Free Republic

A day after a minor fender bender that has blossomed into a political conundrum because of the players involved, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan told reporters in no uncertain terms that she was not on her phone when her city SUV was rear-ended. Stephanie Chuang reports. A day after a minor fender-bender that blossomed into a political conundrum because of the players involved, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan told reporters in no uncertain terms that she was not on her phone when her city SUV was rear-ended. "I learned my lesson," Quan said. "I was not on my phone. My phone records...

In between bowls of chicken poodle soup and deciding to provide air cover for al-Qaeda in Syria, our Dear Leader, Barack Hussein Obama, found time to meet with mayors from our crumbling major cities. From Justin Sink of The Hill: *** "President Obama told a collection of big-city mayors Tuesday at the White House that he would continue to use executive actions to combat gun violence plaguing major cities. In the meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder and the mayors of 18 cities from across the nation, Obama discussed commonly applicable strategies to reduce youth violence. 'He also vowed to...

Oakland Residents Upset Over Lockpicking Workshop OAKLAND, Calif. -- City leaders in Oakland have been getting some angry e-mails lately from some of the people they serve. Mayor Jean Quan is the major target after her newsletter appears to promote a class designed to teach people how to pick a lock. In a city with a crime problem, it's easy to see why they're not happy. The name of the class appears among 40 others in the catalog for the upcoming "Workshop Weekend" in Oakland, right alongside things like "robot building." It's a 3-hour class called "Introduction to Lockpicking" and...

OAKLAND -- Oakland Mayor Jean Quan says the Occupy Oakland protesters camped outside City Hall need to move to a "less disruptive" location if they can't learn to behave themselves. "They have to take some responsibility, they have to step up," she told KCBS-AM in an interview. .. ... At a lengthy meeting Thursday night, several members of the City Council hinted that they would like the camp to go away. That might be easier said than done, Quan told KCBS. "It is a no-win situation because I would guess a majority of people in the city support the movement...

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore plans to visit Occupy Oakland's re-established tent city today, according to his blog. At the end of an Thursday blog post entitled "Life Among the 1%," Moore writes "P.S. I will go to Oakland tomorrow afternoon to stand with Occupy Oakland against the out-of-control police." Moore is among a growing list of celebrities and organizations critical of the city's actions and Mayor Jean Quan's role in evicting protesters three days ago, when police moved in using tear gas and other devices. Injuries sustained by Iraq veteran Scott Olsen in the melee have sparked criticism from many...