Free Republic

Before the Southern Poverty Law Center chose to hide this information, black nationalist groups on its hate-group list had been growing four-fold since 2000.In the wake of a follower of black nationalist leader Louis Farrakhan murdering a Capitol Police officer this month, corporate media outlets are declining to connect his actions to his extremist beliefs. This appears to be becoming the standard for such cases. A look at the deeper ecosystem of media and narrative construction helps explain why.In response to an Andrew Sullivan article about the recent Atlanta killings in which he noted black Americans are overrepresented in FBI...

WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Gene Okerlund, the most recognizable interviewer in sports-entertainment history, has passed away at age 76. In his early days, “Mean Gene”, as he was named by fellow Minnesotan, Jesse “The Body” Ventura first came to prominence by interviewing the greatest stars of the AWA, including Ventura, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Hulk Hogan. In 1984, Okerlund made the move to WWE where he became a staple on national cable television by continuing to interview the biggest names in sports-entertainment like Hogan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior and many...

Otto Wanz, the most famous wrestler in Germany and Austria during the 70s and 80s, passed away Thursday morning from what was described as a short but heavy illness. He was 74. Wanz, a powerhouse at 6-foot-2 and 380 pounds, would be best known in the United States for his run as AWA Champion in 1982. Wanz had been champion of his own Catch Wrestling Association, but was largely unknown outside of Germany and Austria. He defeated Nick Bockwinkel for the title on August 29th, 1982, in St. Paul in a match that caused lingering hard feelings between Bockwinkel and...

In this from 1998, Vern Gagne is shown in his Edina home with his championship belt, circa 1960. Gagne, who died Monday, April 27, 2015, fostered the business of entertainment wrestling in Minnesota through his American Wrestling Association. (File photo) Minnesota pro wrestling legend Verne Gagne has died, the WWE announced Monday night. He was 89. Gagne, of Robbinsdale, was a University of Minnesota wrestler and competed in the 1948 Olympics before turning to pro wrestling in 1950. He joined the America Wrestling Association in 1960 and eventually became sole owner of the Minneapolis-based association. "Sad to hear my longtime...

Zumhofe was known for lugging a boombox to the ring. He was a star in Minneapolis for the AWA and had a few cups of coffee with the WWF. Yesterday, former AWA star and WWF wrestler "Rock n' Roll" Buck Zumhofe was convicted of 12 felony counts of criminal sexual conduct. The charges stemmed from allegations he sexually abused his daughter 1,800 times between 1999 and 2011, when the woman, now age 29, finally left his Cyrus, Minnesota, home. THE BACKSTORY: Zumhofe allegedly sexually abused his daughter between 1999 and 2011 Zumhofe, 62, will be sentenced today. He'll likely spend...

Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon, one of Quebec’s biggest wrestling icons, died in his sleep Thursday morning in Omaha, Nebraska. He was 84. Originally from Ville-Émard, Vachon’s professional wrestling career was built on his unorthodox style, his legendary beard and his bad temper. “He’s the best-known Quebec wrestler outside of Quebec. A legend,” says Pat Laprade, the author of a book on wrestling in the province. Vachon participated in the 1948 London Olympics, where he finished 7th. In the 1960s, his career as a heavyweight wrestler took off after being recruited to the American Wrestling Association. He was the AWA’s World...

The Institute for Race Relations reports that there's hundreds of thousands of young whites missing in South Africa. Newsweek also reports on the mass exodus of white, skilled families, asking: 'why are the brightest leaving this most successful state?" The South African Institute for Race Relations says this week that the young white men -- aged 24 to 34 have mostly left the country now, and that there now are many more older white men than younger ones - when the reverse is the case in normal societies without wars. There are two main reasons for this demographic oddity: the...

Out of sight is not out of mindSaturday 27th March 2010 Dear Family and Friends, The democratic space in Zimbabwe shrunk dramatically this week in a series of events reminiscent of our recent past. It's a familiar litany which instils fear, silences voices and closes doors that were just beginning to open: The Mayor of Marondera town together with a Ward councillor and two others were arrested after a rally at a football stadium. The Mayor was held overnight and released without charge. At the time of writing the others were still detained without charge. A 10 day photo...

HARARE - Robert Mugabe's Zanu (PF) has started recruiting youths for training in sophisticated murder and torture techniques for a massive campaign of violence against the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) soon after the World Cup, a report said. Investigations by The Zimbabwean have revealed that the vicious campaign of terror is expected to roll into motion in July, soon after the soccer World Cup ends in South Africa and the media spotlight shifts elsewhere. High-level sources within both Zanu (PF) and MDC-T as well as the security services said the purpose of this horrific plan, if it succeeds, was...

Ten years to practiceSaturday 13th March 2010 Dear Family and Friends,As we come towards the end of our rainy season we hear the news that one in four Zimbabweans are in urgent need of food aid. We are not surprised. Since the start of the season 6 months ago, everyone has been commenting on the dramatic absence of crops on farms. Travel in any direction, towards any of our country's borders and you see grass, weeds and derelict farms. The best crops are those planted on roadsides and little squares of vacant land in urban areas. There has been...

Minnesota wrestling legend Verne Gagne is under investigation in the death of a fellow resident at a Bloomington care facility, a local television station is reporting. Police said Gagne, 82, threw his roommate, Helmut R. Gutmann, 97, to the floor on Jan. 26, breaking his leg and injuring his head, according to KMSP-TV. Gutmann was treated for his injuries, but was later rehospitalized, the station said. He died Saturday.

Killer Kowalski Passes Away Walter "Killer" Kowalski passed away early this morning. Kowalski had been taken off life support two weeks ago. He suffered a massive heart attack back on August 8th.

Reggie "The Crusher" Lisowski, a professional wrestler considered a man of the people because of his blue-collar Milwaukee roots, died Saturday night. He was 79. Lisowski never fully recovered from surgeries to remove a tumor at the base of his brain stem, his son David Lisowski told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Sunday. "He worked out on his last day. That's how he wanted to go," said David Lisowski of Delafield, Wis. "He did concentration curls and triceps work. He just had to work out every day. ... In his mind, he never thought he was old." Two surgeries had...

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<p>BRANDON, Fla. -- Professional wrestler Curt ``Mr. Perfect'' Hennig was found dead in a hotel room Monday. Officials said foul play wasn't suspected.</p> <p>Hennig, 44, of Champlin, Minn., was scheduled to appear Monday night at the Florida State Fair in Tampa.</p>