Free Republic

There is nothing more irritating to a warrior-poet than an unwillingness to debate. If speech is troubling, or blatantly false, or amateurish, then it will fall of its own weight. I don’t need, and I suspect a majority of truthseekers don’t want, an administrator hovering above the public forum deciding which issues are too controversial for polite company. The Civil War has become untouchable, unless you agree with the standard arguments. 1. Lincoln was a god among men. 2. The South was evil. 3. Union is the ultimate goal of the American experiment. 4. The Federal government’s design trumps the...

Washington - The FBI and Capitol police arrested a man Friday who thought he was going to carry out a bombing attack on the U.S. Capitol but was in fact dealing with FBI undercover operatives for the past few months, federal officials told NBC News. The man, Amine el Khalifi, 29, who is from Morocco, was arrested about noon ET Friday near the Capitol after he received what he thought was a firearm and a vest containing explosives from people he thought were supporters of al-Qaida, sources told NBC News. In fact, the vest had inert material that wasn't hazardous,

Presidents DayClaim:   The federal holiday observed in the United States on the third Monday of February is officially designated as "Presidents' Day." FALSE Origins:   Back in my school days, February was an important month — not just because it included the eagerly-anticipated Valentine's Day, but because even though it was the shortest month of the year, it contained two (count 'em: two) holidays for which schools were closed: Lincoln's Birthday (February 12) and Washington's Birthday (February 22). Two school-free days for the kids, two days off for working parents, and terrific bargains on bedding, linen, and towels at...

n his New York Times bestselling book, Throw Them All Out, Breitbart editor Peter Schweizer revealed how members of Congress enrich themselves and their relatives using earmarks and insider information. Now, the Washington Post, following in Schweizer’s footsteps, has conducted a study that found 16 members of Congress have used their power of the purse to benefit companies, colleges, and community groups tied to their relatives. *snip* Among those cited in the Washington Post report were the following (below):

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Chris Gregoire handed gay rights advocates a major victory Monday, signing into law a measure that legalizes same-sex marriage in Washington state, making it the seventh in the nation to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed. Gregoire signed the bill surrounded by gay rights supporters. “I’m proud our same-sex couples will no longer be treated as separate but equal,” she said. OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Chris Gregoire handed gay rights advocates a major victory Monday, signing into law a measure that legalizes same-sex marriage in Washington state, making it the seventh in the nation to...

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says Washington state's new gay marriage law is not the final word in the debate. Santorum said Monday that he is encouraging opponents of same-sex marriage to continue to fight. He held a private meeting in Olympia with a group of gay marriage opponents who are now exploring a referendum to block the new law.

The House yesterday passed a new "reform" measure aimed at curtailing the practice of trading on securities with inside information amongst members of Congress and their staff. Suprise! Some members of Congress were arriving in Congress and becoming rich on the experience. Ever wonder how people go to Congress and become millionaires? The publication last year of a new academic report cleared up for us at least one way the millionaires' club known as Congress benefits.A report from four scholars, Alan J Ziobrowski; James W Boyd, Ping Cheng; and Brigitte J. Ziobrowski, titled Abnormal Returns From the Common Stock Investments...

Here is a sterling example of how the mainstream media lies to the American people and misleads them about the nature and breadth of jihad activity in this country as well as elsewhere. "Motive of shooter who targeted military sites is unclear," by Josh White for the Washington Post, January 26: Yonathan Melaku was sneaking through Fort Myer and Arlington National Cemetery, his backpack filled with plastic bags of ammonium nitrate, a notebook containing jihadist messages, and a can of black spray paint. The 23-year-old former Marine was heading to the graves of the nation’s most recent heroes, aiming to...

The monster who killed himself and his two young sons in a Washington house fire two years after his wife vanished reportedly attacked the boys with a hatchet before setting the blaze. The sons of Josh Powell, who were just 7 and 5, suffered what police described as "chop wounds" to their heads and necks before the Graham, Wash., home went up in flames as a helpless social worker looked on Sunday. The cause of death for all three is believed to be smoke inhalation. The grisly new details emerged as investigators combed through the charred rubble of the home...

