Free Republic

From Mass Resistance: Primer: Ten things you need to know about the US Supreme Court “gay marriage” case being heard April 28, 2015 On April 28 the US Supreme Court case will hear oral arguments for the case that will essentially decide whether “gay marriage” is a previously unknown “fundamental right” enshrined in the US Constitution, similar to the Court’s 1973 abortion ruling.  The US Supreme Court building will be ground zero for the latest assault on the nation's culture. What was once a fringe, unthinkable idea is now on the verge of being imposed on the entire nation....

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2009 – President Barack Obama’s security team recognizes troops alone aren’t the answer as it begins wrapping up strategy deliberations about the way ahead in Afghanistan, the top military officer said here today. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addresses Army and Air National Guard’s senior servicemembers from across the nation at the Guard’s first Joint Senior Leadership Conference outside Washington, D.C., Nov. 19, 2009. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,...

Broad, Geffen make Forbes' list of top billionaire collectors July 24, 2009 When it comes to wealth-porn lists of billionaires and their possessions, no one does it with more enthusiasm -- and regularity -- than Forbes. The publication today released its list of the world's top billionaire art collectors and the ranking contains many of the international art world's usual suspects: Eli Broad, David Geffen, François Pinault and more. Unlike the more comprehensive ARTnews 200 list that was published a few weeks ago, the Forbes list concentrates on billionaires and excludes gallery owners and other art trade notables. Topping the...

TEHRAN (AFP) — Conservatives on Monday celebrated winning an expected three-quarter parliament majority in Iran's elections, as the Islamic republic angrily denied EU accusations the polls were "neither fair nor free". With results from Tehran still to be confirmed, the interior ministry said conservatives would control 74 percent of the 290 seats in parliament, with the rest going to reformists and independents. Conservatives who have been critical of firebrand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were set to have a reasonable representation, although it remains to be seen how this will affect his chances in 2009 presidential polls. Once results from second round...

Attorney General-elect Jerry Brown said Wednesday that he will appoint his wife, Anne Gust, as his unpaid special counsel, giving her a "broad mandate" in a new post that will be part of a significant reorganization of the state attorney general's office. "It will be a very important and high-level role very close to the policy and administrative processes," said Brown, who was in Washington, D.C., to attend House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi's inauguration. "It is a broad title and she certainly will have a broad mandate because her experience is very broad." This will not be the first time Brown...

Our view: Prop. 83 based on fear, not fact about sex offenders Protecting children from sexual predators is a good idea, and that's the intent of Proposition 83, or Jessica's Law. But beneath the emotionally charged rhetoric, Prop. 83 is a prime example of why Californians should reject unwise initiatives and instead focus our efforts on passing thoughtful, effective laws. Prop. 83 is too vague, redundant, costly and ineffective. Prop. 83 would widen the protective circle we draw around our children, prohibiting registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools and parks. Pushing sex offenders farther away from...

Three Billionaires Bidding for LA Times Three billionaires, including Hollywood mogul David Geffen, have expressed interest in buying the Los Angeles Times, but have been rebuffed for the time being by its owner, Tribune Co., the paper reported. Geffen, property developer Eli Broad and supermarket investor Ron Burkle each wrote to the board of directors of the Chicago-based firm, which is under pressure from shareholders to boost its flagging share price, the paper said in its Saturday edition. The report, citing unidentified sources, said Tribune's directors considered the three letters at a July 19 board meeting. Tribune Chairman and Chief...

Dissident group says will continue efforts for sale or breakup of company... Tribune Co. shares gained ground Tuesday, rising as the media company that's been working to revamp operations amid shareholder unrest announced the results of a Dutch tender auction. Analysts said any gains could prove short lived, however. Chicago-based Tribune Co said that about 45 million, or 15%, of its common shares were tendered and that it expects to buy the shares at a price of $32.50 each. The number of shares tendered came in 8 million short of the maximum that the company had initially authorized in the...

