Free Republic

There are fundamental deprivations of justice, and then there's what happened to a male student at Drake University. The student, "John Doe," was expelled for sexual misconduct—ostensibly because he engaged in nonconsensual sex with a female student, "Jane Doe." In truth, John was punished for failing to realize quickly enough that he was actually the victim in the encounter. Drake officials still refuse to fix their mistakes. During the course of Drake's sexual misconduct investigation, administrators uncovered several pieces of evidence that made John's claim to victim status arguably stronger than Jane's: Jane had initiated the encounter, by her own...

Every heart beats true ‘neath the red, white and blue – although some people apparently see overt displays of patriotism as offensive to immigrants and refugees. George M. Cohan probably never thought about adding that coda to his patriotic anthem “You're a Grand Old Flag,” and the Iowa high school students who donned red, white and blue to support their men’s basketball team last week probably didn’t think about their actions being controversial. But the patriotic garb worn by some Valley High School students on Wednesday upset students at Des Moines North High School, which is described as being more...

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has opened an inquiry into allegations the FBI worked with the British spy who authored a controversial opposition research dossier on President Trump during the 2016 election. In a Monday letter to FBI Director James Comey, Grassley asked for records pertaining to any agreements the agency may have had with Christopher Steele.[snip] “The idea that the FBI and associates of the Clinton campaign would pay Mr. Steele to investigate the Republican nominee for President in the run-up to the election raises further questions about the FBI’s independence from politics, as well as the...

Tom Godat, a union electrician who has always voted for Democrats, cast his ballot for Donald Trump last year as “the lesser of two evils” compared to Hillary Clinton. He’s already a little embarrassed about it. There’s a lot that Godat likes about President Trump, especially his pledge to make the country great again by ignoring lobbyists, challenging both political parties and increasing the number of good-paying jobs.

MAQUOKETA, Iowa -- The national trend of Republican lawmakers facing angry crowds of constituents arrived in Iowa today. Tuesday afternoon Sen. Joni Ernst sat through a 45 minute town hall meeting in Maquoketa. After taking her final question the crowd showered her with boos and chants of "Do your job."

Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)-Iowa is one of only six states that does not have some sort of protection of the right to keep and bear arms in the state Constitution. The other five states are California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Minnesota. One of the reasons for this lack is the difficult process that a state constitutional amendment has to undergo to be passed in Iowa.  First, the amendment must be passed by the General Assembly. Then an election must occur. Then the amendment must be passed a second time. Finally, the amendment is to be presented to the people,...

After decades as the crossroads of prairie populists and checkbook conservatives, Iowa has suddenly become solidly Republican like many of its Midwestern neighbors. It was one of four states — along with Kentucky, Missouri and New Hampshire — that flipped to complete GOP control in the November election, but Iowa’s rush of new legislation has been the most intense. In an all-night session last week, Iowa lawmakers approved a bill similar to one enacted in Wisconsin six years ago that strips most public sector unions of long-held collective bargaining rights, including health insurance. […] Among other items, Republicans also are...

Every year, the American Bible Society and Barna Group rank 100 of the nation’s most Bible-minded cities—that is, how many people read the Bible at least once a week and who strongly believe the Bible is accurate. And every year, cities from the Bible Belt—Chattanooga or Birmingham or Knoxville—come in first, while cities from the coasts—San Francisco or Boston or Albany—come in last. It’s all fairly predictable, except for one city: Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Cedar Rapids, the second-largest city in Iowa, has ranked in the bottom five for the past four years, and its percentage of Bible readers and believers...

An Iowa legislative panel has approved a bill to restrict the state, cities, counties and universities from enacting policies that prevent them from helping to carry out federal immigration laws. The legislation prohibits enacting so-called sanctuary cities, which are municipalities that have adopted policies limiting local cooperation with federal immigration officials... About two dozen people attended a hearing Thursday to speak in opposition to the bill. No one, except for two Republican lawmakers who voted to advance the bill, spoke in favor of the changes. “This bill is coming from thousands of Iowans who are demanding that our immigration laws...

(Full article title: Out of work: Chelsea Clinton's husband Marc Mezvinsky shut down his hedge fund in December just weeks after Hillary lost election) Marc Mezvinsky quietly shut down his hedge fund Eaglevale Partners back in December. Bloomberg reports that Mr. Chelsea Clinton and his partners are now working to return money to investors, including Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein. The decision to shutter the fund came just a few weeks after Mezvinsky's mother-in-law Hillary lost the election to president Donald Trump. Mezvinsky has kept a low profile ever since Hillary's loss in the election, but was photographed by...

