actors Guild from 1966 to 1971. Charleton volunteered his time and effort to the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, and marched alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin...

Does any one know of somewhere that i can download cool videos of our military or patriotic stuff like videos, songs, etc. I already know of grouchymedia.com but it there somewhere else with pro-us military stuff like that?

The D.C. Chapter of Free Republic invites all FReepers and lurkers in good standing to join us in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 5, 2004 as we stand up for America against the communist front group International A.N.S.W.E.R. and their new poster boy, Michael Berg.A.N.S.W.E.R. will be holding a so-called antiwar rally and march on June 5. The rally begins at noon at Lafayette Park in front of the White House. The march is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. The commies will proceed north up 14th Street then turn west on U Street and Florida Avenue then turn north...

When the manager of the information technology department at Georgia Military College asked for items to send to American soldiers in Iraq, the response from the community didn't disappoint her. Jean Peecher's office is overflowing with baby wipes, beef jerky, all sorts of snacks, dried food, lots of gum, magazines, writing paper, envelopes, pens, Q-tips, lots of sunscreen, batteries, bug spray and disposable cameras. snip>>> Part of her motivation is that she wants those who are in Iraq to see first hand that people do care and will do things like this. "Maybe it will encourage them to go into...

In Kirkuk, Iraq, a high stone wall surrounds an ornate soldiers' barracks dating from the Ottoman Empire. Until a few weeks ago, the stone floors were fractured, littered with rubble and silenced by a velvet coat of sun-streaked dust. The fountain in the center of the courtyard was still, and green with scum. Around it, parched flowers straggled up among bleached cobblestones -- vestiges of bulbs planted long years ago. This is a historic site, a monument, for the citizens of Kirkuk, defining them to the rest of Iraq, integral to their culture, history and pride. Before Saddam Hussein's rise...

GOT YOUR BACK I am a small and precious child My dad's been sent to fight. The only place I'll see his face Is in my dreams at night. He will be gone too many days For my young mind to keep track. I may be sad, but I am proud. My daddy's got your back. I am a caring mother. My son has gone to war. My mind is filled with worries That I have never known before. Everyday I try to keep My thoughts from turning black. I may be scared, but I am proud. My son's got...

Sense of obligation drives military rally Gatherers in Dallas unanimous in support for Iraq invasion05/18/2003 By CHERIE BELL / The Dallas Morning News The "I Love America Pro-Military Rally" drew about a hundred people, including Kurdish immigrants, to the Old Red Courthouse on Saturday to honor past and present war veterans. The event coincided with Armed Forces Day. "We have people here today who shed blood for you, and thank God for them," said event organizer Charles Lingerfelt, a Dallas businessman who put together a similar rally to honor the military in March. The previous event drew 500 people, who...

East County Support Our Troops Rally! (El Cajon) April 13th 11a.m-2 p.m. Join us for food, patriotic music and classic cars! Live music from Smith and Western, appearances by official representatives and even an Astro Jump for the kids! Prescott Promenade 180 E. Main Street - Between Magnolia Ave. & Ballantyne St. El Cajon Parking at Civic Center, 200 E. Main Street