Free Republic

Taking a semester off from Texas Tech University to help her family recover from Hurricane Harvey, Diana Durkin was thrilled to return to campus for her sophomore year. But ironically, it was her enthusiasm that nearly halted her plans when she was stopped by the TSA before a Jan. 6 flight out of William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. “I love Texas Tech. I love the people, I love the school. Anytime I see someone I get really excited,” the 19-year-old told BuzzFeed News. In a nod to TTU’s mascot, the Masked Rider, Durkin said that Texas Tech fans often...

A few words about Nathan Entingh's hand gun. Meaning, you should understand, not a gun you hold in your hand but, rather, the hand itself, thumb cocked and index finger extended to resemble a pistol. One afternoon late last month, Entingh, who goes to school in Columbus, Ohio, was goofing off in science class when he raised such a "hand gun," pointed it at another kid's head and said "Boom." Not a good thing to do, and Entingh, who is 10, certainly should have been reprimanded. Instead, he was suspended for three days. His father, Paul, says he's been told...

SILVER SPRING, Md., Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A Maryland 6-year-old was suspended from school for forming the shape of a gun with his hands and saying "pow," a lawyer for his family said. Robin Ficker said a boy, a student at Roscoe R. Nix Elementary School in Silver Spring, was given a one-day suspension from school with a conference planned for when students returned from winter break for the pretend shooting a week after 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., The (Springfield, Va.) Washington Examiner reported Wednesday. "What they're doing is...

LA PORTE — A La Porte man will go to jail for pretending with his finger to shoot at police. James Walpole, 57, was given 150 days in the La Porte County Jail and 30 days on probation. He pleaded guilty to Class D felony intimidation. On Dec. 20, La Porte Police twice responded to an apartment on Maple Avenue where Walpole lived with his ex-wife, according to court documents. Initially, Walpole was accused of grabbing the woman’s arm. Officers less than an hour later were called back when he allegedly threw shoes and other items at her. According to...

The scene was tense Wednesday, 3 March, when Mason Jammer, a student at Jefferson Elementary in Ionia, Michigan held his kindergarten class hostage by fashioning his finger into the shape of a gun. Ionia is far distant suburb east of the thriving metropolis of Grand Rapids. During the siege, panicked teachers gathered outside the classroom expressed concerns that the finger might go off. “This just wasn’t funny,” said the Jefferson principal. “[This] made other students uncomfortable.” Jammer strutted around the room with his right forefinger held straight out. His right thumb was held erect, though it occasionally sagged when Jammer’s...

When liberals collide. Comedian Jimmie Walker engages in some light banter with the hotel clerk at a Seattle Best Western and gets bounced from his room for brandishing.

Arabs, Muslims Report U.S. Hate Crimes Sat Mar 29, 4:12 PM ET By DEBORAH KONG, AP Minority Issues Writer Muslim, Arab and Sikh groups say reports of backlash crimes are trickling in, and they fear an increase if the war in Iraq (news - web sites) drags on. Advocates who track such incidents say they've heard about a dozen potential hate crimes — most involving verbal harassment or property damage to Arabs, Muslims and Sikhs — since the war began last week. "The longer the war goes on and the higher the number of American casualties there, I think probably...