Free Republic

Just a note: We often think of the men who conducted the Salem witch trials. They were the judges and jurors. But they weren't the accusers. The accusers were a nine year old girl, an eleven year old girl, and a twelve year old girl. It's important to remember that. Young people, especially young girls in a male-dominated society, may feel powerless. And may feel more acutely any ambient paranoia in a community. Immature people of all genders and ages might be prone to this. Lodging a hysterical accusation suddenly makes the powerless powerful, and the marginally noticed suddenly the...

A middle school in Massachusetts found itself embroiled in a massive culture war. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discuss on The Young Turks. Amherst, in western Massachusetts, is the nexus of four liberal-arts colleges and a major public university. It is home to about forty thousand people, including a fluctuating population of undergraduates and grad students. On its woodsy, winding residential streets, Black Lives Matter and “In This House . . .” signs sprout alongside native gardens of holly, bayberry, and mountain laurel. In the 2020 election, more than ninety per cent of the town’s voters went for Joe Biden....

My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail. “You are invited to join the Northeastern community for a special celebration honoring Michael S. Dukakis.” But someone eventually did send it along to me, and tomorrow’s “celebration” will of course be the social event of the season – NOT! M. Stanley Dukakis is 90 years old now, 33 years after his retirement from politics due to ill health – the voters got sick of him. But how can we miss the Duke when he won’t go away? The featured session, as it’s described, is entitled “Succession: Governors’ Reflections on the...

The ridiculous claim that Israel is guilty of committing an actual genocide in Gaza is just a Hamas talking point that leftists have sadly parroted, the latest one being Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. In a video that was posted to social media by a reporter for Boston-based GBH, the serial exaggerator was seen telling a crowd at a local Islamic center that she agreed that the Jewish nation was guilty of the wholesale liquidation of the Palestinian people, a blatant falsehood that has been repeated ever since Israel retaliated against the terrorists that slaughtered over 1,200 of its citizens last...

An attempted bombing investigation is now underway in Salem, Massachusetts, after someone allegedly threw an explosive at the Satanic Temple. The FBI is now joining other law enforcement agencies for this investigation. The device was left at the Bridge Street temple at about 4 a.m. Monday, damaging the building, Salem police said. Neighbors reported hearing a bang, but thinking it just sounded like a truck hitting a pothole. The temple wasn't open at the time and no injuries were reported. A staff member discovered the failed explosive about 12 hours later. Members of the temple said it's not uncommon for...

<p>SALEM, Mass. (AP) — Someone threw an explosive device onto the porch of The Satanic Temple in Massachusetts at a time when no one was inside, and the device and damage it caused were not found until nearly 12 hours later, police said. No injuries were reported.</p>

Harvard University employed around-the-clock security guards to monitor and protect an anti-Israel wall created by pro-Palestine students. The “apartheid wall” features various artwork and quotes showing their support for Palestine and their distaste for Israel. One of the quotes is from the leader of a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Another is from the former spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ghassan Kanafani— which is a communist Palestinian terrorist organization infamous for hijacking aircraft and mass murder. “The Palestinian cause is not a cause for Palestinians only, but a cause for every revolutionary wherever he is, as a...

Mass General Brigham announced Tuesday it would no longer report to state welfare agencies when a baby is born with drugs in its system because substance abuse in pregnant mothers “disproportionately affects black people,” Boston.com reports. The change will be rolled out later this month, with Dr. Sarah Wakeman, senior medical director for substance use disorder at Mass General Brigham, arguing the new policy is “based on sound science.”

When an illegal immigrant from Guatemala was accused of nine counts of sexually assaulting a child in Massachusetts, federal immigration agents wanted him detained. But the Massachusetts courts system, operating under the state’s “sanctuary” policies, said no, and the alleged rapist was released. Today he’s in federal custody thanks to an elite immigration enforcement unit, and sanctuary city politics are back in the New Hampshire race for governor. Republicans are yet again calling out Granite State Democrats for embracing Bay State policies. The suspect in this case was one of five illegal aliens in the Boston area arrested by Immigration...

A federal judge on Monday tossed part of a lawsuit accusing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of malfeasance when he flew migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in 2022. ... But she said there’s no evidence Mr. DeSantis or his employees were involved in the conduct at issue in Massachusetts, so they weren’t appropriate targets for a lawsuit filed in her district. “Accordingly, Plaintiffs have failed to show that personal jurisdiction exists over the Individual State Defendants, Huerta and Montgomerie, and thus the Amended Complaint is dismissed without prejudice as to those Defendants,” the judge wrote. ... The case stems from Mr. DeSantis’...

