Free Republic

A year ago someone set fire to Wasilla Bible Church. Today, that person is still out there. The Wasilla Police Department is leading the ongoing investigation, but none of the leads they've chased so far have ended up panning out. "The investigation is still open, and we're still asking the public to contact us if anybody has heard anything," Deputy Chief Greg Wood said. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the state fire marshal's office both assisted in the initial investigation, and the state crime laboratory collected evidence at the scene. An ATF press release issued...

Rasmussen: Number of Democrats in US Falls to Four Year Low... Developing...

Vietnam veteran robbed, killed on his way to deposit VFW money William Burtner had helped raise money for WWII vets' trip to Washington Army veteran William Burtner survived Vietnam and dedicated his life to helping other veterans. On Monday, Burtner was about to enter a bank in Midlothian to deposit money that the south suburb's Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2580 had raised during a benefit. He never made it inside. Burtner, 65, was assaulted and robbed outside the bank. He died Wednesday night in Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. An autopsy Thursday concluded Burtner died of hypertensive...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Nine people were shot and wounded after a fight broke out outside a concert in San Francisco, authorities said today. ... Police did not report any problems inside the sold-out concert, KMEL House of Soul.

Here is video of Steven Crowder on with Sean Hannity last night where he talked about his "Man on the Street" video asking people who the "Vice-President" is. He also asked people who Nancy Pelosi is. Almost no one knew the answer to either question! But when he asked who "Angelina Jolie's boyfriend is," virtually everyone knew the answer - Brad Pitt. It is scary to know that these are people voting, and Barack Obama owes his Presidency in large part to these voters. It explains a great deal. . . . (VIDEO)

I'm curious if what everyone is hearing from their Obama voting friends, co-workers, and associates? Are you hearing any comments that signal buyer's remorse?

CNN and talk radio host Lou Dobbs, a strong proponent of U.S. border enforcement, told his radio audience a gunshot was fired into his home after a series of threatening phone calls . "Three weeks ago this morning a shot was fired into my house, my wife was standing there," he said on his nationally syndicated radio show Monday. "This follows weeks and weeks of threatening phone calls." "This shot was fired with my wife not 15 feet away." ........

Time Inc. is bracing for another round of cutbacks. Sources say the layoffs will be most severe in the division that includes Fortune, Sports Illustrated, Time and Money, and will be carried out before the Thanksgiving break. Since many of the old-line titles at Time Inc. are covered by union contracts with the Newspaper Guild, the company will likely have to offer voluntary buyout options as part of the downsizing. Time is running out if it hopes to complete the layoffs and write off the costs in the fourth quarter. Ann Moore, CEO of Time Inc., personally took over supervision...

It was a crime shocking not only in its brutality but in its callousness, Richmond police say. A 15-year-old girl leaving early from the homecoming dance at Richmond High School was enticed into a darkened alley just off campus to hang out with as many as a dozen young men who were drinking.

Carole Bigwood sewed the white wedding dress, baked the wedding cake, and beamed as her little baby girl walked down the aisle to meet her tuxedoed groom as "Here Comes the Bride" strained through the speakers. So what made this wedding different from your average nuptials? It was her two dogs getting hitched — all in the name of fun! Dog nuptials – as silly as they might seem — are growing in popularity, as owners look for ways to create lasting memories with the animals they consider part of the family. "People do these events because they’re joyful," pet...

Two Seneca Falls residents were charged with forcing a 2-year-old to smoke marijuana. New York State Police charged Kristen A. Brewster, 19, of 1875 Auburn Road, lot 3, and George R. Lavare Jr., 22, of 1875 Auburn Road, lot 11, with unlawful possession of marijuana and endangering the welfare of a child. Both were arraigned in the Town of Seneca Falls Court and sent to to jail in lieu of $5,000 bail or $10,000 bond. The two are due in Town of Seneca Falls Court on Oct. 28. Police said the state Child Abuse Hotline was contacted and the Seneca...

The parents met in acting class in California?

