Free Republic

Hi, I'm Ben, a 25-year-old white guy from rural Virginia. I used to be a directory assistance operator, but now I work at the Wal Mart in Waynesboro. I still live with my parents. Sometimes, I like to go it the big city and play in the streets. My favorite game is to dress up in black, and run around town with my friends. We block traffic, yell at shoppers, and call the cops "pigs." They don't seem to like it very much, but they're powerless to stop us, because we're protected by the First Amendment! Oh, did I mention...

House GOP leaders have decided to drop an Arctic oil drilling proposal from a budget bill.

US Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, who had hoped to replace George W. Bush as president yesterday, instead sat in the cold and clapped as the Republican began a second four-year term. Iowa Democratic Senator Tom Harkin patted Senator Kerry on the back shortly before the inauguration Senator Kerry had hoped would be his. As Mr Bush delivered his inaugural address, Senator Kerry, about 10m away on the steps of the US Capitol, joined other lawmakers and the crowd in repeated applause. Senator Kerry looked relaxed, at times wistful. He frequently smiled, able to hide any disappointment over what...

Employees Need a T.O., as Well Chicago Firm Says Tournament Good for Morale in Workplace By Thomas Heath Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, March 19, 2004; Page D12 That giant sucking sound ringing in the ears of employers throughout the country is the estimated loss of $1.5 billion in worker productivity caused by the distraction of the men's NCAA tournament, according to a study by a Chicago-based job placement company. "You don't need a television to watch the game any more," said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., an employee outplacement firm that...

There are two kinds of people in the world -- the masses who love Western culture, and the elites who hate it. While the former congregate in multiplexes or in video rental stores, the latter tend to gather in more select venues, such as meetings of the United Nations Economic, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). For the last few years, UNESCO's meetings have brought together ministers of culture from around the world. These supremos obsess over the question of how to cure the masses of their appetite for NFL football and the Backstreet Boys. UNESCO used to be a cesspool...