Washington is a criminal enterprise, which is not news. Politicians regularly dole favors to their donors in the form of grants and loan guarantees (Solyndra), theft of private assets for bailouts (Chrysler), and mandates for the use of worthless commodities (corn ethanol). The corruption is endless and goes back to Byzantium; governments are always corrupt because men are corruptible. Due to its size, however, Washington is the greatest criminal enterprise ever assembled. Still, what manner of thief has Washington become? The worst kind. Popular culture lionizes certain classes of criminals, such as jewel thieves and bank heist masterminds, while it...

If you are experienced in pulp & paper engineering type of work, there is hiring going on in Vancouver, WA - minimal travel. For more info, let me know.

Wash. Bills Would Implement Occupy DemandsAzusa Uchikura | Feb. 2, 2012 1:51 p.m. OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington lawmakers are introducing several proposals that echo the demands of the Occupy protesters. In fact, the formal title of one proposal introduced Thursday says it is aimed at "Guaranteeing that the top one percent pay too." The chief sponsor, Democratic Representative Marko Liias , says the Occupy movement wasn't the only thing that prompted this idea. **SNIP** Liias's proposal isn't complete yet, but it would impose a 2 percent tax on incomes over $1 million. The money would help fund education from Kindergarten...

As Washington's legislature works diligently to force homosexual marriage on its constituents, one of the more high-profile corporate entities in the Evergreen State has volunteered to help. In a January 24 statement, Starbucks vice president Kalen Holmes announced that the coffee retailing giant was proudly joining “other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington State legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples.” Holmes emphasized that the measure, which would legalize homosexual partnerships as equal with traditional marriage, “is aligned with Starbucks business practices” and is “core to who we are and what we value as a company.” The Seattle Times...

A woman plans to marry a partially demolished building in Seattle on Sunday. Even though cranes have already started demo work at 10th and Union Warehouse, Babylonia Aivaz reports "I'm STILL Getting Married." "Yes, I'm in love with a 107 year old building!," writes Aivaz on the wedding invite page on facebook. The event will be a community potluck on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Aivaz writes that her relationship with the building began when she and a group of around 200 occupied the warehouse claiming it as a community space. "The warehouse is slated to be demolished...

Prominent American lobbyists are coming under fire for offering "talking points" smoothing over a recent raid by Egyptian security forces on the offices of 10 rights and democracy groups – including three American organizations. The late December raids were decried by the U.S. government as "harassment." Since then, the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that were hit have been locked in a battle with the Egyptian government. Workers have been dragged in for questioning. Despite repeated assurances, the Egyptian government has not returned the loads of equipment it confiscated in the raids. Most recently, several rights workers, including the son of U.S....

The gay marriage bill in the Washington State Legislature specifically claims to protect religious freedom. HB 2516/SB 6239 bills itself as: AN ACT Relating to providing equal protection for all families in Washington by creating equality in civil marriage and changing the domestic partnership laws, while protecting religious freedom...[Emphasis mine] But, as always, the devil is in the details. Section 4 (2) of the proposed legislation says that: No regularly licensed or ordained minister or any priest, imam, rabbi, or similar official of any church or religious denomination is required to solemnize any marriage. Sounds good, right? The Section goes...

Starbucks today joined a growing list of corporations, including Microsoft, that have endorsed gay marriage legislation in the state House and Senate. Gay marriage supporters have apparently secured the votes needed to pass a measure through both houses, and Gov. Chris Gregoire has said she'll sign it into law. Starbucks' statement below: Starbucks is proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington State legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples. Starbucks strives to create a company culture that puts our partners first, and our company has a lengthy history of leading and supporting policies that promote equality...

Carney: Obama sees ‘regrettable level of hyperpartisanship’ in WashingtonBy Amie Parnes - 01/23/12 01:03 PM ET Even though he promised to bridge partisanship before coming into office, President Obama “accepts that there is still a regrettable level of hyperpartisanship,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday. Carney said there were “instances” in which the tone on Pennsylvania Avenue “got in the way of moving forward.” “But that's not an excuse to stop trying,” Carney said. The spokesman said Obama believes there's still an opportunity to work with Congress to accomplish “big things.” Carney used an example of the GOP's...

Washington, DC Sunday, January 22, 2012 Following up on last night's victory in the South Carolina Primary, Newt Gingrich took viewer calls on this morning's Washington Journal. Gingrich will appear on several news shows before he travels to Florida, which holds the next primary on January 31st..

