Free Republic

Moscow bans Jehovah's Witnesses A Russian court has barred Jehovah's Witnesses from operating in the capital, Moscow. The court ruled that group's practices broke up families, encouraged suicide and threatened its members' health by not allowing blood transfusions. Lawyers for the group said the ruling was a step back for democracy and was reminiscent of Soviet rule. They said they would appeal the verdict both in Russia and to the European Court of Human Rights. "Religious minorities are often a litmus test for where a society is going... this is an ominous signal," the group's lawyer, John Burns, said. In...

Janet Jackson Apologizes for Bared Breast By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY NEW YORK - Janet Jackson apologized Monday for an incident in which one of her breasts was bared for a moment as she sang with Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show Sunday night. In a statement released Monday night, Jackson said it was a last-minute stunt that went awry. "The decision to have a costume reveal at the end of my halftime show performance was made after final rehearsals. MTV was completely unaware of it," Jackson said. "It was not my intention that it go as far as...

Juvenile judge may face neglect charges DA will decide after probe is over By STEVE VISSER The Atlanta Journal-Constitution A Fulton County Juvenile Court judge could face child neglect charges in the very courthouse she works in for leaving her 4-year-old daughter home alone at night. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said he is awaiting the outcome of a police investigation before deciding whether to take action against Hickson. Chief Juvenile Court Judge Nina Hickson has admitted to leaving her daughter at night to run an errand -- which resulted in the girl being found wandering coatless and shoeless...

LaHood: Hussein's capture imminent Pantagraph Staff BLOOMINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood held his thumb and forefinger slightly apart and said, "We're this close" to catching Saddam Hussein. Once that's accomplished, Iraqi resistance will fall apart, said the five-term Republican congressman from Peoria who serves on the House Intelligence Committee. A member of The Pantagraph editorial board -- not really expecting an answer -- asked LaHood for more details, saying, "Do you know something we don't?" "Yes I do," replied LaHood. LaHood spent an hour at the newspaper Monday, discussing the war on terror, the 2004 elections, Central Illinois' regional...

NO.10 BAN ON PRAYING Nov 18 2003 By Paul Gilfeather, Whitehall Editor TONY Blair has been banned from praying with George Bush. The US president wanted the PM to join him in prayer at Durham Cathedral on Thursday. But the official request from the White House was turned down amid fears that such an event would leave Mr Blair open to ridicule. Both men prayed together at the president's Camp David retreat after making the final preparations for war with Iraq. A Whitehall source said: "Durham Cathedral was mentioned to the White House as a possible place to visit and...

Secularism is on the rise By Terry Mattingly Scripps Howard News Service Pollsters who pry into matters of faith know they have to phrase their questions carefully. One big question goes something like this: "What is your religion?" As a rule, few dare to answer "none." But researchers at the City University of New York made a subtle change in 2001 when updating their portrait of U.S. religious identities. They asked: "What religion do you identify with, if any?" A stunning 14 percent said "no religion" — nearly 30 million Americans. Another question asked if respondents were religious or secular,...

WMD just a convenient excuse for war, admits Wolfowitz By David Usborne 30 May 2003 The Bush administration focused on alleged weapons of mass destruction as the primary justification for toppling Saddam Hussein by force because it was politically convenient, a top-level official at the Pentagon has acknowledged. The extraordinary admission comes in an interview with Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Defence Secretary, in the July issue of the magazine Vanity Fair. Mr Wolfowitz also discloses that there was one justification that was "almost unnoticed but huge". That was the prospect of the United States being able to withdraw all of...

<p>SBC Internet subscribers have been swamping me with calls and e-mail lately, complaining about the company's heavy-handed tactics in forcing a switch to the new high-speed SBC Yahoo service.</p> <p>"It looks like I've been left with no choice at all," said Carla Ruff, a San Francisco publishing consultant. "Is this legal?"</p>

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