Free Republic

Imagine this scenario: The IRS may soon just do your taxes for you — and send you the bill.If this sounds farfetched, it’s not.With a new congressional “super committee” tasked with finding $1.5 trillion in cuts by November, creative ways to find additional revenue are in high demand. And allowing the IRS to prepare you taxes could be one solution.The idea has been around for a while, but has been picking up steam in recent years. In 2006, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) argued it would close a $345 billion annual difference between what the government believes taxpayers...

VIENNA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A Maltese dog that disappeared more than a year ago after a fatal car crash in New Mexico has been returned to surviving family members in Michigan. The crash in June last year killed Gary Benson and his daughter, Emily. Afterward, his wife and four surviving children searched unsuccessfully for the family pet named Caesar.

The ThunderCats are back! Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network have teamed up to create an updated version of the series, based on the late-1980s animated classic, set to debut later this year.

The popular show 'Glee' has caused a stir with lesbian fantasies, gay kissing, teen pregnancy and racy photos of the actors - the new season is sure to display more immorality-promoting content. As 'Gleeks' everywhere eagerly anticipate the return of their show, they should be reminded that it isn't just innocent, happy show tunes that this 'groundbreaking' show promotes.

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.(Luke 21:25-27)The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall...

Federal agents took an illegal immigrant to Grant Medical Center in October 2009 to collect proof of his ties to a Mexican-based drug ring. During his two-day hospital stay, Jose Aranda-Mora supplied the needed evidence - 92 balloons of heroin that he had swallowed before a traffic stop in Richland County. Three months earlier, immigration agents had deported Mora to his homeland of Mexico. But the free ride home served as no deterrent. Since 2000, Mora has been deported four times, only to return time and again - most recently to Ohio. A Dispatch investigation revealed that it is common...

White House Washington D.C. Here at the White House it has come to our attention that many of the President's supporters would like to return the hope that was sold to them during the 2008 election campaign. First we would like to point out what a mistake it would be for you to return your hope so prematurely. Sure unemployment is sky high, sure the TSA is abusing civil liberties in a way the writers of law and order could never have imagined, sure the war in Afghanistan rages on, sure Gitmo is still open, sure there is no public...

Last year the consensus opinion was that we are all Keynesians now. Virtually everyone in the commentariat believed that John Maynard Keynes’s solution for the Great Depression—heavy government spending to resuscitate the economy—was also the answer to today’s global downturn. The first cracks in the consensus appeared with the outbreak of the fiscal crisis in Greece earlier this year. Across the developed world, critics began to argue that government spending had reached the point of diminishing returns, and was producing an anemic recovery that mainly benefited special-interest groups. And the electorate listened. From Europe to the United States, as voters...

An UNRWA director has apologized after his comments on the “right of return” led to a backlash. Andrew Whitley, the outgoing head of UNRWA's New York office, had said that the Arab world's focus on “return” to Israel was a “cruel illusion.” On Wednesday, Whitley said he had realized his previous statements were “inappropriate and wrong.” The statements do not reflect UNRWA's views, he said. He sent a written apology to UNRWA headquarters, saying, “I wish to put this letter on the public record out of concern that what I said in Washington could be interpreted in ways that negatively...

Many Americans look back at the 1972 Munich Olympics (38 Years ago this month) as the games that Mark Spitz shocked the world by winning 7 Gold medals in swimming, and the games that Dan Gable shocked the world by winning a Gold Medal in wrestling while not giving up a single point. Another event occurred at the 72’ Olympics that shocked the world and still leaves many unanswered questions. One night during the games, 11 Israeli athletes, mostly wrestlers, were kidnapped and killed by Islamic Terrorists. Many of the young heroes died trying to save their fellow teammates. Ironically,...

The Point of No ReturnThe warnings of Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln have never been more relevant. How did we get to the point where many people feel that the America they have known is being replaced by a very different kind of country, with not only different kinds of policies but also very different values and ways of governing? Something of this magnitude does not happen all at once or in just one administration in Washington. What we are seeing is the culmination of many trends in many aspects of American life that go back for years. Neither the...

