Free Republic

Despite the recent recall of all Blue Bell ice cream and related products due to the potential risk of Listeria contamination, the company apparently has such a devoted following that some would-be entrepreneurs are attempting to make a quick buck by selling their previously purchased ice cream via online ads. According to an Austin, Texas, TV station, a man in Spicewood, TX, attempted to sell a pint of Blue Bell’s Krazy Kookie Dough ice cream for $10,000 on Craigslist (which works out to $625 per ounce). Blue Bell banana pudding pint“So far the seller has only gotten one offer; that...

We often hear it said that it is simply wrong to insult the faith of 1.3 billion Muslims. Why, then, isn’t it wrong to insult the faith of 2.2 billion Christians? It’s done every day, and sometimes the insults are hard to take. Christians are understandably upset when art exhibits feature crucifixes immersed in urine or portraits of Mary covered with dung.It doesn’t require a Ph.D. to figure out why the secular word condemns insults to Muslims but countenances insults to Christians. It’s because the latter won’t come after you with machetes and assault rifles. If Islam were truly...

It is an obvious truth we too often forget. At the Albert Einstein Memorial, on the grounds of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., an explanatory sign states a simple fact that refutes the argument President Barack Obama's science adviser once made for redistributing wealth and limiting human population so as to save the human race from a poverty he claimed must inevitably intensify as our numbers increase. "At Einstein's feet lies a circular sky map representing the planets, sun, moon, and stars, positioned as observed by astronomers from the U.S. Naval Observatory at noon on the day...

On Tuesday, the son of Kentucky Senator and Republican Presidential Candidate Rand Paul appeared in court where he pleaded guilty to a DUI charge. Police cited William Paul for DUI and failure to maintain insurance after a crash last month. The judge ruled that William Paul will have a 45-day license suspension and is required to pay $718 in fines and court fees. His license will be reinstated after alcohol education classes and the 45-day suspension. The failure to maintain insurance charge was dropped. Police say last month, a witness saw Paul sitting alone in an SUV at the intersection...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican officially recognized the state of Palestine in a new treaty finalized Wednesday, immediately sparking Israeli ire and accusations that the move hurt peace prospects. The treaty, which concerns the activities of the Catholic Church in Palestinian territory, makes clear that the Holy See has switched its diplomatic recognition from the Palestine Liberation Organization to the state of Palestine. The Vatican had welcomed the decision by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012 to recognize a Palestinian state. But the treaty is the first legal document negotiated between the Holy See and the Palestinian state and...

Saudi Arabia continues to ratchet up production, taking market share away from U.S. shale producers. According to OPEC’s latest monthly oil report, Saudi Arabia boosted its oil output to 10.31 million barrels per day in April, a slight increase over the previous month’s total of 10.29 million barrels. That was enough for the de facto OPEC leader to claim its highest oil production level in more than three decades. Saudi Arabia has increased production by 700,000 barrels per day since the fourth quarter of 2014 in an effort maintain market share. The resulting crash in oil prices is forcing some...

For the uninitiated, the Oath Keepers is a group of law enforcement officials and military types whose goal is to uphold the Constitution, unless the government starts getting unconstitutionally tyrannical in their business. With that in mind, here’s one of them calling for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to be tried and hung to death. Via Right Wing Watch comes a video of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes speaking to a conservative gathering in Arizona. In the middle of his speech, reminding the audience of how Ron Paul delegates were shut out of the 2008 GOP convention he blasted the former...

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation is warning parents that their children may need to repeat their vaccinations. A bad refrigerator inside the foundation's Los Gatos office had been keeping vaccines a couple degrees too cold, possibly ruining the vaccines. The vaccines in question were administered from February 2014 through March 2015. More than 4,000 pediatric patients were notified of the possible issue with vaccinations. Experts said the vaccines are safe, but because they were stored a bit too cold they could be less effective. "There is nothing unsafe about any vaccines," said Dr. David Quinn of the Palo Alto Medical...

Law enforcement authorities have charged four people in connection with the theft of more than $870,000 from two public schools in Chicago through a fraudulent billing scheme, records show. Named in arrest warrants were: Jermaine Robinson, 36, of Chicago; Sidney Bradley, 46, of Chicago; Albert Bennett, 49, of Carpentersville; and Paul Simmons, 55, of Calumet City, according to Cook County court records. All four were charged with felony theft of government property, court records show. Cook County Judge Nicholas Ford on Tuesday set bail at $400,000 for Robinson and $200,000 for Bradley, Bennett and Simmons. Bennett and a fifth man...

