Free Republic

NEW YORK – Hundreds of protesters against the legalization of gay marriage in New York jammed the hallways of the Capitol building Monday as Republican senators privately discussed whether to bring the same-sex marriage issue to a floor vote. Demonstrators opposing gay marriage, including Christian ministers, African-American church members and Tea Party organizers, outnumbered those in support of the controversial bill, which has 31 votes and needs one more vote to pass the New York Senate. The measure was approved by the New York State Assembly last Wednesday, 80 to 63.Republicans have been mulling over same-sex marriage bill in private...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- An Alum Creek man has been arrested after neighbors allegedly found him standing over the dead body of a stolen pygmy goat while wearing women's underwear. Mark Lucas Thompson, 19, of Greenview Road was taken into custody early Monday at his home. Deputies had dealt with the man before and believe him to be mentally unstable. Thompson told deputies he had been high on bath salts for the last three days, said Cpl. Sean Snuffer, a detective with the sheriff's office. Deputy J.S. Shackelford was dispatched about 3:15 a.m. Monday to the home on Quebec Drive to...

America’s self-described toughest sheriff has issued a warning to the CEO of Craigslist saying the popular Internet website is providing a “mechanism to facilitate criminal activity.” Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s warning to Jim Buckmaster follows the arrest last month in Arizona by Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detectives of two men — one a middle school teacher and the other a handyman — on charges of conspiracy to commit bestiality. Sheriff Arpaio said an undercover investigation by his office began after detectives became aware that persons in the Phoenix area were using Craigslist to engage in illegal acts with animals. Detectives set...

Here is how Peter Yost of the Associated Press (as dutifully reported by their ally, Newsday), defended Obama’s reversal on the Defense of Marriage Act (the reversal being that the Justice department will no longer defend the act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman for federal purposes. Obama campaigned as an opponent of gay marriage.): Obama’s move may position him politically at the forefront of rising public support for gay marriage. Polling results can vary rather significantly depending on what words are used to describe gay marriage, but there is a gradual trend in public opinion...

Redefine marriage and you'll encourage polygamist agendas. At least that's the view of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL), and one I share. According to the ACL, "It's important that the definition of marriage remains the union of a man and a woman" not two men or two women – and certainly not four women and one man. Also, "It's important that marriage is not watered down to include polygamy, such as is being debated in Canada." The uncomfortable truth: In Canada, where marriage was redefined, Muslim fundamentalists and scripture-twisting cults want their versions of "equality" too. Consider: Canadian multiculturalists are...

The trick in this biz is never to be right too early. Kathy Shaidle writes: Remember during the gay ‘marriage’ debate, we were scolded: ‘Nobody’s talking about polygamy, you bigoted hicks’? Why, yes. Yes, I do. Steyn in The Western Standard, September 2004. Headline: It’s Closer Than They Think. The activists roll their eyes and go into "Oh, come off it, you can't be serious" mode. Like the chichi gay couple from New York who've built their dream home in rural Vermont, they don't want any other incomers muscling in. Gay marriage, they assure us, is the merest amendment to...

The trick in this biz is never to be right too early. Kathy Shaidle writes: "Remember during the gay ‘marriage’ debate, we were scolded: ‘Nobody’s talking about polygamy, you bigoted hicks’?" Why, yes. Yes, I do.

A few days ago I complained about positive book reviews for a new book that partially involves explicit depictions of sexual intercourse between a chimpanzee and a woman, with the reviewers either lauding the bestiality or praising it with non damnation. I saw the acceptance of bestiality/literary porn as a disturbing symptom.  Here is part of what I wrote in that post: This is a real storm warming.  Positive and pornographic depictions of bestiality are nothing to smile about or shrug off.  Standing against the normalization or acceptance of bestiality is far more important than having our “sensibilities” offended.  As...

What’s wrong with a prominent professor’s incestuous relationship with his daughter. The story of David Epstein, the Columbia University political scientist and Huffington Post blogger now facing criminal charges of incest, has launched a very interesting discussion. What is fascinating about it, and deeply disturbing, is the inability of some commentators to articulate what is morally wrong about the act of incest. It is almost equally disturbing that a legal argument for a “right” to engage in adult, consensual incest stands on surprisingly firm footing, thanks to precedents the United States Supreme Court has already established in other cases on...

Two Wisconsin men, one of them a twice-convicted sex offender, have denied in court that they used a live snake to rape a woman in a home in Eau Claire. John Bullock, 24, of Altoona, and Damonta Jones, 25, of Eau Claire, pleaded not guilty Monday in Eau Claire County Circuit Court to first-degree sexual assault of the 32-year-old woman. Both men remain jailed in lieu of $30,000 bail.

