Free Republic

Six months ago, Free Republic was riding high, and I was proud to be a part of it. It was coming off having blown the cover off of Dan Rather’s use of forged memos against the President. The President was well on his way to winning re-election. It was a great time to be a Freeper. However, things have changed. It started with the justifiable removal of ALIPAC. I supported that move by Jim Robinson, but the ugliness directed towards Alberto Gonzales. He was accused of everything under the sun, and Senator Mel Martinez was viciously attacked for speaking Spanish...

WHEN CBS Evening News faded out on March 9, marking the end of Dan Rather's career as a network anchor, bubbly conservatives toasted a momentous victory in the struggle against liberal bias. I propose quite another tribute--this one to celebrate the newsman's part in championing the cause of free speech. Dan Rather provided key expert testimony that figured prominently in the elimination of the Fairness Doctrine in August 1987. Some might suggest that by doing so, he unleashed a tide of real diversity in the opinion and news business, and thus helped seal the fate of his infamous 60 Minutes...

I need a little help. How do I respond to the claim that I have heard in a couple of conversations with an acquaintance that Rumsfeld was IRRESPONSIBLE when he went to the scene of the Pentagon attack to help survivors?

WASHINGTON -- Buckling to congressional pressure, the Navy has reversed course and agreed to give the rusting hulk of a demolished World War II-era aircraft to a Princeton, Minn., aviation buff who is restoring the plane. Lex Cralley, a ground services mechanic for an airline, dug up the abandoned Corsair fighter plane in Craven County, N.C., in 1991 and took it home to Minnesota. The airplane had crashed Dec. 19, 1944. With its unique gull-wing design, the Corsair was one of the most recognizable airplanes of World War II. U.S. pilots flew the propeller-powered plane in such storied campaigns as...

NEWARK, N.J. -- A federal judge allowed a nationwide ban on dietary supplements containing ephedra to take effect Monday, turning aside a request by two supplement makers. U.S. District Judge Joel Pisano refused to grant a temporary restraining order sought by the two manufacturers that would have prevented the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from banning the products. Pisano's decision does not affect medicines containing ephedra, such as prescription or over-the-counter cold remedies. The New Jersey manufacturer of a popular diet supplement had hoped to head off the nationwide ban on the herbal stimulant, arguing the main ingredient in its...

<p>A government ban on sales of ephedra kicks in today unless a federal judge issues the dwindling industry a late reprieve.</p> <p>The herbal stimulant, once popular for weight loss and bodybuilding, has been linked to 155 deaths and dozens more heart attacks and strokes.</p>

ANDOVER, N.J.--When announcing a ban on ephedra dietary supplements earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) left the door open for companies to challenge its decision in court--and the first company to do so is NVE Pharmaceuticals. The makers of ephedra-based Stacker 2® filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey to postpone FDA's ban to hear new evidence. NVE’s suit is asking the court set aside the ban because it violates the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), while setting a precedent for further damage claims to be filed against the...

<p>Federal regulators fined radio giant Infinity Broadcasting Corp. $357,500 yesterday for airing in August last year a segment on the "Opie and Anthony Show" featuring a Northern Virginia couple having sex in a Roman Catholic church.</p> <p>The Federal Communications Commission issued the fine, the largest ever for a single incident and the highest amount permitted by law. In 1995, the agency reached a $1.7 million settlement with Infinity related to a series of raunchy segments on "The Howard Stern Show," a program the company distributes.</p>

BRITNEY COMES OUT SWINGING FOR BUSH Wed Sep 03 2003 19:35:45 ET Britney Spears came out swinging for President Bush on Wednesday during an interview with CNN's Tucker Carlson. CARLSON: A lot of entertainers have come out against the war in Iraq. Have you? SPEARS: Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes and we should just support that, you know, and be faithful in what happens. CARLSON: Do you trust this president? SPEARS: Yes, I do. CARLSON: Excellent. Do you think he's going to win again? SPEARS: I don't know. I don't...

A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday prohibited the Navy from testing a powerful sonar system in most parts of the world's oceans, ruling that the booming sounds to detect enemy submarines could "irreparably harm" whales, dolphins and fish. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth D. Laporte ruled that the Navy and the National Marine Fisheries Service failed to consider alternatives that could shield whales and other marine life from these loud sounds, which some acousticians compare to standing next to the space shuttle at takeoff. She ordered military and federal regulators to meet with environmental lawyers and their scientific experts...

