Free Republic

Carrie Chisholm had had a really bad day. The final thing to go wrong? She found herself without her purse when she drove up to pay for her now five-year-old son Hughes’ dinner at Chick-fil-a. Instead of turning her away, though, the cashier spoke to her manager, who told Chisholm the meal was on the house.

“I governed in a state that was the most lopsided and partisan in the country. … My friend, it was tough sledding, but I learned how to govern, and I learned how to lead. And even in that environment, we passed 94 tax cuts, rebuilt our road system, saw dramatic improvements in student test scores and fought the corruption of the good old boy system so that working class people would finally be given a fair shake.”– Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R), speech announcing his presidential candidacy, May 5, 2015In his speech launching his presidential bid for 2016, Huckabee...

Hillary Clinton has tried to piggyback on her husband's ferocious reputation, boasting that she "beat the Republican attack machine." Of course, if anybody beat the Republican attack machine, it was Bill. Hillary Clinton wasn't on any ballot in the 1990s. True, her reputation was at stake, but that's a fight she lost: She ended that decade a highly unpopular figure. She remains one today, with about half of the public persistently telling pollsters they have an unfavorable view of her. Nor was Clinton able to shed her baggage when she moved to New York. In her November 2000 Senate race,...

Ted Wells' investigation into the possibility that the New England Patriots were involved in deflating footballs for the AFC championship game has found that it's more likely than not some of the Patriots were guilty. "Based on the evidence developed in connection with the investigation and summarized in this Report, we have concluded that it is more probable than not that New England Patriots personnel participated in violations of the NFL Playing Rules and were involved in a deliberate attempt to circumvent those rules," the report, released Wednesday, said. With that line on Page 121 of the massive report, it...

The Pacific Educational Group (PEG) espouses a lot of controversial and stereotypical concepts regarding minority students in K-12 schools. For instance, the organization teaches that black kids are less likely to respond to fundamental ideas like working hard to achieve success, or being on time for school or work, because those ideas are supposedly foreign to African-American culture. PEG is literally selling notions like that to American public schools, and the schools are buying them, at a cost of millions of tax dollars every year. One prominent black professional, journalist and author Juan Williams, thinks those schools are subscribing to...

(The original title of the article: Hindus Come To A Village, Brutally And Violently Attack All Of The Christians, And Now The Village Is Completely Absent Of All Christians) A Hindu mob in India went into the village of Amtola and after making a vicious and brutal attack on the Christians there, the village is now completely absent of all Christians. According to the report: Church members have fled a village in northeast India after a vicious attack that seriously injured at least three Christians, including a 7-year-old girl. A mob of about 100 Hindu extremists armed with swords, bamboo...

The agreement, which was struck just two hours before the final deadline for Netanyahu to cobble together a ruling government, paves the way for a narrow, 61-seat coalition. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud faction on Wednesday reached an agreement with the religious Zionist Bayit Yehudi on the formation of a rightist coalition, Israel Radio reported. The agreement, which was struck just two hours before the final deadline for Netanyahu to cobble together a ruling government, paves the way for a narrow, 61-seat coalition. By law, if Netanyahu failed to form a government by midnight on Wednesday, President Reuven Rivlin...

If you are grateful for small things, it is a good sign that even constant critics of the police are denouncing the murder of NYPD cop Brian Moore. No less than President Obama, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Al Sharpton have expressed outrage and offered condolences. Their remarks are welcome, with Sharpton calling the murder an “unpardonable crime.” His comments reinforce the old-fashioned idea that attacking law enforcement is out of bounds, always and everywhere.

In possibly the dumbest article to ever be written, Gawker author and NYU teacher Josephine Livingstone called for the banning of men from moderating literary reading. The article is titled “Ban Men from Literary Readings” and is literally several paragraphs of sexist ramblings, comments on the fact that many men are straight, and stereotypes. Ms. Livingstone’s piece begins with her complaining that, at a book-reading, that a moderator didn’t choose her to ask a question. “There’s a procession of question-askers,” she writes, “professors, grad students, writers, editors, self-appointed smart guys. Well-intentioned, each one.” She adds, for no discernible reason, “The...

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker took aim at Hillary Clinton's latest comments on immigration, saying her "full embrace of amnesty is unfair." He's one of the first Republicans to directly respond to Clinton, which is a difficult issue for many Republicans running for the presidential nomination - or considering a run. His willingness to draw attention to the issue by responding to Clinton indicates that he's going to use the issue to separate himself from not only Clinton, the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic nomination, but more immediately his Republican challengers. On Tuesday, Clinton told a largely Latino audience in...

