Free Republic

Billionaire philanthropist and Koch Industries CEO Charles Koch blasted the hypocrisy of pot criminalization’s disproportionate enforcement in an October interview on CBS This Morning. In the interview, which can be seen in the above-embedded video, Koch said, “Some poor kid in the inner city smokes a joint, goes to prison, ruins his life, where we have a president who is more privileged, who smoked a joint, becomes president. We have a candidate who admits smoking a joint — he’s running for president. Now, where is the justice in that?”

Conservative mega-donor Charles Koch says reforming the criminal justice system to make it more fair to the "disadvantaged" will be a major one of his priorities in 2015.The businessman said that the criminal justice system needs reforms aimed at “making it fair and making [criminal] sentences more appropriate to the crime that has been committed.” “Over the next year, we are going to be pushing the issues key to this, which need a lot of work in this country,” Koch told The Wichita Eagle in an interview published Saturday night. “And that would be freedom of speech, cronyism and how that relates to opportunities for...

Some of the most influential players in big-money conservative politics gathered late last month to discuss government’s role in society, but their focus kept shifting to a less weighty topic: Rand Paul’s outfit. The Kentucky senator and prospective GOP presidential candidate — whose libertarian politics mesh with those of the billionaire megadonor brothers Charles and David Koch — appeared at the annual winter meeting of the Koch donor network wearing a boxy blue blazer, faded jeans and cowboy boots.

Charles Koch is "disappointed" with the line-up of Republican candidates in the 2016 cycle, and is surprised by the lack of influence he and his brother have wielded so far. In an interview with the Financial Times, the billionaire businessman and philanthropist, said he'll eventually support a candidate who he agrees with on some things with, but that it's hard to get excited. He said a list presented to all the candidates about the Kochs' political arm's priorities "doesn't seem to faze them much. You'd think we could have more influence." "It is hard for me to get a high...

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Donald Trump is so fiercely opposed by the Koch brothers network that some donors believe the powerful group will intervene to stop the billionaire if it looks like he could win the Republican presidential nomination. "They are always very hesitant to get involved in a primary, but I think if they were going to do it, this would be the time because they just hate the guy,” said a donor who attended the Koch network’s winter retreat, held over the weekend at a luxury resort on the edge of Coachella Valley. Both officials and donors within...

As Donald Trump picks up momentum, the chances of a well-funded assault to block him from the Republican presidential nomination are dramatically dwindling, according to interviews with about a dozen donors and operatives who are appalled by the billionaire real estate showman's campaign. The party's elite donor class has mostly closed its checkbooks to groups dedicated to stopping Trump, while the outfits that have built massive reserves are increasingly deciding to forgo anti-Trump campaigns, despite widespread fears that he is making a mockery of conservatism and could undermine Republicans up and down the ballot. The deepest-pocketed operation on the right,...

Charles Koch says he won’t “put a penny” into trying to stop Donald Trump, that there are “terrible role models” among the remaining Republican presidential candidates, and that his massive political network may decide to sit out of the presidential race entirely. "These personal attacks and pitting one person against the other -- that's the message you're sending the country," Koch said in an exclusive interview with ABC News that aired Sunday. "You're role models and you're terrible role models. So how -- I don't know how we could support 'em."

Award-winning author Joyce Carol Oates came under intense fire from social media users on Sunday after tweeting that she has only heard “puritanical & punitive” things about the Islamic State and wonders whether there is anything “celebratory & joyous” about the terrorist group. "All we hear of ISIS is puritanical & punitive; is there nothing celebratory & joyous? Or is query naive?"

The perpetually delayed Keystone XL Pipeline is wildly popular. A Reason-Rupe poll conducted in April found that only 32 percent of Americans oppose the construction of the pipeline which would transport Canadian tar sands oil from the frozen north to the Gulf Coast. 61 percent of Americans support the pipeline. That 61 percent includes 82 percent of self-described Republicans, 57 percent of independents, and 50 percent – that’s right; a majority – of Democrats. However, one subgroup strongly opposes the construction of the 1,200 mile pipeline: self-identified liberals. 57 percent of that group opposed the construction of the pipeline in...

