Free Republic

If Republican leaders were to fully embrace a conservative reform agenda, it would address pressing national needs. It would position the GOP as forward looking, contemporary, and have appeal to swing voters. It would demonstrate a commitment to a brand of conservatism that is practical rather than narrowly ideological. And it contrasts well with today’s reactionary liberalism, by which I mean liberalism that opposes virtually every effort to reform institutions and programs that are sclerotic, outdated, and ineffective. .... There are five obvious areas for Republicans to focus on, beginning with entitlement reform ... A second area Republicans should focus...

The evangelical "Pray for Reform: 92 Days of Prayer and Action to Pass Immigration Reform" campaign called on Congress in a press call on Wednesday to pass meaningful legislation in the next 92 days, throwing further support behind the current momentum in Congress to finally pass a immigration reform bill. The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, explained in the press call that the number 92 is significant for evangelicals because the Hebrew word for immigration is mentioned 92 times in the Old Testament. "This number represents the biblical call to welcome the stranger. I'm...

In her recent Washington Post article (“Why should Republicans favor immigration reform?” http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2013/04/28/why-should-republicans-favor-immigration-reform/), Jennifer Rubin claims that the majority of Republicans embrace several core beliefs about immigration. I have not met the majority of Republicans, so I cannot definitively address the truth of that particular claim. But I can address the validity of her ideas in and of themselves. Her piece is a reflective of a mindset widely but irrationally embraced by establishment Republicans. According to their way of thinking, the Republican Party should secure its electoral future by bending far enough to the left on immigration to secure a...

Houston, Tx --(Ammoland.com)- Today, May 6th 2013, two pro-gun bills finally passed in the Texas Legislature. SB 864 by Senator Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels), the Senate companion to HB 47 by Representative Dan Flynn (R-Van), is headed toward the Governor’s desk. SB 864 will reduce the number of hours for a concealed handgun license to “not less than four or more than six” and will not include time on the shooting range or the range proficiency exam.Rep. Flynn severs on the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety. He’s a long-time friend to TSRA and to Texas gun-owners. This...

The government is expected to announce tougher rules on immigration when it outlines its programme for the next year on Wednesday. The Queen's Speech will include a parliamentary bill aimed at making it easier to deport foreign criminals and those who enter the UK illegally. Other bills will cap social care costs in England and introduce a single state pension of £144 a week. But a plan to monitor online and mobile communications is likely to be dropped. The Queen's Speech, part of the State Opening of Parliament, allows the government to set out its proposed bills for the next...

In an op-ed in the May 3 Wall Street Journal, Senator Marco Rubio explained that the Gang of Eight immigration bill will be amended as it goes through the Senate in the coming weeks, and that (perhaps unlike some others in the gang) he welcomes this process. He wrote: Since my colleagues and I introduced immigration legislation, intense public scrutiny has helped identify shortcomings and unintended consequences that need to be addressed. Many concerned citizens have gone a step further and offered specific ideas to improve it. This kind of constructive criticism is a positive force that should always...

More than two weeks after the Gang of Eight unveiled its immigration-reform bill, an important question remains unanswered: Do the American people actually support it? One could assume so, judging from the headlines on recent polling, which cite the “strong” or even “overwhelming” support for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Indeed, these polls show large majorities — as high as 83 percent — favoring a pathway to citizenship. That might be significant if the Gang of Eight’s plan were merely a vague proclamation of support for the idea of giving illegal immigrants the opportunity to apply for citizenship...

Arrests of illegal immigrants crossing into the United States have nearly tripled in recent months — in anticipation of Congressional efforts to enact comprehensive immigration legislation, border patrol agents told CBS News Wednesday. “Once the first group gets across, they call their family, they call their friends and let them know, ‘Hey the time is right, come on over,’” Border Patrol agent and union representative Chris Cabrera told CBS News. In March, 7,500 illegals were arrested in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas — which includes McAllen — Cabrera told CBS News. That’s up from 2,800 in January.

'You’re a nice guy. That's a problem.  Nice guys are only popular in prison and in the Senate- and for similar reasons.' Today's Republican Party suffers from a paucity of those who can effectively communicate the conservative message. So what a shame I might not be able to vote for one of the few who DID possess that gift... WHAT on God's green Earth are you thinking, dude? Has it yet occurred that you're a DREAM prop for the Democrats here- the hispanic Republican who's marching lockstep with them on a bill that MANY of us see little good in? That...

“Never before have I seen such contempt for law enforcement officers as what I’ve seen from the Gang of Eight” - Chris Crane, ICE Agent union president.- Last week, ICE union chief Chris Crane won a stunning initial court victory in his lawsuit against the Obama Administration. As we reported, Federal Judge Federal Judge Reed O’Connor told the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that they had no power to refuse to deport illegal aliens, and that he was likely to strike down Obama's virtual "DACA" amnesty for millions of illegal aliens. The ruling stunned Washington, and Crane's lawsuit could derail...

