Free Republic

Educators at Palisades High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, called it “Right to Read Day”—a contest where students were encouraged last month to “fight back against censorship” by reading and making videos about frequently banned books. But many of the books promoted in this contest were laden with pornography, including graphic rape scenes, pedophilia and anal sex between minors. Headline USA learned this from Wendy Hawley, a concerned parent of a student at Palisades; and Brooke Weiss, a substitute teacher at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the head of North Carolina local chapter of the non-profit organization Moms for Liberty. “When I...

I do not for a moment downplay the danger of the radical, rightwing ideologies of White supremacists in America. Nor do I deny the existence of a dominionist, takeover mentality in some Christian circles, the most extreme of which were put on display in the days leading up to January 6, 2021. But the real danger, the ever-present danger, the more pressing danger, is that of a radical dominionist takeover from the left. The evidence is all around us. Consider for a moment what is currently happening in America today (as opposed to predicting what is to come). Which group...

A TikToker's video of a restaurant playing the national anthem is sparking debate on the popular social media platform.Paulina (@paulinappa_0) took the video at Rainbow Oaks Country Market in Fallbrook, California, which shows several diners standing up out of respect for the song. She found the situation to be "dangerous" and several other TikTok users also shared similar experiences they had at other restaurants, which they too found to be unnerving.

A young pilot who died unexpectedly last week marks the third pilot fatality in a month, alongside six in-flight pilot casualties since the beginning of March. There has not yet been a cause of death released for Phil Thomas, a graduate of the FTEJerez pilot academy in Spain, who died suddenly last week. “We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of our dear student from Course 77, Phil Thomas,” FTEJerez wrote in a social media post on April 10th. “His sudden death has come as a shock to us all. We would like to extend our...

Interesting Video.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Prayer Breakfast, one of the most visible and long-standing events that brings religion and politics together in Washington, is splitting from the private religious group that had overseen it for decades, due to concerns the gathering had become too divisive. The organizer and host for this year's breakfast, scheduled for Thursday, will be the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation, headed by former Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark. Sen. Chris Coons, a regular participant and chairman of the Senate ethics committee, said the move was prompted in part by concerns in recent years that members of Congress did...

Was the Southwest debacle "the perfect storm"? No, it was not.While you're still stuck at some crowded airport -- perhaps one where the police are telling you that you're trespassing -- the apologies have begun. Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan finally, after more than two days of chaos, offered a heartfelt video of apology. I'm sorry. I meant an utterly robotic video of an apology written, it appeared, by a lawyer. On the heels of wide-scale disruptions, we're working diligently to Safely recover our operation & accommodate displaced Customers & Crews. We know this is unacceptable & sincerely apologize. If...

But, all along — and long after the series had gone into syndication, and years of reruns — there was a hidden joke in “Hogan’s Heroes.” It was simply this. Many of its characters were played by Jewish refugees from the Nazis. Consider: Colonel Wilhelm Klink, the commandant of the stalag. His chief characteristics: vanity, insecurity, paranoia, and basically inept, in constant fear of being sent to the Russian front. He was played by Werner Klemperer, a veteran German entertainer. He was born into a family that was part of German-Jewish cultural aristocracy. His father was the renowned conductor Otto...

It's one thing to send your neighbor a completely insane rambling letter demanding that they cease something that you don't want them to do. That alone takes a certain level of unhinged manicism. When that letter is written so poorly that parts of it are almost incomprehensible, it takes the whole thing to another level. It's kind of like getting into an argument on the internet; if you're unable to adequately and accurately express yourself, you will be torn apart based on that alone. Why on earth is this neighbor so riled up in the first place? I wouldn't consider...

Last week, a shocking moment of truth broke through the huge effort elites normally put into hiding their disdain for the rest of us. At an event sponsored by the libertarian Cato Institute, President of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Adam Posen—a man who appears to be paid $450,000 a year—made clear his absolute contempt for the working class.

