Free Republic

taking the Obama administration to task over the forthcoming decision to pull the plug on the U.S.-Canadian oil pipeline: Newt Gingrich, who frequently talks about the Keystone Pipeline in his stump speech, railed on the news that President Obama is rejecting the permit. Speaking to a standing-room only crowd of about 350 people in Warrenville, S.C., “boos” erupted when Gingrich said the pipeline had been “vetoed.” “Now, this is a stunningly,” Gingrich began until he was interuppted by a crowd members shouting “stupid mistake.” After pausing for a moment Gingrich responded, “This is a stunningly stupid thing to do.”

From NASA Goddard/GISS: same-o, same-o Paleoclimate Record Points Toward Potential Rapid Climate ChangesThe average global surface temperature of Earth has risen by .8 degrees Celsius since 1880, and is now increasing at a rate of about .1 degree Celsius per decade. This image shows how 2010 temperatures compare to average temperatures from a baseline period of 1951-1980, as analyzed by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Credit: NASA GISS New research into the Earth’s paleoclimate history by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies director James E. Hansen suggests the potential for rapid climate changes this century, including multiple...

'Was there a man dismay'd Not tho' the soldier knew Someone had blundered' 70 years ago over 2,400 Americans were killed and about half as many wounded when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the naval and air forces of Imperial Japan. The usual scapegoats were identified and ruined, but for decades historians have questioned the official account. Between conventional sources of information and radar tracking, it is argued, the Roosevelt administration knew or ought to have known. Some analysts have concluded that Franklin Roosevelt wanted a justification, no matter what the price, for getting into the war. Others have been...

Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul was hushed by deafening boos from a crowd of Tea Partiers at Monday's GOP Presidential debate, after suggesting America's foreign police played a role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Mr Paul attempted to position his argument to slash military spending, contending that occupation was the 'real motivation' behind acts of terrorism by Muslim extremists against the U.S. But a provocative retort from presidential candidate, Pennsylvania lawmaker Rick Santorum, instead drew wide support, after he dismissed Mr Paul's comments as 'irresponsible'. Prior to the Tea Party debate, Mr Paul, 76, had reflected on the U.S. response...

Should energy consumers pay extra taxes to fund government-mandated and subsidized renewable energy technologies? "Absolutely yes," says John Bryson, President Obama's nominee for Commerce Secretary. He made the remark at a meeting of the Commonwealth Club of California in 2009 and went on to extol the virtues of hidden rates in California, a state encumbered with some of the nation's highest electricity and unemployment rates. Bryson, retired CEO of the electric utility Southern California Edison (SCE) and its parent company Edison International, excused the practice, saying, "That's been a part of the regulatory environment for the investor-owned utilities for as...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional leaders rushed to line up Republican and Democratic votes on Monday for a White House-backed deal to raise the U.S. borrowing limit and avert an unprecedented debt default. With scars still fresh from the months-long brawl over increasing the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, a new fight was shaping over the incendiary topic of taxes. Global markets showed signs of relief that the United States appeared to be dodging default, but fears that the country might still lose its triple-A credit rating even with a debt deal contributed to a fizzle in a brief stocks rally. "We...

The press is reporting that the top military leaders have “endorsed” President Obama’s Afghan troop withdrawal decision. With all due respect to the fine reporters, that is not the news. Under our Constitution, military leaders have no choice but to endorse the president’s decision after giving him their best advice. They could resign, of course, but to have the entire senior military leadership resign over a president’s decision contrary to their advice would be a disaster, and not least for the troops on the ground. Make no mistake, however. The entire military leadership believes the president’s decision is a mistake,...

Apple denies Amazon claims to generic app storesApple in a court filing late Thursday rebuffed Amazon's response that the term "app store" was generic. It insisted that the term isn't commonly used by other companies for their portals and couldn't be considered generic. Amazon was allegedly treading on Apple's mark by using the Appstore name as a result. The iPhone maker had sued Amazon in March claiming that its "app store" trademark was valid and commonly associated with the iOS App Store and, more recently, the Mac App Store. At one point, it has argued that the term was a...

