Free Republic

TULSA, Okla. —An off-duty Oklahoma City police officer was involved in a fatal shooting Friday night. The officer, 33, who hasn't been identified, saw the man push the woman to the ground. The officer got out of his vehicle and confronted the man. He said he saw a gun in the man's waistband. When the man began walking toward the officer, the officer said the man reached for the gun. That's when the officer drew his gun and opened fire. The male, 23, who was not identified, was shot several time and taken to St. Francis Hospital. He was pronounced...

A Huntsville man doomed by his own testimony, according to his lawyer, was convicted today of raping a woman passed out in the bathroom during a Fourth of July party last year. Jason Scott McNeal, 36, was convicted of first-degree rape - having sex with a person unable to consent because they were physically helpless or mentally incapacitated - after the jury deliberated for more than two hours. McNeal's father testified on his son's behalf, telling jurors the younger McNeal was not a violent person. But his claim was likely undermined for the jury after McNeal's father admitted on cross-examination...

Forty police officers were called to restore calm after chaos broke out at on Saturday night at the Darts Invitational Challenge, an international competition at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne. Security guards at the stadium were unable to quell the violence. Daniel Andrews, the state premier in Victoria, said the incident was “very ugly” and authorities will reconsider whether to host other such darts events in the future.

CONWAY, S.C. – Police say a South Carolina man charged with sexual assault of his nephew's girlfriend was beaten by the relative, who won't be charged in the incident. Fifty-two-year-old William Mattson of Conway is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Local media outlets report that a judge denied him bond Saturday. Mattson was arrested New Year's Day. Authorities say Mattson's nephew told them he came home and found his girlfriend and uncle in bed together. The nephew said the woman was naked, and Mattson was clothed. The man said he beat Mattson until he was out of the house....

A man who stormed into a bonfire party with a handgun, believing his girlfriend had been raped by the men there, came out of the whole mess the worst for wear. Janos Papp, 57, ended up being viciously beaten by the men at the party - who had not raped his girlfriend, it turned out. She had made the story up after her ATV broke down and she was angry the men at the party were too incompetent to help her.

**SNIP** Hong Kong police have asked anyone who grabbed the money to return it authorities as soon as possible. “Otherwise, they may have committed the crime of theft,” Wan Siu-hong, a district police officer, told reporters, according to Radio Television Hong Kong. There was an estimated 35 million Hong Kong dollars --- $4.5 million US -- in the van. About $2.5 million has been recovered. Nearly $2 million is missing, according to the police. The van belongs to G4S, a British security company. According to the South China Morning Post, the company said it was liable for the multimillion-dollar loss...

According to police in Frankfort, Ky., 37-year-old James Graham is facing charges of arson and burglary after breaking into the home of a single mother who rejected his social media advances. FPD Maj. Robert Warfel called the crime “disturbing,” confirming that his department’s investigation has shown the victim’s refusal to accept Graham’s Facebook friend invitation was the only apparent catalyst behind the destructive act. ... Yount’s sister, Samantha Beagle, affirmed that the victim had no relationship whatsoever with the suspect. “She doesn’t want a relationship,” Beagle said. “She just wants people to leave her alone

It was in front of a local 99 cents store in Upland. We have all seen it before in California. Workers getting paid to get signatures as part of the California initiative process. With enough signatures, it is placed on the ballot. Of course, in California, no matter how the people vote, the leftists will go judge shopping and overturn the will of the people. As I walked to the front door, I knew he was going to ask. Sure enough, he asked: "Excuse me. Are you a voter in Upland." "Yes, I am" I answered. His eyes lit...

Loretta Lynch, who has been nominated by President Obama to replace Eric Holder as Attorney General, took part in a 2007 panel discussion at Duke Law School prompted by the Duke lacrosse rape case. Lynch's comments provide insight into her mindset and raise unsettling questions about her commitment to equal justice and the rights of the accused. The event took place on September 28, 2007. The wounds were still raw for members of the Duke lacrosse team, their families, and in a sense, the entire nation. That same month, Michael Nifong, the former District Attorney who had knowingly pursued...

[full title] “Look at the Tea Party: Some of the angriest, most hateful people on earth, and they’re backed by what they think is Scripture” Forgiveness has become a pursuit more important to me than almost anything. Because as I said in an old book, it’s not my strong suit. I always joke that I wasn’t one of those Christians who was heavily into forgiveness – that I was the other kind; that I was reform. But it’s so awful to be a person who doesn’t forgive; in my experience the willingness to change down deep always comes from the...

