Thanks to a special freepmailer for pointing to this thread.
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1942217/posts
Lakota Indians Withdraw Treaties Signed With U.S. 150 Years Ago
Fox News ^ | Thursday, December 20, 2007
Posted on 12/20/2007 5:36:13 AM PST by Sopater
WASHINGTON — The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States.
“We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,’’ long-time Indian rights activist Russell Means said.
A delegation of Lakota leaders has delivered a message to the State Department, and said they were unilaterally withdrawing from treaties they signed with the federal government of the U.S., some of them more than 150 years old.
The group also visited the Bolivian, Chilean, South African and Venezuelan embassies, and would continue on their diplomatic mission and take it overseas in the coming weeks and months.
Lakota country includes parts of the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.
The new country would issue its own passports and driving licences, and living there would be tax-free - provided residents renounce their U.S. citizenship, Mr Means said.
The treaties signed with the U.S. were merely “worthless words on worthless paper,” the Lakota freedom activists said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1943365/posts
China Airlines door opens mid-flight
Japan Today ^ | Friday, December 21, 2007 at 17:40 EST
Posted on 12/22/2007 4:22:51 PM PST by DeaconBenjamin
TAIPEI — A China Airlines passenger jet earlier this month turned back mid-flight shortly after take-off from Taiwan after a cabin door malfunction at an altitude of 3,000 meters, local media reported Friday. Passengers on Flight CI008 panicked after a “swishing” sound emanated from the slightly ajar door, whose handle had malfunctioned, prompting the pilots to jettison fuel and turn back to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the reports said.
Nobody was hurt, and the Los Angeles-bound Boeing 747-400 landed without incident, which occurred Dec 8, said Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration. The problem emerged five minutes into the flight as passengers and cabin crew became alarmed at what appeared to be an unlocked lever on the cabin door and sounds of escaping air pressure.
The CAA’s initial findings point to possibilities that include the door being affected by jarring or banging of the jet in the process of taking off, and ground crew failing to fully secure the door. A door suddenly opening in a pressurized cabin at a high altitude could cause passengers to get sucked out of the cabin and the jet to crash.