Free Republic

The death of a homeless man fatally injured during a fight with Fullerton police has captured the attention of the community and affected morale in the department. Kelly Thomas, 37, who was schizophrenic, died July 10, five days after the confrontation with six police officers at the Fullerton Transportation Center. Fullerton police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich said the department has received hundreds of phone calls and e-mails from across California and hundreds turned out to protest Saturday morning at the Fullerton police station. "It's not pleasant to see people in front of the police station calling the officers 'murderers,'" Goodrich said....

U.S. Navy SEALs, like the teams that killed Osama bin Laden, are grateful for nation's show of support but are growing angry with the continued focus on their operation, tactics, and tools, claiming it could jeopardize future raids and their safety. "My friends in the community tell me they're very glad for the bit of attention they got," said former Pentagon deputy undersecretary Jed Babbin, "but at some point the best way to help them is to stop. You guys in the press have done a good job, but stop for God's sake, stop." [See photos of the reaction to...

After speaking at a Madison, Wisconsin, rally on April 16 in support of Governor Scott Walker's controversial public union policies Sarah Palin grabbed national headlines...but apparently not enough to satisfy the former Governor's sizable appetite for attention. In the hours following the rally, Palin's all around social media maven Rebecca Mansour took to the twitternets to scold the lamestream media she felt had unfairly ignored Palin's speech. Slate's David Weigel has a rundown of Mansour's complaints which we won't go over here, but suffice it to say Mansour would really like to know "what gives?" But according to research by...

It isn't clear from the Des Moines Register article where Alshaibi's wife was during the beat down. He can't remember what house he was in. His excuse for barging into someone else's house is that he wanted to "get to know" his neighbors. If he himself was drinking, how drunk was he? Did he purposely get the 4 men riled? Did he give a description of the attackers to police? The article also said that he was treated at the scene for minor injuries, followed up by tests at a hospital on Sunday. He was allegedly found in a parking...

Couple's Abortion Vote Site Declared a Pro-Life Publicity Stunt Minneapolis, MN -- The web site a Minnesota couple created seeking a public vote on whether or not they should have an abortion, taking the life of their 17-week unborn child, has been declared a pro-life stunt by both sides of the abortion debate. http://LifeNews.com/state-5681

Couple's Abortion Vote Site Declared a Pro-Life Publicity Stunt Minneapolis, MN -- The web site a Minnesota couple created seeking a public vote on whether or not they should have an abortion, taking the life of their 17-week unborn child, has been declared a pro-life stunt by both sides of the abortion debate. http://LifeNews.com/state-5681

After meeting with wounded Marines, first lady Michelle Obama told thousands of troops and their families Sunday that she is launching a national challenge to Americans to find ways to support them. Since her husband took office, Obama has been visiting bases across the country as part of her mission to improve the quality of life for military families. She called Camp Pendleton and the surrounding Southern California cities a model for community support of troops. But California Republicans called the event a publicity stunt to help Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who is running for a fourth term and has...

(Info derived from linked article) Sunderland "reality" show was preplanned before Abby's misadventure: Adventures in Sunderland (Reality TV Show) Distribution Rights: Magnetic Entertainment Exec Producer: Magnetic Entertainment "A family oriented Adventure show, based on the Sunderland Family of Thousand Oaks, CA. We follow the family in their day-to-day lives as shipbuilder Laurence Sunderland and mother/teacher Marianne try to balance work and family." http://www.magneticent.com/html/projects.htm "Magnetic Entertainment" is the sponsor of the ill-fated voyage. (pdf list of sponsors) http://abbysunderland.com/images/sponsors/abby_sponsorship.pdf

Just after admitting he was "astonished" hearing about Jesse James' alleged affair on Sandra Bullock with Michelle "Bombshell" McGee, Duane Chapman from "Dog the Bounty Hunter" has told the world about his own infidelity. According to TMZ, "Dog" was on a Minnesota radio station when he admitted to being a cheater -- and then went on to say that his wife had no knowledge of it. (Note to Chapman: she's certainly going to know about it now!) There's no word yet on if, like Jesse, the "other woman" involved in this case is a tattoo model decorated with controversial statements.

Fox holds 'Wall Street' sequel Studio to release 'Money Never Sleeps' on Sept. 24 By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK With an invite from the Cannes Film Festival likely coming, 20th Century Fox is pushing back the release of Oliver Stone's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" from April 23 to Sept. 24. Insiders say the film has a strong shot at being included in the fest, which runs May 12-23. Fox would not comment. The sequel returns Michael Douglas return in the role of Gordon Gekko, starring opposite Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan and Josh Brolin. Stone's film picks up 23 years after his...

