Free Republic

Thank heavens for progressive Hollywood. Otherwise, how would we know what to think about our culture, particularly the newest chic cause célèbre du jour, which is the LGBT movement? Actually, let me reconsider that statement. It doesn’t matter what we think. We will be told by our statist overlords what to think, how to feel, what to accept, and when to celebrate whatever new human right of their choosing. This, of course, is always done for our own good. So, sorry Black and Hispanic actors and actresses – you’ve been displaced. Sure, you’re people of color and all, but beyond...

In early March, the head of the Tennessee and Greater Nashville hospitality associations sent an email to a dozen or so people that compared First Lady Michelle Obama to a chimpanzee. As word leaked of this offensive humor, pressure built and the man responsible was soon fired. To those who oppose the current health care proposal, the massive spending, and the endless barrage of new ways for government to invade our wallets and private lives, here is a message: Don't attack a good first lady. In late 2008, I wrote a column praising Laura Bush. It brought me a totally...

First Lady Michelle Obama debuted her new 'do at a White House reception for country music stars Tuesday night. (Charley Pride, Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss and Union Station performed.) She stuck with sideswept bands, but the look is much shorter on the sides and in the back. Note: Can't post the pic of the new doo because of copyright restrictions (Getty Images), but you can peek at the chic by clicking HERE.

Was that a $5,000 VBH alligator clutch that Michelle Obama was carrying in Italy? So the company bragged, absolutely certain it was theirs, until the White House responded that it was not the alligator but the patent, an $875 VBH clutch and not the more expensive model. To be honest, I didn't even know what VBH was until I saw the headlines about the $5,000 one Michelle wasn't carrying. I love handbags as much as the next girl, but I could never get my head around the idea of spending that kind of money on something that is bound to...

U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama take part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Russian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow, Russia, July 6, 2009. REUTERS/Jim Young (RUSSIA POLITICS)

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wave from the steps of Air Force One as they leave Andrews Air Force Base, Md, Sunday, July 5, 2009, for a trip to Moscow.

The word is out that the Obamas will be spending part of their summer vacation in Martha's Vineyard. "Many blacks from Oak Bluffs are elated that the Only One-in-Chief may be joining them. "People are going to lose their minds!" Tonya Lewis Lee says. At the same time, there's also a bit of wariness among the wealthiest ones, an uncertainty whether Obama will affirm them. "Obama is more a man of the people," says a Vineyarder who's part of black high society. "He doesn't seem to identify with affluent black people. His wife definitely doesn't; she is basically a ghetto...

For weeks, Michelle Obama had been telling her staff and closest confidantes that she wasn't having the impact she wanted. She is a woman of substance, with a background in law, public policy and management, who found herself relegated to role model in chief. The West Wing of the White House -- the fulcrum of power and policy -- had not fully integrated her into its agenda. She wanted more. snipHer new chief of staff, Susan Sher, 61, is a close friend and former boss who the first lady thinks will be more forceful about getting her and her team...

Wow, look at her go. Michelle Obama, who was in London on a short sightseeing trip with her daughters, didn’t let the small issue of a failing government stand in the way of her sunny style. While the men around her look to be in mourning, Mrs O stands out like a beacon against the night sky. Ok, the appliquéd tunic has the air of Malia or Sasha’s art class about it and sure, it does nothing for her hips – all that extra fluff and detail around the middle adds bulk to her usually smooth lines. But when did...

The Washington Post’s Robin Givhan goes all gooey for Michelle Obama again at the top of the Style section on Friday, comparing the First Lady to Clair Huxtable, or as explained by the caption under their pictures: "As portrayed by Phylicia Rashad, Clair Huxtable was an accomplished yet down-to-earth figure. In Michelle Obama, the nation now has another symbol of success and style." Givhan writes with an admiration so dazzled that you worry she’s going to faint: She serves as a symbol of middle-class progress, feminist achievement, affirmative-action success and individual style. And she has done all this on the...

WASHINGTON - So far, the first lady has chosen to be a food bank volunteer with an outsize entourage and an education activist with the largest soapbox imaginable. But Michelle Obama also fills a role that is not of her choosing but that may, in fact, be the most influential: She serves as a symbol of middle-class progress, feminist achievement, affirmative-action success and individual style. And she has done all this on the world stage . . . while being black. Time and again, observers grasp for adjectives to describe Obama's combination of professional accomplishment and soccer-mom maternalism. It's no...

GREEN SHOOTS: MICHELLE'S MIRACLE GROW... PLANT: MARCH 20... HARVEST: JUNE 16...

First lady Michelle Obama said Tuesday that struggling communities shouldn't look to government alone for help. Obama told a luncheon of Washington-area service and philanthropy groups that member work is key to making a difference in their neighborhoods and schools. She said leaders should take advantage of a recently signed public service law to engage new volunteers and put them to work. "Washington can only do so much," Obama said. "Communities are built and rebuilt by regular people." She said the national service law would funnel thousands of volunteers to such nonprofit groups. She warned groups to be ready for...

The linebacker is a fashion plate?

COLUMBIA, S.C. - A former chairman of the South Carolina Election Commission has apologized after his posting on Facebook suggested a gorilla that escaped form a Columbia zoo was an ancestor of first lady Michelle Obama. Minutes after the gorilla’s escape was reported Friday, Rusty DePass posted: "I’m sure it’s just one of Michelle’s ancestors — probably harmless." The comment has since been deleted, but DePass confirmed to WIS-TV that he made it, apologizing and saying it was a joke about statements Obama has made about evolution. DePass is a former chairman of the Richland County Republican Party. He didn’t...

You see, according to a report by WIS10 TV in Columbia, S.C., Rusty DePass, a prominent Republican Party activist, happened to see a Facebook post by an aide to state Attorney General Henry McMaster. The post described an escape by a gorilla on Friday from the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia. DePass, once a state Senate candidate, responded to the post with these words: "I'm sure it's just one of Michelle's ancestors - probably harmless." -- Columbia Mayor Bob Coble appears to have seen no clear jest at all. He told WIS10: "You know, I think the comment is inappropriate. It's...

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Dancing in public is not allowed in Iran, but thousands could hardly contain themselves at a recent presidential campaign rally in the capital city, Tehran. On this day, the deafening cheers were not for presidential hopeful Mir Hossein Mousavi, but rather for his wife -- a woman some are calling Iran's Michelle Obama. The comparisons to the first lady of the United States stem from the role Zahra Rahnavard is playing in her husband's quest for the presidency. Never in the history of Iranian presidential elections has a candidate put his wife in the forefront of...

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faces a fierce fight to hang on to the Iranian presidency as the country prepares to go to the polls tomorrow. In a bid to secure a second term, the hardline leader has even appropriated Barack Obama's slogan 'Yes we can' to see off competition from main rival Mirhossein Mousavi, who has been gaining ground. The use of the phrase, the most potent political statement of recent years, should perhaps not come as a shock even if it originates from the land Iran's one-time leader dubbed The Great Satan. What is surprising is the very real feeling on...

Fish and chips for the First Lady: Michelle Obama takes her daughters to traditional English pub for £7.95 dinner Mrs Obama waves as she leaves the London pub last night ...The Audley pub in London's Mayfair has probably had its fair share of tourists from across the Atlantic. But when First Lady Michelle Obama led her two daughters into the traditional pub for fish and chips last night even the normally unflappable staff were left gobsmacked. Staff told...of their astonishment as Mrs Obama and her daughters Malia, 10, and eight-year-old Sasha traipsed into the bar.... Just a normal night down...