Free Republic

Federal prosecutors have charged a Kirkland man with making interstate threats against the life of the former Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson and his family.

Geologists may be close to cracking one of the biggest seismological mysteries in the Pacific Northwest: the origin of a powerful earthquake that rattled seven states and provinces when Ulysses S. Grant was president. Preliminary evidence points to a newly discovered fault near the town of Entiat in Chelan County, Wash. The find adds to a growing body of evidence that Central and Eastern Washington are more quake-prone than previously thought, and will help refine seismic risks in an area that's home to 1.5 million people, more than a dozen hydropower dams and the Hanford nuclear reservation, said Craig Weaver,...

Among the feats many Michael Brown protesters pulled off as they stormed Seattle’s Westlake Mall on Black Friday was targeting a children’s choir set to sing Christmas carols, KING-TV reported as part of a video segment. A journalist with KING, Mark Wright, wrote this on his Facebook page: Some of you may know that tonight’s tree lighting at Westlake Center was cut short by protesters. I feel really bad for a group of children from the 5th Avenue Theater. They came tonight, excited to sing. When the protesters overtook the balcony, the children were absolutely terrified. I helped usher them...

For shoppers of age in Colorado and Washington state, the most novel deal this Black Friday isn’t a gadget like the iPhone 6. If what they’re looking for is relaxation, they’re in luck: For their first Black Friday ever, recreational marijuana dispensaries in those states are offering some great deals on weed. “This is one of the first times in the nation that we’re going to be able to do such crazy discounts and specials on marijuana products, and have people 21 years or older be able to come in and join the festivities,” says John Satterfield, a distribution worker...

Bellingham Boy Fighting Flesh-Eating Bacteria SEATTLE, Wash. -- What started as a 'fat lip' from a fall, now has a local 6 year old Jake Finkbonner fighting to survive. The boy has necrotizing faciitis, a bacteria that is attacking his face. His family says the bacteria was consuming him before their eyes. The infection is so aggressive, antibiotics aren't enough. He’s had three surgeries so far to try to save his life. Jake’s father, Donny, (says)......all of us are praying for him, and we’re just in God’s hands.” Jake’s mother, Elsa says, “he didn’t have any facial features that were...

After a long climb, Jay Gruden finally became a head coach. And now Gruden shouldn’t allow Robert Griffin III’s problems to derail his career, too. In his first season with the Washington Redskins, people within the organization say, Gruden has seen enough to determine that Griffin at best will be a long-term project as a pocket passer. If it were up to Gruden, the Redskins would spend this offseason finding a new starting quarterback. But owner Daniel Snyder and President and General Manager Bruce Allen will make that call.

Previously, we brought you “Where God is Carved in Stone on the National Mall.” Today, we’re looking at weird pagan influences on the National Mall in Washington D.C.. While the U.S. certainly has been greatly influenced by the Christian faith, it has also been influenced by certain strains of Enlightenment thought that are decidedly un-Christian. Remember that while the U.S. was in its infancy in the late 18th century, over in Europe during the French Revolution crowds took the Cathedral of Notre Dame and the replaced the altar with an altar to Liberty. This type of thinking was in the...

Early in our republic, it was considered crass and imperial for a president to issue too many executive orders.  Remember, our political experiment was the first in the world to unite a federal system of states with a central government elected by popular vote—even the title that George Washington would assume was a matter of intense study and debate.  Finally they settled on the unassuming “Mr. President”. President Washington issued a total of eight executive orders in his two terms in office.  And this was a president with a mandate.  His election was unanimous.  Before the Civil War, a total...

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) chided Republicans for threatening to halt progress on a government funding bill because of President Obama’s executive action on immigration. “Even children understand that flipping the table over doesn’t help you win the game,” Murray said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “It just means someone has to pick up the mess you’ve made. And when it comes to Tea Party political tactics, we’ve done more than enough of that here in Congress.” Murray, the Senate Budget Committee chairwoman, said she was disappointed that some Republicans are threatening to shut down the government again “just to keep...

When it came time for the US Senate to vote on the Keystone XL Pipeline, Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) “clout” did not have much of an impact on fellow Democrat senators. In fact, 35 of the senators who voted against the project were given campaign cash by Landrieu since the 2008 election cycle. Take a look here at the list of senators who don’t seem to acknowledge Landrieu’s “clout.” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) $10,000 Sen. Richard Blumenthal (R-CT) $5,000 Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) $10,000 Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) $7,000 Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) $10,000 Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) $3,500 Sen....

