Free Republic

Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Williams is a Republican who counts President Bush among his friends, helped deliver the GOP counterpunch at the Democrats' convention and nominated John McCain at the Republican convention. (snip) "He's definitely an up-and-comer. That's recognized by the national party. That's recognized by the McCain campaign," he said, "and so I think that he will be there, and he'll be ready when that opportunity presents itself."

http://cantankerousgentleman.blogspot.com/2008/08/obama-as-teen-idol.html This is a teen fanzine parody I created that was originally posted at NewsBusters. There is no question that the media is infatuated with Barack Obama.

Edgar K. Browning, a professor of economics at Texas A&M University, has a new book aptly titled "Stealing From Each Other." Its subtitle, "How the Welfare State Robs Americans of Money and Spirit," goes to the heart of what the book is about: The rise of equalitarian ideology has driven Americans to steal from one another. Browning notes certain kinds of equality have been a cherished value in America. Equality under the law and, within reason, equality of opportunity is consistent with a free society. Equality of results is an anathema to a free society, and within it lie the...

OAKLAND -- The former head of Your Black Muslim Bakery in Oakland and an associate of the now-defunct business pleaded no contest today to vandalism in connection with the trashing of two liquor stores in the city in 2005. Yusuf Bey IV, 22, the son of the bakery's late leader, Yusuf Bey, pleaded no contest to all eight charges against him, including vandalism, false imprisonment, hate-crime and civil-rights violations. He is expected to be sentenced to three years in state prison.Bakery associate Dyamen Williams, 21, pleaded no contest to vandalism and could face up to a year in county jail.On...

One of the unappreciated casualties of the War of 1861, erroneously called a Civil War, was its contribution to the erosion of constitutional guarantees of state sovereignty. It settled the issue of secession, making it possible for the federal government to increasingly run roughshod over Ninth and 10th Amendment guarantees. A civil war, by the way, is a struggle where two or more parties try to take over the central government. Confederate President Jefferson Davis no more wanted to take over Washington, D.C., than George Washington wanted to take over London. Both wars are more properly described as wars of...

The three network anchors will travel to Europe and the Middle East next week for Barack Obama's trip, adding their high-wattage spotlight to what is already shaping up as a major media extravaganza. Lured by an offer of interviews with the Democratic presidential candidate, Brian Williams, Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric will make the overseas trek, meaning that the NBC, ABC and CBS evening newscasts will originate from stops along the route and undoubtedly give it big play. John McCain has taken three foreign trips in the past four months, all unaccompanied by a single network anchor. Obama has "proven...

ASHINGTON - Less than a month after declaring polar bears a threatened species because of global warming, the Bush administration is giving oil companies permission to annoy and potentially harm them in the pursuit of oil and natural gas.

Despite Congress' periodic hauling of weak-kneed oil executives before their committees to charge them with collusion and price-gouging, subsequent federal investigations turn up no evidence to support the charges. Now oil company executives are getting a bit of a respite as Congress has turned its attention to crude-oil speculators, blaming them for high oil prices and calling for tighter control over commodity futures trading. Let's look at the futures market and for simplicity use corn futures. While corn is different from oil, both obey the laws of supply and demand, just as humans are very different from bricks but both...

Obama eventually stopped defending and attending such a “church”, but only after poll numbers demanded that he do so. During Obama’s campaign he has not hesitated to throw anyone under the bus that threatens his shot at the prize, including his own place of worship. His loyalty to any one group, is always subject to “change.”

Let's do a thought experiment asking whether Americans are for or against slavery. You might say, "What are you talking about, Williams? We fought a war that cost over 600,000 lives to end slavery!" To get started, we might find a description that captures the essence of slavery. A good working description is: slavery is a set of circumstances whereby one person is forcibly used to serve the purposes of another person and has no legal claim to the fruits of his labor. The average American worker toils from January 1st to the end of April, and has no legal...

Here are a few facts: Over 95 percent of the greenhouse effect is the result of water vapor in Earth's atmosphere. Without the greenhouse effect, Earth's average temperature would be zero degrees Fahrenheit. Most climate change is a result of the orbital eccentricities of Earth and variations in the sun's output. On top of that, natural wetlands produce more greenhouse gas contributions annually than all human sources combined.

Professional GOP operative Pete Peterson saw a lot of potential Tuesday. With a 60 percent Democratic voter turnout in the hotly contested Pennsylvania presidential primary election compared to just 26 percent for Republicans in Delaware County, Republican challenger W. Craig Williams was able to secure 39,707 votes in the race for the 7th Congressional District, a seat currently held by freshman Democrat Joseph Sestak, of Edgmont. Williams, 43, of Concord, secured 51,703 votes overall when lumping in the portion of Chester and Montgomery counties that fall into the 7th District. Sestak, 56, garnered 64,809 votes in the county and 89,041...

