Free Republic

Earlier this year I had the daft notion that no matter who won November’s presidential election, Barack Obama or John McCain, the political rancor that’s divided the country since Bill Clinton’s administration—and exacerbated greatly by the immediate, pre-Iraq, pre-Katrina loathing of George W. Bush—would dissipate and people would no longer risk rupturing friendships by debating current events in Washington, D.C. After all, even economic conservatives like myself couldn’t deny the extraordinary charm of Obama, his ability to attract immense crowds populated by rhapsodic citizens of all ages and, perhaps most significantly, the first-term senator’s writing and rhetorical skills. On the...

NEW YORK (AP) - Hundreds of angry people marched through Harlem on Saturday after the Rev. Al Sharpton promised to "close this city down" to protest the acquittals of three police detectives in the 50-shot barrage that killed a groom on his wedding day and wounded two friends. "We strategically know how to stop the city so people stand still and realize that you do not have the right to shoot down unarmed, innocent civilians," Sharpton told an overflow crowd of several hundred people at his National Action Network office in the historically black Manhattan neighborhood. "This city is going...

"go home and get your guns"-Stokely Carmichael April 4,1968 in Washington D.C. I had a habit of sitting in the kitchen and eating my breakfast while the radio was turned on to the morning news. The morning of Friday April 5th, 1968 I heard the account of a radio reporter (from UPI) who hid under a car while mobs rioted in the street around him. He sounded scared and he had reason to as rioting broke out in the nation's captial following the assassination of Martin Luther King late on the evening or April 4th and early on the morning...

It was extremely unlikely that Hillary Clinton was going to overcome Barack Obama's lead in delegates, states and total votes and take the Democratic nomination, but Obama's speech this morning -- graceful, thoughtful, nuanced, sweeping, challenging, unprecedented -- pretty much wiped out any chance at all. It was a speech Hillary could never have given -- really, few U.S. politicians ever could have given. I write this not just because I think this will dampen the Rev. Wright controversy. I write this because Obama did an extraordinary job of presenting himself as the candidate of "the better angels of our...

Read all about it at the link, details to follow....

Star Jones Reynolds has never been one to mince words. It's no wonder that when Bill O'Reilly's most recent controversial (see also: racist) comments about Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama, were discovered by Media Matters, the TruTV legal analyst was infuriated! O'Reilly, the curmudgeon host of Fox News Channel's 'The O'Reilly Factor,' was talking to a caller that was angry that Obama had said on C-Span that "for the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country." The 58-year-old television commentator, who privately settled a sexual harassment lawsuit against him in 2004, responded...

Last week, saw another battle in the near-civil war that is going on between French police and so-called immigrant "youths" who burned everything in sight, including schools, libraries and, of course, automobiles. These rioters must be aiming for a new record in 2007 after having set fire to 45,588 cars in 2005 and 44,157 in 2006. Low-intensity conflict in the streets, with rioters shooting at policemen and members of the fire brigade as in France, is probably one definition of multicultural utopia. Ever since the Berlin Wall came down, most of those on the left have forsaken communism in favor...

<p>The rapid escalation of the U.S. anti-immigration hysteria fueled by ratings-hungry cable-television hotheads and leading Republican presidential hopefuls is a dangerous trend: It may lead to a Hispanic intifada that may rock this nation in the not-so-distant future.</p>

Forty years ago today, several days of race riots began in Detroit. On July 23, 1967, Black Panthers and assorted other Black extremists (with White hippies and far-leftists backing and encouraging them) eventually wrote their political epitaphs with it (though their movement unfortunately died a long, slow death--far past its time, if there ever was a time). But they robbed and killed Detroit--and a significant portion of Black America with it. Black Panthers and their radical allies, supported by a thousands of Black Detroiters, rioted for days, starting fires and destroying the city. They wanted more power in the city....

