Free Republic

Clichés and stereotypes are flourishing along the French-German border, with the French associating their eastern neighbours with beer and efficiency, and the Germans looking west for bucolic joie de vivre. Marking this month's 50th anniversary of the Èlysée Treaty of reconciliation between the European heavyweights, the German Embassy in Paris commissioned a survey from the ifop Institute to see what the two nations thought of each other. The results suggested that although the animosity generated during two world wars had gone, the stereotypes of the hard-working German and life-loving French had survived well into the 21st century. When asked for...

Oksana Gerzon, 41, faces two charges, Miami-Dade Police saidAn irate woman who missed her flight at Miami International Airport said she threatened she had a bomb in her bag so she could get it back, authorities said. Oksana Gerzon, 41, of Fairlawn, New Jersey arrived late for her Delta Airlines Flight 2003 at Gate H9 last Thursday, Miami-Dade Police said in an arrest affidavit. The gate agents told her she wouldn’t be able to board and would be booked on a later flight. Gerzon grew irate and demanded her baggage be pulled from the aircraft, and when one agent told...

This is a guest post by the Very Honorable Ima Librul, Senator from the State of Confusion Utopia. He recently explained some of his difficulties in growing pineapples and focuses here on other major problems and opportunities facing modern American society. We are privileged to have a post of this caliber by a quintessential Librul such as the Senator, a charter member of President Obama's Go For It Team. Restrictions on firearm use and ownership will stimulate individual initiative, redistribute wealth and end welfare as we know it.BackgroundMany conservatives have written harshly of President Obama's splendid modernization of our welfare...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Joe Biden, the vice president of the United States. Now, we were told last week that Biden was heading up a commission made up of administration officials and cabinet officials on what to do about guns and the increasing proliferation of guns. One of the things that Biden suggested was they're looking at legislation, executive orders, so forth and so on. The Politico, a joyous Politico, I should say, has a story today: "The White House has identified 19 executive actions for President Barack Obama to move unilaterally on gun control." This is what Biden told a...

Eldon Bell, a retired Air Force officer and physician, is making no plans to see Barack Obama’s second inauguration, in part because Bell considers the president arrogant and dishonest, but more so because Bell is not yet persuaded that the swearing-in will occur at all. “Whether I watch depends on who’s being inaugurated,” says Bell, 78. “If it’s this guy, probably not, because I don’t pay much attention to illegitimate things.”

Tim Racer, an Oakland, area artist, is known for his unusual work – carving beautiful, lifelike, custom carousel “dogs.”  Racer’s passion began while helping to restore old carousel horses. He enjoyed the work so much that he decided to try his hand at carving his own. “My pit bull Sally was a natural subject so I thought I’d give her likeness a try,” Racer says. “People really responded to that carving, so I’ve been busy carving carousel dogs ever since.”  These works of art are labor intensive. Each carousel dog requires up to 700 hours to create. Racer’s dogs are...

Just before Oakland city officials held a news conference Monday in East Oakland to assure everyone that they've got a handle on crime, I took a little walk around the neighborhood to ask local residents if they felt safe. Vincent Peters, 32, who was waiting for a bus with his wife and their 2-month old daughter, definitely does not. He said he's preparing to move his family from the area because he values their safety. "You can hardly walk down the street without someone pushing a gun at you," Peters said. "These kids are scared, and that's why they're carrying...

A documentary on abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s well-regarded practice. The video, which includes some images of Gosnell’s many victims, is not for children or the faint of heart.

Whenever the subject turns to the details of the federal budget, most citizens go into snooze mode. However, I have an idea for a reality show which in contrast to most reality shows which are either annoying (Kardashians) or laughable (Amish Mafia) would actually be performing a public service in terms of making the public aware of budget details as well as entertaining. Here is how the "OM WannaB" show would work. Four participants would be chosen from those who would want the power of the head of the Office of Management and Budget. Each of them would be given...