The love affair between Barack Obama and young Americans may be on the rocks. Recently released figures from the Department of Labor reveal staggeringly high joblessness numbers among America’s youth. Indeed, 53.4 percent of young Americans are without a job – a post-World War II high. With over half of 16-24 year olds jobless, even after stimulus package after stimulus package supposedly meant to create jobs, one has to wonder how Barack Obama’s approval ratings are doing among his strongest supporters. Unsurprisingly, the answer is “worse.” According to Gallup, approval of President Obama among young adults aged 18 to 29...

MINNEAPOLIS—Members of Minnesota's pagan community are celebrating their pride with a weekend's worth of activity. "Twin Cities Pagan Pride 2009" is being held Saturday and Sunday at the Sabathani Community Center in south Minneapolis. Events include an opening ritual, a keynote discussion on "Pagans in the World," a workshop on charms and spells, an "Introduction to Slavic Heathenry," a discussion of Wiccan ethics, and children's [snip] Pagans generally honor or worship a deity or deities from pre-Christian or tribal mythology, practice religion that focuses on earth-based spirituality or focus spiritual attention primarily on the Divine Feminine.

A group cited by U.S. officials as a domestic terrorism threat claimed responsibility Friday for knocking down two radio station towers in Snohomish County, Washington. Much of the tower system, owned by radio station KRKO, was "flattened like a pancake," the manager said. Much of the tower system, owned by radio station KRKO, was "flattened like a pancake," the manager said. The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) issued a statement saying opponents of the towers argue that "AM radio waves cause adverse health effects including a higher rate of cancer, harm to wildlife, and that the signals have been interfering with...

STOCKTON, Calif. — A teenager who ran from a Northern California home wearing a shackle on his ankle endured frequent beatings, sometimes in front of other children, that worsened over the year he spent there, according to grand jury testimony made public Friday. ...snip...The boy told the grand jury in March that Ramirez and Lau beat him for infractions such as forgetting to water the lawn or not cleaning the bathroom properly, the court documents said. He said they initially hit him with their hands, but that eventually escalated to belts, a mallet, a hammer and an aluminum baseball bat.

Freepers: I need your help. As you are aware, the terrorist attack in Little Rock, Arkansas, resulting in the murder of Pvt Long, and wounding of another garnered alot of controversy by the inaction of our President, and the mediablackout compared to the Tiller shooting.Now there is another outrage. A muslim fanatic crashed the memorial service where the National Anthem, a prayer for PVT Long were just being completed. Please go to YouTube.com, (click the link in the header), and sign up if you have to. Don't let the anti-Americans and anti-semites on Youtube take up for this gross disrespect...

Buoyed by Barack Obama’s election as president, a group of hip-hop artists and other activists is taking to Capitol Hill — trying to harness the wave of support for Obama among young voters into an ongoing political force. The group, the Hip Hop Caucus, has a nine-member Washington office — but its real reach comes from its ability to harness the power of hip-hop artists to put a famous face on issues and draw in their young, multicultural fans. In the next few weeks, the caucus will see a bill it fashioned with Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) be introduced —...

This week Congress is set to release the details of the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act, a bill that purports to combat global warming by setting strict limits on carbon emissions. [...] But it's clear to me that the nation, and in particular Indiana, my home state, will be terribly disserved by this cap-and-trade policy on the verge of passage in the House. The largest scientific and economic questions are being addressed by others, so I will confine myself to reporting about how all this looks from the receiving end of the taxes, restrictions and mandates Congress is...

The fearmongers are out in force and are using all types of propaganda to proclaim the Obama administration as incompetent, weak, un-American, Marxist and socialist. They also are frightening some Americans by telling them Obama will confiscate their guns; thus, we are having a run on guns and ammunition. Some Republicans have endorsed the fearmongers, and are using the same tactics. Sooner or later, the hate groups will come out of the caves. The tea parties, a strategy of the fearmongers, were formed to frighten us about the national debt, higher taxes and the theft of our country. It is...