Smothered in hugs, Chief Warrant Officer Frank Volpe holds on to his two sons, Hunter and Cody, as his wife, Sarah, buries her head into his. The chief warrant officer was one of 17 soldiers from Echo Company, Unmanned Aerial Systems Training Battalion on Fort Huachuca to return from a 12-month deployment to Iraq late Tuesday. (Angela Moncur • Fort Huachuca) FORT HUACHUCA — First, the 17 soldiers were supposed to be home on Sunday. Then it was to be Monday Finally, it was rescheduled for Tuesday. Well, it was almost Wednesday morning before the soldiers of Echo Company...

Adnan Shukrijumah. Does the name ring a bell? It should if you have been a regular reader of this blog since its inception in 2004. In August 2004, I reported on the FBI search for the high-profile fugitive and al Qaeda operative billed as the “next Mohammed Atta.” There’s been a $5 million bounty on his head for six years. He has been reportedly spotted at or near the Mexican border and allegedly has met with Latin American gangs. In 2007, his name came up in wiretaps related to the busted NYC/JFK bombing plot. Well, he’s still on the loose....

If there's one truism that goes virtually unchallenged these days, it's that a college degree has great value. Beyond the great books, beyond the critical reasoning skills, and beyond the experience itself, there's another way that a college degree has value: Over the course of a working life, college graduates earn more than high school graduates. Over the past decade, research estimates have pegged that figure at $900,00, $1.2 million, and $1.6 million. But new research suggests that the monetary value of a college degree may be vastly overblown. According to a study conducted by PayScale for Bloomberg Businessweek, the...

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2010 – Army Sgt. 1st Class Roland Lueras left for a year-long deployment to Iraq on Father’s Day last year, missing his family’s usual gift-giving celebrations. Army Master Sgt. Donald Towers poses for a picture with his grandchildren, Jamie and Waylon, shortly before his deployment to Iraq in June 2009. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But this weekend, it will be his 8-year-old son, Austin, who will receive the special gift: his father. Lueras is one of about 80 Army National Guard soldiers with the 203rd Military Police Battalion based in Athens, Ala., returning...

Why the heathen rage part 2 bill randles ...The Nations may well be in a roiling turmoil of competing interests, but there is one thing they are increasingly finding themselves in agreement on, and that is that Israel is a problem that needs to be solved. Because of their desperate need for oil, there is much international deference to Arabs. It is constantly insisted by the so called ‘Quartet”(the UN, the EU and the USA and Russia) that Israel, must go back to the pre 1967 borders, Israel must quit humiliating Palestinians, Israel must grant right of return to full...

British Troop homecoming parade in Edinburgh

Updated: in the local people meter markets Leno was twice as popular with adults 18-49, scoring a 2.0 rating vs a 1.0 rating for Letterman. In the metered market houshold ratings between 11:30p-12:30a Jay Leno’s return to The Tonight Show dominated Leterman and Late Show. Leno had a 5.4/14 (household rating/share) to Letterman’s 3.0/8. Sure, Leno’s first night back (and perhaps first week or two back) is likely inflated by a post-Olympic halo, but the early indication is “all is forgiven.”

(IsraelNN.com) A small group of left-wing Americans, some of whom call themselves Zionists, have launched a “Breaking the Law of Return” campaign, branding as “racist” the Israeli law that guarantees citizenship to Jews. More than 1,000 American Jews have backed the movement. American Jewry traditionally had been pro-Israel until peace movements and Israel military efforts to stop Arab terrorism turned a growing number of Diaspora Jews against modern Zionism. One recent effort to maintain close ties with Israelis living abroad is a proposal to allow them to vote in Israeli elections. The idea also raised the suggestion that all Diaspora...

Click on "The Future in Review" Listen and/or read (with valuable charts): http://media.colonialmedia.org/pdfs/sermons/20100214amT.pdf

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Jan. 4, 2010 – After the U.S. Army invaded Panama in 1989 to oust the dictator Gen. Manuel Noriega, the country’s people went on to rebuild their lives. Army Sgt. Nicanor Garcia left his native Panama in 1989 before the invasion by the U.S. Army and didn’t return until 20 years later. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Travis Zielinski  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Twenty years after Operation Just Cause, a soldier deployed here who left Panama before the war began to live in the United States had the chance to return to his native country...

