Free Republic

A former chief executive officer of the red-light camera company Redflex has pleaded guilty to bribing Columbus elected officials - including Council President Andrew Ginther - through the Ohio Democratic Party to install the cameras and keep them operating in the city. Karen L. Finley, 55, of Cave Creek, Ariz., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, according a press release from Carter M. Stewart, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Records from the U.S. District in Columbus show that from 2005 to 2013, Finley made campaign contributions to elected public officials in...

A Cleveland family has been left devastated after an officer shot and killed their beloved one-year-old golden retriever as he was on a leash in the family’s backyard. Cleveland police told the family the officer felt threatened by the dog after the dog barked, even though the officer was aware it was leashed. The incident took place Friday when dog owner Tyler Muzzi saw a stranger walking around his neighbor’s home. Muzzi contacted his neighbor and then called police to check on the situation. Minutes later, police arrived and arrested the man who had by that time broken into the...

Thousands of bikers are expected to gather this weekend for an "All For One" rally in front of the McLennan County Courthouse. Most places in downtown Waco say will be open on Sunday. Most did not want to speak to us on camera; saying if you side with the community, the bikers will hate you and if you side with the bikers, the community will hate you. But, they all say everyone will be welcome. Mobile food vendor George Gaylord says he sees it as a great business opportunity. In fact, he plans to park his hot dog cart right...

As the Texas shootout that killed 9 motorcyclists fades from national headlines, local newspapers and a few larger media organizations have broken a series of small stories that prompted one alert Houston Press journalist to predict,“in the coming years, the Waco authorities' handling of the Twin Peaks biker gang shootout will become a textbook example of how not to handle an emergency situation.” Two weeks later, Waco authorities still aren’t telling how many of the dead bikers were shot by police officers, how many cops fired their weapons, or how many total rounds they discharged. snip Little wonder: holding upwards...

WACO -- KCEN got an exclusive interview with the first bikers to speak publicly after the Twin Peaks shooting, capturing the moments right after their release from jail after being arrested for the May 17th shooting that left nine bikers dead and 18 more injured. Waco Police had said the 170-plus bikers arrested were part of criminal motorcycle gangs. However, William English, 33, and Morgan English, 30, say otherwise, and that they had come to the sports bar for a friendly meeting between motorcycle clubs, and they weren't even inside the restaurant when the brawl broke out. [...] Mr. English...

Writing in the Washington Post, Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic Senator from Rhode Island, offered a curious suggestion for dealing with global warming skeptics: (Snip) That's right -- a sitting U.S. Senator is suggesting RICO laws should be applied to global warming skeptics. Courts have been defining RICO down for some time and in ways that aren't particularly helpful. In 1994, the Supreme Court ruled RICO statutes could be applied to pro-life activists on the grounds that interstate commerce can be affected even when the organization being targeted doesn't have economic motives. (Snip) In February, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., attempted a...

There may be evidence that the government agency in charge of enforcing Oregon anti-discrimination laws colluded against Aaron and Melissa Klein, former owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa bakery, with the pro-LGBT group Basic Rights Oregon. The Daily Signal, the news arm of The Heritage Foundation, exposed the communications contact between officials at the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and Basic Rights Oregon, obtained through a public records request, in their story titled, "Emails Raise Questions of Bias in Case Against Bakers Who Denied Service for Same-Sex Wedding." The communications between the two groups raises questions of the impartiality...

“It appears the public defenders office in McLennan County is involved in this scurrilous activity,” said Paul Looney, a Houston attorney with Looney & Conrad, P.C. “I’ve never seen anything like the lawlessness that the authorities have perpetrated on these people and now to add insult to injury they are trying to cover their own tracks in exchange for bond.”

WACO JUDGE AGREES TO LET MOST BIKERS GO – IF THEY SIGN A CONTRACT VOWING NOT TO SUE FOR WRONGFUL ARREST “It appears the public defenders office in McLennan County is involved in this scurrilous activity,” said Paul Looney, a Houston attorney with Looney & Conrad, P.C. “I’ve never seen anything like the lawlessness that the authorities have perpetrated on these people and now to add insult to injury they are trying to cover their own tracks in exchange for bond.”

WACO, TEXAS—After a gunfight between rival motorcycle gangs outside a crowded restaurant left nine dead, police rounded up everyone on the scene wearing biker vests. Now, as 174 people sit in jail on organized crime charges, legal experts say prosecutors face a difficult challenge, and that many of those arrested could end up going free. “They have bitten off more than they can chew,” said Robert Draskovich, a Las Vegas criminal defence lawyer who represents bikers. “Prosecutors often overreach and charge too many people, but I’ve never seen it to this extent.” To prove the current charges, which have capital...

