Free Republic

Michael Jackson's sudden death may give his three beloved children something he could never provide — a chance to be themselves. The King of Pop devoted his life to creating a fairy-tale Never Neverland for his three young heirs, a world where the reality around them was hidden behind masks or the burly frames of professional bodyguards. Prince Michael Joseph, 12, Paris Michael, 11, and Prince Michael II, a.k.a "Blanket," 7, have never attended a day of school. They've never known a neighborhood friend. They sleep together in the same room. And the only outsiders they know are strangers their...

London: In a bid to stop Muslim extremists from becoming more militant, the UK Government is set to issue a guideline for police, directing them not to charge them in many hate crime cases, a move that has created outrage amongst critics. Guidelines will tell forces to press for conviction only in cases of clear-cut criminal acts, and refrain from proceeding when evidence of lawbreaking is “borderline.” Officers will be advised to turn a blind eye on crimes such as incitement to religious hatred or viewing extremist material on the Internet. “For instance, where there has been incitement or someone...

An American president who has 'the blood of Africa within me' praised and scolded the continent of his ancestors today. Barack Obama asserted that forces of tyranny and corruption must yield if Africa is to achieve its promise. 'Yes you can,' President Obama declared, dusting off his campaign slogan and adapting it for his foreign audience. Speaking to the Ghanaian Parliament, he called upon African societies to seize opportunities for peace, democracy and prosperity. 'This is a new moment of great promise,' he said. 'To realize that promise, we must first recognize a fundamental truth that you have given life...

took a look at their website this week and was disgusted by some of the crap I saw on there. Hope none of the Freepers buy into this group's garbage. Recently a Republican State Senator spoke to a national meeting of the Council of Conservative Citizens in Jackson, MS. Some local liberals as well as the local progressive weekly alternative rag sharply criticized her for speaking at the event and the state Republican party chairman for not more forcefully condemning her actions. Since I and many others don't know much about the Council of Conservative Citizens, I decided to check...

Vice-President Joe Biden was standing by Jon Corzine's side when the New Jersey governor kicked off his re-election campaign last month, but it was hard to tell from Corzine's remarks that there was a new administration in Washington. "America doesn't need to be Bushwhacked again," Corzine declared, jabbing his index finger and drawing loud cheers. "New Jersey cannot afford to be Bushwhacked again." A week later and hundreds of miles to the south, Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds accepted the Democratic nomination for governor with a similar message. "Tonight, Virginia, we move into the general election where there's a stark...

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath Appeared of Old unto me, saying, Yea, I have Loved thee with an Everlasting Love: Therefore with Lovingkindness have I Drawn thee.

Per FR rules, Link only

White House economist Austan Goolsbee recently appeared on the Colbert Show. He currently is serving under President Obama as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers and as staff director and chief economist of the going nowhere federal panel, the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board chaired by Paul Volcker. There is zero to learn from this video about Obama economic policy, but it is interesting to note that Goolsbee received this face time just days after NYT did a Q & A with him. Somebody in the White House is promoting him and raising his profile for something. A...

With Chrome OS, Google aims to make the Web the primary platform for software development. Google (NSDQ: GOOG)'s plan to release its own operating system based on its Chrome browser is at once audacious and laughable. Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Windows represents slightly less than 90% of the personal computer operating system market, a position it has held for years. Google's industry ally, Apple, has managed to steal a few percentage points of market share away from Microsoft in the past twelve years under the singular leadership of CEO Steve Jobs. But Windows remains the dominant operating system, more dominant even...

When it comes to the First Amendment, Team Obama believes in Global Chilling. Cass Sunstein, a Harvard Law professor who has been appointed to a shadowy post that will grant him powers that are merely mind-boggling, explicitly supports using the courts to impose a "chilling effect" on speech that might hurt someone's feelings. He thinks that the bloggers have been rampaging out of control and that new laws need to be written to corral them. READ FULL STORY

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (KABC) -- Southern California may be known for its sunny skies, but the city of Laguna Niguel's reputation for the past three decades has revolved around the moon. Actually thousands of moons. Each year a crush of people line up along the railroad tracks in the city and bare their backsides to every Amtrak train that passes by. But now the sun may be setting on this mooning tradition. "Hopefully it will be a much smaller event this year," said Mayor Robert Ming, Laguna Niguel. Mayor Ming says last year the crowd numbered 10,000, a problem when...

