Free Republic

Democrat Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, who faced controversy for dressing in black face while in medical school, ordered a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee removed overnight from the United States Capitol. The Washington Post reported it will be replaced by a statue of Barbara Johns, who was a civil rights activist as a teen in Farmville, Virginia. “Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) had requested the removal over the summer after a commission chartered by the General Assembly decided that a man who fought to uphold slavery was not a fitting symbol for a diverse and modern state,” the...

The Virginia Military Institute removed a statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson on Monday morning. A small group watched as the bronze figure was hoisted off its pedestal in front of the VMI barracks. The historic figure is being relocated from the campus in Lexington, Va., to its future home at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War and New Market Battlefield State Historical Park. The statue was sculpted by Moses Ezekiel, a member of the class of 1866, and donated to VMI in 1912. And after standing for more than a century, VMI's board voted in favor of...

Officials at the San Domenico School in California decided recently to remove the Catholic statues and icons in a move to be seen as more inclusive.   The school is celebrating its 167th year. Officials feared the statues of Jesus and Mary were alienating.MarinIJ reported: Removal of a number of statues and other smaller Catholic icons from the campus of San Domenico School in San Anselmo has raised concerns among some parents. In an email to the school’s board of directors, Dominican Sisters of San Rafael and the head of school, Shannon Fitzpatrick objected to the removal of the statues...

A commentator named Robert Lee was scheduled to call a football game in Charlottesville, Virginia, but the coincidence that he shares a name with Confederate general Robert E. Lee caused ESPN to reverse course. Lee was set to announce the University of Virginia's game against William and Mary but was moved to Youngstown State at Pittsburgh, sources inside ESPN told sportswriter Clay Travis of the "Outkick the Coverage" sports news blog. Considering the lack of connection between the general and the announcer, Travis found the episode indicative of the ESPN's increasing tendency toward political correctness. "Is there anything more pathetic than ESPN...

The city of Baltimore took down some Confederate statues on Wednesday morning. Similar statues have divided opinion throughout the country, with those supporting their retention stating that they mark US civil war history. Those against say they are racist symbols that celebrate slavery.

The U.S. intelligence community’s Worldwide Threat Assessment removed Iran and its proxy Hezbollah from the list of terror threats to the United States. The annual assessment of the intelligence community, which is released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, led by General James Clapper, backed away from years of precedent when the decision was made to remove Iran and Hezbollah from the terrorism threats list, The Times of Israel reports. Outside of the politically correct verbiage and categorization issues (such as replacing the term “jihadist” with “violent extremist”), the report reveals that the intelligence community believes Tehran...

For their Christmas Holiday concert Kings Park school in Long Island cut several religious references from their music. It was too offensive. It’s an Obama world. “Silent Night” is now too offensive to sing at school. CBS Local reported: The song “Silent Night” is at the heart of a concert controversy on Long Island. Kings Park school officials removed several religious references, including “Holy infant” and “Christ the Savior,” from the popular Christmas carol before a student concert last week, WCBS 880′s Mike Xirinachs reported. The intent was to avoid offending non-Christians, but the change left others upset. “I’m not...

Maryam Zohny erases message following advocacy group’s letter of complaint JTA — A photo and text calling an Israeli soldier a “terrorist” and “killer” were removed from the Facebook page of a Columbia University program director. Maryam Zohny, program director of the university’s Center for Palestine Studies, removed the post from her personal Facebook wall after the Anti-Defamation League sent a letter to Columbia University President Lee Bollinger expressing concern about the post. The post that Zohny shared on Dec. 13 read: “Israeli terrorist ‘Nofar Mizrahi’/Killer of the Martyr Muhamad Salayme/Wanted by the Resistance.” The post, which has been circulating...

