Free Republic

On February 19, the Los Angeles Times reacted to the growing momentum for Campus Carry legislation across the country by referring to the NRA as “crackpots” and reminding the organization that it is the government’s “responsibility to protect the public through reasonable gun control laws.” In other words, “shall not be infringed” does not mean shall not be regulated and/or controlled. According to the Times, the NRA has hit a new low by promoting the idea that an expansion of Campus Carry means “gun-toting women would be armed to defend themselves in the event of sexual assaults.” The Times claims...

Union Calls on Industry to Negotiate Solutions to Protect Workers and Communities(PITTSBURGH) -- An explosion and fire today at a refinery in Southern California underscores the United Steelworkers’ demand for improved safety conditions to protect both workers and communities.The explosion at the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, Calif., occurred as 5,200 members of the United Steelworkers (USW) are conducting unfair labor practice strikes at 11 refineries across the country with safety as a major concern.“Our members work in dangerous and too often deadly conditions,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “While employers have reaped billions of dollars in profits over...

The leader in the race to replace retiring U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in America’s most liberal state is… Republican Condoleezza Rice, according to a new Field Poll released Wednesday. Rice, the former Secretary of State and Stanford don, is backed by 49% of voters–ahead of Attorney General Kamala Harris, the liberal Democrat who was the first to declare. The poll, which sampled 972 likely voters in California, presented respondents with a list of 18 potential candidates and asked if they “would be inclined or not inclined to vote for that person,” with no limit on the number they could...

A group of 23 liberal House Democrats urged Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday to delay Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress next month. In the letter spearheaded by Reps. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the lawmakers argued that Netanyahu was being used as a "political tool" against President Obama. "As members of Congress who support Israel, we share concern that it appears that you are using a foreign leader as a political tool against the president," they wrote. Netanyahu's March 3 address will be just two weeks before the Israeli elections and...

When it comes to fighting to become an American, Adilene Sanchez believes in being first in line. After President Barack Obama in November signed an executive order giving nearly 5 million illegal immigrants protection against deportation, the San Jose resident vowed to apply for the program on the first day she could.

NBC4’s Dr. Bruce Hensel answers questions about enterobacteriaceae bacteria, which may have contributed to the deaths of two patients at Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center. Medical equipment tainted with a deadly "superbug" may have contributed to the deaths of two patients at Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center, and dozens of other patients may have been infected with the drug-resistant bacteria as well, officials said Wednesday. UCLA Health System officials said 179 patients had been notified about the exposure, which took place between October 2014 and January 2015. The patients were treated for digestive ailments ranging from gallstones to cancers. Doctors used a...

A potentially deadly "superbug" resistant to antibiotics infected seven patients, including two who died, and nearly 200 others were exposed at a Southern California hospital through contaminated medical instruments, UCLA reported Wednesday.

In the 1930s, tens of thousands of farmers, mostly from Oklahoma, fled the Dust Bowl for California with hopes of a better life. Today it is ironic that California’s Farmers (Farmer Brothers coffee company, that is) has announced that it is fleeing our state for a less expensive destination that includes Oklahoma on the short list. Any humor, however, will no doubt be lost on the 350 employees who are about to lose their South Bay jobs paying $40,000 to $80,000. Farmer Brothers, a fixture in California for more than 100 years, is just another of a long list of...

EL MONTE >> More than a week after officials announced that Eric McBride would be the city’s next police chief, the top cop-to-be abruptly withdrew his candidacy amid sharp criticism of his stance on undocumented immigrants. McBride, who is currently San Bernardino Police Department Assistant Police Chief, was to be sworn in as El Monte police chief Feb. 25. McBride’s decision came after immigrants rights activists over the weekend began to rally opposition against him because of anti-illegal immigration policies he pushed while he served on the Hemet City Council from 2006-2010. “This selection is a slap in the face...

frican Americans know well the humiliation of being sent to the back of the bus. So it’s ironic that in a U.S. Senate race in California, at least one prominent African American wants to send a viable Latino candidate to the back of the line. They don’t call this the Golden State for nothing. The contest to fill the seat soon to be vacated by Democrat Barbara Boxer could, according to political experts, be the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history, with a price tag of more than $120 million for both the primary and general elections. Although in...

