Free Republic

Whirlpool Corp.'s Evansville, Ind., plant has suspended 39 workers for smoking while claiming on their health insurance they were nonsmokers.

Texas Monthly's Evan Smith interviewed HRC today and they had an extended exchange about Florida and Michigan. Smith: "... The talk is that you agreed not to seat the delegation." HRC: "That’s not the case at all. I signed an agreement not to campaign in Michigan and Florida. Now, the DNC made the determination that they would not seat the delegates, but I was not party to that. I think it’s important for the DNC to ask itself, Is this really in the best interest of our eventual nominee? We do not want to be disenfranchising Michigan and Florida. We...

This may be interesting: The Frosts joined the debate through family acquaintance Vinnie DeMarco, the president of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative. DeMarco introduced them to the pro-SCHIP organization Families USA, which put them in touch with Pelosi's office. So who is Vinnie DeMarco? A busy lefty activist with more than the expansion of S-CHIP on his mind. He even has time to go after Wal-Mart, along with guns and higher taxes. He brags about changing the nation by beating on business here. Around two years ago the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative (MCHI) stepped into the breach with the bold...

Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton were a picture-perfect couple as they campaigned together recently. Between political remarks they held hands, hugged and exchanged intimate whispers. And yet even some supporters were surely wondering: how on earth can they still be married? Hillary Clinton's legendary endurance of her husband's extramarital trysts haunts her candidacy for president. But then, there's no shortage of adultery hovering over this election: Rudy Giuliani's awkward transition into his third marriage; John McCain's overlapping relationships with his first and second wives; and Newt Gingrich's "periods of weakness". Mitt Romney seems one of the few major candidates...

ACLU urges CU regents not to fire Ward Churchill July 20, 2007 The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the University of Colorado's Board of Regents on Thursday, urging them not to fire professor Ward Churchill. "I think that the protection of the First Amendment rights is vital in the university and in the general public," said Cathy Hazouri, executive director of ACLU of Colorado.

Benefit cheats face telephone lie detector tests By George Jones, Political Editor Last Updated: 2:54pm BST 05/04/2007 What is voice-risk analysis? How to beat a lie detector test Lie detector technology will be used by the Government to help identify and deter benefit cheats, John Hutton, Work and Pensions Secretary, announced today. Lie detector test technology has moved on significantly in recent years Voice-risk analysis (VRA) software, already used by the insurance industry, will be used to monitor telephone calls by claimants. It can detect minute changes in a caller's voice which give clues as to when they may be...

Public funding for NGOs undergoing a quiet revolution By Moti Bassok According to an audit performed by the Accountant General, NGOs received billions of shekels illegally in 2006. The audit revealed that in a large number of elementary schools, nearly all in the ultra-Orthodox school system, students were held back a year - but only on record, which enabled the institutions to obtain extra budgeting. This practice continued for six years, and resulted in a hefty amount - NIS 50 million of ill-begotten funding. In another instance, the principal of a school was arrested one year ago, following a complaint...

Cheating is not unheard of on university campuses. But cheating on an open-book, take-home exam in a pass-fail course seems odd, and all the more so in a course about ethics. Yet Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism is looking into whether students may have cheated on the final exam in just such a course, “Critical Issues in Journalism.” According to the school’s Web site, the course “explores the social role of journalism and the journalist from legal, historical, ethical, and economic perspectives,” with a focus on ethics. ... “Our students are strivers,” he added. “But they are striving to get...

The Fair Tax: Stop the Tax Cheats Written by Jan Larson Sunday, February 19, 2006   The Internal Revenue Service reported [1] last week that $345 billion (not a misprint) in taxes owed for 2001 has not been collected.  Not to worry, the report also indicates that IRS enforcement efforts will recover approximately $55 billion of this “tax gap.”  Bully for the IRS. Even if the IRS is successful in recovering the amounts they seek, there is simply no way that a $290 billion shortfall can be justified regardless of how it is spun.  There are several reasons why taxes rightfully owed are...

