Free Republic

The recent spate of “lone wolf” terrorist attacks both here and in Canada seem to have come out of nowhere. And it’s clear that they have left Americans and Canadians as sitting ducks. Simply by using the Internet, ISIS has encouraged “lone wolf” individuals. These “wolves” have initiated attacks on their own with no planning or coordination with others and without leaving a trail of clues about their intentions. Law enforcement authorities and our government are not well suited to defend against such individual terror strikes. As Israel has learned about such attacks, there are just too many targets to...

A state federal judge has struck down a lawsuit challenging New Jersey’s ban on “sexual orientation change efforts” or SOCE, as they are referred to in court. This is the second time in nine months a judge has dismissed a lawsuit against a practice called conversion therapy. Gov. Chris Christie signed the law that banned the practice in NJ last year, according to the Associated Press.

It may seem the stuff of gothic horror novels, but transfusions of young blood could reverse the ageing process and even cure Alzheimer’s Disease, scientists believe. Throughout history, cultures across the globe have extolled the properties of youthful blood, with children sacrificed and the blood of young warriors drunk by the victors. It was even rumoured that the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il injected himself with blood from healthy young virgins to slow the ageing process. Now scientists have found that young blood actually ‘recharges’ the brain, forms new blood vessels and improves memory and learning. In parallel research, scientists...

In an article I wrote recently, Gay Rights: An Unnecessary Battle, I argued that there are no specifically anti-gay laws, only laws distinguishing between single individuals and married couples. There is one law that I missed.  California law SB-1172 Sexual orientation change efforts actually does intentionally and specifically discriminate against people based solely on their sexual orientation.  The law states: “This bill would prohibit a mental health provider, as defined, from engaging in sexual orientation change efforts, as defined, with a patient under 18 years of age.  The bill would provide that any sexual orientation change efforts attempted on a...

Boxing Day morning is traditionally a time for long sleeps and leisurely breakfasts. But while most of Britain takes it easy after yesterday’s festivities, little Arthur Jones will be out in the Dorset countryside mending fences. Many winter mornings have seen him out in the fields, hammering tacks into a post, wearing his favourite tweed cap. He also feeds the sheep, rattling a tiny pail containing a handful of pellets. ‘Come on Twinkle!’ he calls to a ewe with a dense white fleece and a calm demeanour, who dutifully trots across to him. So far, so ordinary for a hard-working...

(CNSNews.com) – The Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health has suspended its dog therapy program because of the government shutdown, according to John Burklow, spokesperson for NIH. Burklow said the dogs, which pay visits to patients in the hospital, including children with cancer, have to seen by veterinarians, and a “team” on staff made the decision to suspend program. “A vet needs to evaluate the dogs, and given that there is a 25 percent reduction in staff (furloughed), we focus our activities and staffing on the care of patients already at our hospital,” Burklow said.

'Sexist' gorilla being kicked out of Dallas Zoo Patrick, a 23-year-old Western lowland gorilla who was born in the Bronx Zoo in 1990, has nipped at female apes he was to mate with and even bit one, and has belittled others. Patrick will be transferred to the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens in Columbia, S.C. A "sexist" male gorilla at Dallas Zoo is being evicted and sent for therapy after he bit one female companion and belittled others. Patrick — a 430-pound Western lowland born at New York's Bronx Zoo in 1990 — will be moved to Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens...

As lawmakers get ready to head back to Capitol Hill, Tampa Bay Catholics are joining believers across the country to push for immigration reform. "It's really a three-prong approach, through prayer, education and advocacy," said Sabrina Burton Schultz, director of the Diocese of St. Petersburg's life ministry office. The diocese of 321,459 Catholics, which covers Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties, is encouraging parishioners to contact politicians about the issue. The diocese also is organizing a candlelight prayer vigil, Hispanic Mass and a pilgrimage of the images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Lujan. Schultz said...

Despite his “concerns about [the] government limiting parental choice on the care and treatment of their own children,” Governor Chris Christie signed into law a ban on ex-gay therapy for minors, thereby committing an outrageous act against both the people of New Jersey and his own Catholic faith. Buying into the standard gay activist talking points, Christie explained that “on issues of medical treatment for children we must look to experts in the field to determine the relative risks and rewards,” because of which he felt this government intrusion into doctor-patient relationships was justified. As for Christie’s personal views, he...

Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill Monday barring licensed therapists from trying to turn gay teenagers straight, making New Jersey the second state to ban so-called conversion therapy, along with California. The bill passed both houses of the New Jersey Legislature with bipartisan support in June. Assemblyman Tim Eustace, who sponsored the bill and is openly gay, described the therapy as "an insidious form of child abuse." In a note accompanying the bill, Christie said he believes people are born gay and that homosexuality is not a sin. That view is inconsistent with his Catholic faith, which teaches that homosexual...

