Free Republic

In an end-of-session nail-biter vote, the House passed a short-term increase of the debt limit Wednesday, setting the stage for a February showdown on deficit spending. It was not a popular measure with centrist and vulnerable lawmakers, who don’t want to be portrayed as allowing the nation to go deeper into debt. The $290 billion increase would set the debt ceiling at $12.394 trillion. The vote was 218-214, but Democratic leaders had to sweat it out. As the voting clock ticked down to zero, the bill was losing, 203-208. Thirty-nine Democrats rejected the measure and not one Republican voted for...

Turns out they're not "out there" after all. Those UFO sighting in Norway this morning weren't actually UFOs -- just a Russian missile test gone wrong. The Russian Defense Ministry admitted today that its Bulava intercontinental missile failed a test launch, following reports of unusual lights in Norway that caused an influx of UFO sightings. Russia's submarine-based Bulava (Mace), which is designed to carry multiple warheads up to 5,000 miles, failed its 13th test launch, something Alexander Khramchikhin, chief analyst at the Institute of Military and Political Analysis in Moscow, called "a catastrophe." "Billions of dollars have been flushed down...

What's blue and white, squiggly and suddenly appears in the sky? If you know the answer, pop it on a postcard and send it to the people of Norway, where this mysterious light display baffled residents yesterday. Curiously, it appears to be unconnected with the aurora borealis, or northern lights, the natural magnetic phenomena that can often be viewed in that part of the world. . . . The mystery began when a blue light seemed to soar up from behind a mountain in the north of the country. It stopped mid-air, then began to move in circles. Within seconds...

People are freaking out all over Norway because of what you are seeing here. According to Norwegian news outlets, the spooky giant spiral was seen, photographed, and recorded on video from all over the country. Updated with video. Could it all be a hoax? Maybe it's a massive joke, but all kinds of Norwegian news sites are reporting on it. According to NKR—Norway's national TV channel—it could be related to a rocket fired from a Russian submarine in the White Sea. The Russians are denying any part on it at this at the moment. Nick Banbury, a witness located...

AP-VT — Court Gunshot,1st Ld-Writethru,0125 Gun of Vt. deputy goes off in court; no injuries Eds: APNewsNow; adds day of incident in 3rd graf, minor editing. BARRE, Vt. (AP) — A Washington County sheriff’s deputy is under suspension after a personal weapon he brought to the county courthouse in Barre went off. The name of the deputy was not released. WCAX-television says the deputy was in a section of the courthouse Wednesday where he was screening people to ensure they did not bring weapons into court when the shot was fired. Sheriff Sam Hill says it was against policy for...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- More than a dozen parking spaces at a Metropolitan government facility have misspelled words, and no one noticed until Channel 4 pointed it out Friday. Related: Watch This Story The word "owned" is misspelled 16 times in spaces outside the County Clerk's office off French Landing Drive at MetroCenter. It's a parking lot, and most people usually don't pay attention to what's on the ground until something is misspelled. Words on the first three parking spots are spelled correctly, but spot No. 4 is misspelled. It should read "Metro Owned Vehicle Parking Only;" however, someone switched up...

When Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis told the New York Times in a recent interview that gay people don't get to heaven, he broke not one, but two cardinal rules of politics in a single sentence. With a simple phrase, Davis breached the separation between church and state and grabbed the electrified "third-rail" in Bay Area politics with both hands. He told the reporter that gays are "committing sins and those sins will keep them out of heaven." After the Nov. 20 article, the mayor claimed his words were taken out of context. The Times responded by providing an audio link...

LAS VEGAS (CN) - North Las Vegas police blew up a family's door in a raid on the wrong house, then failed to fix the door as they promised, causing the home to be burglarized repeatedly, the family says in Federal Court. Jose Cruz says he, his wife and three young children - 8, 5 and 3 years old - were "scared to death" when a North Las Vegas SWAT team raided their home. The botched raid came in the early morning hours of Feb. 4, 2008. The police apparently were searching for three armed-robbery suspects - all of them...

Chicago politics, where voting is such a revered civic duty that people do it even after they're dead, cold, stiff, stuffed, boxed and buried beneath the permafrost for years, has now come to D.C. with the Obama administration. This afternoon comes the most encouraging economic news, courtesy of our keen-eyed buddy Rick Klein over at ABC, that the Obama administration's $787-billion economic stimulus has, for example, thankfully created 30 new jobs in a little-known rural corner of Arizona at a cost to American taxpayers of only $761,420. That works out to only $25,380.67 spent to create each individual job. Seems...

