Free Republic

(Reuters) - On the sidewalk of a public housing development in Brooklyn, New York notorious for gang violence and drug activity, the words "Fascist pig, go home!" in black spray paint are fading but still legible. These are the Marcy Houses, 27 brick H-block buildings, each six stories high, that are home to nearly 4,300 people, many of whom are black or Latino. The rapper Jay-Z, who grew up in the complex, described Marcy as "a block away from hell," the place where "news cameras never come," in a song called "Where I'm From."

Across New York City, policemen are being put on notice by higher ups, get back to business as usual, or no vacations, or sick days, according to reports. And borough commanders want to see the proof. “Throughout the city, precincts are being ordered to hand up to borough commanders ‘activity sheets’ indicating the number of arrests and summonses per shift…” Said one union source, according to the New York Post, “Police officers around the city are now threatened with transfers, no vacation time and sick time unless they write summonses.”

The civilized world is still reeling from Wednesday's brutal attack against the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo by gunmen seeking revenge for cartoons attacking Islam. Nevertheless, Breitbart.com reported Thursday, the White House announced it would make fighting Islamophobia a priority. "Never mind that most Westerners aren’t Islamophobic, but rather GettingShotInTheFaceForExpressingMyOpinion-Phobic," Ben Shapiro wrote. Speaking with reporters, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the real problem is lack of leadership in defending Islam. "There are some individuals that are using a peaceful religion and grossly distorting it, and trying to use its tenets to inspire people around the globe to...

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush appears poised for a presidential run and is currently leading the polls among potential Republican candidates for 2016, but the comments he made in 1994 during his first run for Florida’s highest office may come back to haunt him.The Associated Press reports that Bush described himself then as a “head-banging conservative” and used fiery rhetoric — such as claiming he would do “probably nothing” for African-Americans if he became governor — in his ultimately unsuccessful bid. Bush made that statement in response to a question on what he would for African-Americans if elected to office.“It’s time...

It would have given great offense, had anyone known it was there. For the first half of the 20th century, an eight-foot-tall marble statue of the Prophet Muhammad overlooked Madison Square Park from the rooftop of the Appellate Division Courthouse at Madison Avenue and 25th Street. Sixty years ago, the statue was quietly removed, in an episode that now looks, in light of recent events in Paris, like the model of tact, restraint and diplomacy. What had spared the sensibilities of Muslim passers-by from 1902 to 1955 was that “Muhammad,” by the Mexican sculptor Charles Albert Lopez, was among nine...

Of all the statistics from the recent New Year’s Eve in Times Square—1 million revelers, 2,000 pounds of confetti, thousands of police officers, dozens of surveillance cameras—there is one number that stands out: zero, as in zero tickets for low-level crimes. No tickets for having an open container of alcohol, no tickets for public urination, no tickets for double parking, no tickets for furry, costumed characters hassling tourists to take their picture. Add in low-level arrests, and there was just one, for a subway-related offense. And that wasn’t just on New Year’s Eve. That was for the entire week containing...

The New York Times' Executive Editor Just Called Someone An A------ On Facebook SHANE FERRO JAN. 9, 2015 In response to a Facebook post by USC Annenberg journalism professor Marc Cooper about the New York Times' decision not to publish Charlie Hebdo cartoons this week, New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet had this to say: Screen Shot 2015 01 09 at 4.07.24 PM Facebook screenshot Here's Marc Cooper's original post, which has more than 50 comments already: Screen Shot 2015 01 09 at 4.12.59 PM

Oh sure, Mayor Bill de Blasio—aka Mayor de Blaze-io (GET IT)—probably doesn't smoke marijuana anymore, regardless of what certain people want you to believe. But he definitely used to, and he doesn't mind you knowing that—he slyly sent out this tweet on Thursday as reports of his past pot use once again made "news." To put this all in context for you, let's count down the 10 best young BDB photos and wildly speculate on what corresponding drugs he might have been taking at the time.

The Amazing Kreskin wants to read de Blasio’s mind The Amazing Kreskin will celebrate his 80th birthday with a star- studded bash at City Crab on Monday, and Bill de Blasio is invited. But if the mayor shows, “I will read his thoughts in public, in front of the audience,” offered the mentalist, who admits he’s at odds with de Blasio over his crusade to ban horse carriages. “I only have one fear — I may draw a blank,” Kreskin cracked of de Blasio’s brain.

Zoo Won’t Let de Blasio Hold Groundhog After He Killed One Last Year The NYPD isn't the only city organization that has lost complete confidence in the esteemed Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio. After he dropped the groundhog during last year's Groundhog Day celebrations, the Staten Island Zoo has unequivocally banned De Blasio from holding or handling any more of their animals in a celebratory setting. - Mayor de Blasio won’t be killing any more groundhogs — zoo handlers are forbidding the butter-fingered mayor from holding the critter at the annual shadow-sighting ceremony on Feb. 2, The...

