Free Republic

Aug. 14—A man who was arrested Aug. 4 for allegedly committing an incestuous and forcible rape of a child in Franklin County that day had been released less than three months before from the Morgan County Jail with zero bond on a charge of forcible sexual abuse of a child. The Morgan County district attorney and the circuit judge who authorized the defendant's release from jail disagree on who, if anyone, was to blame. Raymond Matthew McKinney, 35, was arrested Dec. 5 after being indicted by a Morgan County grand jury for sexual contact with a child under the age...

Vice President Mike Pence was roundly ridiculed when it was revealed that he makes an effort never to be alone with a woman who is not his wife, but the policy is looking less prudish and more sensible as accusations of sexual misconduct against powerful men proliferate. Accusations first surfaced last month against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and have since reverberated through Hollywood, the media and government at every level. On Wednesday, Matt Lauer, a longtime host of NBC’s “Today,” and Minnesota Public Radio’s Garrison Keillor were fired by their respective organizations amid accusations of improper behavior. Joseph Backholm, president...

Former PLU head football coach Forrest "Frosty" Westering has died. He was 85. For more than four decades Frosty was a college football coach. From 1972 to 2003 he led Pacific Lutheran University to four national titles. Frosty's 305 career wins rank him 9th among all college football coaches, but the wins didn’t make the man. For Frosty, excellence on the field was only a by-product of his overall life philosophy. "I’m not going to use fear, I’m going to use caring, I’m going to use love, actually," he said. "It shows you can do it the right way and...

In previous debates, the adviser explained, Perry had tried to abide by time limits, leading some observers to say he seemed passive and withdrawn. Perry intended to make sure that didn't happen in Las Vegas. It didn't. The Las Vegas debate was Perry's fifth, but the first one in which Perry really showed up to play. That doesn't mean he won, doesn't mean he was particularly likable, doesn't mean he always had cogent answers. But it does mean that Perry, on the verge of being completely written off as a candidate, gave himself a chance to get back in the...

George W. Bush has come out of his self-imposed media blackout to promote his new book, Decision Points, which goes into full release on November 9th. Oprah Winfrey will air a pretaped interview with the former President on that day, but has a preview of the appearance out already, via The Right Scoop. In this clip, Bush tells Winfrey that he refrains from opining on Barack Obama’s performance because he wants to treat the current President the way he wished other former Presidents had treated him. Also, he elects to stay out of the “swamp” of punditry when Winfrey asks...

What we have here are two ladies trying to figure a way to cross a flooded street, someplace in Russia. Suddenly a man stops in the middle of the road and offers to carry both ladies across the water so they can stay dry.That's not all. As if the man's chivalry was not enough to tout this video, after he gets one lady across the flooded street, a speeding car comes down the road pulling a guy who is water surfing. Well, the gentleman would not be distracted from his call to duty. So after the car and skier...

The night after Christmas I sat down for a homemade tamale dinner in Southern California with a newly appointed U.S. Naval Officer, and his best friend - an enlisted Marine. My time with them was as enlightening as it was enjoyable. It was a moment I wish our nation had been able to witness. Both men were out of uniform, both were home for a few days of leave. Best friends since they were kids, the two were of course at ease with each other and the other assembled guests. Though the Marine has been in longer, there was some...

A common and false impression about America’s Founding Fathers is that they were deists -- that is, they believed in a "watchmaker" God who set the universe in motion and then stepped aside to let it run itself. The deist god lacks the interest, or the power, to intervene in human affairs. Michael Novak, a celebrated theologian and author, convincingly rebutted this misconception in his book, "On Two Wings: Humble Faith and Common Sense at the American Founding." In "Washington's God," Novak and his daughter Jana turn their attention to the religious beliefs of America's first and greatest President. The...

One of the dictionary definitions of "old-fashioned" is, "A style or method formerly in vogue; outdated." Oftentimes, being a gentleman is considered old-fashioned. So if the dictionary is right, acting like a gentleman is outdated.Is that really possible? Could being polite to your girl be outmoded? Is it archaic to treat a woman with the utmost respect at all times? Heck, no. We asked five single women to offer up some thoughts regarding the gentlemanliness -- or lack thereof -- of their significant others: "Jon has the best manners. He never talks with his mouth full, he always makes sure...