A YOUNG Toowoomba man yesterday tied the knot with his best friend – a five-year-old labrador. In perhaps a first for the Garden City, Laurel Bank Park hosted the wedding of Joseph Guiso and Honey, a labrador he adopted five years ago. Thirty of the couple’s closest friends and family were in attendance for the emotional ceremony, held at dusk. "You’re my best friend and you make every part of my day better," Mr Guiso’s vows read. The couple decided on the location – and to tie the knot - after stumbling upon a wedding in Laurel Bank Park during...

Last weekend saw the first Capital Pride festival where same-sex couples were free to marry within city limits. That's more than enough reason to celebrate for the potent gay and lesbian activist community, which was able to cap decades of effort with an overwhelming 11-2 vote to legalize gay marriage. Now the question for the city's activists is: Now what? My colleague Tim Craig looked at that question Sunday through the lens of the ongoing mayoral campaign. Here's another question: What would activists' "perfect" city government look like? Handily, the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance -- the city's longest-running activist...

Animal sex is not illegal in Sweden, and every year between 200 and 300 pets are injured because of sexual assaults. The estimate was presented by Svenska Veterinärforbundet, the Swedish veterinary organization, and it is now trying to make the authorities and the public more aware of animals’ suffering. The organization claim the problem has increased during the last couple of years, even if most people are unaware of it. “We have seen an increase since 1999 when child pornography became illegal,” said Johan Beck-Friis. “It appears, in other words, as there are some people who have replaced children with...

Decrying as “missionaries of hate” U.S. Christians who preach in Africa against homosexual practice, a former bishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda spoke June 8 at a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C.Christopher Senyonjo was hosted by Bishop Gene Robinson of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, the first openly gay bishop to be consecrated in the Anglican Communion. Robinson has served as Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP) since March. The two spoke about anti-homosexuality legislation in Uganda, which they blamed upon U.S. evangelicals. They also called for a broader effort to decriminalize homosexual practices...

In what may seem more like a Hollywood science-fiction plot, as in the forthcoming movie "Splice," lawmakers are trying to prevent scientists from combining human and animal embryos to make "human-animal hybrids." In "Splice," two scientists defy ethical boundaries and splice together human and animal DNA to create a new organism, also known as a chimera.

A GERMAN postman has "married" his obese and asthmatic cat, saying he wanted to tie the knot before his pet died. "Cecilia is such a trusting creature. We cuddle all the time, and she has always slept in my bed," single Uwe Mitzscherlich, 39, told Bild newspaper. "Our hearts beat as one - it's unique!" Because marrying an animal is illegal, Mitzscherlich, from Possendorf, in eastern Germany, paid €300 ($428) for a television actress to play officiator in the ceremony, while his twin brother, Erik, served as witness. The happy couple dressed up for the occasion - Mitzscherlich in a...

SEVENOAKS, England,- A British prankster pleaded guilty to making numerous hoax emergency calls, including a claim that he had been raped by a whale. Daniel Hammond, 21, pleaded guilty before magistrates in Sevenoaks, England, to making several hoax calls to the 999 emergency number between Aug. 4, 2009, and March 3 of this year, The Sun reported Wednesday. Prosecutors said the calls included a claim that his genitals fell off because he smoked too much marijuana before sex and a Saddam Hussein imitation featuring a bomb threat against a train. "The defendant's calls started with claims he'd been raped by...

The Laysan albatross is a downy seabird with a seven-foot wingspan and a notched, pale yellow beak. Every November, a small colony of albatrosses assembles at a place called Kaena Point, overlooking the Pacific at the foot of a volcanic range, on the northwestern tip of Oahu, Hawaii. Each bird has spent the past six months in solitude, ranging over open water as far north as Alaska, and has come back to the breeding ground to reunite with its mate. Albatrosses can live to be 60 or 70 years old and typically mate with the same bird every year, for...

LOS ANGELES — You drive a hybrid, eat organic, and are passionate about recycling. But how green is your love life? Think about those lovely Valentine's Day roses and the environmental costs of growing them and the carbon miles involved in flying them in from faraway lands. And what about used condoms, tossed into the toilet and making their way into sewers that perhaps pollute the ocean? If an ecologically sustainable life between the sheets hasn't crossed your mind, you're still a "total environmental neophyte," according to author Stefanie Iris Weiss.

J.D. Hayworth: 'You could marry your horse' By ANDY BARR | 3/15/10 12:07 PM EDT Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) said Sunday that the expansion of state laws allowing gay marriage could lead to people marrying horses. Hayworth, during an interview with an Orlando, Fla., radio station explained: "You see, the Massachusetts Supreme Court, when it started this move toward same-sex marriage, actually defined marriage - now get this - it defined marriage as simply, 'the establishment of intimacy.'" "Now how dangerous is that?" asked Hayworth, who is challenging Sen. John McCain from the right in Arizona's GOP Senate primary....