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, pandering to anti-trade activists, suggest that should they become president, they will restrict trade agreements. Before you buy into their promised paradise, there are a few trade questions you might consider....There's great angst over the loss of manufacturing jobs. The number of U.S. manufacturing jobs has fallen, and it's mainly a result of technological innovation, and it's a worldwide phenomenon. Daniel W. Drezner, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, in "The Outsourcing Bogeyman" (Foreign Affairs, May/June 2004), notes that U.S. manufacturing employment between 1995 and 2002 fell by 11 percent....

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars cornerback Brian Williams had not yet made headlines on the football field when he made news off the field, accused of making some offensive comments to an officer the night he was arrested on suspicion of DUI. According to Jacksonville police, Williams went on a racist, profanity-laced rant on the September 2006 night he was charged with driving under the influence. WJXT-TV has obtained court documents detailing what an officer says Williams said to him that night. The officer involved wrote in his notes that Williams called him a, "Honky mother (expletive)." The statement goes on...

Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign manager, Maggie Williams, earned about $200,000 on the board of a Long Island subprime lender that charged prepayment penalties -- a practice that Clinton, a critic of the subprime industry, now seeks to eliminate. Williams, who took over the reins of Clinton's campaign in early February, served as a director on the board of the Woodbury-based Delta Financial Corp. from April 2000 until the firm declared bankruptcy in December, according to Securities and Exchange Commission records. She was recruited by former New York City Deputy Mayor Bill Lynch, a Delta consultant. Her assignments were to create...

Some pundits ask whether America is ready for Obama. The much more important question is whether Obama is ready for America and even more important is whether black people can afford Obama. Let's look at it in the context of a historical tidbit. In 1947, Jackie Robinson, signing a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, broke the color barrier in major league baseball. He encountered open racist taunts and slurs from fans, opposing team players and even some players on his own team. Despite that, his first year batting average was .297. He led the National League in stolen bases and...

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP)—WTA head Larry Scott said Thursday that he strongly disagrees with comments made by Richard Williams, father of Serena and Venus, regarding racism on the women’s tour. Saying he was disappointed by Williams’ recent remarks during an interview in India, Scott said in a statement: “The Tour has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to racism, and I have previously let Mr. Williams know that he should let me know if he ever had evidence of racist comments or acts in women’s professional tennis.” While his daughters were playing earlier this month in Bangladore, India, where...

At this particular time, fanatical jihadists are calling the terrorism shots in many Muslim countries. Their success in committing terrorist acts is in no small part the result of the actions by the millions of peace-loving fellow Muslims. More important is the direct or indirect assistance terrorists receive through the silence of their fellow Muslims. There is no way terrorists can carry on their operations, obtain explosive materials, run terrorist training camps and raise money without the knowledge of other Muslims, whether they're government officials, bankers, family members, friends or neighbors.

FORT LAUDERDALE - The shooting death of a gay teenage boy who was dressed in women's clothing is being investigated as a possible hate crime, while detectives try to determine whether he was targeted because of his sexual orientation. Simmie Williams Jr., 17, was attacked on the 1000 block of Sistrunk Boulevard by two young men who wore dark clothing and might live in the neighborhood, police said. Williams, who was wearing a dress and was known in the area by his first name or as "Chris" or "Beyonce," was shot about 12:45 a.m. Friday and soon afterward died at...

Rome, 15 Feb. (AKI) - Islamic courts must be be ruled out in Britain and other Western countries if the democratic rights of all their citizens are to be safeguarded, Iranian born activist Homa Arjomand, told Adnkronos International (AKI). Homa Arjomand spearheaded a successful campaign to end faith-based arbitration in Canada. She strongly disagreed with remarks made earlier in February by the head of the Anglican Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who claimed that Islamic (Sharia) courts in Britain seemed "inevitable" and could aid "social cohesion". Arjomand told AKI that adopting Sharia courts, promoting Islamic schools and Islamic...

The archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, earned an unusual rebuke from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown last week for suggesting that some version of Islamic -- "Shariah" -- law would inevitably be introduced in Britain. Even in rejecting the idea, however, Mr. Brown noted that some aspects of Shariah could be accommodated on a "case-by-case" basis. This exchange highlights an issue that is fast reaching a boiling point in Britain and other Western countries with increasingly assertive Muslim communities. Can a modern democracy house more than one legal system, even on a limited basis, and remain a democracy as we...

