Free Republic

Several Senators have learned of a possible plan by the Obama Administration that would provide a mass Amnesty for the nation's 11-18 million illegal aliens. Led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), eight Senators addressed a letter to the President asking for answers to questions about a plan that would allow DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to provide an amnesty if they can't secure enough votes for a bill in the Senate. The letter that was sent to Pres. Obama earlier today asks the President for clarification on the use of deferred action or parole for illegal aliens. The executive actions are...

In marked contrast to Spain, Germany has decided to tighten the rules on genetic screening of embryos. Measures to be accepted by parliament tomorrow will affect screening in three main areas: Firstly, doctors will be allowed to test for Down’s Syndrome, but not for diseases like cancer which the baby may be pre-disposed to suffer in later life. Secondly, paternity tests will only be carried out with the express permission of the baby’s mother.Finally, employers and insurance companies are to be banned from demanding genetic checks on workers or clients. This is a sensitive issue in Germany after recent scandals...

Kosovo Was Then, This Is Now... [Victor Davis Hanson] Quite apart from the undeniable merits of independence, in political terms Kosovo 2008 is not quite Kosovo of 1998. Let us count the post-9/11 ways: 1. The rise of radical Islam, especially in Europe, has made Western publics edgy about Muslim-identified states, especially inside Europe. 2. Russia is no longer a basket case, but rearming, aggressive, overflowing with petro-dollars, and eager to use oil — and more — as a weapon. 3. Milosevic is long dead. 4. For six years there has been a steady anti-American drumbeat in Europe and caricatures...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A federal judge has ruled that the at-large system of election used by the Village of Port Chester, N.Y, to elect its trustees violates the Voting Rights Act because it discriminates against Hispanics(...) (...) According to the evidence at trial, and as cited in Judge Robinson's opinion, the 2000 census shows that almost half of Port Chester's residents, and 22 percent of Port Chester's citizens of voting age, were Hispanic. By July 2006, the number of Hispanic citizens of voting age had increased to about 28 percent. Despite these figures, no Hispanic has ever been...

Some immigrants held a protest outside the Mexican Consulate's Midtown office on Wednesday, calling on it to do more to prevent deportations. Protestors want the consulate to help defend the rights of its citizens. They say Mexico is the leading receiving country of U.S. deportees. "Many of us are Mexican citizens, and we have seen that our consulate doesn't do enough for us, often times we don't receive the respect that we deserve when we come to do our business with the Mexican Consulate," said protestor Leticia Alanis. "And another very bad experience that we have is now with all...

Deportees with no criminal past grow Advocates alarmed by trend in region By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff | January 12, 2008 Federal immigration agents in New England are deporting a smaller percentage of immigrants who have been convicted of crimes than in 2005, drawing criticism from immigrant advocates who say the agency is "chasing landscapers" and other workers who do not have criminal records. (...) The regional trend mirrors national percentages: Across the country, the percentage of criminal deportees fell to 38 percent last year from 48 percent in 2005, largely because of a dramatic increase in the number of...

Hurrah for labour shortages Sep 6th 2007 From Economist.com To keep farm workers, pay them better “LABOUR shortage” is one of the most nonsensical phrases ever coined. Real shortages happen outside the market economy: armies run short of ammunition; sailing ships may lack wind. But with six billion people on the planet, labour is not in short supply. What “labour shortage” means is that employers can’t find workers with the right skills at a price they like. Similar shortages are reported of Rembrandts, lobsters and nice houses in London. Nonetheless, the news that British farmers are complaining of a “labour...

'I Am Not Afraid of Death' In an interview with SPIEGEL, prominent Russian writer and Nobel laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn discusses Russia's turbulent history, Putin's version of democracy and his attitude to life and death. SPIEGEL: Alexander Isayevich, when we came in we found you at work. It seems that even at the age of 88 you still feel this need to work, even though your health doesn't allow you to walk around your home. What do you derive your strength from? Solzhenitsyn: I have always had that inner drive, since my birth. And I have always devoted myself gladly to...

Les ''mariés de Bègles'' condamnés à de la prison avec sursis

ATHENS, Greece (Reuters) -- Prostitutes and smugglers (...) will now be counted in the country's official economic output(...) Under pressure from the European Union to cut its deficits, Greece is revising its gross domestic product to include part of the booming black economy, boosting its output by at least 10 percent in 2006, the country's chief statistician told Reuters. "The revised GDP will include some money from illegal activities, such as money from cigarette and drinks smuggling, prostitution and money laundering," (...)

