Free Republic

Politics: If Democrats repeat the Republican triumph of 1994, the world will suffer consequences similar to what followed another election two decades earlier. The election of 1864 also has something to tell us. Democrats are hoping a nation weary of a tough war in Iraq and a campaign against an alleged "culture of corruption" will result in an electoral tsunami similar to what returned the GOP to power in Congress in 1994. But this election is more like the one in 1974, when a "third-rate burglary" led to a president's resignation and his party's defeat, plus disastrous political and economic...

IBM has announced it will move its global procurement headquarters to China from its present location in New York. The new base will be located in Shenzhen, where the company already has 1,850 employees involved in procurement. IBM said Thursday that no jobs will be lost in New York as a result of the move. The Big Apple office will continue to function as a global procurement unit. Chief procurement officer, John Paterson, who will head up the Shenzhen office, said global businesses must now locate their business units wherever makes the most sense, based on "the imperatives of economics,...

10/24/05 By John Leo Class(room) Warriors The cultural left has a new tool for enforcing political conformity in schools of education. It is called dispositions theory, and it was set forth five years ago by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education: Future teachers should be judged by their "knowledge, skills, and dispositions." What are "dispositions"? NCATE's prose made clear that they are the beliefs and attitudes that guide a teacher toward a moral stance. That sounds harmless enough, but it opened a door to reject teaching candidates on the basis of thoughts and beliefs. In 2002, NCATE said...

Mitt Romney's Evangelical Problem Everyone wants to believe the Massachusetts governor's Mormonism won't be a problem if he runs in 2008. Think again. By Amy Sullivan Washington pundits in the throes of post-election doldrums are notoriously eager to find a fresh face to crown the "early favorite" for the next presidential campaign. Even by those standards, however, the speed with which they flocked to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has been remarkable. Last December, barely a month after Bush's reelection, George Will devoted a column to Romney's potential, and a quick succession of profiles in the Weekly Standard, National Review, and...

Just watched Karen Hughes on Fox - great comment she made about Pres Bush hearing the news about early exit polls. She said that as Air Force One landed and Bush was getting off he looked at her, surprised at the numbers, and said 'It is what it is'. This is a man who loves God. I know it in my heart. It is what it is.

<p>FORT STEWART, Ga. -- The three dozen company commanders who gathered here late last month to chat with Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army's top officer, had every reason to expect a pat on the back. These, after all, were the soldiers who had led the charge that flattened Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard last spring.</p>

I have been an active user of bookmarks in the past, sluffed off for awhile, and am back to trying to save some very interesting threads. I have noticed however that even when I get the complete confirmation page showing that a thread has been saved, there is no sign of it in my profile links. Am I missing something that has changed? Thanks in advance!

<p>While most of official Washington was captivated with the fight on the Senate floor to pass an energy bill before Congress left town for its August vacation, a vicious campaign was under way behind the scenes to smear two leading scientists for pointing out serious flaws in the science behind the theory of human-caused climate change.</p>

<p>The lawyers who negotiated a $3 billion debit-card settlement for the nation's biggest retailers have submitted their bill: $558 million, including expenses.</p> <p>The settlement reached in May brought an end to a seven-year legal battle that produced nearly 400 depositions, five million documents, and 54 expert reports, and changed the way credit-card companies charge retailers to process their cards.</p>

<p>Just saw this tonight - short video - Miller's take on the Democratic contenders. Very funny - even worth the short registration that Fox makes you go through.</p> <p>Beware the misleading email box on the right hand side of thre registration - choose 'neither'.</p>

Vacation Deprivation Americans Get Short-Changed When It Comes to Holiday Time By Catherine Valenti June 25 — If it feels like you're stuck behind your desk on a sunny summer day while the rest of the world is on vacation, that's because you are and it is. Few other industrialized countries have as little vacation time as America, where there aren't even legal guarantees of vacation time. Just ask Matthew Mortellaro. Working in his first job out of college, the 23-year-old New York City-based publicist is already disillusioned with the world of work. The reason? He only gets five paid...

A wife of a friend serving in Iraq (for another 270 days) sent this Song and Poem out this morning. Don't know if it has been posted before, but I thought it was worth sharing. Click Here (Song Page): http://www.andiesisle.com/If-I-Die-Before-You-Wake.html

Sent: Monday, April 28, 2003 9:47 AM Subject: FW: Soldier to Soldier A little background - The German Army is at Gates of all military installations in Germany providing entry control on a 24 X 7 basis to relieve US Forces that are in middle east. A different perspective on our German allies. Our governments may be at odds over Iraq Policy - but Military understands Military As usual I was running late. So, you can imagine my frustration level as approached the main gate of Ramstein Air Base only to find traffic backed up! Nearing the checkpoint I realized...

<p>PICATINNY ARSENAL, New Jersey -- It is among the most horrific weapons in any army's collection: the thermobaric bomb, a fearsome explosive that sets fire to the air above its target, then sucks the oxygen out of anyone unfortunate enough to have lived through the initial blast.</p>

On Friday, March 14th at 2pm, All Songs Considered, NPR's Web-only music show (www.npr.org/programs/asc), will present a 2-hour live feature about recently discovered tapes from the Beatles' "Let It Be" sessions. These rare recordings offer an intimate and revealing look at the Beatles as the band was breaking up. All Songs Considered will play selections from those sessions, including versions of songs many listeners have never heard. In January 1969, the Beatles began a project called "Get Back." The idea was to rehearse new songs that would be performed live on television. The group filmed a month of rehearsals that...

Everquest is a game centered on rewarding you for how much time you put into it. This is the core design philosophy behind the game, since they charge you by the month and make more money the longer you stick around. What they don’t tell you is that taking your money is about all they’re interested in. They care little for player complaints, and less about player suggestions and requests. They’re in this to milk you for all you’re worth, and that’s the first thing you have to know. The second thing you have to know is that the game...

<p>WASHINGTON -- Citigroup Inc. and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. helped Enron Corp. hide debt or avoid taxes in previously undisclosed deals that congressional investigators plan to depict this week as shams that show Wall Street had a bigger role in the energy trader's collapse than realized.</p>

WHITE HOUSE FAITH-BASED ADVISER TURNS ON ROVE; CLAIMS ALL DECISIONS ARE POLITICIZED An article in upcoming editions of ESQUIRE magazine quotes a former aide at the White House as saying there is a void of substantive policy-making within the Bush administration. The former aide, John J. DiIulio Jr., a domestic affairs expert and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, was appointed by President Bush to head the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in the second week of the new administration, claims all decisions are politicized by Bush's top adviser Karl Rove, and that the policy staff is...

RELIGION Ushering in the One-World Religion By Wendy Griffith CBN News Reporter The summit was endorsed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan who said "the future of the world depends on women." CBN.com – GENEVA, Switzerland — A one world government and a one world religion — it may just sound like fiction from the popular "Left Behind" novel series. But some Christians say this scenario may be closer than most people think. Just this month in Geneva, hundreds of spiritual and religious leaders met at the United Nations for a peace summit. And although all the major faiths were...

Analysis: Israel's new Merkava 4 tank clearly designed for war with Syria 25-06-2002 Israel unveiled the latest addition to its arsenal, the locally developed and produced Merkava Mk. 4 main battle tank (MBT), at a ceremony in its tank production factory at the Tel Hashomer armored corps base on Monday, June 24th 2002. The design features that were reveled show that the Merkava Mk. 4 is specifically intended for full-scale conflict with Syria, and will significantly alter the military balance between Israel and Syria. A cursory review of the unique design features of this latest Israeli weapon gives a clear...