Auroras may dazzle more people than usual this weekend as Earth receives a glancing blow from an enormous solar outburst that erupted on Jan. 19. The outburst, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), was detected by sun-watching satellites. Researchers at the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute predict that auroras should be visible from Seattle, Des Moines, Chicago, and Cleveland, to Boston and Halifax, Nova Scotia Saturday and Sunday nights, weather permitting. ... Space Weather Center forecasters say they expect the encounter to generate a weak geomagnetic disturbance beginning around 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Sunday Jan. 22 and lasting...

Sometimes it helps to offer an analogy to show how utterly out of their minds they are in Washington when it comes to financial matters. We offer for your consideration, this short video. The names have been changed to protect the politicians.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - State government stores money at Bank of America, buys goods with U.S. Bank cards, and distributes welfare aid through JP Morgan Chase ATMs. Supporters of cutting such ties to big banks say the first step is creating the state's own bank. The idea of a state bank - a favorite of the Occupy movement that sees it as an alternative to Wall Street - has strong support among the Democrats who control the state House. Speaker Frank Chopp called it a top priority last week in a speech opening this year's session of the Legislature.

Full Title: Last check for $800 Abraham Lincoln wrote the day before he was assassinated is discovered after 150 years (and it's now worth $25,000) A personal check that Abraham Lincoln wrote the day before he was assassinated is among those that were rediscovered by an Ohio bank. The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reports that 70 checks were found in a vault at Huntington Bank's Columbus headquarters, including checks signed by George Washington, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and Thomas Edison. Some are being displayed at branches throughout the state. The Lincoln check had been made out to 'self' for $800.

An infant girl found wrapped in a towel on the front steps of a Northeast residence late Sunday night later died, and police are investigating the case as a homicide. A resident of the 3000 block of Channing Street, NE, was walking home when he saw the unidentified infant on the steps of another home in the same block, police said Tuesday morning. After finding the baby cold and unconscious, he brought the baby into his home and called 911. Police and Fire and Emergency Medical Services arrived at the scene shortly after 11:30 p.m. and found a neighbor performing...

Occupy 'will never die': Protesters in WashingtonPublished on Jan 14, 2012 WASHINGTON (AFP) - Protesters with the 'Occupy' movement in the US capitol said on Friday the authorities' efforts to evict them would fail, after the city mayor called for their removal. 'They are trying to annoy us, to get our spirits down but I really think it's not working,' said Sam Mellot from Virginia who has been camping at McPherson Square, a few blocks from the White House, one of two downtown sites being used for an encampment by 'Occupy Washington' and 'Occupy DC' demonstrators. 'Evict us, we'll multiply...

SEATTLE -- Republican King County Council member and Attorney General candidate Reagan Dunn tells KING 5 News he will back efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. In supporting gay marriage legislation, Dunn is staking out a different position from Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna.

Everyone knows President Barack Obama likes a celebrity fix - just ask Johnny Depp. And today, just a day after pictures emerged of his extravagant 2009 Halloween party at the White House, the most powerful man in America was enjoying more VIP company. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie brought some Hollywood star power to Washington D.C. as they stopped by for a chat with the chief executive at the Oval Office.

The director of the D.C. Department of Health said the only way to eradicate an infestation of rats at two Occupy protest camps in the District is to completely clear the parks of tents and structures until the rodents are dealt with. But there's no telling whether the National Park Service, which controls both the McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza campsites, would agree to such a drastic step even though tents would be removed only temporarily, District Health Director Mohammad Akhter told The Washington Examiner on Tuesday. A National Park Service representative did not immediately return a call for comment...

SEIU Healthcare 775NW is hiring a Lead internal organizer to lead a team of eight organizers who are focused on leadership development, the “Leaders In Action” field team, working with public and private sector home care workers. This team develops leaders and builds networks to take action in a variety of campaigns.

First Lady Michelle Obama expressed a desire that heretofore, those wishing to speak to her address her as “Your Excellency.” Apprised that the nation’s first president, George Washington rebuffed attempts to address him as “Your Excellency” in favor of the simpler band more modest “Mr. President,” the First Lady responded that “since Washington didn’t rank among our top presidents maybe he didn’t feel so excellent.” It was just a few weeks ago that Michelle’s husband, President Barack Obama, ranked himself as the nation’s fourth best President—behind only Lyndon Johnson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. George Washington didn’t even qualify for...

