Free Republic

Uh-oh. "O: A Presidential Novel," written by Anonymous and published by Simon & Schuster — otherwise known as Simon & Sh-h-h-h — has journalists chafing to speculate on who or what is behind the cheeky fiction centered on the upcoming 2012 presidential election. The Democrat-blue-hued cover features a golden O and a pair of sky blue ears; the publisher already has confabulated reader polls that plumb opinion of President Obama and the political affiliation of the mysterious scribe, who could easily be, oh, White House adviser David Plouffe. Also included: a waggish list of those who did not write the...

“O Adonai, Come” (Exodus 3:1-15; Revelation 5:1-14; John 8:48-59)Today we continue with the second of the seven O Antiphons of Advent, “O Adonai.” You can see it there in your hymnal, opposite Hymn 357, and it is also printed in your bulletin. Let us pray that antiphon together: “O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.” I suppose the first thing to ask about this antiphon is, “What is this strange word, ‘Adonai’? That’s not English,...

A cache of a quarter-million confidential American diplomatic cables, most of them from the past three years, provides an unprecedented look at backroom bargaining by embassies around the world, brutally candid views of foreign leaders and frank assessments of nuclear and terrorist threats. Some of the cables, made available to The New York Times and several other news organizations, were written as recently as late February, revealing the Obama administration’s exchanges over crises and conflicts. The material was originally obtained by WikiLeaks, an organization devoted to revealing secret documents. WikiLeaks intends to make the archive public on its Web site...

“O Wisdom, Come” (Proverbs 8:12-31; Colossians 1:15-20, 28; 2:2-3; John 1:1-5, 9)The Advent hymn we just sang, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” goes back about 900 years, to the 12th century. But the texts on which this hymn is based go back a few centuries before that, even--maybe 1200 years ago or more. They are known as the Great “O” Antiphons, and you can see them printed there on the facing page in your hymnal (LSB 357). What is an antiphon, you ask? An antiphon is a little framing verse that is sung before and after a canticle or a...

As the first year since Barack Obama’s election as president passes into history, it is worthwhile to read (or reread) and reflect on his “Dreams from My Father,” which was first published in 1995, when he was 33 years old. In his preface to the 2004 edition—only a scant five years ago, when the book was republished—he does not disavow or even soften his often-harsh sentiments at all. However, he does mention that his mother died of cancer right after the book was first published; and in retrospect, he might not have written the same book about an “absent parent,”...

I got the following e-mail from the Tea Party Express and wondered if others had heard of a poll showing Christine this close. Stunning news to report today, fellow patriots. A brand new poll has Christine O'Donnell surging to within 6% of her Democrat challenger, Chris Coons. This late-in-the-campaign surge replicates her surge in the polls in the GOP primary, when everyone had written her off and said she could never win. She proved the so-called "experts" wrong before and she seems poised to do so again! With just 10 days left until Election Day, we would love nothing more...

Jon Stewart to Bill O'Reilly on Obama:I Thought He'd Do a Better JobPeople are speaking out. From the woman who ripped O a new one on live TV admonishing him for essentially having let her down, to as influential a supporter as Jon Stewart telling Bill O'Reilly that he is disappointed with the CIC (Communist in Chief), O might very well have to think that he's NOT the ONE, after all.

A 22-mile-long invisible mist of oil is meandering far below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, where it will probably loiter for months or more, scientists reported Thursday in the first conclusive evidence of an underwater plume from the BP spill. The most worrisome part is the slow pace at which the oil is breaking down in the cold, 40-degree water, making it a long-lasting but unseen threat to vulnerable marine life, experts said. Earlier this month, top federal officials declared the oil in the spill was mostly "gone," and it is gone in the sense you can't see...

A substantial and growing number of Americans say that Barack Obama is a Muslim, while the proportion saying he is a Christian has declined. More than a year and a half into his presidency, a plurality of the public says they do not know what religion Obama follows. A new national survey by the Pew Research Center finds that nearly one-in-five Americans (18%) now say Obama is a Muslim, up from 11% in March 2009. Only about one-third of adults (34%) say Obama is a Christian, down sharply from 48% in 2009. Fully 43% say they do not know what...

Do you think any administration officials should lose their jobs over airline security breach?

