Free Republic

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took aim at San Francisco, calling the city a "dumpster fire" while expressing fears over what would happen if companies there relocated to Florida. "There is cause for concern," DeSantis said during an event Monday. "Texas would have all these companies moved from California over the years. So you'd have companies move from San Francisco to Austin, and they'd bring hundreds of employees with them. And those employees would vote the exact same way they voted that turned San Francisco into the dumpster fire that it is DeSantis expressed fears that California voters could begin moving...

Debating nudity with the naked guys in the Castro is like playing tennis against a brick wall. No matter what you send over the net, the return is always the same: It is your fault. You are the one who is offended, who is fretting about what 5-year-olds will think. They are free and natural. You are prudish and intolerant. The nudie boys, who live in the Castro, can carry on this discussion for hours to push their organized cause - the Free Body Culture movement - a mumbo-jumbo philosophy about making San Francisco safe for our repressed nude selves....

Tourists come to San Francisco to see the Golden Gate Bridge, AT&T Park, Fisherman's Wharf - and the naked guys in the Castro. This Sunday, a guy was standing on Market Street wearing a multi-colored hat, shoes and a glitter-covered sock over Mr. Happy. The glitter was a nice touch. Did he think no one would notice? "Personally I am not offended by naked bodies," said Dennis Ziebell, owner of Orphan Andy's Restaurant, which overlooks the 17th Street and Market plaza where the exhibitionists gather. "But my customers don't particularly want to look at the window and see that." Not...

"San Francisco has become the first major U.S. city to pass a law that cracks down on the popular practice of giving away free toys with unhealthy restaurant meals for children." I saw the attached article on Drudge and had been hearing it on the TV and radio reports and it just got me thinking. All these bations of liberalism want to do things like ban trans fats, tax sugary drinks, ban the Happy Meal because they believe in the Nanny State and they know what is best for you...HOWEVER, these same people want to legalize marijuana and want to...

SAN FRANCISCO -- In this live-and-let-live town, where medical marijuana clubs do business next to grocery stores and an annual fair celebrates sadomasochism, prostitutes could soon walk the streets without fear of arrest. San Francisco would become the first major U.S. city to decriminalize prostitution if voters next month approve Proposition K -- a measure that forbids local authorities from investigating, arresting or prosecuting anyone for selling sex. The ballot question technically would not legalize prostitution since state law still prohibits it, but the measure would eliminate the power of local law enforcement officials to go after prostitutes. Proponents say...

CBNNews.com October 13, 2008 CBNNews.com - A group of first graders in San Francisco took a school-sponsored field trip to a homosexual wedding. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the five-and six-year-olds were pulled out of school to "toss rose petals" on their newly married teacher. The school's interim director called it "a teachable moment." But one pro-family group called it "overt indoctrination." "This is overt indoctrination of children who are too young to understand it," said Chip White, Press Secretary for Yes on Proposition 8. The parents of two students opted out of letting them go to the gay wedding....

In the Tenderloin, corner stores sell more alcohol than food, drug-addled pan handlers shake paper cups at passers-by and churches vie for real estate with strip clubs. Now, the federal government is on the verge of crowning this neighborhood a place of national historic significance. Each of the area's 410 historic buildings -- flophouses, parking garages, delis and theaters -- now awaits a gold-colored placard, proudly stating its vintage and history. This month the neighborhood's bid for historic district status will be submitted to the National Park Service, following state approval of the designation in July. The Tenderloin will join...

A Michigan pro-family group has joined a nationwide boycott of a major greeting card company as a result of its promotion of the homosexual lifestyle. The American Family Association of Michigan has joined forces with several other pro-family groups around the country to boycott Hallmark over the company's new line of "same-sex couple" cards. AFA-Michigan's President Gay Glenn said, “Hallmark’s corporate position helps culturally legitimize and promote so-called homosexual ‘marriage,’ using its customers’ money to do so.” He added, “Each of us should ensure as a matter of conscience that Hallmark isn’t able to use any of our families’ money.”...

Supporters of Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage in California, are running their first television ad.The commercial features San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom making a celebratory speech. The state Supreme Court had just invalidated a law overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2000 that declared "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Following is a text of the ad and an analysis by Aurelio Rojas of The Bee's Capitol Bureau: The ad Newsom: This door's wide open now. It's going to happen whether you like it or not.Narrator: Four judges ignored 4 million...

They held the world's biggest celebration of leather, bondage and sexual fetish in San Francisco on Sunday, and due to the event's interactive nature, many people are now walking gingerly. "Enough is enough," said Lowell Clark, pulling up his blue jeans after emerging from one of dozens of spanking booths at the 25th Folsom Street Fair. Clark, a 30-year-old San Francisco waiter, conceded he was a novice at the booths, where men and women in search of stimulation were struck with whips, paddles or bare hands. Clark was last spanked at the age of 6 at the hands of his...

News flash: Cities aren't what they used to be. Follow-up question: What is? This rather obvious query popped into my head Sunday after reading Joel Kotkin's sniffish dismissal of San Francisco as an "ephemeral city," one that "differs dramatically from traditional urban centers." Instead of smokestacks and stevedores we have tapas and trust-fund liberals. He's absolutely right, and he totally misses the point. If San Francisco is a far cry from the boisterous Big Cities of yore, that's because Big Cities continue to evolve. The successful ones still draw strength from immigration and a central address, but they're no longer...