Free Republic

<p>Colorado gun rights advocates, coming off two successful efforts to recall Democratic state senators over votes to strengthen gun control laws, began collecting signatures in a third district over the weekend in hopes of booting another incumbent out of office.</p>

Place a call to White House press secretary Jay Carney these days, and it’ll lead to something surprising on the other end: Jay Carney. The White House is a building of gatekeepers — legions of assistants and special assistants and deputy assistants who protect their bosses and keep the place running. But the White House under the government shutdown, pared down to a fourth of its usual staff size, is a shadow of its hierarchical self. Carney, deprived of his assistant, has to answer all the calls coming into his office. “With great care,” he adds. (Shutdown showdown: Who's to...

This past week, the Department of Veterans Affairs bought $562,000 worth of artwork. In a single day, the Agriculture Department spent $144,000 on toner cartridges. And, in a single purchase, the Coast Guard spent $178,000 on “Cubicle Furniture Rehab.” This string of big-ticket purchases was an unmistakable sign: It was “use it or lose it” season again in Washington. All week, while Congress fought over next year’s budget, federal workers were immersed in a separate frantic drama. They were trying to spend the rest of this year’s budget before it was too late. The reason for their haste is a...

University of Kansas journalism professor David Guth has been placed on administrative leave following a tweet he made on Monday about the shooting at the Washington Navy Yard in reference to the National Rifle Association. Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little announced the decision on Friday. "In order to prevent disruptions to the learning environment for students, the School of Journalism and the university, I have directed Provost Jeffrey Vitter to place Associate Professor Guth on indefinite administrative leave pending a review of the entire situation. Professor Guth’s classes will be taught by other faculty members," Gray-Little said in a statement. After the...

Two House Republicans who had been trying to craft a comprehensive immigration package said Friday they were dropping of bipartisan negotiations. In a joint statement, Texas Republican Reps. John Carter and Sam Johnson said that they had “reached a tipping point” in the talks and “can no longer continue” working on a “broad approach” to a rewrite of the nation’s immigration laws. “We want to be clear. The problem is politics,” they said in a joint statement. “Instead of doing what’s right for America, President Obama time and again has unilaterally disregarded the U.S. Constitution, the letter of the law...

University of Kansas officials criticized a journalism professor Thursday, saying remarks that he tweeted regarding Monday’s shootings at the Washington Navy Yard were “repugnant.” David Guth tweeted Monday that “blood is on the hands” of the National Rifle Association following the shootings that left 13 people dead. “Next time, let it be YOUR sons and daughters,” the tweet read. “Shame on you. May God damn you.” On Thursday, Ann Brill, dean of the university’s journalism school, said Guth’s views “do not represent our school, and we do not advocate violence directed against any group or individuals.” While the First Amendment...

It’s not uncommon for businesses to promise consequences when state lawmakers consider measures they’re unhappy with. Sometimes the companies are bluffing, but when it comes to gun control measures at least a few are following through with threats to invest elsewhere. In May, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley signed into law a set of gun-control measures. At the time, firearm-maker Beretta, which has a presence in the state, criticized the law as being unacceptable despite amendments it says it was able to secure. The law “went from being atrocious to simply being bad,” Beretta said in a statement at the time....

Jon Stewart is back, and the shaggy beard he grew over the summer is gone. In his return Tuesday, “The Daily Show” host quickly referenced stories he missed — Paula Deen, Anthony Weiner’s alter ego “Carlos Danger” and Miley Cyrus’ much-discussed MTV dance — then took up the challenge of trying to make comedy and social commentary out of the Syrian poison gas attack. Stewart had been off Comedy Central since June 6, directing and producing a movie. John Oliver subbed to strong reviews. He was welcomed in an extended skit with Oliver and Stephen Colbert, who tried to bring...

ON Sept. 11, anti-gun-control legislators in the Missouri General Assembly are likely to pass a bill, over the governor’s veto, that renders almost all federal gun laws void in the state, and even makes it a crime for federal agents to enforce them. Related Missouri is only the latest state to push back against federal gun laws. In Montana, the Firearms Freedom Act, passed in 2009, purports to exempt any gun manufactured and kept within the state from federal regulations; despite a federal appellate court decision last month invalidating the statute, it has served as a model for new or...

Two weeks have passed since Perry Beam posted to his Facebook page about the two rodeo clowns lampooning President Barack Obama at the Missouri State Fair. Two weeks of getting emails calling him “ Un-American!”... “Coward!” ... “A hater of Missouri because you embarrassed the state so badly!” He says now the video would have stayed in his cell phone if he’d known the whole thing would be like stepping into a big ol’ political cow patty. But the 48-year-old was angry at what he saw. The act crossed the line from traditional spoofing into racial overtones, he thought, especially...