Lawyers representing migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard nearly two years ago by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis can sue the charter flight company that transported them to the island off the Massachusetts coast, according to a ruling Monday by a federal judge in Boston. The 50 Venezuelans were sent to Martha’s Vineyard from San Antonio, Texas, and had been promised work and housing opportunities. Under Monday's ruling, the migrants can proceed with their suit against Florida-based Vertol Systems Co., which had agreed to fly them to the island for hundreds of thousands of dollars. An email to the company seeking comment...

More than a month after she struck a pedestrian with her town vehicle, a Massachusetts police chief has issued a statement saying she should have informed the public about the "unfortunate accident" sooner. Canton Police Chief Helena Rafferty said in a letter Monday that she was driving home in an official vehicle on Feb. 16 when she "accidentally struck" a Wrentham resident, identified as Michael Barry. The chief said she was turning left from South Street onto Creek Street when she caught sight of the pedestrian's reflective vest. "I immediately applied my brakes, but unfortunately, the car made contact with...

There’s no way in hell they shouldn’t tell all’.. The FBI is closing the book on the agency’s “corrupt” handling of James “Whitey” Bulger — forever. The feds are refusing to make any further installments of Bulger’s case file public, saying the records are “investigative” and no longer subject to the Freedom of Information Act. “The records responsive to your request are law enforcement records; there is a pending or prospective law enforcement proceeding relevant to these responsive records, and release of the information could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings. Therefore, your request is being administratively closed,”...

Harvard University has removed the binding of human skin from a 19th Century book kept in its library. Des Destinées de l'Ame (Destinies of the Soul) has been housed at Houghton Library since the 1930s. In 2014, scientists determined that the material it was bound with was in fact human skin. But the university has now announced it has removed the binding "due to the ethically fraught nature of the book's origins and subsequent history". Des Destinées de l'Ame is a meditation on the soul and life after death, written by Arsène Houssaye in the mid-1880s. He is said to...

The Daily Mail reports that eight states are planning to BAN the sale of gas-powered cars entirely – after Biden unveiled ambitious plans to phase them out by 2032. California was the first state to adopt the plan to ban sales of gas cars by 2035. Electric vehicles made up 7.6 percent of new car sales in the US last year. It seems clear that the government will ban gas stations at some point, and they don’t seem to care that you can’t afford an EV. The rule, first adopted by California, means that automakers and dealerships would be banned...

At least eight states are planning to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars in the next decade - and others are considering joining them. Only zero-emission vehicles can be sold in participating states beginning from the 2035 model year, according to the Advanced Clean Cars II legislation. The rule, which was first adopted by California, means that automakers and dealerships would be banned from selling new gas cars in these states from that point onwards.

Liberal Massachusetts is overrun with illegal border crossers and there’s really no wonder why when you see the laundry list of things that are provided for ‘free’ courtesy of taxpayers in the Bay State. All of these perks just act as incentives, driving more illegals into the state. And remember, there are American citizens in Massachusetts who are poor and don’t get nearly as much from the state. Longtime Boston talk host Howie Carr posted this list on his website: FREEBIES FOR ILLEGALS: A Comprehensive List GENERAL WELFARE COSTS FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS: Free hotel rooms at $150+ a day. Three...

As the border crisis continues to worsen, it almost seems like each week brings another tragedy to light illustrating the impact that the problem is having on American citizens. Just weeks after the murder of Laken Riley at the hands of an illegal immigrant, another story out of Massachusetts has people wondering when the government will finally do something about the problem at the southern border.A Haitian migrant was arrested for raping a 15-year-old girl at one of the hotels being used to shelter illegal immigrants and asylum seekers coming over the border. Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, chimed in...

If Massachusetts ends up getting an even bigger influx of migrants from Haiti, we may have Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to thank. That’s because the Republican recently floated the idea of sending more migrants from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard. “We do have our transport program also that’s going to be operational,” DeSantis said, according to Politico. “Haitians land in the Florida Keys, their next stop very well may be Martha’s Vineyard.”

Despite the 2022 Supreme Court ruling, people are losing their property over tax bills that amount to a fraction of their home value and the built up equity. TUCSON, Ariz.—Horses taught Christine Searle the importance of being fair. Intelligent and innately honest creatures, horses know deceit when they see it. She wishes they could teach that principle to the state of Arizona. The 70-year-old horse trainer and Arizona native is on the verge of losing her life’s savings over an unpaid $1,607.68 property tax bill. “I owed them the money. And that’s what they should get—the money I owe them,”...