Barack and Michelle Obama: Mr&Mrs show irks voters As political woes mount, not all have been won over by the first couple’s intimate revelations Tony Allen-Mills in Washington With difficult state elections and a crucial military decision looming, President Barack Obama sat down with his wife Michelle last month to give an in-depth magazine interview about a subject that has hitherto not ranked highly on the White House political agenda — the state of the first couple’s marriage. The president used the occasion to complain that when he recently hopped aboard Air Force One to fly his wife to New...

I am thinking of getting a facebook page. Some friends, and I, wish to start a joint blog to promote our group. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? All the facebook users that I know, just use the page to find old friends. But I want to use it for business purposes. I would appreciate you sharing some of your knowledge

Enough already with these aliens!

President-Elect Barack Obama says his patience with the media is “running thin.” “Everywhere I go, they’re there,” Obama complained. “I’m barraged with questions. My every movement is photographed and analyzed. I can’t seem to get a moment’s peace.” Obama says he isn’t buying the argument that this is par-for-the-course if you’re President of the United States. “I didn’t mind it so much during the campaign,” Obama admitted. “I needed the exposure then. But enough’s enough. From now on, information will be given out on a need-to-know basis. If I think there’s something that some people need to know I’ll issue...

Poor Oprah. Of course, Oprah is not poor by anyone's definition (we should all be so poor), but she found herself between a rock and a hard place on the question of whether to invite the newest, and right now probably the biggest, celebrity in the world on her show.Of course, the ratings would be huge. And when someone in the entertainment business decides NOT to do something that would garner unbelievable ratings and attention, that decision is always subject to scrutiny.Having endorsed Obama, and having taken heat for it, Oprah has since tried to keep her personal politics separate...

Are Olympics Sponsorships Worth It? For some, not anymore. High-profile Beijing Olympics sponsors Kodak and Lenovo are pulling the plug on future Games by Frederik Balfour and Reena Jana With the opening ceremonies for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games just days away, corporate sponsors are getting ready to do victory laps of their own. This year's Olympics have been hyped as a blockbuster for marketers, a chance to ride the wave of Chinese national pride that may translate into billions of dollars in sales of Adidas sneakers, McDonald's (MCD) Big Macs, or General Electric (GE) wind turbines.

China's Ex-Envoy to Korea Accused of Leaks Former Chinese ambassador to Korea Li Bin has been accused by China of disclosing state secrets related to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s visit to China last January, according to a report Wednesday in Hong Kong's Ming Pao Daily News. According to the article, the accusations against Li may be related to reports on Kim's plans to visit China that appeared in the South Korean and Japanese press. Typically, Kim's visits to China are not disclosed by the Chinese government until after he has left, and then only in passing. The Hong Kong...

Of Gay Sheep, Science and Peril of Bad Publicity By JOHN SCHWARTZ Published: January 25, 2007 Charles Roselli set out to discover what makes some sheep gay. Then the news media and the blogosphere got hold of the story. Dr. Roselli, a researcher at the Oregon Health and Science University, has searched for the past five years for physiological factors that might explain why about 8 percent of rams seek sex exclusively with other rams instead of ewes. The goal, he says, is to understand the fundamental mechanisms of sexual orientation in sheep. Other researchers might some day build on...

A boy from an isolated village in Malawi's rugged bush was handed into the care of Madonna yesterday when a judge approved the pop star's adoption papers.David Banda was born in a mud hut 18 months ago. His mother, Marita, gave birth without a nurse or medical equipment, save for a plastic sheet. She died days later. The High Court in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, plucked David from his home village of Lipunga, where children in rags play in the dust beside women pounding maize, and gave him a symbol of Western popular culture for a foster mother. Mr Justice Andrew...

/begin my translation PLA Maneuvers with Intervention to N. Korea in Mind? 09/11/06 China's PLA is reportedly conducting training exercises designed to cope with crisis in Korean Peninsula Chinese state media, Xinhua, reported, "Total of 6,000 troops, made up of mechanized infantry brigade(3,000) from Shenyang Military District and its opponents(3,000), an armored brigade from Beijing Military District, went into training exercises against biochemical, naval, and aerial attacks. It started on Sept. 5 on a training base under Beijing Military District, located on a steppe in Inner Mongolia." 190th Mechanized Infantry Brigade of 39th Corps under Shenyang Military District finished map...