Maryland's top court could make it much more difficult for undocumented immigrants to secure bail bonds, in a case likely to resolve long-standing questions about whether bondsmen are on the hook when clients get deported before trial. In a case pending at the Court of Appeals, Big Louie Bail Bonds has been ordered to pay more than $100,000 in Baltimore County in bail forfeitures after 10 defendants were deported before their criminal trials. Lower courts ruled that the company knew — or should have known — it was taking on clients with a high risk of deportation. "We can't afford...

For female Mossad agents, life is like a spy-movie — though not always as glamorous. Theirs is a world of intrigue, sleepless nights and, sometimes, flirtation, in conditions of ever-lurking danger, all for the sake of the state, with immense strains on their families.For the first time, five female Mossad agents went public this week, in interviews with the Hebrew-language Lady Globes newspaper, giving readers a tiny glimpse, from the female perspective, of the clandestine activities of Israel’s secret service. They talked about using their womenly wiles in the service of the state, and also about the limits to that...

Kyrsten Sinema was sworn into Congress Monday, but with a twist: She didn’t swear on a Bible. The newly elected representative for Arizona’s 9th district swore her oath of office on a copy of the Constitution instead. Sinema refuses to confirm she is an atheist, as many believe, saying merely that she is “not a member of a faith community” and that all Americans deserve both “freedom of religion and freedom from religion.”

I'd like to invite you to join Terry as he visits C'Ville Coffee in Charlottesville to give a campaign update. Terry is excited to meet activists and voters to talk about the upcoming election and listen to their concerns. We hope you'll join us to support him tomorrow. Thank you, Michael Halle Coordinated Campaign Director Democratic Party of Virginia Wednesday, January 16 WHAT: Terry to visit C'Ville Coffee in Charlottesville WHEN: 5:30 PM WHERE:1301 Harris St, Charlottesville, VA 22903 RSVP Today

In the face of alleged ethics violations ranging from tax fraud to money laundering, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway announced this week that she is resigning. That does not mean, however, that she will no longer be receiving taxpayer dollars. In fact, it appears that Hathaway can probably look forward to a pension that may be just shy of $100,000 a year. The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission has accused Hathaway of fraud, money laundering and "misrepresentations to the commission" for her involvement with a short sale of property. Hathaway might best be remembered in connection with ads that were...

Humorous look at two cats sharing a bowl.

DEVELOPING -- Two people were reported shot at a business school in St Louis, according to Fox 2. A gunman reportedly fired multiple shots at the Stevens Institute of Business and Arts in the city's downtown area. According to some reports, police believe one of the victims is the suspected gunman, who they say has a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. Police say the suspect is in custody.

Anyway, Bill Clinton, as you know, was at the Golden Globes, and he was backstage asking actresses to meet him in a special room. We know this because the actress Claire Danes, she won the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama. She was on Access Hollywood, one of our favorite shows here at the EIB Network. You don't miss it. The host, Billy Bush, Access Hollywood, said to Claire Danes, "You came straight back here, you haven't stopped anywhere since you got the award? We're your first stop, right?" DANES: President Bill Clinton asked if I would come...

Deep inside caves, in remote desert bases, in the escarpments and cliff faces of northern Mali, Islamic extremist fighters have been burrowing into the earth, erecting a formidable set of defenses to protect what has essentially become al-Qaida's new country. They have used the bulldozers, earth movers and Caterpillar machines left behind by fleeing construction crews to dig what residents and local officials describe as an elaborate network of tunnels, trenches, shafts and ramparts. In just one case, inside a cave large enough to drive trucks into, they have stored up to 100 drums of gasoline, guaranteeing their fuel supply...

Shepard Smith on Walmarts pledge to hire any Veteran that wants a job. "I'm sure it's every Veterans dream to be a stocker at Wal-Mart"

A major credit-rating firm warned it could downgrade the U.S. if lawmakers prioritize debt payments over other government obligations such as Social Security, or fail to tackle the nation's growing debt burden in the ongoing budget negotiations. Fitch Ratings, one of the ratings firms that are closely watching the U.S. inch closer to its borrowing limit, unveiled two potential routes to a downgrade Tuesday, laying out their analysis more specifically than in prior reports. Analysts predict the U.S. will hit its so-called debt ceiling between Feb. 15 and March 1. Fitch's warning comes as President Barack Obama and Republican leaders...