Free Republic

On top of a worsening drought and rising temperatures, farmers across the Western third of the United States are battling outbreaks of cannibalistic insects that are ravaging crops from Nevada to Montana. Officials have spent millions of dollars over the past few years trying to control the explosive swarms of Mormon crickets that are responsible for destroying swatches of crops from Nevada to Montana. Native to North America, Mormon crickets got their name in the 1800s when these giant insects ruined the fields of Mormon settlers. These insects are not true crickets; they are actually shield-backed, short-winged katydids that resemble...

Hi, everyone. Yesterday, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney declared his candidacy for president. Last Saturday, Illinois Senator Barack Obama did the same. Why was neither announcement a surprise? Maybe because everybody knows that both these candidates--along with all the others--have been running for months. And yet, we --the media -- and they -- the candidates -- conspire with each other, and pretend that these announcements are actually news. The game has been played every election since 1988 and it goes like this: Candidates announce they're thinking of exploring--we cover that. Candidates announce they're officially exploring--we cover that. Candidates announce they're--quote--"pretty...