Afew years ago I was asked by the instructor of a philosophy class, then titled “Roots of War,” to discuss with his students the culture of the U.S. military community. After identifying myself as a former career military officer, I discussed my impression of our military’s culture. When I was done, a young woman who had been glowering at me and holding her arms tightly across her chest raised her hand. When called upon she vehemently said, “I don’t agree with you. I don’t think it is anything like that. You have just been brainwashed by the military.” “OK,” I...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new national poll suggests that President Obama is personally more popular than his policies. The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, released Monday, also indicates that 63 percent of Americans approve of how Obama is handling his duties as president. One in three questioned in the poll disapprove. The survey, released two days before Obama marks 100 days in the White House, indicates that three in four Americans feel Obama has the personal qualities a president should have. But when asked whether Obama agrees with the respondent on the issues, that number drops to 57 percent. "Americans have...

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Police are checking surveillance video as they try to identify people who beat a man at the Federal Way Transit Center. The 32-year-old Kent man was waiting for a bus Tuesday night when he asked another man to quiet down. The Kent man was knocked down and beaten. He was treated for a broken jaw and other facial bones at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Now, this has occurred before with Bill Clinton, and it quite possibly could have been the same with Bush - the issue is how the MSM spins this and how it will report one way if you are affiliated with one party versus the other way when you have the “scarlet” R next to your name. From Flopping Aces: “Cheered wildly by U.S. troops,” begins Jennifer Democratic Operative Loven’s AP report on Obama’s surprise visit to Iraq on Tuesday. Quite a contrast to the silent treatment Marines gave Obama at his Camp LeJeune speech in late February. Just how did...

“Cheered wildly by U.S. troops,” begins Jennifer Democratic Operative Loven’s AP report on Obama’s surprise visit to Iraq on Tuesday. Quite a contrast to the silent treatment Marines gave Obama at his Camp LeJeune speech in late February. Just how did Obama manage to fix that little problem? According to a sergeant in Iraq : *****We were pre-screened, asked by officials “Who voted for Obama?”, and then those who raised their hands were shuffled to the front of the receiving line. They even handed out digital cameras and asked them to hold them up. [Via Macsmind.]**** As supporting evidence for...

Rasmussen Poll: Just 53% of Americans Say Capitalism Better Than Socialism... Developing...

Vandals destroy memorial to LCpl Justin Ellsworth for 2nd time (before and after photos)Vandals Destroy Fallen Heroes’ Monument, Son of National Pro-Troop Advocate: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Wednesday, April 8, 2009, Contact: Meghan Tisinger, Meghan@FamiliesUnitedMission.com, (202) 510-5304 Mt. Pleasant, MI – April 8, 2009 – Last week, a monument honoring the life and death of Lance Corporal Justin Ellsworth was vandalized on Island Park near the Michigan Vietnam Memorial. Lance Corporal Ellsworth died on November 13, 2004 which serving in Iraq. His father, John Ellsworth, is the President of Military Families United, an advocacy organization that has recently been vocal in...

The as-yet-untitled record is the long awaited follow up to 1990's Smooth Noodle Maps. Formed in Ohio in 1973, the band were famed for wearing yellow boiler suits and flowerpot style hats on stage which they called "power domes". The new LP, set for release in autumn 2010 will feature their first new material since 2007. On their official website the band said: "De-evolution has finally arrived and who better to guide us through the mess than Devo."

The following just in from Nancy at familysecuritymatters.org (read to the end for word of a new report concerning a "new SDS" on campuses): In a sensational letter to be released at a March 12 National Press Club news conference, the San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA) tells Cliff Kincaid of America’s Survival, Inc., and FamilySecurityMatters.org contributing editor, that evidence in the 1970 bombing murder of a San Francisco police officer points to Weather Underground members Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers, two associates of President Barack Obama. The letter will be made public at a news event that will feature a...

Family Guy – talk about a misnomer. The animated Fox television series crossed sexual, moral and religious boundaries on Sunday evening when it aired content inappropriate for its young target audience. The controversial material was not limited to one subject, or isolated in a single scene. Images of gay men kissing, a baby eating semen, physical abuse, sexual touching and a half naked male were just a few of the disturbing images viewers were treated to in the March 8 episode. The Parents Television Council has issued a press release regarding the indecent content. Tim Winter, President of the...

