Free Republic

In yesterday’s oral arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges (better known as the “gay-marriage case”), the solicitor general of the United States committed a classic “Kinsley gaffe”: He accidentally told the truth. Normally, in any argument about the next legal step of the sexual revolution, the accusation or even implication that there’s a slippery slope is grounds for outrage. Not only shouldn’t we explore the legal implications of expanding the definition of marriage, the very attempt is homophobic. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

The deadly Ebola virus may be transmitted through sex long after a person has been cured, a major finding that could change how the virus is combated. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigators looked into the case of a Monrovia, Liberia, woman who contracted the disease. The agency identified only one link to Ebola: unprotected sex with an Ebola survivor who was not presenting symptoms. Ebola can only be passed through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms. But health officials have been aware of another problem: The virus can remain in semen for nearly...

(WOOD) An earthquake rattled West Michigan and other parts of the Midwest. The shaking happened around 12:20 p.m. It was felt around the Michigan. The USGS registered it as a 4.0 earthquake centered near Galesburg.

The Catholic church never works for conversions. There are people who misunderstand the mission of Christians, especially of the Catholic church, said Cardinal Mar George Alenchery, the major archbishop of Syro Malabar Church. The major archbishop, who is on a pastoral visit to the diocese of Belthangady till May 5, said, "Conversion is a personal response of a person to God. Nobody can force or coerce a person. The church witnesses the charity of Christ and proclaims Christian values—truth, justice, love and harmony—to others. This attracts people. It is not something which we create, it is something they (people) request....

I have posted my initials thoughts on the criminal charges against six Baltimore police officers. Former federal prosecutor Bill Otis has offered more extensive, and better-informed, observations. Among them are the following, all of which make good sense to me: Will the mob tolerate an acquittal? The calls in recent days have been for “justice.” I have considerable doubt whether those doing the loudest calling have even a slight interest in justice. I think they want to see policemen and policewomen punished simply because of who they are. If that is true, then the riots we have seen up to...

David Almasi, executive director of the National Center for Public Policy Research showed up at a stockholder’s meeting for Boeing. He asked Boeing CEO W. James (Jim) McNerney, Jr to turn over email correspondence between Hillary Clinton and her State Department and Boeing. McNerney turned him down flat. This is the second time in a week that a CEO has refused a request from a member of the National Center for Public Policy Research. Last week, GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt also refused to release emails between GE and Hillary Clinton. GE received favorable treatment from the Algerian government because of...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Lincoln, Nebraska. This is Chris. Great to have you, sir. You're up first. Welcome to the EIB Network, hello. CALLER: Hello. How are you? RUSH: Very well, sir. Thank you for calling. CALLER: Long-term listener, first-time caller. Anyway, what I was questioning, or to ask a question to you is, do you think the anti-gun left will come full circle to pro-gun after these Ferguson and Baltimore incidents? I'm not saying those are justifications for -- you know, but the Second Amendment's there to protect against -- RUSH: Why would the left -- CALLER: And our own...

Thanks to the fine work of the staff at the Gateway pundit, we have hard numbers that refute the lie that more Black males than White males are shot by our police. More than this, the numbers show that substantially more police officers than Black males are killed each year. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has compiled the roll of police officers killed over the past five years. Their research reveals that on average 136 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty each year during the years 2010 through 2014. The Gateway Pundit has...

The pro-abortion media crowd is embracing new ally in their fight: Satanists. “Mary” from Missouri is hoping to bypass her state’s 72-hour abortion waiting period by citing “sincerely held religious beliefs” – as a Satanist. The Friendly Atheist blog broke the story of how the Satanic Temple plans to aid a woman it calls Mary who believes in its “tenets.” The media followed suit, from a Think Progress editor expressing “love,” to a Salon editor concluding, “[R]eligious exemption laws are maybe cool when Satanists use them to get abortions.”Damien Ba’al, the head of the Satanic Temple’s St. Louis chapter, described...

Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz will attend events in South Carolina Friday and Saturday along with state GOP leaders and former presidential candidates Rick Perry and Rick Santorum.All three men are expected to speak at the SC Republican Party's 48th Annual Silver Elephant Dinner in Columbia Friday night,Governor Nikki Haley and U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott are also expected to speak at the event.The dinner, which is advertised as the largest and most prestigious Republican gathering in South Carolina will be held in honor of the late Gov. Jim Edwards, who served as the 110th governor of South...

