Free Republic

One of the most profound pro-life moments of 2014 came at the hands of an unborn child whose “thumbs-up” bore a striking resemblance to the trademark gesture of Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli. A photo of the ultrasound went viral and inspired mothers to share images of their own unborn children. Millions of people were exposed to a strong pro-life message, even if many of them did not realize it at the time. Even the major news networks, normally reliable shills for “reproductive justice,” admitted that they were indeed seeing pictures of babies. When a matter is as hotly charged as the...

Duke University has reversed itself, and announced Thursday afternoon it will not allow a Muslim call to prayer Friday from its iconic cathedral. The decision had met with widespread controversy. “Duke remains committed to fostering an inclusive, tolerant and welcoming campus for all of its students,” said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations. “However, it was clear that what was conceived as an effort to unify was not having the intended effect.” Members of the Muslim community will now gather on the quadrangle outside the chapel before moving to its regular location for prayers, Duke said....

"Klansville U.S.A." which was broadcast nationally last night is a PBS American Experience production by WGBH in Boston based on a book of that title by David Cunningham. It is an interesting look at the rise and fall of the North Carolina Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s. A very good historical documentary marred by the jarring flaw of taking a cheap shot at Republicans. It was almost as if the producer and director, Callie T. Wiser, just couldn't restrain herself from taking a shot at Republicans. The documentary stuck to the facts until just a couple of minutes before...

A weekly call to prayer for Muslims will be heard at Duke University starting Friday, school officials said. Members of the Duke Muslim Students Association will chant the call, known as adhan or azan, from the Duke Chapel bell tower each Friday at 1 p.m. The call to prayer will last about three minutes and be “moderately amplified,” officials said in a statement Tuesday. “The adhan is the call to prayer that brings Muslims back to their purpose in life, which is to worship God, and serves as a reminder to serve our brothers and sisters in humanity,” said Imam...

North Carolina City Ordered to Remove Memorial Featuring Soldier Kneeling before Cross Carrie Dedrick | Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com | Monday, January 12, 2015 A city in North Carolina has removed a war memorial featuring the silhouette of a soldier kneeling before a cross after a group complained that the sculpture promoted Christianity. According to Fox News, a public park in King, North Carolina housed the statue which had been paid for privately. Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued the city on behalf of Afghanistan War veteran Steven Hewett who said that the memorial was not representative to others...

Democratic vulnerabilities appear to be limited to just two states. Former Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Michael Bennet’s re-election in Colorado is rated as Leans Democratic. His home-state colleague, Democrat Mark Udall, was defeated in November. And Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid can expect a tough race in Nevada if he seeks re-election. His race is also rated Leans Democratic, as Republicans search for a challenger. ... Four of the nine seats Democrats lost in 2014 were listed as Tossups nearly two years before the election. In January 2013, Alaska, Montana and North Carolina were rated as Leans Democratic, and...

KING, N.C. – Effective immediately, all religious symbols at the veterans memorial in King have been removed as part of a settlement with Steven Hewett, a man who sued the city claiming his constitutional rights were being violated because of a Christian flag flown at the memorial and the inclusion of a cross as part of a statue honoring veterans. The decision was made at Tuesday night’s city council meeting. The city council also repealed a 2010 law establishing a flag lottery that allowed flags of any religious denomination to be flown at the memorial.

Today Boehner lackey Renee Elmers attacked Boehner challengers Rep. Gohmert and Rep. Yoho as media whores with no substance whatsoever: Monday on NewsMax TV’s “Midpoint,” Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) without naming names blasted members of Congress who have come out against House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in his bid for a third term as speaker. Ellmers said, “Those who are acting out right now though are getting some media attention. That is all it is. It’s media attention. These are folks that thrive on it. They are bad actors right now because they are acting as though they are going...

~~snip~~ Voting against Boehner (10) Gohmert* Yoho* Rep. Steve King (Iowa) Rep. Jim Bridenstine (Okla.)* Rep. Dave Brat (Va.) (freshman) Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.)* Rep. Gary Palmer (Ala.) (freshman) Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.)* Rep. Paul Gosar (Ariz.) Rep. Marlin Stutzman (Ind.) Said prior to 2014 election that they would vote against Boehner (2) Rep. Jody Hice (Ga.) (freshman) Rep. John Ratfliffe (Tex.) (freshman) Voted against Boehner in 2013/haven't weighed in (2) Rep. Steve Pearce (N.M.) (spokesman says he's "undecided") Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.) Voted against Boehner in 2013/will support him (3) Rep. Mick Mulvaney (S.C.) Rep. Raul Labrador (Idaho) Rep....

