Free Republic

Where I fell on the sexuality spectrum would take me the better part of two years to figure out. A part of myself wasn't living. And by not letting that part live, I was slowly dying. There's a price of admission for coming out as gay later in life. Over the course of several months, I paid the price daily. It was like I was watching a movie about myself but unable to control what was unfolding. Everything fell apart. I did my best to slowly confide in my husband. But I kept many of my feelings inside to avoid...

Forty years after Ralph Bakshi's animated classic hit theaters, the filmmaker recalls courting Mick Jagger and Led Zeppelin and speaks candidly about the extreme pressure he was under: "I nearly died." Mick Jagger as Frodo. A Led Zeppelin soundtrack. Battles on the field and behind the scenes before a three-film saga went bust. Forty years after his animated classic The Lord of the Rings hit theaters Nov. 15, 1978, these are some of the things on director Ralph Bakshi's mind during a candid conversation about what happened, and what could have been...

President Barack Obama is in Israel for the funeral of former Israeli president Shimon Peres, pointing out that both he and Peres had “unlikely” lives. “I think our friendship was rooted in the fact that I could somehow see myself in his story, and maybe he could see himself in mine,” he said.

2:25: Trump says Romney is an “absolute choke artist” and he started hitting Romney so hard because “we can’t afford to lose” another election. Trump says he has never seen someone choke like Romney except for Rubio. 2:23: Trump says the reason Mitt “chickened out” of running in 2016… “was me.”

Judging by Nicolle Wallace's performance on today's With All Due Respect, it looks like establishment Republicans are going full bore against Ted Cruz. Here was Wallace talking about her personal experience with Ted Cruz: "I worked with him on the [2000 Bush/Gore] recount in Florida, and the recount was sort of ground zero for the biggest egos in both parties in the whole country, and he rose to the top in terms of hubris and egomania." Co-host John Heilemann was flabbergasted: "you're saying that among all of your colleagues in the recount effort, that he was the biggest ego? Is...

President Barack Obama, breaking his silence on the George Zimmerman acquittal, said Friday that many African-Americans believe that “both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different” if Trayvon Martin had been white. “You know, when Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son,” Obama said somberly during a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room. “Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.” In searingly personal terms, Obama described his personal experience with race-based prejudice. “There are very few African-American men in this country...

When Justin Bieber tweets out a dream, that dream becomes a reality. Back in February, the singer sent out a seemingly random dispatch that he wanted to perform in outer space.

Everybody knows what a humble, self-effacing guy Barack Obama is. So not that we needed any proof, but just check out what President Obma let us members of his campaign email list know in a message he just sent out: "I don't want to lose this election. Not because of what losing would mean for me -- Michelle and I will be fine no matter what happens. But because of what it would mean for our country and middle-class families." More after the jump.

In the spring of 2011, Donald Trump threatened to start a revolution within the Republican Party, appealing to the naive among Tea Partiers by promising to take on President Obama as no one else could. All too many members of the conservative media, including even some highly reputable ones, took his nonsense seriously.

The potential for a third party presidential run from billionaire developer and reality TV star Donald Trump may be closer to becoming a reality show of its own. The Blaze received a copy of a confidential email sent out late Thursday afternoon from a Florida Tea Party leader and personal friend of Trump. The email requested assistance in building a team in Texas to make certain that, if Trump chooses to run, his name would be on the ballot. The email included: Dear Patriot Leader, I am a tea party leader in Florida and friend of Donald Trump. I am...

The potential for a third party presidential run from billionaire developer and reality TV star Donald Trump may be closer to becoming a reality show of its own. The Blaze received a copy of a confidential email sent out late Thursday afternoon from a Florida Tea Party leader and personal friend of Trump. The email requested assistance in building a team in Texas to make certain that, if Trump chooses to run, his name would be on the ballot. The email included:

Ah, but of course. All those undecided Iowans and unenthusiastic Republicans across the country lack but one thing: The nudge in a particular direction only a Donald Trump endorsement could provide. Never mind that Trump’s attempt to moderate a debate collapsed. Never mind that every time he reenters the discussion, somebody’s bound to bring up his birtherism to the detriment of his broader message. Never mind that, last week, he changed his party affiliation to “unaffiliated” to preserve his right to run for president of himself as an independent. “Millions of people” still look to Trump to decide which of...

Donald Trump is officially a man without a party. The real estate mogul whose flirtation with the 2012 presidential race has never really ended despite announcing seven months ago he would not seek the Republican nomination has been signaling he wants to find other ways onto a presidential ticket. Trump took another step in that direction on Thursday, switching his party affiliation from Republican to “unaffiliated,” according to a source close to the reality television star. According to the source, he did so because he is “disgusted” with the way Republicans are handling matters in Washington, including the recent payroll...

President Obama doled out some more gifts in London on Wednesday, including signed, "personalized" copies of his new children's book for Prime Minister David Cameron's kids. He also gave them toy scooters and a jigsaw puzzle of Bo (and a stuffed Bo), according to the White House. Read the official gift announcement: "The President and Mrs. Obama gave the Prime Minister a custom-made pair of White House Magnolia wood and sterling silver cufflinks engraved on the reverse with the President's signature, as well as a first edition of President John F. Kennedy's book, Profiles in Courage. "The President and Mrs....

Don’t count Donald Trump out of the presidential race yet: A week after ending his would-be candidacy, he said on Monday that he might consider getting back in later in the year if he doesn’t like the GOP field. "Stranger things have happened,” Trump said. After expressing deep dissatisfaction with what he sees as a weak group of Republican candidates in an interview on Fox News on Monday, the real estate developer and reality television star teased the idea that he could still get into the race. "I would not rule it out, no," Trump said on Fox News on...

Trump Planning Independent Run?May 14, 2011 8:34 P.M.By Katrina Trinko Donald Trump’s long-time advisor Roger Stone tweeted today “Get ready for Trump the Novermber Independent !”

The Texas libertarian is widely seen as a longshot candidate for the GOP's 2012 presidential nomination. So why is he preparing for another White House campaign?....

Not so fast on Trump. Read this: http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/88778/-i-ny1-exclusive---i--donald-trump-slams--evil--bush--praises-obama/

Tom Tancredo’s entrance into the Colorado governor’s race cuts substantially into support for the two Republican hopefuls and gives Democrat John Hickenlooper a double-digit lead. But overall support for Hickenlooper remains where it’s been for months. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Colorado finds Hickenlooper with 43% support against embattled GOP contender Scott McInnis who picks up 25% of the vote. Tancredo, a former Republican congressman running on the Constitution Party ticket, gets 24%. If businessman Dan Maes is the Republican in the race, Hickenlooper leads with 42% to Maes’ 27% and Tancredo’s 24%. Tancredo peels...

Leaders of 21 state Tea Party groups, representing about 10,000 people, said Sunday they have been betrayed by Tom Tancredo and in an open letter beseeched the former congressman not to run for governor as a third-party candidate. Tancredo has given Republican gubernatorial candidates until noon today to commit to pulling out of the governor's race after the primary if polls show the winner trailing Democrat John Hickenlooper. If that doesn't happen, Tancredo says, he'll run for governor as the American Constitution Party candidate.