During MSNBC's live coverage of Tuesday's presidential primary elections, after the speeches of Barack Obama and John McCain had aired, Chris Matthews expressed his latest over the top admiration for Obama's speaking skills as the MSNBC anchor admitted that Obama's speech created a "thrill" in his leg: "It's part of reporting this case, this election, the feeling most people get when they hear Barack Obama's speech. My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often." Minutes later, Brian Williams poked fun at Matthews' confession: "Let's talk about that feeling Chris gets up...

Carey weighs into Sharia law row Lord Carey said his successor was a "great leader" Pressure has mounted on the Archbishop of Canterbury after his comments about Islamic Sharia law were criticised by his predecessor.Lord Carey said Dr Rowan Williams's suggested acceptance of some Muslim laws was "a view I cannot share". But, writing in the News of the World, he said Dr Williams should not be forced to quit. Dr Williams has insisted he was not advocating a parallel set of laws, but has faced calls for his resignation. Supporters have described the reaction to his comments as...

The Archbishop of Canterbury will try to put aside the row over sharia law as he makes his first public appearance since the controversy erupted. Dr Rowan Williams hit back on Friday night over criticism of his comments amid growing calls for his resignation. He made no proposals for sharia, and "certainly did not call for its introduction as some kind of parallel jurisdiction to the civil law... his core aim was "to tease out some of the broader issues around the rights of religious groups within a secular state". At least two Synod members have already called for Dr...

DELAWARE COUNTY Republicans have endorsed a federal prosecutor and decorated veteran of the first Gulf War to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak in this year's 7th Congressional District race. W. Craig Williams, who resigned this week as an assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia to run for office, got the nod last night from GOP leaders to take on Sestak, a retired Navy admiral serving his first term in Congress. He secured the party's endorsement without a vote. No other Republican candidates came forward at the Paxon Hollow Country Club. "Hopefully," Williams said, "the election in November goes about that...

"Ask Me About Gene!" crowed the lapel buttons worn by liberal delegates to the Episcopal Church's General Convention in August of 2003. The big issue of that Minneapolis meeting was whether to ratify the election of the Bishop of New Hampshire: the divorced, openly gay, and "partnered" Gene Robinson. Well, interested parties did ask about Gene, and were cheerily informed by his supporters about the state of his marriage and his mattress. This raised the question of whether the teachings of Christ are or are not essential to Christianity -- a question to which ecclesiocrats gave one answer and churchgoers...

The "greatest generation" is a term sometimes used in reference to those Americans who were raised during the Great Depression, fought in World War II, worked in farms and factories and sacrificed for the war effort while maintaining the home front. Following the war, these Americans, many of whom were born between the turn of the century and 1930, went on to produce a level of wealth and prosperity heretofore unknown to mankind. There's no question that this generation made an important contribution. Let's look at what else that generation contributed that might qualify them for the generation that laid...

Williams leads Illini to upset of No. 1 Ohio StateBy RUSTY MILLER, AP Sports Writer November 10, 2007 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- In this season of upsets, top-ranked Ohio State was the latest to fall. Juice Williams provided the big plays on the ground and through the air, spurring Illinois to a stunning 28-21 victory on Saturday night and throwing open the national title race. It was the first time Illinois (8-3, 5-2 Big Ten) had ever beaten a No. 1, losing all 17 previous games. The defeat also ended a record streak of 20 Big Ten wins in a...

In last month's column "Academic Cesspools," I wrote about "Indoctrinate U," a recently released documentary exposing egregious university indoctrination of young people at prestigious and not-so-prestigious universities (www.onthefencefilms.com/movies.html). I said the documentary only captured the tip of a disgusting iceberg. The Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a frontline organization in the battle against academic suppression of free speech and thought, released information about what's going on at the University of Delaware, and probably at other universities as well, that should send chills up the spines of parents of college-age students. The following excerpts are taken from the...

Felinda Williams couldn't make herself go to court on a recent morning, couldn't bring herself to look at the man accused of driving drunk and killing her daughter, her son-in-law and her 2-year-old grandson. She knows few details of the Aug. 11 crash in Houston that killed the newlyweds and the little boy nicknamed "Peanut Butter." She does know that her daughter didn't die on impact. The young woman, according to reports, felt the flames and begged helpless bystanders to pull her free. The grieving woman knows two things about Juan Felix Salinas, the man charged in connection with their...