“Wolf Hall,” the Man Booker Prize-winning historical novel about the court of Henry VIII — and most dramatically, the conflict between Thomas Cromwell and Sir Thomas More — is now a TV series (presented on PBS). It is maddeningly good. Maddening because its history is tendentiously distorted, yet the drama is so brilliantly conceived and executed that you almost don’t care. Faced with an imaginative creation of such brooding, gripping, mordant intensity, you find yourself ready to pay for it in historical inaccuracy. And “Wolf Hall’s” revisionism is breathtaking. It inverts the conventional view of the saintly More being undone...

Ian Reisner, one of the two gay hoteliers who invited presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex) to speak at a private party, has, after threats from the gay lobby to destroy his business, apologized for his "insensitivity." "I had mistakenly believed that my sexual orientation was not the sum total of who I am," Reisner said. "I had delusions that I could entertain other beliefs about politics that had nothing to do with gay rights. But I have been told that listening to Senator Cruz is akin to listening to Satan. It cannot be permitted. It can only lead me...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK) A Baltimore police sergeant said Friday that suspects are now trying to lure officers into physical altercations. He added that things are “about to get ugly.” Sgt. Lennardo Bailey told “Eastern Command Staff” that unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray has transformed into an environment where cops are increasingly challenged by suspects. “I have been to five calls today and three of those five calls for service; I have been challenged to a fight. Some of them I blew off but one of them almost got ugly. I don’t want anybody to say that I did...

No, that headline is not a mistake. "She" is the Rev. Ana Langerak, who was ordained a priest 25 years ago in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America but who now serves St. Matthew/San Mateo Episcopal Church in Hyattsville, Md. (ELCA is in communion with the Episcopal church, and they share clergy.) I just returned from the liturgy and luncheon that celebrated Ana's quarter-century of priestly service, much of which was in Central America and some at the World Council of Churches in Geneva. As a Roman Catholic, it is truly heartening to see a parish accept Ana fully --...

Mediaite founder and ABC News Chief Legal Analyst Dan Abrams was on Good Morning America Saturday to weigh in on the charges brought against six Baltimore police officers by Maryland State Attorney Marilyn Mosby in the death of Freddie Gray. Asked if he thinks the charges will “stick,” Abrams said he had his doubts. “I think some of the lesser convictions will likely stick in certain cases, but I think most of the more serious charges, it’s going to be really tough to get convictions on a lot of these charges,” he said. “I think it is fair to say...

Grassroots Group Plans Campaign Utilizing Multiple Aircraft Types Some supporters of Republican Presidential hopeful Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) hope to help spread the candidate's message using a variety of aircraft in early primary states.The "Ted Cruz Air Force" (TCAF) will feature a "Ted Cruz Blimp" as its most visible aircraft, but according to the group's website, the grassroots organization also plans to use antique aircraft, banner tow planes, LSAs, ultralights, parachutes, and others. The group is not officially connected with the campaign, and the candidate has not officially acknowledged its efforts. But the organizers say they have "no doubt" they...

BALTIMORE (WJZ/AP) — Ten thousand people are expected to come into Baltimore today to rally for justice for Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old man who died in police custody. After Friday’s announcement that the six police officers, involved in Gray’s arrest when he allegedly received his critical injuries, were charged celebrations began in the streets of Penn-North — the area where Monday’s violent riots started and the place where Gray was initially taken into police custody....

They’ve all been reelected several times, but the four top congressional leaders remain an unpopular choice among voters nationwide. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters have an unfavorable opinion of House SpeakerJohn Boehner, and 53% say the same of House Democratic leaderNancy Pelosi. Unfavorables are only slightly lower for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (46%) and his Democratic counterpart, Minority Leader Harry Reid (50%), but that’s probably in part because they are not as well-known to voters. A closer look at these numbers finds that Pelosi remains, as she has been for...

Gather together 1,000 S.C. Republicans in a room these days, and a few 2016 presidential prospects will come calling. The S.C. GOP’s annual Silver Elephant fundraising dinner on Friday attracted three out-of-state White House hopefuls and a fourth homegrown prospect who made their pitches to hardcore party supporters. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz started his speech by bashing Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. He said she appointed a director of email security – a joke about her use of a private computer server while she was U.S. Secretary of State. “I’m pretty sure Saudi Arabia is not paying for the speakers tonight,”...

I saw The Doobie Brothers and Don Felder (Eagles) last night and they still sound great. Eagles are my all-time favorite. I never get tired of listening to them. I'm a believer in rock keeping us young!