The latest example of our friends on the Left according validity to a known hoax comes to us from Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), who, in a December 22, 2005, op-ed piece in the Boston Globe, recounted the story of a college student who was rousted by two government agents because he had gone to the library in search of a copy of Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book. Two days later, the Globe reported that the student had admitted to fabricating the tale — as any sensible person would have suspected in the first place. While the senator did not respond...

I don't know if this has been posted already, or, if Glenn is the correct source. This was sent to me via email: JOHN GLENN SAID Things that make you think a little: There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq in January. In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's just one American city, about as deadly as the entire war-torn country of Iraq . When some claim that President Bush shouldn't have started this war, state the following: a. FDR led us into World War II. b. Germany never attacked...

Also, what effect will Katrina have on the economy? Will high gas prces bring a recession or more oil exploration and new refineries?

Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who denies partisan motives for his investigation of a political group founded by Republican leader Tom DeLay, was the featured speaker last week at a Democratic fund-raiser where he spoke directly about the congressman. A newly formed Democratic political action committee, Texas Values in Action Coalition, hosted the May 12 event in Dallas to raise campaign money to take control of the state Legislature from the GOP, organizers said. Earle, an elected Democrat, helped generate $102,000 for the organization. Reasons for speaking Earle and his staff of prosecutors have obtained indictments of three DeLay...

Note: although this is a blog, it ought to be news but the liberal media simply ignores it. As I have said before, many Republican bills get killed in the subcommittee and committee system therefore many Republican bills never get a vote on the floor. Today a bill slipped through that Naifeh didn't want out of committee. Some legislators did not show up for the vote and a pro-NRA bill (conceal carry) slipped through the sub-committee system. Speaker Naifeh flipped out! His people did not want to have to vote on this bill. Some might risk losing their perfect NRA...

Probe Reveals Pakistan Bought U.S. Nuclear Technology Efforts by two U.S. agencies to gather more evidence have been stymied for more than a year by other American officials.By Josh MeyerTimes Staff Writer 7:27 PM PST, March 25, 2005 WASHINGTON — A federal criminal investigation has uncovered evidence that the government of Pakistan has made clandestine purchases of U.S. high-technology components for use in its nuclear weapons program in defiance of American law. Federal authorities also say the highly specialized equipment at one point passed through the hands of an arms dealer in Islamabad, Pakistan, named Humayun Khan, who they...

Passing Buck on Schiavo Cheats Public By JOYCE PURNICK Published: March 24, 2005 THE House of Representatives acted quickly over the weekend in the wrenching case of Terri Schiavo, so quickly that maybe those who opposed the special bill allowing the federal courts to take over the case might have missed the Senate's role - conspicuous for its silence. The debate was confined to the House, for nearly four hours late Sunday night and early Monday. In the Senate, home of Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein of California, and, of course, Hillary Rodham Clinton and...

Blogger Alek Boyd keeps a close eye on Venezuela's pro-Chavez propaganda groups actively operating in the U.S. He asks questions about their many claims and does his research. Today he's got a scoop on one of them, the loathesome Eva Golinger group called 'Venezuela Solidarity Committee' which, along with her 'VenezuelaFOIA' cooks up information about the CIA just doing its job into hysterical claims about its omnipotence. Naturally, the Associated Press and New York Times buy into this tabloid-quality tripe, but most responsible news organizations, including even Reuters, steer clear of this crew. Alek has learned that Eva Golinger's Venezuela...

Jude Law is the hunk who would be most likely to tempt women to cheat on their boyfriends, according to an FHM poll. A total of 48% of women said they would have an affair with the 'Alfie' star. Orlando Bloom was the runner-up with 35% of the vote, followed by Robbie Williams (22%) and David Beckham (19%). Only 8% said they would never cheat. Meanwhile, Christina Aguilera is named as the celebrity babe who girls would most like to sleep with. 52% of women chose her. Rachel Stevens was the second choice with 25% of the vote, closely followed...

