Racial code words obscure real issues  —  Two weeks ago at the Fox News/Wall Street Journal debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., I asked each GOP presidential candidate some pointed questions about the racial politics that will play a big role in the presidential campaign.

COMPARING THE COMPENSATION OF FEDERAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYEES  —  HOW DOES THE COMPENSATION OF FEDERAL CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES COMPARE WITH THAT OF EMPLOYEES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR?  —  Employees of the federal government and the private sector differ in ways that can affect compensation.

Demonstrators from the Occupy Wall Street movement threw condoms on Catholic schoolgirls, refused to allow a Catholic priest to give a closing prayer, and shouted down a pro-life speaker at a Rhode Island right to life rally on Thursday, according to its organizer.

US bars friends over Twitter joke  —  Ordeal ... Leigh Van Bryan and Emily Bunting were locked up  —  TWO pals were barred from entering the US after innocent tweets joking about “destroying America” were picked up by the country's anti-terror cops.  —  US special agents monitoring Twitter …

Obama's Breach of Faith Over Contraceptive Ruling  —  Obama's breach of faith over contraceptive ruling  —  One of Barack Obama's great attractions as a presidential candidate was his sensitivity to the feelings and intellectual concerns of religious believers.

GOP Voters Continue to Give Field Subpar Ratings  —  Obama Seen as More Understanding than Romney, Gingrich  —  Amid a bruising primary campaign, Republicans remain unimpressed with their party's presidential field.  In fact, more Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters …

Leon Panetta's explicitly authoritarian decree  —  The DoD chief says clearly: once the president accuses a citizen of terrorism, execution without trial is permitted  —  CBS News' Scott Pelley appears to be one of the very few American journalists bothered by, or even interested in …

College Says It Exaggerated SAT Figures for Ratings  —  Claremont McKenna College, a small, prestigious California school, said Monday that for the past six years, it has submitted false SAT scores to publications like U.S. News & World Report that use the data in widely followed college rankings.

While clarifying remarks linking civil rights to gay marriage, Gov. Christie calls N.J. assemblyman ‘numbnuts’  —  TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie this morning attempted to clarify statements he made about same sex marriage and civil rights, but in the process called an openly gay assemblyman …

Gingrich Wants A Government That Respects ‘Our Religion’ Not ‘Every Other Religion’  —  As TP's Igor Volsky pointed out today, Newt Gingrich has been accusing President Obama of perpetrating a “war on religion,” saying the president has made it more difficult for people of faith to practice their beliefs.

State Senator Behind “Don't Say Gay” Bill Refused Service At Restaurant  —  Tennessee state senator Stacey Campfield, who recently said that it is “virtually impossible” to contract HIV through heterosexual sex, was kicked out of a restaurant in Knoxville.  He went quietly.

Donald Trump Staff in Talks With Financiers, Campaign Managers to Explore Third Party Bid  —  ABC News' Huma Khan and Jennifer Wlach report:  —  Donald Trump's top political adviser told ABC News he's speaking to “high-level political operatives” to explore a third-party presidential bid …

I'll see your white knight and raise you a filing deadline.  Why It's Too Late for Entry in the Republican Nomination Race  —  Way back in the summer (of 2011), FHQ began fielding calls and emails from a number of media outlets asking about the filing deadlines for primaries and caucuses in the various states.

Iraqi bill to ban travels to Israel  —  Iraqi parliament plans to pass bill forbidding locals from visiting Israel, after nine Iraqi politicians were allegedly caught carrying entry visas to Israel, passports with Ben-Gurion Airport stamps  —  Roi Kais  —  The bill was proposed following a number of incidents at the Bagdad airport.

Jonathan Franzen: e-books are damaging society  —  Jonathan Franzen has launched a passionate defence of the printed book, warning that our desire for the instant gratification of e-books is damaging for society.  —  Jonathan Franzen, author of Freedom, is being hailed as one of America's greatest novelists