Free Republic

HONOLULU - Three weeks after a wall of fire claimed at least 115 lives and turned historic Lahaina to ash, Maui County’s highest-ranking official said he didn’t know who was calling the shots at the county’s Emergency Management Center the day the town burned. “I’m not sure who was in charge. (Former Maui Emergency Management Administrator) Herman Andaya was still in charge. He just wasn’t present. He was in contact with his team. I guess by phone. I don’t know exactly how,” Bissen said, during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. When questioned about his whereabouts that day, Bissen said he...

AJO, Ariz. — Ever since federal agents arrested a local activist for helping two illegal immigrants in this parched desert town near the Mexican border last year, residents are thinking twice about being good Samaritans. “I guess I’ll have to start asking for ID if I want to give anyone a glass of water,” said Jose Castillo, 80, who has lived his whole life in this former copper mining enclave, where temperatures top 110 degrees in summer. The retired mechanic belongs to Ajo Samaritans, a local Catholic aid organization that often leaves jugs of water in the desert for Central...

An “antiracist” poster in a college writing center insists American grammar is “racist” and an “unjust language structure,” promising to prioritize rhetoric over “grammatical ‘correctness.'” The poster, written by the director, staff, and tutors of the University of Washington, Tacoma’s Writing Center, states “racism is the normal condition of things,” declaring that it permeates rules, systems, expectations, in courses, school and society. “Linguistic and writing research has shown clearly for many decades that there is no inherent ‘standard’ of English,” proclaims the writing center’s statement. “Language is constantly changing. These two facts make it very difficult to justify placing people...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odB1wWPqSlE

Sen. Bernie Sanders supporters were recently caught on camera beating each other up, mistaking each as Donald Trump supporters. In the video, which was uploaded to YouTube Friday, rowdy protesters are seen getting more violent with each other, thinking the others were Trump supporters. Towards the end of the one-minute video, the crowd begins to chant “Bernie! Bernie!” The fight broke out during the protest of the Trump rally at San Jose Thursday. The protesters attacked Trump supporters in other instances, pelting them with eggs, burning “Make America Great Again” hats and American flags. San Jose police widely condemned the...

On CNN right now, one person is reporting that a number of military veterans were present at the community college at the time of the shooting earlier today. They report that the veterans wanted to leave the classroom to try and stop the shooter, but the staff at the college stopped them from leaving the classroom. An audio recording of the incident indicates that it took five minutes from the initial radio call for the police to engage the shooter.

At the end of Tuesday’s City Council meeting, councilwoman Mary Morris added a resolution to the agenda focused on the South’s Defenders monument in front of the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse. Morris’ addition was a resolution asking the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury to remove the monument from the courthouse lawn and remove any other Confederate symbol from display on public property. Morris said the resolution came at the request of constituents in her district. Since the mass shooting inside a black church in downtown Charleston, S.C., on June 17, Morris said, a national debate has begun about the Confederate symbols. “The...

At first glance, Senator Ted Cruz’s wife, Heidi Nelson Cruz, seems to be just the sort of person the Tea Party supporters who celebrate her husband’s anti-establishment positions love to hate. A vegetarian with a Harvard M.B.A., Mrs. Cruz is a managing director at Goldman Sachs, one of the Wall Street firms that helped set off the populist rage that ushered Mr. Cruz into the Senate in 2012. She works for Goldman in Houston, where she lives with the couple’s two young children, and as her husband’s fame has increased — depending on the audience, he is among the most...

The Sarah Palin who returned to the GOP stage Thursday had no props, few Palinisms, and just a ghost of her former folksy twang. So what if there were still falsehoods? Palin 2016! Failed reality television star and mistress of liberal America Sarah Palin is strutting out onstage at CPAC, clad in a white blazer and black skirt. She places her water bottle on the floor next to the podium and opens a binder. A typical Palin speech usually involves props: Dr. Seuss books or Big Gulp sodas. This year, she has none. A typical Palin speech is usually an...

The Sarah Palin who returned to the GOP stage Thursday had no props, few Palinisms, and just a ghost of her former folksy twang. So what if there were still falsehoods? Palin 2016! Failed reality television star and mistress of liberal America Sarah Palin is strutting out onstage at CPAC, clad in a white blazer and black skirt. She places her water bottle on the floor next to the podium and opens a binder. A typical Palin speech usually involves props: Dr. Seuss books or Big Gulp sodas. This year, she has none. A typical Palin speech is usually an...

