Free Republic

Good evening!We're down to the last few days of the Bush Presidency. Who among us doesn't have some concern about our nation's security in the months ahead? And will those who criticized the President so constantly on this front not come to recognize the margin of safety he gave us?Israel continues to destroy Hamas terrorist sites and agents in Gaza,sadly, much to the world's apparent dismay and loathing.

Good evening, and welcome to the new week's thread.P-E Obama must find a replacement for Bill Richardson, Sec-Commerce designate, who withdrew his name Sunday.Israel continues its incursions and attacks on Palestinian terrorists, AKA Hamas, in Gaza.And many of us regroup after a busy season with Family and Friends in December.

Good morning! The weekend theme: TURMOIL...in the MidEast and among the Dems. One is extremely dangerous and consequential, and the other is at least entertaining to us conservatives

Good evening. As Arctic temps and snow grip much of the country, I pray for all those who travel and have to spend time outside. Also remember the many affected by the economic woes this season...anecdotal stories we're all hearing bring the statistics to life, and add a somber theme to the time which is usually so joyful.

The headline on BostonHerald.com yesterday read: Monday morning shooting shocks Codman Square. “Shocks?” Really? With all due respect to the Herald’s editors, is anyone really “shocked” by a shooting in Dorchester? The last time I recall “shock” over a Dorchester shooting was when 8-year-old Liquarry Jefferson was accidentally shot by his 7-year-old cousin. Even then, the “shock” factor was diminished by the tragic fact that he had more criminals in his immediate family than Michael Corleone. “Shot in Dorchester” ranks on the Shock-O-Meter somewhere between “Celtics Win At Garden" and "Pregnant Teens in Gloucester." And besides, this is America. We...

Good evening and welcome to the new week's thread...P-E Obama is expected to announce his "Economic Team" today - Monday, and - hold on to your wallets - heavy spending plans to "boost" the sagging economy.Meanwhile rumors swirl around the kind of deal he has struck with Hillary about the State Dept. job.On all fronts...we shall see...

Dear BullionVault user, It's been a few months since I wrote. Here are some thoughts on the credit crunch, and an important bit about our own banking arrangements here at BullionVault. ========== The Crunch ========== Britain's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, says the current mess is the fault of "irresponsible" bankers. Well, he would say that, wouldn't he? Let's not forget that Mr.Brown claimed the credit for 10 years of unbroken growth. For those 10 years he copied Alan Greenspan by holding interest rates unusually low to encourage investment and demand, which is a near-sighted economist's way of avoiding mild recessions....

Despite the vote by the House of Representatives yesterday, the fact remains that America desperately needs a bailout - a massive rescue plan for an institution vital to our nation and its economy. My bailout target? Personal responsibility. America is experiencing a collapse of the ethics market. Belief in the notion that people should be responsible for their own actions, or pay their own bills or keep their promises has plummeted. It’s time to pump moral and ethical capital into the idea of individual responsibility. Is it any wonder that Wall Street is waiting for a bailout? After all, we’ve...

There is a frightening penchant in today’s gradually feminizing America for people to abandon their God given ability to think and reason. True authority – the kind that summons respect, reverence and even a touch of fear – is being pushed aside, condemned as antiquated patriarchal nonsense, for more “progressive” methods of trying to maintain order. Thus, authority itself is emasculated, common sense is effectively castrated and unintended consequences create new difficulties where there should be none. In New York City, for example, students are not permitted to carry their cell phones into school with them (except in very specific...

Good morning!The Dems' Crazy Convention gets underway. How much of it can you stand to watch? I need a volunteer to watch my share...let me think of some inticement for this huge sacrifice...Fay - the Storm which Won't go Away - continues its tour of the South.

Biden and reporter on CSPAN 1988. Know your responsibility and IQ:)

Call it the “Extreme Rake-Over: Taxpayer Edition.” Three years ago, Patricia and Milton Harper were handed the keys to their brand-new, 4BR dream home on ABC-TV. When Ty Pennington handed them the keys, he also gave the Harpers $250,000 to cover taxes and maintenance for the next 25 years. Three years later, the home is in foreclosure and scheduled for auction - another “casualty” of the mortgage crisis. A free house, a sack of dough, and the Harpers still managed to get $450,000 in debt and lose their home? They are the poster couple for the $300 billion mortgage bailout...

“We have sort of become a nation of whiners. You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline," Phil Gramm told the Washington Times in an interview last week. "You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession." And then he walked away from the microphone. You know what else could be said? We also have a bunch of leaders who thrive on image and political correctness to guide their words and decision making. Since when is it not alright to say what you think or tell the truth? Since now! What was...

A few nights ago, I had occasion to attend an event at a conservative organization here in Phoenix. I will not say which organization, but I have it on good authority—and observed for myself—that the organization is slowly being taken over by libertarians.In many ways, conservatives and libertarians draw from the same ideological well: 18th century classical liberalism. We have much in common when it comes to the notion that government should be limited. Of course, it's a matter of degree; conservatives see a need for a small government, to be sure—but not quite so small as the libertarians.We...

Sen. John McCain on Tuesday brushed off skepticism from economists and insisted he could balance the budget by 2013 by keeping taxes low and curbing spending. "We're going to restrain spending, we're going to have the economy grow again and increase revenues. The problem is that spending got completely out of control," McCain said on CNN's "American Morning." McCain is in favor of extending the Bush tax cuts, which are set to expire in 2010. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has projected that by extending the cuts, which McCain originally opposed, and including the additional cuts McCain has...

Good morning. It's good to be home on this Father's Day with my girls, and it's an honor to spend some time with all of you today in the house of our Lord. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus closes by saying, "Whoever hears these words of mine, and does them, shall be likened to a wise man who built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock." [Matthew 7: 24-25]...

Barack Obama asks fathers to take responsibility By Alex Spillius in Washington Last Updated: 12:51AM BST 16/06/2008 Senator Barack Obama has called on black American men to accept their responsibilities as fathers and to stop "acting like boys instead of men". Barack Obama speaking at the Apostolic Church of God In a Father's Day speech at a black church in his home city of Chicago, the Democratic presidential nominee listed the disadvantages faced by single parent families in the community, and urged men to realise that their responsibility as a father does not end at conception. "If we are honest...

I'm a Chinese and live in Beijing. You may heard about a massive earthquake stroke Sichuan province last month. In this natural disaster, one my fellow people, exactly a teacher, ran before his students and declared his view of personal liberty and freedom regardless his teacher indentity. His allegation has triggered a extensive discussion on humanity and teacher, as a publice servant,responsibility. I know that personal liberty is well developed and protected in US. But, and the same time, US is a country regarding public responsibility especially for those paid by the taxpayers to do their civil job. I came...

City: Mom's claim stinks By Alexandra Fenwick Staff Writer NORWALK - A New York woman who took her family to visit the Maritime Aquarium has filed a $100 claim against the city, saying her child's shoes, along with the entire outing, were ruined when her 1-year-old stepped in dog feces early last month outside the Maritime Garage. Norwalk officials will deny the claim, city attorney M. Jeffry Spahr said. "The official response is her claim is denied and poop happens," he said.

Parents 'abdicating responsibility for their children' By Graeme Paton, Education Editor Last Updated: 1:13AM BST 05/05/2008 Parents are “abdicating their responsibility” by leaving children in school for up to 10 hours a day, according to a leading head teacher. Extended schools open to 6pm, providing 'wraparound' childcare to help mothers return to full-time jobs Some mothers and fathers “dump” pupils at breakfast clubs and pick them up late in the evening because of the demands of work, said Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers. Britain’s so-called “back to work culture” - which has also prompted...