The Obama administration, under fire for inflating job growth from the $787 billion stimulus plan, slashed over 60,000 jobs from its most recent report on the program because the reporting outlets had submitted "unrealistic data," according to a document obtained by ABC News. The Office of Management and Budget document shows that before an Oct. 30 progress report on the program the administration asked the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to remove information from 12 stimulus recipients that contained "unrealistic data," including "unrealistic job data." One recipient, Talladega County of Alabama, claimed that 5,000 jobs had been saved or created...

LA MARQUE, Texas - Police say a low-flying pelican distracted a driver in Texas, causing him to veer off a road and drive his million-dollar sports car into a salt marsh - La Marque police Lt. Greg Gilchrist does not know if the car can be salvaged but conceded that "salt water isn't good for anything." - Click for photo

A passenger enjoying a civilian joyride accidentally cut the trip short when he ejected himself from the plane after grabbing the eject lever while trying to brace himself. The passenger, who was flying in a Pilatus PC-7 Mk II with an air force pilot friend, The Daily Mail reported. He was instantly blasted 320-feet into the sky by the rocket-powered chair, before floating to the ground with an automatic parachute, the paper reported.

An official with New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's re-election campaign was arrested last night after cops found found ecstasy tablets wrapped and ready to be sold in his car, police said. Jason Shih, 25, was pulled over by East Rutherford cops at about 11:30 p.m. last night because he was talking on his cell phone on Route 17, said Lt. Chris Conforti of the East Rutherford police. Officers wound up finding 19 "blue star" ecstasy tablets in Shih’s car, each wrapped in its own little plastic bag.

MOBILE, Alabama - Mobile police say a possible burglar was shot and killed while he was trying to break into a home. Police say they received a call of a burglary in progress on Louise Drive around 6:45 Tuesday night. Details are scarce, but police say the man was attempting to break into the home when he was shot in the chest by a female inside. According to police, the man was transported to USA Medical Center where he pronounced dead. His name has not been released.

Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) acknowledged Wednesday that he failed to disclose nearly $300,000 in profits from the sale of Exxon stock in 2006 and 2007, and his office said he will file amended financial disclosure forms with the House ethics committee as soon as possible. According to Carter’s office, a 2006 sale of Exxon Mobil Corp. stock netted the Congressman just more than $199,000 in profits that were not reflected on his financial disclosure form for that year. A 2007 sale of Exxon stock netted about $97,000 that Carter failed to disclose.

Many a person has missed their stop on a bus or train at one time or another because they were engrossed in a weighty conversation or a book. But when the pilots of Northwest Airlines flight 188 became distracted it had more serious consequences as they overflew their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles. "They were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness," the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) explained. When the pilots got their "situational awareness" back they turned the Airbus A320 around and landed it safely on Wednesday evening, apparently without any of...

MSBNC's Brewer introduces Jackson as Sharpton Wednesday, October 21, 2009 NEW YORK, (AP) MSNBC's Contessa Brewer has apologized for mixing up civil rights activists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. She made the slip-up Wednesday while introducing Jackson during a segment on homelessness. After the introduction, Jackson stared at the camera from a studio in Burbank, Calif., and said, "I'm Rev. Jesse Jackson." Brewer explained that her script read that she was to introduce "the Rev. Al Sharpton." She continued, "We all know who you are, Rev. Jackson. I'm so sorry."

Around 2:30pmET this afternoon, MSNBC anchor Contessa Brewer was introducing a segment on unemployment and brought in her guest: "Joining me now to talk about this and the nation's real problem of joblessness, the Rev. Al Sharpton..." One problem: Brewer was interviewing the Rev. Jesse Jackson. And he made her aware of that fact. "I'm Rev. Jesse Jackson." "Right. I'm so sorry," said Brewer. "The script in front of me said Rev. Al Sharpton. I'm looking at your face. I know who you are, Rev. Jackson, we all do. I'm sorry."

President Barack Obama's name was spelt wrongly in an official release from the White House. Following President Obama's trip to Russia, an official release touting the agreement between the US president and President Dmitry Medvedev over how to craft a follow-up to the START arms reduction treaty was put out. But the White House claimed the document had been signed by one "Barak Obama" - missing the 'c' from his first name. Russian and American negotiators salvaged the summit by agreeing the text of a preliminary deal on nuclear disarmament, deflecting fears that the most important element of Mr Obama's...