In an unbelievable display of stupidity, Ferguson protesters are now blaming "the Jews" for the unrest in Ferguson, the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson, and even the death of Michael Brown. How the Jews are involved at are is not really mentioned; these protesters just assume that other people think the same way they do: that Jews control everything, from the government to law enforcement. Some of the stunning ignorance can be seen below:

The Rev. Al Sharpton has always been keen to maintain his reputation as the least plausible cleric since Elmer Gantry. The racial tension and riots in Ferguson, Mo. have proved to be the perfect vehicle to do just that. Not just satisfied with creating unrest in one beleaguered Missouri city, though, the “Reverend” is looking to go national with his “peaceful protests” that worked out so well in Ferguson. With that, Sharpton’s group, the National Action Network (NAN) has put out a list of national protest sites, because apparently just one city experiencing hellish violence and racial strife just isn’t...

--SNIP-- The finances of the Rev. Al Sharpton have a somewhat troubled history. He was indicted on charges of income tax fraud and stealing from charitable donors in 1989, but was eventually acquitted at a trial. In 1993, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to file a tax return for 1986. His eponymous promotional company has no official documents on record with the state. As recently as two years ago, he drew no salary, but he still manages to send his daughters to an expensive and respected private school. Mr. Sharpton has always been studiously circumspect when...

--snip-- Obscured in his ascent, however, has been his troubling financial past, which continues to shadow his present. Mr. Sharpton has regularly sidestepped the sorts of obligations most people see as inevitable, like taxes, rent and other bills. Records reviewed by The New York Times show more than $4.5 million in current state and federal tax liens against him and his for-profit businesses.

Civil rights leader and MSNBC host Al Sharpton and his for-profit business owe more than $4.5 million in current state and federal taxes, according to a New York Times report out Tuesday. His tax liabilities come despite making a hefty salary, and he and his nonprofit advocacy organization, National Action Network, have been missing payments to hotels, landlords and travel agencies, the report says.

On Tuesday, The New York Times took its readers inside the city’s exclusive Four Seasons Restaurant where Al Sharpton celebrated his 60th birthday party at what was dubbed his “party for a cause.”“Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo hailed him as a civil rights icon,” the profile of New York City-based activist and MSNBC began. “President [Barack] Obama sent an aide to read a message commending Mr. Sharpton’s ‘dedication to the righteous cause of perfecting our union.’ Major corporations sponsored the lavish affair.”It is a spectacular raise for an agitator who began his career inciting race...

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who came to prominence as an imposing figure in a track suit, shouting indignantly at the powerful, stood quietly on a stage last month at the Four Seasons restaurant, his now slender frame wrapped in a finely tailored suit, as men in power lined up to exclaim their admiration for him. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo hailed him as a civil rights icon. President Obama sent an aide to read a message commending Mr. Sharpton’s “dedication to the righteous cause of perfecting our union.” Major corporations sponsored the lavish affair. It was...

The "Reverend" Al Shapton enjoys nearly unfettered access to President Barack Obama: Yeah. I supported President Obama when he was running, and to be honest, he felt that it was something he didn’t expect because I lived and led a[n] organization in the home state of his opponent, Hillary Clinton. So, I had more to lose. All I ever said that I wanted from him was access. I’ve not asked for a patronage job for a friend of mine. I don’t get government money. Just access: “We want to talk to you about education. We want to deal with you...

There’s obvious and then there’s painfully obvious. And in the case of Al Sharpton declaring that Tuesday’s resounding defeat for his party was not the fault of an unpopular president nor inept candidates, but of Hillary and Bill Clinton, it’s painfully obvious where the activist/host/liaison is getting his marching orders are coming from: Valerie Jarrett. As he’s enjoyed mentioning in the past, Sharpton has a direct line to the White House. He’s visited numerous times, trades daily emails with Ms. Jarrett. So when the Democrats went down in flames three days ago, guess who President Obama met with the next...

If a segment of the nation continues to swoon over President Barack Obama, Race War will only be the beginning of our woes. Obama to Ferguson Rioters: “Stay on Course.” July 1, 2008, I said on Political Pistachio Radio that if Barack Obama is elected President, “The racial divide will deepen.” Willie Lawson replied, “the racial divide will be bigger than we’ve ever seen.” The first black President of the United States is inciting violence through racial divide. He visited with the leaders of the Ferguson riots, and told them to “Stay on course.” Rather than bring racial unity to...