Man suffers broken nose, teeth in South County road rage incident ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO (KTVI) – St. Louis County Police are investigating a road rage incident that happened Sunday near Jefferson Barracks. FOX 2’s Rebecca Roberts sat down with the Bonne Terre couple, who feel they’re lucky to be alive.

May 11, 2015 (BreakPoint.org) -- In the first century, Jesus was asked whether the Jewish people, who were under pagan, Roman occupation, should pay taxes to Caesar. The Lord, of course, said we are to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s. But in 21st century America, Caesar is angling for a better deal—and he’s getting it.Our old friend Chuck Colson sounded the alarm several years ago when certain political figures on the Left—including former secretary of state Hillary Clinton—began downsizing the First Amendment’s guarantee of our God-given right to freedom of religion into a more...

If the government does not like the way that you are raising your kids, they will come in and grab them at any time without giving any warning whatsoever.  Of course this is completely and totally unlawful, but it has been happening all over America.  The most recent example of this that has made national headlines is particularly egregious.  Joe and Nicole Naugler of Breckinridge County, Kentucky just had their 10 children brutally ripped away from them just because the government does not approve of how they are living their lives and how they are educating their young ones.  Let’s...

Federal officials said Tuesday they are investigating the actions of a U.S. Marshals Service employee who was caught on video grabbing a woman’s cell phone in South Gate, smashing it to the ground and kicking it away. The video, which was filmed by another woman across the street from the police activity, was posted on YouTube. It shows a woman using her cell phone to record a law enforcement operation, and a Marshals Service employee approaches her, grabs the phone and slams it on the ground. “On (Sunday), a YouTube video entitled ‘South Gate Police Attack Cop Watcher: Destroys Cellphone’...

In the wake of the tragic murders of two Michigan children whose mother tortured them before stuffing them into the family’s freezer, lawmakers are calling for more stringent regulation of homeschooling in the state. The proposed legislation from state Rep. Stephanie Chang, a Detroit Democrat, would require homeschooled children to be inspected twice per year by a licensed social worker or law enforcement officer. The bill would also require homeschooling parents to register their children — like dogs or sex offenders — with the superintendent of the school district in which they reside. Michigan is one of eleven states that...

KNBC reported that the man -- identified by authorities as Francis Pusok -- appeared to be kicked 17 times, punched 37 times and hit with a baton four times. Pusok was later hospitalized, KNBC reported, citing authorities. "The video surrounding this arrest is disturbing and I have ordered an internal investigation be conducted immediately," McMahon said in a statement. The ACLU of Southern California issued a statement Friday saying that it was "deeply troubled" by the images. "While we applaud Sheriff John McMahon's prompt decision to investigate the disturbing actions of his deputies, we believe more is needed," the organization...

A North Charleston police officer was arrested on a murder charge and the FBI opened a civil rights investigation Tuesday after video surfaced of the lawman shooting eight times at 50-year-old Walter Scott as he ran away. Scott died Saturday after Patrolman 1st Class Michael Slager, 33, shot him in the back. The video footage, which The Post and Courier obtained Tuesday from a source who asked to remain anonymous, shows the end of the confrontation between the two on

We know that the Obama administration is using their Operation Choke Point invention to intimidate a number of banks to cut-off funding of loans to legal small businesses like payday lenders and gun shop owners, businesses that libs like Obama and Holder frown on. Its not even clear where they get the authority to do this, we know of no law passed that gives the justice department authority to do this. An independent source writes :" It did this through subpoenas issued under Section 951 of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA), which authorizes the...

Texas prosecutor Mike McCrum says the grand jury that indicted former Texas Governor Rick Perry has made two mutually exclusive factual findings. The grand jury, McCrum says, has alternately declared that Perry's public statement threatening to veto a spending bill was 1) An official act; and 2) Not an official act. The significance of this will be described below. First, though, recall that there are two Counts in the indictment against Perry: COUNT ONE: Abuse of Official Capicity. This count alleges that Perry abused the office of Governor by "misusing" government "property" (the veto is the item Perry allegedly misused)...

Authorities have reached a $20 million settlement with a man who spent two decades in prison before he was cleared by DNA of the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in Waukegan, ending a controversial chapter for Lake County's troubled justice system. Lawyers for Juan Rivera said the agreement with the city of Waukegan and other governmental bodies marks the largest settlement for a wrongfully convicted person in Illinois. "No amount of money could ever sum up to 20 years in prison," Rivera, who hopes to go to college to study business management, said Friday at the offices of...