Free Republic

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said it was now "urgent" for Iran to ease concerns over its nuclear program. Her remarks came at the start of talks among foreign ministers of the G8 – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The European Union is represented within the G8, but cannot host or chair summits. Clinton said the upcoming talks between Iran and the P5+1 was "an opportunity for Iran to address seriously the international community's concerns”. "We believe there is still time for diplomacy, but it is urgent that the...

BERLIN/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The killing of Osama bin Laden when he was unarmed has raised concerns the United States may have gone too far in acting as policeman, judge and executioner of the world's most wanted man. But for several Muslim leaders, the more unsettling issue is whether the al Qaeda leader's burial at sea was contrary to Islamic practice. The White House said on Tuesday that bin Laden had resisted the U.S. team which stormed his Pakistan hideout and that there had been concerns he would "oppose the capture operation". Spokesman Jay Carney declined to specify what sort of...

The Johannes Mehserle murder trial looks like it will wrap up in Los Angeles this week and that has people in Oakland bracing for possible trouble once the verdict is read. While city leaders are calling for calm, people who use Lake Merritt found messages preaching the opposite. The sidewalks that circle the lake were spray painted this weekend. Some were mundane such as "Justice for Oscar Grant." Others seemed to point to trouble with the words "LA Better Get It Right Or Else." One appeared the threaten the Mehserle's life. Workers were out Monday morning trying to remove the...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2010 – Just back from a trip to the Middle East, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today cited widespread concern about Iran’s nuclear program, but emphasized the importance of diplomatic and economic pressure, rather than military action, to stem it. “Let me be clear: We owe the secretary [of defense] and the president a range of options for this threat. We owe the American people our readiness,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said. “But as I’ve said many times, I worry a lot about the unintended consequences of any sort of military action.” For now,...

GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Jan. 12, 2010 – Fifty-six elders gathered to represent their villages during a Jan. 3 meeting held in the Dey Yak District Center here with district government officials, the provincial police chief, and coalition forces representatives. A village elder listens as the provincial chief of police speaks at the the Deh Yak district center in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province, Jan. 3, 2010. The group met to discuss the security in the district as well as relationships between the villagers and the police who protect them. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Sarah R. Webb  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

'The obvious risk is of H5N1 combining with the pandemic [H1N1] virus' Virologists and influenza authorities are becoming increasingly concerned that the 2009 A-H1N1 flu virus could “reassort” with the highly virulent H5N1 avian flu that’s still prevalent in parts of the world like China, and that a mutation could occur resulting in a new strain that has the lethality of H5N1 and the human transmissibility of A-H1N1. The concerns have grown in the wake of revelations that mutations of the H1N1 flu virus had been found in Norway and elsewhere, leading experts to fear that it might just be...

Scientists in Norway have identified a mutated form of the swine flu virus that is raising concern because it was found in two patients who died of the flu and a third who was severely ill with the disease, officials announced Friday. In a statement, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said the mutation "could possibly make the virus more prone to infect deeper in the airways and thus cause more severe disease," such as pneumonia.

NOVEMBER 15, 2009 Concerns Rise Around Obama Trip JONATHAN WEISMAN SHANGHAI -- President Barack Obama arrived here late Sunday to press China on issues from climate change to economic restructuring, amid rising concerns that his first swing through Asia as president will yield more disappointment than progress on trade, human rights, national security and environmental concerns. A flurry of actions in Singapore this weekend raised more questions than they resolved on a broad sweep of issues confronting both sides of the Pacific. On Sunday, leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum dropped efforts to reach a binding international climate-change agreement...

MARRAKECH, Morocco – Trying to mute Arab criticism that the Obama administration had retreated from its tough stance on Israeli settlements, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday softened her praise for Israel's offer to restrain new housing in Palestinian areas. While Israel was moving in the right direction in its offer to restrict but not stop the settlements, Clinton said, its offer "falls far short" of U.S. expectations. Clinton said her earlier praise of Israel's offer, during a stop in Jerusalem, had been intended as "positive reinforcement." But her comment drew widespread criticism from Persian Gulf ministers...

Reporting from El Centro, Calif. - Across the desert flatlands of southeastern California, dozens of companies have flooded federal offices with applications to place solar mirrors on more than a million acres of public land. But just as some of those projects appear headed toward fruition, environmental hurdles threaten to jeopardize efforts to further tap the region's renewable energy potential. The development of solar-power facilities in the desert has been a top priority of the Obama administration as it seeks to ease the nation's dependence on fossil fuels and curb global warming. In addition, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has urged that...

By Andrew W. Griffin Oklahoma Watchdog Posted: October 6, 2009 andrew@oklahomawatchdog.org OKLAHOMA CITY – News reports are noting today that thousands of doses of H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine have arrived in Oklahoma and that these initial doses will be in the form of a nasal spray called FluMist, manufactured by MedImmune. The first community to receive shipments of FluMist will be Newcastle, in McClain County. Schools there will be targeted with a mass nasal spray vaccination program there, before it is shipped to other parts of the Sooner State. H.R. Holman, public information officer for the Oklahoma City-County Health Department,...