President Barack Obama had hoped for a quick, convincing strike on Syria, but growing opposition and Great Britain’s stunning rejection of the attack has thrust him into the uncomfortable position of go-it-alone hawk. Just how Obama, whose career sprung from the ashes of George W. Bush’s Iraq policy, got to this extraordinary moment in his presidency is a tale of good intentions, seat-of-the-pants planning and, above all, how a cautious commander-in-chief became imprisoned by a promise. Obama seems likely to bull ahead with air attacks despite an impact and popularity that will be, at best, limited — an unsavory outcome...

The recall elections for two Democratic lawmakers has become a political soap opera — with subplots, new characters and daily developments — that Tuesday included a $350,000 donation from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court. Senate President John Morse of Colorado Springs and Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo face separate recall elections in their districts on Sept. 10 for supporting gun-control legislation in the 2013 session. Bloomberg's group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, supported the gun measures, which passed the Democratic-controlled legislature and were signed into law by Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper. Bloomberg donated...

Unless a handful of wavering Democrats change their minds, the Republican-controlled Missouri legislature is expected to enact a statute next month nullifying all federal gun laws in the state and making it a crime for federal agents to enforce them here. A Missourian arrested under federal firearm statutes would even be able to sue the arresting officer. The law amounts to the most far-reaching states’ rights endeavor in the country, the far edge of a growing movement known as “nullification” in which a state defies federal power. The Missouri Republican Party thinks linking guns to nullification works well, said Matt...

<p>Images of multiple dead bodies emerged from Syria last week. It was asserted that poison gas killed the victims, who according to some numbered in the hundreds. Others claimed the photos were faked while others said the rebels were at fault. The dominant view, however, maintains that the al Assad regime carried out the attack.</p>

The phone rang for a few seconds before a man answered, his voice deep and rough. “All the weapons I had have been sold already,” he said. “But tell me what weapons you want and I will find them for you. Where should we meet?” The black market arms dealer is happy. As a result of increasing fear, seemingly unrestrained political violence and rising crime rates, his business is booming. Kalashnikovs are no longer an uncommon sight on the streets of Cairo and Egyptians are growing more accustomed to hearing the sound of AK-47 bullets, ricocheting between their shuttered apartments....

We all do stupid things when we’re drunk, but among bad decisions, this one deserves special distinction: on the night of January 4, 1965, U.S. Army Sergeant Charles Robert Jenkins pounded 10 beers, deserted his infantry company at the edge of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, walked alone across a minefield, and defected to North Korea. He was thrown into a chilly, spartan house (he tried, unsuccessfully, to leave) and forced to study the works of the North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung for 11 hours every day. By 1972, he could recite Kim’s core principles by heart in Korean. That...

A former Kansas City Star sports statistics editor and blogger committed suicide early Thursday outside an Overland Park police station. Police found Martin Manley’s body about 5 a.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the station at 12400 Forest Ave. “Martin was a terrific guy and a good employee,” said Mike Fannin, editor and vice president of The Star. “This is a real shock, just an incredible tragedy. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family today.” Prior to his death, Manley detailed information about his life and suicide on a personal website. On the site, Manley referred to owning...

William Cantelo, a 19th Century inventor rumoured to be working on an early version of the machine-gun, left his house one day and never returned. In the early 1880s, the residents of Bargate Street, Southampton, were probably a bit fed up with one of their neighbours. From the cellar beneath the pub run by William Cantelo would come the sound of rapid gunfire. Cantelo, an engineer and gun-maker, was experimenting with a new type of gun. Nobody knew what it was, but it produced shots in quick succession. It was clearly not your average rifle. One day, Cantelo announced to...

Rodeo fans and conservatives by the thousands rode to the defense of a rodeo clown Tuesday, less than 72 hours after he took part in a controversial weekend skit involving a masked figure of President Barack Obama. But the passionate support did not overcome the lingering anger over the Saturday skit at the Missouri State Fair. The president of the group that organized the rodeo — Mark Ficken — resigned Tuesday, blaming the group’s failure to sanction the clown for his behavior. It marked a third straight day of heated disagreement over the implications of the rodeo stunt. “I think...

A deep distrust of government has led young Americans to hold up NSA leaker Edward Snowden as a hero, Sen. John McCain said Sunday. “There’s a young generation who believes he’s some kind of Jason Bourne,” the Arizona Republican said during on “Fox News Sunday,” referring to the lead character in the Bourne movie trilogy who battled his own government, particularly the CIA. Mr. Snowden’s revelations — including details of the National Security Agency’s data-collection efforts — have led to a debate on the national security vs. privacy question, and how to balance the two. President Obama last week laid...