Free Republic

Well folks, here we are. Crunch time. Team McCain trails with two minutes left in the game. He's banged up. His whole body badly beaten from the early years against Team Obama's friends. He did well with that unbelievable touchdown pass to Palin. Let's face it though, he may have sustained a concussion. His passes and play calling are off lately. John, run a reverse and get the damn ball into Palin's hands! She is the ONLY thing keeping this game close. Besides being able to catch very well, she has great legs. Perhaps a Statue of LIBERTY play where...

The City of Cleveland has lost in their bid to keep a firearm confiscated from a man who was acquitted of all charges stemming from an April 2007 incident. On April 27, 2007, Antonio Fulton was charged with using weapons while intoxicated, failure to secure a dangerous ordnance, and endangering children. His handgun was confiscated. At his trial, Fulton was acquitted of the charges. Yet, the City refused to return his handgun. Fulton petitioned the Municipal Court to return the firearm, but the Court refused. Fulton appealed the ruling to the Eight Appellate District. Today, the Appellate Court ruled in...

Campaigns are ugly. Watching the way politicians act makes you long for the respect and self-control of the Sopranos. Throughout, there are legitimate attacks and outright lies. Every once in a while, I get a call on my radio show from someone telling me that Barack Obama is secretly a Muslim, who admitted it in an interview with George Stephanopoulos, and has a fake birth certificate. No, no, and no. As I tell them, there are legitimate reasons not to vote for Barack Obama, no need to make them up. But the newest target is Sarah Palin. Let's take a...

Obama has got to be a disappointment in many ways to supporters of the Democrat Party. Everyone knew Hillary Clinton. The good and the bad. Hillary Clinton has been well vetted..for years. Obama on the other hand was ordained first. THEN we find out about dealings in Ill., Rev. Wright, his overseas connections, his willingness to pit races and the haves and the have nots against each other. Obama's wife was easy to take .. UNTIL she started

Most conservative political commentators tiptoe around the unpatriotic positions maintained by many liberals in America. We hear prominent conservatives say things like this, "I am not challenging Mr. Liberal's patriotism. I am challenging his point of view." The fact is that much of the new left is unpatriotic. And that is okay. The Founding Fathers knew that not all Americans would be patriots; in fact, they counted on it. In this article I will show why the culture of the left is not patriotic. My basic contention is that patriotism is now the responsibility of the right -- abandoned by...

May 28, 2008Marriage - recent government actions threaten the very basis of our claim to the right of self-governmentI've proposed a platform for Maryland Independent Party. It discusses the defense of marriage as follows: "While we do not acknowledge that our Constitution limits Congress in any way from protecting traditional marriage between one man and one woman, we support passage of a federal marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for the purpose of removing any confusion or misunderstanding in the minds of judges." Since then, the Supreme Court of California has issued its opinion that a similar defense of traditional...

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2008 – President Bush praised his choice as the new commander of U.S. Central Command and vowed that U.S. commanders will receive all available resources to defeat Iraq-based terrorists during his visit to Fort Bragg, N.C., today. In his address, Bush welcomed thousands of 82nd Airborne Division soldiers who’d returned stateside after combat duty tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. The commander in chief also bestowed several military awards. The surge strategy overseen by Army Gen. David H. Petraeus as commander of Multinational Force Iraq has achieved notable results, Bush told thousands of 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers....

GCO has entered into a settlement agreement with the City of East Point, in a case filed by GCO against East Point and other Fulton County governmental entities over ordinances banning the carrying of firearms in parks. East Point earlier had repealed its ordinance a replaced it with an ordinance banning carrying firearms to public gatherings. After additional discussions with GCO, East Point has agreed to repeal the latter ordinance as well, coming into complete compliance with state law on the subject. East Point also has agreed to reimburse GCO for its attorney’s fees. GCO will drop East Point from...

Conservatives may not be thrilled with what a McCain presidency means, but if social conservatives care about the makeup of the House and Senate, as well state legislatures and the courts, then they should rally around McCain. They know better than most the importance of controlling the legislative and judicial branches to achieve long-term influence. With McCain representing the Republican brand, even if he were to lose the race he should be able to save a few Senate seats (say 2-3) and a handful of House seats (perhaps 10). The latter could keep the Democrats majority below 250, a reachable...

Through passive listening posts operated within central Wisconsin The US Mat makes the following projection where there are no local contests in the April 1st Wisconsin election    It will be a lightly attended Wisconsin non partisan -/ party primary election held on April Fools Day Tuesday April 1st. when Madison area resident Supreme Court Justice  Louis Butler will whip opponent Burnett county Circut court Appeals judge Michael Gableman for a 10 year term on the Supreme Court by a whopping 14 points.   The low turnout was because the average Wisconsin voter was engulfed in snow and dashed dreams of Wisconsin winding up...

