Free Republic

Legislation introduced in the Tennessee state legislature this month is raising alarms from the state's police union and gun control advocates who say it could turn the streets into the "old West." Two bills in the state assembly and state senate, HB 254 and SB 2523, would amend Tennessee law and designate "a person who has been issued an enhanced handgun carry permit" as a member of law enforcement. MORE: America has a gun violence problem. What do we do about it? "As introduced, expands the definition of 'law enforcement officer' to include a person who has been issued an...

In his traditional Christmas speech, Pope Francis criticised nationalism and called cultural differences a “source of richness”. Speaking about increasing nationalism in the Western world as a result of migration from North Africa and the Middle East the spiritual leader said: “Our differences are not a detriment or a danger; they are a source of richness. As when an artist is about to make a mosaic: it is better to have tiles of many colours available, rather than just a few,” the Pope told a large audience in the Vatican. “The experience of families teaches us this,” he said, “as...

...Mr. Greenberg teaches in Seattle and writes for Everyday Feminism. In an article published yesterday, titled “Looking for Proof of Male Privilege in Your Daily Life? Here Are 7 Undeniable Examples,” he tackles the concept of “male privilege.” At the very beginning of the article, Mr. Greenberg includes a warning, writing, “This article is written from a White, cisgender, straight male’s perspective – in other words, from my perspective. Throughout, I discuss primarily experiences and research involving cisgender men and women, but I must acknowledge the limitations of such a perspective.” Greenberg then told a short story that he said...

Lawmakers have failed in past attempts to rename North America’s highest mountain, but a new proposal may have a better chance this year under a Republican Congress, according to an aide to an Alaska lawmaker who is resurrecting the effort. U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan have introduced a bill to give Mount McKinley its historical Alaska Native name. The Alaska Republicans announced a Senate bill Wednesday to formally call the 20,320-foot mountain by its Athabascan name, Denali, KTUU reported. The bill comes after previous efforts by Murkowski failed. …

<p>There is a remote, although gaining, possibility America’s military will intervene as a last resort to resolve the “Obama problem.” Don’t dismiss it as unrealistic.</p>

The recent mass mobilization of racists and right-wingers of all stripes in Washington, D.C., and in cities around the country requires the attention of the working class, white workers especially. In the face of mounting racism and efforts to divide the workers during an economic crisis, the struggle for class unity is more pressing than ever. While these right-wing demonstrations are numerically small, and may eventually die down, they are politically significant because they represent a de facto bloc between important sections of big business and the racist ultra-right, based upon an immediate common objective: to push back the program...

Singer-songwriter Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, released on Sunday a charity song whose proceeds will go towards assisting Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. The new recording of the song 'The day the world gets round', originally recorded by George Harrison, features Yusuf on vocals and Klaus Voorman, known to many as the fifth Beatle, on bass. The song can be dowloaded online at different rates and its proceeds will go towards the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and Save the Children to aid children and families in the Gaza Strip, UNRWA said in a statement. Yusuf...

"And the idea was, the shark comes to the nearest man, that man, he starts poundin' and hollerin' and screamin', sometime's the shark goes away, sometimes he wouldn't go away. Sometime's that shark, he looks right into ya, right into your eyes. And another thing about that shark. He's got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn't seem to be livin'. Until he bites you." Quint from Jaws