Less than two years ago some believed Robert Griffin III could change the way the United States was governed. Not just change the football fortunes of the Washington Redskins, not just change the bottom line for Nike or Subway or anyone else who'd jumped in with a pleasant, charismatic and dynamic quarterback, not just change how his position is played, in his case with 4.3 speed and an accurate arm. No, he could change American governance.

Seattle, Washington, one of the strongest remaining bastions of liberal philosophy left in the country, passed a phased-in $15 minimum wage law earlier this year. The highest minimum wage in the country. The vote was unanimous and the throng outside cheered, but for many this is a loss from which they will never recover. It is a blow to the profitability of business that they just can't take.

Thousands of gun owners plan to openly violate a new state firearms law next month in Olympia, Washington, daring local police to stop or arrest them. The massive display of civil disobedience — perhaps one of the largest acts ofGavin Seim lawlessness ever organized — is the brainchild of Gavin Seim, a self-described “liberty speaker” and former congressional candidate from Washington State. Seim, and the thousands of participants expected to attend the “I Will Not Comply” rally Dec. 13, will be protesting the passage of I-594, a state ballot initiative that becomes law in the The Evergreen State Dec. 4.

Locker room leadership can be overrated. How a quarterback really loses his team is by leaving receivers open on the field. This is Robert Griffin’s biggest problem, and has been throughout his career. What’s most concerning is that he’s leaving receivers on the field out of a variety of formations and against a variety of coverages. The common thread is bad mechanics and a poor sense of timing. Here are some examples from when Griffin returned to action two weeks ago after suffering a dislocated ankle in early September. To a small degree, his struggles can be attributed to rust....

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The fate of a little-noticed ballot measure in strongly Democratic Oregon serves as a warning to President Barack Obama and his party about the political perils of immigration policy. Even as Oregon voters were legalizing recreational marijuana and expanding Democratic majorities in state government, they decided by a margin of 66-34 to cancel a new state law that would have provided driver's licenses to people who are in the United States illegally. Obama is considering acting on his own, as early as this week, to possibly shield from deportation up to 5 million immigrants now living...

In a corner of Washington National Cathedral, several hundred Muslim worshipers and other invited guests gathered Friday afternoon for a first-ever recitation of weekly Muslim prayers at the iconic Christian church and to hear leaders of both faiths call for religious unity in the face of extremist violence and hate. Nevertheless, the carefully scripted ceremony was marred once when a well-dressed middle-age woman in the audience suddenly rose and began shouting that “America was founded on Christian principles. . . . Leave our church alone!” She was swiftly ushered out by security aides, and the service continued.

The Washington National Cathedral will host a Muslim prayer service on Friday -- for the first time in American history. Why is National Cathedral hosting a prayer service for a religion that opposes the teachings of Christianity? I asked Erwin Lutzer, the pastor of Moody Church, about the significance of this moment. What he told me should be shared! Pastor Lutzer: "The National Cathedral was dedicated to be a house of worship for Christians. Although tolerance is a commendable virtue, we might well wonder why this Cathedral will be used to host a prayer service for a religion which opposes...

Date: 12/13/14 Time: 11am Location: WA State Capital, Gateway Park. 416 Sid Snyder Ave SW Olympia, WA Pass the word. WE STAND! On Nov 4th 2014 a new gun law was passed in Washington that will make as much as handing a friend your gun a felony. We will not tolerate this law and I am going to do what I said I would do in my video. Will you bow down and lick the boots of tyrants, or will you stand for the liberty of your children? We’re not waiting for politicians, judges or lawyers. Our birthright is...

Washington, D.C.: The Seat of the Immoral World Government By Julio Severo While I am writing about the U.S. government as the seat of the immoral world government, the U.S. Department of State and USAID are hosting the third Conference to Advance the Human Rights of and Promote Inclusive Development for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Persons on November 12-14, in Washington, D.C. Leading U.S. government officials are speaking at the event. The conference is bringing together government officials, private funders, business leaders, scholars and homosexual activists from more than 30 countries to increase coordination, cooperation and resources...

From the outset to the bitter end, Democrats would not take her seriously. She was too young, they said, unseasoned and unqualified—just a pretty face with a thin resume and no political experience. Then 24-year-old Melanie Stambaugh shocked them all and won going away.