Free Republic

America's largest retailer was among the corporate sponsors of recent homosexual "pride" events in New York City, including all-night parties and a vulgar parade down Fifth Avenue.Activities the corporations sponsored last month included a "burlesque masquerade fantasy" on June 26 and a "VIP Rooftop Party" on June 27, the "NYC Pride" website reveals. A suggestive, school-themed party at the Hammerstein Ballroom, with male "bad teachers" and "hot cheerleaders" flown in from overseas, was also held on June 27.Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality attended the June 28 "pride" parade. He tells OneNewsNow a Wal-Mart float was included in...

The Episcopalian marriage of Fordham University’s theology chairman to his same-sex partner, just one day after the Supreme Court’s marriage ruling, begins a new flood of challenges to Catholic identity that most Catholic colleges and universities are unprepared to face, warns Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick Reilly.“Even if a Catholic college leader wants to uphold Catholic teaching on marriage, the persistent embrace of dissent and opposition to the Church at many Catholic universities makes it highly unlikely that the law will now permit them to uphold moral standards for professors,” Reilly said.“The fact that a theology chairman at a...

If you’ve been out and about in Manhattan over the past six weeks and you have eyes and ears, you know something’s happening — something worrisome. The urban streetscape is ­degrading. Take a walk down Broadway on the Upper West Side from the 100s to the 70s, as I did Sunday, and you’ll see it everywhere. It seems every barren storefront with a rental sign in the window has ­become impromptu outdoor housing for a homeless person. There are many such storefronts — ironic signs of prosperity, not recession. Rents have risen so high that small businesses often can’t afford...

Officials say they’re eliminating cash bail for thousands of New Yorkers accused of misdemeanor and non-violent felonies in an effort to divert them from the Rikers Island jail complex. An $18 million plan to be unveiled Wednesday will allow judges to instead require that people accused of certain crimes be monitored while they wait for their trial. …

The chairman of the theology department at Fordham University has gotten married—to another man. The New York Times, which up until a few years ago, declined running wedding announcements involving same-sex couples, reported that J. Patrick Hornbeck II “married” Patrick Anthony Bergquist Saturday at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan. The ceremony took place June 27, just a day after the US Supreme Court legalized same-sex “marriage” nationwide. That would not have been necessary legally, since New York State has allowed gay "marriage" since 2011. But the ceremony was conducted before the Episcopal Church in America voted this week...

Attorneys for the city have failed to turn over even one email from the files of former Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly or former Chief of Department Joseph Esposito regarding summons activity over the last eight years... Police Lt. Stevelle Brown, who is alleged to have implemented a quota in Queens’ 105th Precinct, has destroyed text messages in which he denied a cop time off for failing to meet goals for traffic summonses... [Attorneys] also point[] to an exchange from an officer identified only as Sgt. Carty, who sternly admonished a cop for failing to issue enough seatbelt summonses.

By Richard Pollock Israel News AgencyNew York — July 3, 2015 … Civil liberty advocates are jumping all over New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s order to “review” all of Donald Trump’s city contracts because of his recent comments on Mexican immigrants. “This is not the American Way,” observed Alan Dershowitz, Harvard’s most distinguished civil liberties law professor, about the chilling effect de Blasio’s action could have on freedom of speech. “De Blasio seems to put himself directly, squarely in conflict with the First Amendment,” he told TheDCNF in an interview. At his presidential campaign kickoff, Trump said immigrants...

St. Patrick’s Day Parade chairman John Dunleavy has been ousted after 22 years after a decades-long dispute over the inclusion of gay groups at the annual march down Fifth Ave., according to a report. The decision, made Tuesday afternoon after a meeting involving the parade’s board, comes just four days after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage across the United States.

I’m guessing this is the new face of equality. Or at least a redefinition of sanity. In any case, welcome to the Big Apple, employers! (From the NY Daily News) In front of emotional supporters, Mayor de Blasio signed legislation Monday that will prohibit employers from inquiring about a candidate’s criminal record prior to a job offer.“Today I see hope for people like me,” said Marilyn Scales, 52, of the Bronx, who said she never has had a full-time job because of her record for dealing heroin. As crazy as this may sound, there’s actually a bit more to...

Mayor Bill de Blasio, unleashing months of frustration on Tuesday, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo undermined his Albany agenda and wasn’t focused on New York City residents but instead cared about “deal making” and “revenge.” Mr. de Blasio said he expected more retribution from the governor, a fellow Democrat, for expressing his views Tuesday afternoon, but he said he was prepared to handle it. Mr. de Blasio also said the governor had been disappointing since the mayor endorsed him last year for re-election. ... Melissa DeRosa, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Mr. Cuomo wished the mayor well on his coming...

