Free Republic

VERIZON had a pretty bad year in 2005, but its chief executive did fine. Although Verizon's earnings dropped by more than 5 percent and its stock fell by more than a quarter, he received a 48 percent increase in salary and compensation. This handsome payout was based on the recommendation of an independent consulting firm that relied on Verizon (and the chief executive's good will) for much of its revenue. When asked about this conflict of interest, the consulting firm explained that it had "strict policies in place to ensure the independence and objectivity of all our consultants." Please stop...

The call to the police came in at 1 a.m. Thursday and sounded like a supermarket tabloid headline. A man in the small Iron Range town of Gilbert was being eaten alive in his home by rats, the caller said. Police needed to do something! Skepticism turned to disbelief when they responded. More than 200 black rats -- a colony originating from one pregnant pet-store type of rat that the mentally disabled man had taken in -- had overrun the small house.

MESA, Ariz. - Cast members from "Little House on the Prairie" will reunite this weekend in Tombstone, a town known for its old West roots. Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls Wilder, is scheduled to reunite with Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder) and Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson) during the Tombstone Western Film Festival that runs Friday through July 4. The 1970s television hit was almost a guilty pleasure for viewers, Butler told the East Valley Tribune. "People watched it, but they didn't want to talk about it," he said. "It was almost an embarrassed pleasure. People would ask, 'How can you...

An American Traitor: Guilty As Charged By Henry Mark Holzer and Erika HolzerFrontPageMagazine.com | June 10, 2005For three decades Jane Fonda obfuscated, distorted and lied about virtually everything connected with her wartime trip to North Vietnam: her motive, her acts, her intent, and her contribution to the Communists’ war effort.  With the aid of clever handlers, she so successfully suppressed and spun her conduct in Hanoi that many Americans didn’t know what she had done there, and, more important, the legal significance. Three years ago, our book, “Aid and Comfort”: Jane Fonda in North Vietnam (McFarland & Co.), laid bare...

<p>Kathy Boudin, carrying roses she was given after her mother died, walks out of a Westchester prison yesterday (above). She was jailed 22 years ago for her role in the infamous Brinks heist that left two cops and a guard dead.</p>

Gilbert, Minn. (AP) Whorehouse Days took another hit at the Gilbert City Council meeting last night. The council voted against renting city buildings for the event -- a celebratory look back at a time during Prohibition when the town was known for its bars, gambling and prostitutes. Mayor Bob Garrity Jr. said a group's request to use the community center and arena for the July festivities was too vague. The council requested representation from the group planning the event at the meeting. But no one showed up.