Free Republic

At a recent backyard barbecue in Miami's Upper Eastside, a group of middle-age, middle-class folks tamely sipped berry cocktails and beers. Among them: a couple of lawyers, a couple of city administrators and an arts administrator. Somewhere between the skirt steak and the apple pie, somebody lit a joint and passed it around. Nobody blinked. Even in mainstream, white-collar settings, smoking marijuana can be commonplace and unremarkable, like having a little wine with dinner. Once a stamp of the arty, the marginal and the counterculture, today marijuana's popularity cuts across social boundaries. Yet several high-profile marijuana arrests have recently made...

A commuter who put his feet on a seat during his train journey home has been prosecuted in a clampdown on antisocial behaviour. Babiker Fadol was spotted by a security patrol after stretching out his legs and dozing off. He was ordered to attend court under a 120-year-old bye-law which makes it a criminal offence "to interfere with the comfort or convenience" of fellow passengers. He pleaded guilty and was given a one-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £50 costs. This means he now has a criminal record. Yesterday, the 45-year-old declared that his prosecution was a waste of...

Violent, antisocial, beyond redemption?11 April 2007 NewScientist.com news service Peter Aldhous Whether you think of them as mad or bad, they are certainly dangerous to know. All societies contain a few extremely violent individuals, who are either psychopaths or have a related severe personality disorder. With no concern about the harm they inflict, little can be done to change their behaviour, psychiatrists say. Now the UK government is challenging this dogma in the hope of protecting the public from these highly risky people. It has already altered criminal law to allow certain violent offenders to be given indefinite jail sentences....

MIDLAND, Texas - A former Army private accused in the horrific rape and killing of a young Iraqi woman and the execution-style slaying of her family had been discharged because of an "antisocial personality disorder," U.S. military officials told The Associated Press. Investigators say Steven D. Green and other soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division plotted to rape a young Iraqi woman they first saw at a traffic checkpoint in the village of Mahmoudiya. Green is accused of rounding up three family members in a room of the woman's house and shooting them before raping and killing her. Previously, in...

Neanderthals were not stupid, just a bit anti-social IAN JOHNSTON SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT "CRUDE, boorish and slow- witted" - even dictionaries give Neanderthals a hard time. But our prehistoric cousins were in reality just as smart as we are and did not die out as a result of a lack of brain power, according to a new archaeological study. Until now, the leading theory of why the Neanderthals disappeared has been that a lack of intelligence meant they were less efficient hunters. But a team of US archaeologists believe they met their evolutionary end because of a failure to maintain social...

Unruly home owners face eviction Launching a barrage of measures to combat yobbish behaviour, he said the Government was consulting on a new "house closure order" to bring relief to those suffering from the "misery" of nuisance neighbours. This included "noise, constant visitors at all hours, rubbish and vandalism". It would empower the authorities in England and Wales to seal a property for up to three months, and evicted families would be rehoused in special residential units. Hazel Blears, the Home Office minister, confirmed the measures would apply to people with mortgages or who owned their homes outright, and would...

Fabiola Armitage is back on television, only instead of a campaign ad the focus has been on her mugshot. Armitage is a Kerry supporter and a strong believer in stem cell research. She's featured in an advertisement urging Floridians to vote against Amendment 3 on this year's ballot. The amendment would cap how much money a lawyer can make from a medical malpractice lawsuit. St. Johns County Sheriff Deputies arrested Armitage for grand theft and battery this week. They say she had 78 campaign signs supporting George Bush and Mel Martinez in her trunk. Armitage tells First Coast News that...

This is a new thread dedicated to conservative parents of children/teens "at risk". I noticed in my FReeping that there are a lot of other conservative parents like me dealing with children or teens that are socially "at risk". Yes, there are other web sites out there dedicated to this, however they tend to be liberally/socialistically slanted. They have a whinning "poor pitful me" attitude. As conservatives, from talking with many of you, we take a different attitude and require our children to have that same attitude. I FReep Mailed Jim Robinson to get his "blessing" on this thread. If...

Mass misbehavior leaves zoo a messBy TOM BUCKHAM News Staff Reporter 5/29/2002 Widespread rowdiness and vandalism at the Buffalo Zoo on Memorial Day, after more than 15,000 people came through the turnstiles free of charge, may spell the end of open admission on major holidays, zoo President Donna M. Fernandes said Tuesday. Though zoo staff members and private security officers were out in force, Fernandes said, they couldn't stop the mischief, most of which was committed by teenagers. It included: Garbage and other objects - including a baseball hat - hurled over exhibit barriers at bears, lions and tigers. Partial...