Free Republic

There was no failure of intelligence US spies were ignored, or worse, if they failed to make the case for war Sidney Blumenthal Thursday February 5, 2004 The Guardian Before he departed on his quest for Saddam Hussein's fabled weapons of mass destruction last June, David Kay, chief of the Iraq Survey Group, told friends that he expected promptly to locate the cause of the pre-emptive war. On January 28, Kay appeared before the Senate to testify that there were no WMDs. "It turns out that we were all wrong," he said. President Bush, he added helpfully, was misinformed by...

Wisconsin Fight To Override Veto Continues Friday, January 30, 2004 As we reported last week, despite the support of the majority of the legislature, rank-and-file police officers, and the people of Wisconsin, on November 18, Governor Jim Doyle (D) vetoed legislation that would allow law-abiding Wisconsin citizens the Right-to-Carry firearms to protect themselves and their loved ones. Regrettably, Governor Doyle does not trust his law-abiding constituents with the right of self-defense. The Right-to-Carry legislation requires mandatory training, a permit from the sheriff, and a criminal background check. Even polls by Right-to-Carry opponents reveal that a majority of Wisconsinites support this...

EPA allows ship sunk in Canadian fishery Agency designated where the derelict should be dumped; now it may have to remove it By Paul Singer Washington Bureau December 20, 2003 WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued a routine permit allowing a private salvage company to sink a 140-foot wooden ship in the Pacific Ocean last month, but an error on the permit led the company to dump the ship in waters claimed by Canada. Now the ship sits under 1,500 feet of water, loaded with 200 tons of concrete to keep it down. It's resting right in the middle...

`Flamers' can make Net ugly place to visit December 20, 2003 There they sit, each at a computer keyboard, each angrily typing, each determined to condemn, correct or chastise the other. There's Troglodyte, fiercely disdainful of New Age values. There's L'Enfant Provocateur, who sends incendiary messages because he's young and dumb. There's ALLCAPS, who makes up for limited intelligence by capitalizing his insults. There's Profundus Maximus, who uses cryptic terms to bluff his way through an argument. There's Agent, who posts messages to boost his employer's business. This is Mike Reed's world of "flamers" -- Internet chat-room or bulletin-board users...

Please Lend a Helping Hand Send Your Unwanted Coupons to the families of our Military Personnel Serving Overseas One of the nicest things you can do with coupons you do not wish to use is to send them to military families overseas. Living overseas on military pay is not easy and these families really need your unwanted coupons to stretch their budgets. Unfortunately they do not receive the Sunday coupon inserts. Lending a helping hand shows that you appreciate the sacrifices these families make for the defense of our country.

With Dean in command, U.S. soldiers would be left high and dry Joe Repya Published 12/13/2003 In his latest red-faced tirade, Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean has once again shown that his attacks on President Bush are based on anger, not on facts. According to news reports of his recent rabid attack on the president, Dean claimed that the administration was going to cut combat pay and veterans benefits. Dean's claims are complete and utter nonsense -- especially coming from a man who wanted to deny our troops the resources they need to fight the war on terror. ...

<p>It's sad when the right thing happens for the wrong reason.</p> <p>Over the weekend, half a dozen or so NBC stations refused to show "Saturday Night Live" because Al Sharpton, a presidential candidate, was hosting.</p> <p>They objected either because of the equal time rules or out of fear the 90-minute program would embarrass them by amounting to more political coverage than most TV stations offer in six months.</p>

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUN DEC 07, 2003 20:52:38 ET XXXXX **Exclusive** STREISAND MAY BE STRIPPED OF NOMINATION: RECORD RELEASED WEEKS AFTER QUALIFICATION DATE; DOWNLOAD CLAIMS QUESTIONED Barbra Streisand may soon be stripped of her Grammy nomination for MOVIE ALBUM as award officials examine if the set actually qualifies for this year's awards, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned! Streisand's THE MOVIE ALBUM was released weeks after a September 30 cut-off date for eligibility. MORE "I have it in writing from SONY that Barbra was on her website giving access to downloads [before September 30],'' claimed Diane Theriot, Senior Vice President...

