Free Republic

A predominantly white jury is not going to like Rachel Jeantel. Let's just be real here. The 19-year-old Miami native is an easy target for obvious, yet shallow reasons. But let's not forget why she's actually on the stand in George Zimmerman's second degree murder trial. Rachel was the last person to speak to a living, breathing Trayvon Martin. The guilt, shame and sorrow she must feel is something most of us will never be able to comprehend. You could hear it in her voice, see it in her jittery body language. She is feeling the wrath of this highly...

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) — As Father’s Day approaches, children are reminded to appreciate their dads and the impact on their lives. Today dads around the city were honored a week in advance of Father’s Day. Celebrate Fatherhood 2013 was held this afternoon at the Collegiate School Aquatics Center. While these dads and their children enjoyed the moon bounce and competed in contests, an alarming amount of children in the area won’t have fathers around to celebrate the holiday. First Things First, an organization dedicated to keeping dads involved in kids’ lives, reports that 60 percent of all families in the...

More than 600,000 white British Londoners have left the capital in a decade. Census figures show that between 2001 and 2011 the level of ‘white flight’ reached 620,000. It is the equivalent of a city the size of Glasgow – made up entirely of white Britons – moving out of the capital.

A West Point think tank has issued a paper warning America about “far right” groups such as the “anti-federalist” movement, which supports “civil activism, individual freedoms and self-government.” The report issued this week by the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., is titled “Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right.” Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/17/west-point-center-cites-dangers-far-right-us/#ixzz2ILS1AwgH Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

So ... This guy boards an airplane and is very surprised when another guy and his dog board and sit next to him. The plane takes off. First guy now asks the guy with the dog, "That's pretty cool. How did you get that dog on board?" Second guy: "Oh, he's a trained drug dog. Watch this." and he sends the dog down the aisle. The dog stops at seat 19A, then returns and puts his paw up on guy 2's seat. First guy: "What does that mean?" Second guy: "Oh, that lady in 19A has marijuana." 15 minutes later,...

Commonwealth of Virginia vs. Kathleen Sebelius

Women are so common in the upper ranks of the U.S. military these days that it's no longer news when they break through another barrier. Unfortunately, the latest benchmark isn't one to brag about: being booted as captain of a billion-dollar warship for "cruelty and maltreatment" of her 400-member crew. Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1969602,00.html#ixzz0hE3OcWl4

http://hamptonroads.com/pilotonline

Erin King squeezed into a packed classroom at Bob's Gun Shop with a new pistol and a mission. She sat through two hours of instruction and fired off several dozen rounds at the range with her Guardian .32-caliber. The 26-year-old from Suffolk bought her first gun a few weeks ago and plans to get a concealed-carry permit next month. She'll slip her pistol into a hidden holster and protect herself commuting to her part-time job cleaning offices at night. "I'm responsible for myself," King said. As the classroom shows, she's not alone.

Live video feed from Key West of the sinking of former USNS Vandenberg to form an artificial reef

We are so sorry, but due to the overwhelming response to our FREE Kentucky Grilled Chicken™ meal coupon, we can no longer redeem the free coupon at this time. But we will honor our commitment to giving you a free Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal. "Please visit a participating KFC restaurant for a rain check form. Complete the form, attach your original coupon , and give it to the KFC restaurant manager or postmark per the form’s instructions, by May 19, 2009, and we’ll send you a rain check for your free Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal at a later date, plus...

This wasn’t your great, great, great, great-grandfather’s Boston Tea Party. There were some protesters dressed in Colonial garb and a handful of men in wigs, but the Hampton Roads Tax Day Tea Party also drew small business owners, realtors, retirees, stay-at-home moms and children on spring break. Police officials estimate that up to 700 people gathered at Town Center Wednesday to protest government spending. They also vented against bank bailouts, socialism, restrictions on gun rights and the influence of international law.

Large organizations have learned to stonewall and not empower activists. In other words, they try to ignore radical activists and are never as committed to victory as their opposition is committed to defeating them. Result? They are unprepared for the hailstorm of brutal tactics that severely damage their reputation and send them running with their tails between their legs. Some of these rules are ruthless, but they work. Here are the rules to be aware of: RULE 1: "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have." Power is derived from 2 main sources -...

The legacy of the draconian cuts in military force levels and procurement during the 1990s continues to cast a pall over U.S. national security planning. That American soldiers and Marines have been overstretched by repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan is well-known, and steps are being taken to expand their strength. It is not just the combat forces, however, but the defense industry upon which they depend for arms and equipment, that also needs to be reconstituted.

Has America’s moral authority in the world community suffered as a result of the war in Iraq and the broader struggle against international terrorism?

GRANGEVILLE — Hello. My name is Scott Richards. I have lived in Grangeville for the last 17 years. I have enjoyed training my hunting dogs for the past 34 years. To do this it takes a great deal of love for your dogs and for the great outdoors. I have always prided myself in the manner of which I train my dogs and take care of them. When I choose a new pup, he or she spends the first 6 months in my house. He or she is loved and a bond is there forever. I do not believe there...

US military chiefs expressed outrage over a "reprehensible" Washington Post cartoon which used a soldier who has lost his arms and legs in battle to portray the state of US military readiness. "We're all very upset about that," General Peter Schoomaker, the army chief of staff told reporters. Schoomaker and the other military chiefs took the unusual step of signing a a joint letter to the Washington Post blasting the cartoon by Tom Toles, the newspaper's editorial cartoonist. "Using the likeness of a service member who has lost his arms and legs in war as the central theme of a...

Dear Mr. Glover: The answer to your question is yes. Sincerely, Harry B. Blevins kpc -----Original Message----- From: Tom Glover [mailto:tom.glover@cox.net] Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 3:42 PM To: hbblevins@erols.com Cc: Subject: Greetings Senator Blevins, I have received you mailing "View from the Senate" which says that it's a regular publication, but I've lived in Chesapeake since 2001 and this is the first one I've received. Be that as it may, your first headline caught my eye: "Blevins provides tax relief for Chesapeake and Virginia Beach families." Tax relief is a good thing. Now, sir, a simple question which deserves...

A federal bill that would do away with federal income tax and replace it with a national sales tax has been introduced again in the House of Representative after the same bill failed to get committee consideration in the last Congress. The bill, H.R. 25, is sponsored by Rep. John Linder, R-Ga. Dubbed the "FairTax" proposal, the bill "will repeal all corporate and individual income taxes, payroll taxes, self-employment taxes, capital gains taxes, estate taxes and gift taxes – and replace it with a revenue-neutral personal consumption tax," according to the congressman's website.

"I'm not exactly sure how big the national sales tax is going to have to be, but it's kind of an interesting idea that we ought to explore seriously," the president said. The next day administration officials said Bush was not considering such a reform. John Kerry's campaign quickly condemned a national sales tax, and Bush for potentially supporting it. “If [Bush] has his way, every trip to the supermarket will feel like a visit to H&R Block and every day will be April 15. And now that this plan has been exposed, George W. Bush is trying to mislead...