Free Republic

Now that the dust is settling in the mess involving Shirley Sherrod, the former U.S. Department of Agriculture director of Rural Development in Georgia who made controversial comments regarding race and class in a speech before the NAACP, a few things stand out that are worth remarking on: The first is that blogger Andrew Breitbart in his initial post about Sherrod was incorrect in stating that the actions she described in her story took place while Sherrod was an employee of the federal government. He also should have been more clear that it was the NAACP’s cheering of her initial...

Soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Sunday that he could support Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia if President Bush nominates him to head the high court, but he bristled at the prospect that Bush could tap Scalia's colleague Clarence Thomas, calling him "an embarrassment." Asked by Tim Russert about Scalia as a possible chief justice, Sen. Reid told NBC's "Meet the Press," "I cannot dispute the fact, as I have said, that this is one smart guy." Reid added that while he usually disagrees with Scalia's opinions, "his reason for arriving at those results are very hard to...

This weekend's infamous toilet seat incident provoked outrage and political cross-fire in East Hampton. Now it's turned into an issue in the race for Suffolk County executive. Republican candidate Ed Romaine today convened a news conference to denounce the people who bolted to telephone poles a half-dozen toilet seats featuring East Hampton Town Board member Diana Dominguez Weir's Latina surname, a photograph of her and the words, "FLUSH AWAY." Weir, a Republican of Colombian and Puerto Rican descent, says it was a race-based attack that went far beyond politics and is the latest sign of growing ethnic tensions in the...

Two Harris County legislators from historically black neighborhoods said Saturday that they will again push for a temporary moratorium on Texas executions when the Legislature convenes in January. The vast majority of people on death row in Texas are African-American or Hispanic, said state Rep. Sylvester Turner, who is originally from Acres Homes and now chairs the House judiciary committee. The majority of those who have been executed also have been minority, he said. "The issue boils down to access, representation and cost," Turner said. "If you have the money, you have good representation and you may not end up...