A team of burglars smashed a stolen SUV into Bloomingdale's at Stanford Shopping Center early Wednesday morning, police said, shattering the front glass doors of the high-end store and stealing a "large amount of jewelry." Palo Alto Police Agent Marianna Villaescusa said the suspects backed up a red SUV at 4:03 a.m. into the El Camino Real side of Bloomie's, according to surveillance footage reviewed at the scene. Three people, all wearing black-hooded sweatshirts, got out of the SUV and the driver waited for them outside, she said. The trio used "some form of tool," perhaps hammers, Villaescusa said, to...

After more than 75 years of flying, the end is near for US Airways. American Airlines plans to shut down the venerable carrier over a 90-day stretch that could begin as soon as July, which would mean a final departure around October. American executives designed the gradual fade-out to avoid the kind of technological glitches and massive flight delays that plagued United Airlines after it abruptly switched to Continental's computer systems in 2012.

It is well documented how the media tend to be more critical of conservative candidates than their liberal counterparts. But at least if you know this, you can be prepared to counter the snark with reason and find alternative ways to disseminate your message. If, however, this latest example of media bias is indicative of what we can expect until 2016, we’re in for a long cycle. If you haven’t heard, the former chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard has thrown her hat in the ring to compete for the 2016 Republican nomination for President. Whether or not she’s your pick,...

He says the American public should be less worried about privacy and should back increased collection as a means of foiling terrorist attacks. Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee said Wednesday that "it's beyond belief how little data is a part of the program."...Senate leaders have introduced a bill that would allow the NSA to continue collecting phone records.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un had his defence minister executed with anti-aircraft fire for insubordination and dozing off during a formal military rally, South Korean intelligence said Wednesday, hinting at possible instability in the Pyongyang leadership. If confirmed, it marks another demonstration of Kim's ruthlessness in dealing with even the most senior officials suspected of disloyalty, following the execution of his uncle and one-time political mentor Jang Song-Thaek in 2013.

Zero Hedge first brought attention to the Atlanta Fed over two months ago, when the first massive divergence between bullish consensus and objective reality appeared. Since then it has been nothing but a downhill race for reality, with consensus scrambling to catch up. Moments ago, the Atlanta Fed just cut its Q2 GDP forecast once more, this time to 0.7% from 0.8%. This is on the back of a Q1 GDP which as of this moments is around -1.0%. From the Atlanta Fed: The GDPNow model forecast for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the second quarter of...

Washington • The state-owned oil company of Azerbaijan secretly funded an all-expenses-paid trip to a conference at Baku on the Caspian Sea in 2013 for 10 members of Congress and 32 staff members, according to a confidential ethics report obtained by The Washington Post. Three former top aides to President Barack Obama appeared as speakers at the conference. Lawmakers and their staff members received hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of travel expenses, silk scarves, crystal tea sets and Azerbaijani rugs valued at $2,500 to $10,000, according to the ethics report. Airfare for the lawmakers and some of their spouses...

Pope Francis’ closest cardinal advisor on Tuesday blasted “movements in the United States” hostile to the pontiff’s forthcoming document on the environment, claiming the criticism is fueled by a form of capitalism protecting its own interests. “The ideology surrounding environmental issues is too tied to a capitalism that doesn’t want to stop ruining the environment because they don’t want to give up their profits,” said Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga.

In the classic 1976 movie “Network,” there is a famous scene where a character played by the late Peter Finch shouts, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!” I feel that same sentiment is growing throughout America, as the cost of our debt and regulatory state has exploded.In the era of Obama, we are now pushing our way far beyond the current 101% debt-to-GDP ratio, which is a dangerous and job-destroying level of borrowing on behalf of the welfare state. As the Federal leviathan in Washington, D.C. continues to grow, power is shifted into the hand...

Pope Francis has warned “the powerful of the Earth” they will answer to God if they fail to protect the environment to ensure the world can feed its population. “The planet has enough food for all, but it seems that there is a lack of willingness to share it with everyone,” Francis said at a mass to mark the opening of the general assembly of the Catholic charitable organisation Caritas. “We must do what we can so that everyone has something to eat, but we must also remind the powerful of the Earth that God will call them to judgment...

"I couldn't talk or yell. I had no phone to text a message. I thought I would be stranded until someone found us," said Brozman, who lives on her own in Santa Rosa, California, with a wheelchair and Caspin, who understands English and sign language. Caspin put his neck under her hand until she got a finger looped on his collar. "Then, very slowly, he started to pull me forward. He pushed the door open. Then he stayed by me until I could function enough to get into bed," she said.