Free Republic

MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark said players are ready to discuss moving the summer's All-Star game out of Atlanta after the state legislature passed an election reform bill restricting voter access, the Boston Globe reported. The 91st MLB All-Star game is scheduled for the Atlanta Braves' Truist Park on July 13 and they're planning to have full capacity. "Among highlights, the bill would require a photo ID in order to vote absentee by mail, after more than 1.3 million Georgia voters used that option during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also would cut the time period people have to...

The “My Little Pony” franchise is selling more than plastic toys to little girls. A cartoon series based on the Hasbro company’s popular figurines aired an episode in which a same-sex female pony couple take charge of a school-aged pony named Scootaloo. Previously released in Europe, “The Last Crusade” was broadcast Saturday on the Discovery Channel. In an interview with Buzzfeed News, writer-producer Michael Vogel said he and co-writer Nicole Dubuc were delighted to introduce a same-sex couple, “Aunt Holiday” and “Auntie Lofty,” to the children’s show. They had the full permission of the company that owns the “My Little...

National Guardsman identified as Darius attended a recent "Brony" convention. (BuzzFeed/Katie Notopoulos) There's a new insignia showing up on the sleeves of a small group of military men, ... it advertises their love for a cartoon inspired by the girlish 1980s plastic toy called "My Little Pony." "... the bronies, have taught me that there are things and people worth protecting; things bigger and more important than myself," writes Ken "Derpy" Catlin. "All because I decided to watch some "gay" little show about 6 ponies... I cannot thank you, the MLP team, or the ponies themselves enough for what they...

According to local news outlet The Ottawa Citizen, an Animator for My Little Pony and Littlest Pet Shop has been sentenced to 28 months in prison for possessing and sharing child pornography. Tom Wysom, 55, was arrested and found to be in possession of over 60,000 images of child porn, as well as 1625 videos. Ottawa police tracked his IP address when investigating a peer-to-peer network.

The overwhelmingly cute “My Little Pony: The Movie” (the font squeezes hearts into each “O” and “P,” and the spiders have googly pink eyes) is less a film than a feature-length “very special episode” of the TV hit “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” a kiddie cartoon that’s spent seven seasons insisting that everyone needs a hug (villains, too). Audiences who haven’t followed the glitter-bomb adventures of bossy bookworm Twilight Sparkle, glamorous Rarity, hyperactive Pinkie Pie, introverted Fluttershy, speed demon Rainbow Dash and country girl Applejack don’t get a helping hoof in understanding the land of Equestria — and audiences...

I’ve just jumped from a hay bale to the upper rung of a bleacher seat — it’s the only way I can see Cruz, surrounded by fans, cameras and boom mics. Now I’m looking down, and the Texan with slicked-back hair, a rugged outdoorsman’s jacket and hiking shoes is talking about ponies. “What’s your favorite My Little Pony?” Cruz asks his tiny supporter, a little girl who is wearing a Rainbow Dash beanie. ”Twilight,” she says. “I have two daughters, and they love Twilight,” Cruz says, before adding, with a grin: “My favorite, though, is Applejack. I just think she’s...

So I got caught up in the My Little Pony craze (I'll just watch one episode, see what all these people are talking about..), joined the Boston Bronies meetup group and last weekend drove to Baltimare, MD(sorry, bad horse puns are required!) for BronyCon 2015, the largest MLP convention in the world. Allow me to share with you my observations.

Bronies can be summed up in one sentence: they’re grown-ass men who love a little girl’s cartoon show about the adventures of a group of magical ponies. It’s Easter weekend, and I’m in an airport hotel in San Francisco attending the second annual Bay Area Brony Spectacular Convention, aka BABSCON. I have absolutely no idea what to expect. I just really want to see this scene for myself. I gotta know: What the hell have Bronies found in My Little Pony that the rest of us dudes missed?

I feel it’s necessary to preface this article by stating that I am not a brony. I’ve met a couple, and I don’t exactly…get it. It’s like relishing the days when you had easy access to a playground butt-kicking. That said, after seeing the message the show carries, I might join them now. There’s an inherent cowardice within the mainstream media that stops writers from venturing anywhere into territory that contradicts leftist narratives. While there might be some bravery, any divergence into territory that might run contradictory to ideals the leftist cause célèbre puts forth ends with a flurry of...

The purpose of this post is to introduce My Little Pony to Free Republic in a positive fashion, to counter much of the negativity that has been unfairly heaped on the show. I had been trying to decide the best episodes to put forward, when the producers dropped the Season 5 premiere in my lap. What could be better than a no-holds-barred trashing of liberalism and forced equality in a ponified Harrison Bergeron type town? Complaining about a lack of good, new, family oriented television? All new TV is trash? This is what you're looking for. There's a certain kind...

A teenager who was bullied by online trolls posted a heartbreaking video on YouTube before killing himself, an inquest heard. Adam Smith, 19, who had learning difficulties, was bombarded with spiteful remarks and accused of plagiarism over a short story he put on a website. In response to the vicious bullying, he posted a video on YouTube entitled ‘I’m sorry’ where he apologised for any misunderstanding. But he was lambasted again by cruel users, who mocked him saying his speech problems were so bad it made them laugh. Days later he was seen crying as he walked to a railway...

The Internal Revenue Service has temporarily stopped issuing private letter rulings (PLRs) that energy companies sometimes request when setting up master limited partnerships for their tax benefits. Lawyers specializing in the oil and gas sector have said the IRS wants to review the scope of assets that can qualify as tax-free for master limited partnerships (MLPs), which have lured hundreds of billions of dollars from investors seeking high yields. "There has been a pause," IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told reporters on Tuesday at a congressional hearing. He did not say how long the delay would last. "(The pause) is to...

Movie for Saturday morning.

An 11-year-old boy is in the hospital after trying to commit suicide—the victim of bullying at school. It’s not a new problem in North Carolina, but this puts a new face on the age-old problem as Michael Morones remains in WakeMed with a tube down his throat and potentially life-long brain damage. Michael tried to kill himself, apparently because he could no longer take the torrent of bullying he was facing at school. “He’s the kid that never walks. He dances everywhere,” said Michael’s mother, Tiffany Morones-Suttle. “He’s so full of energy. He’s always on the move.” …

   With just 100 days to go before presidential elections, the populist, anti-euro message of Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front, appears to be gaining resonance here. That message coincides with a mounting anxiety over the costs to France of Europe’s scramble to rescue the single currency amid an ever-darkening outlook for economic growth. In opinion polls published this week, Ms. Le Pen, the expected candidate of the far right, trailed President Nicolas Sarkozy by only the slimmest of margins, a development that the candidate on Friday hailed as evidence of a growing distrust among the French...