Free Republic

About 25 revelers celebrated their freedom of speech and welcomed the Fourth of July on Monday night with the "2nd Annual Old Time American Flag Burn." Around a burn barrel at Seabright State Beach, organizer Brent Adams, 41, of Santa Cruz, declared flag burning not a protest, but a celebration of the Constitution's First Amendment. "It seemed like a good idea to burn some flags just because we can," added fellow organizer Sha Lar, 32, of Santa Cruz. The festivities were especially relevant after a constitutional amendment allowing Congress to ban flag desecration died in the Senate last week. That...

Scientists use quantum gravity to describe the universe before the Big Bang.Scientists may finally have an answer to a "big" question: If the Big Bang was the beginning of the universe, what could have caused it to happen? Using a theory called "loop quantum gravity," a group led by Penn State professor Abhay Ashtekar has shown that just before the Big Bang occurred, another universe very similar to ours may have been contracting. According to the group's findings, this previous universe eventually became so dense that a normally negligible repulsive component of the gravitational force overpowered the attractive component, causing...

United Nations: The world body this week invited Zimbabwe's dictator, who starves his own people for political purposes, to its World Food Day — where he compared President Bush to Hitler. We kid you not. ... Also on hand at the celebration was Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, who used the occasion to accuse the U.S. and our allies of threatening "all life on the planet." Chavez praised Mugabe's policies, and said Venezuela was enacting similar "reforms." Mugabe and Chavez were photographed embracing happily, like the two birds of a feather they are.

...Venezuelans would prefer at this time if the Carter Center stayed away from our country. The role the Center played in the recall referendum, before and after it, left a very bitter taste in all of those like me, who are certain that the outcome was fraudulent. ... Carter ... did not demand that the CNE do the “hot audits” on August 16th. ... There are lies in the reports from the Carter Center, such as that the boxes containing the ballots never left their sight. Thus, Venezuelans in the opposition think the Carter Center failed them completely by being...

Bwahahahah!!! Gasp! Bwahahahahahahah! (tears of laughter, blogger convulsing on the floor subject to one of the biggest laugh attacks recorded in blogdom). (Breathe, breathe deeply, garner composure, start writing again) Today we learn that Jennifer Mc Coy of the Carter Center will brave Venezuela to offer help in consolidating peace and democracy! The nerve! What is in store for us? Are they going to approve the new judicial system whose near uniform composition will ensure "peace" through a "uniform justice" (pun intended)? Will they offer to monitor the 2006 elections to validate yet another "fair" Chavez victory? ... I have...

A Glimpse Ahead Timothy Snodgrass The Impossible Will Come Alive In 2005 01/28/05 In January of 2004, as we began to intercede for the New Year the Holy Spirit gave us the prophetic slogan, "The Seas will Roar in 2004". This year we were given a new slogan, "The Impossible will come Alive in 2005". As the veil of darkness begins to come down over nations and regions, along with great shakings will come great breakthroughs; signs, wonders, healings and a spectacular release of miracles in impossible circumstances. This year, although we are ultimately poised to gain much ground, there...

Today, Val Prieto's Babalu blog got written up in the Miami Herald and is getting tons of visitors, some of which have not been too friendly. Later val posted this picture, which I understand is from Porto Alegre where Chavez has been for the last few days. I blow it up on the right the image on the shirt to leave no doubt that it is that icon of the revolution and hero of the "trasnochados" Che Guevara, who at least was quite gutsy and principled. Now, the image below evokes so many thoughts in my mind that I better...

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has long been rumored as desperately seeking the democratic nomination for president in 2008. And while many political observers fully expect the power hungry former First Lady to hit the campaign trail within only a few months of being re-elected as a US Senator in 2006, US News & World report claims to have a confirmation of sorts. From USNews.Com's Washington Whispers: Hillary's in… You don't have to take it from us about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton 's desire to run for president. Her brothers, Hugh and Tony Rodham, say it's true. Friends...

Gregoire sworn in as Washington governor By David Ammons The Associated Press OLYMPIA — Christine Gregoire, winner of the closest governor's race in Washington history, was inaugurated today, but faces an immediate court challenge that could make it a short-lived honor. "Change is here and more is coming," she said in her first official speech. Democrat Gregoire, 57, a scrappy three-term attorney general who took on the tobacco industry and polluters, took the oath of office before a joint session of the state Legislature. Minority Republicans had battled unsuccessfully to delay her inauguration for two weeks. Republicans in the House...

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Randy Moss broke such new ground with a disgusting gesture after his game-clinching touchdown catch Sunday that Fox television refused to replay it - until the postgame show. The star receiver shot a fake moon at the Lambeau Field crowd, pretending to drop his pants, then rubbed himself on the padded goal post. It made previous controversial celebrations by NFL receivers Terrell Owens and Joe Horn look like harmless child's play.

We can't tell if this is parody or self-parody, though we suspect the latter--and in either case, it's hilarious. Late last week a new Web site, SorryEverybody.com, appeared on the scene. Here's its manifesto:Some of us--hopefully most of us--are trying to understand and appreciate the effect our recent election will have on you, the citizens of the rest of the world. As our so-called leaders redouble their efforts to screw you over, please remember that some of us--hopefully most of us--are truly, truly sorry. And we'll say we're sorry, even on the behalf of the ones who aren't.The site features...

LOS ANGELES, September 27, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Democratic Presidential candidate, John Kerry, granted an exclusive interview to the national homosexual activist magazine, The Advocate, on September 16. In the preamble, Advocate writer Chris Bull describes Kerry as "an ardent gay rights supporter." "One of the original cosponsors of legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation," he continues, "Kerry has achieved a nearly unblemished voting record on the issue. In 1996 he was the only senator up for re-election to vote against the antigay Defense of Marriage Act. Three years earlier he went before the Senate Armed Services Committee to testify...

Let's keep religion out of the presidential election campaign. Or is it too late? Not since 1960 when John F. Kennedy's Catholicism was a big issue has religion played such a prominent role in a national election. Kennedy confronted the issue head-on when he appeared before the Presbyterian Convention in Houston during the campaign and assured the ministers that he would not be taking orders from the Vatican if he were elected. Last Friday, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops gave priests the option of denying communion to any politician who supports abortion rights. The bishops issued a statement declaring that...