Free Republic

The Statue of Liberty was originally designed to be a Muslim woman, the Smithsonian Institution's magazine says.  An article on the government-administered museum’s blog, Smart News, claims one of the designers of Lady Liberty drew inspiration from monuments in Egypt and originally intended to construct a veiled female peasant on the Suez Canal.  The article cites historian Barry Moreno, author of multiple books about the statue, whose Islamic origins were also reported last week by The Daily Beast.   “Taking the form of a veiled peasant woman, the statue was to stand 86 feet high, and its pedestal was to...

Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard shocked conservatives Tuesday when he vetoed legislation that would have prohibited students in South Dakota public schools from using opposite-sex restrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities. The decision is a boon for transgender advocates who lobbied the governor to reject the bill, arguing it was discriminatory and would have harmed the emotional well-being of transgender students. Proponents of the legislation contended it’s inappropriate to have adolescent boys and girls showering and changing in the same room. “Do you feel it appropriate for a 13-year-old girl to be exposed to the anatomy of a boy? Or for...

Constitutional lawyer Floyd Abrams says Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is on the right side in the argument over whether he can run for president. "I think Senator Cruz is right that 'natural-born' as understood would more likely than not be held to mean someone that didn't need to be naturalized, didn't have to go through any procedure to be an American, as of course he did not because he had an American mother," Abrams told host John Catsimatidis on "The Cats Roundtable" on New York's AM-970 on Sunday. Despite his belief that Cruz is a natural-born citizen, Abrams said...