Despite Reports of Brutality Toward Civilians, Syria to Join U.N.'s Human Rights Council By Ben Evansky Published April 26, 2011 | FoxNews.com The brutal crackdown by Syrian President Bashar Assad may finally be getting the attention of world leaders -- but apparently not enough to stop Syria from becoming the newest member of the U.N. Human Rights Council. And despite calling for an independent investigation into the crackdown, which has left hundreds dead, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon apparently won’t do much about blocking Syria’s path to the human rights group. "That's not really for the secretary general to suggest to...

As some states like Utah look to put cops on the front lines of immigration enforcement, San Jose Police Chief Chris Moore and other prominent law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that using their shrinking pool of officers to target illegal immigrants is inefficient, costly and would make their cities more dangerous, not less. "I am looking at laying off 300 officers, so now more than ever I need to focus on partnerships with communities,'' Moore said during a national teleconference sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum. "This (the issue of immigration enforcement) has become a wedge in our communities...

My job deprives me of the luxury of partisanship, as I have to reach out to both sides on the issue of free trade--a disastrous policy one can give impeccably liberal or conservative reasons to be against. So I can't offer any opinion of the Tea Party movement per se. But I can tell you that the way they're handling the issue of free trade reveals a lot about them. Over the last year, I've interacted with the Tea Party about the issue at both the local level and with some of their leadership. And I've observed a few things....

Unlike Moses Herzog, the eponymous character of Saul Bellow's novel "Herzog," I do not feverishly compose mad letters to public figures and sinister government agencies. But I often yell back at the TV set. This happened Sunday when Candy Crowley on CNN asked Rep. Pete King what his hearings into Muslim radicalism are really about. "Good luck, Candy," I yelled, having asked the same question of King's staff just the day before. Here, I am sure, is the answer: The hearings are about Pete King. King is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. On Thursday, he will inaugurate...

In the bookstore I run, I used to carry lectures on CD by Anwar al-Awlaki. That's the pre-radical al-Awlaki, who recorded lectures about prophets and the hereafter and Islam in general. Now, that al-Awlaki is gone and has been replaced by a terrorist who publicly justifies killing American civilians. ...I was most worried about what the public, the authorities, and other Muslims would think. On the other hand, by removing the CDs I was censoring, and censorship is, generally speaking, a bad thing. I asked a retired bookseller friend what she thought... She recalled that when her store was open...

While reading her emails, I heard my wife say, “This is so absurd, it has to be an internet hoax doctored photo”. It was a photo of a rally on MLK Day hosted by the South Carolina NAACP held at the state house. The statue of George Washington at the state house was boxed in on three sides hidden from the rallying crowd. The NAACP said they covered the statue because they “didn’t want to offend anyone”. Upon investigation, the photo was confirmed to be real. This misdirected ridiculous behavior by the NAACP epitomizes why I, a black American, will...

About a year ago, I began to commit social suicide. It was a slow process, beginning as I spoke my mind to friends about the new convictions I was forming. If I ever was A-list, pretty soon I wasn’t anymore. I never had a t-shirt of Mao or Che, but if I did, I’d burn it in defiant protest. I love America, and I have come to realize that my only hope for freedom or equality – the things my friends say they all want – is to join together with those who want to protect Her, no matter how...

Katie Couric: 'Maybe We Need a Muslim Version of The Cosby Show' By Tim Graham Created 12/30/2010 - 1:04pm By Tim Graham | December 30, 2010 | 13:04 Tim Graham's picture In her @katiecouric Web show analyzing the trends of 2010, the CBS Evening News anchor made a serious speech (in her serious, deep-thinker glasses) against the deep "seething hatred" against Muslims in America: I also think sort of the chasm, between, or the bigotry expressed against Muslims in this country has been one of the most disturbing stories to surface this year. Of course, a lot of noise was...

Last week, I attended the Marrakech Film Festival....The opening gala, complete with red carpet and paparazzi, was staged in a swanky convention hall surrounded by five-star hotels. The requisite stars made appearances.... [....] When the men awaken to discover the women missing, the entire village is mobilized to hunt them down. Their escape route, which runs along the beach, is entirely exposed, and they are brought back in a fishing boat. Watching the men of the village gather around the two women in a circle on the beach, I ought to have realized what was about to happen, but somehow...

Stop worrying about when the hard drive in your computer will die. Google wants to kill it permanently anyway. The new Google Chrome operating system, which was unveiled Tuesday, as well as hints and suggestions from Apple and Microsoft, offers us a preview of the PC of the future. And it will come without that familiar whirring disk that has been the data heart of the PC for the past 25 years. The Chrome OS will at first be available on all-black laptops from Samsung and Acer. And because the new platform stores everything -- files, applications, data bits and...

