Free Republic

A lawyers group has called on Malaysian Airlines to introduce Muslim rules on all flights amidst the current crisis the airline is facing over the mysterious disappearance of flight MH370. The Muslim Lawyers Association of Malaysia has urged for Muslim prayer standards to be put into place before flights, as well as for all female flight attendants to be dressed according to Islamic law.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has issued a press release detailing what it says are “multiple errors” in a report by Orlando ABC affiliate WFTV. Mario Boone was the reporter on a story the FDLE called “Rape DNA kit backlogs continue to drown FDLE crime lab.” The story aired on the station’s 6:00 pm. news Wednesday night. In its statement, the FDLE said WFTV’s report suggests the agency is ill equipped to handle a growing number of rape cases and may cause rape victims to be reluctant to report the crime because they don’t think the agency can process...

<p>State lawmakers have passed a new food safety law that they wish they hadn't.</p> <p>Anyone working in a California restaurant or bar who prepares ready-to-eat food - from bagels to sushi to fruit salad to cocktails - has to wear gloves or use deli tissue, spatulas or tongs. But the new rule, which went into effect Jan. 1, has had so much blowback that lawmakers are already trying to repeal it.</p>

Alabama lawmakers Tuesday passed a bill that would ban abortions the instant a fetal heartbeat is detected — a measure that would effectively eliminate most abortions. The House voted 73-29 for the measure, one of four anti-abortion bills it sent to the Senate. The bill includes no exception for women who become pregnant through rape and incest. Fetal heartbeats can be detected as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, meaning that if the Senate passes the measure and Republican Gov. Robert Bentley signs it, Alabama would join North Dakota in imposing the strictest abortion laws in the country. The...

Some have claimed that a bill recently passed by the Arizona legislature would give businesses broad license to not serve someone for being gay. This claim, though, may be a misreading, according a CP legislative analysis. While the bill is an attempt to broaden who is covered under its religious freedom protections, in all cases it actually narrows when a religious belief could be used to refuse service. Here are six important points to understand about the just-passed bill: 1. If Gov. Jan Brewer (R) signs it, the bill, S.B. 1062, would make some modifications to a 1999 Arizona law...

Secretary of State John Kerry demanded Monday that Uganda “repeal” its new anti-gay law and warned that the State Department has begun a “review” of U.S. assistance to the impoverished East African nation. “This is a tragic day for Uganda and for all who care about the cause of human rights,” Kerry said in a statement. “Ultimately, the only answer is repeal of this law.” President Yoweri Museveni signed into law on Monday legislation enacting tough prison sentences for homosexual acts, which were already illegal in Uganda. Kerry threatened to cut the more than $400 million the country receives in...

Mountain Man Arrested for Trying to Feed Himself, owns judge. In a packed courtroom, 52-year-old Ernie Tertelgte told the judge “I am a living man protected by natural law and I have the right to forage for food when I am hungry… You are trying to create a fictitious, fraudulent action.” Charged with fishing without a license and resisting the arrest for fishing without a license, Mr. Tertegte says he’s being wrongly prosecuted for trying to feed himself. Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=521_1384992875#bulFLgdC720Rg2kY.99

Barack Hussein Obama has spent 5 years ignoring both the law of the land and constitutionally imposed limits on the power of the presidency. So far, republicans in both the House and Senate have done precious little to take this corrupt, Marxist plant to task on his countless abuses of executive authority. But on Monday, during a segment with FOX News political analyst Jeanine Pirro, Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina promised viewers that the House will use the “power of the purse” to end Obama’s obsession with rule rather than governance. When Pirro asked the congressman if House republicans...

When Barack Obama took the oath of office, he agreed, before God and our country, that he would "...preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." In doing so, he also agreed to Article Two, Clause Five of the Constitution which states that the President must "faithfully execute the laws of the land". The word "faithfully" in that statement is clearly defined by Webster's Dictionary as "strict or thorough performance of one's duty." Faithfully does not mean that the President can arbitrarily execute the laws of the land. Nor, does it say he can ignore those parts of...

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said on Friday he would sign a controversial anti-gay bill into law, warning that those who promoted homosexuality would be dealt with harshly. Museveni last month indicated he was planning to shelve the bill, which has attracted fierce criticism from Western donors and human rights groups since its inception in 2009. Homosexuality is taboo in African countries and illegal in 37. Activists say few Africans are openly gay, fearing imprisonment, violence and loss of their jobs. During a conference held by Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, a group of scientists presented their findings on...