Occupy Wall Street Goes to Washington: Occupy Congress Set for Jan. 17Wall St. Cheat Sheet – Wed, Dec 28, 2011 3:01 PM EST Protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement have filed paperwork with the National Park Service seeking permission to demonstrate on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on January 17 in an event being billed as “Occupy Congress.” The application was filed by Tuesday by “Occupy Congress and Occupy DC,” listing McPherson Square as the group’s address and “Peaceful 1st Amendment demonstrations, including holding signs and group speaking” as its purpose. About 50 Occupy D.C. protesters took...

And win the Baylor Bears most assuredly did by a score of 67-56 in the Valero Alamo Bowl from San Antonio.

The legacy of Chanukah – faith, patriotism, defiance of extreme odds and tenacity in the battle of liberty against tyranny – has underlined the American spirit since the early Pilgrims, enhancing the unique foundation of the US-Israel covenant: shared values. For instance, the statue of Judah the Maccabee, the hero of the Jewish rebellion against the Syrian-Seleucid Empire, is displayed at the West Point Military Academy, the most prestigious US military academy, founded in 1802. The statue of Judah the Maccabee, known for his principle-driven leadership and daring battle tactics, is displayed along with the statues of Joshua, David, Alexander...

"General Washington and his troops had been defeated in September, driven from Brooklyn to Manhattan, from Manhattan to New York City, around the Palisades, across New Jersey. They declined from 30,000 troops in September to 2500 Effectives on Christmas Day. Of the 2500, one-third did not have boots. They were wearing burlap bags wrapped around their feet, as they marched; they left a trail of blood. General Washington knew that if he didn't win a victory soon, the entire army would disappear. And so he had to do something desperate. He proposed to cross an icy river, at night, in...

There are few images as enduring in American history as the one of General George Washington standing tall, next to the Stars and Stripes, in a rowboat gliding past mini-icebergs as he leads his troops across the Delaware River on Christmas Day 1776 to start a surprise attack on Hessian forces during the Battle of Trenton. In his 1851 portrait, “Washington Crossing the Delaware,” among the best-known of American paintings, the artist, Emanuel Leutze, did not shy away from imbuing the scene with a dose of glory, inspiration and heroism. He also did not let the facts get in the...

235 years ago a today. Christmas Eve. A rag tag bunch of citizen soldiers/militia were given the order to march. In a raging snowstorm. To cross a swollen ice choked river. Most of their enlistments were ending in a few days. They were freezing, tired, hungry, frost-bitten and had lost every battle they had fought in for the last year. They were about to attack some of the finest and well supplied soldiers on the continent. Outnumbered. And yet they marched. Merry Christmas.

1776 was a watershed year in American History. July 4th, the colonies had declared independence from Britain. And so the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783) continued. By December 1776, prospects of victory seemed remote for the Continental Army. The British had driven General Washington from New York to retreat to Pennsylvania. The annual enlistment of the American soldiers were expiring at the end of the year and funds as well as morale were low. If there was every a need for a Christmas miracle, it was needed in 1776. In this bleak setting on Christmas Day, General Washington made...

A female Mark Morris High School graduate was shot and killed Wednesday in a guard tower in Afghanistan, according to the soldier's stepmother. U.S. Army Specialist Mikayla Anne Bragg is Cowlitz County's first casualty in a combat zone since the Vietnam War, according to Daily News archives. Bragg, 21, was scheduled to leave Afghanistan around Christmas and return to the United States on Jan. 6, stepmother Amber Bragg of Longview said Thursday. Bragg enlisted right after she graduated high school in 2008, Amber Bragg said. According to her Facebook page, Bragg's primary duties were as a motor transport operator for...

KENT, Wash. -- A Kent Meridian High School teacher and coach accused of offering a 16-year-old student $50 for sex and sending her a photo of his penis has been charged with a felony sex crime.

COUPEVILLE, Wash. (AP) — At times, Colton Harris-Moore's two years on the run were euphoric — the nights of beatific solitude in the woods, the soaring adrenalin rush of his first moments airborne in the cockpit of a stolen plane. But most other times were far less glamorous: sleeping in portable toilets or culverts as he sought shelter from the elements and the police. The youthful thief who rocketed to international notoriety as the "Barefoot Bandit" is done with both extremes for the moment. He was sentenced Friday to more than seven years in a Washington state prison after pleading...

