Free Republic

McDonald’s and its franchisees illegally retaliated against employees for participating in union-related activities, the National Labor Relations Board’s top lawyer alleged Friday in a case with sweeping industry implications. NLRB general counsel Richard Griffin announced Friday he will issue 13 complaints involving 78 charges against franchises and McDonald’s USA, LLC. Though many of these alleged labor violations were committed by independent franchise owners, Griffin ruled earlier this year that McDonald’s can be held liable for those actions as a so-called joint employer, leaving the corporatrion — and potentially other franchisors — exposed to such claims. McDonald’s said the decision will...

Ben Carson, on his first visit here, tells ‘Post’ he is not sure that a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria ‘makes sense,’ and that Israeli settlement construction is ‘blown out of proportion.’ Retired neurosurgeon and aspiring US politician Ben Carson could walk down the streets of Jerusalem, shout at the top of his lungs “I am Ben Carson,” and almost no one would know who he is. At least not yet. But that could change very quickly as the 2016 US presidential campaign picks up speed, and Carson gains traction. And if recent polls are any indication, the 63-yearold...

It was the city on the verge of collapse, perhaps the ultimate example of how a one-time metropolis turned into a sad memory. For the past four decades or so, Detroit, once a mecca for immigrants and the heart of America's industrial revolution, not to mention pop culture, turned into a virtual ghost town. Businesses shut their doors and residents fled by the masses, from a peak of 1.8 million to around 700,000 today. The rapid decline of the auto industry, which the city once so proudly called its lifeline, unearthed a catastrophic failure. One of the nation's major cities...

If you happen to be a young Republican or conservative of any stripe who is attending the University of Michigan, rest assured that you will receive the same respect and fair treatment as anyone else. Particularly if you happen to wind up taking a class from Professor Susan J. Douglas or any other in the department she chairs. The educator of young minds and prolific writer has penned a thoughtful editorial piece in which she explains that it’s actually okay to hate Republicans because the science supports it. National Review has the details. “I hate Republicans,” communications department chairwoman and...

Satanist And Christian Holiday Displays To Go Up At Michigan Capitol DECEMBER 17, 2014 BILL CHAPPELL During the Christmas season, Michigan's Capitol Building in Lansing will host two holiday displays: a traditional Christian Nativity, and an exhibit by the Satanic Temple. Two very different holiday displays will share the grounds of the Michigan State Capitol next week: a traditional Christian Nativity and an exhibit by the Satanic Temple. The situation has brought controversy — and energized Christians who realized that a planned Nativity was in danger of being canceled. The story drew intense attention after it emerged that there was...

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY - A proposed ordinance could tighten restrictions on abortion providers in St. Joseph County. The ordinance could require abortion doctors to be able to admit patients to the hospital if there is a procedure complication. State law requires a doctor who performs abortions to have an admitting doctor on his staff; but this ordinance would toughen standards. It requires the doctor who performs the abortion to be able to admit his or her own patients to the hospital. "I think every member of the council should be concerned about patient health," says co-author and councilman Dan Herbster....

In the wake of a New York grand jury deciding not to indict police officer Daniel Pantaleo for the chokehold death of Eric Garner, racially diverse protests instantly erupted across the nation. White faces could be seen in swelling crowds from NYC and D.C., to Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit and Denver. Their mouths covered with masking tape with the words "I can't breathe" scrawled over it. The righteousness of racial solidarity burning in their eyes as they joined in chanting, "Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter!" This is not to say that there were not White allies...

Yes, this is happening. Because the US Army needs a few extra bucks. That’s why. Very soon you will be able to buy a surplus Army-issue Humvee at prices starting around $10,000. Yep, this is the real deal. According to Yahoo News and the Army Times, the US Department of Defense will auction off as many as 4,000 military-spec Humvees, instead of sending them to scrap yards. The first batch of 25 Humvees is heading to the auction block tomorrow. Obviously these retired vehicles aren’t in perfect condition, most having been built between 1987 and 1994. They have anywhere from...

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A published report says dozens of suspected killers, rapists and others who were arrested by Detroit police over the past four years have been released because of a backlog of unsigned warrants. Among the unsigned warrants at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office are 21 for murder, including one going back to 2010, according to a report in the Detroit News. The newspaper says there are 105 for sexual assault and 126 for child abuse. In most cases, police were forced to release the suspects, since the law requires that they can’t be held beyond 72 hours without...

Seven more states signed on to a lawsuit challenging President Obama's executive action halting the deportation of as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants, bringing the total to 24 states, Texas Atty. Gen. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday. The new states to join the coalition were Arizona, Florida, Arkansas, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma. The original 17 states, including Alabama, Kansas and Texas, filed suit in U.S. District Court last week, arguing that Obama overstepped his powers in enacting such changes on his own. "The president's proposed executive decree violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law, circumvents the will of...