Iowa may become the latest state to strip government funds from abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. According to an Iowa pro-life advocate who spoke with The Christian Post, pro-abortionists will not only soon lose funds but are losing control of their narrative. The Iowa state Senate voted 30-20 Thursday to defund groups that provide abortions and steer three million state dollars to women's health centers and comprehensive clinics that do not offer them. The vote fell along party lines with 29 Republicans and one independent voting for the measure and all Democrats opposing it, according to the Quad City Times....

An anonymous donor has paid off lunch debts for 148 Johnston elementary school students whose accounts were in the red by $10 or more. The donation, totaling $13,250, was made Jan. 9. It benefited students in kindergarten through fifth grade in all five Johnston elementary schools, said Laura Sprague, director of communications. The Johnston Partnership also runs a program called Friday Friends that provides a packet of food for students to eat over the weekend. Each backpack costs around $8.15 per week and the program relies on donations.

(Des Moines) -- Three lawmakers with a unique combination of names led an effort in the Iowa House to recognize the “economic importance” of Iowa’s pork industry. The Iowa House passed the resolution to coincide with the annual Iowa Pork Congress, which wrapped up Thursday. Representatives Joel Fry of Osceola, Tom Moore of Griswold and Rob Bacon of Slater read the resolution aloud, then the house speaker summed things up: “House Resolution 3: Fry, Moore, Bacon. All those in favor say aye. Those opposed shall say no.” There were no naysayers, but a few pun-lovers took note. Perhaps house members...

A man wielding a fire extinguisher has rescued a burning U.S. flag from protesters in Iowa City. Organizers told the Iowa City Press-Enterprise (http://icp-c.com/2jwzPSC ) that Thursday's demonstration across from the Old Capitol Mall was aimed at racial and social injustice and U.S. imperialism. "When I see the flag, I see racial injustice," said Paul Osgerby of Iowa City. "I see social injustice from Native American genocide to African-American slavery to failing to recognize women as citizens until the 20th century." The protesters' actions drew angry comments from some bystanders. Bob Guyer, a witness, said the act was disrespectful to...

Fed Ex guy wades into protestors all alone and rescues a flag

WATERLOO, Iowa — Mayor Quentin Hart has accused Councilman Tom Lind of “racist, derogatory, partisan” threats in a testy email exchange over his decision to appoint a communications director. The emails provided anonymously to The Courier but confirmed by both parties relate to Hart’s decision to hire Wendy Bowman to work 10 to 15 hours a week promoting the city’s image. “Not appropriate without council approval,” Lind said in a Jan. 22 email. “You work for us. Obama (yesterday) is gone.” Hart responded Lind’s “racist, derogatory, partisan threats have no impact on me and never will.” “I have not done...

It’s your feel-good video of the day. The Supreme Court may rule that flag burning is protected expression under the First Amendment, but that doesn’t mean that it is acceptable to endanger ordinary citizens, who also have rights to express themselves. In this case, with a fire extinguisher.

University of Oklahoma defensive back and former La Vega High School football player Parrish Cobb turned himself into police Tuesday night, after being accused of three armed robberies in Central Texas, according to Waco Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Patrick Swanton. Cobb, 19, is facing an aggravated robbery charge for an armed robbery that happened near the Baylor campus on Jan. 10. He's also accused of being involved in the armed robbery that happened on campus outside the McLane Student Life Center on Jan. 7. The Bellmead Police Department had also issued a warrant for his arrest after an armed robbery...

Iowa lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow a woman who gets an abortion to sue the doctor who performed the procedure if she experiences emotional distress later. If approved, it would be the first law of its kind in the U.S. The proposal, which was endorsed Tuesday by a GOP-led three-member panel of lawmakers, would permit the woman to file a lawsuit at any point in her life, something that goes against typical statute of limitation rules. It could also make the state vulnerable to costly court challenges.

MONTICELLO, Iowa — The Table of Knowledge was delving into President-elect Donald J. Trump’s plans to upend government, and marveling at how he had forced his fellow Republicans in the House to reverse themselves on gutting the Office of Congressional Ethics. “He’s getting responses; things are happening,” Jerry Retzlaff, a retiree, said. “He got Congress to turn themselves around with one tweet.” “There’s no secret the press doesn’t like him, and neither does a lot of the leadership,” he added. “And that’s because he’s planning on making a lot of changes.” The eight men around a rectangular table, sipping coffee...