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2006 – A broad coalition of like-minded nations is essential to winning the war on terrorism, the Joint Staff's director for strategic plans and policy said here today. "Terrorism is not a fight of just the U.S. to lead, it is a fight that a broad coalition has to engage in to be successful," Air Force Lt. Gen. Victor Renuart said during a Pentagon press briefing. Renuart discussed the Multilateral Planners Conference, a biannual conference attended by 91 countries at the National Defense University here this week. The conference brings together senior military strategy planners from various...

JERUSALEM - Hamas has offered Israel a proposal for a broad, extended cease-fire in exchange for guarantees that the Israeli army won't attack militants in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday. The Haaretz daily said the new Hamas-led government would pledge not to carry out attacks against Israel and would prevent other Palestinian groups from doing so. The proposal has been relayed to Israel through Egyptian mediators and other third parties, the paper said. The paper quoted Israeli political and defense officials as dismissing the offer as a "trick." Israel refuses to deal with the...

On Friday, Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald indicted Scooter Libby on five counts of obstruction of justice, false statement, and perjury. The charges are serious but, as columnist David Brooks noted in the New York Times, Fitzgerald found no evidence of the broad conspiracy hinted at by journalists, bloggers, and partisan pundits. Nevertheless, opponents of the Iraq war have painted the indictment as evidence of original sin. The American Conservative, for example, accused the Bush administration of "forging the case for war." Liberal blogger Arianna Huffington argued that "the scandal has reignited a national debate about the White House lies...

BRITISH scientists are developing a revolutionary vaccine that works against all types of flu, the UK DAILY MAIL fronts on Friday. It would protect people against flu and a single jab could give lifelong immunity. Currently, new vaccines have to be developed each year. The major breakthrough has been made by the Cambridge biotech firm Acambis. When it announced the news yesterday the value of its shares jumped by 9p. Such a vaccine would be massively lucrative for its manufacturer. Each year, flu kills up to 12,000 people in the UK, many of them elderly. But experts have been warning...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The California Supreme Court upheld state sentencing guidelines Monday amid challenges judges were unconstitutionally justifying steeper sentences based on elements not considered by the jury. Leaving intact the sentencing guidelines avoided what might have been the resentencing of thousands of prisoners. The decision was the third this year by California's justices interpreting new precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court involving a hodgepodge of topics including sentencing, executing the mentally retarded and limiting the amount of damages jurors could award to punish business for egregious conduct in civil lawsuits. Ruling 6-1 Monday, the justices said California's...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tapped 11 attorneys with a variety of legal backgrounds and political affiliations Wednesday in a bid to fill dozens of trial court vacancies in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Fresno and San Bernardino counties. Tapped to the Los Angeles County bench are Eleanor Hunter, 43, a Democrat and Los Angeles County prosecutor of Los Angeles; Michael Lavanas, 55, a Democrat and Los Angeles county court commissioner of Pacific Palisades; Scott Millington, 44, a Republican and Los Angeles County prosecutor of Manhattan Beach; and Dorothy Reyes, 52, a Democrat and insurance defense practitioner of Pasadena. To...

"How the White House Used Disputed Arms Intelligence" NYT 10/3/04

TEL AVIV, Israel -- Israel’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) is overseeing development and production of four separate satellites, all of which are planned for completion by 2008, along with technologies and subsystems for a constellation of small, modular spacecraft capable of working as a team to satisfy multiple mission requirements. According to the MoD roadmap, an unclassified portion of which was provided to Space News, Israel will complete its Ofeq-6 imaging satellite -- a follow-on to the Ofeq-5 electro-optical system launched in May 2002 -- in late 2004 or early 2005. By 2008, MoD expects to complete the Ofeq-7 satellite,...

<p>WASHINGTON - The Bush Administration's push for wholesale change in U.S. nuclear weapons policy was put into motion Thursday, after the House Armed Services Committee passed a sweeping set of policies that move toward development and testing of nuclear weapons.</p>