Free Republic

Here's a great way to reduce overhead and be effective at running a national organization dedicated to infringing on the gun rights of everyday people all at the same time... Have cities hire your people for you so that tax payers cover 1/4 of your people’s salary and benefits, pay for most of their operational costs, and finance all of their other resources! It also embeds your people as leaders in city government so that you don’t have to lobby there! Sounds like another conspiracy theory from the tinfoil hat brigade... Right? Back in March, while researching the repeal of...

When Doug Imbruce wanted to start an interactive video company in 2009, he had no luck finding investors in New York. So he moved to Silicon Valley — where venture capitalists were receptive to his pitch — and founded Qwiki. But in February, he decided that being so far away from the nation’s big media companies was stifling his start-up’s growth. So he moved back to New York, bringing the company with him. Qwiki, with 15 employees, now operates out of a SoHo loft space. “We went to Silicon Valley because they understood how big we wanted to get,” Mr....

The new round of national and state surveys this week generally showing President Obama clinging to a tenuous advantage over Republican Mitt Romney reinforce the conclusion that socially liberal, upscale white women may stand as the president's indispensable line of defense in his struggle for reelection. Both the national ABC/Washington Post survey released earlier this week, and the NBC/Marist Polls released Thursday in the battleground states of Ohio, Virginia and Florida show Obama retaining preponderant support among minority voters who were critical to his 2008 victory. Conversely, in almost all of the surveys, Obama faces a consistent pattern of erosion...

By the time President Obama took the stage at the Fox Theater here, he was in the 18th hour of a 19-hour day. His tie was still knotted to the top as he launched into his stump speech, attacking his opponent’s record and defending his own. “I still believe in you,” he said, “and I hope you still believe in me.” SNIP The protesters waiting outside a campaign fund-raiser in Denver last week were probably never supporters. But some of their signs cut close to the bone. “Out of Hope, Ready for Change,” one read. “Obama’s Blvd. of Broken Promises,”...

Camp David has been an historic presidential retreat since World War II, but according to New York Times White House correspondent Helene Cooper, Barack Obama "hates it" because there isn't any golf. Such was revealed on the syndicated Chris Matthews Show this weekend (video follows with transcript and commentary): NYT White House Correspondent: Obama 'Hates' Camp David Because There's No GolfHELENE COOPER, NEW YORK TIMES WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Alright, for something totally superficial, I have figured out why President Obama does not like Camp David. CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: He doesn’t like it? COOPER: He hates it. We were up there...

Ex-NY Times CEO clashed with chairman's girlfriend-reportReuters – 6 hours ago REUTERS - Arthur Sulzberger Jr.'s new girlfriend and the New York Times Co's declining business led to the ousting of Janet Robinson as the newspaper company's chief executive in December. A New York magazine article published this week reconstructs the events that led to Robinson's departure after 28 years of service, working her way up from advertising sales to the corner office in 2004, becoming Sulzberger's most trusted lieutenant in the process. http://tinyurl.com/6oameoz The article is based on interviews with more than 30 sources described as "intimately familiar with...

The French aided the Americans in their revolution against their British oppressors. Now Benoît Pous-Bertran de Balanda, the descendant of a French general who fought for the Americans, is trying to help his wealthy countrymen escape what he calls the tyranny of a new Socialist government primed to severely tax the rich. And France’s loss could be New York’s gain. Mr. Pous-Bertran de Balanda, 30, is a broker for wealthy French clients looking to buy apartments in Manhattan. With the election of the Socialist François Hollande as president this month, the wealthy in France are suddenly scrambling for places to...

All users posting to websites would have to post their real name and address, non-compliant posts would be axed When people think anonymity, Anonymous and their iconic Guy Fawkes masks often pop into mind these days. But long before the members of that controversial hacker collective were a mere twinkle in their mothers' eyes, another anti-authoritarian rabble-rouser was using anonymous protest to stir up revolt against a totalitarian ruling elite. His name was Thomas Paine, and his anonymously published work Common Sense helped ignite the colonists in revolution against Britain. I. Want to Post? Put Your Legal Name and Address...