Bottles, rocks and fists flew during lunchtime Friday at Fontana High School. Students poured out of classrooms when they said a fire alarm rang around noon. They then saw what they described as a racial or gang-related riot erupting among about 500 students on the quad of the campus near Citrus Avenue. Some flocked to the chaotic melee with their cell phones taking pictures and recording video while others fled to get out of the way. Helicopters circled over the school. "There were fights everywhere - girls and guys," said Dalila Lizarraga, 16. Campus police officers sprinted across four lanes...

THE chairman of the government's Islamic advisory committee has warned of more Cronulla-style riots unless the Prime Minister tones down his comments on Muslim migrants. Prime Minister John Howard sparked a backlash in some sections of Australia's Muslim community by saying Muslim migrants needed to conform to Australian values by learning English and treating women with respect. But the head of the government's new Muslim advisory committee, Dr Ameer Ali, warned of trouble unless the Mr Howard backed down. "We have already witnessed one incident in Sydney recently in Cronulla, I don't want these scenes to be repeated because when...

The Clarion Ledger/Gannett Rules. URL Link: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060703/NEWS/607030352

POLICE are unfairly criticising the Muslim community for not doing enough to track down those responsible for retaliatory attacks following the Cronulla riot, community leader Keysar Trad said. Detective Superintendent Ken McKay yesterday released photos and footage of those involved in the riot at Sydney's Cronulla and the revenge attacks that followed, in the hope offenders will be caught. But he told ABC radio today there had been little response to a video showing a number of Middle Eastern men throwing projectiles at passing cars. "The members of the Middle Eastern community need to understand if they want live in...

THE head of Strike Force Enoggera, set up to investigate the Cronulla race riot, has been stood aside following claims police failed to arrest those responsible for revenge attacks. The sidelining of acting Detective Superintendent Dennis Bray, announced today by NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney, comes after public anger at the failure by police to release video footage of a man being bashed by a gang of Middle-Eastern youths. Mr Moroney said he was unhappy Supt Bray had not released the footage earlier, and a replacement commander would take the helm of Enoggera. "Clearly, there was material there that he...

SYDNEY's racial violence has not scared off American tourists from visiting Australia over the Christmas holiday period, the head of a major US tourism company said today. Britain, Canada and Indonesia have cautioned their residents to be alert if in Sydney, particularly around some beach areas where the recent violence erupted. Ian Swain, the founder of Philadelphia-based Swain Tours, has about 800 Americans booked to travel to Australia over the next few weeks and not one has cancelled citing fears about the problems that have erupted on Sydney's southern beaches. "Not one," the Australian-born opertor who has specialised in offering...

Chilling call to arms via SMS December 19, 2005TEXT messages on seized mobile phones have revealed calls for Arabs to unite in a war against "rednecks" and to "take Sydney from Cronulla to The Rocks".Police yesterday used new powers to confiscate mobile phones, to check for SMS messages calling for violence. Police Commissioner Ken Moroney said his officers were yesterday specially instructed to target mobile phones, after text messages were used to urge race violence at Cronulla. One officer was photographed scrolling through the contents of at least six phones. Five men of Middle Eastern descent were yesterday arrested in...

SYDNEY, Australia — The racial unrest that broke out in Sydney's beachside suburbs over the weekend has spread to two other large Australian cities, where people of Middle Eastern descent were assaulted by whites, police said Tuesday. In New South Wales, where Sydney is located, lawmakers scheduled an emergency session of the state Parliament to consider legislation cracking down on the rioters who rampaged through the city's suburbs for two straight nights, the region's premier said. Seven people were injured and 11 arrested after youths rioted in the suburbs Monday night, smashing the windows of stores, homes and parked cars....

SIMMERING racial tensions exploded in Sydney again last night as police traced chilling new text messages inciting further violence. Groups of Middle-Eastern men descended on Cronulla seeking revenge for Sunday's attacks, smashing cars with baseball bats. There were reports of shots being fired and of police being driven at as running battles were fought. The area had been peaceful early, but by 6pm many Australian flags were hanging in windows and on cars. About 10.30pm, six carloads of young men of Middle Eastern appearance drove through the beachside strip. They began kicking parked vehicles and hurling bottles and screaming for...