CASPER, Wyo. - Barack Obama was the projected winner in Wyoming's Democratic caucuses on Saturday, clenching a majority of the 12 delegates, NBC News declared.

Nationally, McCain is viewed favorably by 52% and unfavorably by 44%. Obama is now viewed favorably by 51% of likely voters nationwide, unfavorably by 48%. Clinton earns positive reviews from 48% of Likely Voters nationwide and negative assessments from 50% (see recent daily results). The economy has emerged as the top voting issue for 2008 as consumer confidence falls to the lowest level in seven years. Women are more pessimistic than men and unaffiliated voters are especially pessimistic. While concerns grow about the economy, confidence in the War on Terror remains fairly high. The number who believe the terrorists are...

Three retired Army veterans marched through Dunn yesterday en route to Washington, D.C. From left are Maj. Carl Heerup, Lt. Col. Marc Breslow and Maj. Dennis McCool. The purpose of the ‘Resolve To Win’ march is to show support for the troops and their mission in Iraq. Their 400-mile march is scheduled to end March 16 at the Lincoln Memorial. Daily Record Photo/Steve Reed Three retired U.S. Army veterans decided to do something different to support the troops in Iraq. On Saturday, Maj. Dennis McCool, Maj. Carl Heerup and Lt. Col. Mark Breslow departed South of the Border near...

Texas Monthly's Evan Smith interviewed HRC today and they had an extended exchange about Florida and Michigan. Smith: "... The talk is that you agreed not to seat the delegation." HRC: "That’s not the case at all. I signed an agreement not to campaign in Michigan and Florida. Now, the DNC made the determination that they would not seat the delegates, but I was not party to that. I think it’s important for the DNC to ask itself, Is this really in the best interest of our eventual nominee? We do not want to be disenfranchising Michigan and Florida. We...

Fred Thompson's Momentum (Fredmentum) January 11, 2008 First it was the bus tour in South Carolina. Then, last night, came one of Fred Thompson's best debate performances to date. And now comes an endorsement by the popular and very conservative Human Events magazine. Read below on what they say about FDT:We make this endorsement on the basis of much research, having interviewed Sen. Thompson and some of his opponents, as well as examining what they have all said and done. We conclude that Thompson is a solid conservative whose judgment is grounded in our principles. In his Senate years, Mr....

Nearly 6,000 Sunni Arab residents joined a security pact with American forces Wednesday in what U.S. officers described as a critical step in plugging the remaining escape routes for extremists flushed from former strongholds.The new alliance — called the single largest single volunteer mobilization since the war began — covers the "last gateway" for groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq seeking new havens in northern Iraq, U.S. military officials said.U.S. commanders have tried to build a ring around insurgents who fled military offensives launched earlier this year in the western Anbar province and later into Baghdad and surrounding areas. In...

Who would you vote for if you were not afraid that your candidate could not win? I get the feeling that a lot of Republicans are not going with their "true love" candidate but picking someone they think has a better chance of winning. Dragon-lady Hillary is always held up as the dire consequence of voting for a Republican that does not have cross-over appeal. Another part of this problem is how the media pick the "top tier" candidates and the "serious" candidates. They create a self fulfilling prophecy by giving the impression that the candidates with the most money...

In the last decade, Al Gore has won the triple crown: an Oscar, a Nobel Peace Prize, and (this is disputed) Florida. Now, winning an Oscar is hard—you usually have to pretend to be handicapped, or speak with a semi-convincing English accent, or spend hours in an uncomfortable period costume. And Gore himself would have trouble telling you how to claim the Sunshine State. But the Nobel Prize is easy. The important thing to remember is that peace doesn't have much to do with it. One of the very first winners was Theodore Roosevelt, a man who described the Spanish-American...

WASHINGTON - Army snipers hunting insurgents in Iraq were under orders to "bait" their targets with suspicious materials, such as detonation cords, and then kill whoever picked up the items, according to the defense attorney for a soldier accused of planting evidence on an Iraqi he killed. Gary Myers, an attorney for Sgt. Evan Vela, said Monday his client had acted "pursuant to orders." "We believe that our client has done nothing more than he was instructed to do by superiors," Myers said in a telephone interview. Myers and Vela's father, Curtis Carnahan of Idaho Falls, Idaho, said in separate...