Former Reasoner David Weigel has an interesting article up that seeks to answer why there aren't any Club For Growth/FreedomWorks/Tea Party/Paulista-style primary-election challenges to the worst of the Democratic Party's status quo (like, say, the execrable Dianne Feinstein). This section in particular is unintentionally revealing: Two months ago, Progressive Insurance founder Peter Lewis left the Democracy Alliance, a lefty donor coalition. Earlier this month, billionaire George Soros made his first 2012 political donations—$1 million each to America Votes and American Bridge 21st Century. That’s $23.5 million less than he gave to liberal groups in 2004. According to David McKay, chairman...

The mayor of West New York, who mounted a recall campaign against the former mayor before eventually being elected, was charged along with his son yesterday with three counts of hacking a website that aimed to recall him. Dr. Felix Roque, 55, and his son, Joseph Roque, 22, were arrested at their homes yesterday morning and charged with gaining unauthorized access to computers in furtherance of causing damage to protected computers; causing damage to protected computers; and conspiracy to commit those crimes. They each face up to 11 years in prison and fines of $600,000 if convicted on all counts.

(CBS News) New York state lawmakers have proposed a ban on anonymous online comments. Called the Internet Protection Act (A.8688/S.6779), the legislation would require a web site administrator to pull down anonymous comments from sites, including "social networks, blogs forums, message boards or any other discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages."The bill states: A web site administrator upon request shall remove any comments posted on his or her web site by an anonymous poster unless such anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post and confirms that his or...

New York, NY --(Ammoland.com)- America’s premier knife owners’ organization defending the right to own and use edged tools – announced it has bolstered support for its federal civil rights lawsuit to stop New York City officials from abusing a vague state law to make questionable arrests of law-abiding citizens carrying common pocket knives, and coerce knife retailers into making huge payments to avoid prosecution. An amended complaint adding two additional plaintiffs to the case was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on May 23 2012. New plaintiff Native Leather, Ltd., is one of...

A man from Maple Shade has confessed to killing 6 year old Etan Patz in New York in 1979. New York City police commissioner Raymond Kelly said Thursday a person who’s in custody has implicated himself in the death of Patz, the 6-year-old boy whose disappearance 33 years ago on his way to school helped launch a missing children’s movement that put kids’ faces on milk cartons. The Star Ledger identifies the man as Pedro Hernandez of Maple Shade who reportedly confessed to kidnapping and strangling Patz during an interview yesterday with NYPD. Hernandez lured the boy to a nearby...

When Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., lost the GOP primary to challenger Richard Mourdock this month, Beltway types saw the voters' verdict as a victory for the Tea Party and a defeat for the kind of Republican who could work across the aisle. I think Lugar, 80, lost because he was out of touch with Indiana. He started the primary registered to vote at an Indiana home he had sold in 1977. The Lugars have resided in Virginia ever since. Lugar had been working in Washington for so long that he didn't realize he needed to keep up at least the...

An upper Manhattan public elementary school will be the first in the city to require that students study Arabic, officials said yesterday. Beginning next semester, all 200 second- through fifth-graders at PS 368 in Hamilton Heights will be taught the language twice a week for 45 minutes — putting it on equal footing with science and music courses. One reason Principal Nicky Kram Rosen selected Arabic — as opposed to more common offerings, such as Spanish or French — is because it will help the school obtain a prestigious International Baccalaureate standing. “She proposed this to the parent association. They...

