Free Republic

The first ever gay pride march is being held in Abbotsford, B.C., this weekend — in the heart of the Bible Belt. The Fraser Valley city, which has deep religious roots, has held an annual walk against homophobia for several years. But organizers of the Fraser Valley Pride parade say queer youth in the community should no longer feel like victims. Kuipers, 28, says stereotypes can work both ways. “Just like Abbotsford gets a bad rap for being a narrow-minded, Bible Belt community, I think that there are a lot of stereotypes about the gay and lesbian community ... being...

Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, wants to reduce personal and business income taxes in Idaho, lure businesses to the state, and ultimately increase overall tax revenues for Idaho and he is getting support for his plan in a big way. Gov. Butch Otter backed the proposal in his State of the State address in at the Capitol in Boise Monday, mentioning Hagedorn by name. Hagedorn’s bill is a 10-year plan that would lower personal and corporate income taxes in the state to a flat 4.9 percent, making it one of the lowest rates in the United States. Otter thinks the plan...

The move is expected to be among a series of symbolic changes he will push through quickly to stamp his mark on the presidency. He is also expected to reverse several controversial executive Bush decisions within days of taking office next week. Mr Obama has committed to closing the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay and will formally ban all interrogative techniques that could be described as torture, such as waterboarding. It is expected that he will also reverse Mr Bush's orders restricting the distribution of funds for stem cell research and to overseas groups that offer abortion counselling. The...

When she arrived in Congress last fall, Rep. Laura Richardson sought out a vehicle that would match her newfound status. She settled on a 2007 Lincoln Town Car - the choice of many representatives who lease their vehicles at taxpayers' expense. But hers was distinct: at $1,300 a month, it was the most expensive car in the House of Representatives. Richardson, a Democrat who represents Carson, has since become known for defaulting on two home loans and losing a third house - in an upscale neighborhood in Sacramento - at a foreclosure auction. But her history with vehicles has been...

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama has picked up support from nearly all the Hispanics who voted for his rival Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries, giving him a nearly 3-1 lead over John McCain, according to a new poll. Results of the Pew Hispanic Center survey show Obama with 66 percent of the Hispanic vote to McCain's 23 percent. The results represent a ''sharp reversal'' in Obama's fortunes from the primaries, when he lost the Latino vote to Clinton by nearly 2-1, prompting speculation that Hispanics were leery of voting for a black candidate, said Susan Minushkin, the center's deputy director....

DEADLY BEATING: A Cleveland man died Wednesday night after he was beaten by a group of kids on bikes. 19 Action News has learned Anthony Waters was attacked in the 3000 block of East 55th Street in a heavy industrial area. Police say the suspects - ages 13-15 years of age - robbed the 42-year-old prior to the fatal attack. Investigators believe the random violence took place around 9:15PM - no witnesses have come forward but officials believe security cameras caught part of the attack. Waters originally refused medical treatment from EMS but his condition quickly worsened and he later...

A Kentucky judge has confirmed what Duke fans have known for years: their football team is as bad as it gets. Bad enough that Louisville should have to find another football team to replace the Blue Devils without penalty after Duke pulled out of the final three games of a four-game contract last season. In a lawsuit filed late last year, Louisville asked for $450,000 in damages and any additional damages the court saw fit. But Duke's lawyers argued that the Blue Devils' performance on the field was so poor that any Division I team would suffice as a replacement....

PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) - Stephen Colbert, the host of his own Comedy Central show, Emmy winner, faux presidential candidate and best-selling author, added to that esteemed collection an award from Princeton University: "The Great Princeton Class of 2008 Understandable Vanity Award." The award was mounted on a mirror. "I have to say, I've never seen anything more beautiful," Colbert on Monday told the 2,611 Princeton graduates-to-be assembled at Class Day, which is held each year the day before commencement. Senior Class President Tom Haine pointed out that the ceremony was held in front of ivy-covered Nassau Hall in an area...

PARIS (AP) - Brigitte Bardot was convicted Tuesday of provoking discrimination and racial hatred for writing that Muslims are destroying France. A Paris court also handed down a $23,325 fine against the former screen siren and animal rights campaigner. The court also ordered Bardot to pay $1,555 in damages to MRAP. Bardot's lawyer, Francois-Xavier Kelidjian, said he would talk to her about the possibility of an appeal. A leading French anti-racism group known as MRAP filed a lawsuit last year over a letter she sent to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. The remarks were published in her foundation's quarterly journal. In...

