Free Republic

As the situation in Israel and Gaza continues to unfold, many people far from the conflict are nonetheless exposed to countless images, stories and sounds of conflict via television and radio news reports, newspaper and digital stories, and of course social media. And this is taking a toll on all of us, including our children. The American Psychological Association released a statement this week warning that consuming violent and traumatic news can in and of itself negatively affect our mental health. “Psychological science tells us that fear, anxiety and traumatic stress have long-term effects on health and well-being. These impacts...

Penzey’s Spices, the Milwaukee company that held “Republicans are Racist” sale on Martin Luther King Weekend, is now dealing with a massive loss of customers and is begging for new business. “After starting the year with Republicans are Racists we’ve set a nice little Boycott Penzeys! surge in motion,” Penzey’s CEO Bill Penzey said in an email to customers Friday. “It certainly wasn’t unexpected, but if it’s within your means, you picking up a small stack of Gift Cards would help.” Penzey admitted that the “Republicans are Racists” email cost his business 40,000 subscribers, roughly three percent of the total....

The Center for Cultural Enrichment (CCE) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is warning students that if your Halloween costume is funny, it's more than likely that you're exploiting oppressed people. That message, along with other suggestions about avoiding "cultural appropriation," was posted on fliers around campus in the previous few days. Sheets of paper were put up in different buildings at the college titled, "Does my Halloween Costume Promote Cultural Appropriation?" It asks questions about your Halloween costume, then answers how that could be oppressing people: "Is your costume racially, ethnically, or culturally based?" the sheet asks. "If it is,...

The Madison City Council overrode Mayor Paul Soglin’s veto Tuesday evening, adding homelessness as a protected class under its Equal Opportunities Ordinance. The change adds homelessness to classifications like age, disability, arrest record, sexual orientation, political beliefs and others, providing limited protection against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. "It's very narrow, very slim part of the law," said Department of Civil Rights director Lucia Nuñez. The 17-1 vote came after hours of testimony and debate that coupled the ordinance change with the overarching concern of how to address the city’s issues with homelessness. “We have a reputation. We...

Plans for 'Diversity Week' underway 9 hours ago • Aarushi Agni The Associated Students of Madison Diversity Committee met Monday to discuss the group’s plan to create a week themed around diversity.The first annual “Diversity Week” is tentatively scheduled for the week of April 15, 2013. ASM Diversity Committee Chair Mia Akers said the event would aim to engage students who are not specifically interested in diversity issues to think about the issue on a broader level. Victoria Atkinson, the ASM intern on the project, said the week would designate each of the five weekdays to promoting understanding of adifferent...

Thousands of President Obama supporters turned out in in Madison, Wisc., for a rally following Wednesday night’s debate in Denver. The mood was somber, to say the least, as they waited to enter Bascom Mall at the University of Wisconsin Thursday afternoon. University of Wisconsin students and fellow Wisconsinites had mixed reviews on the president's performance. I talked to supporters of the president who had watched the debate, asking how they thought the president did. One after the other said they were left unimpressed and “not inspired,” seemingly depressed and lethargic in their continuing support of the president. More than...

This video shows how low the left has sunk in Wisconsin. WARNING, the video does contain some graphic language (a lefty shouting a sick insult at Rebecca Kleefisch), thus it is not child/work safe.

Snip- "City officials temporarily denied Occupy Madison a new street use permit Wednesday after protesters violated public health and safety conditions and failed to follow the correct processes to renew or amend a permit..." "A neighboring hotel's staff alleged voiced concerns about having to recently escort hotel employees to and from bus stops late at night due to inappropriate behavior, such as public masturbation, from street protesters."

A Dane County judge ruled against naked bike riders Friday, declining to issue a temporary injunction to keep them from possibly being cited for disorderly conduct at a Downtown Madison event Saturday. Judge Maryann Sumi said participants in the World Naked Bike Ride do not have a constitutional right to be naked in public and that police should have the full range of laws at their disposal. Afterward, one of the ride's organizers said the event will go on.

Really ugly.

With lawmakers gearing up for a vote on the state budget, a “Walkerville” camp similar to the one that sprang up during the protests at the state Capitol earlier this year may be returning this weekend — this time to the terraces of Mifflin and Carroll streets. We Are Wisconsin, an alliance of community groups, labor unions and others, has asked the city for a permit to set up the camp across from the Capitol to provide information about Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposals and efforts to recall Republican legislators who voted to eliminate bargaining rights for most public employees.

This is actually a course at UW Madison for sociology graduate students. One of the topics calls for a violent overthrow of the capitalist system. The head of the UW Havens center is part of the Wisconsin Wave, a left wing organization behind the union protests.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is asking for a federal investigation into the surprise discovery of 14,000 votes in Waukesha County for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The Wisconsin Democrat sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Friday night asking him to assign the Justice Department Public Integrity Section. It oversees the federal prosecution of election crimes.

A Communication from Operation:Countertroll to Ann Althouse and “Meade” Because of their extensive, lifelong, union freeloading (Althouse, the breadwinner of their pathetic, sexual-frustration driven “family” is an AAUP freeloader, a public sectorsecondary education freeloader, a University of Michigan freeloader, a University of Colorado freeloader and, most disgustingly to us, a University of Wisconsin Freeloader),their movement freeloading (they have greatly enhanced their reputation and socialcurrency both within her nauseating Tory brotherhood they represent and across theinternet by wandering around Madison lying about all they see) their repeated lies andgeneral commitment to irresponsible citizen-journalism (how dare they sneak around anongoing citizen protest...

They were images that were odd, and to some shocking. In the halls of the Wisconsin Capitol on Saturday, young people banged drums, danced around, and blew horns as socialists and Marxist signs looked on. It was a scene described to The Blaze by a disgusted observer as a drug and alcohol-infested rave that Capitol police ignored. And while the Capitol Police deny those charges, it seems one prominent protester noticed something interesting, too.

The documentary filmmaker was in Wisconsin yesterday, slamming Republicans for cutting union benefits. Michael Moore has a message for Wisconsinites: Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe -- so that you'll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-grandparents had -- America is not broke. The claim came at the beginning of a speech delivered by the documentary filmmaker and liberal firebrand at the Wisconsin State Captiol yesterday. Over the course of 30 minutes, Moore railed against Republicans, who he accused of misleading the American public when they claim that...

Madison - State officials said Thursday that damage to the marble inside and out the State Capitol would cost an estimated $7.5 million...

Aaron Kennedy, the founder of Noodles, grew up on a farm with few to no connections to money. Like my friend Rob, Kennedy also studied at the University of Wisconsin. At 29, while eating at a Chinese restaurant, Kennedy had an idea, and scribbled his business plan on a napkin. Scraping some money together from his friends and family and maxing out eight credit cards, Kennedy opened the first Noodles in his basement, and then put together a team with whom he’d build and operate 100 Noodles branches all on their own. It is now a $75 million franchise with...

The Rotunda continues to fill up as the 4pm deadline approaches. The Ustream video showed an almost empty Rotunda 35 minutes ago. Now the Rotunda is packed.

Here's the information on the Lib rally from Facebook... -------------------------------------------------------- Please share this and invite everyone!! Another big rally planned for Saturday - Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine, who I heard was AMAZING on Monday) and Peter Yarrow (from Peter Paul and Mary) will be playing at 1p. They're hoping for another 80,000 crowd - will you be able to make it? (Please repost! - And you out-of-towners, Madison is an awesome place to be right now, you should make a roadtrip!)