Free Republic

A new law in Missouri has imposed a ban on Facebook and any other social networking between students and teachers. Missouri’s governor, Jay Nixon, signed Senate Bill 54 that will go into effect on August 28, 2011. It is part of an initiative “to more clearly define teacher-student boundaries.” This bill, sponsored by Senator Jane Cunningham, creates the “Amy Hestir Student Protection Act.” Its goal is to eliminate unreported sexual misconduct and improve background information for hiring schools. Amy Hestir, the then 13-year-old who was sexually assaulted by her teacher, is the inspiration for this new bill.Hestir testified before the...

On Monday I wrote a bit about President Obama’s now semi-notorious “they talk about me like a dog” line that was supposedly improvised during a speech in Milwaukee. As it turns out, some intrepid researchers are speculating that Obama might have been channeling a line from the Jimi Hendrix song “Stone Free.” I was skeptical at first, but it kind of makes sense, because another line in that song is “I got to, got to, got to get away” — perfect for somebody who just came off several weeks worth of vacations.

Salon's got a blood-boiling interview with Aaron Kupchik, author of Homeroom Security: School Discipline in an Age of Fear, a close look at four very different US schools. Each school has a different demographic and different location, but the thing they all share is a set of zero-tolerance policies that turn them into Kafka-esque nightmares: (snip) "...We're teaching kids what it means to be a citizen in our country. And what I fear we're doing is teaching them that what it means to be an American is that you accept authority without question and that you have absolutely no rights...

"I propose that President Obama is simultaneously trying to rescue the economy using the Keynesian/Democratic model while at the same time also trying to destroy the economy through the Cloward-Piven Strategy. His two mutually contradictory plans cancel each other out, rendering all his efforts self-negating, and this explains why the American economy has stalled. I dub this the Obama-Piven Strategy. And it’s the reason why we remain mired in a deep recession. We are neither recovering, as the Keynesian model predicts, nor is capitalism collapsing, as the revolutionaries hope; the Obama-Piven strategy ensures that we remain in suspended animation between...

Iran's ministry of culture has released a catalog of government-approved hair styles, in an effort to eliminate the menace of "decadent Western cuts." According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, forbidden 'dos include ponytails, mullets and spiky hair. But styles resembling those of Elvis Presley, Simon Cowell, or eighties-era floppy fringes are totally fine. Also, hair gel in moderation is acceptable. With the exception of goatees, facial hair is frowned upon. Remember now, just months ago an Iranian cleric decreed: "Many women who do not dress modestly lead young men astray and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes." Wonder...

"In the spirit of the Fourth of July, we’ve put together some posters with a few of our favorite quotes from our Gov (1.0) heroes. They helped define the very principles we want our fellows to realize through Gov 2.0 — democracy, participation, and patriotism — so they couldn’t be more relevant now. Check out all six below; each links to a printable (and text-selectable) pdf. Share, print, and post them to spread the word, and help others see how we’re all — coders, old and new — speaking the same language." Quotes in binary from Kennedy, FDR, Susan B....

A new law that aims to reduce the risk of lead poisoning in children will also make your home remodeling projects more expensive. While some say the law is necessary for your health and safety, others say it couldn't have come at a worse time. Looking at a spring remodeling project? Be careful who you hire. Beginning April 22, if your home was built before 1978, you'll have to hire a contractor who is certified to work in a lead-safe environment. "You can bet that 1/3 of all renovation projects are going to be affected by this," said Luke Garard,...

SAN DIEGO — Students were evacuated from Millennial Tech Magnet Middle School in the Chollas View neighborhood Friday afternoon after an 11-year-old student brought a personal science project that he had been making at home to school, authorities said. Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, said the student had been making the device in his home garage. A vice principal saw the student showing it to other students at school about 11:40 a.m. Friday and was concerned that it might be harmful, and San Diego police were notified. The school, which has about 440 students in grades...

I remember my anger and confusion. Thinking to myself, "how could any rational, educated person support a man who has no executive experience? Who worked with the Democrat Socialists of America? Who represented ACORN as an attorney? ACORN! The antithesis of all things American, undermining the integrity of our very voting system! After the election, I recall a bitter taste in my mouth. Scrutinizing my neighbors. Questioning them, mentally, as to their motives. More than a year later, the Obama bumper stickers and signs have all but disappeared. The economic disaster, endemic to any Socialist strategy -- and especially that...