The Gregarious Brain Nicki Hornbaker, born with Williams syndrome, prepares a cartwheel for her mother. By DAVID DOBBS Published: July 8, 2007 If a person suffers the small genetic accident that creates Williams syndrome, he’ll live with not only some fairly conventional cognitive deficits, like trouble with space and numbers, but also a strange set of traits that researchers call the Williams social phenotype or, less formally, the “Williams personality”: a love of company and conversation combined, often awkwardly, with a poor understanding of social dynamics and a lack of social inhibition. The combination creates some memorable encounters. Oliver Sacks,...

Dr. Thomas Sowell, a distinguished economist and longtime friend and colleague, recently wrote a series of columns under the title “A War of Words.” He pointed out that liberals succeed in duping the public because they are so clever with words that they give the appearance of compassion. Liberals talk about the need for “affordable” housing and health care. They tarnish their enemies with terms such as “price-gouging” and “corporate greed.” Uninformed and unthinking Americans fall easy prey to this demagoguery.Politicians exploit public demands that government ought to do something about this or that problem by taking measures giving them...

A Warning to Brian Williams About Keith Olbermann John Gibson was commenting tonight on Chris Matthews when the topic turned to the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann. We have the audio clip for your listening pleasure.

Williams starting process to return to NFL By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com Running back Ricky Williams, exiled for the entire 2006 season because of a fourth violation of the NFL substance abuse policy, has triggered the process that could end his one-year suspension and lead to his reinstatement by the league. Williams was suspended by the NFL last April 25 and spent last fall playing for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. In advance of the one-year anniversary of the sanctions, Williams has already requested that pertinent reports, including those from the clinician who has monitored his case and from Dr....

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Serena Williams won her eighth and most improbable Grand Slam title, overwhelming top-seeded Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2 in the Australian Open on Saturday. Only the second unseeded woman to win the Australian title in the Open era, Williams came into the tournament ranked No. 81 after spending most of last season on the sidelines because of a knee injury. "I'm really enjoying this!" said Williams, who will jump to No. 14 next week. It was her first title in 15 tournaments since winning the 2005 Australian Open, and the most dominating win in a completed championship...

Hicks identified as longtime member of metro-area Crips. People who know Brian Kenneth Hicks might not be hard to find. But those willing to talk about him could be more difficult to come by. That's according to one of Denver's top non-police authorities on gang activity, the Rev. Leon Kelly, executive director of Denver's Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives. "He's a Crip," said Kelly, who has been working to combat metro-area gang violence for more than 20 years. "I know him from past experiences. In 21 years, you run into a lot of people. Brian and his crew, I've known...

Today's Howie Carr column follows. Howie's last show of this year is today--I believe he's taking all of next week off to go to Florida (including a Christmas Day gig on Fox and Friends, IIRC). Maybe fill-ins and best ofs next week. WRKO listeners: I've heard Mo Lauzier is scheduled to play Jerry Williams' reading of A Child's Christmas in Wales tomorrow (Sat 23rd) between 9 and 10 am. I don't know if Howie would play it though he may have in the past. (It's 22 minutes long)

One of two Houston men accused of training to fight with the Taliban pleaded guilty this afternoon in federal court. Kobie Diallo Williams, 33, a U.S. citizen who was a student at the University of Houston Downtown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist a terrorist group. His help included withdrawing cash from an ATM to send to the Middle East. Another man, Adnan Babar Mirza, 29, a Pakistani national who was in the country on an expired student visa, faces a similar conspiracy charges as well as three federal weapons violations. Mirza appeared today before a U.S. magistrate judge. Mirza...

Some Americans look to European countries such as France, Germany and its Scandinavian neighbors and suggest that we adopt some of their economic policies. I agree, we should look at Europe for the lessons they can teach us. Dr. Daniel Mitchell, research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, does just that in his paper titled "Fiscal Policy Lessons from Europe." Government spending exceeds 50 percent of the GDP in France and Sweden and more than 45 percent in Germany and Italy , compared to U.S. federal, state and local spending of just under 36 percent. Government spending encourages people to rely...

Lawyers for another condemned inmate say Stanley Tookie Williams may have felt horrible pain. Prison officials allowed the execution of convicted murderer Stanley Tookie Williams to proceed, even though a nurse had failed to hook up a backup intravenous line minutes before authorities delivered the lethal injection drugs, according to court filings made public Tuesday. Defense attorneys for a man on death row at San Quentin cited the problem as part of a legal challenge to California's lethal injection procedure. Later this month, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel in San Jose will hear the challenge, which asserts that condemned prisoners...

