Free Republic

BOSTON (AP) - Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee is applauding the U.S. Commerce Department's decision to declare a national fishery disaster in New England. The move opens the door for tens of millions of dollars in relief funds for fishermen. U.S. Sen. John Kerry said he's secured a commitment from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to include $100 million for fishermen and fishing communities in emergency assistance legislation. He said the job after Thursday's declaration is to fight for the money in a potentially reluctant Congress.

BOSTON — What worked for Mitt Romney in the corporate boardroom didn't fly in the more raucous corridors of the Massachusetts Legislature. Now the Republican candidate for president, Romney took over as governor in 2003 after a long, successful career as CEO at the private equity firm Bain Capital. But his top-down, corporate management style soon rankled Democrats who overwhelmingly controlled the state House and Senate and saw themselves as an equal partner in the government. His approach jolted a clubby political culture where schmoozing over after-hours drinks and cutting backroom deals are well-worn pathways to success.

LAS VEGAS — Vice President Joe Biden denounced Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney on Tuesday as a candidate with something to hide. Biden, campaigning for President Barack Obama in the battleground of Nevada, told Hispanic leaders that Romney doesn't live up to the openness that his father represented when he ran for president 44 years ago. The vice president said Romney's father, George Romney, released 12 years of tax returns when he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in 1968. In excerpts of Biden's remarks released by the Obama campaign, Biden told the annual conference of the national Council of La...

For those of you who have long since gotten sick of the trend among education experts toward “self esteem” rather than actual learning, this story will be extremely cathartic. Wellesley High School teacher David McCullough, Jr. (son of historian David McCullough) had apparently had enough of feeding blithering platitudes to his students and decided to tell the truth. The result sparked controversy among the parents, who didn’t like hearing their children accused of being cosseted and pampered little brats who believed they were special for no reason. But sometimes the truth hurts. Read the greatest hits below:

Trump National, DC. Course set up from the tips. 36 holes. At scratch, Brian-Doyle Murray to officiate. Trump wins, 0bama reveals all birth, childhood and academic records. 0bama wins, Trump shaves his head.

WASHINGTON — In a rare, bipartisan defeat for President Barack Obama, the Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to keep the prison at Guantanamo Bay open for the foreseeable future and forbid the transfer of any detainees to facilities in the United States. Democrats lined up with Republicans in the 90-6 vote that came on the heels of a similar move a week ago in the House, underscoring widespread apprehension among Obama's congressional allies over voters' strong feelings about bringing detainees to the U.S. from the prison in Cuba.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones said Friday night he will appeal his season-long suspension and thinks NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made him the league's poster boy for disciplining players. Jones has not talked to reporters since the suspension for conduct detrimental to the NFL was announced Tuesday. Jones' attorneys had said they were discussing his options and have not returned telephone messages since Tuesday. But Jones was in Tunica, Miss., and he talked to an ESPN reporter while at "Friday Night Fights" about being suspended - without pay - for the 2007 season. His case will...

Official may end effort to ban gay marriages Friday, November 05, 2004 By DAN RING dring@repub.com BOSTON - The legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts may have been a major factor in drawing religious conservatives to the polls across the nation and helping defeat U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., in Tuesday's presidential election. But there was no backlash against gay marriage in the Massachusetts election. All state legislators who support gay marriage were re-elected Tuesday. Gay marriage is proceeding so smoothly in Massachusetts since starting May 17 that legislators may drop a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as...

By Gene J. Koprowski TechNewsWorld March 25, 2004 "We monitor these trends for our customers, and we've been telling them that this is something they need to worry about," Bruce Hughes, director of malicious code research at TruSecure's ICSA Labs, a Herndon, Virginia-based computer security consultancy, told TechNewsWorld. "The number of complaints is increasing." Keystroke loggers and spyware developers may soon be silenced, as Congress is debating a bill that would outlaw the intrusive software and declare it akin to trespassing on private property. "It's my computer. It's my private property," said Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana), during a public hearing...