CAVERNA, Mo. - Terry Potter lives in Rogers but he won't buy cigarettes in Arkansas. Potter plays golf in Bella Vista, and it's just a short drive to the Missouri state line, where a carton of cigarettes is considerably cheaper. "I wouldn't buy cigarettes in Arkansas," he said, while shopping Friday at Don's Stateline Store in Caverna, Mo. "It's an $8 or $10 difference right now." On March 1, Arkansas' new 56-cents-per-pack cigarette tax will go into effect, raising the price by $5.60 for a wholesale carton that likely will be passed on to retail customers. The tax will increase...

OZARK, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Transportation plans to quickly award contracts for major construction projects after President Barack Obama signed a $787 billion stimulus package on Tuesday. Journagan Construction and its employees will be one of the companies that benefits from the work being moved up from 2010 or 2011 to now. In Tuscumbia, between Lake of the Ozarks and Jefferson City, construction crews began replacing a rural bridge just minutes after Obama signed the law. The bridge project likely is the first in the nation to get started under the stimulus plan. It was scheduled to be...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In February 2009, new requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) take effect. Manufacturers, importers and retailers are expected to comply with the new Congressionally-mandated laws. Beginning February 10, 2009, children’s products cannot be sold if they contain more than 600 parts per million (ppm) total lead. Certain children’s products manufactured on or after February 10, 2009 cannot be sold if they contain more than 0.1% of certain specific phthalates or if they fail to meet new mandatory standards for toys. Under the new law, children’s products with more than 600 ppm total lead cannot...

Beck's been having too much fun with his modified version of the old Soviet National anthem. He ran this cartoon on his show last night. (Click on the linky above)

Folks, I'm so mad I can't see straight and I hope the smarter(than me) people here at FR can advise us on this. At school registration we got a handout informing us about a change to school policy. Starting this school year, any student who wishes to participate in any extra curricular or co-curricular activities must consent to random drug testing! Needless to say I was 'stuned' and speechless. We're not a big metropolitan school district, we're a very small, rural school. This was apparently done during a closed session of the school board's meeting over the summer. As far...

GAINESVILLE, Mo. -- A man living in Ozark County is charged with second-degree murder after a shooting during a family outing Sunday near Mammoth. The victim was a man from Mountain Home, Ark. The shooting was next to Lick Creek near Mammoth, south of Gainesville, on private property near Big Rock swimming hole. A family of about 10 from Mountain Home was enjoying their Sunday, swimming and cooking hot dogs, when the owners came down to confront them. “There was an argument, push came to shove, a gun was drawn,” said Sheriff Raymond Pace. Pace says that's when Jesus Sesena-Murrieta,...

Barack Obama delivered a speech in West Lafeyette, IN on Wednesday and once again mangled some well known historical facts: Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor, to the threat of nuclear annihilation. Americans have adapted to the threats posed by an ever-changing world. Aaah yes – "the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor." Who can forget that? It was the big one, the one that took out all those boats. I guess Obama's political correctness prevents him from...

NEOSHO, Mo. -- Missouri's two U.S. senators toured tornado-damaged areas of Newton County on Friday. A reporter asked about the possibility of federal aid to help people install tornado shelters or buy weather alert radios for their homes. "At some point, you've got to take some responsibility. The federal federal government, unless you're in need, is not going to buy your lunch for you; it's not going to buy your TV set, and a weather radio is probably something a provident, responsible family should do," said Sen. Kit Bond. "The important thing is to make sure they have the accurate...

2008-05-13) — A day after Republican presidential candidate John McCain unveiled his cap-and-trade plan to defeat the imminent threat of global warming, a coalition of conservative voters announced it would enthusiastically support his proposal by refusing to burn fossil fuels on November 4, 2008. “We’re eager to live out Sen. McCain’s conservative vision for the earth,” said the group’s unnamed spokesman, “by keeping millions of Republican-owned SUVs and pickup trucks in their garages on election day.” The coalition said the symbolic move would not only “cut carbon emissions by thousands of tons,” but it would also “put a president in...