Craig Fletcher, the mayor of Vero Beach, Fla., has issued an apology for recent comments he made regarding Humanist Recognition Week, which he refused to approve because humanists do not worship Jesus Christ.

Fletcher said in a recent statement that after consulting with his wife and pastor, he has realized that his statements were "way out of line."

"I want to offer my sincerest apologies to anyone whom I may have offended by my remarks last Tuesday at the City Council meeting. It was a horrific statement and on reflection was way out of place for an elected official to take such a strident stance. I hope everyone will find it in their heart to forgive me," Fletcher told WPBF West Palm Beach. more >>

HGTV viewers are expressing outrage after the network suggested they use American flags as tablecloths for Fourth of July celebrations. Many viewers called it offensive, un-American and an insult to the American military.

"Using an American flag as a table cloth dishonors all Americans who love Old Glory – especially those who gave their lives defending it," one viewer wrote. "No one dies for a table cloth."

The HGTV website featured a segment titled, "Classic Fourth of July Table Setting Ideas." The photographs show bowls of fruit and a jar of lemonade sitting atop Old Glory. They called the flag an "unconventional table" linen. more >>

"Obama's usual campaign method, used in 100 percent of his races, has been to pry into the private records of his opponents." TownHall.com

In the wake of revelations that the IRS was used as a thuggish enforcement arm of the Obama campaign come further allegations of snooping by the NSA. Suddenly we feel we have a creepy stalker. George Orwell's foretold world of an all-intrusive government is upon us.

Like most freedoms, ours have not been lost quickly or in war, but via the creeping incrementalism of government. more >>

Dear President Obama,

I'm not a member of the elite. I'm not a millionaire, and I don't claim to have any power or influence. I'm just an average taxpayer who lives in fly-over country. On behalf of all the Suzy Homemaker's and Joe Six-Pack's who are my neighbors, I'd like to request a favor. Please, please, leave us alone.

With all due respect for your office Mr. Obama, you were not elected to tell me what to do. You were elected to protect and defend my right to do it, as long as it's not illegal. (Please refer to the 10th amendment). more >>

Big Brother. Thought-crime. Thought police. Room 101. Newspeak. These and other phrases derive from one notable piece of English fiction: Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Saturday marked the 64th anniversary of the publication of George Orwell's dystopian masterpiece, released June 8, 1949.

Orwell himself would die the following year, never knowing the fullest extent to which his work would still influence the world's view on the dangers of totalitarianism and power.  In addition to the words and phrases taken from the novel's pages, the term "Orwellian" was coined to describe anything considered disturbingly repressive. more >>

The Alliance Defending Freedom posted on Monday audio files of a March 2012 phone conversation where an agent from the Internal Revenue Service tells a client from a pro-life group that they cannot apply for tax-exempt status if they "force" their religious beliefs on others.

"The IRS is a tax collector; it shouldn't be allowed to be the speech and belief police," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley. "The current scandal isn't new but has merely exposed the abuse of power that characterizes this agency and threatens our fundamental freedoms."

The IRS has been under intense scrutiny after a series of scandals emerged in the past few weeks, first with the revelation that the government agency had intentionally targeted conservative groups for further scrutiny, and then at a hearing last week where lawmakers grilled the IRS on spending close to $50 million of taxpayer money on conferences and gifts over a two-year period. more >>