Free Republic

Most of the time, Chris Coon is a mild-mannered, low-key pastor at Urban Village Church in Chicago.But when the collar comes off and the running shorts—and especially a race bib—go on, the 49-year-old turns into a different person. An angry one. The things that stoke his ire? Poor race organization. Course volunteers who don’t direct runners at turns. And cars, especially those that don’t yield the right of way or even acknowledge his presence in an intersection. Not only does anger bubble up more frequently when he’s running, he says, he’s also more likely to act on it. “I’ve flipped...

In its waning days the Obama administration proposed two new wrinkles for the 2020 census: creating a brand new pan-ethnic category for people of Middle Eastern heritage and classifying Hispanics as a race.

CAIRO, Egypt - Omar Osama bin Laden bears a striking resemblance to his notorious father — except for the dreadlocks that dangle halfway down his back. Then there's the black leather biker jacket. The 26-year-old does not renounce his father, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, but in an interview with The Associated Press, he said there is better way to defend Islam than militancy: Omar wants to be an "ambassador for peace" between Muslims and the West. Omar — one of bin Laden's 19 children — raised a tabloid storm last year when he married a 52-year-old British woman, Jane...

Someday, we’ll recall these as the days of struggle, comrades, in pursuit of redistribution of heritage. After all, why should the Irish get all the blarney, or the Italians all the pasta? And don’t even get me started on the Swiss. On the other hand, if Rachel Dolezal’s motivation came from a deep-seated need to appropriate the claimed victimhood of others, maybe she no longer needs to fake her ethnicity any longer, since she’s become almost universally rejected for her own fakery. Spokane’s city council unanimously decided to end Dolezal’s association with the city, although the action comes in response...

Sun City West was the hub of GOP politics Saturday when 28 candidates attended a forum sponsored by the Arrowhead Republican Women. The event at the Briarwood Country Club covered regional legislative races in Districts 21 and 22 on up to statewide races, including the contest for governor that attracted six candidates. (SNIP) Christine Jones said she decided to run because she was tired of politics as usual in Arizona. “When you love something, you want it to thrive, to prosper,” she said. “I’m running because I believe we can make Arizona the brightest star in the union.” District 26...

During a speech in 1942, Adolf Hitler said, "The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to posses arms." In other words, Jews and others whom Hitler wanted to wipe from the earth first had to be separated from their guns. This was not new position for Hitler. Rather, it was something he had put into practice from the moment he came into office. When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, he seized gun registration information that had been compiled by Germany's previous government under the premise that the information would not...

Gaining a deep insight into human evolution, researchers have identified a mutation in a critical human gene as the source of several distinctive traits that make East Asians different from other races. Researchers have identified a mutation in a gene that confers several distinct traits to East Asians, including thicker hair. The traits — thicker hair shafts, more sweat glands, characteristically identified teeth and smaller breasts — are the result of a gene mutation that occurred about 35,000 years ago, the researchers have concluded. snip The first of those sites to be studied contains the gene known as EDAR. Africans...

Actress Ashley Judd and Indy Car driver Dario Franchitti are ending their marriage after 11 years, and, yes, the news impacts Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Judd is weighing whether to jump into politics and challenge McConnell in Kentucky in 2014. She was in Washington for the inauguration and attended an event at EMILY's List, the group that backs pro-choice Democratic women running for governor or Congress. Judd even carpooled with Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, who demonstrated she knows how to win in a red state after defeating the self-injurious Todd Akin.

Like many other ham operators, I have been involved in the RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) aspect of the hobby for some time. RACES teams generally work with county emergency management agencies and support emergency communications. All of this, of course, rolls up to our corrupt FEMA/DHS bureaucracy and a lot of the ham physical resources are supported by FEMA grant money, strings attached. While the head is rotten, many of the local agencies are pretty good to work with while some aren't. I am seeing a number of hams expressing discontent with, or curtailing their level of activity...

Hi All, This is my first request of this type, so please bear with me. A few minutes ago, I learned that two of my co-workers and their families were attending the Air Races in Reno, and while details are few and far between, it seems that they were among the seriously injured. May I please request that you offer up a prayer, or just think good thoughts, about Brian, Bill, and their families, as well as all the others who died or were injured at the Air Races. Thanks for your time. Mark

There was a time until the early 1960s when the terms to describe those of African decent, like me -- African-American or Black or Afro-American -- were almost unheard of. I remember a distinct conversation with a friend discussing descriptive terms for ourselves in 1963 or ’64. The term “black” was just coming into vogue and he didn’t like it one bit. “Call me a Negro,” he said, “but don’t call me black.” Now, the word “Negro” (publications used a lower case “n”) has almost become a pejorative, so I was a little surprised when my pastor, the Rev. Willie...