Hepatitis C's time bomb ticks Researchers fear ultimate toll may surpass AIDS By Peter Gorner Tribune science reporter December 1, 2003 A stealthy enemy is lurking inside the bodies of millions of Americans that some medical experts fear may prove as devastating as AIDS. These people feel perfectly healthy, unaware that a virus is quietly destroying their liver, cell by cell. "The first sign I got was two years ago when I crashed with end-stage liver disease," said Robert Kolling, 55, of Bolingbrook. "I'm one of the lucky ones. I received a liver transplant a year ago." The virus that...

<p>Based on the murder convictions, Muhammad was eligible for the death penalty, and the jury recommended that sentence.</p> <p>The verdict first will be appealed to Virginia's Court of Appeals. Then, it will doubtless be appealed by the losing side to Virginia's Supreme Court, which must review all capital murder convictions. Several important legal points will be raised by the appeal.</p>

<p>In a finding that could affect thousands of criminal cases, the National Academy of Sciences has concluded that some techniques the FBI has used for decades to match bullets to crimes are flawed or imprecise.</p> <p>The study, expected to be released in the next few weeks, makes about a half-dozen recommendations to improve the FBI lab's science used to match bullets through their lead content.</p> <p>The academy's findings, which are in final draft form, were described to The Associated Press by several people involved in the study. They would speak only on condition of anonymity.</p>

<p>CBS's problems are bigger than "Reagan."</p> <p>Only two days after CBS celebrated its 75th anniversary last Sunday with a slick retrospective, the Tiffany Network had to beat a humiliating retreat. Yesterday it announced that it would move a four-hour biographical movie on Ronald and Nancy Reagan that it had planned to air on Nov. 16 to Showtime, its pay-cable sister network. Advertisers had fled the project as evidence mounted that its politicized producers had done a historical hit-and-run.</p>

This is the e-mail I received from Saturn after voicing my concern over "The Reagans."[I removed my name & address and extraneous routing information - replaced with underscores or dots of ellipses. I removed the customer service person's name, too. He/she is just doing a job.] From: Saturn Customer Assistance Center To: ______@____.com Subject: RE: Contact Saturn Mail Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 06:16:07 -0800 ... Hello _____, Thank you for writing to Saturn and for your interest in our VUE. I apologize if our advertising during "The Reagan's" offends you in any way. I can tell you that Saturn...

GIs won't forget duty at Iraq's `Alamo' By Stephen J. HedgesTribune correspondentPublished October 26, 2003 HUSAYBAH, Iraq -- It was the end of another tense night inside the close, neglected walls of this building in a far-off corner of western Iraq. Army Capt. Steve Smith's face betrayed the weariness that comes with his new assignment: guarding this squat symbol of Iraq's uncertain future. But he made a stab at cordiality. "Welcome to the Alamo," he said one morning last week, extending his hand to a visitor. "It has been unusually quiet." The quiet did not last. It never does. Within...

Woman sues Swissair, city Published September 28, 2003 TINLEY PARK -- An Arab-American woman from Tinley Park filed a federal suit Friday against the city of Chicago and Swiss International Airlines alleging racial profiling, use of excessive force and false imprisonment during her arrest at O'Hare International Airport after the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001. Anna Mustafa, a former Chicago Board of Education member, was arrested in December 2001 after allegedly claiming to have a bomb in her purse. A Cook County judge found her not guilty of disorderly conduct in November 2002, noting that she had been "loud, rude...

Nigerian Satellite Blasts Into Orbit Sat Sep 27, 6:16 PM ETBy TODD PITMAN, Associated Press Writer LAGOS, Nigeria - A Nigerian satellite blasted into orbit Saturday aboard a Russian rocket, propelling one of the poorest nations on earth into space for the first time. [Photo]AP Photo   Millions of Nigerians watched the launch — at Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome — on live television. "It makes me proud to be a Nigerian," said Prosper Sunday, a 27-year-old security guard in Lagos. "It shows our nation is progressing. We've joined the space age." The government plans to use the $13 million satellite to...

Aljazeera is running the same poll as yesterday. "Is the world a safer place since the "War on Terror" was launched?" A while ago yes was at 21%, it's now up to 30%. If you block their cookie you may vote multiple times. Just pretend you're from Chicago. Vote early, Vote often