Free Republic

Tom Petty has addressed the recent news that he and frequent collaborator Jeff Lynne have received songwriting credit on Sam Smith's hit "Stay With Me." In a statement to Billboard, the rock legend praises Smith for quickly addressing what he calls a "musical accident" -- i.e., the similarities between "Stay" and his hit "I Wont' Back Down." "Most times you catch it before it gets out the studio door but in this case it got by," he says. "Sam's people were very understanding of our predicament and we easily came to an agreement. "

....Obama will not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he travels to Washington in March. Spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan says that in keeping with "long-standing practice and principle," the president does not meet with heads of state or candidates in close proximity to their elections. Israel is scheduled to hold elections in mid-March.

Richard Petty's wife passes away from cancer.

He hasn't been behind the wheel since 1992, but there still is only one King of NASCAR, and when Richard Petty speaks, the words carry some weight. On the subject of Danica Patrick's chances of winning in her second full season behind the wheel of a Sprint Cup car, Petty is quite clear.

Sporting a brace on his left knee, Mariota turned in his worst performance of the season in Oregon's loss to Stanford, its first of the year. He finished with negative rushing yards for the first time this season and could not get the Ducks on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, when he threw two touchdowns. The comeback effort fell short after Oregon could not recover a second onside kick.

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) has become the most recent politician to be caught singing in public, following in the footsteps of Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. The clip was reportedly taken back on June 25th during a rally in Newman, GA, but is just starting to attract notice after a recent mention on Fox and Friends.

A Texas woman was arrested after relatives said they caught her having sex with a 15-year-old boy on Thanksgiving Day. The scene unfolded at a family gathering held on the holiday at a house in Oakridge Forest Lane in Spring. Police arrested Amanda Billiris, 23, after relatives said they witnessed her having sexual intercourse with the boy, the arrest report states. The avid motorcycle racer has been charged with sexual assault of a child, a second-degree felony, reports the Houston Courier. According to the Texas Penal Code, if convicted, she faces between two to 20 years in prison. Ms Billaris...

The management for rock and roll star Tom Petty didn't waste any time after Bachmann's campaign launch yesterday to send a cease-and-desist letter, demanding that she never use his song "American Girl" at campaign events again. These requests are not uncommon for Republican candidates, and it's one of the things that genuinely sucks for them. They can never use the easygoing, overplayed songs that they enjoy on FM radio, and they learn that their favorite artists despise them. Democrats' problem, on the other hand, is that they have to feign gratitude to all the musicians who write bad songs for...

Among the many traditions for presidential candidates on the campaign trail are kissing babies and getting kiss-offs from rock musicians over unwanted use of their songs. A day into her campaign for the White House, Michele Bachmann is already facing the latter custom. Tom Petty has sent the Minnesota congresswoman a cease-and-desist order after she used his 1977 classic "American Girl" as background music at her kickoff rally Monday in Waterloo, Iowa, a source close to the singer has confirmed. This is not the first time Petty has sent out such an order: George W. Bush's team also received one...

Bachmann doesn't accept apology for 'flake' question By Michael O'Brien - 06/27/11 08:10 AM ET Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said she wasn't accepting the apology of Fox anchor Chris Wallace, who asked her Sunday if she was a "flake." Bachmann rejected an apology from Wallace, who challenged whether the Tea Party-aligned congresswoman was serious in her bid for the Republican presidential nomination. "I think that it's insulting to insinuate that a candidate for president is less than serious," Bachmann said in an interview on ABC when asked about Wallace's apology, which he posted online. "Those are the small issues," Bachmann...

Well, if Chris Christie or any of the other "pretenders" to the Republican nomination thought that Sarah Palin couldn't be a Grizzly when she wants to.... just a little taste of things to come - http://conservatives4palin.com/2011/03/governor-palin-on-fox-business-network.html

For someone who is constantly lauded for his brilliance and high-mindedness, and who himself seems never to stop talking about bipartisanship and unity, President Obama never fails to be petulant, petty, hyper-partisan and, most problematically, hypocritical. After insisting at the outset of the speech that “we will move forward together, or not at all -- for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics” and that “we are part of the American family,” Obama once again set out to demonize a part of that America, the evil producers of 90 percent of our energy, the oil...

Hardball host Chris Matthews appeared at a local event in Washington D.C. on Thursday to trash Republican Chris Christie as too fat to be President. The Washington Examiner reported that Matthews derided the New Jersey governor, mocking, "Chris Christie is moon over New Jersey, he should not wear white shirts, I tell you that." He continued, "I saw him the other day and I was amazed by it, he must be 300 plus, and that’s something he’s just gotta deal with because you’re not going to say, ‘I’m going to cut the budget,’ well, how about starting with supper?" Matthews,...

Who is the real Barack Hussein Obama?  Harvard-educated professor of law?  Radical community organizer? Union flack? Or Chicago Way thug politician? Now that it seems apparent that President Obama's big government takeover policies will be soundly rebuked by the electorate next Tuesday, his anger against those who oppose him seems to be rising to the surface again and his true nature is showing through.  This past Monday, speaking on Univision, he warned that attaining his goals will be harder "[I]f Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, ‘We're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who...

The president of the United States has it hard enough without needlessly wading into, and fanning, local controversies. The economy is battered by sluggish growth, high unemployment, record annual deficits and near unsustainable national debt. Over 50 percent of the people now disapprove of Barack Obama's handling of these problems. So why weigh in on hot-button issues that can only polarize people without solving anything? Last summer, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, a scholar of African-American literature and history, got into a silly dispute with a local policeman. For some reason, President Obama, the leader of the free world, rushed...

Please forgive the partial vanity, but we are having a situation in our neighborhood which is growing troublesome. I wonder if other Freepers are experiencing the same thing. As school lets out, there is always an uptick in petty mischief-- kids moving or rearranging lawn ornaments, banging on your door in the wee hours of the morning and running off and other such annoyances.But this year seems to be especially bad because part-time jobs are few and kids have too much time on their hands.We've had our door beat on multiple times per night lately, as have other neighbors. Another...

Sources tell NBC News that the president has decided to replace him WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has decided to relieve Gen. Stanley McChrystal of his command over all U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, sources tell NBC News. Obama is scheduled to make an official 1:30 p.m. EDT announcement about the general.

President Obama will make a statement to the pool after meeting with his cabinet at 4 p.m., the White House announced.

October 11, 2008 Contact: Press Office NASCAR Legend Richard Petty Endorses John McCain ARLINGTON, VA -- McCain-Palin 2008 today announced that Richard Petty, widely known as the greatest driver in NASCAR history, is endorsing John McCain for president. Petty is announcing his endorsement at today's Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. "What we need right now in these uncertain times is a steady hand on the wheel -- a leader we can trust to put country first, ahead of politics," Petty said. "John McCain has always done that, and if you need proof, think about...

Republican candidate Senator John McCain scored perhaps the biggest own goal of the US presidential campaign so far when he admitted that he did not know how many houses he owned. For a candidate who portrays himself as a man of the people the blunder was potentially hugely damaging, coming at a time when many Americans are struggling with rising inflation, energy costs and unemployment. Asked about his properties on the campaign trail, Mr McCain told Politico.com: "I think - I'll have my staff get to you. It's condominiums where - I'll have them get to you." The senator and...