Free Republic

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s bombshell announcement Friday that she was leaving the Democratic Party to become an Independent sparked a fury among liberals who accused the iconoclastic lawmaker of being a self-serving traitor. The first-term senator argued in an op-ed published Friday by the Arizona Republic as well as several interviews that she has “never really fit into a box of any political party” — and she vowed not to caucus with Senate Republicans. Should she keep her promise, Democrats will still retain their narrow voting majority in the closely divided Senate. In a video explaining her decision, Sinema said:...

A surgeon has been suspended after allegedly branding his initials into a transplant patient's liver. Consultant Simon Bramhall, 48, is accused of burning 'SB' onto a patient's liver as he operated on him. The letters were spotted by a colleague during routine surgery on the unnamed patient. It is now feared the letters may have been imprinted onto hundreds of other transplant recipients.

More than 10,000 primary school pupils in a single year have been labelled racist or homophobic over minor squabbles. Even toddlers in nursery classes are being penalised for so-called hate crimes such as using the words ‘white trash’ or ‘gaylord’. Schools are forced to report their language to education authorities, which keep a register of incidents. This leads to at least 30,000 primary and secondary pupils per year being effectively classed as bigots because of anti-bullying rules.

NEW DELHI (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI's attack on Islam has stirred anger in India with the head of the National Commission for Minorities saying he sounded like a medieval crusader. Pope Benedict provoked worldwide outcry with comments Tuesday during a visit to his native Germany in which he talked about the "issue of jihad, holy war", a term used by Islamic extremists to justify acts of terror. "The language used by the pope sounds like that of his 12th-century counterpart who ordered the crusades," said Hamid Ansari, chairman of the influential National Commission for Minorities. The commission's role includes...

Republican pollster Jan van Lohuizen, in a memo written for RNC chairman Ken Mehlman, warns that if members of Congress try to drive a wedge between themselves and Pres. Bush, it'd be akin to adding weight to an anchor. GOpers are "W Brand Republicans" whether they like it or not. And van Louhizen, who has polled (often secretly) for the Bush White House under the RNC aegis for years, is worried about low turnout. Time Magazine first reported on the memo this weekend, but the full text is below.

Dairies cause more smog than cars, according to the San Joaquin Valley air district. Recent science shows milk cows produce at least 60 percent more smog-forming chemicals than previous estimates, which were based on aging studies, valley air officials say. And that's "likely to be an underestimate," said Rick McVaigh, director of permit services for the air district, which released a draft pollution-per-cow estimate Monday. Dairy industry representatives are outraged that the district would rely on incomplete and irrelevant science, they say. "It's unbelievable what they've come up with," said Michael Boccadoro, spokesman for a dairy lobbying group known as...

A surveillance video shows that the partner of a police officer who was shot three times during a car stop last week in Brooklyn ran away and, for several minutes, failed to help the wounded officer, a police official said yesterday. The actions of the partner, Officer Gilberto T. Marrero, are under investigation by the Police Department's Firearms Discharge Review Board as part of its routine inquiry into the shooting, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is still under way. Officer Marrero, a 12-year veteran, could face dismissal if the board concludes that...

Howard Dean, rebel firebrand turned Democratic Party head 1 hour, 19 minutes ago WASHINGTON (AFP) - Howard Dean, the outspoken medical doctor whose run for the Democratic presidential nomination last year spectacularly flared and burned out, surprised fans and foes alike by taking the leadership of the Democratic Party. As chairman of the Democratic National Committee, he assumes responsibility for a party much-chagrined after ceding two presidential races and control of Congress to rival Republicans, and unsure how to define itself to voters. Branded a radical leftist by his opponents and distrusted by the party's powerful Washington old guard, Dean...