Free Republic

Tough guy over here. A Brazilian fisherman who accidentally fired a harpoon through his own face survived with minimal brain damage -- and didn't bother to seek medical attention for more than 10 hours. Bruno Barcellos de Souza Coutinho, 34, was cleaning his fishing gear when the speargun discharged, sending the foot-long weapon approximately six inches into his skull, according to Hospital Santa Teresa. Instead of rushing to the hospital, de Souza Coutinho apparently thought he would relax and let the wound heal, prompting his aunt to call the fire department. snip

Tuesday's Poll Has the Boston explosion made you more fearful of attending public events? Yes No

Barack Obama's administration has cut the budget nearly in half for preventing domestic bombings, MailOnline can reveal. Under President George W. Bush, the Department of Homeland Security had $20 million allocated for preventing the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by terrorists working inside the United States. The current White House has cut that funding down to $11 million. That assessment comes from Robert Liscouski, a former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15 that killed three Americans and injured at least 173 others. He told MailOnline that the...

$20 million budget under Bush became $11 million under Obama Barack Obama's administration has cut the budget nearly in half for preventing domestic bombings, MailOnline can reveal. Under President George W. Bush, the Department of Homeland Security had $20 million allocated for preventing the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by terrorists working inside the United States. The current White House has cut that funding down to $11 million. That assessment comes from Robert Liscouski, a former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection, in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15 that killed three Americans and...

A Florida 2-year-old lost both feet Wednesday night after her father accidentally backed over her with his riding lawn mower... Two-year-old Ireland Nugent was calling her father’s name as he mowed the lawn Wednesday night, but he didn’t see her, said Nugent, who watched as her husband mowed over her daughter’s legs.

This morning, I drove to work in the rain. It was raining all the way and it is a highway drive of about 35 miles. I didn't use the cruise control, because I was told that was not a good idea on wet pavement. Is that correct?

The Secret Service is investigating a suspicious vehicle parked near the White House. Streets around the White House were shut down Wednesday morning, and Metro says one entrance to the McPherson Square subway station is closed while authorities investigate.

While taking some flak for doing so, City of Phoenix officials are standing by their decision to accept non-swimming minorities as pool lifeguards. “The problem with requiring swimming proficiency as a condition of employment is that minorities would be under-represented among those we hire,” City Parks and Recreation Administrator Alfredo Zote observed. “The Mayor has asked us to strive for a workforce that mirrors the composition of the City’s population. We can’t do that if we impose qualifications that have a disproportionate impact on any racial or ethnic groups.” As to whether the ability to swim might not be a...

A bizarre case leaves an Arizona community questioning their perception of reality and a police department wondering if Glock is the right sidearm for its officers. Last week was a milestone for Arizona police officer Martin Walker. March 27 marked his twentieth year with the Dilbert Police Department and the day that he was first issued his Glock semi automatic pistol. “In 20 years, thousands of rounds, I never had a jam, malfunction, hell, any real problem with it until [that day],” Walker said and, on the verge of tears, added. “I don’t know I could trust a Glock again...

WASHINGTON, DC - President Barack Obama signed a spending bill, HR 933, into law, the "Monsanto Protection Act," that strips federal courts of the authority to immediately halt the planting and sale of genetically modified (GMO) seed crop regardless of any consumer health concerns. "The provision would strip federal courts of the authority to halt the sale and planting of an illegal, potentially hazardous GE crop while the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) assesses those potential hazards," explains a letter to the House that has been signed by dozens of food businesses and retailers, as well as interest groups and...

The U.S. banking sector is looking better in 2013 than it did in 2012, 2011 and so on. Balance sheets, credit metrics and underlying asset values continue to recover. Still, the recession was not that long ago and economic growth has hit serious headwinds. The public needs to be vigilant about financial risk ahead of another round of major U.S. bank stress tests. Regulators will soon decide which of the large American banks will be permitted to return more capital to their shareholders via higher dividends and stock buybacks. 24/7 Wall St. has recalibrated its list of the seven safest...

MARIETTA, Ga. (CBS Atlanta) — Marietta Public Schools have added “panic buttons” to its schools in response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. WGCL-TV reports that these “panic buttons” will immediately place a call to 911 when pushed by school officials.

Mom protects her son from three intruders who broke into her house and had a gun and duck tape. The audio clip is on Michael Berry's podcasts. She shoots one of the intruders and another one takes her gun and runs. She tells what happened in her own words. It starts 20 minutes into the first MP3 audio. Click Here. Michael Holds her over for the break and she continues Click Here. This mom tells the whole encounter in her own words. This is the best 2nd Amendment rights story I have heard.Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

h/t Speedunque

•EU watchdog reveals approval for GM foods fails to identify poisonous gene •54 of the 86 GM plants approved contain the dangerous gene •Gene found in food for farm animals producing meat, milk and eggs •Biotech supporters argue there is no evidence that GM foods are harmful A virus gene that could be poisonous to humans has been missed when GM food crops have been assessed for safety. GM crops such as corn and soya, which are being grown around the world for both human and farm animal consumption, include the gene. A new study by the EU’s official food...

Another bright, young male with time on his hands, another violent fantasy. This time, however, the young man who was "threatning [sic] my father and mother Smith to burne [sic] them and the house over them" was stopped in time. An owner of a crossbow, the teen was a resident of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth in Lincolnshire, England. Removed from King's School, Grantham, two years prior to the incident, the suspect is son of Hannah Ayscough and stepfather Rev. Barnabus Smith. The incident was recorded in the teen's diary which listed several violent episodes -- including an assault on another student with a...

With the Holidays upon us I would like to share a personal experience with my friends about drinking and driving- As you may know some of us have been known to have brushes with the authorities from time to time on the way home after a 'social session' out with friends... we all love to have a good time. Well, a couple days ago I was out for an evening with friends and had several cocktails followed by some rather nice red wine. Feeling jolly I still had the sense to know that I may be slightly over the limit....

Today, the same elite media who no doubt send their own kids to private schools that employ armed security, just can't stop howling ridicule at the NRA's idea to give every student in America those same protections. Because the NRA's idea is so appealing, as I write this, the media's going overboard, mocking it as bizarre, crazy, and out of touch. This is how the media works to silence and vilify the opposition and to ensure that only their ideas control The Narrative. The media doesn't care about securing our schools; they only care about coming after our guns and...

PARIS -- Anyone who can't withstand a rational debate on the subject of gun control -- particularly in light of last week's Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Connecticut -- should be automatically prohibited from ever owning a firearm. In fact, this should be the number-one requirement of gun ownership: Can someone applying for ownership of a deadly weapon withstand an hour-long debate against someone in favor of gun control without resorting to physical or verbal assault? Is it too much to ask that every person wanting to possess a firearm be subject to a battery of tests -- everything...

The Harrold Independent School District in Texas has passed a policy change in an effort to increase safety for its students and staff. According to a report published by Fox News on Saturday, December 15, 2012, the policy will allow teachers and other staff to carry concealed guns. The school district, which has 110 students ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade, admitted to researching several options for better safety in the school and debated the issue for about a year before the final decision was made. The policy was changed last October and will go into effect later this month....