The NYPD is questioning a New Jersey man in connection with the Etan Patz case, the 6-year-old boy who vanished more than 30 years ago as he walked to the school bus from his SoHo home, NBCNewYork.com reported Thursday

Ratcheting up his controversial proposal for revitalizing America’s cities, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday suggested that the federal government “deliberately force” large municipalities to take in immigrants as the only hope for salvaging their battered economies. Bloomberg spoke at a Midtown forum, timed to the release of a new study titled “Not Coming to America: Why the US is Falling Behind in the Global Race for Talent.” He was joined on the panel by Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas, whose company helped underwrite the research. “I would argue the federal government should go one step further. They should deliberately force some places that...

Liberals keep finding new ways to demonstrate their civility and class. NYU graduate student Matthew Epler fashioned polling data for the Republican candidates during the 2012 primary into sex toys called butt plugs – for a telecommunications class. He decided to market his creations, which met with the winking approval of left-wing outlets. The plugs represent the polling data of Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Mitt Romney, rotated around a 3D axis.

This column originally appeared in THE DAILY BEAST. In looking ahead toward the November election, Republican strategists should take proactive steps to avoid a damaging, dangerous conclusion to the presidential race and to prevent the very real chance that Mitt Romney will win the Electoral College even while losing the popular vote badly to Barack Obama. The problem stems from the lopsided margins President Obama will surely pile up in a few uncontested states with big populations, including California, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts. Mr. Romney, meanwhile, will prevail by comparable margins in only relatively small states: Utah, Idaho, the...

'On April 30, One World Trade Center in lower Manhattan became the tallest building in New York City, well on its way to becoming, when fully completed, the tallest building in the U.S. But there's one problem: The building's owners — the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and developer Douglas Durst — are messing with the plans, much to the chagrin of the architect. Because of industry rules, the 104-story tower will only reach its symbolically important 1,776-foot height if its 408-foot needle is enclosed, as designed, in an ornamental white shell. If the shell is scrapped...

Americans Elect, after qualifying for ballot in 29 states, won't nominate a third-party presidential candidateAmericans Elect qualified for the presidential ballot in Oregon and 28 other states, but the group on Thursday said it is abandoning its effort to field a third-party presidential candidate this year. The well-funded group developed an elaborate online process aimed at attracting millions of voters who would nominate a candidate for president.  But the group said that no candidate managed to get enough voter support to participate in an online convention in June. "We will not hold a June convention," Ileana Wachtel, the group's press...

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A man was arrested after allegedly trying to kidnap and rape a 67-year-old woman who was sitting in a car near Congress and South Franklin streets. Antonio Lopez-Bautista, 18, of South Federal Street, an illegal immigrant, was charged with second-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree attempted rape and second-degree assault, all felonies, as well as criminal obstruction of breathing or blood-circulation, a misdemeanor. Police say Lopez-Bautista attacked a woman who was sitting in her car at about 3:42 a.m. Tuesday morning, waiting in her car for her husband to get off work. He pulled her from the car and...

The 'This is Spinal Tap' star was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital in critical condition, fire officials said. “Laverne & Shirley” star Michael McKean was injured when he was struck by a car on the upper West Side Tuesday afternoon, police sources said. McKean, 64, a New York City native who played Lenny on the hit television show, was seen bleeding from the head after a car barreled into him at W. 86th St. and Broadway just before 3 p.m., witnesses and the FDNY said.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A man was arrested after allegedly trying to kidnap and rape a 67-year-old woman who was sitting in a car near Congress and South Franklin streets . . Antonio Lopez-Bautista, 18, of South Federal Street, an illegal immigrant, was charged with second-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree attempted rape and second-degree assault . . He pulled her from the car and began to assault her, dragging her along the sidewalk, punching and kicking her while trying to pull her into an isolated, unlit area, according to police. . . Police found Lopez-Bautista hiding under bushes a few buildings...

A uniformed NYPD sergeant was caught on video unleashing a vulgar tirade against a group of Brooklyn men — threatening them with his gun even while condoning their criminal behavior, The Post has learned. * * * “I have the long [expletive]. You don’t,” the cop bragged. “Your pretty face — I like it very much. My [expletive] will go in your mouth and come out your ear. Don’t [expletive] with me. All right?”

