Free Republic

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Is Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl getting caught up in the Internet craze inspired by Denver Broncos’ Quarterback Tim Tebow? No, he’s just making good on a bet. Prior to the Steelers’ season ending overtime loss to the Broncos on Sunday, Ravenstahl made a friendly playoff wager with his counterpart in Denver, Mayor Michael Hancock. As part of the deal, Ravenstahl agreed to don a Broncos jersey and strike the infamous prayerful pose for a picture. Since the Broncos bested the black and gold, Ravenstahl made good on the bet by taking a knee in Roberto Clemente Memorial...

Link only - Occupy Denver disrupts vigil to honor homeless who have died, refuse to allow mayor to speak

New Haven Mayor John DeStefano plans to ask the state Legislature to allow illegal immigrants who live in the city to be able vote in municipal elections. DeStefano said on Tuesday that the proposal would build a more engaged community and follows the lead of other cities, the New Haven Register reports. The Register reports that 10,000 to 12,000 undocumented residents are believed to live in New Haven. Immigrants who are in the U.S. legally or illegally and cannot vote now would still be unable to vote in state or federal elections. DeStefano, a Democrat, said illegal immigrants pay taxes...

Right about now, you're probably starting to receive Christmas cards from friends and family. It's pretty safe to assume that most of them are adorned with candid shots of smiling faces, and some even have a picture of the newest addition to the family: a kid or man's best friend. Well a Christmas card from San Juan's mayor just earned him a spot on the famous blog "AwkwardFamilyPhoto.com."...

Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, currently mayor of Chicago, says the bond between the United States and Israel is "rock solid." In a televised interview with journalist Dana Weiss on "Meet the Press" at the Saban Forum in Washington D.C. over the weekend, Emanuel was emphatic that President Barack Obama has been "the best president ever for Israel." However, he said, "Regardless of who's president or who's prime minister at any given time, the bond between the United States and Israel is rock solid, and that's what's important to know." That, he added, is the "personal view"...

Their sign warns those who are "Drunks, homosexuals, abortionist, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, witches, idolators" that "Hell awaits you." Their hearing will be in Houston Municipal Court, which is run by Barbara E. Hartle, who, according to the Dallas Voice, is listed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund as "one of only a few out members of the Texas judiciary." She was appointed to the position by Houston Mayor Annise Parker, identified by the Los Angeles Times as "the first lesbian to head a major American city." Allen told WND that no matter what happens, the fact that...

Two veteran street preachers in Houston are facing a bench trial for spreading the biblical message about homosexuality – and other sins – on one of their favorite corners for preaching in Houston. That the message was direct is obvious, from a photo of the situation that developed for David Stokes of BulldogMinistries.com and Dave Allen of HornofSamuelBook.com: Their sign warns those who are "Drunks, homosexuals, abortionist, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, witches, idolators" that "Hell awaits you." Their hearing will be in Houston Municipal Court, which is run by Barbara E. Hartle, who, according to the Dallas Voice, is...

It was just last week that an #Occupy LA protester was arrested for masturbating on the steps of City Hall. Now the squatters are getting their own private office building. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has decided to award the lawlessness, lewd acts, shoplifting and drug use of the Occupy LA squatters. He just offered the hooligans 10,000 square feet of downtown office space and farmland for $1-a-year. The LA Times reported: Los Angeles officials have offered Occupy L.A. protesters a package of incentives that includes downtown office space and farmland in an attempt to persuade them to abandon their...

The Los Angeles Times just reported: “Los Angeles officials have offered Occupy L.A. protesters a package of incentives that includes downtown office space and farmland in an attempt to persuade them to abandon their camp outside of City Hall, according to several demonstrators who have been in negotiations with the city.” “City officials have offered protesters a $1-a-year lease on a 10,000-square-foot office space near City Hall.” Full Story & Details here: “Occupy L.A. receives offer to decamp; Protesters could get downtown office space and farmland if they leave City Hall.”

