Free Republic

You can't make this up. Blitzer actually contemplated whether Barcelona was a copycat of Charlottesville.

Abraham Lincoln Statue Vandalized Chicago, IL – In the most dumbfounding vandalism of the year, somebody set an Abraham Lincoln statue on fire in Chicago on Wednesday, according to 15th Ward Alderman Raymond Lopez. The monument has stood near 69th & Wolcott St since it was erected in 1926. It is now blackend by fire. By all appearances, somebody dumped accelerant on the bust and then lit it on fire. According to Alderman Lopez, Chicago PD is investigating who committed the act and what their motivation was. Abraham Lincoln, who led the Union to victory in the civil war and...

The decision by the Royal College of Midwives to withdraw its decade-long campaign for “normal birth” has come much too late for my own son, Joshua, who sadly died nine days after being born, but is a welcome step. The approach for too long influenced a style of care in maternity wards that put lives at risk. These were the words spoken by Cumbria coroner Ian Smith, as he began summing up the inquest into the death of Joshua, on 6 June 2011: “With advances in medical science and techniques, childbirth has become safer and safer, to the point where...

On numerous housing estates throughout London, the rows of black steel and mesh railings guarding red brick mansion blocks appear, at first glance, little more than a quirk of post-war architectural design. However, unbeknown to thousands of passersby each day, those sometimes rusting or buckled fences were in fact the emergency stretchers that helped to save the lives of those injured during the Blitz. Now, a campaign has been launched to protect and restore these metal fences, mainly found on estates in South London, that had served so well as stretchers during World War II. Rosie Shaw, founder of the...

You've planned your road trip, downloaded your science apps, and bought yourself a pair of shiny new spectacles: you're ready for the eclipse. But is your eyewear is up to the task? With the Great American Eclipse approaching, demand for eclipse glasses—with special lenses designed to keep the sun from harming your peepers—is surging. And counterfeit glasses are everywhere. In fact, Amazon is so swamped by reports of possibly unsafe glasses that the company is allegedly sending out recalls and refunds for products that are certified as eclipse-safe.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Supt. Eddie Johnson on Tuesday bemoaned the fights that forced the United Center to close, canceling the championship game of a basketball league intended to keep teenagers off the streets in the summer. The pandemonium — some captured on cellphone video — prevented neighborhood teams made up of players from two of Chicago’s top high school basketball teams — Orr Academy and Curie Metropolitan — from squaring off in a title game. As upsetting to Emanuel and Johnson as the ugly scene outside the United Center was the fact that the league itself was supposed...

Every kid has imagined what it's like to get locked in a grocery/candy/toy store all night, left to your own devices. Endless chips, cookies, ice cream, and toys, with no parents around to reign you in ... what more could a kid want? For two pre-teens in Scotland, this dream came true, but they're definitely getting grounded because of it. Two young boys, thought to be 12 and 13, were found in a Sainsbury's superstore around 2 a.m. earlier this week by early-morning workers, East Kilbride News reported. The kids were found with nearly £300 (around $386) worth of food...

Actions speak louder than words.

Republican California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Wednesday at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, The Daily Caller has learned. Charles Johnson, a conservative journalist, told TheDC that he arranged the meeting for Assange because the WikiLeaks chief wants to strike a deal with the U.S. so he can stop living in asylum. Rohrabacher’s spokesman Ken Grubbs told TheDC, “I can confirm that the meeting happened” and said that Johnson was in the meeting.

A man cleaning his gun accidentally shot through the floor of his Oceanside apartment Tuesday evening, critically injuring a woman who was watching TV. SNIP The woman was sitting on her couch when she was hit in the leg by the bullet. She was unconscious and barely breathing when first responders arrived SNIP The shooter has not been taken into custody, Bussey said.

Deputies say a homeowner shot a man during an apparent botched home invasion early Wednesday morning in Escondido. The homeowner called 911 a little after 1:30 a.m. to report the incident in the 15000 block of Highland Road, a San Diego County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman said. Deputies said a man knocked on the homeowner's door saying he was being chased and asking for money to pay for a taxi.

A would-be robber pulled a gun on a pizzeria cashier but left the Scripps Ranch restaurant empty-handed when told he'd have to wait for a manager to open the register, police said Wednesday. The abortive robbery happened a little after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Pizza Hut at 9906 Mira Mesa Blvd., San Diego police officer John Buttle said. The suspect entered the restaurant, picked up a menu and walked to the counter "like he was going to order a pizza," Buttle said. Instead, he pulled out a black handgun and demanded cash from the register.

Just wunderin',,,,, is the latest IHOP ad, The 'eyebrow' thing meant to be, implied to be two gay guys. Maybe its just my imagination but I don't think I've seen an ad with that theme.

The Trump Administration is making Christian history! For the first time in over 100 years, weekly Bible studies are meeting at the White House, and the leader of these meetings says that the Trump cabinet members who attend the study are the best he's ever had. Ralph Dollinger, of Capitol Ministries, is the leader of the Bible study that is making headlines. The former NBA player founded his ministry with the hopes of guiding policy-makers on how to let their faith dictate their leadership. "These are godly individuals that God has risen to a position of prominence in our culture,"...

Back in 1958 a gay male wrote Martin Luther King for advice. In his reply, King said that the gale male's orientation was a "problem", and was "culturally acquired". King then advised the young man to "see a good psychiatrist". (The full exchange is in my post #1.) King's remarks would absolutely horrify today's politically correct crowd. So here's my question: Should all statues of MLK be removed from public areas, or should his remarks be judged within the context of his time?

Every family's history holds its secrets, for good and for bad. For comedian Chelsea Handler, the biggest questions lay with the fact that her maternal grandfather fought for the Nazi regime in World War II. In a new episode of TLC's Who Do You Think You Are, Handler, 38, discovers exactly what role her grandfather, Karl Stoecker, played in one of history's most atrocious genocides. And growing up, Handler had no idea that her grandfather - a 'very, very strong man' she describes as having a 'sense of humour' - had a dark past.In the episode, she reveals that he...

Epic takedown of Charles Krauthammer by Laura Ingraham! Krauthammer is such a smug Never-Trumper and Laura called him out for it. She was fabulous!

MSNBC’s Katy Tur reviewed President Trump‘s latest speech on Charlottesville, and she raised questions about the authenticity of the president’s scripted condemnation for the events of the last two days. Tur spoke with David Jolly, Harold Ford, and Marc Morial, the latter of whom compared how long it took for Trump to condemn white supremacists and Ken Frazier. Jolly followed up by saying that even though Trump said everything properly today, his condemnation of white supremacists would’ve meant a lot more if it happened in his immediate response to the chaos, and without a script to read off of. From...

Campaign Director for Immigrant Justice Position Location: Flexible The Center for Popular Democracy/CPD Action (CPD/CPDA) is seeking a full-time Campaign Director for Immigrant Justice. The Center for Popular Democracy/CPD Action builds organizing power and transforms the local, state, and national policy landscape through deep, long-term partnerships with leading community organizing groups and labor unions nationwide. CPD/CPDA collaborates with partners to build their internal strength, infrastructure and capacity – and to envision, run, and win campaigns to move a pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial justice agenda at the city and state level. About the Position: CPD/CPDA is seeking a Campaign Director for Immigrant...

On this day in 1945, news broke around the world the Imperial Government of Japan would surrender ending a long a grueling world war. In Europe, the date was August 15 due to the time zone, but regardless the celebrations that broke out were no less zealous.