Free Republic

What the heck is wrong with us? On Wednesday, Washington, D.C.’s entire Metro subway system shut down with almost no notice to perform emergency inspections, just days after a cable fire “crippled” three lines. The nation’s second-busiest rail system has been plagued by safety problems in recent years, including a 2015 incident where smoke from an electrical malfunction killed one person and a deadly 2009 crash on the system’s Red Line that killed nine people. And with a new Metro chief that has been vocal about returning to a culture that puts safety first, many say that Wednesday’s move is...

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has vetoed religious freedom legislation similar to that adopted by the federal government and nearly half of the states, he announced. He says he would have accepted the legislation if it only protected pastors, but can’t countenance the protection of other religious adherents who are not clergy. As with other religious freedom bills, Georgia’s had faced strong opposition from the media and corporations. The media, which tend to be ignorant, at best, of religious freedom, mischaracterized the bill as “anti-gay.” Corporations that manufacture or market their products in China, Saudi Arabia, and other locations with deadly...

The young men suspected of killing of a Georgia pizza delivery man were more focused on the food he was carrying than the money in his pocket, according to police. Investigators said that Shane Varnadore still had $62 on him when the Papa John’s driver was found dead outside an apartment in Lawrenceville earlier this month. Jermaine Young, 21, and Reginald Lofton, 14, are both on trial for the 28-year-old’s death and suspected of only taking two regular pizzas and two dessert pizzas.

Crane Calls for Special Session to Override Governor’s Veto March 28, 2016 “Today, we saw exactly why our government needs committed conservatives who never stop fighting to protect the Constitution. The announcement by Governor Deal is another example of how the political class is bought and paid for by corporations and lobbyists. Rather than standing up and protecting the 1st Amendment, the political class would rather sacrifice those rights to keep the money flowing. It is fair to note, that Governor Deal voted in favor of the Federal RFRA when in Congress. A RFRA that is far stronger than what...

Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday vetoed the controversial Religious Freedom bill, saying it "contains language that causes me concern." “I do not think we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community in Georgia of which I and my family have been part of all of our lives,” Deal said.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday said he will veto legislation shielding opponents of same-sex marriage, after a groundswell of opposition from companies threatening to boycott the state if it became law.The Republican announced his decision during a news conference in his office at the Georgia Capitol, saying, “I have examined the protections that this bill proposes to provide to the faith based community and I can find no examples of any of those circumstances occurring in our state."Deal added, “I do not think that we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community in...

Gov. Nathan Deal said he will veto the “religious liberty” bill that triggered a wave of criticism from gay rights groups and business leaders and presented him with one of the most consequential challenges he’s faced since his election to Georgia’s top office. The measure “doesn’t reflect the character of our state or the character of its people,” the governor said Monday in prepared remarks. He said state legislators should leave freedom of religion and freedom of speech to the U.S. Constitution.

GREENVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a Georgia teenager accused of threatening the life of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump on social media. Meriwether County Sheriff Chuck Smith said Friday that a 15-year-old boy was arrested. His arrest is the second announced this week in the state after a 16-year-old in Troup County was arrested for making an alleged death threat toward Trump on social media.

Nine people have been charged with murder after a row between two high school girls over 'a boy and some racy photos' led to the death of a teenager. Demajhay Bell, 18, was stabbed in the neck by a friend during a chaotic street brawl at the house of one of the feuding girls in Hephzibah, South Augusta. The teenager, who stayed inside for most of the fighting, was wounded in the deadly melee which featured a 50-strong mob wielding baseball bats, knives and pipes last Friday. He died in hospital two days later. . . . Friends and relatives...

The billionaire candidate couldn't have created more perfect foils for a candidacy built on resentment. Had Donald Trump's 2016 campaign for the White House somehow infiltrated the ranks of Emory's student activists and blackmailed the university's President James W. Wagner, it could scarcely have orchestrated a spectacle more helpful to Trump's prospects, or damaging to the values that protect vulnerable groups, than what they accomplished on their own this week. After someone wrote "Trump 2016" in colored chalk around campus, several dozen student demonstrators objected that the banal campaign message scared, upset, or offended them, and administrators responded by going...

