Free Republic

Since I've been hearing rumblings about Feinstein reviving her dumbassed assault weapons ban, and I have limited confidence in the spine of the GOP Congress -- I'm in the market for an AR-15. My wife was going to get me a crossbow or 30-06 sniper rifle for my 10th wedding anniversary this month (she's definitely a keeper) ... but neither of those are likely to be banned, so I'll move the AR up the list. I looked at a local tactical firearms dealer yesterday evening. They had a DPMS/Panther Arms military-spec AR-15 with a rail system in 5.56 for a...

Every key move of Christopher Nolan's newest Batman project has stirred speculation and scrutiny. So Comic Riffs eagerly awaits "fanboy" reaction to this fresh news: Anne Hathaway has now been cast as Selina Kyle -- Catwoman's alter ego -- for Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises," Warner Bros. Pictures has just announced today. . "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story," Nolan said in a statement. The studio also announced that Tom Hardy has been cast to play Bane. Said Nolan: "I...

LYNNWOOD, Wash. -- A local man said he came within seconds of having his car broken into, and perhaps stolen, until a real-life “superhero" came to his aid, wearing tights, a mask and a skin-tight super suit. The encounter started in Lynnwood Sunday evening when a man, who asked to be identified only as Dan, was walking back to his car in a parking lot when he saw a man with a metal strip trying to pry open his car. “He started sticking it down between the window and the rubber strip,” said Dan. Dan began to call 911, but...

[...] And then last week, he went home and was watching a game when a new commercial for "Call of Duty: Black Ops" came on his television. Seen through Walker's eyes, the content was bad enough. A woman in high heels, a hotel concierge, a guy in a fast-food worker's outfit -- they're all shooting automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades in an urban warfare setting. He was already disgusted, but about halfway through the spot, Walker did a double take: Wait! Wasn't that Kobe Bryant? Seriously, is that really Kobe Bryant carrying an assault weapon with the word "MAMBA" on...

HAVANA (AP) -- Cuba harshly criticized a new video game in which U.S. special operations soldiers try to kill a young Fidel Castro, saying Wednesday that the violent role-playing glorifies assassination and will turn American children into sociopaths. The island's state-run media also took a dig at the CIA's real-life efforts to do in the island's revolutionary leader, who has survived dozens, perhaps hundreds of attempts on his life. "What the United States couldn't accomplish in more than 50 years, they are now trying to do virtually," said an article posted on Cubadebate, a state-run news website.

Anne Rice is in a season that many, if not all, Christians experience: the great joy of coming to personally embrace the love, forgiveness, and new life that Jesus offers is then followed by the troubles and trials of learning the teachings of the Bible and living with fellow Christians. Truthfully, both are difficult. Every Christian struggles, to varying degrees, with different parts of the Bible because they call us to repent of beliefs we formerly held and ways in which we formerly behaved. Anne Rice struggles with the Bible's opposition to homosexuality and its teachings on gender roles. She...

Even in gun-crazy America, most of us aren't shooting things as part of our day-to-day routine. So most Americans actually know very little about guns. Hollywood writers realized this a long time ago and, being writers, used it as an excuse to never do any fact-checking ever again. #5.Silencers Turn Gunfire Into a Gentle Whisper [...] The Myth: Cautious spies and assassins know that if you're going to take out a bad guy in an office or a library, be sure to use a silencer. It turns the concussive "bang" into a neutered "ptew." [...] The Problem: Exploding gunpowder is...

The plan: Take a popular '80s television series and translate it to the big screen for a modern audience. Amp up the explosions. Kick up the comedy elements. Make it a solidly entertaining film for the summer movie masses. Get some kind of a wrestler/MMA star to fill Mr. T's shoes. I, for one, love it when a plan comes together, and The A-Team, the latest film from Joe Carnahan, executes the aforementioned plan to a T. Wildly entertaining and packed with as much charm as it is bang, the film hits on all cylinders, even if a little forgiveness...

[...] What about the show’s past depiction of Muslims? In the second season, we worked with the Muslim community, and I know we did a PSA. But, if you want to just take a look at 9/11, they were Muslims. Deal with it. It’s a fact, and Muslim extremists exist, and we have also done Christian right extremists, and we have also done political, Eastern block terrorists, and those who had financial and religious motives — all kinds. We weren’t going to pretend that the 22 hijackers in 9/11 weren’t Muslim. By the same token, I do believe you have...

Looking for a ridiculously expensive SUV to plow through crowds of the undead when the zombie apocalypse begins? Then look no further than Conquest Vehicles' Knight XV. It's bulletproof and you can get it with a minibar option. Um, yes please! Conquest Vehicle Inc's flagship vehicle, the KNIGHT XV defines the future of the ultra-luxurious, handcrafted fully armoured SUV. This one-of-a-kind, V10, 6.8-litre, Bio-fuel powered SUV was inspired by military vehicle designs and features security appointments that are unrivaled in today's SUV marketplace. The KNIGHT XV(TM) is priced at $295,000 USD. Only 100 will be made available as a limited...

