Free Republic

Sweden’s prime minister has promised to “go in hard” against masked men who set alight up to 80 cars in Gothenburg and other towns on Sweden’s west coast, in what police say appeared to be coordinated attacks. “I am really furious, what the hell are they up to?” Stefan Löfven on Tuesday morning. “Society will always act hard against this and we must continue to do so … We will do what needs to be done to take care of it and go in hard against this crime.” Sweden goes to the polls on 9 September with violent crime high...

Hank Azaria says he is "willing to step aside" from his role voicing Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. It follows a documentary made by Indian-American comic Hari Kondabolu that argued the Indian character is based on racial stereotypes. Speaking on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, theactor said his "eyes have been opened" by the debate and that he never intended to cause offence. He also distanced himself from the show's controversial response. Shopkeeper Apu has been part of the long-running animation series since 1990, with Azaria adopting an Indian accent to voice him. The character is one of several voiced...

The first daughter attended the White House pardoning ceremony for the National Thanksgiving Turkey yesterday in a short leg-baring outfit, stealing the spotlight from the two turkeys being granted a second chance — Wishbone and Drumstick. For the occasion, Tiffany wore a short red tweed peacoat with hints of pink. She must have been wearing an even shorter dress or skirt underneath, as her legs were bare and accentuated by black pumps. The public was in large part shocked; multiple news outlets have reported not on the event, but on Tiffany’s outfit. Hollywood Life called her jacket “very short” and...

Last week, The Washington Post reported that Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore allegedly pursued relationships with teenagers when he was in his 30s and that he allegedly molested a 14-year-old girl. It was the latest in the avalanche of recent sexual misconduct allegations sweeping the nation. And while many believed the claims, other took them with a grain of salt citing the timing as suspicious. On Sunday’s Good Morning America, ABC’s Martha Raddatz used her analysis to express her frustration and contempt for such people. “I don't really know what those voters are waiting for,” she huffed. ABC’s Chief Global...

Hate is hate, dead is dead. We should stop politicizing bigotry and violence by demonizing some demographics and giving others a veritable pass. The demonstration by white nationalist haters in Virginia last weekend resulted from the removal a statue of confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Confederate flag and statue controversies are raging throughout the South. Some view Confederate symbols as disgusting tributes to slave states defeated in the Civil War. Others warn against censoring symbols of a history we should never forget. On the margins are people who wish the South had won. The movement to eradicate confederate symbols began...

An email has been sent to staff at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcing that all their agency’s televisions will show Fox News, apparently by order of the Trump administration. Journalist Paul Thacker tweeted a screengrab of the message, but an FDA spokesperson denied there had been any such order. It reads: “Please excuse me for sending this out to your entire group via your listserv, but I was alerted by a member in your group and I wanted to let everyone know that the reason for the change from CNN to Fox. “The reason for the change is...

Avery McRae has been passionate about the environment for half a lifetime, and she’s been worried about climate change since kindergarten. Now, at 11, she is really getting serious. She recently signed on to sue President Trump and the U.S. government. “Trump is not doing anything to help stop climate change,” she says. “He’s a climate change denier, and we’re gonna prove that to the world!”

Veteran journalists at CBS are reportedly quite upset with network host Gayle King after she enjoyed a recent yacht vacation with Barack and Michelle Obama in Tahiti. King, co-host of "CBS This Morning," went on a star-studded vacation with the former president and first lady, Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, and her best friend Oprah Winfrey on billionaire David Geffin's 138-meter luxury yacht, called the Rising Sun. A source told Page Six on Thursday that CBS journalists are "pissed and raving mad" at King for vacationing with the Obamas while she anchors a news program that covers the White House. "The...

Why No Poison Gas? We cannot post historynet.com on FR due to copyright complaint. This is just a link to the story...informing readers as to why Hitler didn't use poison gas in battle.