Nationalists boast of their role on the beach The Patriotic Youth League's Luke Connors predicts more riots. WHITE nationalist groups involved in the Cronulla riots have predicted further racial violence, naming the Melbourne suburbs of Heidelberg, Preston, Reservoir and Springvale as potential "hot spots". The Patriotic Youth League, whose members handed out "Aussies Fighting Back" pamphlets at Cronulla, said it had been inundated with callers wanting to riot in Melbourne. "If it wasn't for the massive police presence there already, and the fact that it's mainly confined to a peninsula, we really could have had a Paris situation on our...

MOBS of men have damaged a number of vehicles in an outbreak of fresh violence in the southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla tonight. A reporter from radio station 2GB said "chaos" had broken out in the beach shopping centre with vehicles damaged and police making arrests as mobs of men roam the streets. "People are standing around in shock, just watching," the reporter said. "Every window in some cars has been smashed. Roads have been blocked (by police)." He witnessed police arrest a group of five people. Some motorists were ignoring the road blocks, simply driving around the obstacles, he...

MORE than 20 people have been injured and 16 arrested as race-fuelled violence spread through Sydney's beachside suburbs overnight. But NSW Premier Morris Iemma said police are in control of the situation, after violence that began at Cronulla Beach in Sydney's south flowed over to other communities. A series of apparent revenge attacks - including two stabbings - occurred overnight following the unrest at Cronulla, where more than 5000 people gathered yesterday. Drunken mobs within the crowd yelled racist chants and chased down and bashed people of Middle Eastern appearance at the beach in an extended show of violence. Police...

Violence spreads in Sydney December 11, 2005 RACE-fuelled violence spilled into other Sydney beaches tonight. A police media spokesman confirmed there had been problems at Maroubra beach, following the near-riot at Cronulla beach earlier today. "There have been a number of incidents of property damage in the past hour-and-a-half that included broken windows and damage to motor vehicles," he said. Reports on radio station 2GB indicated up to 50 vehicles with passengers armed with "baseball bats" had been causing trouble in Maroubra, in Sydney's east. Police have set up a command post in the area, 2GB reported. Sky News reported...

A police media spokesman confirmed there had been problems at Maroubra beach, following the near-riot at Cronulla beach earlier today. "There have been a number of incidents of property damage in the past hour-and-a-half that included broken windows and damage to motor vehicles," he said. Reports on radio station 2GB indicated up to 50 vehicles with passengers armed with "baseball bats" had been causing trouble in Maroubra, in Sydney's east. Police have set up a command post in the area, 2GB reported. Sky News reported that a group of people in cars and with baseball bats, bits of wood and...

ANGRY crowds have singled out and bashed people of Middle Eastern appearance at Sydney's Cronulla beach as racial tension erupted into violence. And an ambulance called to the scene to treat five people injured in today's violence has been attacked by a mob who shattered its windows. Meanwhile, police have been pelted with beer bottles, and their patrol cars stomped on, as the outnumbered officers struggled to maintain control. Witnesses saw officers using capsicum spray in a bid to quell those perpetrating the violence. NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Goodwin said police were forcing their way through the crowd, trying...

School hate crimes spike LAUSD police report that incidents have quadrupled in past decade By Naush Boghossian and Lisa M. Sodders, Staff Writers Hate crimes in Los Angeles' public schools have surged more than 300 percent over the past decade -- the highest growth rate of all campus crimes, fueling concerns about racial tensions in the nation's second-largest school district. Nearly all of the 52 hate crimes reported in the 2003-04 school year were racially motivated, up from 12 in 1995-96, according to the latest figures available from Los Angeles Unified School District police. In recent months, officials have continued...

Teens arrested in fight LOS ANGELES (AP) - Four students were arrested Friday after a lunchtime fight kept a high school in Watts locked down for several hours, causing minors and one student to have an asthma attack, authorities said. One student at Jordan High School was arrested after kicking a police officer in the mouth, and three others were arrested for disobeying orders to disperse, said Ellen Morgan, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Unified School District.