Politico senior political reporter Maggie Haberman has been scooped up by the New York Times. “Thrilled to say I am joining [the New York Times], and very grateful for the opportunity. I remain incredibly grateful to Politico for an amazing run,” Haberman said in a tweet. Her forthcoming move to the Times was announced by Politico in an internal memo Friday. At the Times, Haberman will anchor First Draft, the newspaper's political webpage, and will "help drive [the newspaper’s] campaign news during the day," New York Times Washington Bureau Chief and Political Editor Carolyn Ryan said in a memo.

The New York Times, which has already faced criticism for its decision not to publish images of the controversial Charlie Hebdo cartoons that may have provoked the attack on that magazine’s Paris offices Wednesday, is now under fire for apparently removing a quote from an article about reactions from survivors of the attack. Earlier today, the website Ace of Spades posted this excerpt from a story by reporter Liz Alderman about the shooting as experienced by those who survived it: Sigolène Vinson, a freelancer who had decided to come in that morning to take part in the meeting, thought she...

If anyone’s to blame for the execution-style murder of a dozen people at a French satirical magazine, the Catholic League’s president says it’s the paper's slain publisher. In a stunning article titled ’Muslims Are Right to be Angry,” Bill Donohue blasted Charlie Hebdo’s “intolerance” for repeatedly depicting and insulting religious figures which he said provoked Wednesday's mass shooting at their Paris office. Donohue, whose New York City-based conservative organization is not part of the Catholic Church, said “it is too bad” that Charlie Hebdo’s editor, Stephane Charbonnier, “didn't understand the role he played in his tragic death.” …

Security: In the wake of the Islamist terrorist attack in Paris, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani argues to reinstate a policy cancelled by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has arguably left the city as exposed as it was on Sept. 10, 2001. Although the Paris terrorist attack by Islamists has not been linked to any mosque, the historical record is dotted with similar attacks that have such links, including the Nov. 5, 2009, rampage at the Army base in Killeen, Texas, by Maj. Nidal Hasan that killed 13 and wounded 31 as the self-proclaimed "Soldier of Allah" shouted "Allahu...

In the aftermath of the Islamic terrorist attack in Paris, France, on Wednesday — an attack that left 12 journalists and cops dead — cities throughout the world are increasing alert levels especially those in Western nations, according to a number of reports. However, the terrorists’ crown-jewel target, New York City, has become more and more vulnerable under the leadership of Mayor Bill de Blasio. For example, his dismantling of a special operations unit of police officers that conducted surveillance and investigations of the city’s and metropolitan area’s mosques has left the Big Apple arguably as vulnerable as it was...

A dozen people may have been murdered by Islamic terrorists in Paris Wednesday morning, but The New York Times can’t help but note the real tragedy behind the shooting: the growth of Islamophobia. (RELATED: The Ever-Growing List Of Cowards Refusing To Publish The Mohammad Cartoons)The attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for its publication of images of Muhammad is “sure to accelerate the growth of anti-Islamic sentiment in Europe, feeding far-­right nationalist parties like France’s National Front,” frets Times reporters Steven Erlanger and Katrin Bennhold in an article entitled “Paris Attack Reflects a ‘Dangerous Moment’ for Europe.”[Snip] The Times...

For the New York Times, what better way to observe the 11th anniversary of 9-11 than by exploiting it for political purposes and seeking to blame George W. Bush? The Times chose to publish on its op-ed page today a column by Kurt Eichenwald, a former Times reporter now with Vanity Fair, entitled "The Deafness Before the Storm." Its gruel is thin when it comes to actually assembling a case of any real Bush-administration negligence. And that is the best evidence that Eichenwald and the Times were not motivated by any sincere desire to review the historical record with the...

De Blasio boots judge known to be tough on criminals By Jamie Schram A Manhattan judge known for being tough on criminals has been booted from the bench by Mayor Bill de Blasio — even against the ­advice of his own vetting team, law enforcement sources told The Post on Tuesday. The move comes on the heels of de Blasio’s reappointment of Brooklyn Judge Laura Johnson, who set free without bail two men who threatened to kill cops just days after a double police assassination. The booted judge, Diana Boyar, “was fair, knowledgeable and ran the courtroom professionally,” a stunned...

No More Dead Cops! The work slow-down continues. Peace in the City can only begin when de Blasio is gone from City Hall. As a former member of the NYPD, I stood on the frontline of the Harlem and Columbia riots, worked the Eastside of Manhattan back in ‘72 on the night Officers Foster and Laurie were assassinated - just for being Cops, and patrolled the mean streets of the South Bronx when it was ‘officially burning’. Back then we worked during a time of great hostility and danger to Police Officers, but we came to work and did our...

America's social justice movement has reached a critical turning point. The left's bravest young warriors for change have turned ... back to 1989 and borrowed costumes from Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" music video. Clad in black-ops black from head to toe with fists held high, stylin' members of the so-called "Black Brunch" brigade look like they're ready to break into some old-school New Jack Swing dance moves. And 5, 6, 7, 8! But seriously, all you hate-mongering, racist oppressors. You must banish your colonialist, imperialist and patriarchal impulses to mock. The "comrades" (yes, they really call themselves that) who don...