Delivering a eulogy to his estranged wife Mary, Mr Kennedy, the son of the assassinated attorney-general Robert F Kennedy and nephew of President John F Kennedy, spoke of her troubled life and admitted that she resented him for asking her to give up her career to have children. Mary Richardson Kennedy’s family went to court on Friday to try to stop her being interred in a Kennedy family plot in Centerville, Massachusetts. But the burial went ahead following a funeral service at St Patrick’s Church in Bedford, New York, attended by stars including the actors Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Glenn...

Casinos are not like Starbucks stores: You really can’t have one on every corner. That’s the word from David Cordish, whose company is opening a huge new casino next month in Maryland. Yet Cordish warns that the expansion of casino gambling can’t go on unchecked forever. A big problem is the attitude of politicians nationwide who view casinos as free money. “I don’t know how we can control the politicians; they certainly don’t understand the word ‘oversaturation,’” Cordish said Thursday. “They think you can have casinos like Starbucks.”If that attitude continues, Cordish said, “it’s going to implode on them.” That...

ALBANY — While the protesters who packed the stone stairwell of the state Capitol chanted "Ban Fracking Now," the political types in suits down the hall spoke of a different reality. Those protesters at Tuesday's anti-fracking rally in Albany carried signs saying "Governor Cuomo In 2014 We'll Remember" — a warning to Andrew Cuomo they won't vote for him if he doesn't ban the natural-gas extraction technique of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The buzz among the men and women outside the state Senate chamber said Cuomo's presumed political aspirations are the exact reason why there's so much pressure on him...

OTISVILLE — That's the sound of the men working on the gold-chain gang. White-collar criminals and crooked politicians are banging down the door to get into Otisville Federal Correctional Facility in New York — described by some as a castle behind bars. "You could do about anything you wanted there," claimed former inmate John Altman. "It's not just good. It's sweet. That's why you request to go there." Disgraced former state Sen. Carl Kruger will serve out his seven-year corruption sentence in the suburban Orange County lockup. His boyfriend, Michael Turano, has requested to stay there too, and with good...

The mother of a former Port Jervis family that lost a daughter in the Pan Am 103 crash in 1988 says the bomber of the plane should have been left in jail to die. "The fact that he was able to get out and live with his family these past few years is an appalling miscarriage of justice. There was no excuse for that," said Susan Cohen of Cape May Court House, N.J. Sunday. Her daughter, Theodora, was among the Syracuse University students on the plane. "He should have died in the Scottish prison, he should have been tried in...

New York City council speaker Christine Quinn has married her longtime partner Kim Catullo on Saturday in a private ceremony on a sunny, warm spring evening. The city council's first openly gay speaker and Catullo were walked down the aisle by their fathers. Quinn wore a gown made by designer Carolina Herrera. Catullo, a lawyer, wore a cream silk suit designed by Ralph Lauren. The theme of the wedding was 'Spring in New York,' and was inspired by the High Line city park, around the corner from the venue in Manhattan's Chelsea neighbourhood. [Snip] Among the guests in attendance...

You get to be the sex you think you are (and everybody else has to acknowledge it). I am used to surprises from the New York Times—a newspaper so far from me culturally and politically it might as well be a daily bulletin about life in a parallel universe—but last August I read a personal essay in the “Modern Love” space of the “Styles” section that really brought me up short. “My Husband is Now My Wife” (quite a tabloidy title for this genteel newspaper) was about the deeply ambivalent day the author escorted her husband to a hospital for...

UFT President Mike Mulgrew was caught “in flagrante delicto” with a guidance counselor at William Grady HS, where he taught before becoming the union’s boss, a bombshell lawsuit charges. The accusation that Mulgrew was seen having sex with a co-worker in a woodshop at the vocational school, and that it was hushed up, comes in a rambling 73-page suit filed in Brooklyn federal court last week by Andrew Ostrowsky, a math teacher at Frank Sinatra HS of the Arts in Manhattan. Ostrowsky, 35, names Mayor Bloomberg, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, Mulgrew and the UFT, claiming the teachers union conspired with...