BAGHDAD, May 21, 2009 – Iraqi government representatives gathered with leaders of the “Sons of Iraq” civilian security group in a packed theater here May 19 to field questions from the men and respond to their concerns about the program's progress. A “Sons of Iraq” civilian security group leader asks government representatives a question at a conference sponsored by the Iraqi government in Baghdad, May 19, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Attila Fazekas  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. About 400 sheiks and respected elders from around the country took helicopters or vehicle convoys into the International...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2009 – With violence levels greatly reduced, meddling from outside influences is a concern surrounding upcoming Iraqi elections, a U.S. commander in Iraq said today. Army Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, commander of Multinational Division Center, said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has pledged that Baghdad will do all it can to prevent defrauding of the Jan. 31 provincial elections by internal and external forces. “We agree with [Maliki] that everybody should let Iraqis make their own decisions in this election,” he told reporters at a news conference in Baghdad. “What’s important to Iraq is that elections be...

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil dropped more than 6 percent to below $88 a barrel on Monday as a global market rout churned concerns that faltering fuel demand could slow further. U.S. stocks tumbled 6 percent to the lowest level in nearly five years as part of an international sell-off on fears the global economy was heading into recession. U.S. crude settled down $6.07 at $87.81 a barrel after hitting an eight-month low of $87.56. London Brent crude fell $6.57 to settle at $83.68 a barrel. Crude prices have plummeted from a peak over $147 a barrel set on July...

NEW YORK - Barack Obama's tendency through the Democratic primaries to perform better in exit polls than he actually does at the ballot box has some media organizations nervous heading into Election Night. Television networks want to avoid having their performance become an issue for the third straight presidential election. Their political experts hope that experience gained during the primaries will help things run smoothly Nov. 4. ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and The Associated Press pool resources to conduct exit polls in select precincts, hoping to glean information about why people vote the way they do and...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - An Al-Qaeda resurgence in Pakistan's tribal areas has raised deep concerns in the United States, which reportedly is pondering unilateral military strikes in a reflection of increasing impatience over Islamabad's counterterrorism strategy. US military chief Admiral Michael Mullen last week expressed "grave concern" over Al-Qaeda's use of the Pakistani tribal areas as safe havens, saying they posed a "significant" security threat to Afghanistan and Pakistan itself. Also from the vast tribal region in northwestern Pakistan, Osama bin laden's Al-Qaeda could be plotting and training a deadly attack on the United States, similar to the September 11, 2001...

PATROL BASE CORREGIDOR, Iraq — Thinking medical care, schools and water would be the main concerns of a farming area in Iraq, an Army officer was surprised to find out roads, canals and drinking water were the three top priorities. It should have occurred to Capt. Brandon Cave that the small rural area in his area of operation would be connected to agricultural needs. He was born and raised in a rural area of the United States. Roads to get products to market. Canals to bring water from the Euphrates River to irrigate the land. Drinking water to create a...

Source: American College of Gastroenterology Date: October 15, 2007 Consumption Of Raw Fish Raises Potential Health Concerns For Consumers Science Daily — Two case studies from Japan presented at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology point to a potential health problem in the United States, as more Americans consume raw fish in the form of sushi and sashimi. Anisakiasis (round worm) is a human parasitic infection caused by the consumption of raw or undercooked seafood containing Anisakis larvae. Consumers should be aware that while larvae for the parasitic worm Anisakis cannot survive in a human host,...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Air quality remains a major concern for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a top official organizing China's first Games said Wednesday. Factories belching pollution as they fuel breakneck economic growth and dust blowing from thousands of local work sites and western deserts frequently brown the sky over China's capital. While pollution controls are having an effect — Beijing experienced 241 "good air quality days" last year, up from 100 in 1998 — there's room for progress, said Wang Wei, secretary general of the Games' organizing committee. "We want to make sure the athletes have the best air...

Record levels of synthetic fragrances from everyday cleaning, deodorising and beauty products have been found in the breast milk of American women. Kurunthachalam Kannan from New York state's Department of Health and his colleagues found that levels of synthetic musks in breast milk from 39 women were five times those found in European women nearly a decade ago.

ARTESIA, N.M. - The U.S. Border Patrol's push to expand the number of agents on the lookout for illegal crossings has some current and former agents worried that the pressure will lead to corner cutting and will jeopardize public safety. Raising the Border Patrol's numbers from about 12,000 to 18,000 by the end of 2008 is a key element of President Bush's plan to improve security along the border, crossed by tens of thousands of illegal immigrants each year. The sprawling Border Patrol Academy here in southeastern New Mexico recently started launching two 50-student classes each week, compared to one...

Was San Diego U.S. Attorney Carol Lam fired because her bribery investigation of Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham led straight to the powerful Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Jerry Lewis of Redlands? This crucial question was the subject of pure speculation until the release this week of some 150 pages of e-mails between the Justice Department and the White House. The documents, turned over to the House Judiciary Committee, contain the first solid evidence that Lam's public corruption probe may have been a factor in her dismissal. On May 11, 2006, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' senior deputy, Kyle...