Crystal Dixon of the University of Toledo was fired for writing an editorial in a local newspaper. She referred to Exodus and mentioned people who chose to leave the gay lifestyle. The case against Dixon is based purely on wild assumption that gay men cannot stop themselves from having anal sex or engaging in fellatio. These assumptions bestialize and infantilize gay men. Dixon said that gays had the choice to leave the lifestyle (in other words, stop engaging in anal sex and fellatio). According to her detractors, such was tantamount to being anti-gay. Her detractors are following the lead of...

People with Down's syndrome are at greater risk of heart defects, leukaemia and early-onset dementia. Photograph: Getty Images Scientists have corrected the genetic fault that causes Down's syndrome – albeit in isolated cells – raising the prospect of a radical therapy for the disorder. In an elegant series of experiments, US researchers took cells from people with Down's and silenced the extra chromosome that causes the condition. A treatment based on the work remains a distant hope, but scientists in the field said the feat was the first major step towards a "chromosome therapy" for Down's syndrome....

Gay Therapy Gay conversion therapy, as it is known, supposedly helps gay people overcome same-sex attractions. But mainstream psychologists say the therapy is ineffective, unethical and often harmful, exacerbating anxiety and self-hatred among those treated for what is not a mental disorder. In 2013, two cases involving the therapy to convert gay people into heterosexuals hit the courts, with one seeking to sue counselors who offer the therapy and the other seeking to defend them. Here are five things you need to know about the therapy and the current lawsuits.

The openly gay son of a conservative Republican Congressman has stated that he benefitted from undergoing the controversial practice of reparative therapy as a teenager. Matt R. Salmon, son of Ariz. Rep. Matt Salmon, told CNN's Anderson Cooper that his taking of "ex-gay" conversation therapy helped him be more comfortable around other men. "Looking back, I don't regret it. The goal was to become straight, and it turns out what I took away from it was an increased confidence," said Salmon, who entered therapy at age 18. "A big part of it was really teaching me to make relationships with...

A conservative legal group has announced that it will file suit against the State of California over its recent passing of a law banning reparative therapy for homosexual minors. Liberty Counsel announced the suit on Monday, bringing it on behalf of families, counselors, and the National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). "The California governor and legislature are putting their own preconceived notions and political ideology ahead of children and their rights to get access to counseling that meets their needs," said Liberty Counsel in a statement. "This law undermines parental rights. Mental health decisions should be left...

Broadcasting out of his native England, this evening Piers Morgan welcomes Mitt and Ann Romney for a candid and revealing conversation that comes alongside the 2012 Summer Olympic Games from London. A decade since the Romneys helped host the 2002 Olympics in their home state of Utah, the "Piers Morgan Tonight" host walks the couple down memory lane: "There was a very poignant moment, when you were asked to allow someone who was your hero, to hold the torch. And you chose your wife," reviewed Morgan. "Tell me about that."

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—A first-of-its-kind ban on a controversial form of psychotherapy aimed at making gay people straight is speeding through the California statehouse. Supporters say the legislation, which passed its final Senate committee Tuesday, is necessary because such treatments are ineffective and harmful.

Oliver's photo still hangs at the Krause Funeral Homes, but he is no longer available to help grieving families. First a Krause family pet, Oliver ended up working most of his life as a therapy dog. "I remember one little boy, maybe about 8 years old, who wouldn't talk after a sibling died," funeral director Mark Krause said. "But he talked and talked to Oliver. "Oliver worked maybe a thousand funerals in his day, maybe more," he said. "What he did was really magical. People in their suits and dresses would get down on the floor to pet him." Oliver...

After it was revealed yesterday that an increasing number of women are using the sex industry to pay their way through university, one woman has told her story of stripping while studying. Emma Green, of Glamorgan, Wales, turned to stripping on a webcam for men and earned £200-a-week to fund her studies. The 25-year-old, who studied multi-media design at Glamorgan University before spending another year at a beauty therapy college in 2009, says a normal part-time job was out of the question because of her intense course workload.

Anthony Weiner checks into treatment center as Nancy Pelosi, other top Dems call on him to resignBY Alison Gendar, Matthew Lysiak and Jonathan Lemire DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS Updated: Saturday, June 11th 2011, 10:45 PM Lusty lawmaker Anthony Weiner checked into a treatment center for his randy behavior Saturday - but it may not be enough to save his job. Weiner will be seeking help in the wake of the sexting scandal that put his career on life support, just as several of the country's most powerful Democrats simultaneously called on him to quit. "Congressman Weiner departed this morning to...