Free Republic

A homeless man was arrested this week at the downtown Central Library after allegedly masturbating in a back aisle and then pulling a knife on a librarian who was trying to escort him out of the building. A security guard used a Taser on the man, who was arrested by police and charged with multiple offenses, from lascivious conduct to aggravated battery. No one, luckily, was injured or killed in the incident. But it's an ugly reminder of a community problem hidden in plain sight. On any given day, you'll find a group of homeless regulars at the Central Library,...

Political road rage Wednesday, March 9, 2005 The woman escaped by hiding in this park. A woman became a road rage victim Tuesday not because of the way she drove, but because of how she voted in the last presidential election. It happened in Tampa and the entire drama was recorded during a 911 call. Officers say Nathan Winkler, 31, saw a Bush-Cheney bumper sticker on Michelle Fernandez's car and showed her a sign of his own. "He drove up next to me, with his, he has a sign hanging from his windshield, passenger window that says something about the...

A National Public Radio (NPR) reporter has resigned after a hateful voice mail message she left for a conservative group was made public. Rachel Buchman worked for WHYY in Philadelphia, an NPR affiliate, when she called the offices of the Web site laptoplobbyist.com to express her outrage over an e-mail the group sent to her opposing special rights for homosexuals. "You're evil, horrible people. You're awful people," she said, identifying herself only as "Rachel." "You represent horrible ideas. God hates you and He wants to kill your children. You should all burn." Chris Carmouche, publisher of laptoplobbyist.com, said he's accustomed...