Free Republic

The right-wingers obsessively document and chastise her every move. Why are conservatives so threatened by a 29-year-old TV showrunner and author? In honor of Memorial Day, Lena Dunham Instagrammed herself in a lacy bra and panty set, and captioned the sultry snap, “I think I will wear it to dinner with some boots & a smile because we are all very lucky to be free.” Dunham clearly presents her exhibitionism as a celebration of personal and political freedoms, but certain fringe elements of the right-wing media have taken the peaceful photo as further evidence of Dunham’s personal war on male...

Madame Velazquez, whose enthusiasm for the cause of Southern independence induced her to discard the garments of her sex, and to assume male attire for the purpose of appearing upon the battle-field, is a typical Southern woman of the war period; and there are thousands of officers and soldiers who fought in the Confederate armies who can bear testimony, not only to the valor she displayed in battle, and under many circumstances of difficulty and danger, but to her integrity, her energy, her ability, and her unblemished reputation. Upon these points, however, it is not necessary to dilate; her story...

Did someone mention Doomsday? For those who miss the good old days of the easygoing 20th century, a shrill reminder of Y2K is back. At least the mounting fear that an upcoming date could be the death of us all. Late last week, Prof. John Beddington, the U.K. government's chief scientist, warned a sustainable development conference that a "perfect storm" of food shortages, scarce water and insufficient energy resources will land on the world's doorstep in 2030. But those souls who can't wait that long to panic, mark 2012 on your armageddon-out-of-here calendar. A growing number of books and blogs...

A Bit Of Unpleasantness With Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger moving from this statement of early Saturday morning — “I want to thank Senator Perata, Speaker Nunez, Senator Ackerman and Assemblymember McCarthy for all of their hard work this week. … I am encouraged by the tremendous progress we have made.” — to allowing as how he had differences with the infrastructure bonds bill shot down in the state Senate, and as the governor and fractious legislative Democrats and Republicans try one last gasp at regrouping to make the June California ballot, the minds of many in the Democratic Party turn to...