Police said during a news conference that the situation was “scary” for officers and that protesters were throwing bricks, flares and bags of paint. (Sharpened Rebar Spears left out of written story)

When Boeing Co. two years ago announced plans to open a plant in South Carolina to assemble many of its 787 Dreamliner commercial jets, the decision triggered an outcry by the International Association of Machinists. The IAM's unofficial partner, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), filed a complaint against the company this April to block its opening of the facility, located in a Right to Work state. Last Friday, December 9, the board dropped its action. With the plant up and running for a half year, Boeing won a "victory" -- so says CNN. Or did it? The union,...

First debris from Japanese earthquake/tsunami reaches Olympic Peninsula By Arwyn Rice  Peninsula Daily News    Oceanographer Jim Ingraham answers questions about the islands of debris from the March 11 Japan tsunami that are slowly floating toward the Pacific Northwest. Behind him is a float, found east of Neah Bay, that is believed to be the first identified piece of wreckage to arrive via ocean currents. -- Photo by Arwyn Rice/Peninsula Daily News  PORT ANGELES — The first piece of debris that could be identified as washing up on the West Coast from the March 11 tsunami in Japan —...

Four Army aviators were killed when two helicopters crashed in the aviation training area southwest of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, said base spokesman Lt. Col. Gary Dangerfield...

OAKLAND — As anti-Wall Street protesters attempt to regroup and settle in for winter after a series of police raids that stripped much of the movement of its signature camps, protesters on the West Coast are staging a comeback. On Dec. 12, Occupy movements from Seattle to San Diego say they will shut down their local ports, temporarily stopping the flow of capital on the West Coast. Organizers say they aim to disrupt the business of the “1 percent” — in this case, the corporations that own shipping terminals and do business at the ports. If successful, shutting down the...

US protesters 'occupy' lawmakers' Washington officesAFP – 25 minutes ago Around 1,000 demonstrators assembled at US lawmakers' offices on Thursday as part of a "Take Back the Capitol," action targeting corporate America's influence in Washington's corridors of power. Protesters -- many of them labor-union activists who support the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in New York in September -- aimed to highlight that 13.3 million people are unemployed in the United States, and urge lawmakers to shun cuts to unemployment benefits and focus on job creation. "You have the moral imperative to support those who are slipping," rabbi Erica...

One of two men charged with planning to attack a Seattle military recruiting station last summer has agreed to plead guilty, his lawyer said Wednesday. Michele Shaw, an attorney for Walli Mujahidh, confirmed to The Associated Press that he will plead guilty to multiple charges in federal court Thursday, after the change-of-plea hearing was posted in the court calendar. She declined to comment further. The 32-year-old from Los Angeles was arrested in June along with Khalid Abdul-Latif of Seattle in an FBI sting. Federal prosecutors said the men were taken into custody when they arrived at a warehouse garage to...

Anyone want to buy an old, rusty piece of Seattle history? The Kalakala ferry – yes, that hunk of junk which sat on Lake Union for years – is up for sale. And for just a buck. Of course the Kalakala, now in Tacoma and starting to sink, is much more than a disintegrating eyesore; it was once a symbol of Seattle maritime, a flagship of Puget Sound. The silver, art-deco ferry has seen much better days … and much worse ones. Then there’s the chance that the Coast Guard might seize the boat. The Kalakala’s website notes that the...

Tacoma's Mayor Marilyn Strickland recently told students at Pacific Lutheran University that the reasons Republicans were unsuccessful in recruiting minorities was because "they are racist." When her comments leaked to the media, she said she intended to say that they were "perceived as racist."I don't buy the idea that she "intended" to say something different. But I can accept that in hindsight she wishes she had. And that's a start. At least she acknowledges that Republicans are trying to include minorities, which is more than some Democrats have been willing to say of late. And it's good that she feels...

Residents of a wealthy lakefront community near Seattle are surprised to learn that one of their neighbors, who has lived in a $1.2 million home for the last 8 years, is the recipient of more that $1,200 a month in public housing vouchers, federal and state disability, and food stamps. Video at link