Even though pro-life counselors have had success in their campaign against a Michigan abortionist the most recent campaign against him has been lengthy and it is likely not over. Michael Arthur Roth has been operating his abortion facility in West Bloomfield, Michigan under a guise for some time. But Operation Rescue President Troy Newman is not fooled by the façade of Roth’s business and is familiar with him. “This is a guy that likes to call his place the Laser and Anesthetic Center, trying to mask off as being, I guess, a plastic surgeon,” Newman informed. “But in reality, all...

Greg Willerer may not seem like your average entrepreneur. The once full-time school teacher quit his job to follow his passion for farming in the most unlikely of places. Located not far from Downtown Detroit, Willerer launched his urban farming business on just one acre of land. During his first year, Willerer earned almost the equivalent of his teaching salary. His venture, Brother Nature Produce, sells locally grown produce to restaurants across Detroit. They recently received a $10,000 grant to help grow their business from the New Economy Initiative’s small business challenge, and his farm was among one of five...

West Bloomfield, MI — Michigan abortionist Michael Arthur Roth’s abortion business, the Novi Laser and Aesthetic Center, was evicted last month from its second office space this year. Currently, his abortion business remains closed. An eviction document provided to Operation Rescue by long-time pro-life activist Lynn Mills, shows that a court request for eviction from his office at 33200 West 14 Mile in West Bloomfield was filed on October 21, 2014. The eviction was ordered due to Roth’s violation of a provision of his lease. Roth had until November 27, 2014, to vacate the premises. Photos taken through his office...

Will, who once taught political philosophy at Michigan State, said he is “still a Spartan who takes equal pleasure from good MSU football seasons and dismal ones in Ann Arbor,” referring to the University of Michigan. Connie Rzemien, whose daughter, Katie, was among those graduating, told The Detroit News she thought Will was not the right choice. “I believe it is contradictory to what they are doing here to have somebody with such an insensitive view of rape to speak today,” she said. “I think it’s insulting to young women.” The U.S. Education Department this year revealed a list of...

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee released new information on Thursday that he claims is evidence that the Bush administration misled the nation in the run-up to the war in Iraq. In a speech on the Senate floor, retiring Sen. Carl Levin, a Democrat, outlined a 2003 CIA cable that warns George W. Bush administration officials against making references to claims that Mohammad Atta — the man who led the Sept. 11 hijackers — met with an Iraqi intelligence officer in the Czech Republic before the Sept. 11, 2011, attacks. Levin claims Bush officials used the unconfirmed meeting...

Larry P. Arnn President, Hillsdale College LARRY P. ARNN is the twelfth president of Hillsdale College. He received his B.A. from Arkansas State University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in government from the Claremont Graduate School. From 1977 to 1980, he also studied at the London School of Economics and at Worcester College, Oxford University, where he served as director of research for Martin Gilbert, the official biographer of Winston Churchill. From 1985 until his appointment as president of Hillsdale College in 2000, he was president of the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy. He is...

They came to the nation’s capital on buses and planes and minivans and trains, from Florida, Detroit and Staten Island, led as much by the families, friends and supporters of African-American men and boys killed at the hands of the police as by civil rights leaders. Thousands of people marched along the National Mall on Saturday to protest the deaths, mirroring protests planned around the nation Saturday, ranging from hikes in canyons in the West to marches down the streets of the nation’s urban centers. The demonstrators here — many of them wearing T-shirts that read “Black Lives Matter” and...

ANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Pressuring a woman to have an abortion would be a criminal act under legislation approved Thursday by the Republican-controlled Senate, where backers said coerced abortions are a real problem and detractors countered that they already are illegal. The legislation would prohibit threatening, stalking or assaulting a pregnant woman or anyone else with the intent to force an abortion against her wishes. After learning a woman does not want to terminate her pregnancy, a person also could not threaten to cut off legally required financial support or withdraw from a contract. The bills, approved 26-11 almost entirely...

The cromnibus had an unlikely savior Thursday afternoon in the form of a lame-duck lawmaker who used to raise reindeer. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-Mich.), who lost his primary earlier this year, was originally among the conservative Republicans who voted against the rule. Without the help of Democrats, Republicans could only lose 17 of their own to pass the rule, which sets up floor debate for the underlying "cromnibus" spending bill. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) intervened once there were 18 Republican defectors — and not a single Democrat voting "yes." Many Democrats will vote against the government spending measure because they...

House Democrats blocked legislation on Thursday that would have permanently extended three tax credits for charitable giving, ending an effort to give nonprofits a last-minute victory. The bill got a strong majority in the House, with 275 members voting for it, including 47 Democrats. But the measure fell eight votes short of the two-thirds majority it needed to pass, with 149 Democrats voting against it after House Democratic leaders whipped against it and President Obama threatened a veto. The vote ends a last-ditch effort by the nonprofit sector to get three of its priorities into law for good, after a...