Free Republic

Here's the big lesson from mega-storm Sandy: Mother Nature sneers at high tech, mocks modern convenience and couldn't care less about what kind of person you are. She will smack you if she wants to. As we have become addicted to machines, many of us have forgotten about nature. We must have gizmos. Sandy laughed and took them away. Power, gone. Internet, dark. Cellphones, not happening. Even your landline phone, not available, because "all circuits are busy." Suddenly, it's 1850 with one exception: battery-operated flashlights and radios. So what is the lesson here? Actually, there are a few. First: No...

The nightmare that began when raging storm waters ripped two little Staten Island boys from their mother’s arms reached its tragic conclusion yesterday when their bodies were found in marshlands close to where they disappeared.Glenda Moore wailed uncontrollably after cops showed up at her Great Kills home yesterday and delivered the grim news. The short lives of Brandon, 2, and Connor, 4, ended in murky water, under debris and trees toppled by the storm. They were found about 20 yards apart at around 10 a.m. by cops in wet suits using shovels and pitchforks to clear the thick brush.“It’s a...

President Obama’s actions in Libya were already suspicious for a number of reasons. First, during Obama’s presidential campaign, he asserted that his priority was to get America out of the two wars it was already fighting. Second, Obama was a staunch critic of the Bush administration for unconstitutionally embarking on a war without congressional approval — an action of which President Obama is now guilty. Finally, as the economy is teetering on collapse, one would assume the last thing the President would want is to have to fund a third war. And yet here we are. However, once we delve...

“It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong. I am NOT a big man.” ~ Fletch Lives Apparently the president of the United States of America is NOT a big man either and is willing to let Hillary Clinton take the fall for him – How noble of him and the vice president. The word ETHOS comes to mind. What is ETHOS? According to Merriam-Webster, Ethos is the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution. What is this president and vice presidents code or ethos? I have serious questions and doubt...

While off for the holidays, I took my 90-year-old, former Marine, Republican dad to his inner-city barbershop. Dad goes to the same barbershop that my brothers and I went to when we were growing up. Different people now own the shop, and I hadn't set foot in there in probably 35 years. Is it still, I asked Dad, the same "afro-centric," white-man-done-me-wrong, trash-talking joint? "Yes," sighed my father, who taught my brothers and me to overcome racism through hard work and personal responsibility.

GARDEN CITY, Kansas (KSN) -- Mike Savoy vividly recalls tucking his daughter Bryn in for bed the night of January 8th. “I asked her for a kiss,” remembers Savoy. “She was mad at me so she said ‘no.’” Normally Savoy would relentlessly tease and torment his 6-year-old girl until she relented. This time he didn’t. “But I wish I would have, you know? It was my last chance,” said Savoy. After playing with his baby Madelyn, Mike wasn’t feeling well and left. He was living apart from his wife, Nichole, but saw his family everyday. He planned to bring them...

The federal debt has increased by $4.47 trillion since President Barack Obama released his first federal budget on Feb. 26, 2009. That budget was entitled, “A New Era of Responsibility.” On Feb. 26, 2009, as Obama released his budget for fiscal 2010, the national debt stood at $10.88 trillion (10,881,159,722,022.36). At the close of business on Feb. 9, 2012, the national debt stood at $15.36 trillion ($15,355,838,921,022.16). That represents an increase in the debt of $4.47 trillion ($4,474,679,198,999.80).

An American Indian tribe sued some of the world's largest beer makers Thursday, claiming they knowingly contributed to alcohol-related problems on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota said it is demanding $500 million in damages for the cost of health care, social services and child rehabilitation caused by chronic alcoholism on the reservation.

On January 11th, a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled on the side of Jessica Ahlquist, a 16-year-old who sought to remove a prayer banner from her school’s auditorium. Ahlquist argued that the “School Prayer” sign, which started with the words “Our Heavenly Father” and concluded with “Amen” violated her First Amendment rights. According to the 16-year-old, the removal of the banner represents “what true American values are.” However, in an attempt to ensure freedom “from” religion and religious influence, Ahlquist and her liberal supporters actually rejected her own possession of freedom at the same time. Perhaps this is best...

When I was younger I was constantly in a fight with at least one of my siblings. When we both got caught in our collective wrongdoing, the first words out of our mouths were “He (or she) did it!” My younger siblings and I were often incapable of taking responsibility for our own actions, but this isn’t unheard of. In fact, the “blaming” phase of childhood is one that we all have experienced. Personal responsibility and acceptance of consequences come later. Children aren’t expected to automatically take personal responsibility; they must learn to accept it. Unfortunately, however, many Americans have...

