Free Republic

My fellow Americans, devoted fans and valued consumers, I wanted to lay to rest some of the rumors you may have been hearing lately. Of course, anyone who revolutionizes film and print like I have is bound to make a few enemies along the way, and we both know I have many of those. Sometimes their criticism is warranted, sometimes not, so I want to set the record straight. According to my critics, I distort the truth in my books and films. This is absolutely true. In fact, converting source material into art worthy of bearing my name requires such...

The photographs of apparent "abuses" of insurgent prisoners by U.S. servicewomen are the scandal du jour. At first blush, it seems to be a devastating blow to America's efforts in Iraq. However, things are not always as they seem. There is definitely more to this than meets the eye.I'm pretty sure this all got whipped into a scandal because it benefits the U.S. to direct and control its course. Someone released those photographs, and did so purposefully. Their apparent source is a DoD investigation into prison abuses that dates back some months. The DoD even issued a press release when...

Throughout the Iraq campaign, we have heard the same refrain from the Democrats: "We oppose the war in Iraq but we support our troops." This alleged support manifests itself many forms. But first, let me explain why I am singling out the Democrats for my request.There are some who take pains to claim that effort to undermine our troops in Iraq is not the work of Democrats, but of "Leftists". Where we might have been able to reasonably distinguish between "Democrats" and "Leftists" in the past, such a distinction no longer makes sense. This is particularly true in light of...

From the Communist Party USA website: Push Bush Out the Door in 2004 It will take an extraordinary united all-people’s front with a movement on the ground to defeat the Bush right-wing agenda in 2004. It can be done with the combination of the labor vote, the women’s vote, and African-American and Latino vote, combined with the youth vote, the peace vote, the environmental vote, the senior vote, the farm vote, etc. all of whom are pledged to work as they never have before. CPUSA National Committee Resolution on the 2004 Elections The Communist Party USA meeting in New York...

This is a time of tremendous promise for America. The superpower confrontation has ended; on every continent democracy is securing for more and more people the basic freedoms we Americans have come to take for granted. Bit by bit the information age is chipping away at the barriers economic, political and social that once kept people locked in and freedom and prosperity locked out. But for all our promise, all our opportunity, people in this room know very well that this is not a time free from peril, especially as a result of reckless acts of outlaw nations and an...

WARNING!: If you are an attractive young woman accustomed to jogging nude through the desert outside Las Vegas, Nevada, then you may want to pay close attention to this story. Why? Because someday, when you least expect it, you may just find yourself the target of a ruthless, sex-crazed paintball hunter.Or so the press would have us believe.It's a sordid tale of guns, violence, sex and money. In other words, it has everything necessary to be the latest cause célébre among the perpetually-outraged set. So what is all the hubbub about?All you need to do is visit the website! Huntingforbambi.com...

Looks like the Gen-Xers over at DU are at it again. Note the amusing "recommendations" on Amazon.com, such as Mein Kampf and Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth. How about we FReepers stop by Ann's page and show these merry pranksters just what a good old-fashioned FReep, is?

Introduction First, some background on why I decided to start a thread on this topic. In responding to another article, How Two People Researching A TV Show Got in a Gunfight, fellow FReeper Don W made a comment in this post that, to put it mildly, raised an eyebrow: "Then there's the 3 strikes thing: Would this guy have drawn and fired at the cops had the fear of hard time not been there? It seems to show that mandatory sentencing is counter-productive, unless you like firefights in the streets." My response was rather strongly worded, and from there a...

(This was originally posted in the Iraq Betting Pool thread as part of an exchange between myself and Grampa Dave, both of us salty old dogs. After writing it, I thought I would share it as an article unto itself. -Imal) Many a year has passed since I last punched holes in the water for Liberty (I was one of Hymie's Boys in Reagan's Navy -- God bless them both), and I can't say I was sorry to rejoin the civilian world, but I'll be damned if we haven't left our Navy in the very best of hands. Funny you...

This is my first, and possibly last, vanity post. I have held back from starting a thread on this article for months, and have posted various aspects of my "strategery" theory in different posts on different threads, but am dying to discuss it in its own thread, because I think it is important enough a theory to stand on its own. In fact, this article is mostly boilerplated from this post, which evolved out of a discussion about the American hero Captain Michael Scott Speicher, may God bless his name. Granted, my theories about George W. Bush are speculative, and...

