Free Republic

The passing of Ronald Reagan produced an emotional tribute to the former president from Dan Rather, anchoring the CBS Evening News on June 5. Rather appeared to choke up at the end of the broadcast after describing Reagan's impressive life and career. This reaction to Reagan's death may reflect awareness, even in this crusty veteran liberal news anchor, that a truly great American who had changed history for the better had passed from the scene. But while many journalists went back in history to analyze and comment on Reagan's extraordinary political career, they left out the name of one of...

On July 28, 2004, Senator John F. Kerry officially became the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States. As a senator, all of John Kerry’s votes and legislative actions are documented and therefore provide a straightforward record to evaluate the costs associated with the legislation that he has supported. As a candidate however, Kerry’s policy proposals and campaign promises are not so precisely documented, particularly in terms of their collective cost. While his campaign website provides a broad review of Kerry’s policy goals, documentation on the cost of his proposals is incomplete.

While John Kerry campaigns in blue/swing states out west, Democratic National Committee Chair Terry McAuliffe and others hit President Bush over the soaring cost of gas ($2.01/gallon) and oil ($42/barrel). Senate Democrats, meanwhile, call on Bush today to begin releasing as many as 60 million barrels of oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a move Treasury Secretary John Snow has already ruled out. While President Bush stays behind to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Laura Bush headlines a GOP rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, and raises cash today at a luncheon in South Dakota for Larry Diedrich,...

Given that Drug Enforcement Administration officials already have said 14-year-old Ashley Villarreal caused her own death, we shouldn't hold our breath for that agency's investigation into the tragedy. Can't police agencies learn to at least pretend they are conducting a thorough investigation before declaring their agents free of blame? The problem is, when juries get to examine all the facts, they often disagree: Take the case of David Aguilar of Three Points, Ariz., a small town outside Tucson. Aguilar wasn't 14, but 44. He had moved with his family from Tucson to get his children away from drugs and gangs....

<p>It is not every day that a jury apologizes to a man it has just convicted. So Ed Rosenthal should feel honored that seven of the 12 jurors that convicted him on three federal counts of marijuana cultivation and conspiracy are now apologizing to him and calling for their own verdict to be overturned on appeal.</p>

SADDAM: WE'LL DEFEAT YOU Saddam Hussein says Iraq is determined and ready to defeat any invasion, in a call to arms on the anniversary of the Gulf War in 1991. He said that Western forces, which he described as "crows of evil", were still "harbouring evil" against Iraq 12 years after the war. In a televised speech to his nation, Saddam said Iraq was fully mobilised and would defeat US troops at the gates of Baghdad if there was an invasion. "We have determined and planned to defeat the aggressors. We have mobilised our abilities, including those of the army,...

As sure as grey winters follow green summers, the Republicans are working to lower expectations following their election sweep. The Washington Post delivers the pathetic if predictable news in its headline "GOP Revises Agenda of Extensive Tax Cuts"—and you just know that the revision is not to the benefit of taxpayers. Rather than pursue extensive tax relief, the new leadership will push a "modest tax agenda that is probably more symbolic than substantive." This is a fitting follow-up on the Bush tax cut, which was similarly more symbolic than substantive. All throughout the campaign, Republicans promised to "lock in the...

Drugs & Violence: Bringing It Home More kids use marijuana than any other illicit drug by far. Many of them are in search of the "natural high" their friends promised and think that marijuana use is only "harmless fun." They don't realize that the purchase and use of this illicit drug can have negative consequences that can trigger acts of terrible violence close to home, shattering lives and affecting communities-even touching the lives of people around the world. Teens often believe marijuana use won't hurt anyone else. Sometimes though, it makes people violent. Kids who use marijuana weekly are four...

Under normal conditions, this column would be about Colin Powell and his implacable indifference to the intentions of Yasser Arafat. But these are not ordinary times in our household. On Friday, May 3, at 5:15 p.m., our oldest son, Jonathan, was riding his bike in our driveway. For reasons that we do not now know, he lost control of his bike and rode directly into the street, where he was hit by a passing car. I did not see the accident, but something looked wrong out the front window. Cars were stopping. I walked outside to investigate, and then I...

Distributed nationally by Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Wire Tax Reform: Russia, 1; United States, 0 By Daniel J. Mitchell Eleven years ago, the Soviet Union was a communist dictatorship, an "evil empire," in the words of President Reagan. But today, the Cold War is a fading memory, and the nation that used to represent international socialism has junked its "progressive" income tax for a simple and fair 13 percent flat tax. What's more -- in a plot twist even novelist Tom Clancy might have scoffed at -- the idea came from President Vladimir Putin, a former head of the KGB. Who would...

<p>The Rev. Jesse Jackson's premier tax-exempt organization has not filed a state tax return for 2000 and is in danger of losing its legal authority to raise money, an official with the Illinois attorney general's office said. This is problematic," said Dan Anders, a spokesman for the office, which regulates tax-exempt businesses in Illinois. "The forms were due in June, and over the last eight months, we have sent notices and contacted them by phone.</p>

The Latest: 2/19/02 The 'Incredible' Bells,TechCentral Station, "You can't come to Congress, take the oath to tell the truth, and then not tell the truth," House Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin said in response to Enron's former CEO Jeffrey Skilling's testimony that he was ignorant of many of the deals that lead to Enron's bankruptcy. So, why are so many members in the House and key members of the Federal Communications Commission ready to buy the incredible tales they are being told by the four regional Bell operating companies? Tauzin-Dingell Goes to the Floor for a Vote, 2/27/02 Summary: In ...

A.J. LIEBLING WOULD not be pleased. Nearly 40 years ago, the legendary press critic lamented the rise of one-newspaper cities, a phenomenon considerably less common then than today. Where there is no competition, Liebling wrote, "news becomes increasingly nonessential to the newspaper. In the mind of the average publisher, it is a costly and uneconomic frill, like the free lunch that saloons used to furnish to induce customers to buy beer. If the quality of the free lunch fell off, the customers would go next door." Since then, things have gotten only worse. When the first edition of Ben Bagdikian’s ...

Russian pair wins gold; Canadians get silver Feb. 11, 2002 SportsLine.com wire reports SALT LAKE CITY -- Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze extended Russia's dominance of Olympic pairs figure skating Monday night by the slimmest of margins over Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. Sikharulidze and Sale collided during warmups, sending her sprawling to the ice on her hands and knees. Each team shook off the mishap to skate superbly. The Russians collected seven 5.9s for artistry, just enough to give their nation its 11th straight gold medal, dating back to 1964. With the crowd chanting "Six, Six," when the ...