As violent drug cartels take over Mexico and expand their criminal enterprises north, the United States has signed a “trusted traveler” agreement that allows pre-screened Mexican airline passengers to bypass lengthy airport security checkpoints. The foreigners will get “trusted traveler cards” with fingerprints and other biometric data and they must answer customs declarations questions on touch-screen kiosks before leaving airport inspection areas. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano claims it’s a way to enhance information sharing and mutual security in the face of “ever-evolving, multinational threats.” About 84 million Mexicans are expected to qualify for the trusted traveler program, according to...

Counterterror experts warn of guests at 'radicalization' confab An upcoming Los Angeles conference designed to combat Islamic "radicalization" features a pair of "radical" Muslim leaders who have openly supported terrorists and advised American Muslims against cooperating with law enforcement.The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, the FBI and LAPD will host the event next week at a resort in Pismo Beach, Calif... The controversial guest Muslim speakers...are leaders of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Los Angeles-based MPAC says it is a "moderate" group, but critics charge it is a "propaganda arm" for the radical Muslim Brotherhood in America. ...the MPAC officials are...

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The spectre of inflation loomed over agricultural markets after the US slashed key crop forecasts and warned of shortfalls in grains. The agriculture department on Tuesday cut estimates of US corn yields for a third successive month, forecast record soyabean exports to China and warned of the slimmest cotton stocks since 1925.

Nothing like a tough, clear answer to a simple question! Here is video of President Obama in India taking a question from a young lady who asked Obama very straightforwardly, “What is your opinion of Jihad?” Obama’s answer? “Well, the phrase Jihad has a lot of meanings within Islam, and is subject to a lot of different interpretations.” He then droned on about how Islam is a peaceful religion and the vast majority of adherents are peaceful people. He did say that violence on the part of any religion against others is not justified. This young lady asked a very...

Per copyright restrictions and FR posting guidelines, can't display the article. So, here's a link: http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2010/12/graydon-201012

"It was like the Chilean miners, but he, being the man he is, rolled up his sleeves and said 'I am going to get us out of this hole,'" Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) said in Las Vegas on Sunday.

SAN FRANCISCO — While polls were showing her to be among the country’s most disliked politicians, Democrats were ducking her on the campaign trail and the Republican Party chairman was riding around in a “Fire Pelosi!” bus, the speaker of the House was checking out mattresses. “Wow, this is great,” said a sleep-deprived Nancy Pelosi as she stroked a plush specimen during a tour of the McRoskey Mattress Company here on Wednesday. While few politicians ever look comfortable on factory floors, Ms. Pelosi, the California Democrat, seemed particularly ill-suited, her big shiny pearls clashing with the goofy safety goggles she...

Los Angeles, CA – BACM Research/PaperlessArchives.com has published correspondences between Senator Barack Obama and the Department of Defense, dating from March 3, 2005 to February 8, 2008. These documents were released in October 2010 by the Department of Defense, after a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. These files can be downloaded for free at: http://www.paperlessarchives.com/barack_obama_department_of_def.html Topics of the letters include: Deployment of Illinois National Guard units. Request for information concerning the assigning of casualty specialists to the next of kin of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Questions about National Guard members being exposed to toxic substances while deployed...

So President Obama was just interviewed in Rolling Stone magazine, that thinning pamphlet for our country’s dwindling supply of pony-tailed pensioners. (AARP skews younger.) When asked about Fox News, this is what our Commander-in-chief had to say. I think Fox … is part of the tradition that has a very clear, undeniable point of view. It’s a point of view that I disagree with. It’s a point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle class and is competitive in the world. But as an economic enterprise, it’s...

SNIPPET: "A boat carrying human rights activists from Israel, Germany, the United States and Britain has reportedly set sail for Gaza Sunday, hoping to breach Israel's blockade there and deliver aid."

The Muslim cleric behind plans to build a mosque close to the Ground Zero site has blamed politicians such as Sarah Palin for fuelling a "growing Islamophobia" that led to the burning of Korans on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The Reverend Terry Jones abandoned his "international burn a Koran day" in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday but there were isolated instances in Tennessee and New York of the Muslim holy book being set alight. "What has happened is that..certain politicians decided that this project would be very useful for their political ambitions," Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said,...