Lessons learned from Ames posted by: Kyle | posted at: 6:44 PM | permalink here Generally I found myself unimpressed by the CNN/Youtube debate questions. They were generally silly and unserious to me. However, I thought there was one question that was worthy to ask the candidates: More than anything I like the realism of the question: Why does it matter what your views on the issues are if when in power you won’t get anything done? I like to say it more like this: How effective will you be in office? It’s something that each voter should ask...

Big oil companies spared tax hikes By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer 4 minutes ago Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a $32 billion package of tax breaks for renewable energy that would have been financed mostly by new taxes on major oil companies. Democrats came three votes short of overcoming a threatened GOP filibuster that was keeping the measure from being attached to a broader energy bill. Republican senators argued that the nearly $29 billion in additional taxes on major oil companies would have led to reduced production and higher gasoline prices. Because of Republican opposition, Democrats needed 60...

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2007 – Before I left for my current deployment, an 8-year-old asked me out of the blue, “Why do you have to go to Iraq?” It stopped me in my tracks. I remember thinking, “How can I possibly answer such an immense question without somehow tainting her view on this unpredictable world?” When I deployed to Southwest Asia in 2002, a fellow airman told me that he explained to his daughter why he had to deploy by telling her, “Daddy has to go help feed the camels in the desert.” After about two months into his tour,...

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2007 – Coalition forces have gained the upper hand against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, the commander of NATO forces in the war-torn country told Pentagon reporters during a teleconference today. Four months into his second deployment to the country, Army Gen. Dan K. McNeill said the anticipated spring offensive by the Taliban has been headed off due to the larger number of troops under command of the International Security Assistance Force there. “We made a decision early on that we would be out prosecuting our strategy, not waiting for the insurgent to prosecute his,” McNeill said. “We...

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2007 – “Operation Give” is working to help the military win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. “Our philosophy is that we want to be part of a solution, a solution of helping the soldiers build a bridge and build that bond with the people,” Paul Holton, the group’s founder, said. “Winning the hearts and minds is a difficult task.” Operation Give is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that connects citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad. The group was founded...

Gen (Ret) McCaffrey thinks we are winning in Afghanistan. He says: "The Afghan economy is booming at 12% growth rate a year. $14 billion has been spent on aid since 2001. Six TV channels and a hundred free/uncensored publications are available to the people. Literacy is increasing rapidly. The ring road is now 2/3 complete. The 40,000 soldiers of the ANA are growing rapidly in numbers and capability. There are 45,000 NATO and US troops in-country. There is a functioning democracy with an elected Parliament ---and a serious, dedicated Afghan President in office." Afghanistan can be a strategic victory in...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2007 – Debate about operations in Iraq is completely appropriate, Defense Secretary Robert W. Gates said today, but he added that he believes those debates center not on whether there’s any option except to win, but on the best way to reach that objective. “I don’t know anyone on (Capitol) Hill who thinks that failure … in Iraq … would have anything other than very serious and negative consequences for the United States and for the region,” Gates told reporters during a Pentagon roundtable briefing. He went on to define failure as “leaving Iraq in chaos.”...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2007 – Football fans across America got a sneak preview of the nation’s newest class of college stars at the seventh annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio’s Alamodome on Jan. 6. But the brightest star of the game was Army Pvt. Josh Lucas, who took home $10,000 when he put a football through the uprights during an in-game promotion by USAA. Lucas and his roommate, Pfc. William Herron, both assigned to Company C, 264th Medical Brigade, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, were selected to compete against one another and be the first to kick...

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Somalia government soldiers, joined by troops from neighboring Ethiopia, advanced toward Somalia's capital Tuesday as Islamic fighters dug in and promised a "new phase" in the war - a chilling pronouncement from a movement that has threatened suicide attacks. Somalia called on the Council of Islamic Courts militias, bloodied by a week of artillery and mortar attacks, to surrender and promised amnesty if they lay down their weapons, government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said. As many as 1,000 people may have been killed and 3,000 wounded in the fighting, many of them foreign radicals, Ethiopian Prime Minister...

It turns out you only have to attend a White House Christmas party to find out where President Bush is headed on Iraq. One guest who shook hands with Bush in the receiving line told him, "Don't let the bastards get you down." Bush, slightly startled but cheerful, replied, "Don't worry. I'm not." The guest followed up: "I think we can win in Iraq." The president's reply was emphatic: "We're going to win." Another guest informed Bush he'd given some advice to the Iraq Study Group, and said its report should be ignored. The president chuckled and said he'd made...