Two years after Algeria enacted a troubling religious law, Christians in the North African nation are facing an unprecedented clampdown, with churches being closed, suspected missionaries put on trial, and Muslim figures warning of devious plans to lure Algerians away from Islam. The 2006 law, known as Ordinance 06-03, outlaws anything that "incites, constrains, or utilizes means of seduction" to influence a Muslim to convert to another religion. It also bans the publication, distribution or storing of printed material that has the goal of "shaking the faith" of a Muslim. Punishments include imprisonment of up to five years and fines...

The Orkney Islands, where the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean violently meet, last gained fame in 1725 when the pirate ship Revenge was captured there. Today a handful of startups and big companies including General Electric (GE, Fortune 500) are hoping to capture a different prize in Scotland's northernmost waters: marine energy. With waves that travel thousands of miles across the Atlantic before battering its coastline and tidal flows that exceed eight knots, the Scots are poised to become the world leader in this renewable energy source - a market potentially worth billions. By 2020, according to some estimates,...

AUGUSTA, Maine - Mitt Romney coasted to a win in presidential preference voting by Maine Republicans on Saturday, claiming his third victory in a caucus state and fourth overall. The former Massachusetts governor had 52 percent of the vote with 68 percent of the towns holding caucuses reporting. John McCain trailed with 21 percent, Ron Paul was third with 19 percent, and Mike Huckabee had 6 percent. Undecided votes accounted for 2 percent. The nonbinding votes, the first step toward electing 18 Maine delegates to the Republican National Convention, took place in public schools, Grange halls, fire stations and town...

McCain 34% Romney 33% Giuliani 16% Huckabee 13% THOMPSON 2%

Mitt Romney enjoys a dominant, 19-point lead over John McCain among Republicans likely to attend Colorado caucuses Feb. 5, with Mike Huckabee trailing and Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani barely registering a nod, according to a Denver Post poll. The Democratic caucuses hold more potential for high drama in the presidential race, with Colorado voters split evenly between Barack Obama at 34 percent and Hillary Rodham Clinton at 32 percent... .... Romney dominated the Nevada caucuses and has done well throughout the West, where Mormons are neighbors instead of a distant question mark, said Brad Coker of the polling firm...

THE boy from the bush is back in town, with country music star Lee Kernaghan tonight named Australian of the Year for 2008. A proud Kernaghan, 43, admitted he was surprised at the honour but said he would use his new role to help farmers battling the drought. The Victorian-born singer and songwriter was anointed successor to climate change crusader Tim Flannery at a ceremony outside Parliament House in Canberra tonight. Naming him Australian of the Year, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said: "Lee Kernaghan's music resonates with every Australian by connecting us all to the spirit of the bush, but...

Watch as the goalposts move before your very eyes, with less contested southern states like Georgia and Tennessee now the benchmark for voter enthusiasm. Third in SC is very much a possibility, of course — but early indications from Carl Cameron are not good. Politico says he sounds wistful on the trail today while the NYT seizes one last opportunity to snark. “Amen! Tell the truth, Fred! Amen!” Update: Victory in defeat: Over the past month, Huckabee first surged in polls of South Carolina Republicans, from fifth place to, for a time, a solid first place. Over the past two...

CONWAY, South Carolina (CNN) – Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign called on supporters in South Carolina Saturday to make sure that their votes are counted, as voting machines in an eastern county malfunctioned on primary day. "We have received reports from Horry County that voters are being turned away from the polls, because electronic voting machines are not working and paper ballots are not available,” Buzz Jacobs, McCain’s South Carolina state director, said in a statement. “Some voters say they are being instructed to return at a later time. We are disturbed by these reports and hope that this issue...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0nLYTN7q0k& Those were all changes to the original Constitution. My point was that the Constitution was a document, the Constitution is a living, breathing document written in order that it could be changed. My point was that the scriptures were not written so that we may change them, to adapt them, to ever changing cultural norms.

Florida Republican and Democrat Presidential Primary Result InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Survey Conducted for the Florida Chamber of Commerce January 15-16 Republican Primary 446 registered voters likely to vote in Tuesday Jan. 29 primary. Weighted for age, race, gender, and party affiliation. Marin of error +/4.5%. Giuliani: 21 McCain: 20% Romney: 20% Huckabee: 13% Thompson: 7% Paul: 6% Undecided: 13% InsiderAdvantage/Creators Syndicate Matt Towery: “This is anyone’s race. My guess is that the candidate who emerges the winner from South Carolina will receive another one of these two-or-three day “bumps,” which might hold through the Jan. 29 Florida primary.” Democratic Primary 360...

On Friday the Review-Journal will publish the results of our statewide pre-caucus presidential preference poll conducted Monday through Wednesday by Mason-Dixon Polling & research. On the GOP side former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads his closest opponent by 15 points. On the Democratic side Hillary Clinton outdistances Barack Obama by 9 points.