SNIPPET: "SUE MYRICK, R 9th District includes parts of Gaston, Mecklenburg and Union counties. Home: Charlotte. Term: Eighth. Top committees: Intelligence, Energy and Commerce . Vote ranking: 34th most conservative member of the House, according to National Journal." SNIPPET: "The record: She's a vocal opponent of taxes, spending and illegal immigration, with a voting record to match. Last year she introduced the "10k Run for the Border Act", which would have upped penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. This year she chided President Obama for opposing Arizona's tough immigration law. In January, the House passed her amendment to...

by Fareed Zakaria September 04, 2010 Nine years after 9/11, can anyone doubt that Al Qaeda is simply not that deadly a threat? Since that gruesome day in 2001, once governments everywhere began serious countermeasures, Osama bin Laden’s terror network has been unable to launch a single major attack on high-value targets in the United States and Europe. While it has inspired a few much smaller attacks by local jihadis, it has been unable to execute a single one itself. Today, Al Qaeda’s best hope is to find a troubled young man who has been radicalized over the Internet, and...

Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah has come out strongly in support of the controversial Islamic center proposed for construction in New York, even as his party appears to be using opposition to the so-called "Ground Zero mosque" as a campaign issue. In an interview over the weekend with Fox 13 News in Salt Lake City, Hatch noted that "there's a huge . . . lack of support throughout the country for Islam to build that mosque there, but that should not make a difference if they decide to do it." "I'd be the first to stand up for their...

Osama bin Laden a CIA agent, says Fidel Castro FORMER Cuban president Fidel Castro said Osama bin Laden was in the pay of the CIA and was summoned up whenever George W. Bush needed to scare the world. "Any time Bush would stir up fear and make a big speech, bin Laden would appear threatening people with a story about what he was going to do," Castro told Sky News. "Bush never lacked for bin Laden's support. He was a subordinate." Castro made his remarks during a meeting with Lithuanian-born writer Daniel Estulin known for advancing conspiracy theories about world...

"EPA Now Accepting Public Comment on Petition to Ban Lead in Ammunition and Fishing Tackle" Thursday, August 26, 2010 By Susan Jones, Senior Editor SNIPPET: "(CNSNews.com) – Environmental activists are pressing the Obama administration to ban the manufacture, processing and distribution lead shot, bullets, and fishing sinkers under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, but hunting and Second Amendment groups say the EPA lacks the authority to do so, for starters." SNIPPET: "The public comment period opened on Aug. 25 and ends on October 31. The EPA must decide whether to accept or reject the petition by November 1,...

Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World," is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor. By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN In a commentary on the shrill Republican silence in the face of the "Obama is a Muslim" nonsense, Slate’s John Dickerson wrote that "with so much traffic on the low road in American politics, you'd imagine a politician or two might take the high road simply to beat the congestion." Well, New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg continues to take the road less...

I thought he’d only been at it for two weeks but apparently it’s a longstanding thing. See, “D” stands for “Democrats” but it also stands for “drive,” and that’s what you want to be doing when you’re in a car. Whereas “R” stands for both “Republican” and “reverse,” and no one wants to be doing that. So there you go. You’re now set for the midterms. Remember: Crushing deficits and near-double-digit unemployment = drive. Wingnut = reverse. It has since become the Mr. Potato Head of campaign stump speech metaphors. The president keeps expanding on it. This week, as he...

It is hard to imagine that anything has gone unsaid about the so-called Ground Zero mosque, but an important point seems to be missing. The mosque should be built precisely because we don't like the idea very much. We don't need constitutional protections to be agreeable, after all. This point surpasses even all the obvious reasons for allowing the mosque, principally that there's no law against it. Precluding any such law, we let people worship when and where they please. That it hurts some people's feelings is, well, irrelevant in a nation of laws. And, really, don't we want to...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, called for an investigation of those who are protesting the building of the Ground Zero Mosque on Tuesday. She told San Francisco's KCBS radio: Link to audio

It is hard to imagine that anything has gone unsaid about the so-called Ground Zero mosque, but we seem to be missing an important point. The mosque should be built precisely because we don't like the idea very much. We don't need constitutional protections to be agreeable, after all. This point surpasses even all the obvious reasons for allowing the mosque, principally that there's no law against it. Precluding any such law, we let people worship when and where they please. That it hurts some people's feelings is, well, irrelevant in a nation of laws. And don't we, really, want...