Imagine this. At a time of political turmoil, a charismatic, telegenic new leader arrives virtually out of nowhere. He offers a message of hope and reconciliation based on compromise and promises to marshal technology for a better future that will include universal health care. The news media swoons in admiration. The public is likewise smitten, except for a few patriots who circulate disturbing rumors on the Internet about the leader's origins and intentions. The leader, undismayed, offers assurances that are soothing, if also just a tiny bit condescending: "Embracing change is never easy." So, does that sound like anyone...

President Obama's National Security Adviser James L. Jones suggested Sunday that the public campaign being conducted by the U.S. commander in Afghanistan on behalf of his war strategy is complicating the internal White House review now underway, saying that "it is better for military advice to come up through the chain of command

A great explosion is about to come , Destroying things not of my kingdom , Prophecies told about to unfold , Things new wiping out the old , The storehouses of God's lightning released , Disturbing things now resting in peace , Ancient walls suddenly cut down , Nothing left but burnt glass on the ground , As paper mache burnt and blown away , A prophecy of the past happening in one day , A blink of the eye and nothing left to see , Yet all the nations witnessing God's majesty , A turning point in a war...

WASHINGTON — Iran has expanded its uranium enrichment program and is impeding United Nations monitoring of its enrichment program, a confidential U.N. report said Friday. The actions suggest that Iran is proceeding full speed ahead despite President Barack Obama's offer of unconditional talks on ending the effort, which is widely suspected to be aimed at developing nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran is now operating 4,920 centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium from uranium hexafluoride gas, in a massive underground facility at Natanz. That represents an increase of some 1,000 devices since February. Another 2,132 devices...

In hard times, don't forget about the humble carpenter Joseph by Nancy Haught, The Oregonian Thursday March 19, 2009, 7:35 AM If there were a patron saint of tough financial times, it might be Joseph. Many Christians celebrate him today as the faithful husband of Mary, earthly father of Jesus and a carpenter who supported his family with the work of his hands. In recent years he's been revered as a mover of real estate.Homeowners have buried tiny statues of him near "for sale" signs and prayed that he'd bring them buyers. A cottage industry has arisen around the sale...

CHICAGO (AP) — After sharing the cover of her magazine with her slimmer self a couple months back, Oprah Winfrey is for the first time sharing it with somebody else: first lady Michelle Obama. Winfrey showed off the cover of the April issue during "The Oprah Winfrey Show" broadcast Friday. The media mogul had gone solo on the "O" magazine cover for nine years. In the issue that will hit the newsstands March 17, Winfrey interviews the first lady about topics ranging from her decorating philosophy to how she hopes she can help other women. In the interview, Obama talks...

Running short of cash, California has started delaying $3.5 billion in payments to taxpayers, contractors, counties and social service agencies. With the governor and state lawmakers locking horns on resolving California's budget crunch, the controller Monday halted checks covering these obligations so the state could continue funding its school system and making its debt payments. The delay will inflict more pain on the already sorry condition of the Golden State, which is facing a $40 billion budget gap. People won't have tax refund money to spend, businesses won't get paid for their services and agencies won't have funds to help...

Rush Responds to Democrat E-mail Petition Against Him: "I am greatly puzzled. Why would the Democrats petition against me if I am doing such terrible damage to the GOP? Click here to send messages of love, hope and change TO ME via this petition!" Reverse Petition: Click here to tell the DCCC and all other Democrats it is time to stop lying about and distorting Rush's comments on Barack Obama's War on Prosperity. • Radio Equalizer: Democrats Launch New Petition Against Rush Limbaugh

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US president-elect Barack Obama will meet Monday with key congressional leaders to finalize a multi-billion-dollar economic stimulus plan Democrats hope to pass shortly after Obama takes office on January 20, officials told AFP Friday. The meeting will be Obama's first with Capitol Hill lawmakers since his historic November 4 election victory, and his first high-profile act in Washington after moving to the capital from his Chicago home on Sunday. As his daughters Sasha and Malia head to their first day at a new school, Obama heads to work, meeting the heads of both legislative houses, including Senate...

NEW YORK (AFP) – Battered US stocks enter the New Year next week on expectations of a gradual market recovery as president-elect Barack Obama moves to drag the world's biggest economy out of recession. The US stock market has risen about 20 percent from its climactic lows reached on November 21 and "chances that we saw the bottom of the bear have increased because of the massive easing done by the Federal Reserve since then," said Alfred Goldman, chief market strategist at Wachovia Securities.