Free Republic

More than 500 demonstrators gathered behind Boston police headquarters in Roxbury Wednesday night to show solidarity with those in Baltimore protesting the death of Freddie Gray. As organizers prepared to begin the rally around 6 p.m., Boston police Superintendent-in-Chief William Gross waded into the crowd to shake hands with organizer Brock Satter. “I’m a student of history,” Gross told Satter. “If people didn’t protest what they felt was injustice, I wouldn’t be here in his capacity today as chief.” The rally then began with a call and response chant of “Hands up!” “Don’t shoot,” and Satter laid out the demands...

Rabbi Linda Holtzman, who has made a career of liberal activism, ventured into new territory when she scampered across Broad Street in North Philadelphia to slap a black-and-yellow sticker on the back of Adolf Hitler's head. Hitler is featured in an anti-Islam ad displayed on SEPTA buses this month, and Holtzman and other Jewish activists have launched a campaign of guerrilla protest. They are pasting stickers that are a parody of SEPTA's own "Dude, It's Rude" pro-civility ad campaign onto the anti-Islam ads: "Dude It's Rude . . . Hate Speech - Really?"

The U.S. oil production decline has begun. It is not because of decreased rig count. It is because cash flow at current oil prices is too low to complete most wells being drilled. The implications are profound. Production will decline by several hundred thousand barrels per day before the effect of reduced rig count is fully seen. Unless oil prices rebound above $75 or $85 per barrel, the rig count won’t matter because there will not be enough money to complete more wells than are being completed today. Tight oil production in the Eagle Ford, Bakken and Permian basin plays...

<p>The Supreme Court heard arguments about the legality of same-sex marriage bans yesterday. Both the New York Times and Washington Post described the role of Justice Anthony Kennedy, the member of the court who swings between the liberal and conservative camps on contentious issues. Their stories emphasized that Kennedy showed a slight preference for same-sex marriage supporters, as he said that gay and lesbian couples believe that being allowed to marry will confer dignity on them.</p>

A week ago, maybe 99.9% Of Americans have never heard of Stephanie Rawlings and most by now have seen her speak and make that infamous statement regarding letting the riots have their space. But who didn't take notice that she did not come off anything remotely close to a leader. It was as if we were listening to a McDonalds Mananger In Training. How many of you said to yourself, "Huh? Thats A Mayor", or "That's The Mayor Of Baltimore?" You have got to be #$%*ing Kidding Me". Well there you go, if that's the best Baltimore can elect, then...

Rescuers were attempting to help a woman who fell from a cliff in the Barton Creek Greenbelt but were having difficulty finding her so they called in STAR Flight. McLain was part of a flight crew that was using bright lights and night vision when they found the patient. McLain was lowered down to the patient and helped prepare her for transit via helicopter. STAR Flight crews radioed for help indicating something was wrong. Rescue crews on the ground located McLain, who had severe injuries, and attempted to resuscitate her. She was pronounced dead at the scene, ATCEMS chief Ernesto...

Drone footage recorded over the Nepalese capital Kathmandu shows the scale of destruction following a major earthquake.

The players of the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox lined up for the national anthem this afternoon in front of an empty stadium, in unprecedented scenes never before witnessed in the history of baseball. With the National Guard posted outside Camden Yards and thousands of Baltimore residents taking part in a march to city hall, the Orioles played the first ever MLB game behind closed doors. The players took the field to an otherwise eerily silent stadium with 45,000 empty seats and the Orioles romped home to an 8-2 victory. Sirens could be heard ringing outside during the game...

Just last month, North Dakota became the twenty-seventh state to call for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Since the states cannot directly amend the Constitution, this call comes in the form of a resolution calling for a convention that will propose such an amendment—the as-of-yet unused second method for passing amendments outlined in Article V of the Constitution. Whatever motivations may underlie such actions, the 1787 Constitutional Convention teaches us that the end results of such a meeting may not match its initial calls. In 1787 there was no Constitution, and the meeting at the State House in...

Woman steals $10k worth of mini alcohol bottles • An aeroplane cleaner working at JFK Airport has been arrested for allegedly stealing more than 1,400 miniature bottles of booze worth US$10,000. Juanette Cullum, 48, of Brooklyn, allegedly stole the alcohol over a three-year period from American Airlines planes in Terminal 8, reports the New York Post. Police were alerted to the thefts by an airport security guard, and uncovered 1,429 miniatures bottles hidden in a wardrobe at Cullum’s home. On average, the 50ml bottles have an RRP of US$7 each on flights. But while the loot is estimated to worth...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — After several hours of debate Tuesday evening, the Alabama House of Representatives approved a resolution calling for a Convention of States to amend the U.S. Constitution. Article V of the U.S. Constitution says that a convention of the states can be convened if two-thirds of the state legislatures (34) approve an application for the convention to occur. By design, that’s a high bar to clear. And the bar gets even higher when it comes to actually passing a constitutional amendment. It takes an affirmative vote from three-fourths (38) of the states to actually amend the constitution. Each...