Mar 21, 6:21 PM (ET) By SHANNON DININNY ELLENSBURG, Wash. (AP) - The acquittal of a lesbian Methodist pastor charged with violating church doctrine drew praise and scorn Sunday across a denomination that may see its divisions over homosexuality laid bare at a major conference next month. Saturday's acquittal of the Rev. Karen Dammann was celebrated Sunday at the church where she used to preach in Ellensburg, a small town in central Washington. "I'm very pleased," said Dodie Haight, a member of the congregation who sat through Dammann's trial about 95 miles away in the Seattle suburb of Bothell. "I...

Senators Say Football Bowls Need Changes By ROBERT GEHRKE, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - The Bowl Championship Series set up to crown a college football champion shuts out too many schools and needs to be repaired, senators told representatives of the bowl system Wednesday."I don't know if you guys know how it looks to fans of teams that aren't part of this system," said Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del. "It looks un-American. It really does. It looks unfair. It looks like a rigged deal."Under the BCS system, six of the eight teams that compete in four elite bowl games come...

By Tim Hepher and Merissa Marr PARIS (Reuters) - Giant media company Vivendi Universal officially hoisted a for-sale sign over its American entertainment empire on Tuesday, smashing the Hollywood dream of a French firm that slid from boom to near-bust. Almost a year after the ouster of ex-Chief Executive Officer Jean-Marie Messier, who turned Vivendi from a water company into a media titan with huge debts, the veteran company fixer brought in to replace him pulled down the curtain on a three-year dalliance with Tinseltown. Current CEO Jean-Rene Fourtou said Vivendi's future lay in telecommunications and French television -- not...

WASHINGTON (AP) - An unusually powerful electronic attack briefly crippled nine of the 13 computer servers that manage global Internet traffic this week, officials disclosed Tuesday. But most Internet users didn't notice because the attack only lasted one hour. The FBI and White House were investigating. One official described the attack Monday as the most sophisticated and large-scale assault against these crucial computers in the history of the Internet. The origin of the attack was not known. Seven of the 13 servers failed to respond to legitimate network traffic and two others failed intermittently during the attack, officials confirmed. The...

i { font-family: times; font-size: x-small } p { font-family: times; font-size: small } By MIKE ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer CHICAGO (AP) - Private security workers at O'Hare International Airport were accused of allowing a man to pass through a checkpoint with several knives and a stun gun in his carry-on luggage. Subash Gurung, 27, of Chicago, who told authorities he was unemployed, was arrested trying to board a United Airlines flight to Omaha, Neb., on Saturday night, said police spokesman Thomas Donegan. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and attempting to board an aircraft with ...

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush moved Monday to tighten restrictions on immigration rules so that "aliens who commit or support terror" would be barred entry to the United States. Bush planned to announce creation of a "foreign terrorist tracking force" that would coordinate efforts by government agencies to keep those with links to terror organizations out of the country, and "locate, detain, prosecute or deport" terror group associates who already live here, said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. "Obviously, on Sept. 11, a group of alien terrorists got into our nation and attacked the Pentagon and World Trade Center, so ...

Major league baseball called off its entire schedule for both Wednesday and Thursday following terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, and other sports could soon follow with cancellations. The terrorist attacks brought professional and college sports to a standstill nationwide, and it was unclear when they would resume. Baseball's move was without precedent since 1918, when the season was cut short by almost a month because of World War I. It raised the total of postponed games to 45, calling into question whether the regular season could be completed as scheduled in 2 1/2 weeks. Many college football ...

Monday, September 10, 2001 - 12:00 a.m. Pacific Rural life not great for health By Anjetta McQueenThe Associated Press WASHINGTON — Small-town Americans tend to smoke more, lose more teeth as they age and die sooner than suburban and many big-city residents, a government snapshot of the country's health shows. Overall, Americans are healthier today than they were 25 years ago, and an annual report being released today by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers some reasons: longer life expectancy, better infant survival, fewer smokers, less hypertension and lower cholesterol levels. Checkup sampler Other highlights ...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Roads noted for their beauty and historic value have been getting federal money through a process meant to reward the most deserving. Some lawmakers want to bypass that and steer the dollars to a few states. Almost $21 million went to 42 states last year for National Scenic Byways projects. For the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, the Senate's highway spending bill would eliminate competition and direct nearly all the money to six states. The biggest chunk, $6.5 million, would go to West Virginia, home to Democratic Sen. Robert C. Byrd, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, ...