LIVINGSTON, Mont. -- A hunter attacked by a grizzly bear in southern Montana also had the misfortune of being shot in the arm by a companion trying to stop the attack. The incident last Saturday resulted in the bear being killed, the attacked hunter surviving and no charges against the companion for shooting his friend. Park County Sheriff Allan Lutes says his office looked into the shooting of the hunter and found no negligence, with the other hunter trying to save his friend and killing the bear. "It doesn't point to anything but an accident," Lutes said. However, the U.S....

A senior official of the Hezbollah militant group was killed on Monday evening when an explosion rocked a house apparently serving as a munitions bunker in south Lebanon. At least five other people were killed in the blast, which took place in a three-story building in the southern Lebanese village of Tayr Filsi, on the southern bank of the Litani River. The identity of the militant has not yet been confirmed, but security sources listed his son among the fatalities. The area was cordoned off and Hezbollah could not be reached for comment.

PARIS - Somali pirates in two skiffs fired on a French navy vessel early Wednesday after apparently mistaking it for a commercial boat, the French military said. The French ship gave chase and captured five suspected pirates. No one was wounded by the volleys from the Kalashnikov rifles directed at La Somme, a 3,800-ton refueling ship, French military spokesman Rear Adm. Christophe Prazuck said

Reporting from Washington - In the run-up to the Olympics vote, the White House was getting a clear message from the architects of Chicago's bid: Balloting would be tight, and a personal visit to Copenhagen from President Obama just might lock in a victory. Leaders of the Windy City's campaign to secure the 2016 Games had done some nose-counting and were convinced the International Olympic Committee might well anoint Chicago as host, according to White House officials interviewed Saturday. "The intelligence that we had from the U.S. Olympic Committee and Chicago bid team was that it was very close and...

Wilmore, PA (AHN) - Frank and Betty Skrout were married on Oct. 6, 1960 - or so they thought. The couple recently discovered that their wedding was never made official in the eyes of the law. The couple was looking for documents for Betty Skrout's pension plan when they found their "return of marriage" document had never been filed by Rev. James Feehley after their wedding at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, The Tribune Democrat, of Johnstown, Pa., reported. The Cambria County official in charge of the records, Patty Sharbaugh, said she would file the necessary paperwork and backdate it to...

I month or two ago (maybe longer) I posted a thread on why I was leaving Free Republic. I was angry over a post that was pulled (which Jim very nicely re-posted). I took some heated comments, and some justifiably so. I registered with a couple of conservative websites, and I will maintain those registrations. But after comparing those other websites, along with a few others, I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong for threatening to leave and I wanted to make an apology for my actions to Jim and others who were angered or offended.

Then there is the catalogue of Mr. Obama's embarrassing moments on the world stage, a list which includes: giving England's Queen Elizabeth II an iPod with his speeches on it; giving British Prime Minister Gordon Brown a collection of DVDs that were not formatted to the European standard (by contrast, Mr. Brown gave Mr. Obama an ornamental desk-pen holder made from the oak timbers of Victorian anti-slaver HMS Gannet, among other historically significant gifts); calling "Austrian" a language; bowing to the Saudi king; releasing a photo of a conference call with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which the president...

MARTINSBURG - The popular online social networking site Facebook helped lead to an alleged burglar's arrest after he stopped check his account on the victim's computer, but forgot to log out before leaving the home with two diamond rings. Jonathan G. Parker, 19, of Fort Loudoun, Pa., was arraigned Tuesday one count of felony daytime burglary. According to court records, Deputy P.D. Ware of the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department responded on Aug. 28 to the victim's home after she reported the burglary. She told police that someone had broken into her home through a bedroom window. There were open cabinets...

A Philadelphia man was shot to death after trying to rob an off-duty cop Sunday, according to police. It happened around 2a.m. in the 5800 block of Catherine Streets in West Philadelphia. An off duty officer who was headed home after working the night shift at the 19th District, was approached by two men who announced they were going to rob him, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. One of the men put a gun to the officer's chest. The officer, who had his gun with him, fired one shot at the suspect who later died at the Hospital of the...