The top U.S. military appellate court on Monday ruled that the judge presiding over the case of an Army major charged with a 2009 massacre at Fort Hood, Texas is not impartial and ordered him removed. The court also set aside the order by the judge, Colonel Gregory Gross, that accused gunman Major Nidal Hasan be forcibly shaved. The action by the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces further delays the trial of Hasan, 42 (snip)

British Prime Minister David Cameron has removed his name from a list of patrons of the UK branch of the Jewish National Fund - and pro-Palestinian activists have taken credit for the move. Cameron's decision to drop his link with the charity was explained by his office as simply having to do with "time constraints." In an e-mail, Downing Street reiterated the explanation without going into details. "The Prime Minister stepped down from a number of charities - including the JNF," the office wrote. Downing Street declined to comment on the fact that the Stop the JNF Campaign has actively...

It's rarely a good PR move when a social Web site decides to remove a politically-charged image--the InterWebs get angry. One such case came to light today: A Photoshop mockup of President Obama as the Joker from The Dark Knight, superimposed on the cover of Time magazine, has been removed from Flickr. The 20-year-old Chicagoan who made the photo got an email from Flickr, which is owned by Yahoo!, saying the it had been removed due to copyright concerns. Plenty of tech pundits are saying Flickr was strong-armed by Time, Inc., which didn't like its brand associated with something so...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Thursday removed the lawyer for Bernard Kerik, a former New York police commissioner and protege of Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani who faces federal corruption charges. The ruling stands to postpone the start of Kerik's trial, which could help Guiliani if the potentially negative publicity of a trial is delayed past the upcoming nominating contests. Kerik has 30 days to find a new attorney. The next pre-trial hearing is scheduled for February 6, the day after "Super Tuesday" when more than 20 states will hold primary elections or caucuses. No trial...

He has gone from accused minor criminal to community symbol. Let there be no mistake. As was confirmed after Tuesday’s court hearing, this is not just another harassment case. Charles Schmidl stands as a crusader for a cause. The cause is the right of an adult to defend himself — and his 5-year-old son — against the alleged abuse of an out-ofcontrol 10-year-old. It is a line in the sand against lax parenting and the obnoxious offspring that it produces. It is a voice for the rights of those wronged by every spoiled brat spawned by absent or permissive parents....

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A state agency removed a judge from the bench Wednesday, concluding that he engaged in "a shocking abuse of power" that led to the wrongful conviction and two-day jail stay for a woman challenging a traffic infraction. Superior Court Judge Kevin Ross was also cited for filming a pilot television series, called "Mobile Court," in which a real small-claims case was heard in a Los Angeles strip club, with Ross presiding. In 2003, Ross threw a woman in jail who was challenging a seat belt violation. The judge concluded she lied when she said she wasn't...

VICTORIA, Seychelles (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy responded Nov. 7 to a request to dispose of suspected unexploded ordnance left over from a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) that struck the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit during a Nov. 5 attack by pirates near the coast of Somalia. Members of U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8, Detachment 4, were already in Seychelles to provide support to a previously scheduled port visit by USS Gonzalez. The EOD team met Seabourn Spirit at sea prior to its arrival in port. Two RPG rounds had struck Seabourn Spirit while the vessel evaded...

ISFAHAN, Iran - Iran removed the final seals from equipment at a uranium conversion plant as U.N. inspectors watched Wednesday, paving the way for Tehran to fully open the facility despite European and U.S. calls for it to maintain the suspension of its nuclear program. The move came as Europe and the United States were struggling to find leverage to stop Iran from forging ahead with its nuclear program, which Washington says secretly aims to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its program is peaceful, intended only to produce electricity. Board members of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy...

<p>SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday promised a broad shake-up of California's troubled corrections system, starting with phasing out wire-mesh cages for youthful inmates and reversing his plan to scale back the state's prison watchdog agency.</p> <p>The governor also removed wardens at two prisons and requested a federal inquiry into whether top prison officials covered up a probe of a 2002 gang riot at Folsom Prison.</p>

<p>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A state judicial watchdog group ordered a Contra Costa County judge removed from the bench Thursday after concluding his rude behavior was inappropriate and perhaps prejudicial.</p> <p>The Commission on Judicial Performance granted Superior Court Judge Bruce Van Voorhis 30 days to appeal its decision to the California Supreme Court.</p>