Free Republic

Consumers Energy is appealing the 51st Circuit Court ruling that upheld Mason County’s determination that the Lake Winds Energy Plant near Ludington is in violation of the county’s 45-decibel noise ordinance. Arguing that the County’s decision was an “erroneous ruling,” the utility filed a 38-page appeal with the Michigan Court of Appeals on July 18. In addition, Consumers Energy is saying that if the ruling by 51st Circuit Court Judge Richard Cooper were allowed to stand, it could have an impact on many other wind turbine plants across the state. “This has implications beyond just Mason County,” Dennis Marvin, spokesman...

If a Secret Service agent were to tell you that candidate Obama or President George W. Bush have attended events in a post-9/11 era in which magnetometer screening was waived because of overflow crowds, would this shock you? What if said agent were to note that when Vice President Biden threw out a first pitch at the Baltimore Orioles season opener in April of 2009 before 48,607 fans, literally none of them had been screened with magnetometers, while Biden himself was not wearing a bulletproof vest? Author Ronald Kessler alleges these stories and many more in his new book, “The...

A Gallup poll has found that 42% of the adult population in the US think the Israeli actions in Gaza are “mostly justified,” while 14% thought the same about Hamas's actions. Americans' views of the military actions of Israel and Hamas in the current conflict in Gaza have changed little over the past 10 days. The public remains closely divided over whether Israel's actions have been justified, but is mostly critical of Hamas' actions. Six in 10 Americans say they are following the conflict "very" or "somewhat closely." Does the advent of social media news, which often includes more graphic...

Arab news sources reported Wednesday that Egypt has agreed to open the crossing between it and Gaza at Rafah, on the condition that the Gazan side be supervised by the Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas, and not by Hamas. Hamas has reportedly agreed to this, mostly because the it is now a part of the PA government, since joining Abbas's Fatah in a unity coalition. Abbas is supposed to serve as the link between Egypt and Israel regarding Gaza, according to the reports. It was also agreed that a conference would be held next month in Norway, to collect funds...

Good for him. Well said and quite surprising. John Kerry just spit out his yogurt and formaldehyde smoothie. I recommend a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1U3UpXwUV4

Short & sweet, Mozart's Rondeau à la Turque, French Hillbilly style.

In a letter to Pope Francis, eastern patriarchs and the presidents of bishops' conferences around the world, Mar Sako calls on the international community to come to grips with the situation and take "concrete actions". The survival of the Christian minority is at stake and a strong stance is needed, even by Muslims. He appeals for help and solidarity.Baghdad (AsiaNews) - The international community and the world's superpowers must realise the need for "concrete actions of solidarity" for Iraqi Christians because the "very survival" of the minority in the country and in middle East is at stake, said Raphael Louis...

While I was at the recent Napa Institute gathering, I got to know Kristina Arriaga, Executive Director of The Becket Fund, which defends religious freedom. They guided the Hobby Lobby decision to a good conclusion and for that we owe them a lot. I had this note from them today. It included this: [quote] Dear Friends, I grew up in a household where we were expected to pepper all tales with a bit of Cuban exaggeration. This was, after all, essential for good storytelling. So, in a way, I wish I were making this up. Within the IRS, there is,...

I am surprised more dogs are not shot during home invasions.   Maybe home invaders tend to invade homes without dogs.   The reporting is tantalizingly vauge in this article from ksd.com: NewsChannel 5 has learned the intruder forced his way inside four-unit building and made his way up some stairs. The resident of the home fired five to seven shots. The suspect ran from the scene. The victim says he thinks he might recognize the suspect's voice but isn't certain. (snip)  The victim was not injured. Authorities say a dog was shot and injured by the crossfire and ran away...

As you all know, I am Georgia-born and raised and very proud of that. I love my home state and it’s the place where my parents were laid to rest. However, there is one thing that causes me utmost embarrassment from my home state: former President Jimmy Carter. And his recent incoherent ranting about Hamas and Israel further proves that sentiment. Jimmy Carter is an anti-Semite. As reported by Fox News, “Former President Jimmy Carter once again is getting way out in front of the U.S. government on the Middle East, co-authoring an op-ed in which he calls for Washington...