(IsraelNN.com) Reformists opposed to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a decisive victory in the Tehran local elections. Preliminary results of the Friday elections were published Sunday night. However, much of the support for the opposition candidate was based on his personal appeal and was not necessarily a repudiation of Ahmadinejad, the Christian Science Monitor reported. Turnout was unexpectedly high

It turns out you only have to attend a White House Christmas party to find out where President Bush is headed on Iraq. One guest who shook hands with Bush in the receiving line told him, "Don't let the bastards get you down." Bush, slightly startled but cheerful, replied, "Don't worry. I'm not." The guest followed up: "I think we can win in Iraq." The president's reply was emphatic: "We're going to win." Another guest informed Bush he'd given some advice to the Iraq Study Group, and said its report should be ignored. The president chuckled and said he'd made...

What to do in Iraq "And your strategy is?” asked one reader, who had read my recent, rather discouraging columns on Iraq, in which I condemned the Baker-Hamilton “Iraq Study Group” -- that proposes a smooth retreat before the West’s mortal enemies -- more warmly than I could ever condemn U.S. Democrats (and many Republicans) trying to find the vocabulary with which to “cut and run”. Or here is how the question was asked by an old-fashioned liberal with whom I correspond: “Mr. Warren, the question now is how to win the war. Even its proponents are in despair, and...

Many months into the debate over finding a new strategy in Iraq, two myths continue to cloud the discussion. The Washington Post recently proclaimed: "The United States and its allies in Iraq would need at least 500,000 and perhaps more than 1 million troops" to bring order to the country. Incoming House majority leader Steny Hoyer declared: "As a practical matter, there are no troops to increase with." Neither of these statements is true. The persistence of these myths forecloses serious consideration of the only option likely to bring peace to Iraq. Looking just at basic numbers, it would seem...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2006 -- His recent trip to the Middle East reaffirmed his conviction to help the unity government in Baghdad find a political solution to the situation in Iraq, President Bush said here yesterday. During his weekly radio address, Bush said the success of the unity government headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is crucial to the success of democracy in the region. He said he is impressed with the Iraqi leader’s desire to make the difficult choices that will put his country on a better path. Bush said he told Maliki that the United States “is...

I remember playing for a really good football team. We beat every team that came up against us. Then one game, we lost by 2 points. For the next two days, there was a lot of griping, complaining, blaming, hysteria, etc. The team that beat us thought they had achieved the pinnacle of success. They were jazzed. They were so happy and excited. We thought we were doomed. Somewhere during the week, after a few days of whining, the coach pulled us together and said... "HEY GUYS!!!! Lets' knock off the whining and start winning!" We shook it off and...

Sarasota, Florida – The Buchanan campaign announced today that community leader Vern Buchanan has a three point lead over his opponent Christine Jennings. The poll by Public Opinion Strategies asked 450 likely voters from October 31 through November 2 for which candidate they will be voting on November 7. The result was 44% for Buchanan and 41% for Jennings. “Clearly the voters are responding to Vern’s issue-based campaign and rejecting the baseless, false, personal, negative attacks from the Jennings campaign,” said spokeswoman Sally Tibbetts. “For weeks, Christine Jennings and liberal Washington politicians have run a smear campaign in a desperate...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2006 – The innovative spirit is helping America win the war on terror, but it will remain a long, hard battle against a deadly, thinking foe, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told students at the Air University today. Rumsfeld spoke to the students at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. At the end of the Cold War, many accused the United States of “taking a holiday from history,” he said. Americans were persuaded, he said, that emerging threats were exaggerated or were someone else’s problem or “would eventually go away if we just left them alone.” He said...

GOP Will Win in November Philip V. Brennan Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006 "Run for the hills, the dam has burst!" was the alarm shouted by the horde of panicked people racing to get out of town ahead of the floodwaters in the famous James Thurber story that ended with someone halting the exodus by asking, "What dam?" At the moment, we're hearing a similar cry about the coming November 7 congressional elections. This time, according to the media, the barbarian Democratic hordes and a few nervous Nellies in the GOP, it is the Republican dam bursting, ready to wash any...

Outnumbered and short of food, British troops win six-day battle with Taliban By Tom Coghlan in Kabul (Filed: 22/09/2006) "Situation critical." The young British bombardier spoke urgently into the handset of his radio above the crack of small arms around him and the heavier thud of rocket-propelled grenades. The radio antennae on the jeep beside him abruptly cartwheeled away and an RPG round sailed gracefully five feet overhead. "Incoming mortar and RPG rounds getting closer and more accurate. Situation critical," he repeated. As the bombardment continued, Bombardier Sam New from 7 Para Royal Horse Artillery, began to feed complex sets...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2006 – Wars are won by determination and by understanding the nature of the enemy and the consequences of failure, and the U.S. can be victorious in the war on terror if Americans reaffirm their commitment to the fight, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here yesterday. “In the long, hard slog ahead -- and it will be long, and it is hard, let there be no doubt -- it’s up to all of us to continue to wage the war of ideas and convey to others the importance of the fight, the scope of the threat,...

