Free Republic

A little known obstacle in black women's efforts to lead healthy and active lifestyles is the extravagant hair styles that they maintain. In an effort to spare these women from the so-called obesity 'epidemic', an army of black hair stylists will be mobilized across America to trim the fat. The initiative to arm black hairstylists with the weapons they need to combat obesity among black women is being spearheaded by U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin and UnitedHealthCare. This week, the dynamic duo plans to recruit 60,000 hairstylists at the the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show in Atlanta, Ga. "Recognizing...

Team sports will no longer be encouraged in the District of Columbia's public schools during gym class as "competition" has been deemed an obstacle to children struggling with the reality that none of them have been created equal in size, skill or ability. Instead of playing competitive games like soccer, basketball and baseball, kids will stand alone jumping rope, gyrating with hula hoops, dancing, juggling scarves and, most importantly, learning how to embrace diversity. "The trend is to move away from competitiveness," says Donald Hawkins who teaches students as young as 3- and 4-years-old at Browne Education Campus in Northeast...

Nanny State Liberation Front; July 21, 2010Thanks to Jedediah Bila at Human Events for shining the spotlight on a critical issue that never would have seen the light of day in the State-Run Media! Helena Public Schools in Montana recently released a 62-page draft proposal titled “Helena Public Schools Health Enhancement K-12 Critical Competencies,” which they claim “represent content that students are expected to know at each grade level. The Critical Competencies are not the entire curriculum, but learner outcomes should be taught in [sic] sequential, systematic approach to promote an appropriate foundation to health & wellness.”Some of the many...

Nanny State Liberation Front; July 16, 2010 Young children that are barely old enough to speak in complete sentences were recently brought to Capitol Hill by a radical food 'watchdog' group in an effort to gain congressional support for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill. The children, dressed in costumes making them look like the Fruit of the Loom "Fruit Guys," are being paraded around entrances to congressional buildings in silly costumes while their 'well-informed' adult companions tell Members of Congress and their staffers what the kids really want them to know, but just don't know how to say, because no...

While addressing the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) this week, First Lady Michelle Obama declared obesity a threat to black Americans comparable to oppressive racial policies of the past. Instead of citing positive black role models who refuse to fall victim to a supposed threat that is ‘terrorizing’ their race, Mrs. Obama instigated another racial struggle for the civil rights organization to unnecessarily embed itself. “We are living today in a time where we’re decades beyond slavery, we are decades beyond Jim Crow; when one of the greatest risks to our children’s future is their own...

The 'food police' just became 'America's Most Wanted' criminals for their recent attempt to rob children across America of their beloved McDonald's Happy Meals. A quick look at the Center for Science in the Public Interest's (CSPI) Facebook page reveals that scores of angry parents have plastered the organization's 'Wall' with angry messages demanding CSPI back-off from suing McDonald's and infringing on their parental rights. On Monday, June 28, the consumer advocacy group Creative Consumer Concepts (C3) launched a new online resource to help parents fight back against the CSPI publicity stunt targeting Happy Meals and parents' rights to choose...

The mathematical wizards at the blog 'Political Calculations' have produced some visual aids to vividly depict what they call, "The Cost of Feeding the Nanny State." It's worth a glance if you have yet to enjoy President Obama's sweet and intoxicating Kool-Aid, and it might just relieve symptoms of 'Blamebushisitis." In May 2010, George Washington University and Washington University in St. Louis jointly issued a report on the growth of government spending allocated in the annual budget of the United States' federal government for the purpose of regulating social and economic activity in the nation. Written by Susan Dudley and Melinda Warren, the...

A coalition of prominent public health organizations is rallying behind a new report that shows just how valuable cigarette smokers are to cash-strapped states’ economies. Citing a “mountain of evidence” to compel North Carolina legislators to increase ‘sin taxes’ on smokers so they can “save lives,” hidden in the smokescreen is the ultimate goal of harvesting hundreds of millions in revenue by exploiting cigarette smokers’ addictions as opposed to trying to help them quit. One might assume the North Carolina Alliance for Health (NCAH), an organization whose membership roster includes the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the American...

Taking the Santa Clara County, Calif. Happy Meal toy ban to the national level, a radical consumer activist group is threatening to sue McDonald’s if it continues to include toys in kids meals. “McDonald’s is the stranger in the playground handing out candy to children,” said Center for Science in the Public Interest’s (CSPI) litigation director Stephen Gardner. “McDonald’s use of toys undercuts parental authority and exploits young children’s developmental immaturity—all this to induce children to prefer foods that may harm their health. It’s a creepy and predatory practice that warrants an injunction.” Gardner couldn’t be more wrong in his...

While the Motor City continues to hold the record for the nation's highest unemployment rate, teachers are enjoying job security and a few extra benefits that should infuriate unemployed taxpayers struggling to pay their bills. "[T]eachers in Utica Community Schools, the second-largest school district in the state, can get up to 38 'therapeutic massage' visits at a chiropractor's office a year with no co-pay under their contract," reports The Detroit News. "Facing a $33 million shortfall, Utica Community Schools plans to close four elementary schools at the end of this school year" in an effort to "save $3.1 million." Here's...

BP's directors plan to suspend the oil giant's dividend payment, the BBC has learned. BBC business editor Robert Peston says that the directors are to meet on Monday to make a formal decision. However, any formal announcement will not be made until after negotiations with the US president on Wednesday.

If you’ve ever been issued a traffic ticket by a red light or speeding camera, you will revel in the bittersweet justice one luck recipient bestowed upon his local nanny state police department. Upon receiving a speeding ticket in the mail, Brian McCrary followed the citation’s payment instructions and attempted to pay his $90 fine on the Bluff City Police Department’s (BCPD) website. Much to his surprise, he discovered its domain name was about to expire. Instead of paying his fine, McCrary saw it as a rare opportunity to literally ‘pay back’ the police department for violating his civil liberties...