An academic at a teacher training college has claimed efforts to improve vocabulary in schools are ‘racist, classist and ableist’.Ian Cushing, lecturer in English and Education at Edge Hill University, believes tackling the ‘word gap’ – the difference between the language range of typical middle class and working class or disabled youngsters – has ‘colonial’ roots.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – In settlement of a lawsuit that Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed on behalf of several pro-life citizens who were arrested for engaging in peaceful prayer and sidewalk counseling outside an abortion facility, Greensboro city officials admitted that the pro-life citizens were cited for their “exercise of constitutionally protected First Amendment rights.” As part of the settlement, the city agreed that the First Amendment protects engaging in pro-life advocacy on public sidewalks and further agreed to uphold citizens’ First Amendment rights in any future proclamation order related to a public-health emergency like COVID-19. Based on the city’s admission...

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office has announced that it will no longer be pulling over drivers for non-moving violations. Deputies said they will not be stopping drivers for things like inspection violations, driving with a revoked license, having window tinting that’s too dark or having a taillight out. The sheriff’s office said this change in policy is part of an effort to address racial inequality that they said is apparent in traffic stops. Channel 9′s Glenn Counts spoke with a community activist who is applauding this decision. Robert Dawkins, with Action NC, said officers used minor...

A liberal man who admitted shooting a pro-life grandma who was merely canvassing against a radical pro-abortion ballot measure in Michigan still doesn’t face any criminal charges. More than a week has elapsed since Richard Harvey shot the unnamed pro-life advocate in the back on September 20th. Harvey has admitted to shooting an elderly pro-life woman who was canvassing homes to campaign against Proposal 3, which would legalize abortions up to birth in the state. Meanwhile, his wife is a radical leftist and abortion activist who regularly threatens conservatives in social media posts. During a recent local TV interview, Harvey...

<p>LONDON (AP) — For years, global health officials have used billions of drops of an oral vaccine in a remarkably effective campaign aimed at wiping out polio in its last remaining strongholds — typically, poor, politically unstable corners of the world.</p>

Washington Post White House correspondent Tyler Pager drew astonished laughter when he asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre if President Joe Biden’s recent successes and his Covid isolation are “just a coincidence.” After being sprung briefly after a negative test, President Biden went back into isolation over the weekend due to a rebound Covid infection. Meanwhile, the Senate passed the bipartisan CHIPs bill and reached an agreement on the Inflation Reduction Act. At Tuesday’s White House briefing, Pager connected those dots, asking Jean-Pierre if the successes are a “coincidence” and citing the success of the 2020 campaign during isolation....

In peer-reviewed breakthrough, embryos grown from stem cells; diverse group of scientists says method may one day be used to ethically grow cells for replacement human organs An Israeli lab has grown synthetic mouse embryos with brains and beating hearts — in an egg-free sperm-free procedure that used stem cells taken from skin. The breakthrough, published on Monday in the peer-reviewed journal Cell, represents the first time that an advanced embryo of any species has been created from stem cells alone, cell biologist Prof. Jacob Hanna of the Weizmann Institute of Science told The Times of Israel. Hanna, whose team...

Retirees were tricked out of their savings in a telemarketing scheme involving fake federal agents, authorities say.In one example, officials say a retired Massachusetts nurse was swindled out of over $900,000 in funds from her bank and retirement accounts. She thought her identity had been stolen and that she needed to transfer her money to new accounts — accounts owned by fraudsters pretending to work for agencies like the Social Security Administration and U.S. Department of Justice.

The mayor of a California city said an error by contractors was responsible for the zigzagging lane lanes on a city road that left some residents scratching their heads. SNIP Velazquez said the lines were supposed to be slightly curved, but the instructions were apparently misinterpreted by the contractors who painted the lines. "Basically, it just comes down to the contractor. Somebody didn't read the plans correctly," Velazquez said. "It was not designed to look very odd."

A Rhode Island sports bar apologized on Monday after sharing a meme on Facebook making light of Anne Frank’s death at the hand of the Nazis. “It’s hotter than an oven out there… and I should know,” read the Atlantic Sports and Bar’s Friday post over a picture of teenage German-Dutch diarist Anne Frank, who was killed by the Nazis in 1945. The post was seeking to make a joke about the heatwave rolling through Rhode Island. The restaurant came under immediate criticism from social media users, some of whom called for a boycott of the restaurant until it issued...