The United States has discovered weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. I know this because I read it on the front page of the very liberal New York Times. Of course, the Times was only trying to hurt the administration. In the rush to Baghdad during the war, our troops bypassed and failed to secure one of Saddam's key nuclear facilities. That facility was looted by local villagers, who ransacked vaults and warehouses looking for anything of value. Many of the villagers took home radioactive barrels, and are now suffering from radiation poisoning. According to the Times, the looted nuclear...

“J’Accuse” is the title of one of the most famous polemics of the century – Emile Zola’s 1898 open letter accusing the leaders of the French Army of deliberately framing Col. Alfred Dreyfus. Zola's letter takes its title from the ringing paragraphs at the finale: “I accuse Lt. Col. du Paty de Clam ... I accuse General Mercier ... I accuse General Billot ... etc.” Dreyfus was of course Jewish, and the battle between the Dreyfusards and anti-Dreyfusards quickly transformed itself into a grand argument over the place of Jews in France. The anti-Dreyfusards regarded Jews as inherently alien and...

Something got released in the Fleet center moments ago - some sort of substance. Security on top of it.

Condi Rice rebukes China's Xiong on nuke threat to L.A., WASHINGTON TIMES is reporting on Wednesday... MORE...

<p>CARACAS, Venezuela — Dissident military officers say the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has provided intelligence help and unhindered operations in Venezuelan territory to guerrilla groups fighting the government of neighboring Colombia.</p> <p>Several of the officers, who recently declared themselves in disobedience and demanded Mr. Chavez's resignation, say the government also has opposed their efforts to combat guerrillas active on Venezuelan territory.</p>

NEW YORK (AP) — Members of the Ku Klux Klan may demonstrate in their ceremonial hoods, a judge ruled Tuesday, saying a state law banning masks at public gatherings is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. said the First Amendment required him to reject New York's law finding a person guilty of loitering for joining a masked group. He added that New York City engaged in viewpoint discrimination when it applied the law to the Klan but not to other groups in similar scenarios. ``No one disputes the fact that (the) plaintiff is a notorious racist organization, at least...

A recent column titled "South Park Republicans" challenged conservative stereotypes by suggesting that a many Republican voters are more inclined to watch Comedy Central than the Christian Broadcasting Network. The piece struck a chord. Actually, it struck several. You can read the reaction for yourself by doing a Google search for "South Park Republicans." Responses range from enthusiastic support to outright ridicule. A few clarifications are in order. First, not all viewers of "South Park" are Republicans. Certainly, not all of Barbara Streisand's listeners are steadfast Democrats. And the concept of South Park Republicans is not new. Back in 2000,...

Noticed that nobody seems to have recalled that it was nine years ago today that the firefight in Mogadishu occured. REMEMBERING those we lost: Sgt. First Class Randy Shughart, a Delta soldier killed defending the crew of Super 64, the Medal of Honor. Master Sgt. Gary Gordon, a Delta soldier who was killed after jumping in to defend the crew of Super 64, the Medal of Honor. CWO Cliff Wolcott, pilot of Super 61, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star and the Air Medal with Valor Device. CWO Donovan Briley, copilot of Super 61, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star and Air...

<p>Leaders of the nation's most powerful pro-Israel lobby have been conducting behind-the-scenes negotiations with Rep. John H. Sununu, anticipating his victory over Sen. Robert C. Smith in the New Hampshire Republican primary Tuesday.</p> <p>"American Israel Public Affairs Committee leaders believe Sununu is likely to defeat Smith" in the Senate primary and go on to face Democratic candidate Gov. Jeanne Shaheen in the November general election, the Washington representative of a major Jewish organization said yesterday.</p>

McAuliffe Cleared Bush Bash Speech With Clinton, Gephardt, Daschle Mon Aug 12 2002 10:57:47 ET Althought remarks by DNC Chairman Terence R. McAuliffe this weekend were made with an eye to helping Democratic candidates in the Congressional elections this fall, they also were an aggressive effort to lay out a potential plan of attack for the Democratic presidential candidates who are already preparing for 2004. NYT reports: McAuliffe's aides "said he viewed this, after a long period in which attacks on Mr. Bush were largely muted, as an effort to usher in a new political season. He spoke as Democratic...