I am sick of turn coats like this Wead character that recorded G.W. Bush conversations for his own personal gain. He should be in jail.

Copyright complaint. The jist of the article is this: Ford testified to a Senate committee on child support that he lives in two houses, neither of which are in the district he represents and that he has no legal residence in that district. The state Constitution requires that all senatorial districts "shall be represented by a qualified voter of that district." And predictibly, Ford is now basically claiming that the Constitution does not aply to him. The state AG refused to investigate saying (properly IMHO) that this is a Senate matter and that they should deal with it. The Senate...

NEW YORK -- PeopleSoft Inc.'s former chief executive officer lied to Wall Street analysts about the company's business. So what happened to him? He got to keep his job for a year, and when he was finally fired, he walked away with a huge severance package. This isn't the first time such nonsense has gone on in corporate America, and chances are it won't be the last. It doesn't seem to matter what top executives do wrong; they keep getting paid big bucks when they are shown the door. Things should be only so good for the rest of us....

People wanting to change their gender, including teens in the city's foster-care system, are getting pricey opposite-sex hormones for free through Medicaid — even though the practice is barred, The Post has learned. Doctors and clinics that treat transgender New Yorkers have helped them obtain hormones through Medicaid by listing other diagnoses, sources said. Medicaid, which is taxpayer financed, is now trying to halt the payments by using its computer system to detect whether estrogen is being sought for males, or testosterone for females. Transgender advocates defend the deception, saying the treatment is vital to their well-being, and that the...

WASHINGTON - When the nation turns out to cast ballots in this fall's elections, the voting system will be in no better shape than it was in 2000, a panel of voting experts said Friday. Problems with electronic voting machines in this year's primaries illustrated that changes have been slow, despite the implementation of new standards meant to improve the system, panelists told the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The commission, an independent bipartisan agency, has been examining the voting system since the 2000 presidential election, when the Supreme Court decided the outcome after voting problems in Florida and other...

Carl Cameron reporting Zack Exley (sp?) of MoveOn.Org has been hired by the Kerry campaign to work on their internet stuff. Republicans protesting, which of course is being ignored.

March 27, 2004 Democrats' Ads in Tandem Provoke G.O.P. By JIM RUTENBERG WASHINGTON, March 26 — Senator John Kerry's advertising campaign is so closely complemented by those of two major liberal groups running commercials against President Bush that Republicans are accusing the Democrats of trying to evade campaign finance laws. An analysis of advertising data provided by Republicans, Democrats and an independent group shows a striking synchronicity between the advertising campaigns of Mr. Kerry and Moveon.org and the Media Fund, which flatly deny any illegal consultations. They have been advertising in the same 17 swing states, in most of the...

Hoover Dam, Empire State Building Constructed Faster than California SchoolsSAN FRANCISCO, CA - "Schools take six years or more to build in California, longer than a student's elementary education, and are as expensive as possible because of dated legislation and a bureaucratic quagmire, according to No Place to Learn: California's School Facilities Crisis, a new study by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI). "California students are not getting the facilities they need for a quality education," said author K. Lloyd Billingsley, editorial director at PRI. "The cause is an obsolete bureaucratic system better at enriching adults than serving the needs of...

The U.S. Treasury Cheats with Phony Trust Funds The federal Treasury manages 159 accounts that it calls "trust funds." Sixteen of these are real trusts. The rest are bogus. Trust funds are fiduciary activities dealing with the stewardship of property. The objective is usually to preserve value for beneficiaries and, if possible, increase that value through wise management and investment. Trust funds are, by their nature, lock boxes. For a not-for-profit organization like the federal government, an organization required to bring its books to a zero balance at the end of each fiscal year, trust funds also function as a...

Democrat Blanco Wins La. Governor's Race 1 hour, 47 minutes ago By ADAM NOSSITER, Associated Press Writer NEW ORLEANS - Democratic Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco became the first woman ever elected governor of Louisiana on Saturday, defeating a conservative Indian-American and scoring a rare gain for Democrats in an election season that has seen a string of Republican victories. Blanco's victory puts the Louisiana governorship back in the Democratic column for the first time since GOP Gov. Mike Foster won the first of his two terms eight years ago. He could not run again because of term limits. With all...

