Free Republic

ORANGE, Calif., - A new study by a California university shows Americans have a much greater fear of the government, technology and pandemics than ghosts or zombies. Nearly 60 percent of Americans are afraid or very afraid of government corruption, the Chapman University Survey of American Fears found. At 58 percent, the subject topped a list of 88 items people were asked about, with personal appearance -- specifically what people thought of how you were dressed -- being last at 4.2 percent. Researchers quizzed 1,541 people across the United States about all their various fears and anxieties and nearly half...

Dr. Elsebeth Baumgartner and Bryan DuBois run a blog called Erie Voices that focuses on local issues in northern Ohio, especially those that are underreported by local newspapers. Many of their posts deal with judicial and governmental corruption in northern Ohio. The bloggers were arrested in July on charges of intimidation, retaliation, and possession of criminal tools (a computer). Their trial began yesterday. The charges originated from a complaint made by retired visiting Judge Richard Markus, who alleges that Baumgartner and DuBois intimidated and threatened him in 2004 prior to a civil trial in which Baumgartner was the defendant, as...