Brace yourselves, America. The Clintons are paranoid---Hillary's "dead broke" comment to ABC's Diane Sawyer is haunting her candidacy. The Clintons lay awake nights, trying to dream up angles to make voters forget her "dead broke" bomb. Hillary's desperate to reinvent herself---even resorting to picking on the Redskins franchise last week. Where she'll strike next is anybody's guess. Maybe Hillary Bill and Chelsea will stand in a bread line (/cackle)---to reinforce the "dead-broke" image? Even more problematic for the opportunistic Clintons is that Boobamba's serial incompetence is imperiling Hillary's ambitions. Running in the toxic fallout of a two-term blundering black president...

Asd the film community battles to keep Hollywood close to home, another local industry – adult entertainment -- is fleeing Los Angeles. The number of permits issued for adult productions has plummeted since November 2012, when voters approved a measure that requires performers to wear condoms on sets. Last year, 40 permits were issued for X-rated productions in the city and county, down about 90% from the estimated number of permits issued in 2012. And through July of this year, only 20 permits have been issued for adult productions, according to data from FilmL.A. Inc., the nonprofit group that handles...

A Russian crime ring has got its hands on more than a billion stolen Internet credentials, according to a New York Times report. Citing records discovered by Hold Security, the New York Times reported on Tuesday that the stolen credentials include 1.2 billion password and username combinations and more than 500 million email addresses. Research specialist Hold Security, which has a strong track record of uncovering data breaches, says that the stolen data was gathered from 420,000 websites. Organizations affected range from household names to small Internet sites, it said. Last October Milwaukee-based Hold Security identified the disclosure of 153...

On Tuesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Texas Gov. Rick Perry's enthusiastic embrace of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants is a magnet that lures more illegal immigrants to America – just like President Barack Obama's temporary amnesty program for DREAMers. “President Obama won’t send them home, and Gov. Perry has done the same thing by giving them in-state tuition," Paul told the Wall Street Journal during a significant Iowa trip. "That’s a beacon without any kind of border security."

by pro-Russian rebels in eastern UkraineUkrainian media have published images they claim shows wreckage from the downed Malaysian aircraft is being used as part of a roadblock leading into the breakaway Donetsk region. The photographs, taken by Ukrainian journalists, purport to show part of the aircraft's fuselage being used to strengthen a roadblock near the village of Rassypnoye. Journalist Boris Mihalov, 32, said: 'We wanted to take more pictures and question those about how the wreckage was being used in this way but we were basically ambushed and carted away. 'They wanted to take the camera's memory card but we...

...Investigators were dispatched to the airport about 11:30 p.m. after the plane landed, according to the Houston Police Department. Police said the person died of apparent natural causes and no foul play was suspected. No other information about the case was released....

It’s not uncommon for shopping malls to have rules of conduct. Some places ban saggy pants. Others won’t let you ask people for money. But a mall in Georgia may have one of the most unusual rules -- they won’t let shoppers pray – not even over their meals. Meet Tammy Brantley of Dublin, Ga. She’s a wife, a mom and an avid power walker. She’s also a person of deep faith in God. Tammy is the co-founder of “Dublin Girls Run,” a group of local ladies that combines Southern fellowship with physical fitness.

 Because there was no party to mark the 53rd year of Big Guy’s immaculation, Raj and I ordered out. Don’t you hate it when you finish up your Kung Pao Chicken and Moo Shu Pork and find this inside your fortune cookie?And I think my “Lucky Numbers” look highly suspect as well.Especially with you-know-what still floating around:I’ve heard all the experts, including Greg Gutfeld, tell us why we shouldn’t panic over Ebola in America, butt I should point out that these are the same experts who told us we should panic over Bird Flu, Swine Flu and SARS, which there...

For the fourth time in 19 days, a South Florida judge has ruled against Florida's gay marriage ban, this time in the probate case of a Pennsylvania widower whose husband died suddenly in Boynton Beach. Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Diana Lewis on Tuesday ordered W. Jason Simpson should be personal representative....

Gov. Deval Patrick, who welcomed himself into the Corner Office with $12,000 damask drapes, is ushering himself out with a high-tech, luxury makeover — complete with marble countertops, facial recognition security cameras, blast-resistant windows and an emergency bunker with six plasma screen TVs — all for $11.3 million, more than $2 million over budget. “For a governor who isn’t spending a lot of time at the State House, he could definitely get to the (MEMA) bunker in Framingham a lot faster from his mansion in western Massachusetts than to the new one in Boston,” said watchdog Barbara Anderson of Citizens...