Hate crimes have spiked in New York City in 2015, according to New York Police Department (NYPD) statistics released Sunday—particularly against Jews. Hate crimes overall rose 9%, with 127 reported crimes during the first week of June in 2015 compared to 116 at the same time in 2014, the New York Post reports. Of those, anti-Semitic attacks rose 27% during that period, with 56 over 44 last year. …

The New York Post has learned that NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is going to “ramp” up the city’s war against smoking…at home.If you live in New York, here is where you city tax dollars are going: The administration is planning to select and pay four health-advocacy groups $9,000 apiece to pressure landlords and developers to prohibit smoking in their apartment complexes so neighboring tenants don’t inhale secondhand smoke. And the result of this campaign is: …smokers would be barred from lighting up in one of their last sanctuaries: their own living quarters. Smoking is already banned in public...

Aiming to curb gender bias and harassment in New York City, officials are readying a plan that would require businesses to convert some restrooms to gender-neutral facilities. Legislation is being introduced that would require publicly available, single-occupancy restrooms in both public and private buildings to be designated as gender-neutral. It would also amend the language of some city laws, including the plumbing code, which requires separate lavatories for men and women. “This is a very important issue,” said New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, whose office is releasing a report Friday recommending the changes. “It’s time to help individuals who...

Two Muslim filmmakers have filed a lawsuit against the operator of New York subways claiming the agency rejected their advertisements under a rule that prohibits disputed political views. They argue the ads have nothing to do with politics and should not be banned. In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Manhattan federal court, the filmmakers, Negin Farsad and Dean Obeidallah, claim the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is violating their First Amendment right to free speech. The two created the advertisements to help promote their 2013 film, “The Muslims Are Coming.” They say the overall message of both the ads and the film...

Four people were shot at a Harlem deli Wednesday afternoon, police said. The gunman opened fire inside the 20 Stars deli on East 132nd Street near Madison Avenue around 3:30 p.m., cops said. A 25-year-old man was shot in the head and a 17-year-old man was shot in the torso. The chaos then spilled outside, with the shooter letting off several more shots

A machete-wielding madman slashed a woman in Bryant park in what police believe was an unprovoked attack, early Tuesday. The victim was near West 42nd Street in the park when the homeless man whipped out the machete and slashed her in the arm at about 11:30 a.m., according police.

Graduating students at New York middle school received misspelled diplomas featuring the word 'departmemt' **SNIP** The misspelled word appeared in the phrase 'New York City Department of Education' positioned at the top of the diplomas awarded to the students. The word had an extra 'm' instead of the letter 'n'. 'I'm sure next year they will be pouring over those diplomas to make sure every "i" is dotted and "t" is crossed,' Gardner told Fox 5. Another parent told the station that the Upper East Side school did not mention the mistake or issue an apology during the ceremony.

After encouraging months of protests against police brutality around the country, the Rev. Al Sharpton is again turning his focus to the gun violence that plagues urban and minority communities during the summer. Sharpton, president of the New York-based National Action Network, announced Friday the locations for his “Occupy the Corners” initiative, an annual community action that enlists residents and volunteers to patrol their neighborhoods at night. In several New York City locations, as well as a city in New Jersey, Sharpton has designated neighborhood captains to stand with residents at “hotspot” intersections from 9 p.m. to midnight Fridays and...

A 20-year-old New York City college student has been arrested for plotting a pressure cooker bombing attack in the city to support Islamic State (ISIS), as revealed in Brooklyn court documents published on Tuesday. The student, Munther Omar Saleh, was arrested along with another man on Saturday morning when they got out of their car and charged at a surveillance vehicle that had been following them, reports Reuters. […] The student vocally supported ISIS online, and in one Twitter post said of the Al Qaeda terrorist organization “I fear AQ could be getting too moderate.” He likewise praised terrorist attacks...

Full title: De Blasio says if rent-regulated apartments law expires it would be 'end to New York City as we have known it' The “end to New York City as we have known it" could be upon us if Albany fails to act and renew rent laws governing 1 million rent-regulated units, Mayor de Blasio said on Friday. In an unusually apocalyptic conference call with 14,000 AARP members, de Blasio said the laws — which expire Monday — are the only things keeping landlords from jacking up rents to market rates, often double what tenants currently pay.