California's gun laws are among the nation's strictest, but a looming decision in a federal lawsuit could effectively ban handguns altogether in the Golden State, according to plaintiffs who want a judge to toss out a state law requiring all new handguns to be equipped with technology that "stamps" each shell casing with a traceable mark. The problem with the “microstamping” law, which was signed into law by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007 but only took effect in 2013, is that it relies on an unworkable technology, according to gun manufacturers and attorneys for the Second Amendment Foundation and Calguns...

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is leading a delegation to Cuba on Tuesday while Congress is out on recess. It is the first official House delegation trip to Cuba since President Obama announced lifting certain restrictions on Cuba in December. The delegation, which is comprised of eight other Democratic lawmakers specializing in foreign affairs, trade and agriculture, will meet with Cuban government officials, local community leaders, American officials stationed in Cuba, and Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, the archbishop of Havana. Pelosi said the lawmakers will discuss potential changes in U.S. policies toward Cuba regarding agriculture and trade issues....

The Los Angeles Times announced Tuesday that it is partnering with Jose Vargas, an openly illegal immigrant, for a new editorial venture. The project is "a multimedia platform which will explore the evolving American identity in the 21st century," read a release. Vargas is an outspoken activist for immigration reform, particularly reform that would include amnesty for the millions of immigrants living illegally in the U.S. He is also a veteran journalist who came out in 2011 as an unlawful American resident.

The video shows a massive brawl at Jerico Airsoft on Feb. 7, and the people who posted the footage say a 14-year-old player started it. They say the teen attacked a man, who fights back before a dozen men join in the scuffle.

The presentations at two Orange County church meetings were similar. The crowds were not. One was predominantly Anglo. The other was Latino. Both focused on President Obama’s upcoming immigration plan and what church members could do to help 100,000 eligible undocumented immigrants across the county apply for deportation relief. The first application opening is days away. Local churches and other organizations are busily working to organize forums and training sessions. They’re looking for volunteers. They aim to help eligible immigrants apply for temporary reprieves from deportation that come with work permits. Such sessions are happening nationwide. A federal judge in...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The nation's top labor official flew Monday to California in an attempt to resolve a damaging contract dispute between West Coast dockworkers and their employers. U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez headed for San Francisco, where months-long negotiations between the dockworkers union and a maritime association of companies have come to a halt. So, too, has the movement of billions of dollars of cargo that is supposed to pass through 29 seaports from Southern California to Seattle. The ports are a critical trade link with Asia and the gateway not just for imports such as electronics,...

The Civil Rights movement in the Age of Obama has descended in to blatant anti-white racism and bullying of children.On St. Valentine’s Day this past weekend ‘Black Lives Matter’ protesters targeted the “white utopia” of Walnut Creek, California.This was abuse.One photograph taken by the protesters shows a white family seated at a breakfast bar with very concerned looks on the faces of the parents. Their young son seated between them has his back turned to the protesters and his head ducked low while his father has a protective arm on the boy.The photo, tweeted by BlackWomenUnchecked is mockingly captioned, “They...

San Jose police were hunting Monday for two men they believe are responsible for the shooting death of a security guard at an East San Jose liquor store over a stolen box of sweetened cigarillos, worth about $30.

Most of the debate over the building of the nation's first bullet train, in California, has focused on the economics of such a monumental undertaking and its projected $68-billion first-phase price tag. Largely ignored amid the excitement over the railway's recent official groundbreaking is the physical impact and design challenges that cities will need to grapple with as they prepare for high-speed rail. California should look to rail systems across Europe to fully understand the challenge of building a transportation hub that connects to the community. To make the most of California's once-in-a-lifetime chance at building a thriving transportation network,...

As President Obama fights in Congress and the courts to preserve the nation's sweeping healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act faces still another threat to its viability: Republicans in statehouses, many bucking governors of their own party eager to accept its flow of federal dollars.When a group of Republican governors filed suit to overturn Obama's signature achievement, Wyoming's Matt Mead was among them, arguing the legislation was a vast overreach that violated the Constitution and trampled the right of states to set their own policies.But after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected that argument, Mead decided it would be foolhardy to...