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq, Jan. 4, 2010 – Five severely wounded veterans returned to Iraq last week as part of the third installment of an evolving program to help wounded warriors heal from traumatic combat injuries. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Lawrence Wilson accompanies Army Sgt. 1st Class Mike Schlitz, a wounded warrior returning to Iraq as part of Operation Proper Exit, Dec. 29, 2009, at Camp Ramadi, Iraq. The program returns severely wounded veterans to the battlefield where they were wounded to help them find psychological closure. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael J. MacLeod  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available....

For 64 years, Norton Anenberg guarded a present. He kept it in the attic. Or tucked in his desk. But one day in 1990, acting on a longtime desire, the then-vice president of an oil company pulled open his office's file cabinet and declared it was time to act. "You know something," the now-76-year-old Covina resident remembered saying. "I'm gonna find this family." The present was the war flag of a World World II Japanese soldier, given to Anenberg by a family friend returning from fighting in the South Pacific in 1945. And it wasn't until August, after nearly twenty...

Since GM's 60-day money-back return policy started, there've been around 150,000 retail sales and only one confirmed return. A manual transmission Corvette was returned after the driver tired of rowing gears. What'd he get instead? An automatic model.

You fell in love with that $22,000 Chevy Malibu because of its color, style and price. After driving it home, you realize it's not what you wanted. Maybe it's the way it handles on the highway, the location of the cup holders or the shape of the seats. Don't worry. Bring it back for a refund, no questions asked, says GM's Chairman and new TV pitchman Edward Whitacre Jr.

DIYALA — The small Diyala province village of Jiaffra was once a stronghold for insurgent groups, causing village residents to flee for their safety. After three years of displacement, 16 families returned home to a celebration marked with music and dancing, Aug. 15. During the celebration, residents thanked Iraqi and U.S. forces for their help in bringing safety back to the area. Though there are still struggles in the village for some basic needs, Iraqi government officials promised during the celebration to immediately bring the villagers water and work on providing other necessities as soon as possible. “What a great...

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq, June 29, 2009 – Six wounded soldiers, all amputees, returned here last week hoping to close the door on the combat that changed them forever. Left to right; U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Brown, retired Staff Sgt. Bradley Gruetzner, and Sgt. Christopher A. Burrell, soldiers wounded in combat while deployed to Iraq, walk through “Hero’s Highway” at Air Force Theater Hospital before returning to Camp Victory after a visit to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, June 25, 2009. Brown, Gruetner, Burrell, and four other soldiers had the opportunity to return to Iraq and to visit the places they...

Staff Sgt. Bradley K. Gruetzner explains his prosthetic arm to servicemembers at Al-Faw Palace here on Camp Victory, June 21. Photo by Sgt. Kathleen Briere, Multi-National Corps – Iraq. BAGHDAD — Six amputee combat veterans put their uniforms back on and returned to Iraq recently for the first time since sustaining their injuries in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the rotunda of the Al Faw Palace here on Camp Victory, they introduced themselves to hundreds of their brothers and sisters in arms in support of yet another operation, Operation Proper Exit. Operation Proper Exit is a pilot program being...

Manny Ramirez is scheduled to return to the field next week for the first time since his May 7 suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. And Manager Joe Torre said Wednesday that Ramirez's first game would likely be with Inland Empire, the Dodgers' affiliate in the Class-A California League.

One of President Obama’s first decisions upon taking office was to issue an executive order mandating the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison where suspected terrorists are being held. As a lightning rod for anti-American propagandists and those genuinely concerned about civil liberties, the closure of the camp is an admirable objective, but should it be done hastily and without adequate planning, a disaster will be forthcoming. The next generation of terrorists and radical Islamists may be led by former Gitmo prisoners, as the rate of recidivism of one in seven indicates. Already, several terrorists that have quickly climbed through...

Patriots, Can you help?? Contact Elyse at USMCdaughter1@aol.com That's right folks - Operation Hug In is just about ready to launch! Just what is Operation Hug In? The homecoming of our men and women from Iraq will be broken into two phases - the first of which involves welcoming them as their planes arrive at McGuire/Ft. Dix. The greeting of the planes has been broken out according to dates as they will be coming home by unit at different days and times. Keep in mind, we are running on military times with this ;) We have been accorded the honor...

