Free Republic

1776. A world for thousands of years ruled by kings, emperors, and nobility—the “elite.” Peasants and slaves were nonentities. A world where those “above” you didn’t just have authority over you, they were BETTER than you. The king, the nobility, got their rights from God—"divine right monarchy.” “I'm the king because God made me king. Therefore, I am superior to you, and you must obey me.” That is the world that Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and James Madison were born into. That is the world that they knew and that is the world they rebelled against. Our Founders were overturning...

Full Title" Exclusive: TheDCNF Asked Paris Climate Accord Backers If They’d Support Banning Private Jets. Most Didn’t Respond Most companies and individuals TheDCNF reached out to did not respond, including Facebook, Apple, Google and other companies that often tout their “green image.” Not even former Vice President Al Gore, the father of climate activism, responded to TheDCNF’s question. In fact, all but two of the 26 corporations were silent when asked by TheDCNF if they would support a ban on private jets to help cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with what the United Nations says is needed to meet...

Hillary Clinton ran a little late during a commercial break at Saturday's Democratic presidential debate - forcing her to walk back across the stage as moderators were asking a question. ABC's David Muir began asking former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley a question when Clinton walked across the stage, drawing laughter and applause from the crowd. When she reached her podium, the former secretary of State sheepishly said "sorry" before the debate moved on. Watch the video.. to see this moment of levity from the debate.

full title............'Oprah's a liar': Sales assistant in Swiss racist handbag row denies telling TV host that she could not view item because she couldn't afford itThe saleslady went on: 'This is not true. This is absurd. I would never say something like that to a customer. Really never. Good manners and politeness are the Alpha and the Omega in this business. 'I don't know why she is making these accusations. She is so powerful and I am just a shop girl. 'I didn't hurt anyone. I don't know why someone as great as her must cannibalize me on TV. 'If...

It could be that even George Monbiot is ready to give up on the thoroughly exposed global warming hoax, because he is searching hungrily for a new crisis to exploit — like Big Government's failure to prevent us from having too much space: The issue is surplus housing — the remarkable growth of space that people don't need. Between 2003 and 2008 (the latest available figures), there was a 45 percent increase in the number of under-occupied homes in England. The definition of under-occupied varies, but it usually means that households have at least two bedrooms more than they require....

Check out the clip of Barbara Walters's interview of the Obamas, aired on GMA today, and tell me whether you find something off-putting in the way Walters poses what is, after all, a very banal question. And then there's the President-elect's self-centered answer . . . Adopting a tone of maudlin sincerity: BARBARA WALTERS: You know, I don't have to stress the fact that this is such a hard time for this country. Do you have a Thanksgiving message that you would like to give to the people? "The people"? Wouldn't "Americans" or perhaps "your fellow Americans" be customary? And...

So we are agreed. We are living in the second great Gilded Age, a time of startling personal wealth. In the West, the mansion after mansion with broad and rolling grounds; in the East, the apartments with foyers in which bowling teams could play. Or, on another level, the week's vacation in Disneyland or Dublin with the entire family--this in a nation in which, well within human memory, people with a week off stayed home and fixed things in the garage, or drove to the beach for a day and sat on a blanket from one of the kid's beds...

Perhaps Dubya is getting tired of hearing of what the peons/citizens are telling him about his Shamnesty Act of 2007. The comment@whitehouse.gov is also being returned as "undeliverable". Anyone else getting though?

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva said Saturday the No Child Left Behind educational law must either be dropped or drastically retooled if it is to serve, and not fail, Arizona students, particularly English-language learners.

Abstract: Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. Was it Divine Providence or dumb luck? The details of U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman's plans to fund worker rights improvements in Central America came my way just when the National Labor Committee's latest reports on the Central American labor situation arrived. Whatever the explanation, the NLC studies powerfully reenforce what every thinking person – and especially Congressional Democrats seeking pretexts to vote for the Central America Free Trade Agreement should already know: Third world workers' lives won't be bettered significantly, and U.S. trade policy initiatives like CAFTA can't become win-wins...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an office within the U.S. Department of Transportation, just finished its annual campaign to get us to wear our seatbelts under a program called "Click It or Ticket." States receive federal subsidies to ticket drivers if they or their passengers are not buckled up.

A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest chemical element yet known to science. The new element has been tentatively named "Governmentium." Governmentium has 1 neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 3 assistant deputy neutrons for each deputy neutron, giving it an atomic mass of 313. These 313 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is completely inert. However, it can be detected, as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. In fact,...

I have been arranging my extensive CD collection which lead me to play some of those long forgotten CD. This afternoon it was Mendelssohn "Reformation" Symphony. This might not be the best symphony of this rather underrated composer. The 5th popularity has suffered from being a "heftier" work, more intellectual, less crafted and vital than the "Italian". As if trying to encompass the reformation movement in music were possible. Still, the last movement opening is one of the most stirring moments of the repertoire, and a powerful musical image of the liberation of the spirit, no matter what religious connotation...

The Government of Cojedes state took over as proimised the British owned cattle ranch Hato El Charcote. The Goveror stil claims they are respecing private property, but "it is not absolute" whatever that means. You can read more about it here, here and here. The people at the bottom are not part of the intervention, they are the invaders of the ranch, who are protesting because the Government apparently is not going to give them the intervened land, but it will be handed over to 28 cooperatives of farmers.

European Union justice and interior ministers agreed Friday that new immigrants to the 25-nation bloc should be required to learn local languages, and to adhere to general "European values" that will guide them toward better integration. Dutch immigration minister Rita Verdonk, who chaired the meeting, said all countries agreed to make integrating newcomers a priority, considering the growing ethnic tensions as EU nations struggle to absorb a steady stream of poor, mostly Muslim immigrants. Just this month in the Netherlands, the slaying of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a suspected Muslim radical unleashed a wave of attacks against mosques, churches...

[snip]The two Mrs. Bushes earn consistently high ratings among both Democrats and Republicans. The senior Mrs. Bush is everybody’s no-nonsense mom — strong, kind and humorous. As for Laura, what’s not to like? An attractive, feminine librarian, she’s an utterly uncontroversial Toll House wife and mother who enjoys reading to kids and publicly defers to her husband without seeming obsequious. Then comes Teresa, a native of Mozambique talking about un-American traits, an extraordinarily wealthy woman who, whatever charms she may possess, clearly isn’t used to playing by the usual rules of civility toward lesser mortals. The rich really are different...