The nasty business going on in the New York state capital isn’t getting any better, but the political theater resulting from it keeps on delivering the goods. Earlier, Sheldon Silver was indicted after decades of being the chief Democrat power broker on the Hudson. I had asked at the time whether or not Silver might roll up on Governor Andrew Cuomo, but to date that doesn’t seem to have happened. The feds were clearly picking up a scent of something untoward, though, and kept on digging. This week another power player was taken down when Dean Skelos – one...

Rep. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he intends to run for the open Senate seat in Florida being vacated by GOP Sen. Marco Rubio. The conservative favorite, a 36-year-old Iraq War veteran elected to the House in 2012, presented himself as a part of the “new generation of leaders” that Rubio said is ready to lead the country. “As a candidate for Senate, I look forward to offering reforms based on limited government principles that will make our country stronger and more prosperous,” DeSantis said in a statement. “I see a bright future for Florida and for America and my...

The death of yet another NYPD officer, killed in the line of duty after an incident this weekend, offers more proof that police officers across America are under siege. Our nation stands at a crossroads. De-policing would deal a win to thugs, vigilantes and criminal opportunism. The public must stand against the conditions that force cops to consider such a radical move. Our belief in “justice for all” is what prevents tyranny and anarchy. Acknowledging that cops deserve justice and respect, no less than criminals do, will preserve a system that, while imperfect, keeps Americans safe. It’s time we defended...

The Ninawa International Hotel : ISIS propagandists want us to believe it functions almost like a ‘normal’ state, even opening a five-star hotel. But it’s all lies.

The Vatican’s semiofficial newspaper blasted a series of cartoons of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad as “blasphemous” but also condemned the “mad and bloodthirsty” extremists who opened fire at a Texas exhibit of the cartoons. The front-page article in L’Osservatore Romano likened the exhibit in Garland, Texas, to pouring “gasoline on the fire” of religious sensitivities and was critical of its sponsors, the American Freedom Defense Initiative, and professional provocateur Pamela Geller. Police on Sunday (May 3) shot and killed two gunmen who opened fire outside the exhibit that was designed to provoke Muslim sensitivities; the so-called Islamic State has since claimed...

Mike Huckabee is not the evangelical candidate. Oh sure, he’ll get a hefty amount of the evangelical vote even though there is a much more competitive field this time around. But if you think he’s a one-trick pony then you miss the larger story. The easy media narrative will be that Huckabee must appeal to evangelicals to do well. And there’s no denying that will be a part of his potential winning equation. But what Huckabee has that no other candidate possesses is an, “aw shucks,” bless your heart, southern charm. That will play well in the heartland of this...

Hillary Clinton is the favorite U.S. presidential candidate among millionaire voters and would win a head-to-head contest with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, according to the third CNBC Millionaire Survey conducted in March that was released today. The survey, which polls 750 Americans with a net worth of $1 million or more, found that 53 percent of millionaires would vote for the Democratic ex-Secretary of State, compared with 47 percent for the GOP presidential hopeful, in a hypothetical general-election match-up. Clinton had the support of 91 percent of Democratic millionaires, 13 percent of Republican millionaires and 57 percent of Independent...

Ted Cruz is blaming the terror attack outside a controversial cartoon contest in Texas on President Obama. “Once again, as with Nidal Hasan and the Tsarnaev brothers, we have radical Islamic terrorists who this Administration knew about and yet failed to connect the dots and prevent this act of terrorism,” the Texas Republican senator told the Dallas Morning News. “It underscores the need for vigilance. And it also underscore the concerns with this Administration’s inability to combat radical Islamic terrorism.” Cruz, a frequent critic of the Obama administration and a 2016 presidential candidate, was referring to a horrific incident Sunday...

John McCain's troubles with conservatives have him in a whole lot of trouble for reelection next year. Even among Republican primary voters just 41% approve of the job he's doing to 50% who disapprove. Only 37% of primary voters say they generally support him for renomination, compared to 51% who say they would prefer someone 'more conservative.' It's his struggles on the right that have McCain imperiled. He gets narrowly positive reviews from both 'somewhat conservative' (51/37) and moderate (50/44) Republicans. But among those who identify themselves as 'very conservative,' just 21% approve of the job McCain is doing to...