[...] Your character got waterboarded in last week’s episode. What was your reaction when you got that script? Well, when I first read it, I thought, “It’s about time they do something to this poor girl.” [Laughs] I was excited to do it because I’ve never been waterboarded, and I thought it would really be kind of fun. We tried to do it with a tube in my mouth, which just made it completely difficult, so I was like, “You guys are just gonna have to waterboard me.” They were like, “Are you sure you’re OK?” and I was like,...

Although I own a couple of guns, they are mostly heirlooms or antiques, and don't get much use. I am in the market for a good all-purpose defensive handgun -- for home defense, target practice, concealed carry, and general training. I don't have a CHL at this point, but want to begin training to get one. I have had several models recommended to me -- HK USP Compact (45 or 9mm), Kimber 1911, Walther P99, Sig Sauer P229, Glock 19. I went out shopping a bit this weekend at a local dealer. I was inclined to go with the Barrett...

"Stuff Christian Culture Likes" #148 -- Jack Bauer. Men in Christian culture have giant man-crushes on Jack Bauer. He is the prototype of Christian culture's ideal male, save for the profession of faith. He's macho, tenacious and tech-savvy (all qualities that Christian culture holds dear) and he's working his ass off under an apocalyptic deadline, which Christians can relate to. They even find themselves praying for Jack Bauer during the show and then laughingly confess to this when discussing last week's episode of 24 at Bible study.

The USA Network has made plans to burn up the cable ratings for two more seasons. Variety is reporting that the USA Network has handed out fifth and sixth season orders for the hit series Burn Notice, two months before Season 4 is set to air. The show of confidence in this isn't entirely surprising, since it's the highest-rated show on basic cable, averaging 7.1 million viewers for Season 3, with 6.1 million viewers tuning in for the season finale. Having the show noticed on a late-night comedy series also helped. "Once Saturday Night Live makes fun of you, how...

"24's" time is almost up. 20th Century Fox TV and Fox appear ready to end the long-running hit after this season, the show's eighth. Studio and network execs declined comment -- but it's believed that the final decision will be made in the next day or two. Move is not a huge surprise, but still reps the end of an era for Fox. "24" helped usher in Fox's ratings surge in the 2000s, as the franchise -- along with "American Idol" and "House," among other series -- led the network to the No. 1 spot in the adults 18-49 demo....

On Friday, I summarized the state of the GOP gubernatorial primary in Texas, and wrote, "there’s a third candidate on the Republican side, Debra Medina, former Wharton County Republican party chair. She’s emphasizing that she’s not a politician, not rich, and that the state needs a governor who will ensure “the average Texan is represented.” There hasn’t been a ton of polling of this race, but in the polls that have been conducted, Perry leads fairly comfortably, but not by enough so that we could say he’s got this race in the bag. Intriguingly, in a race with two of...

Twentieth Century Fox's film and TV studios are conspiring to finally bring hit television series "24" to the bigscreen. The film side has hired scribe Billy Ray ("State of Play," "Flightplan") to pen the script for the feature version. Ray's pitch, which takes Jack Bauer to Europe, was a hit with Fox execs and producers of the high-concept television series. Ray also wrote and directed "Breach" and "Shattered Glass." Script is said to have come through "24" star Kiefer Sutherland, who's also an exec producer on the series -- and is said to be eager to turn the long-running TV...

One the of leading three evangelical prophets of America who has recently visited Australia, Mark Driscoll, preaching pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, openly declares that the subject of delightful 'Christian sex' is a proper topic for discussion. Lillian Kwon writing for the ‘Christian Post’, and reprinted in ‘Christian Today Australia’, explored Mark Driscoll's credentials and his topic saying that The Song of Songs is said to be the most erotic and exciting book in Scripture. Driscoll says that it literally describes an intimate relationship between a husband and a wife. "At Mars Hill Church, we believe that 'all...

"My thesis is very simple: Uncle Sam is broke and he is broken," said the senior pastor of one of the largest churches in the country. Dr. Ed Young of Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, brought politics to the pulpit this past weekend as he preached on what he calls "a broken Washington." "Far too long we have been in a valley, a deep, dark valley that's been brought on by the indifference and lethargy of the people and by those who are willing to exploit us on so many levels at the highest realm of government – city,...

Jeez Louise. We're less than a month into 2010 and Jack Bauer has already been dragged back into the CTU fold, escaped torture, saved the life of a foreign head-of-state and uncovered a mole. If they keep up this pace for the next 20 hours, I'll be exhausted just watching 24. In a predictable meme, the Jack Bauer joke has surpassed the Chuck Norris jab in terms of hilariousness and poignancy. Example: Jack Bauer found out that Keifer Sutherland was playing him and immediately shot Sutherland because nobody plays Jack Bauer. Delightful, right? At any rate, Jack Bauer is an...