..Turn Them in at School The PSA video above shows a young teen dramatically rifling through his parents’ drawer, only to take out a handgun and put it in his backpack, all while his mother is downstairs reading. The next day, he brings the gun to school, sits through class, and places it on a startled teacher’s desk before asking, “Can you take this away? I don’t feel safe with a gun in my house.” This is independent director Rejina Sincic’s idea of how to end gun violence and keep children safe. The message at the end reads, “Our children...

Scio Township and the West Bay Exploration Company are preparing to wade into uncharted legal waters after the township’s Board of Trustees passed a six-month moratorium banning oil exploration activity and drilling. The board passed the moratorium, along with a plan of action, by a vote of 7-0 at a special meeting Wednesday night at Scio Township Hall. According to the resolution, “during the moratorium period, no drilling operation shall be allowed in the township.” West Bay Exploration began drilling a 5,000-foot exploratory well at the corner of West Delhi Road and Miller Road this week and as of Wednesday...

Amanda Kijera was on a humanitarian trip to Haiti, when she was violently raped by a black man. The act was both coincidental and devastating, as Kijera was actually in Haiti to dispel the “myths” that violence against women on the island was overstated by women’s rights organizations. The intention of Kijera’s trip was to push back on the portrayal of black men as “savages” in the media. Her hope was that she would eliminate misconceptions and push back against common views imposed by “the man.” However, Kijera’s trip took a turn for the worse when one of the men...

A sign posted outside a Collin County nail salon promoting it as "American Owned, American Staffed" is generating controversy. The merchant defends her sign by saying it's a "patriotic business decision." But others believe it's focused more on what her Fairview business isn’t: Asian owned and operated. Ed Thayer said he was offended when he saw the sign in the window of the St. Tropez Nail Spa. He's a regular customer at a Vietnamese restaurant next door. He and his wife adopted four girls who are Vietnamese-Americans. Thayer said he was so upset, he went into the salon to confront...

JUDGE BLOCKS BLOOMBERG'S SODA BAN — Calls It 'Arbitrary And Capricious' Kim BhasinMarch 11,2013 A judge has invalidated New York City's ban on large sodas, which was supposed to go into effect tomorrow, saying that the limits on sugary drinks are invalid, according to CNBC. The New York City Mayor's Office said it would appeal the decision "as soon as possible" in a tweet shortly after the ruling came down. Bloomberg's new sugary drink regulations, which were supposed to go in effect Tuesday, are "fraught with arbitrary and capricious consequences," New York Supreme Court Judge Milton Tingling wrote. "It is...

A Democratic state representative introduced a proposal Thursday to eliminate parts of South Carolina’s “stand your ground law” self-defense law, citing the slaying of a black Florida teenager. The proposal is not expected to go far. Self-defense is an accepted right in South Carolina, and Republicans control both the state House and Senate. But state Rep. Bakari Sellers, D-Bamberg, said parts of the self-defense law need to be scrapped before it results in a killing similar to that of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. Last month, Martin was shot and killed while walking home from the store. The man who says...

A stupid democRAT named Pam calls the Rush Limbaugh show and tries to destroy him!! Instead Rush destroies her!!If you were Rush, how would you of responded to this liberal freak??!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ6iLuyCAx0

Even as he faces a 16-count federal indictment on charges that include racketeering and soliciting bribes, Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) may be down, but he isn’t out. At least not yet. Devoid of virtually any influence in Congress and with his campaign treasury almost empty, Jefferson may still have a path to victory in the Democratic primary next month. By virtue of his high name identification and a small cadre of die-hard supporters, he is hoping to win enough votes in the crowded Oct. 4 primary to head into a runoff. And his likely runoff opponent is the only white...

Do as Al says, not as Al doesOn Thursday, former U. S. vice-president Al Gore delivered a major address calling on his country to abandon all fossil fuels within 10 years. By 2018, U. S. electricity and fuel should come entirely from "renewable energy and truly clean, carbon-free sources," he said. Tickets to the event encouraged attendees to "please use public transit, bicycling or other climate-friendly means" to reach the lecture hall. So how did Mr. Gore and his retinue arrive? In two Lincoln Town Cars and a full-sized SUV that sat idling with the air conditioners blasting while the...