Welcome to the CoinDesk Weekly Review 14th February 2014 – a regular look at the hottest, most controversial and thought-provoking events in the world of digital currency through the eyes of skepticism and wonder. Your host … John Law.

Jerome Hauer, a top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, appears to have regularly carried a firearm to work in violation of state law. Hauer runs New York’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Cuomo, an advocate of ultra-strict gun control laws, appointed him to the job in 2011. Hauer’s 9-millimeter Glock first came to the attention of local newspapers when he used the gun’s laser sighting attachment as a pointer during a meeting with a Swedish delegation. That event occurred last October at a State Police bunker, and was first reported by the Albany Times Union in...

Senator Chuck Schumer, with a cheeseburger in hand stood in front of a Manhattan McDonald’s and demanded food companies stop using Azodicarbonamide. The chemical is used by many fast food chains to bleach their bread dough and to make it more elastic. The Senator says studies link the chemical to cancer. Schumer added McDonald’s isn't the only company using it in food.

"[T]he light of natural reason, whereby we discern what is good and what is evil, which is the function of the natural law, is nothing else than an imprint on us of the Divine light." - Summa Theologiæ [Part II, FP, Q. 91] Natural law is sometimes dismissed as just another religious theory, totally dependent on belief in God. But actually, while Catholics do believe that God wrote it on our hearts (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, Romans 2:12-16), it is a self-evident truth with which even the most rabid atheist should come to terms. What is natural law?"The natural law expresses the...

Del. Bob Marshall, R-Manassas, has introduced a bill that would give farmers and landowners’ property rights remedies against local zoning laws. The bill is inspired by the Martha Boneta debacle last year. But unlike last year’s “Boneta Bill,” HB1219 extends beyond farmers to anyone who owns property. The bill also tackles other issues such as the constitutional rights of farmers. HB1219 says that local governments that violate constitutional rights through zoning must pay their victims the amount of the fines they sought to impose and the actual damages, including attorney fees. The bill also allows the Virginia Attorney General to...

Today the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Navarette v California, a case in which a wrong decision will effectively repeal the 4th Amendment rights of the American people. The text of the 4th Amendment reads: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. In 1968, the Supreme Court ruled that “…law enforcement...

President Obama is considering using his executive authority to raise the minimum wage for federal contractors, he told Senate Democrats during a closed meeting at the White House. [Snip] Obama and congressional Democrats are pushing for an across-the-board hike in the minimum hourly wage, from $7.25 to $10.10. But Republicans are cool to the plan, warning it could hurt the economy. Federal contractors represent only a fraction of the nation’s employees. Businesses that together received more than $446 billion in federal contracts employ some 2 million workers, only some of whom are paid the minimum wage. Still, an increase for...

FReepers, I need some assistance and have run out of places to turn. For the past 12 months I've been trying to secure some type of employment, but have been unable to because whenever a background check is ran, I get flagged/disqualified for an outstanding arrest warrant in the state of Delaware. Here's the basis of the situation. I was a Reservist that did my Reserve duty at Dover AFB for the past 4 years and for a good chunk of that time I was on actual active duty orders. The last time I was on orders (Apr-Sep 2012), I...

  Sam Casey sat at the head of the largest conference table in Washington and watched open-mouthed as half the room emptied, and religious freedom was grievously wounded. It happened in an instant that July day in 1999, but had been building quietly for weeks as one of the most potent left-right coalitions in the country was sundered.         The recent legal and legislative history of religious freedom in America can be described in many ways, but ping-pong comes to mind.The Constitution prevents the federal government from establishing a state religion but also prevents the government from hampering its...

Cyndee Phoenix (pictured) thought she had found the perfect home in a Hamilton County, N. J., residential community to live in with her elderly parents and sister. But what Phoenix did not know and now claims was not revealed to her by the developer, Lennar Homes Corp, who promoted promises of a “wonderful lifestyle,” was that she and her family would be tormented by a neighbor who would threaten, intimidate and make racist remarks. She is suing the developer for “knowingly concealing” that her future neighbor was a “dangerous individual,” according to Courthouse News. Phoenix closed on her home last...