<p>MELBOURNE, Australia -- A gunman has killed two people and wounded eight others on a university campus in Melbourne, before being captured by police.</p> <p>The shooting occurred on the sixth-floor of the Menzies building on the Clayton campus of Monash University in the city's south.</p>

<p>Americans want Saddam out. That's the subject of this evening's Talking Points Memo.</p> <p>A new Gallup-USA Today-CNN poll says this, 57 percent of Americans favor sending U.S. ground troops to remove Saddam Hussein, 38 percent oppose doing that. Those numbers have held steady since August. Number rises to 79 percent if the United Nations decides to support an invasion. Nineteen percent of Americans oppose invading Iraq unless it attacks us.</p>

Vice President receives Yemeni delegation Baghdad, INA Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadhan has received Secretary of Popular Nasserite party Abdul Malik al-Mekhlafi, who is participating in the Baghdad Conference, currently held in Baghdad. During the meeting, Mr. Ramahan has clarified that Iraq's gesture to readmit the UN inspection teams to resume work in Baghdad was to unveil the US administration false pretexts. Referring that this gesture would give the team another chance to prove that Iraq is clear of the said weapons, which were destroyed many years ago. Mr. Ramahan called for supporting the Palestinian people and their struggle to restore...

Aziz receives delegations of Baghdad Conference Baghdad, INA Deputy Prime Minister, Tareq Aziz has received Wednesday delegations from many countries participating in 8th meeting of the Follow-Up and Coordination Committee of Baghdad Conference. Mr. Aziz received delegations from Belgium, member of the Socialist Party, Patrich Morllow, and Member of European Parliament, Pheronic Doxir and the accompanying delegation. He also received Chairman of the Russian Popular Party, Serji Baporein, Chairman of the Ukrainian Socialist Party, Natalein Vederinco, member of Central Committee of the Moldavian Communist Party, Dawlic Doneshenco, and Chairman of the Russian Freedom and Unity Party, Omala Tuova. During the...

Iraq discusses practical measures for the return of the U.N inspectors U.N, Sept. 19, INA Head of the International Organizations and Conferences Office at Iraq’s Foreign Ministry Dr. Sa’eed Al-Musawi and Person in Charge of Iraq-UNMOVIC relation Hassan Mohammed Amin have held a meeting at the U.N headquarters to discuss the practical measures for the return of the U.N arms inspectors. In a press interview after the meeting, Dr. Al-Musawi said the meeting discussed the practical measures of the return of the arms inspectors, describing the meeting as useful. The meetings are due to be continued in Vienna ten days...

The U.S and British warplanes launch a new aggression over Iraqi civil areas Baghdad, Sept. 19, INA The U.S. and British warplanes violated Iraq’s airspace in a desperate bid to impair solid will of Iraqis and undermine their sovereignty and territorial integrity. A spokesman for the air defence command told INA that on Wednesday the U.S. and British warplanes violated Iraq‘s airspace coming from their bases in Kuwait backed by an AWACS inside their bases in Saudi Arabia. He added that the enemy ravens carried out 41 armed sorties and patrolled civil areas in Artawi, Al- Jiliba, As-Selman, Al- Nasiriya,...

No excuse for war now, Iraq says Baghdad, Sept. 18, INA Iraq has removed any excuse for a US-led war by agreeing to new UN weapons inspections, Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz said on Tuesday. "The excuse used to launch an aggression has been totally blocked," Aziz told a gathering of foreign political supporters in Baghdad. "They (the Americans) thought Iraq wouldn't take such a courageous decision," as accepting the return of UN arms inspectors, Aziz said. "We are ready to work with the UN secretary general to apply our decision, Aziz said, stressing Baghdad's sincerity. "It is not in...

In defense of the believers Commentary by Sayyid Qutb In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent God will certainly defend those who believe. For certain, God does not love anyone who betrays his trust and is bereft of gratitude. Permission to fight is given to those against whom war is being wrongfully waged. Most certainly, God has the power to grant them victory. These are the ones who have been driven from their homelands against all right for no other reason than their saying, ‘Our Lord is God!’ Were it not that God repels some people by means...

Waiting for the invasion of Iraq By Rasheed Abou-Alsamh, Arab News Staff Despite all the diplomatic maneuvering by the Bush administration at the United Nations in New York, and by the regime of Saddam Hussein, it now seems quite clear that the United States will be invading Iraq to institute a change of regime. It’s not a question of "if"; it’s a question of "when?" President George W. Bush has been insisting that a regime change is needed in Iraq because Saddam is a menace to the world and especially to his neighbors because of the stockpiles of chemical and...

Iraq’s offer Arab News Editorial 18 September 2002 Iraq’s decision to back down over arms inspectors and allow them back on without conditions will be regarded by many as a crafty move by a wily tactician intent on by spinning out the process and throwing American strategy into difficulties. Without doubt, that is precisely what was in Saddam Hussein’s mind. But equally, there can be no doubt that he would not have moved even this far had it not become blindingly clear that after the US decided to go down the UN route, the international community had closed ranks behind...