Free Republic

Editor’s Note: A wave of vandalism has broken out at the University of Texas in Austin. Various frats have been vandalized with the words “racist” and “rapist” among other slogans. One of the frats targeted held a controversial “border patrol” party in 2015 which garnished some media attention. A study published in March of 2017 found that 15% of undergraduate women on UT campus reported being raped. Actual statistics are believed to be much higher. The following anonymous transmission was sent to IGD from a group of people claiming to take credit for the vandalism and in this essay they...

"Ted Cruz is no longer a liar, we don’t say Lyin' Ted anymore," Trump told the crowd. "We love Ted, we love him, right? We love him. Now we don’t want to say Lyin' Ted. I'd love to pull it out and just use it on lying, crooked Hillary because she is a liar."

Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel has offered to take charge of a film celebrating Donald Trump's presidential campaign that would air next month at the Republican National Convention, Trump said in a new interview. "He's a very good friend of mine," Trump said about Emanuel in a story posted online Wednesday by The Hollywood Reporter. "He calls me a lot. I call him a lot and we talk. He's very political. Even though he's not political, he's political. He gets it." . . .

Donald Trump appeared on MSNBC in an apparent and successful attempt to steal the spotlight from CNN's Townhall with Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Dr. Ben Carson.

"While the 21 day quarantine value currently used may have arose from reasonable interpretation of early outbreak data, this work suggests a reconsideration is in order and that 21 days may not be sufficiently protective to public health. . ."

The classic slogan for Firestone tires was "where the rubber meets the road." When it comes to Ebola, the rubber met the road at the Firestone rubber plantation in Harbel, Liberia. Harbel is a company town not far from the capital city of Monrovia. It was named in 1926 after the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Harvey and his wife, Idabelle. Today, Firestone workers and their families make up a community of 80,000 people across the plantation. Firestone detected its first Ebola case on March 30, when an employee's wife arrived from northern Liberia...

HOUSTON, Texas--An ad placed in the Penny Saver Newspaper in Murrieta, California is seeking "loving, compassionate parents to provide a loving home" for illegal immigrant minors, according to a local reader of the publication. . .

There's been word of a truce in the Ukraine –– protests have raged in Kiev for the past two days, following months of unrest there. News 8's Shelly Slater Skyped with a woman who is in Kiev and got her perspective of the protests. Video at link.

WASHINGTON, DC – Sources confirmed today that hundreds of thousands of military absentee ballots were delivered hours after the deadline for them to be counted, with preliminary counts showing that they would have overturned the vote in several states and brought a victory for Governor Mitt Romney. Officials say the ballots were delivered late due to problems within the military mail system. Tracking invoices show the ballots sat in a warehouse for a month, then they were accidentally labeled as ammunition and shipped to Afghanistan. At Camp Dwyer, Marine Sergeant John Davis signed for them and was surprised at the...

Not sure how to characterize this, or where it belongs, but there's considerable scuttlebutt this morning over a new (and maybe scurrilous) website predicting a major October Surprise this weekend, Sunday evening, just before the next debate on Monday. This deserves FReeper attention and discussion. http://legalinsurrection.com/2012/10/okay-sure-ill-fall-for-it-and-link-to-an-october-surprise-website/ and http://www.buzzfeed.com/wiowsa/one-of-your-presidential-candidates-isnt-being-ho-4afz for starters. An Insider on a website that cannot be mentioned also hinted at something big coming this weekend. FWIW

He's not running for office. He's not part of a super PAC. He's not lobbying for or against any ballot measures. But billionaire Thomas Peterffy is spending millions on television ads this election season with one cautionary message: Avoid socialism.

" . . . Repeal of Obamacare will be the first item up in the Senate if I am majority leader. If we have a president who will sign the bill, we will do everything we can to get it off the books, and we’ll be looking for every angle that could be pursued. There has been a lot of talk about reconciliation. The Chief Justice said this is a tax, and we take him at his word, so that certainly makes this eligible for reconciliation. But that may not be the only avenue that we pursue. Our goal will...

. . . John was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend who will deeply missed but happily remembered. Mr. Reich's last wishes for us that are left behind in this world is that we band together and clean out the current White House and take America back from the evil condition it is in today. May God Bless You All. . . In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully asks that donations be sent to the campaign of anybody who is running against President Barack Obama in 2012.

. . . I get the strong sense from a few anecdotal stories about Roberts over the past few months and the way he has written this opinion that he very, very much was concerned about keeping the Supreme Court above the partisan fray and damaging the reputation of the Court long term. . . . Second, in writing his case, Roberts forces everyone to deal with the issue as a political, not a legal issue. . . Third, while Roberts has expanded the taxation power, which I don’t really think is a massive expansion from what it was, Roberts...

In a new book called Barack Obama: The Story, author David Maraniss publishes diary entries and correspondence between the president, then in his early 20s, and two ex-girlfriends, providing new insight into Obama’s life in New York City while at Columbia University.

An unusual spring storm in the Texas Panhandle Wednesday afternoon dumped two to four feet of hail near Dumas. Trucks were reported sliding off the road on Highway 287 as a result of the unexpected weather phenomenon. Snow plows were being used to clear the roads. Some vehicles were trapped in the drifts of hailstones. . .

“I think if President Obama came out as gay, he wouldn't lose the black vote," a cheerful Van Jones told MSNBC this afternoon. . . (video at link)

11:00 am The Vice President delivers remarks at the Ohio Newspaper Association Convention Columbus, Ohio 11:15 am The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing Oval Office Closed Press 12:15 pm The President delivers remarks on the housing settlement Eisenhower Executive Office Building Pooled Press 1:55 pm The President delivers remarks about providing states flexibility under No Child Left Behind in exchange for reform 2:45 pm The President welcomes Prime Minister Mario Monti of Italy to the White House Oval Office Pool Spray at the Bottom 7:10 pm The President delivers remarks at a campaign event D.C., Private Residence, Washington

At 12:29 a.m. on Sept. 12, 2001, a visitor to TexAgs.com tossed the match that would ignite the wildfire. . .

Country music star and former rig worker, Trace Adkins, speaks to Anderson Cooper about the Gulf disaster.