Barnett v. Obama: Important Discovery Is Available Now According To Judge Carter’s Order of Sept. 17, 2009. [UPDATED: 9:45 AM.  Upates in strikeout and red ink.] Today, Judge Carter issued a limited discovery order pertaining to the case of Barnett v. Obama.  Judge Carter’s order stated:All discovery herein shall be stayed pending resolution of Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss, except for any discovery as to which Plaintiffs can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of Magistrate Judge Nakazato, is necessary for the purpose of opposing the Motion to Dismiss.Regarding that order, one of my astute readers (Joe The Blogger) asked the following question which...

I don't wanna ever hear how smart this guy is, Wolf Blitzer with the lowest negative score I've ever witnessed in 15 years of watching Jeopardy, he was up againt Andy Richter...

Talk about winging it! Emmy Award-winning Fox 5 anchor Ernie Anastos dropped an F-bomb live on the air last night while making a bizarre chicken reference during an odd exchange with weatherman Nick Gregory. "I guess it takes a tough man to make a tender forecast," Anastos said to Gregory during the station's 10 p.m. newscast. "I guess that's me," a bewildered Gregory replied. Then, as both men shared a chuckle during the playful banter, the 66-year-old anchorman shocked his colleagues -- and the audience at home -- by saying, "Keep f---ing that chicken."

Here is video of two terrorists in Afghanistan who appear to have accidently blown themselves up trying to dig up an IED they buried along a road. The video is from a U.S. Helicopter gunship that was ready to kill the terrorists, but were holding their fire because they did not want to harm a child who was in the vicinity of the terrorists. They watched them bury the IED in the road, and then for some reason, they started digging it up. Before the gunship could take any action, the IED detonated. . . (VIDEO)

DENVER – He bought his first home, spent $30,000 fixing it up, and now, six months later, Jonathon Kyte has learned the home doesn't belong to him. According to the City and County of Denver, Jonathon owns the dump, next door. He found out about the mistake almost by accident when he received a map which showed the unit he's living is actually unit No. 4. "I froze. My wife and I were just speechless," Kyte said. Kyte owns the deed and title to unit No. 5. Jonathon blames the Coldwell Banker listing agent for the mistake. She marketed the...

CA Assemblyman Caught on Hot Mic Offering Lewd Details of Affair with Lobbyist SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A Republican state lawmaker from Southern California was ousted Wednesday from two legislative committees after he was caught on tape bragging about having sex with female lobbyists. Assemblyman Mike Duvall of Yorba Linda made the comments to another man during a break in a committee meeting at the Capitol over the summer, and they were caught on a microphone at his desk.

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — A Pennsylvania history buff who recreates firearms from old wars accidentally fired a 2-pound cannonball through the wall of his neighbor’s home. Fifty-four-year-old William Maser fired a cannonball Wednesday evening outside his home in Georges Township that ricocheted and hit a house 400 yards away. The cannonball, about two inches in diameter, smashed through a window and a wall before landing in a closet. Authorities say nobody was hurt.

A person completing a driving exam ran his or her vehicle into the Department of Motor Vehicles building on Castillo Street, causing significant damage to the building. The vehicle jumped a curb and stopped after plowing two feet into the corner of the building on the south side. Shelving, books, files, and photos were knocked off the wall of the interior of the building.

AMSTERDAM (AP) -- It's not green cheese, but it might as well be. The Dutch national museum said Thursday that one of its prized possessions, a rock supposedly brought back from the moon by U.S. astronauts, is just a piece of petrified wood. Rijksmuseum spokeswoman Xandra van Gelder, who oversaw the investigation that proved the piece was a fake, said the museum will keep it anyway as a curiosity. "It's a good story, with some questions that are still unanswered," she said. "We can laugh about it." The museum acquired the rock after the death of former Prime Minister Willem...

AND NOW . . . amidst billowing clouds of fragrant, aromatic first- and second-hand premium cigar smoke. . . it is time for . . . that harmless, lovable little fuzz ball, the highly-trained broadcast specialist, having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have, from behind the golden EIB microphone, firmly ensconced in the prestigious Attila-the-Hun chair at the Limbaugh Institute of Advanced Conservative Studies, serving humanity simply by showing up, and he’s not retiring until every American agrees with him, do NOT doubt him, with shrieks of joy at the mere mention of his name...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The blue suit and black boots were right, but mourners at a retired trucker's funeral suspected they were gazing at the wrong man. Some friends and family members kissed the body, despite whispers that something seemed amiss. After a two-hour viewing Tuesday, the funeral home came clean: it had brought in the wrong casket to the church. After the revelation, neither Kenneth "Tex" Roberts' family nor the body were in any shape for a final farewell, so the service was postponed.