Above: ICE Union President Chris Crane, who filed the lawsuit against DHS.- In a stunning order, a federal judge Wednesday said that the Obama administration is likely violating the law by telling immigration agents and officers not to arrest illegal aliens they deem "low priority", in a lawsuit brought by ICE agents that could derail Obama’s plan to undermine immigration enforcement nationwide.Federal Judge Reed O'Connor said in a court order Tuesday that Congress, not the president, sets priority for arresting illegal immigrants, and said the law requires them to be put in deportation proceedings.“The court finds that DHS does not...

As Washington lawmakers react to the unfolding events in the Boston bombing investigation, a handful of senators involved in immigration reform debated whether the attack should impact the legislative efforts. "Given the events of this week, it's important for us to understand the gaps and loopholes in our immigration system," Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in an immigration hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley is the top Republican on the committee, which is starting to review the comprehensive immigration reform bill drafted by a bipartisan team of eight senators. "While we don't yet know the immigration status of the...

April 16, 2013 – New York – As immigration reform gains momentum in Congress, Latino and Jewish leaders across the country have jointly declared their commitment to engaging in this cause for justice and equality. They also will expand on their efforts to other areas of common concern, including foreign policy, philanthropy and education. The Statement of Latino-Jewish Joint Purpose was one of the outcomes of a recent national two-day National Conversation on the State of Latino-Jewish Relations. “We consider ourselves partners and allies with whom we share common historical experiences, knowledge, challenges and successes,” says the Statement. The National...

"Without legislative language," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy declared in a statement March 20, "there is nothing for the Judiciary Committee to consider this week at our markup." The subject of the statement was immigration legislation, and his irritation was understandable. "For months, I have urged the president to send his proposal for comprehensive immigration reform to the Senate," Leahy noted. He might have added that the White House, with access to the expertise and experience of the Justice and Homeland Security Departments, could easily have come up with a draft. But the president is holding back, Leahy said,...

According to an ABC News report, senators from the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” pushing immigration reform are expected to drop their bill, estimated at around 1,500 pages, on Tuesday, mere hours before the only scheduled Senate hearing on the topic. “A bipartisan group of senators plans to introduce its long-awaited immigration bill on Tuesday, Senate sources confirmed to ABC News,” Jim Avila and Jordan Fabian wrote on Friday. “Four Democrats and four Republicans, known as the 'Gang of Eight,' wrapped up months of hard-fought negotiations this week and will put forth a bill that includes a pathway to citizenship for...

When I covered the papal conclave last month from Rome and Vatican City, one of the most discussed topics was reform of the Vatican’s bureaucracy, called the Curia. The selection of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentine as Pope Francis was seen as a signal from the College of Cardinals that reform was high on their agenda for the near future. Today the Vatican announced that Francis has created a new commission to revise Vatican law on the Curia and institute reforms, and it’s notable for who is and is not on the panel: Vatican City, 13 April 2013 (VIS) –...

Monster: Illegal alien DUI killer Nicolas Guaman.- by John HillStand With ArizonaWebsite | Facebook | Twitter It was one of the most brutal DUI deaths we've seen at the hands of an illegal alien - and we've seen a lot (here, here, here and here, for starters). In 2011, Ecuadorean illegal Nicolas Guaman, drunk at nearly three times the legal limit, ran through a stop sign in Milford, Mass., striking 23-year old Matthew Denice on his motorcycle. Denice was not killed by the impact, but died as Guaman tried to flee the scene, dragging Denice's body nearly 1/4 mile under...

Is ObamaCare the reform to end all other reforms? The massive health care law's problems are well known. Major tax hikes and Medicare cuts will fund a massive new government program rather than shore up the nation's finances. ObamaCare already is encouraging companies to cut jobs and work hours. With the administration delaying the insurance exchanges that might help small businesses until 2015, even ObamaCare cheerleaders are growing worried. And the law will leave tens of millions of Americans without health coverage. That's the best-case scenario, the government's own estimates agree. But ObamaCare doesn't just roil the health care system....

Above: The Gang of Seven plus their mascot Marco Rubio, yucking it up as they announce their amnesty plan in January. - by John HillStand With ArizonaWebsite | Facebook | Twitter Just when you thought the Senate push for amnesty couldn't get any more shameful...it sets a fresh low All the members of the “Gang of Eight” pushing so-called 'immigration reform' in the U.S. Senate will band together to block any efforts by other senators to offer amendments to their legislation once it is introduced, the Washington Post reported on Sunday. In addition, the Post's David Nakamura reported that the...

Brown-eyed people are more likely than blue-eyed people to pack a gun in North Carolina. Much about the nearly 400,000 concealed pistol permit holders here – including their names, addresses, weights and, yes, even eye colors – is a matter of public record. But state lawmakers are trying to change that. A bill crawling through the N.C. General Assembly aims to make that information confidential, open only to law enforcement. It is one of more than a dozen measures introduced this year as lawmakers bow to long-held demands among gun rights activists. As mass shootings fuel debate about the proper...