... In a statement Clooney said: “There were nine people at that table so you can ask them. Steve likes to go on rants He called the president an a—–e. That is a fact. I said the president was my longtime friend and then he said, ‘Your friend is an a—–e’. At that point I told Steve that HE was an a—e and I wasn’t going to sit at his table while he was being such a jackass. And I walked out. There were obviously quite a few more adjectives and adverbs used by both of us. It had nothing...

U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley is likely sweating it after a remark about the lack of towel service at an exclusive gym that has remained open to lawmakers during the government shutdown. The Iowa congressman defended the backlash for the gym's continued operation, while thousands of government employees are furloughed, including workers at the fitness center. He said on the "Bill Press Show:" "There's hardly anybody working down there. There's no towel service. So we're doing our own laundry down there. And we pay a fee to belong to the House gym. So this is no different than if you're working...

Actor Steve Buscemi has finally broken his silence to tell the world his expert opinion on the government shutdown. Buscemi opined about the shutdown and much else in a wide-ranging with The Guardian. “I think the shutdown is ridiculous. I think the Republicans in Congress are holding the country hostage. I think it’s criminal. I don’t see why they’re allowed to do it,” he said. Buscemi, 55, said he hopes voters punish the politicians behind the temporary halt of about 17 percent of the federal government at the next possible opportunity. “The tea party faction of the Republican party are...

"Sadly, all the facts in this tragic case will probably never be known," Bloomberg said in a prepared statement Sunday. "But one fact has long been crystal clear: 'shoot first' laws like those in Florida can inspire dangerous vigilantism and protect those who act recklessly with guns." He blamed "gun lobby extremists in Washington" for drafting the laws and said the legislation lets armed citizens think it's OK to shoot first and later defend themselves on the grounds that it was a justifiable homicide." Bloomberg touted his work with other civic leaders on the issue and said they are seeking...

In what was probably the most reported on tweet in political history since the Anthony Weiner scandal, actress Ashley Judd’s run against U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell was put on hold in 140 characters. The brief media frenzy that ensued before she ended speculation could all come back to the commonwealth. Jonathan Miller, the former two-term state treasurer and one-time gubernatorial and congressional candidate, told Pure Politics that Judd might move back to her old Kentucky home. “I do really think she’s thinking about moving back to Kentucky permanently,” Miller said in an in-studio interview with Pure Politics. Miller said Judd...

Villagers,I don't endorse politicians.Not my thing.However, Obama is the light & the future.Keep going towards the light. Put America first.

Kathy Griffin is not exactly what you'd call a natural woman. By the comedian's own admission, she's had cosmetic surgery. And her on-camera appearances, whether working the red carpet or done up for the recent Creative Arts Emmys, are full-on glamorous. So it was quite a contrast to see the 51-year-old going on a hike makeup free with her red hair pulled back in a messy topknot. The celebrity looked relaxed as she held hands with her boyfriend, 33-year-old Randy Bick. Griffin wore a Jimmy Kimmel T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers, and smiled as she walked with her fit-looking beau in...

Posted on Sun, Feb. 26, 2006 Preschool reform measure won't close learning gap for poorBy Bruce Fuller Like every would-be savior in the annals of school reform, Reiner promises miraculous results from his plan to spend $23 billion in the coming decade for preschool. Just over 64 percent of California's half-million 4-year-olds already attend a preschool center... Reiner's ``universal'' program would boost the enrollment rate only to 70 percent......by just 6 percent, or 32,000 4-year-olds statewide, at a cost of $2.3 billion a year.We are learning empirically that gains experienced by poor children who attend preschool fade by third...

George Clooney is convinced he ruined John Kerry's chances in the race for US president in 2004 - by snubbing an invitation and hurting his feelings. The Ocean's Twelve actor was one of several screen stars invited to ride on Kerry's election train, but it all went downhill for the Democrat when Clooney stayed away. He recalls: "Kerry asked me to ride on his train - he had a train going cross-country after he was nominated and some actors went on board. I called him and explained that I couldn't do it. I'd hurt him. I'd actually caused him harm...