(An instructor for a hunter safety course orders Obama voters to get out of his class.) Thirteen-year-old Lane Dunkley just wanted to go hunting with his grandfather. What he got was a lecture on politics. Dunkley and his father, Daniel Reddy, who live in Tulsa, went to Broken Arrow on Tuesday night for a hunter safety course normally required to get an Oklahoma hunting license. The class was a reward of sorts. Dunkley, who wants to go hunting with his grandfather, was told he could take the class only if he brought up his grades. So he did — to...

Varney to executive director of NY branch of ACORN: *snip* "What right do you have to stay in a house you're not paying for?...I've read the Constitution, I don't see that "right"." *snip* "You invaded their offices (the banks). You are political thugs! You embarrass banks to give them loans which they could not afford to repay. And now they can not afford to repay and you're claiming the right to MY money to stay in those houses!...And you'll have big burly guys who will say "We're not going to leave no matter what...".

THE single mother of octuplets born in California last week is seeking $2m (£1.37m) from media interviews and commercial sponsorship to help pay the cost of raising the children. Nadya Suleman, 33, plans a career as a television childcare expert, since it emerged last week that she already had six children before giving birth on Monday. She now has 14 below the age of eight.

THE single mother of octuplets born in California last week is seeking $2m (£1.37m) from media interviews and commercial sponsorship to help pay the cost of raising the children. Nadya Suleman, 33, plans a career as a television childcare expert, since it emerged last week that she already had six children before giving birth on Monday. She now has 14 below the age of eight. Although still confined to an LA hospital bed, she intends to talk to two influential television hosts this week - media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and Diane Sawyer, who presents Good Morning America. Her family has...

About 14 percent of U.S. adults won't be reading this article. Well, okay, most people won't read it, given all the words that are published these days to help us understand and navigate the increasingly complex world. But about 1 in 7 can't read it. They're illiterate. Statistics released by the U.S. Education Department this week show that some 32 million U.S. adults lack basic prose literacy skill. That means they can't read a newspaper or the instruction on a bottle of pills. The figures are for 2003, the latest year available. State and county results are available here. "The...

The man who commissioned the poll showing the ignorance of Obama voters tells about the reaction he received and his new poll. This includes the results of the new poll. http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=20213284&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=8

CHICAGO (AP) - Almost one in five young American adults has a personality disorder that interferes with everyday life, and even more abuse alcohol or drugs, researchers reported Monday in the most extensive study of its kind. The disorders include problems such as obsessive or compulsive tendencies and anti-social behavior that can sometimes lead to violence. The study also found that fewer than 25 percent of college-aged Americans with mental problems get treatment. One expert said personality disorders may be overdiagnosed. But others said the results were not surprising since previous, less rigorous evidence has suggested mental problems are common...

Hundreds of shoppers smashed through windows at a Long Island Wal-Mart early Friday morning, killing one store employee in the stampede. News' reader Nakea Augustine caught the chaotic scene on her cell phone, check out the photos. http://www.nydailynews.com/money/galleries/walmart_stampede_captured_in_pictures/walmart_stampede_captured_in_pictures.html

Howard Stern sent Sal to Harlem to find out why Obama supporters are going to vote for him. Listen as they show their lack of thought and insight into issues or even the VP running mate.

A late afternoon palate cleanser via Debbie Schlussel and The Unfocused. The Onion warned us last year that it would come to this, my friends. And so it has. So it has. Click here to watch the video (Must see)

Protesters Interrupt Bush at Independence Day Ceremony for New Citizens Friday, July 04, 2008 Protesters made it hard to hear President Bush Friday as he welcomed new citizens and marked Independence Day at the home of Thomas Jefferson. As is the tradition each Fourth of July, a naturalization ceremony was held at Monticello in Charlottesville, Va. This year, 76 immigrants from 30 different countries came to take the oath of citizenship. But Bush repeatedly was interrupted as he welcomed the guests. "That man is a fascist!" one protester yelled. Another swore at him.

This is a serious question and I respectfully ask for serious, thoughtful responses from the most ardent McCain detractors and not the casually disgusted. If you are only casually disgusted, please refrain from mucking up the thread and allow only the truly bulemic to air their rationale. I am not a McCain supporter, never have been probably never will be. That he will be the eventual GOP nominee is all but assured and that I might find I must vote for him if only to counter an Obama or Clinton administration, well, that's my decision and one I hope you...