Free Republic

A viral post featuring a notice from a local McDonald’s restaurant is drawing new attention to concerns about rising crime in Uptown Minneapolis. Attached to a door, the sign reads: "Attention guests, effective Friday, December 5th, our dining room doors will be locked and attended [to] during our normal business hours of 5am-10pm to ensure a safe environment." "We will deny access to any individual who we consider a risk to maintaining a safe environment for our guests," it continued. McDonald's confirmed the notice to Fox News Digital. Mike Darula, local owner and operator of the franchise, told Fox News...

A study done by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity found that the opinions of the elite top 1% in America differ substantially from the opinions of the majority. Nearly 60% of the elite think there is too much freedom for ordinary people in America. Seventy percent trust the government to do the right thing most of the time. A majority favor banning SUVs, gas stoves, air conditioning, and non-essential air travel. Eighty-four percent approve of the job Joe Biden has done as president. The Biden for President campaign manager Jennifer Brigid O'Malley Dillon observed that "it is a good sign...

Yemenis support the Palestinian cause, but they are worried that the Houthi attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea will lead to an economic crisis or a strike against Yemen, experts say. In the streets of Sanaa, Yemen's Houthi-controlled capital, support for the Palestinian cause is everywhere, with many cars displaying Palestinian flags, photos of Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida, or slogans showing support for the Palestinian people. The Houthis, who form the de facto authority in northern and western Yemen, are also showing their support in other ways, including launching direct missile and drone attacks against Israel...

Six Flags Inc. said Thursday that it might sell its Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor amusement parks in Valencia and raised the possibility that they could be dismantled for real estate development. Facing mounting losses and declining attendance, Six Flags wants to reduce its $2.1 billion in debt by selling parks in Buffalo, N.Y.; Denver; Seattle; Houston; and Concord, Calif., in addition to Magic Mountain. Mark Shapiro, a former ESPN executive who is now Six Flags' chief executive, said in a conference call with investors Thursday that Magic Mountain was considered a candidate for sale partly because of its often...

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez marched in Caracas on Saturday to support the leftist leader in his dispute with Mexico's president over U.S. free trade proposals. State workers, unionists and students, many wearing red T-shirts, waved flags and anti-U.S. placards as they marched through the capital accompanied by trucks blaring revolutionary songs, Venezuelan folk ballads and Mexican mariachi music. Venezuela and Mexico withdrew their ambassadors on Monday after Chavez called his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Fox, a "lap dog" of U.S. imperialism for his close ties to Washington and told him, "Don't mess with...

US Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, who had hoped to replace George W. Bush as president yesterday, instead sat in the cold and clapped as the Republican began a second four-year term. Iowa Democratic Senator Tom Harkin patted Senator Kerry on the back shortly before the inauguration Senator Kerry had hoped would be his. As Mr Bush delivered his inaugural address, Senator Kerry, about 10m away on the steps of the US Capitol, joined other lawmakers and the crowd in repeated applause. Senator Kerry looked relaxed, at times wistful. He frequently smiled, able to hide any disappointment over what...

Democratic Party dismay has been mounting since Kerry ____ (fill in the blank with your favorite of any of a dozen things). Stoked by a constant barrage of well documented inconvenient facts coming out about Kerry's background and the ever-increasing popularity of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, the heated arguments between the Kerry campaign and the DNC leadership increase. Add in, too, the rousing success of the GOP convention and it appears we can stick a fork in the Democratic Party now because that goose is just about fully cooked. Another good barometer, of course, is the mania displayed...