Taliban or tractor? British try to win over peasants By Patrick Bishop in Mandisar (Filed: 16/09/2006) In the arid villages of southern Afghanistan, British soldiers are asking peasants to make a big life choice — a tractor or the Taliban? British forces for 34 Sqn RAF Regiment meet locals in Mandisar near Kandahar If they inform on insurgent activity in their areas, they will be rewarded with a shiny new machine to plough their dusty fields. If they fail to co-operate they will be deprived of the thin stream of assistance trickling into the countryside via the campaign to turn...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2006 – The United States is fighting terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq to keep its pledge to the people there and to prevent future attacks on America, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said at a troop rally at an Air Force base yesterday. “We maintain forces in those countries because we’re a nation that keeps its word and because we understand what is at stake in that part of the world,” Cheney told servicemembers gathered at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. Following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, American and allied military forces displaced...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2006 – The United States men’s and women’s teams emerged victorious in the 3rd Conseil International du Sport Militaire’s World Military Golf Championships Aug. 15 through 17 at Ballinrobe Golf Club in Galway, Ireland. Air Force Staff Sgt. Arnell Garza of Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., prevailed in a one-hole playoff against South Africa’s Craig Collins to win the individual men’s championship. They were tied at 3-under-par 216 after three rounds. Then they played No. 18 one more time. “His drive went about 70 yards past where we were standing and expecting it to come,” Mangold said...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2006 – In his weekly radio address yesterday, President Bush reiterated American resolve against extremist terrorists and declared that the free world will prevail against enemies of freedom. “America, Great Britain, and our allies are determined to defend ourselves and advance the cause of liberty,” Bush said. “With patience, courage, and untiring resolve, we will defend our freedom, and we will win the war on terror.” The president acknowledged the enormity of the challenge that still lies ahead. “America is fighting a tough war against an enemy whose ruthlessness is clear for all to see,” he said....

BALAD, Iraq, July 12, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld arrived here today on an unannounced visit to meet with U.S. troops. He was then to travel to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and senior U.S. military leaders. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld speaks to troops at Camp Anaconda, in Balad, Iraq, July 12. Photo by Airman 1st Class Andrew Oquendo, USAF   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Coalition forces will win in Iraq when they help the Iraqi people take the fight to the terrorists and achieve their own success in the...

Latin America: You'd think Mexico's election was lost by a leftist instead of won by a free marketer. But Felipe Calderon's victory reflects growing confidence in free trade in overlooked flyover states. Not that the media have noticed. Virtually all of them covered the election from Mexico City expecting a leftist victory, so it's little surprise that they ignore the winner and focus now on soap opera and sour grapes rallies led by Calderon's opponent, Mexico City-based Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. During the campaign, U.S. media gushed over Lopez Obrador as the "Mestizo Bill Clinton." Now he's preparing to become...

WASHINGTON, June 7, 2006 – It is not enough to win tactical engagements in the war against terror -- the United States and its allies must win the peace, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the National Defense University's 2006 graduating class today. Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (left), congratulates a student at the National Defense University's graduation ceremony, June 7. Photo by Steven Donald Smith  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Cultivating international partnerships and facilitating strong cooperation throughout the U.S. government to maximize all of...

ROME - Martina Hingis saw a different side of life in her three years away from tennis. Some things, however, don't change: She can still win tennis tournaments. Hingis beat 16th-seeded Dinara Safina 6-2, 7-5 Sunday in the Italian Open final for the 41st title of her career, but first since winning in Tokyo more than four years ago. She returned in January after nearly three years out of the game with foot and ankle injuries. "I lived a different life and experienced a lot of things, and that probably helps me today in those moments," Hingis said. "If I...

HAMPTON, Va., April 4, 2006 – The U.S. military and private sector defense industry must work together to win the Long War against terrorism, the general who serves as commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command and as NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation said here today. "The things we're doing with you in cooperative research and development agreements is indicative of the importance we place on this relationship, so that we can build the kinds of equipment our troops need to fight and win the war we're fighting," Air Force Gen. Lance L. Smith told a defense industry audience at...

WASHINGTON, March 28, 2006 – Asked how the United States is faring in the war of ideology against violent extremism, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld puts it squarely in the "needs to improve" box. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld speaks to students at the Army War College on March 27. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "If I were grading, I would say we probably deserve a D or a D-minus as a country as to how well we are doing in the battle of ideas taking place in the world...