Free Republic

Insurer Chubb Ltd on Friday said that it will stop underwriting a National Rifle Association-branded insurance policy for gun owners. Chubb gave notice three months ago of its plan to stop participating in the NRA insurance program, known as “NRA Carry Guard,”

Conservatives' attitudes toward climate change and other environmental concerns shift when the issues are reframed in terms more closely aligned with their values, a new study from Oregon State University indicates. Researchers found that people who identified as conservative were more likely to support "pro-environmental" ideals when the issues were framed as matters of obeying authority, defending the purity of nature and demonstrating patriotism. The study underscores the ways in which discussions of important topics are informed by a person's moral and ideological perspective, said the study's lead author, Christopher Wolsko, an assistant professor of psychology at OSU-Cascades. "We think...

The US National Air and Space Museum has launched its first crowdfunding campaign to raise money to conserve the spacesuit Neil Armstrong wore on the moon. The campaign, which launched on Monday, coincided with the 46th anniversary of Armstrong’s moonwalk. The museum hopes to raise $500,000 on Kickstarter – the online crowdfunding platform – to help safeguard the spacesuit, digitize it with 3D scanning, and build a climate-controlled display case Conservators say spacesuits were built for short-term use with materials that break down over time, which explains why Armstrong’s suit is deteriorating. SNIP Armstrong’s spacesuit hasn’t been displayed since 2006....

BOSTON, MA, April 24, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Three “married” lesbians in Massachusetts have announced they are expecting the first of several children intended for their polygamous union. But marriage advocates say the story confirms their warnings about the slippery slope created by redefining marriage and granting legal privileges based on a self-identified characteristic like sexual orientation. The three women – Doll, 30; Brynn, 32; and Kitten, 27 – are not legally married to all the members of the polyamorous coupling, something not permitted under state or federal law. Brynn and Doll have been together since 2009. However, it is Brynn...

The Federal Reserve did something completely unpredicted on Wednesday; nothing. So called “tapering” of QE was indefinitely placed in deep freeze………until such time as the U.S. economy is more robust. Most asset classes shot up energetically. Both the S&P and the Dow closed at all-time highs. SNIP The question to be asked is did these asset classes all react rationally. Continuing to effectively print $85 billion per month of new money after months of telegraphing at least a modicum of reduction can only translate that our economy is frail and infirm, languid if you will. SNIP Up until ten years...

A New York principle has sparked fury among parents, students and teachers after banning a patriotic song from being sung at graduation. Kindergartners at PS 90, the Edna Cohen School in Coney Island will not be allowed to sing ‘God Bless the USA’ at their moving-up ceremony because principle Greta Hawkins has decided it is inappropriate. The lyrics, she says could ‘offend other cultures’ and are ‘too grown-up’ for five-year-olds. Controversially, Hawkins is allowing alternatives including ‘Baby’ by Justin Bieber, with flirty lyrics such as: ‘Are we an item? Girl, quit playing.’ In past years the kids would sing the...

Are you tired of the high fructose corn syrup battles? Today the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, released a report that said Americans on average eat enough salt every second to kill a humpback whale kraken. I have not actually read the report, but it probably said something like that. It also said that public education campaigns have failed to reduce sodium intake, and voluntary self-regulation by the food industry hasn't been effective. One of the experts who authored the report explained to the Washington Post that while salt is "essential," we ingest at least...

SUMMARY (cannot be directly posted - URL in comments) - Paulson said that the admin & Congress discussed the possibility of a breakdown in law & order and the logistics of feeding US citizens if our financial house of cards came tumbling down last fall.

A video tape smuggled out of the United Arab Emirates shows a member of the country's royal family mercilessly torturing a man with whips, electric cattle prods and wooden planks with protruding nails. An investigation into a savage torture by a royal family member of a close ally. A man in a UAE police uniform is seen on the tape tying the victim's arms and legs, and later holding him down as the Sheikh pours salt on the man's wounds and then drives over him with his Mercedes SUV. ...SNIP... Nabulsi says the video tapes were recorded by his brother,...

Just hours ago, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ICC, having never before issued an arrest warrent (sic) against a sitting head of state, sent a powerful message that no one, regardless of his or her status - including a head of state - has immunity from crimes under international law. However, some organizations and United Nations member states are quickly moving to defer the case against the Sudanese president. These international groups and countries are urging the UN Security Council to...

NEW HAVEN, CONN. - 'Why do they hate us?" The question has been asked insistently by a wide cross section of Americans, from children to President Bush, since the heartbreaking attacks of Sept. 11. As if hatred were reason enough for such deadly assaults. As if Americans could have prevented these acts of terror, if only they had known that they were hated and been given a chance to fix the problem. The question is in many ways odd, suggesting a remarkable willingness to take on blame for actions that are fundamentally out of balance. Nowhere has this fallacy been ...

The ongoing FBI investigation into two cases of anthrax in Florida is illustrating both the possibility and the limitations of a major biological attack occurring in the United States. Both cases involve employees for the supermarket tabloid The Sun. The first man died last Friday, while the second has been treated for the disease and is in stable condition. While authorities have not officially labeled the incident as terrorism, the fact that two men from the same office building contracted anthrax seems to indicate some form of foul play, say experts. Health officials say the disease is not contagious, and ...

WASHINGTON - As part of the security checks at Detroit's City Hall, people entering the building are screened for the usual weapons: guns, knives, and explosives. But the list of contraband also includes several other items: curling irons, tweezers, and, perhaps mercifully for co-workers for more than security reasons, dental floss. The range of things people can't bring into the building points up a dilemma facing post-Sept. 11 America: where, exactly, to draw the line on security measures. As the country goes on "high alert" in anticipation of possible reprisals for the US bombing raids in Afghanistan, cities, businesses, and ...