CURRENT GOP 240 DEM 187 (GOP+61) 8 UNDECIDED based on reading 8 articles (one for each race)--see links below and full details in my comment PREDICTION GOP 243 DEM 192 GOP +64 vs last Congress WA-2 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013366051_apwahouse2nddistrict1stld.html VA-11 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/05/AR2010110506548.html CA-11 http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_16537059?nclick_check=1 NY-25 http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/how_the_west_was_won_by_ann_ma.html IL-8 http://dailyherald.com/article/20101106/news/711079971// NY-1 http://www.realclearpolitics.com/news/ap/politics/2010/Nov/06/error_in_tally_upends_ny_congressional_election.html

Wednesday November 3, 2010 Massive Pro-Life Blowout in US Governor Races By Peter J. SmithUNITED STATES, November 3, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life candidates made a massive sweep of U.S. governor’s races on Tuesday’s midterm elections, capitalizing on the GOP wave.Pro-life-endorsed candidates have so far picked up 12 governorships, and retained control of 9 governorships. At least three races involving pro-life candidates are undecided.The 13 pro-life pick-ups (winner in bold):Alabama – Robert Bentley (R) 58 percent vs. Ron Sparks (D) 42 percent. Florida - Rick Scott (R) 49 percent vs. Alex Sink (D) 48 percent.Iowa: Terry Branstadt (R) 53 percent...

Pro-Life Women Win, 23 Abortion Opponents Win Key Races Washington, DC -- Proving that women candidates don't have the be abortion supporters to win in states both red or blue, pro-life women won 23 victories in contests for key Senate and House seats and in gubernatorial races. http://LifeNews.com/nat-6820

A total of 37 Senate seats are up for grabs this year. The current composition of the US Senate is 59 Democrats (two of whom are actually independents who caucus with the Dems) and 41 Republicans. What follows are my predictions for each Senate race.

While only a few political strategists are predicting a Republican takeover of the Senate in November, Democrats may, in fact, lose the Senate if they cannot win several key races in the West, where incumbents such as Washington's Patty Murray are fighting for their political lives against surprisingly strong GOP challengers. Pollsters and political experts rate the Washington Senate race a tossup, which is hardly good news for Murray as she seeks a fourth term. Other Democrats west of the Mississippi are also in difficult battles. In California, incumbent Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer is in a statistical tie with her...

Patrick Ruffini wants a new update on the overall outlook for the House. I had a list of 99 back in May. A few races have been added since then (Bob Etheridge had not grabbed anyone by the neck back then), and the outlook has shifted a bit. You can see my May categorization here. I’ve scrapped the NFL-team comparison and just gone with a simpler explanation, while retaining that reassuring and memorable Department of Homeland Security color-coded chart theme.

The Republican Governors Association has announced a very strong fundraising quarter, taking in $19 million from April through June -- their largest fundraising quarter ever -- with $40 million in cash on hand for this year's statehouse races. From the RGA's press release: "The RGA's previous largest fundraising quarter occurred in the 4th quarter of 2009, when it raised $11.9 million. This quarter RGA raised $18.9 million. The RGA's former mid-year fundraising record was $15.1 million. RGA is at $28 million this year - almost double the earlier record. In 2006, the last comparable election year, the RGA raised $28...

Five Governor's Races Could Indicate GOP Success In 2012 By Chris Cillizza June 21, 2010 The roots of a Republican political renaissance in 2012 lie in the Rust Belt. That swath of manufacturing- based states in the Midwest -- Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan -- with tentacles that reach as far east as Pennsylvania, has been the epicenter of the economic difficulties in the country over the past few years. Each state is hosting a competitive gubernatorial race this fall. Republicans argue that a clean sweep (or close to it) would immediately change the electoral calculus heading into the nationwide redistricting...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's minority population is steadily rising and now makes up 35 percent of the United States, advancing an unmistakable trend that could make minorities the new American majority by midcentury. As white baby boomers age past their childbearing years, younger Hispanic parents are having children — and driving U.S. population growth. "The aging of baby boomers beyond young middle age will have profound impacts on our labor force, housing market, schools and generational divisions on issues such as Social Security and Medicare," said William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. "The engine of growth...