Free Republic

The Friendswood Junior High principal who outraged some parents by allowing an Islamic group to make a 40-minute presentation to students last month is now off the job. In a two-sentence statement sent late Wednesday, the school district said Robin Lowe "has accepted another administrative position effective immediately."

Troubled Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan is planning to appear naked in an low-budget film in an effort to revive her flailing career, it has been claimed. The actress is said to have agreed to strip down for just £40,000 for the indie film Florence to prove herself as a "mature actress". The 21-year-old, who previously played a pole dancer in the box-office flop I Know Who Killed Me, has reportedly agreed to "full frontal" nudity in her role as a nymphomaniac waitress in the drama. An insider told The Sun: “Lindsay doesn't care she's getting paid peanuts. She wants to...

NEW YORK - Q: What are carbon offsets? How do I choose among the organizations and companies that sell them? And is buying carbon offsets the best way for me to help the environment? A: Carbon offsets are a way for anyone who drives a car, turns on a light or takes a plane to "offset" their carbon dioxide emissions by investing in a green project aimed at reducing the CO2 in the atmosphere. Some of the investments offered by offset organizations: A wind farm in Nebraska, a sewage facility in Thailand and a biomass plant in Minnesota powered by...

From its very start, the ballyhooed case of who leaked the name of CIA analyst Valerie Plame to columnist Robert Novak has been drenched in partisan politics and media hypocrisy. The more we learn, however, the more it also reveals about the internal dysfunction of the Bush Administration and the lack of loyalty among some of its most senior officials.

Just a short while ago, USA Today did a feature article on the country band The Dixie Chicks. They became infamous in March of 2003 when their leader, Natalie Maines, stated in an overseas concert that she was embarrassed to be a native of Texas because of President Bush's decision to invade Iraq. Immediately radio stations boycotted their albums, former fans boycotted concerts, and they were dubbed as unpatriotic cheap-shot artists. The starship that had soared to the top of the country music charts abruptly crashed to earth. When Ms. Maines realized that she had stuck her foot into her...

"Unfortunately, all too often "Islam" and "terrorism" are juxtaposed in news reports and editorials. A word search on news stories published in major newspapers over the past decade shows that reporters are hundred times more likely to associate Islam with terrorism or militancy than all other faiths combined. Such lopsided portrayal is indicative of deep-seated misunderstandings about Islam, and sometimes just plain prejudice. Surely all terrorists are not Muslim, neither are all Muslims terrorists."

Ex-secretary of State predicts a gradual reduction in troops to start in 2006, but says there will be a military presence for a long time. LONDON — Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said in an interview to be broadcast today that the United States would have a military presence in Iraq for years, although a gradual withdrawal probably would start in 2006. In the interview with the British Broadcasting Corp., Powell said a massive, rapid pullout would be a "tragic He also said U.S. intelligence services had not revealed their doubts to the Bush administration about the reliability...

A few months after 9/11, President Bush authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to eavesdrop on Americans and others in the US without having to obtain the court warrants normally required in these situations, according to government officials. The New York Times reports that as a result, the NSA has monitored the international phone calls and e-mails of "hundreds, perhaps thousands" of people living in the United States. Before Sept. 11, 2001, the NSA limited its spying in the US to foreign embassies and missions and obtained court orders for such investigations. Officials say the government still seeks warrants for...

Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001? Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they? And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it...

WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS? "Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001? Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they? And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked...

Hello. I am a college student that has gotten interested in politics within the last few years. I come from a long line of independants who raised me to vote for whom I agree with the most, not based on party affiliation. Last night, I attended a performance of Margaret Cho in Indianapolis. One of the last things she mentioned was all of the hatemail she recieved from members of Free Republic. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Surely this has to be a joke. So when I got home, I read the hatemail on her website. Then I...

I watched the most brutal example of human depravity when I watched Nick Berg’s head carved off by a dull knife at the hands of so-called Muslims in the name of a religion of peace during a time of war. September 11th has faded as a surreal memory but this time the reminder of our enemies is personal. This isn’t a long shot of planes hitting a building with Hollywood special effects or dust filled canyons of stone reminiscent of some movie. This is a visceral, gut-wrenching, up close and personal murder in the name of people who want to...

Cartoonist Ted Rall says he has received hundreds of death threats over a comic he did this week that satirized the media's response to the death of Pat Tillman, the former pro-football player killed in Afghanistan. ... Some 300 of the messages threatened Rall with "death or bodily harm," he said, and he also said he had received several death threats by phone. Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes Rall's comics to about 70 newspapers, has received several e-mails from readers who objected to the content of the comic, spokeswoman Kathie Kerr said.