The rank and file aren’t happy. A minimutiny may be underway in the House of Representatives as another conservative has come out to announce that he will oppose Rep. John Boehner in his re-election bid as House speaker. [Snip] Another Republican, Rep. Walter C. Jones of North Carolina, said there are up to 18 conservatives who are looking for an alternative to Mr. Boehner. In 2013, there were nine Republicans who didn’t vote for Mr. Boehner. [Snip] Mr. Obama has been eating Mr. Boehner’s lunch for years. Early on, the president got the speaker to agree to $500 billion in...

Kenneth Byrd and his family were settled in their North Carolina home Monday night when there was a knock at their door. A stranger claimed his car was having mechanical problems and asked for water, according to a statement released by the Robeson County Sheriff's Office and obtained by PEOPLE. Suddenly, two more men appeared and demanded money. They were dressed in black and wearing ski masks. The suspects were armed with handguns and attempted to rape Byrd's 19-year-old granddaughter. "Mr. Byrd retrieved a weapon and several shots were fired between Mr. Byrd and the suspects in the house," according...

Ever since scientists grew a human bladder in a laboratory in 1996, researchers have continued to develop more complex organs. Beating human hearts have also been grown in the lab and infected with disease to test various drugs. As a result of these medical advancements, people have had their lives changed for the better. For example, there have been multiple windpipe replacements, tear duct replacements, artery transplants, bladder transplants and more. The development of lab-built body parts is on the rise as a result of a shortage of organ donors, and many of these organs are built with the recipients...

Despite tumbling gas prices, North Carolina's tax on gasoline went up starting Thursday. State leaders still said there won't be enough money in the coffers to cover the transportation projects statewide. Fabian Escoto fills up his tank about once a week and word that the gas tax is increasing didn’t rattle him too much. “As long as it's not too much, I don't think it's going to affect a whole lot of people,” Escoto said. North Carolina's tax on a gallon of gas increased by a penny to 37.5 cents – the highest gas tax in the South and one...

North Carolina's flagship public university is trying to fire a senior professor, accepted the resignation of another faculty member and dismissed an academic counselor for athletes for their roles in the fraud scandal that rocked the school, campus officials said Wednesday ---SNIP--- The report by former U.S. Justice Department official Kenneth Wainstein found a pattern of fake classes, which allowed 3,100 athletes and other students to earn artificially high grades from 1993 to 2011. While the sham courses were solely in the African studies department, multiple people around campus knew of them or suspected something but said nothing, the report...

Since Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were assassinated in their patrol car on December 20 there have been more than 50 incidents of reported threats against NYPD officers. But the targeting of police is happening all across the country. On Sunday, officers patrolling in Los Angeles and Pasco County, Florida were shot at in unprovoked attacks, and on Thursday, Durham, North Carolina police officer J.T. West successfully thwarted an assassination attempt eerily similar to the NYPD attack earlier this month. A department spokesperson said Officer J.T. West was sitting in his marked patrol car working on a report when...

Senate Republicans will have to work hard to retain their recently won majority as they face a tough 2016 electoral map. They have 24 seats up compared to Democrats' 10, including seven in states resident Obama carried twice. Democrats won't have any red-state senators facing reelection and could be buoyed by a favorable presidential-year electorate. ... 1. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) 3. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) 7. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) 10. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)

The McKenzie County sheriff's department used its K9 team to track down three men who fled an accident scene in McKenzie county last week. The dogs led deputies and officers from the U-S Border Patrol through three miles of badlands where they found two of the men. They caught the third man two days later near Williston, after reports of a drug transaction. The Border Patrol was involved because all three of the suspects are illegal immigrants. The sheriff's office reports that one of the men has been deported 33 times.He will be charged with felony immigration violations. The suspects...

A Durham, NC Police Officer narrowly escaped death Christmas night when two Black would be assassins fired six shots at him in an incident eerily reminiscent of the murders of NYPD Officers Liu and Ramos. Officer J.T. West was sitting in his patrol car completing a report when he noticed two suspicious men approaching from behind his vehicle. West exited his vehicle to speak with the men when one drew a gun and fired six rounds in his direction, striking his patrol car once. West returned fire with two rounds but it is unknown if he hit the shooters. The...

The North Carolina Attorney General will appeal a federal appeals court’s ruling striking down a North Carolina law allowing women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before an abortion is done. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit struck down a North Carolina law requiring a 24-hour waiting period and informed consent of a woman before an abortion is performed. In January 2013, a district court imposed a temporary injunction on the law, claiming that its mandated disclosures about abortion are an unconstitutional imposition of “the state’s philosophic and social position discouraging abortion,” rather...

A North Carolina law requiring abortion providers to not only conduct an ultrasound but describe its content in detail to women seeking an abortion — whether or not they have asked for or want to receive an ultrasound — was blocked on Monday, December 22, by the Fourth Circuit court of appeals. The law was preliminarily blocked in October 2011 and also deemed unconstitutional by a federal court in January 2014. In its ruling, the Fourth Circuit determined that the law prohibits a physician’s right to free speech by mandating what conversations doctors are required to have with their patients,...