Free Republic

Jack Merritt, my classmate at Cambridge and a program participant, recited a poem he’d written on forgiveness and rehabilitation. I remember feeling surprised by his words, so unselfconsciously earnest. I’d known him mostly for his dry wit, his boyishly good looks and his reputation as a criminology class clown. Jack was stabbed to death during a terrorist attack near London Bridge on Friday. The attacker, Usman Khan, had been convicted of terrorism offenses in 2012. He was released from prison last year. Just before the attack, Jack was in Fishmongers’ Hall, a building adjacent to the bridge, helping to lead...

You might not know it from the acrimonious political debate on cable and broadcast TV, or on talk radio, or on websites and blogs. But here's a counterintuitive observation: Amidst all the negativism out there, I believe optimism is in the air. That's right. Optimism. Sometimes you have to search for it, or read it in the fine print. But I believe the political economy is getting better, not worse. Let me make a few points to defend what most folks believe is an indefensible position. The stock market is hitting record highs daily, returning a tremendous amount of wealth...

(Irish Actor) Colin Ferrell is doing his best to uphold his red blooded reputation while shooting 'A Home at the End of the World' in the East Village.The lusty leprechaun dragged co-star Robin Wright Penn and director Michael Cunningham to Score's strip club Monday night, where he asked for his favorite buxom blonde dancers, Evelyn and Victoria.The tempting twosome were off duty, so Farrell and friends had to settle for lap dances from a legion of other lovlies. A spy tells us that Farell had his arm around Wright-Penn (who is married to Sean Penn) for much of the night,...