Apple shares are up 18 percent this year, with the latest good news coming in the form of Apple's first-quarter earnings report. The estimate-busting numbers may not have boosted the stock on Tuesday, but they at least appeared to show that the bullish consensus on the stock is well-founded. Meanwhile, Apple bears are hurting. And one market strategist says that it's time for them to seek professional help. "We would encourage those professionals who love to hate AAPL to book themselves a series of therapy appointments," said Neil Azous, a market advisor with Rareview Macro. "This story for Apple just...

When the earthquake struck about noon Saturday, Greg Davenport was trekking in a steep valley in Nepal’s Langtang National Park, about 50 miles from the quake’s epicenter. “It was a massive shaking,” said Davenport, 50, of Seattle. “All of the walls started to slough off. There were boulders, rockfalls and debris sliding down all over the place. … If you were in the wrong place, you would be hit by a boulder and be instantly crushed.” Then, triggered by the quake, an avalanche roared into the valley.

Now that April 15 has passed, you may have hoped not to think about taxes for another year.  However, on April 16 the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1105, the “Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015,” which would repeal the federal estate tax, no matter how large the estate, while preserving existing law’s favorable exclusion from tax of any gain on inherited property.  Coupling the repeal with the exclusion results in both decedents and recipients winning at the cost of federal revenue in a time of deficit spending and federal debt.  But more importantly, it is a quiet step that...

To persuade Congress to give him authority for concluding negotiation of a proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement, President Obama is emphasizing that such an undertaking is essential to national security.The appeal to patriotism is always powerful, but in this instance it is being used as the last refuge of a weak economic argument. ADVERTISEMENT The most optimistic estimates of potential U.S. economic gains from a TPP put them at only 1-3 percent of GDP in ten years. But experience suggests this forecast is wildly optimistic, and that while the agreement might be good for some global corporations...

Evening Hon. Here is a placemarker in case there is anything worth discussing tonight in good old Balmer. First of all, some resources: Need to learn how to speak with the natives: Lexicon of Bawlamarese Next, where to get information: Broadcastify: Police general repeaterPolice special event channel A Reddit channel that is a good compilation: Link Twitter (no you don't need to log in to view these): Justin Fenton -- Balto Sun reporter who is on site Twitter hash tags: #Baltimoreriots#Baltimoreuprising (no, I didn't invent the name)

Laura Capps announced Monday she will not seek the California seat being vacated by her mother, Democratic Rep. Lois Capps. The younger Capps, a Democratic political operative and nonprofit consultant, had long been viewed as a potential successor in the Santa Barbara-based 24th District. “I’ve decided that now is not the right time for me, Bill and our four year-old-son, and I will not be seeking election to Congress in 2016,” Laura Capps said in a statement. “I have great respect for members of Congress who have young families, and hope there will be more of them, but a cross-country...

Rumors have circulated through social media and on some websites that Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old Baltimore man who died April 19 after he was injured while in police custody, had a previous spinal injury that caused his death. The rumors also claim that Gray had spinal fusion surgery not long before his arrest to repair an injury caused by a car accident, which he received an insurance settlement for.

Governor Brown is at it again. More warnings, more penalties as the crisis worsens, yet he never makes these warnings to conserve water in Spanish. He must know that illegals are also abusing the system, yet many of them probably have no idea that "California Is Dry"! What is the point of warning "Cally-Fornian's" of the crisis in English when up to 1/3rd or more speak Spanish! They all think that water is unlimited and free! Wait till the day comes when they wake up to a waterless apartment.

A key component of the Apple Watch made by one of two suppliers was found to be defective, prompting Apple Inc. to limit the availability of the highly anticipated new product, according to people familiar with the matter. The part involved is the so-called taptic engine, designed by Apple AAPL, -0.61% to produce the sensation of being tapped on the wrist. After mass production began in February, reliability testing revealed that some taptic engines supplied by AAC Technologies Holdings Inc., of Shenzhen, China, started to break down over time, the people familiar with the matter said. One of those people...