Free Republic

The Yankees have decided to no longer run Kate Smith’s version of “God Bless America” during their seventh-inning stretch because of Smith’s affiliation with songs that carried racist lyrics. Most famously, Smith sang a 1931 song, “That’s Why Darkies Were Born,” which opened: “Someone had to pick the cotton, Someone had to pick the corn, Someone had to slave and be able to sing, That’s why darkies were born.” The song, which has been called a satirical take on racism, was a big hit for Smith, and also was recorded by Paul Robeson. When the Yankees last month became aware...

Ghetto Tracker” was the name of an application that exploded with controversy on its launch. So much controversy in fact that it’s already changed the name to “Good Part of Town” and apparently been taken down. The application was proposed for savvy consumers to avoid dangerous parts of town by showing which ones are ghetto, or unsafe. As a response to the public backlash the site has been removed with a picture stating that “It’s not worth the trouble.” The app reportedly didn’t even work properly. Critics had pointed out that the site listed areas such as Greenwich Village in...

The official police report on Rep. Cynthia McKinney's clash with a Capitol Hill police officer three weeks ago says the DeKalb County congresswoman struck the officer "in his chest with (a) closed fist." The "event report" — obtained Tuesday by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — describes the altercation as an assault on a police officer. The officer involved in the incident, identified as Paul McKenna, filed the report with his supervisors immediately after the incident occurred at 8:55 a.m. March 29. The report for the first time provides specific details of what happened when McKenna tried to stop McKinney from going...