Free Republic

It seems like the only thing that’s guaranteed in this year’s election is the litany of punditry after every primary. This undiscussed industry has helped make politics more blood sport than democratic exercise. It seems to get nastier at every turn, as campaign flacks dressed up as journalists line up to savage candidates whose campaigns they see as a threat to their preferred politician. Some have even gone so far as to question my faith, integrity or party loyalty because I won’t kowtow to their demands to step away from the primary process. Is this what has become of politics...

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson told supporters Saturday in Irving that he has heard plenty of calls to drop out of the Republican presidential primary. Some "special interests" have even made personal appeals to him, he said. "I've got unanswered calls on my phone right now, 'Oh, if you did this or did this, and did this, or if you drop out and support this guy, we'll give you all this money and we'll make sure you're a senator here,'" Carson said.

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson announced Wednesday that he sees no “political path forward” after his Super Tuesday losses -- and will not attend the upcoming Fox News debate. “I have decided not to attend the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate tomorrow night in Detroit,” he said in a statement Thursday. “Even though I will not be in my hometown of Detroit on Thursday, I remain deeply committed to my home nation, America. I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results. “However, this grassroots movement on behalf of “We the People”...

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has suspended his presidential campaign after a dismal showing on Super Tuesday. Carson was one of the last five candidates remaining in the Republican presidential race. But he was unable to come in higher than fourth place in any of the 11 states to vote on March 1. In Massachusetts, he came in fifth, with just 2.6 percent of the vote. According to an Associated Press tally, Carson has earned just eight delegates so far. Frontrunner Donald Trump has 319, and 1,237 are needed to win the nomination. Carson's full statement is below: _______________________________________________ I have...

A Detroit woman phoned 911 and got a not-so-smooth operator. Angie Butler said she couldn't get a clueless 911 operator to send a cop to her home while an armed man stood on her porch. The Michigan mom got a knock on her door at 2:30 a.m. Thursday night by a man with a gun, claiming to be a cop. "He's out here saying he's the police and he's wearing an orange jumpsuit, like a prison jumpsuit," Butler told local network ClickOn Detroit. But, the plea for help fell on deaf ears. "So I call 911 and say, 'I've got...

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are both holding large leads as the Michigan Presidential Primary grows closer, according to new polling from Mitchell and FOX 2. The latest poll from Mitchell/FOX 2 Detroit shows Donald Trump is maintaining a sizable lead over other Republican hopefuls but Ohio Governor John Kasich is gaining some ground. Trump`s 2:1 margin of the vote is now almost 4:1. Trump (41%) is at the top with his three closest rivals Ohio Governor John Kasich (11%), Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (11%) and Florida U.S; Senator Marco Rubio (10%) bunched in a tie for second in...

Detroit police released video this week of a brutal knockout attack during an attempted robbery.The suspects knocked an elderly man out during an attempted robbery. The second suspect hit the man after he fell unconscious to the ground.The suspects knocked an elderly man out during an attempted robbery. The second suspect hit the man after he fell unconscious to the ground. This was so brutal–" ideo from a surveillance camera in a Detroit liquor store shows the brutal attack of a 64-year-old man during an attempted robbery that happened last weekend. Police released the video Friday with the hope that...

WARREN, Mich. - An employee at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren stabbed by someone visiting the plant Wednesday. The 52-year-old victim was hospitalized and suspect arrested by police - but the valet service supervisor with a valid CPL who pulled his gun to stop the attack, says he was fired. Didarul Sarder, SP+ Valet Supervisor was heading into work Wednesday morning at the General motors technical center in Warren, when he heard the cry for help. The lady kept saying 'I'm dying, someone help' and it was just natural reaction," said Didarul Sarder, SP+ Valet Supervisor. "I just...

Just a little break from politics....