For just one day, Christine Quinn wasn’t the speaker — she was the bride. Quinn tied the knot with her longtime partner Kim Catullo just after 7 p.m. tonight in a lavish, private affair just 10 days after President Obama announced his support for gay marriage. It was the city’s highest-profile same-sex nuptials since they were legalized here last year. The speaker, 45, a likely candidate in next year’s mayoral race, wed corporate lawyer Catullo, 45, in Chelsea before a megawatt gallery of political superstars, ranging from Mayor Bloomberg to Gov. Cuomo.

With Facebook shares trading close to their $38 offer price and revelations that retail investors got a larger-than-expected slice of the $18.4 billion IPO, market watchers are questioning whether the social network’s debut was overhyped — not just in the media, but in the investor community. Buy-side anticipation of a huge Day One price pop was high, and yet as of lunch time on Friday, Facebook shares hadn’t crested $45. Experienced bankers say that with a new issue of this size, moving the shares beyond the single-digit percentage range can be tough, and that Morgan Stanley [MS 13.35 -0.11 (-0.82%)...

An upstate woman came a little unglued and went strolling naked through a lumber shop and a convenience store as if she didn't have a care in the world, police said. Employees at Curtis Lumber in Ballston told the Albany Times Union that Barbara LaFleur, 49, casually chatted up employees and asked what time it was before sauntering out Tuesday. "Have a good day," LaFleur breezily told lumber yard workers, according to the newspaper. The woman then stopped by a nearby Stewart's convenience store, where employees were less than amused by her impromptu peep show.

A New York judge ruled yesterday that the government may not lock up American citizens without due process as allowed by the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Bob Van Voris and Patricia Hurtado at Bloomberg report U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest ruled against President Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and the Department of Defense and in favor of a group opposing provision 1021 of the NDAA. The opposition, including former New York Times reporter Christopher Hedges, filed the complaint January 13....A bit of background: Late last year Senate Armed Services Chairman senior member John McCain (R.-Ariz.) and Carl Levin...

Unfortunately for CNN, “Piers Morgan Tonight” was the apparent victim of the busy night, drawing only 39,000 viewers 25-54 at 9 PM. To say those ratings are anomalous would be something of an understatement. That is the lowest 9 PM weekday demo rating for CNN since at least 1997.

NEW YORK — Mary Richardson Kennedy, the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was found dead on the family’s property north of New York City on Wednesday, two years after her husband filed for divorce and following a history of drug and alcohol problems. Kerry A. Lawrence, a lawyer who had represented Mary Kennedy in a 2010 drunk driving case, confirmed the death, but neither he nor police in the town of Bedford in Westchester County, N.Y., released a cause of death. An autopsy was scheduled Thursday, the Associated Press reported. According to a brief statement from Bedford police,...

Police are currently at the home of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in New York, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively. One source tells Radar that his wife, Mary Kennedy was found dead.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s estranged wife has died. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, 52-year-old Mary Kennedy was found dead in her Mount Kisco, New York home this afternoon. The Bedford Police Department responded to the scene at approximately 1:36pm to investigate a possible "unattended death," meaning the death was not witnessed by anyone. Mary and RFK Jr. were married in 1994. Robert filed for divorce in May 2010. Mary was Robert's second wife. The couple has four children together. There are reports Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is currently dating actress Cheryl Hines.

Mary Richardson Kennedy, the second wife of Robert Kennedy Jr., was found dead Wednesday in the home she and her estranged husband own in New York. She was 52. Authorities say they are investigating a possible "unattended" death, however CBS News says suicide is suspected. "Unattended death" means no one was there to witness her passing. Mary Kennedy's body was found about 1:30 local time in a home in Mount Kisco, NY. ABC News reported the property is listed in the name of both Mary and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The family of Mary Kennedy released a statement about her...