Scholar Claire Lockard argues in a new work that white people who acknowledge their privilege are less likely to engage in actual anti-racism efforts. In her work, “Unhappy Confessions: The Temptation of Admitting to White Privilege,” recent Emory graduate and Elon University scholar Claire Lockard argues that acknowledgments of white privilege or racism are “pleasurable to enact but ultimately reinforce white people’s feelings of goodness and allow them to avoid addressing this racism.” In the abstract for her work, Lockard explains how an admission of white privilege could lead to a complacency that leads individuals away from anti-racist activism.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions' immediate resignation after it was reported he had two contacts with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 presidential campaign, joining several other prominent Democrats who also pushed for his departure late Wednesday. [Snip] Warren labeled Sessions' alleged conflicts of interest when it comes to investigating Russia as a "serious threat to the national security of the United States." "This is not normal. This is not fake news. This is a very real & serious threat to the national security of the United States," she tweeted. "And we need Attorney General Jeff...

'Tonight you attack me on human decency .. you're the one black guy that he hired on committee doesn't make him a civil right leader ... I'm not good' William Smith Schools Angela Rye: Have you met Jeff Sessions, you don't know his records, show me the facts' CNN Anderson Cooper 360 01/04/2016

Obama Aide Insults WWII Vets on Pearl Harbor: GET OVER IT! By George | December 6, 2016 Obama administration press secretary Josh Earnest has made a career on his snarky, hyper-partisan comments from the press room podium, but this was UNFORGIVABLE. Addressing the corrupt media hacks about the upcoming visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Pearl Harbor, Earnest dropped a comment that any WWII veteran would take as an INSULT. From BizPac Review: During a White House press briefing Monday, Earnest was asked whether veterans may be offended by Abe’s visit if he expressed no regret over the...

Another Christmas is quickly approaching and with it yet another round of insults to the Christian faith. Increasingly we are afraid to utter the “C” word in public places, or in seasonal advertising. We wouldn’t want to offend those people of other faiths, you know. Before I go any further, let me explain: I’m not one of those self-righteous fire-breathing religious types who reflexively seek vengeance over the smallest slight. I don’t argue endlessly over subjects like school prayer, or a cross on a government building. I refuse to accept the notion, held by so many, that my religion entitles...

Carly Fiorina said Donald Trump's comments about Megyn Kelly "were completely inappropriate and offensive" and were clearly meant to imply the Fox News host's tough questions were a result of menstruation. "Women understood that comment. And yes, it is offensive," Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard executive, said in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper aired Sunday on "State of the Union." Trump is under fire for saying Friday night that Kelly, who pressed him on his previous attacks on women during Thursday night's GOP presidential debate, had "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her -- wherever." "I...

Trey Gowdy: Remember Hillary Flying to Libya, Device in Hand? ‘We Have No Emails from That Day’

A blast from the past that puts this VA mess in perspective. It sheds light on why Shinseki's and Zero's underwhelming "outrage" rang so hollow. Not to be too conspiratorial, but one almost has to wonder if the worsening dysfunction of the VA was all part of a bigger scheme and many deaths that have so "enraged" Shinseki and Zero were simply collateral damage.

Why does Santa need a fighter escort? Children's groups outraged as NORAD militarises Christmas Eve tracker • NORAD officials say the inclusion of jet fighters is a nod to the true mission of the agency - which is to track and intercept airborne threats Outraged child advocates are blasting NORAD's new 3D Santa Tracker program because it includes a fighter jet escort for jolly old Saint Nick. Some say the new online portrait could give kids the wrong impression about Santa Claus - associating him with the military and violence. But Pentagon officials argue the North American Aerospace Defense Command...

The U.S. House of Representatives argued over Obamacare in a rare late-night session Saturday, and the late hour seemed to have a strange effect on at least one congresswoman. Politico reporter Ginger Gibson tweeted that a few members reeked of alcohol, but it would seem some of them don’t need any liquid courage to make questionable comments. U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., used a reference to the Bible to make her point against delaying Obamacare. But in paraphrasing Galatians 6:7, she deleted God from the scripture. “Mr. Speaker, be not deceived. The people are not mocked,” Moore said. “In 24,...

Last year, I showed an image of evolutionary stages that was so accurate that it would earn approval even from many strict creationists. Here’s a new image of evolutionary stages that sets the stage for today’s discussion. Simply stated, Americans are becoming bigger. In some cases, a lot bigger. Is this trend toward greater obesity a bad thing? As a reader asks, is it something that requires a government response? The answer is yes…and no. Libertarians believe people should be free to make their own decisions so long as they’re not infringing on the rights of others. And that includes...