Free Republic

Police in one Atlanta community are taking extraordinary measures to deal with heightened rates of violent crime – the unleashing of armored vehicles capable of withstanding bullets fired from AK-47s. Originally reported by WSB Atlanta, police are using an armored vehicle normally used by SWAT teams to battle a series of burglaries and home invasions in a south Fulton County neighborhood.

A French commando raid in Somalia to free a captive intelligence agent ended in the deaths of 17 Islamists and a French soldier. France said the hostage also died in the failed rescue, but the man's captors denied he had been killed and claimed Saturday to have seized a second soldier. Confusion surrounded early reports of the botched rescue of the French agent, known by his code-name Denis Allex. He was captured in the east African country on July 14, 2009, and last seen in a video released in October pleading for the French president to help him. But it...

<p>The battle to retake Mali's north from the al-Qaida-linked groups controlling it began in earnest Saturday, after hundreds of French forces deployed to the country and began aerial bombardments to drive back the Islamic extremists from a town seized earlier this week.</p>

A new chapter in America’s moral revolution came today as Atlanta pastor Louie Giglio withdrew from giving the benediction at President Obama’s second inaugural ceremony. In a statement released to the White House and the Presidential Inaugural Committee, Giglio said that he withdrew because of the furor that emerged yesterday after a liberal watchdog group revealed that almost twenty years ago he had preached a sermon in which he had stated that homosexuality is a sin and that the “only way out of a homosexual lifestyle … is through the healing power of Jesus.” In other words, a Christian pastor...

Marco Rubio, Florida's GOP senator, unveils his reform ideas to 'modernize' the system and put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. Marco Rubio—41-year-old son of working-class Cuban exiles—has lived the upwardly mobile immigrant experience. In his fast rise, the Florida Republican has also experienced the politics of immigration [....] "Here's how I envision it," he says. "They would have to come forward. They would have to undergo a background check." Anyone who committed a serious crime would be deported. "They would be fingerprinted," he continues. "They would have to pay a fine, pay back taxes, maybe even do community...

"Let us look back at Samuel Whittemore. Samuel was an old man -- seventy-eight years old, to be exact -- on April 19, 1775. After many years of service bearing arms for the British Crown, surely he was too old to fight, and his wife even told him so. On that fateful morning, though, he gathered up his musket, two pistols, and a cavalry saber that he acquired from a French officer who "died suddenly" and took his place to meet the British Regulars in Menotomy."

Computer activist Aaron H. Swartz committed suicide in New York City yesterday. The news was first reported by the MIT newspaper The Tech, citing both his uncle and his attorney. Swartz was 26.

Washington, D.C. — A pair of polls out this week shows the dire state the Republican Party finds itself in — and a way out of the wilderness, should Republicans choose to take it. Poll No. 1: Rasmussen Reports found that views of the tea party — the wing of Republicanism that dominates party primaries and therefore the congressional Republican caucuses — at a new low. Only 8 percent of likely voters considered themselves tea-party members, down from 24 percent in 2010. According to Rasmussen (which tends to have a pro-Republican bias), unfavorable views of the movement topped favorable views,...

Radio host and noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones responded to Glenn Beck’s criticisms on HuffPost Live Friday, saying he is a “despicable person” like Piers Morgan who thinks his audience is “stupid” and has no ideological consistency. With his sights set on Beck, Jones argued that he had promoted torture and “taken all the stuff” he has written and “neo-con’d it” only to release it later under his name. “So he’s mad that I’m getting on hundreds of stations. He’s mad I’m getting attention. I’m not here trying to be numero uno like Glenn Beck; I’m here trying to save...

Blair Holliday ’15, the promising wide receiver for Duke football who was in a near-fatal water ski accident last July 4th and who has made a miraculous recovery, has hit a brutal, unexpected bump: DukeCheck has learned that Duke University rejected his application to return this semester as a student. Before the accident, Holliday maintained a 3.75 grade point average, majoring in psychology. His doctors had cleared him to return. Beyond that, Holliday had an invitation from Head Coach David Cutcliffe and wide receivers coach Matt Lubick – great supporters during Holliday’s recovery period — to return to the football...

