Free Republic

WASILLA — Responding to news reports about then-Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin asking a librarian how she would feel about banning books, a San Francisco man has donated two children’s books dealing with homosexuality to the Wasilla Library. Mike Petrelis, a 49-year-old who files Freedom of Information requests for a living, said he was aghast to read reports of Palin’s 1996 inquiry about banning certain books at Wasilla’s library. The news — old news in the Mat-Su Valley, but new in the Lower 48 — prompted Petrelis to send to Wasilla “Heather Has Two Mommies” and “Daddy’s Roommate,” both children’s books...

The inside of his ears had been burned with cigarettes. He was forced to drink shampoo. >His caretakers bent two of his toes to the point that an amputation may be necessary, according to reports. When a Westgate Resorts administrative assistant spotted the 7-year-old trying to serve himself cereal at the buffet in their Osceola County sales center earlier this month, the first thing she noticed was his trembling arms. They were too thin. His eyes were sunken."He was really skinny," said Westgate employee Hilda Berrios. "He looked like one of those kids you see on TV." "As I focused,...

Ahoy, mateys, Rosie O'Donnell's going full steam ahead--her cruise line for gay and lesbian families has launched on its maiden voyage. The first cruise of R Family Vacations, a new company backed by the comic and gay-rights advocate, set sail Sunday from New York for a seven-day cruise to the Bahamas. O'Donnell was on hand in Manhattan Sunday to celebrate the first of several gay family friendly vacations planned by R Family Vacations. According to the R Family Website, the cruise is a seven-day adventure that will take its 2,100 passengers from New York to Florida to the Bahamas and...