In June 1967, I was married to my first wife and living in Paris, playing tennis and polo. When the Six-Day War began, Israel asked for volunteers of any nationality and religion. It took me about one minute to decide. I presented myself to the Israeli consulate and was sent by bus to a gathering place near Clichy, where I spent an extremely uncomfortable night among young French Jews who occasionally would scream out “Israel Vivra!” Needless to say, we were all sent home the next day, Israel’s blitz attack having destroyed the Egyptian air force on day one, the...

PARIS (Reuters) - Parisian sunbathers will no longer be allowed to go nude or wear g-strings on the capital's artificial beaches and risk a fine if they are caught baring their breasts or buttocks. City hall has issued a decree banning indecent clothing to preserve the tranquillity of the sandy beaches created on the banks of the River Seine every summer since 2001. "People must behave according to good standards to maintain tranquillity, security and public order," the decree said, according to Saturday's edition of Le Parisien. "Notably indecent attire (nude sunbathing, g-strings and toplessness etc) is forbidden." The city...

The Council of Europe, the main human rights watchdog in Europe, yesterday asked the Polish government to explain Mr Giertych's decision to dismiss a senior education official, for "promoting gay and lesbian values". Miroslaw Sielatycki, the director of the Polish In-Service Teachers Training Centre, was dismissed after his agency distributed a training manual on human rights from the council. The manual suggested that gays had a legal right to marry and adopt children. Terry Davis, the former Labour MP who is secretary-general of the Council of Europe, said: "I do not understand how teaching tolerance can be grounds for dismissal."...

By the power of Zeus, ancient gods are back Worship of the 12 gods of Mount Olympus associated with ancient Greece could, thanks to a decision by a first-instance court in Athens, become part of the country’s contemporary culture. In a ruling made public yesterday, the court allowed the formation of an association whose members claim to worship Zeus and the other 11 gods. “I support everybody’s right to practice their faith, whichever it may be, without hindrance,” said Apostolos Vrachiolidis, a journalist and one of the founding members of the association. Members of the group deny that they engage...

From today on, not every baby born in this country will automatically be a New Zealand citizen. Changes to the Citizenship Act mean there are tighter rules on children acquiring citizenship at birth. It will only happen now if at least one of their parents is a New Zealand citizen or is entitled to be in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tokelau or Niue indefinitely. The changes have been brought in to recognise the value of citizenship. Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Brian Clarke, says very few babies born in New Zealand will be affected by the changes. The...

As Russia moved to restore gas supplies to European countries which suffered due to a blockade imposed on Ukraine, it was clear that the crisis is far from over. In Poland, it prompted a plan to ensure the security of its energy supplies. Poland’s prime minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz has announced energetic steps to diversify gas supplies. Talks have already begun with partners in northern Europe, for example. The construction of a liquid gas terminal is also in the pipeline. Diversification of natural gas supplies to Poland is a priority, Marcinkiewicz said, though this is not to say that Warsaw does...

French Christmas soup not for Jews or Muslims Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:13 PM GMT By Pierre Thebault NICE, France (Reuters) - An extreme-right French group has found a way to distribute Christmas cheer only to a chosen few by offering homeless people free hot soup containing pork, which observant Jews and Muslims do not eat. The soup kitchen, set up at the harbour of this Riviera town, draws about as many protesters as poor people. Police stand guard between it and a Catholic charity group distributing vegetable soup outside their church. Dominique Lescure, head of the small ultra-nationalist group...

Boston will submit to federal oversight of city elections through 2008 under terms of a deal with the US Department of Justice settling a lawsuit that accused the city and its poll workers of improperly influencing and coercing voters with limited English skills. The city also agreed to provide additional training for poll workers and to increase the number of poll workers who can communicate in Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese. The city agreed to distribute election information in Chinese and Vietnamese and ask the Legislature for permission to print ballots in those languages. Ballots are regulated by the secretary of...

French citizen held in Poland terror probe THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WARSAW, Poland -- A French citizen has been arrested in western Poland and was being investigated as a terror suspect after he was caught taking pictures of a natural gas distribution plant, officials said Thursday. The man, identified as Michael N., 23, is being investigated by prosecutors in the western city of Poznan on charges of planning an attack that could threaten the lives of many people, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison, said spokeswoman Urszula Kula. He was arrested Friday after being spotted by railway...

Gay rights activists abandon Poland pride parade after mayor's ban Gay rights activists in Poland on Monday abandoned plans to hold a pride parade this week in downtown Warsaw after the Polish capital's mayor banned the march. Mayor Lech Kaczynski banned the fourth annual Parade of Equality, scheduled for Friday, in hopes of preventing clashes between participants and an antigay group that planned a counterdemonstration. Szymon Niemiec, head of Poland's Gay and Lesbian Association, said his group has decided it cannot fight the ban. "The parade will not take place because of the illegal decision of the Warsaw mayor," Niemiec...