<p>WALTON COUNTY, Ga — A Monroe man is recovering in the hospital after losing his leg in an explosion.</p> <p>Deputies say he put explosive material, called Tannerite, in his lawnmower then shot at it several times. The blast severed part of his leg.</p>

5th UPDATE, 6:25 PM: Now Amblin Partners has joined the anti-Georgia chorus over the state’s pending religious liberty legislation. “Amblin Partners is committed to diversity and inclusion for all,” the company led by Steven Spielberg. “We would be disappointed to see our pipeline of production end at the Georgia border because of this legislation. While we are aware that Governor Deal has not yet made a decision, we stand with our industry colleagues in strongly urging him to veto this bill.”

After the GOP frontrunner's name was written in chalk on a campus wall, students said they 'feared for their lives.' The school vowed to identify the taggers. But professors at the school are now pushing back. Support for Donald Trump in the form of chalk markings on campus at Emory College sent the university into a tailspin this week, with the administration scrambling to appease students who felt threatened by the sudden scourge of pro-Trump scribblings on school grounds. Early Monday, students say, they were "attacked" by Trump's name in large, pastel letters on campus walkways and buildings. "Vote for...

MAR 23 2016 Marvel, Disney Threaten Film Boycott Over Georgia Bill LOS ANGELES — The Walt Disney Co. and Marvel Studios stated their opposition to a Georgia "religious liberty" bill pending before Gov. Nathan Deal, saying that they will take their business elsewhere "should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law." With generous tax incentives, Georgia has become a production hub, with Marvel currently shooting "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" at Pinewood Studios outside Atlanta. "Captain America: Civil War" shot there last summer. "Disney and Marvel are inclusive companies, and although we have had great experiences filming...

On Wednesday night the Georgia legislature introduced new language to its religious freedom bill and passed the bill in mere hours. Haste makes waste. This new language significantly waters down a religious freedom bill that had real force even though it was, as we pointed out three weeks ago, already lacking in certain respects.

Hey, I am a student at Emory and yesterday, March 21st, someone had written Trump in chalk hundreds of times on campus. Some people apparently were OFFENDED that someone wrote Trump 2016 in CHALK so these 50 people were protesting in the DUC…absolutely ridiculous. Today the president sent this email. Really hoped shit like this wouldn’t happen here but this is why nobody respects college students I guess. *snip* Dear Emory Community,Yesterday I received a visit from 40 to 50 student protesters upset by the unexpected chalkings on campus sidewalks and some buildings yesterday morning, in this case referencing Donald...

The NFL came out against a proposed religious exemptions bill in Georgia Friday, saying the deal could have an effect on the Super Bowl selection process for 2019 and 2020. Atlanta is one of the finalists for the next two league title games to be awarded, along with New Orleans, Miami and Tampa. The city is considered a clear favorite because of its new retractable-roof stadium that is set to open next year. However, the religious exemptions bill could change all of that. [Snip] This bill would protect pastors from performing same-sex marriages and give "faith-based" organizations permission to deny...

Former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich mocks and criticizes desperate Republicans demanding a brokered convention to stop GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, saying they will throw the election to Hillary Clinton.

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Police are investigating an armed robbery at a jewelry store in Cumberland Mall. Police continue to search for the getaway SUV after a daring take-over style robbery at a popular metro shopping mall.

The Washington political establishment has hit the panic button. Not because they are afraid of any one individual or candidate, but because they are afraid of losing their own political power. This town is filled with well-intentioned people who believe they are doing the right thing, but far too many have lost their way after years in Washington. Politicians pay more attention to special interests groups and powerful lobbyists writing checks to their next campaign, than listening to the people back home who sent them here in the first place. A recent survey of likely Republican primary voters showed that...