When Values Collide: Clarett Got Unusual Aid in Ohio State Class By MIKE FREEMAN COLUMBUS, Ohio — While only a freshman, Maurice Clarett emerged as a star tailback last fall and helped lead Ohio State to an undefeated season and the national championship. But Clarett's work in the classroom was not as assured as his moves on the football field, and he received some unusual assistance to pass one of his courses. Clarett walked out of a midterm exam last fall in an introductory course in African-American and African studies without completing the exam. He never retook the midterm and...

<p>Eason Jordan, chief news executive at CNN, published in the New York Times a truly rare article last Friday: an op-ed capable of genuinely shocking even world-weary cynics in a jaded world. He announced that, over the last dozen years: "I made 13 trips to Baghdad to lobby the government to keep CNN's Baghdad bureau open and to arrange interviews with Iraqi leaders. Each time I visited, I became more distressed by what I saw and heard - awful things that could not be reported because doing so would have jeopardized the lives of Iraqis, particularly those on our Baghdad staff."</p>

CALL YOUR SENATORS -- TELL THEM GOP WON THE ELECTION -- GOP COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN NEEDED ASAP For those of you that may not know, the DemocRATs in control of the Senate Minority led by ms. clinton (don't be fooled by anyone -- she is calling the shots) have decided not to recognize the results of the last election and are maintaining Committee Chairmanship until the Republicans give them what they want.The Memo below from Roll Call in October laid out their plans. What the DemocRATs did not expect was a Republican controlled Senate so now they are refusing to vote...

Voluntary Alternatives to Taxation Stuart K. Hayashi Most Americans believe paying taxes is a patriotic duty. Yet this very nation was founded upon people evading taxes in 1776. When individuals don’t pay taxes, the government goes after them with guns, even though they haven’t used force on anyone else. Thus, taxation is an initiation of physical force against the individual’s right to life, liberty and property. Because taxation is forcible extortion, it violates your right to property. If you don’t pay taxes, you can be jailed, hence depriving you the right to liberty. And if tax “evaders” fight tax...

<p>WASHINGTON — The White House said it was reviewing North Korea's offer Monday to resolve concerns over its nuclear weapons program through talks.</p> <p>In its first reaction to the U.S. disclosure of its nuclear weapons plan, North Korea expressed willingness to solve the matter through dialogue, South Korean officials said. Kim Yong Nam, the North's ceremonial head of state, made the remarks in a meeting with South Korean delegates in Pyongyang, the North's capital, according to South Korean news pool reports.</p>

So You Think You’ve Got a Trust Fund With Your Uncle Sam . . . by John Attarian One of Social Security’s greatest myths is that benefits are paid from a trust fund accumulated from taxes held in trust. True, there exist an "Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund" and a "Disability Insurance Trust Fund," usually referred to together as "the Social Security Trust Fund." Sure it’s a trust fund. Why, it says so right here on the label! Or is it? The original Social Security Act created an "Old-Age Reserve Account" in the Treasury. Each year, an amount deemed...

Take the Poll Your opportunity to vote on who's the biggest dufus -- or loser -- in public life today....Al GoreBill Clinton in retirementJesse JacksonBarbara Streisand expressing her political points of viewAnne HecheJames CarvilleAl SharptonCanadian P.M Jean ChretienSenator Tom DaschleGeraldo Rivera

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The bride wore a black tuxedo and sported a fake mustache; the groom was resplendent in a white wedding dress and accompanying veil. The maid of honor, a man, stole the show in a tangerine- colored frock with matching parasol. A gay man married a lesbian woman friend in Hongkong on Monday in order to try to claim housing benefits available only to heterosexual couples. Noel Chen, 28, dressed as the bride and Yeo Wai-wai, 25, the groom as the couple were declared man and wife at a registry office in the territory. They promptly announced...