Free Republic

The annual spectacle and revelry of the world's most famous horse race was interrupted by an awkward moment as Kristi Noem attended the Kentucky Derby to see if any horses needed to be put down. The South Dakota governor arrived at Churchill Downs decked out in the traditional spectator garb, complete with a festive hat and brandishing a shotgun with which she offered to put any unwanted horses out of their misery. "Hey, guys! I'm ready to shoot some animals if anyone needs me to! Anyone? Anyone have a bad horse they need me to take care of?" Noem shouted...

Courtney Love may have helped solve the missing Malaysian plane mystery, having posted an image and geographical co-ordinates on her Facebook page. Flight number MH370 has been missing since 8 March 2014, with searches for the aircraft having proven fruitless in the days since. The search was recently expanded, but ten days later, there are still no clues as to the fate of the plane or its 239 passengers. However, Courtney Love may have solved the mystery, posting a photo on Facebook, which she seems to believe shows the location of the missing plane - sadly after crashing in the...

FARMINGTON -- While the state has yet to officially cancel any events involving horses that might have been exposed to a local recent equine herpes outbreak, owners and arenas are taking precautions. Because of the outbreak, contestants at the Davis County Sheriff's Mounted Posse Junior Queen Contest had to cowgirl up Thursday night without their mares. Instead of competing on horses, as is typically the case, contestants were asked to trot around the arena with stick horses as their show ponies. "It's kind of weird, but you can't really help that the disease is going around," said former queen Savanna...

What should our priorities be? Editor's note: While David Horsey takes a winter break, outgoing Seattle City Councilwoman Heidi Wills poses this week's Burning Question. The start of a new year is often a time of reflection. As Americans, we can take this opportunity to reflect on our place in the world -- the sacrifices we have been asked to make and our impact on our future. The war and occupation in Iraq have cost us dearly -- upwards of $200 billion, and more than 3,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed or seriously injured. Ostensibly, the intent is to make...