Does anyone know what's up with the actor/ role of "Zach Addy"? I'm hoping that the reason they keep alternating his "replacements" is because they eventually are planning on bringing him back. Perhaps the actor has other obligations, and he is just on a personal hiatus from the show. But I've grown accustomed to his character, and I want to see him return...preferably sooner, rather than later...but this limbo has been going on for quite some time now, and if they are not going to bring him back, I'd prefer to see them properly replace him with a new consecutive...

U.S. ARMY GARRISON HUMPHREYS, South Korea, April 3, 2009 – Some people just can’t get the military out of their system – nor do they want to. Army Staff Sgt. Dianne Smith, right, an administrative soldier in the 3rd Military Intelligence Battlion, talks about her return to the Army noncommissioned officer corps after a 15-year break in service with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston and 8th U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Winzenried at Humphreys Garrison, South Korea, Nov. 25, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Ken Hall  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. That is the...

Maybe TV isn’t so bad after all.An estimated 92,000 inactive Catholics have come back to the Church in the last year thanks in large part to the groundbreaking Catholics Come Home television advertising campaign.The promotional spots featured people and locations from around the Phoenix Diocese to promote the Church during prime time television. The cornerstone of the campaign, the Catholics Come Home Web site, addresses often misunderstood aspects of the faith.“For those who had fallen away from the practice of their faith, it let them know that we want them to come home,” Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said.The commercials, which...

FORT HUACHUCA — Nearly 600 soldiers of the 40th Expeditionary Signal Brigade will be returning next week after completing a 15-month deployment to the Middle East and other areas. Most of the battalion, which is part of the 11th Signal Brigade, left the fort in early December to provide communications network support in Iraq. Soldiers of the battalion also served in Kuwait, Qatar and Afghanistan, providing communication support for America’s war on terrorism. It is expected the soldiers will return in two groups over a period of two days, said Eric Hortin, a spokesman for the Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th...

In today’s turbulent financial times and difficult economic conditions, a lot of unjustified criticism and unwarranted accusations have been laid at the doorstep of capitalism. Many in the mainstream press and academia, a majority of politicians, and a large number of Americans have jumped on the bandwagon and unfairly blame capitalistic principles for the huge mess that we are in. Such widespread confusion evidences a misunderstanding by many Americans of how value is actually created in society and what capitalism really represents.

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father...Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:36, 42 These two verses will cause no shortage of consternation among my readers. That's fine. Wise and more scholarly men than I have debated the meaning of these kinds of texts for ages and have still come to different conclusion. These verses talk about Jesus' second coming to Earth. We know it's going to happen; we just don't know when. We get a...

Roy got up at 6:30 the day after Christmas so he could beat the crowds and get to the gift return counter as early as possible. When he arrived at the store parking lot, he was surprised at the number of shoppers with the same idea. He parked, grabbed his unwanted gift and made for the return counter. Quite a few shoppers had arrived ahead of him, but that was OK; standing in line would allow him to think about what to buy with his refund. For Christmas, he'd really wanted the shiatsu massager with iPod dock and mug warmer,...

BAGHDAD — Iraqi officials recently reported that more than 2,000 Iraqi families have returned to their homes in eastern Baghdad this year. The 2,084 returning families left their homes in the districts of Rusafa, Karadah and 9 Nissan due to security concerns. Categorized as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), they have returned to a more secure and safe environment. The number of returnees in the area is a sign of vastly improved security conditions, said Lt. Col. Eric Holliday, deputy team leader of Baghdad-2 embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team. “The more returnees we get back into the neighborhoods from where they were...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2008 – Despite losing a leg in combat, Army Sgt. Chris Alvin Burrell is focusing on his rehabilitation to one day return to what he calls his “normal day of work.” Army Sgt. Chris Burrell is focused on his rehabilitation since losing a leg in an explosion in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood on Dec. 26, 2007. He hopes to return to his job as a canine handler. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “My main focus right now is to heal properly and quickly in the right timeframe, and just make sure I’m healed...

“If you will return, O Israel, return to me,” declares the Lord. “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ then the nations will be blessed by him and in him they will glory.” Jeremiah 4:1-2 As I write this, the returns are just starting to come in from Tuesday’s Presidential election. At this point, no one knows who won. But even if the most righteous man in the world ran for President, these verses would...