Link only - Occupy Wall Street's Planning A Big Party At Mayor Bloomberg's House On Sunday

The mayor of Richmond, Calif. plans to skip her city’s Veterans Day memorial events to attend an Occupy rally, a choice that’s prompting anger and criticism. Mayor Gayle McLaughlin will miss a Veterans Day salute Friday in favor of an Occupy Richmond “public speak out,” the San Jose Mercury News reported. McLaughlin defended her decision, telling the newspaper that the city is not sponsoring the Veterans Day event, and the rally she will attend will honor Scott Olsen, the Iraq war veteran injured at an Occupy Oakland rally last month. Richmond and Oakland, both in the San Francisco Bay Area,...

TUCSON, Ariz (Reuters) - There is no bank of telephones at Mary DeCamp's campaign headquarters, no volunteers eager to bring her message to the masses. The Green Party candidate for mayor of Tucson, who is days away from losing her home to foreclosure, is flanked by fellow Occupy Tucson activists as she directs her long shot bid for public office from a borrowed tent in a local park. "November 10th is my eviction date," the aptly named candidate said cheerfully on Friday, while unpacking signs after police had pushed Occupy Tucson campers from one park to another a night earlier....

OAKLAND -- After a massive and mostly peaceful demonstration against large corporations Wednesday eroded into late night clashes with police and 80 arrests, people on both sides of the fence were in damage control mode, with Occupy Oakland organizers and city officials trying to figure out what to do next. And in a press briefing Thursday afternoon, it appears that as far as Mayor Jean Quan is concerned the city will maintain its hands-off status quo. She blamed the destruction on a small group and said the larger Occupy group was not the problem. ... She also said that because...

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...

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Wednesday that the Occupy Los Angeles encampment outside City Hall "cannot continue indefinitely" and has asked city officials to draft restrictions limiting when people are allowed on city property. "I respect the protesters' right to peacefully assemble and express their views," Villaraigosa said. "City officials have been in a continuous and open dialogue with the organizers of Occupy L.A. However, the protesters must respect city laws and regulations, and while they have been allowed to camp on City Hall lawns, that cannot continue indefinitely." A spokeswoman for the mayor said he has also instructed city officials...

As mayor of the city of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel is paid a salary of $216,000 a year. He spent four times that much money just to prove that he was a Chicago resident and therefore entitled to run for office. *snip* he court challenge that Emanuel had to overcome was proving that he was indeed a Chicago resident and had been for at least a year as required by law. Emanuel had held onto his home here in Ravenswood, even though he and his family had moved to Washington where he was President Obama's fiery chief of staff, and the...

Protesters will resist any efforts to remove them from the Lower Manhattan park where they have been camped for nearly a month, despite Mayor Michael Bloomberg's order that they vacate the park at 7 a.m. Friday so it can be cleaned, an organizer said Thursday. "Come tomorrow morning, we will passively resist and make it as difficult a process to remove us as possible," said Occupy Wall Street spokesman Tyler Combelic. "It's not an occupation if you can't occupy the park." His words appeared to be backed up by the sentiment of the crowd of more than 1,000 protesters who...

(CNSNews.com) - During a United Nations General Assembly summit on non-communicable diseases -- a discussion that included diet and eating habits -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said “governments at all levels must make healthy solutions the default social option. Speaking on the government's role in diet and health last week, Bloomberg told the UN General Assembly, “There are powers only governments can exercise, policies only governments can mandate and enforce and results only governments can achieve. To halt the worldwide epidemic of non-communicable diseases, governments at all levels must make healthy solutions the default social option. That is...

Mayor Bloomberg warned Friday there would be riots in the streets if Washington doesn't get serious about generating jobs. "We have a lot of kids graduating college, can't find jobs," Bloomberg said on his weekly WOR radio show. "That's what happened in Cairo. That's what happened in Madrid. You don't want those kinds of riots here."

“When I explained to him that a longer school day should not be used for warehousing or babysitting our youth he exploded, used profanity, pointed his finger in my face and yelled. At that point the conversation was over — soon thereafter we found ourselves subject to a full-scale propaganda war over a moot point.”