Italian authorities said a woman who collected a state disability pension by claiming she was a complete invalid was caught jogging with her dog. Police in the city of Monteforte Irpino said the 62-year-old woman was being monitored by police for some time before her arrest July 29. She had been repeatedly seen jogging with her dog and tilling land on her farm, ANSA reported Wednesday. The woman, who had received a state disability pension as well as state support for a personal caregiver, was charged with fraud.

BERLIN -An Audi sedan written off by an elderly German woman as stolen two years ago has resurfaced — in her neighbor's garage beneath a thick layer of dust. Police said Thursday the 82-year-old from the northern city of Hildesheim took the car in for repairs two years ago and had the mechanics drive it back to her house and park it in her garage. She got the keys and papers from her mailbox, but when she went to get the car it was nowhere to be found. So she reported it stolen. When her neighbor went to clean up...

A man who robbed the Citizen's Bank at 17th and Market Streets this afternoon was arrested after being trapped between interlocking doors, a security system known as a man-trap, police said. The suspect, who has not been identified by police, fired his gun in an unsuccessful attempt to free himself. He was taken into custody.

ROME — Officials say a Swedish couple looking for the pristine waters of the popular island of Capri ended some 400 miles (660 kilometers) away in the northern industrial town of Carpi after misspelling the destination on their car's GPS. Angelo Giovannini, a spokesman for the Carpi town hall, near Modena, said Tuesday the couple drove into the main square last week and asked the local tourist office how to reach Capri's famed Blue Grotto sea cave. Giovannini said "we thought they might mean a restaurant. Capri is an island, they did not even wonder why they didn't cross any...

ROTHSCHILD (WAOW)-- A sign directing drivers onto Business Highway 51 in Rothschild spelled every word incorrectly except for "exit." A spokesperson with the Department of Transportation says it should be fixed tomorrow morning. He says the company who made the sign apparently just put a few letters out of order and added some extra letters. He joked that it was quote "just a bad day" for whoever made it.

The French army were branded 'imbeciles' after a shelling exercise set fire to a suburb of Marseille. The government spoke of its fury as hundreds of residents were evacuated from one of the worst wildfires in recent years. The Foreign Legion conducted the artillery practice depsite scorching summer temperatures - meaning virtually every shell that landed on a hillside started a fire. Dozens of buildings were destroyed in the blazes hit the eastern Trois-Ponts suburb including a retirement home housing 120 pensioners . No serious injuries were reported but residents had to be evacuated to nearby gyms and public buildings....

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Despite the content of a letter bearing his signature, Gov. Charlie Crist does not want to share an anti-Semitic movie with all Floridians. Crist's office sent a letter thanking John Ubele for providing the governor with a copy of the film "Jud Suss." The film is recognized as one of history's most incendiary. The brief thank-you note was dated June 30 and bore the governor's automated signature. It praised Ubele's thoughtfulness and generosity and said Crist would be delighted to share the DVD with the people of Florida. "I was surprised considering the stigma that has been...

A Coeur d’Alene man was hospitalized Friday after setting his car on fire in a motel parking lot. Michael R. Brandt, 41, suffered burns and totaled his car after lighting a cigarette while inside the vehicle; a full propane tank sat in the passenger seat, police said.

Former Seward city manager Scott Janke was fired from his town manager job in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., this week after the town council learned his wife is a hardcore porn star. The council held a special meeting Tuesday night after getting media calls regarding an Adult Industry News report that Janke's wife is porn star Jazella Moore.

WINTER PARK, Fla. — A central Florida dentist is being sued for allegedly dropping tools down the throat of an elderly patient — twice. Relatives of 90-year-old Charles Gaal Jr. recently filed the suit in Orange County Circuit Court against Dr. Wesley Meyers for neglience. An answering message at his Winter Park office Saturday said he was on vacation. The lawsuit says the doctor dropped an "implant screwdriver tool" in 2006 and a "mini-wrench" in 2007.

Update: As several commenters point out, this isn’t an ad directly served by FacebookFacebook, but rather one from a third-party ad network that operates within the social network. Facebook also uses member photos in ads, but this particular mis-match is not directly their fault and could be a violation of TOS. Apologies for the confusion, the original article is below: At times, Facebook ads can be clever and useful, for example, seeing that some of your friends are fans of a brand that’s advertising on your homepage. Other times, they can seem somewhat odd and irrelevant, if not incredibly...