Finding the city's attitude "deeply troubling," a judge granted class action status Wednesday to a 2008 lawsuit accusing the New York Police Department of discriminating against blacks and Hispanics with its stop-and-frisk policies aimed at reducing crime. U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan said in a written ruling that there was "overwhelming evidence" that a centralized stop-and-frisk program has led to thousands of unlawful stops. She noted that the vast majority of New Yorkers who are unlawfully stopped will never file a lawsuit in response, and she said class-action status was created for just these kinds of court cases.

A sprawling housing complex in the Bronx has been fined $85,000 for not allowing residents to keep emotional-support dogs. The Daily News reports that the company that manages Co-op City was fined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for denying two clinically depressed residents their pets. Co-op City has a strict no-dog policy, but federal law requires housing providers to make accommodations . . .

-- Kodak -- the company known for decades for its cameras and film -- this week confirmed it used weapons-grade uranium in an underground lab in upstate New York for upwards of 30 years. A company spokesman and a former scientist for the firm say there was not enough material to sustain a nuclear chain reaction. Former Kodak researcher Albert Filo said the uranium was alloyed with aluminum in plates sealed in sleeves that were not moved for three decades. The amount of fuel was about 3½ pounds, which experts say is less than one-tenth of the amount necessary to...

New York City has long been known as a refuge that celebrates immigrants, whether they are here legally or not. But some worry that a new federal policy beginning tomorrow will turn the city's atmosphere from friendly to frightening. The U.S. government is mandating a program called Secure Communities be enforced in the city starting Tuesday, May 15. Secure Communities requires police to send fingerprints of everyone arrested to immigration officials. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents then check to see whether that person should be deported. City officials said yesterday the program threatens New York's immigrant-friendly nature, where police...

A Kodak industrial facility in New York, was home to a secret nuclear reactor containing weapons-grade uranium. The research reactor was housed in an underground labyrinth in one of the buildings at the former Kodak Park site in Rochester and was the size of a fridge. Kodak used it to check chemicals and other materials for impurities, as well

Pedro Espada Jr., the former state senator best known for an audacious power grab that propelled him over a perennial cloud of suspicion to a top position in the State Legislature, was convicted Monday of stealing money from the nonprofit health care network that he founded and led in the Bronx. The federal jury announced the guilty verdict on four counts of theft and then left the courtroom to resume deliberations on remaining four charges, which include theft, fraud and conspiracy. Mr. Espada sat expressionless, hands resting on the table in front of him, as the jury foreman read the...

Two days after Christmas last year, Rep. Bill Owens, D-N.Y., and his wife, Jane, boarded a first-class flight to Taiwan for a four-day tour of the island. Owens and his wife roomed at $500-a-night luxury hotels and enjoyed fine meals between meetings with Taiwanese officials and a day trip to Taipei’s famed National Palace Museum. Interactive Timeline How Lobbyists Arranged Rep. Bill Owens’ Trip to Taiwan The Chinese Culture University in Taiwan had ostensibly invited the congressman and his wife “to promote international cultural exchange.” In fact, lobbyists for Taiwan’s government had organized the trip. Congressional ethics rules prohibit members...

Darryl Jones doesn’t have plans to celebrate Mother’s Day. At a time when households are honoring the maternal bonds of the family unit, Jones, the boys basketball coach of city-power Satellite Academy in the Bronx, which has won three of the past five city championships in the PSAL’s Alternative League, has a more pressing matter to deal with. Jones’ daughter is missing, and hasn’t been seen by her family or heard from since April 27. Stevie Bates, a 19-year-old former cheerleader at the Bronx High School of Science, with an infectious smile and shoulder-length blond dreadlocks, was traveling cross-country with...