Free Republic

TALLAHASSEE — Opponents of a controversial 2021 law asked a federal judge this weekend to prevent the state from moving forward with surveys about “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” on college and university campuses. Attorneys for students, faculty members and groups challenging the law filed an emergency motion Saturday seeking a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction. The motion said surveys could be distributed to college and university students and employees as soon as April 4. The opponents filed an overall challenge to the law last summer, contending that the surveys would violate the First Amendment. Under the law,...

Warming of the Arctic caused by climate change has increased the number of polar vortex outbreaks, when frigid air from the far north bathes the central and eastern United States in killer cold, a study finds. The study in the journal Science Thursday is the first to show the connections between changes in the polar region and February’s Valentine’s Week freeze that triggered widespread power outages in Texas, killing more than 170 people and causing at least $20 billion in damage. The polar vortex normally keeps icy air trapped in the Arctic. But warmer air weakens the vortex, allowing it...

The “Our Father” Affair: Absolute Monarchy versus the Papacy In writing commentary on Church affairs, one would like to focus on something other than the subject of Pope Francis.  But he is, after all, the Pope, and moreover a Pope who is evidently intent on imposing upon the whole Church his “dream” of “transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.”  As if everything about the Church before Francis’ arrival were merely a selfish effort to...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Now, there's something else about these delegate fights that have taken place over the weekend where Cruz has just skunked Trump. It isn't even a contest. It is fascinating to watch. And, of course, the Trump people think that games are being played and that tricks are being pulled. But that's not happening. This is just somebody who understands the system using it. You know, we could go into a little discussion if you want about insider versus outsider, and I've tried to tell people: "These insiders are not just gonna let this stuff go, folks. They're...

Hold on. Courage, Matt, courage. Breathe. OK, I’m ready. This is it. I’m coming out. I want the world to know. I’m a black, lesbian platypus trapped in a white, straight guy’s body. This is my truth. It’s my experience. It’s how I identify. It’s my reality (actual reality notwithstanding). Transracial, transgender and transpecies lives matter (#TransLivesMatter), and I’m declaring myself an out and proud member of the LGBTTT community. Crazy, you say? Don’t judge me, hater. This is my race-species-gender identity and expression, whether real or perceived, and if you refuse to play along, then you’re violating my civil...

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) came to prominence and notoriety when he famously shouted, ‘You Lie’ at Barack Obama during the president’s speech to a joint session of Congress. If ever there was a prime opportunity for a reprise, it occurred during an exchange between Wilson and Secretary of State John Kerry.Wilson asked Kerry if the U.S. was at war. If Kerry’s response had been a yes or no, the clip below would be no more than five seconds. As it was, Kerry took a more circuitous route to his answer, which was beyond ridiculous. After several seconds of hemming and...

American opinion may be starting to turn against the Occupy protests, with 40 percent of people polled saying they view them unfavorably. The nationwide poll, conducted by the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and the Boston Herald, showed more than a third, 35 percent, still hold a positive view of the protests while about 25 percent had no opinion or were unsure, the Herald reported. The poll found only 13 percent said they had a "strongly favorable" view of the Occupy movement while 21 percent said they had "strongly unfavorable" view. The Herald said the poll is the first to reveal...

So far this September has been a lesson in conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom number one says that generally Septembers are bad for equities. Conventional wisdom number two says that they are especially bad when markets had good months coming into September. So, given a good near 40% increase heading into September, we would expect a bloody September. Instead, we've seen gains of about 7%.

The man with no visible past, was blessed by a light shining from above on a Federal Judge, by having the lawsuit against him dismissed, three weeks after his non-response was proof that he is not a US citizen. The only “Certificate of Birth” that he has produced is not a Birth Certificate. It is a Certificate of Live Birth, which any foreign citizen can obtain by simply showing up at the Vital Records department of the State of Hawaii and showing the original Birth Certificate from the original birth place, regardless of what country the birth took place in....

Sir George Bernard Shaw once said, "If you can't hide the skeleton in your closet, then you'd better learn how to make him dance." Democrats and their enablers in the liberal media would like nothing better than to hide their embarrassing racial skeletons as they are on the verge of nominating the first black man ever to make a serious bid for the White House. Reminding me of this, was watching my friend Paul Begala and Donna Brazile mix it up on CNN recently over Hillary’s Clinton’s blatant pursuit of white voters in the Democratic primaries. This comes on the...

When Steven Johnson's book about popular culture hit stores in May, he was prepared for a barrage of hate mail. After all, the author takes a rare position: that playing video games and watching TV shows like "The Sopranos" and "24" actually expand minds rather than numbing them. No flurry of angry correspondence has arrived yet, but that doesn't mean the book, "Everything Bad Is Good For You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter," isn't stirring debate. Critics are concerned that the title alone will give Americans - and their kids - license to spend more time...