Is there a better way to do the people’s business in commerce, legislation, education, bureaucracy and even religion in a Constitutional Republic? Is chaos only violent disorder? The weather and climate change naturally operate on Chaos Theory. Chaos is not disorder unless it goads the ignorant into rioting in the streets, usually burning and pillaging the visions and labor of others. In human discourse, the beautiful freely formed fractals of natural chaos makes a free society work by creating infinite beauty, opportunities for new relationships, ideas, ventures and true diversity based on our individual endowments from God. Chaos Theory views...

The financial death spiral of the US Federal Government has been caused by financially irresponsible politicians during the last 80 years. Their lack of stewardship has resulted in them charging us with a National Debt of 14.8 TRILLION dollars, which must be paid back, plus interest, to those who we borrowed the money from. We have indeed allowed these same politicians to cruelly burden our own grandchild with this horrific National Debt. We have no one to blame but ourselves for electing them in the first place, and not impeaching them when they failed to spend our money within our...

Will the "Super Committee," otherwise known as the "Twelve Disciples of Congressional Partisanship," (TDCP), recognize that the Federal Student Loan Program is bankrupt by nearly 1 TRILLION dollars? Will the TDCP close the loan window to student loans? How much bankruptcy debt is required before the Federal Student Loan Program is closed forever?

Obama got his 500,000,000,000.00 dollars today from the US Senate, thanks in no small part to Senator Son-of-a-Mitch McConnell, and Robo-Senator Reid-in-the-Wind. Obama had asked last night in his unfinished Jobs give-away bill , (i.e. "targeted") , for only 450,000,000,000.00 dollars. This is an obvious attempt to avoid a financial deadline. This timing of the speech, Joint Session, amount transferred, suggest a pattern of a sudden increase in spending by the Executive Branch of the US Government. It is now time to begin The Articles of Impeachment against President Obama to prevent further dereliction of financial duty and other neglected...

At 7:33 AM CDT Rick Santelli asked guest host Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times foreign Affairs Columnist, and author of his new book " That Used to be Us, " the following question: " Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme ? " Tom replied, " Your question is idiotic ! " Rick then replied: " Your answer is idiotic! " GAME ON !

Frank Gaffney appears on Fox Business News with Eric Bolling to discuss the civil war in Libya. First, Aaron Klein of WND reports on Samantha Power's relationship with far-leftist George Soros and their common affinity for the 'Responsibility to Protect' provision in the UN's Libya resolution. The left correctly sees this 'Responsibility to Protect' as a blow to American sovereignty; it's time all Americans get to know the implications of this dangerous new precedent.

  Overdosed on Socialism: Great Britain, R.I.P. David C. Stolinsky Aug. 15, 2011 Want has been all but abolished. Today, fewer and fewer Britons want to work, want to marry, want to raise children, want to lead a life of any purpose or dignity.− Mark Steyn, “After America” Max Hastings is an eminent British historian. His scathing article on the recent riots in Britain makes enlightening but painful reading. Britain is further along the road to the welfare state than we are, so what is happening there is a warning to us. Our situations are not identical, but they...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Tuesday that if Republicans insist on passage of their budget plan as a condition for approving an increase in the nation's borrowing limit, they will be responsible for the consequences. Speaking to a New York audience, Geithner said that Republicans would bear responsibility for the first debt default in the nation's history if they insist they will not vote for an increase in the $14.3 billion borrowing limit unless they win approval of a House Republican budget plan. "If Republicans try to impose that plan on this country as a condition...

I grew up with an Olympic Champion as a Father. As a kid I didn’t realize how rare Olympic Gold was and how few people actually achieve becoming the absolute best in their field. I know what winning looks like and I realize it takes hard work, dedication and motivation to achieve success. But until the last few years I never took the time to appreciate how important my Father’s lessons are to my life. Today, I realize that not only are the lessons relevant to my goals in life but my journey to personal success has been made easier...

Williams, who had gambled away his life's savings, sued the casino, claiming, among other things, that the "cease admissions" letter was a fraud and that Aztar broke its obligation to keep him out. But a federal appeals court dismissed the case, noting that Aztar's letter didn't say Williams would be barred from entering and gambling, just that the casino could stop doing business with him if it chose. The Williams case and others like it show that, in the eyes of American courts, casinos have no legal requirement to stop compulsive gamblers from gambling. The rulings are vindication for the...