Bloodbath ahead Big differences in hedge fund performance could put weakest ones on endangered list By Christine Williamson The biggest performance dispersion among hedge funds and funds of funds in six years has set the stage for what some predict will be a six-month-long bloodbath. Sources said they expect the body count to total as many as 2,000 hedge funds and 500 hedge funds of funds between now and the end of March as investors redeem assets from the poorest performers and weakest managers, and move into funds managed by strong, institutionally oriented firms. Data from Hedge Fund Research Inc.,...

AL KHWALIS — More than 100 Individually Displaced families returned to their homes recently in the town of Al Khwalis. The event was celebrated by a welcome ceremony and is a significant mark in the reconciliation process. The families left the area when tensions mounted after the Iraqi Army cleared the area of Al Qaeda last year. “Today was a ceremony that represents the reconciling of differences between Sunni and Shia families,” said Capt. Roger Miranda, executive officer, 1st Battalion, 19th Brigade, 5th Division, Military Transition Team. “These people have been living in the town of Hib Hib since they...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2008 – Through a high-adventure recreation program the Army calls Warrior Adventure Quest, soldiers have a new way of transitioning from combat to a “new normal,” reducing the potential for high-risk behaviors that are counterproductive to unit training requirements. Soldiers from the 503rd Infantry in Vicenza, Italy, navigate through nearly 30 miles of mountain trails during a Warrior Adventure Quest activity that also included paintball and whitewater rafting. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “In the past,” said John O’Sullivan, Outdoor Recreation Program Manager at the Army’s Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation...

Displaced Iraqi citizens are returning with their families and goods to local communities and muhallahs in the Rashid District of southern Baghdad. During 2008, More than 7,700 families have resettled in their homes and neighborhoods after leaving due to the sectarian violence and intimidation of previous years. Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, are working with Iraqi security forces to ensure that the Iraqi families return home to security and a sense of normalcy. Photo by Staff Sgt. Brent Williams. FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON — An Iraqi family stands in the doorjamb...

WASHINGTON - John McCain's campaign said Thursday it is returning $50,000 in contributions solicited by a foreign citizen. The move follows the disclosure that the money was being raised by a Jordanian man who is a business partner of prominent Florida Republican Harry Sargeant III, who has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for McCain.

Meretz MK Yossi Beilin on Thursday called on European countries to declare how many Palestinian refugees and their descendants they would be willing to absorb as part of any future peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. "It is important that we know now how many Palestinian refugees [third] countries are willing to absorb, so that when we get to the critical moment [of a peace agreement] we will be prepared for such an eventuality, and be able to carry it out," Beilin said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. The dovish lawmaker made the remarks one day after...

The last of the five Army brigades to deploy with the “troop surge” in Iraq will return in July after a 13-month deployment, during which soldiers detained more than 800 terrorist suspects and helped foster Iraqi self-governance. The 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team has operated in the Arab Jabour area of southeastern Baghdad, where the number of attacks plummeted from about 30 a week when they arrived in May 2007 to about one a week now. “All in all, it's been a very successful operation for us,” Army Col. Terry Ferrell, 2nd Brigade Combat Team commander, told reporters...

The Palestinian Authority is planning to mark Israel's 60th anniversary by calling on all Palestinians living abroad to converge on Israel by land, sea and air. The plan, drawn by Ziad Abu Ein, a senior Fatah operative and Deputy Minister for Prisoners' Affairs in the Palestinian Authority, states that the Palestinians have decided to implement United Nations Resolution 194 regarding the refugees. Article 11 of the resolution, which was passed in December 1948, says that "refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date,...

IRVING, Texas --- A crowd of friends, family, and Marines applaud and cheer as Marines from Detachment A, Marine Air Control Squadron 24, Marine Air Control Group 48, walk into the terminal at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Feb. 15. The Marines returned from a 7-month deployment to Iraq. GySgt. Steven Allemang, an air traffic controller with Det A, MACS-24, holds his 6-year-old daughter, Samantha, while reuniting with his family at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Feb. 15 after returning from Fallujah, Iraq. Allemang deployed as the team leader for the Marine Mobile Team from the detachment that deployed...