One of the world's largest Christian referral ministries addressing homosexual issues and helping individuals "recover" from homosexuality applauded the Archbishop of Canterbury who recently said homosexuals must change their behavior to be welcomed in the church. Lauding the Rt. Rev. Rowan Williams, one-time liberal advocate of same-sex relationships, Exodus International president, Alan Chambers, said "We applaud the archbishop's courageous stand for the truth." "The lack of biblical clarity on the issue of homosexuality is rampant in far too many congregations. Ours is a passionate call to the global church to extend the love and kindness of Jesus Christ, the hope...

The Reverend Jackson by: Jenni Vinson Trejo September 1, 2006 In 2001, the scandal storm cloud that hovered over Washington DC rained on the Reverend Jesse Jackson and for once, he was one who got soaked. First, there was the disclosure that he fathered a child with a subordinate from the Rainbow Coalition. That was, in and of itself, quite startling. Jesse Jackson has set himself up as a moral leader not just for the black Community, but for America. He has preached to us the immorality of a variety of issues as they pertain to white America’s interaction with...

Though Katie Couric has yet to take her seat as the new CBS Evening News anchor, the former Today show co-host is already a more familiar personality than her NBC and ABC counterparts. Asked to give their general impressions of each of the three TV journalists in a single word, 66% could offer up an opinion of Couric, compared with fewer than half who could offer a response for Brian Williams or for Charles Gibson. By wide margins, most Americans who know them have positive things to say about each of the new evening news anchors – good is by...

Al and Juan are going to debate Juan's new book....

Two-second penalties for both Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher set up a thrilling qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday afternoon. With the two key championship contenders eliminated before the top-ten shootout, the honours for pole position fell right at the very end to McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen, whose last-gasp lap of 1m 19.599s came just as Felipe Massa looked to have bagged the first Formula One pole of his career. Also, Hungarian Grand Prix stewards have cancelled American Scott Speed’s three fastest qualifying times as punishment for impeding another driver during Saturday’s session. The move means the Toro...

Kimi Raikkonen repeated his 2005 qualifying position for McLaren at Hockenheim on Saturday afternoon to beat Michael Schumacher. But with Felipe Massa third, Ferrari look very threatening despite too much oversteer in the final session, and everything will depend on fuel loads on Sunday.On paper, Ferrari look set for a strong run tomorrow, and as in Indianapolis, Fernando Alonso has a lot to do to safeguard his championship lead.

"Proven" oil reserves, oil that's economically and technologically recoverable, are estimated to be more than 1.1 trillion barrels. That's enough oil, at current usage rates, to fuel the world's economy for 38 years, according to Leonardo Maugeri, vice president for the Italian energy company ENI. Mr. Maugeri provides a wealth of information about energy in "Two Cheers for Expensive Oil," published by Foreign Affairs (March/April 2006) and reprinted on the same date in Current. There are an additional 2 trillion barrels of "recoverable" reserves. Mr. Maugeri says these oil reserves will probably meet the "proven" standard in a few years...

Seven men, some of whom lived in a Liberty City, Fla., warehouse, have been arrested as potential homegrown terrorist sympathizers who discussed blowing up Chicago's Sears Tower and FBI headquarters in Miami-Dade County, multiple sources told The Miami Herald on Thursday. They posed no immediate danger to the community, federal officials said Thursday. Details will be revealed Friday morning at a press conference in Washington. Agents must now figure out if the men were actually capable of mounting attacks. Several sources described them as homegrown wannabes with no known connection to foreign terrorists. No explosives or guns were found, sources...

Washington, NC – May 23: A complaint was filed with the State Board of Elections, Monday, naming Rep. Arthur Williams' (D-Beaufort) election committee, among many similar campaign committees representing both Republican and Democrat legislators, with disguising donations from the Payday Loan Industry. Williams’ Republican challenger, Joel Raupe, said the complaint “shows the ethics bills moving through the present General Assembly are a smokescreen, mostly to provide cover for the Speaker's present legal difficulties.” “Everyone knows these campaign reform bills are a way of pretending to make reform,” Raupe said, “and the only campaign finance reform we really need is true,...

Barcelona is a circuit that every Formula One team knows well as they complete thousands of kilometres there in testing throughout the season. The mix of high-speed corners, a very long straight and an abrasive track surface, makes the Circuit de Catalunya a uniquely ‘complete’ circuit. Finding the right set-up compromise is always a tricky business at the Spanish Grand Prix. World champion Fernando Alonso was the fastest race driver in Friday afternoon’s second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya. In front of a huge home crowd, the Spaniard finished third in his Renault, behind Honda’s and Red Bull’s...