The title is a teaser. But this particular semiauto handgun was apparantly a bad choice. This was a story about a guy who was attacked by a bear. The bear had already been wounded and this guy is carrying a 45 auto (??!!) as backup. He fires three shots into the bear and then accidentally pops the mag. (Left handed shooter/right handed gun and all.) Anyway, from here: Bear attack.............it says, [QUOTE]A lefty, Wyckoff had accidentally hit the release that sent the clip for the gun, made for a right-handed grip, flying as he struggled with the bear on May...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska | Brushing aside the criticisms of pundits and politicos, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she plans to jump immediately back into the national political fray — stumping for conservative issues and even Democrats — after she prematurely vacates her elected post at month's end. The former Republican vice-presidential nominee and heroine to much of the GOP's base said in an interview she views the electorate as embattled and fatigued by nonstop partisanship, and she is eager to campaign for Republicans, independents and even Democrats who share her values on limited government, strong defense and "energy independence." "I will...

As feedback this week we critique some cartoons from a “Stick Science” cartoon contest run by the Florida Citizens for Science. FCS describes itself as “defending and promoting sound science in Florida” but occupies itself with evolutionary propaganda and creationist bashing...

The link is to an audo clip of the 911 call. It is pretty graphic. I could not hear the shot, it probably went beyond the capability of the cell phone mike, and just was blanked out.

BELEN, N.M. (KRQE) - The debate engulfing Belen since Luke Sanchez was arrested for killing a suspected burglar Saturday is whether he was protecting the community or acting as a vigilante. Sanchez, 38, was arrest after a confrontation outside Enchantment Propane business led to the shooting death of Gary Gabaldón Saturday night. Gabaldón has a history of violent crimes, and Sanchez told police he acting in self-defense. Sanchez said he was out buying fireworks when he saw Gabaldón and another man looking suspicious outside the business. While on the phone with 911 he said Gabaldón attacked him leaving him no...

Somali Islamist fighters on Friday beheaded seven prisoners accused of abandoning the Muslim faith and spying for the government in the largest mass execution since the Islamists were pushed from power two and a half years ago. The public killings in the southwestern town of Baidoa followed weeks of fierce fighting as the Islamists try to seize Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, amid mounting concerns about the influx of hundreds of foreign fighters to the failed state. The beheadings may be linked to the Islamists' failure to take Mogadishu after a 2-month-old offensive, said a senior analyst at global intelligence company Stratfor....

You can tell what White House polling has told them by the subjects ticked off in Obama's [weekly radio] remarks: We inherited this mess, the economic stimulus bill so urgently pushed in February wasn't really designed to fix the economy, and the switching of terms about jobs. It used to be about creating and/or preserving jobs. Now, preserving jobs comes first, which, like murders not committed, is difficult to prove or disprove without numbers. Which is the point. Be patient, Obama urges, more spending will kick in this summer. I promise healthcare reforms won't add to the deficit. We're cutting...

Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Olympia Snow (RINO-ME) have introduced a bill to make the Commodity Futures Trading Commission the sole regulator of the carbon market created by cap-and-trade legislation. So does this mean that freebooting Goldman Sachs could be the de facto regulator of the carbon market? Consider that: The current chairman of the CFTC is Gary Gensler, formerly of Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs is a part owner of the exchanges where carbon allowances would be traded. Goldman Sachs has spent millions of dollars lobbying for cap-and-trade legislation in anticipation of making billions of dollars at the expense taxpayers...

Wednesday, July 8, 2009 Former Marine charged in shooting death Julia M. Dendinger News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jdendinger@news-bulletin.com Luke Sanchez of Belen pleads not guilty to single count, magistrate sets bond at $100,000 Former Marine Luke Sanchez pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of murder after he fatally shot a burglary suspect Saturday night. His lawyer, Ray Twohig said it "looks very much like self-defense." The District Attorney's office said: "Regardless of how the defense sees the case, a man is still dead — shot by the defendant." Sanchez, 38, of Belen was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly shot...