Don’t worry, DC has it covered In another futile attempt to curb gun violence in the Land of the Free, US Vice President Joe Biden is reaching out to the video game industry for ideas. That will give you an idea of how much crap the government has on the shelf. Biden will meet with gaming industry representatives on Friday, as he explores cultural factors that supposedly contribute to violent behavior. Biden already met with other entertainment industry representatives earlier this week and he is expected to present his recommendations to President Barack Obama next week. Although many techies...

The German Catholic Church called off an independent review of allegations of sexual abuse in its ranks this week. The head of the investigation accused the Church of censorship. On Thursday, the two sides traded blame as German commentators largely mourned the end of the examination. Representatives of the German Catholic Church and independent investigators traded blame Thursday after an agreement to have an independent examination of sexual abuse in the Church broke down earlier this week. The Church's Bishops' Conference called off the investigation -- agreed to in 2011 after a nationwide abuse scandal the year before -- citing...

Grassley on the Treasury Secretary Nomination M E M O R A N D U M To: Reporters and Editors Re: Nomination of Treasury secretary Da: Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013 Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on the President’s nomination of Jacob Lew as Treasury secretary. Grassley is a senior member and former chairman and ranking member of the Finance Committee, which will consider the nomination. “I intend to reserve judgment on the nomination until the vetting process is completed. The Finance Committee has a tradition of thoroughly vetting nominees, and the process works. The Treasury...

Should the government ban high-capacity ammunition magazines?

How would you describe Democrats in Congress who are urging the president to ignore the law and up the limit on government borrowing by executive fiat? The party and ideology that passed the War Powers Act because they felt the executive had overstepped his authority in waging war, now proposes to lay down and grovel before the president, unilaterally giving up their prerogatives as co-equal partners in government. It is sickening to watch.

A woman wearing a mask crosses a road during severe pollution in Beijing on January 12, 2013 Air pollution in the Chinese capital has hit dangerous marks, reaching beyond the permissible level of pollution on the local environmental center’s scale. Beijing residents are recommended to stay indoors by local authorities.

Conservative radio host Michael Savage spoke out against Republicans and Democrats alike on Sunday for pulling a "charade" on the American people, and called for a third political party. "We need a Nationalist party in the United States of America," Savage said on WABC's "Aaron Klein Investigative Radio," according to WND. The third-most widely heard talk show host, behind only Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity in ratings, explained a new, third "Nationalist" party could focus on "borders, language and culture." "There is no Republican Party," Savage told talk show host Aaron Klein. "It's an appendage of the Democrat machine, as...

BENNINGTON -- State lawmakers are planning to challenge Vermont’s permissive gun laws in the upcoming legislative session, but any attempt to restrict firearms or ammunition is likely to be met with opposition steeped in a history and culture emanating from before statehood. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Philip Baruth, D-Burlington, plans to file legislation in the coming days to enact a state-level assault weapons ban. It would prevent the sale of semi-automatic firearms utilizing a detachable magazine and ban high-capacity magazines. The bill also would require trigger locks on all firearms. Additional provisions restricting firearms could be added to garner support...

For Immediate Release – January 3, 2013 Washington, DC – Phoenix International Holdings, Inc. (Phoenix) announces the successful underwater search and recovery of a U.S. Air Force F-16 aircraft from over 16,400 feet of sea water (fsw). In early August 2012, at the direction of the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), Phoenix mobilized the Navy’s ORION deepwater side scan sonar system, the CURV 21 remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and the Navy’s motion compensated, 30,000 pound Fly-Away Deep Ocean Salvage System (FADOSS). All equipment was transported over land from Phoenix’s facility in...

Mullah Omar, the one-eyed jihadi bandit, condemned an upcoming conference on suicide attacks. The spiritual leader of the Taliban added that his fighters will not lay down weapons until they achieve establishment of a real Islamic state.