A list of the most violent cities in each state has been released, with St. Louis, Missouri taking the top spot. Compiled from data released by the FBI charting crime in the first six months of 2015, the 'Gateway City' is followed by Memphis, Tennessee, Detroit, Michigan, Birmingham, Alabama, and Rockford, Illinois, to round out the top five. The violent crimes listed by the FBI include rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and murder. Because the data excludes states with cities that do not have populations over 100,000, Delaware, Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are not listed and ranked.

Last month the Detroit Free Press published a sympathetic story by columnist Rochelle Riley about a Detroit Public School principal named Kenyetta Wilbourn who pleaded guilty to bribery and tax evasion charges. Wilbourn used her position to put relatives on the payroll, took kickbacks from vendors and wrote fake grant requests. Wilbourn, who said in the story she considered herself like Robin Hood, was also quoted about her own financial problems: “We’re talking about systemic poverty and what does that look like?” she said. “Yes, I may have a Gucci bag or a pair of Cartier (glasses), but I don’t...

Via the Detroit News, the Michigan State Police reported the death of a Detroit motorist early Sunday morning when he lost control of his car on a ramp between two city freeways, apparently distracted by the pornographic movie he was watching on his cellphone. MSP reports that Clifford Ray Jones, age 58, was partially ejected through the sunroof when his 1996 Toyota Corolla overturned. He was wearing neither a seat belt nor his pants at the time of the accident. The single car accident took place around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, on the ramp between the southbound Lodge freeway...

An East Chicago councilman was sworn into office behind bars earlier this month while in custody on murder charges. Robert Battle, who was re-elected in November when he ran unopposed, was given his oath of office and signed required paperwork on Jan. 15, said Paula Miraldi, of the Lake County Board of Elections in northwest Indiana. The board of elections received the paperwork Friday morning, but it was dated Jan. 15. Battle needed to be sworn in and submit his paperwork by Feb. 1, otherwise the council post would be declared vacant. Battle has been in the custody of the...

President Barack Obama jokingly told an audience at the United Autoworkers-General Motors Center for Human Resources in Detroit on Wednesday that next year he must give up "the Beast"--which is the nickname for the $1.5 million limousine the Secret Service chauffeurs the president around in. [...] According to Autoweek, the Beast gets only 3.7 miles to the gallon. ...

Big Guy visited Detroit yesterday to take another victory lap for having saved GM (and whacking bin Laden). BO visits a Detroit-based Shinola store proving he knows…well, you know.While he was in Motown BHO addressed the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan which is 70 miles northwest of Detroit (not that it matters butt Flint is ranked the 10th most liberal city in America, just behind San Francisco). President Barack Obama, in Detroit on Wednesday for his first visit to the North American International Auto Show, weighed in on the Flint water crisis at the top of his speech to...

There is a video going around about Detroit's school. What would be a good website to direct my grandson to to explain the total decline of Detroit?

The Detroit Public Schools is seeking a temporary injunction against teachers after sick-outs closed 88 schools in Detroit today - the largest in a string of teacher protests. The district is seeking relief in the Michigan Court of Claims, naming among the 28 defendants Steve Conn, the ousted leader of the teacher's union, interim president Ivy Bailey, and several groups including DPS Teachers Fight Back. Teacher absences forced 88 Detroit schools to close today, the largest sick-out meant to call attention to large class sizes, dilapidated buildings and other problems in Michigan's largest school district. The sick-out idled most of...

As Detroit’s public school system spirals toward insolvency and Michigan political leaders talk of bailouts and whether the district should remain under state receivership, one key group remains largely voiceless: parents of the Detroit children whose futures depend on having access to quality schools, regardless of what political entity operates them. Parents’ voices do occasionally break through, however, with priorities that clash with those of the status quo system’s vested interests. Exhibit one is an October poll released by the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, which found that seven in 10 Detroit parents want more school choice. Eliminating the...

JMO, David Bowies's greatest song, especiallsy where he sang "the queer got sick at the sight of that".

David Bowie has died after a battle with cancer, his rep confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. "David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief," read a statement posted on the artist's official social media accounts.