Hello Freepers ! Not all churches have steeples, and not all mosques have Minarets. What is the purpose of a Minaret ? My internet research is taking me into places I would rather not dwell (Like Islam conversion sites and other mind-numbing dreck) I see a few Mosques on US soil - But this Minaret thingy seems to suggest that a mosque is special in some way. Anyone know ?

Yes, yes, I know. I am most likely going to be blasted for riding the fence on this one. I am a conservative Republican. I believe in lower taxes, securing our borders, and protecting our country and our Constitutional rights. I support our troops and take pride in the foundation America was built. I own guns, and I know how to aim…accurately. I want our country to thrive, I want our economic hardships to cease. I want my kids to enjoy a solid future and not owe the government for the entirety of their lives. I want Reagan to be...

Forces that use terrorism, preach a totalitarian ideology and have genocidal goals are responsible for conflict in the Middle East. In this era, the most common way of dealing with radicalism, repression, terrorism, and such things in the Third World is to blame it on democratic states so often victimized by such things. The latest contribution to this genre comes from British ambassador to Israel Tom Phillips who said Israel’s sanctions’ regime on the Gaza Strip “was breeding radicalism.” He claimed it had driven “Gaza into a Hamas-controlled tunnel economy, and the Palestinian Gaza private sector has been almost completely...

<p>“The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president."</p>

Fiscal Policy: Timothy Geithner thinks tax hikes will help the economy dig its way out of the hole. Can we really afford two more years of this kind of thinking? Appearing Sunday on ABC News' "This Week," the secretary of the treasury said he had no problem with letting tax cuts expire for wealthy Americans. "It's responsible to let the tax cuts expire that just go to 2% to 3% of Americans, the highest-earning Americans." Responsible? Quite the contrary. Indeed, letting taxes rise on the most productive Americans is the most irresponsible thing our government could be doing right now....

"Hizb ut Tahrir is not a gateway to terrorism, claims Whitehall report" SNIPPET: "The Government has opened the way for official links with Muslim extremists after civil servants said radical groups could be a "safety valve" for those tempted by terrorism." By Andrew Gilligan Published: 7:30AM BST 25 Jul 2010 SNIPPET: "The groups specifically named - in documents leaked to The Sunday Telegraph - include al-Muhajiroun, which has praised 9/11 as “magnificent” and Hizb ut Tahrir, which wants to turn Britain into an Islamic dictatorship under sharia law. In the classified papers, presented last week to Coalition ministers on the...

NEW – UPDATED WITH AFFILIATIONS LAST UPDATE 7/25/10 Thank you to Glenn Reynolds for linking to this piece- Instapundit.com Welcome Andrew Breitbart and Big Journalism Readers. THANK YOU THOMAS LIFSON AND CLARICE FELDMAN FOR YOUR HELP COMPILING THIS LIST THIS LATTE PARTY SURE LOOKS EXCLUSIONARY, IT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE AMERICA. IT LOOKS MORE LIKE THE UPPER WEST SIDE OF MANHATTAN.

The technician said that shortly after the cap was successfully placed, Dr. Chu wondered aloud why oil was still spewing from around the bottom. Engineers had to tell him that the leaks were expected, at least initially.

Army looks for ways to use fuel cells with non-petroleum sources The United States Army has started the development and application of hydrogen fuel-cell technology to their vehicles. The first vehicle to receive this technology will be the workhorse M1 Abrams battle tank. This type of tank requires vast amounts of onboard computing power for sensors, computing equipment, battle command technology and other electronic equipment, so using fuel cell technology would be able to provide greater electrical power than the current setup, which is a diesel engine/alternator arrangement.  In addition, the use of a fuel cell would make the tank's motor run in...

Hoping to lift sagging confidence in President Barack Obama's economic leadership, the White House will make the case on Wednesday that his policies are creating jobs and spurring private investment. A report to be unveiled at 11 a.m. EDT will estimate that Obama's $862 billion economic stimulus package, which passed last year, has saved or created 3 million jobs and is on track to meet its goal of 3.5 million jobs by the end of this year. The analysis from the White House Council of Economic Advisers will say that government funding of clean energy, economic development, construction projects and...