ELMENDORF AFB, Alaska, Feb. 24, 2007 – About 60 military spouses here had a chance yesterday to share some of their concerns with the military’s top ranking officer. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, accompanied by his wife Lynne, thanked the spouses for their contribution to the nation’s defense. “Spouses and families serve this country as well as anybody that’s ever worn the uniform,” the chairman said. In some ways, he said, it’s harder for the folks back home than it is for the troops deployed in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. “When we...

WASHINGTON - A House committee chairman accused the Bush administration Friday of protecting the country from terrorism "on the cheap" as lawmakers complained to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff about proposed cuts in emergency communications and other programs. Visiting Congress for the second time in two days, Chertoff was criticized anew by lawmakers upset with the government's security efforts, including at the borders and at airports. "Millions of lives are at stake and we cannot continue to protect the homeland on the cheap," Rep. Bennie Thompson (news, bio, voting record), D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told Chertoff....

HUACHUCA CITY — Unusually large purchases of cellular phones at a Huachuca City store on April 21 and a Tucson area store last weekend may be part of the growing trend in the United States. The Arizona Counter-Terrorism Information Center on Tuesday issued a statement that said recent information shows a possible increase in suspicious pre-paid cell phone purchases nationwide. “There has been speculation in the national and international media of cell phones being used to detonate explosives by members of terrorist, extremist and separatist groups around the world,” the agency said in its statement. “It is also possible for...

HADITHA, Iraq - A young Marine wonders if his superiors will support him if he shoots at perceived threats. An officer worries that civilians look at his Marines with more suspicion. The proud colonel acknowledges that his Corps has lost stature in the public's eyes. Allegations that Marines deliberately killed 24 civilians — including women and children — last November in this rebellious city have prompted reactions ranging from shame and anger to disbelief within the Marine Corps. In this intensely proud service, some say they're being prematurely judged. Others grasp for plausible explanations behind the alleged slaughter. A Pentagon...

SACRAMENTO State lawmakers are betting that voters eager to avoid a Katrina-style disaster in California will rally behind a $4.1 billion bond on the November ballot to shore up the state's fragile levees. While few experts disagree that California needs to rebuild its aging levee system, an Associated Press review of the bond has found the measure requires voters to take a leap of faith that the state will spend the money the way lawmakers have promised. An extensive examination of the measure, reviews of state and federal studies, and interviews with two dozen water experts, lawmakers and environmentalists have...

US President George W. Bush is aware of growing concern over Iraq and does not view the situation there through "rose-coloured glasses", White House spokesman Tony Snow said today. "The president understands people's impatience - not impatience, but how a war can wear on a nation", Mr Snow said in an interview with CNN's Late Edition. "He understands that." Mr Snow said Mr Bush's surprise visit to Baghdad was an effort to help the president get a realistic assessment of the situation in Iraq, where 2500 US servicemen have died since the March 2003 invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein. "The...

A local farmer talks about the price of fertilizer to members of the Nahia City Council at the General Culture Center in Iskandariyah, Iraq, April 29, 2006. Farmers requested the meeting in an effort to speed-up the process of standing up a new farmer’s union program in the area so farmers would be able to resource off of each other and boost the economy. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Michael Molinaro Iraqi Farmers Use Democracy to Voice Concerns The farmers expressed a desire to the Ministry of Agriculture to sustain them in their quest for newer farm equipment, an...

FOB KALSU, Iraq (Army News Service, April 6, 2006) – Iraqi police officials, local sheiks from the northern Babil province and leaders from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discussed concerns regarding the province’s security April 1. Recent attacks have caused concerns among citizens in the province regarding its security forces. “My son was killed on Highway 8,” said a local sheik. “I do not feel like my tribe and people are safe in this province.” Brig. Gen. Qais Hamza, Babil provincial police chief, voiced his frustrations and pleaded with local sheiks to help him eliminate further violence....

Beginning Sunday, GOPUSA initiated a comprehensive survey of grassroots conservatives to better quantify their mood, concerns, and outlook as we enter the 2006 election season. A set of 25 questions were presented to GOPUSA’s Grassroots Survey Team. The responses, along with full demographic information of survey participants, allow GOPUSA to not only present raw survey results, but also easily analyze the response against many demographic characteristics. Although completed surveys are still pouring in, over 1,700 have been received so far, and the results paint a clear picture of the pulse of the Republican base. There are signs of hope, but...

ATLANTA, Feb. 11, 2006 – Twelve representatives of seven grassroots troop support organizations met here yesterday for the first of eight planned regional "America Supports You" summits. America Supports You is a Defense Department outreach program designed to recognize citizens' support for U.S. servicemembers and their families. The summits are designed to provide a venue for a two-way discussion about what is working well for support groups and what could work better. Tips to help the groups grow and improve their effectiveness are part of the focus as well, said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs,...

SACRAMENTO — A power struggle is emerging over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's $222-billion public works package. Democratic leaders say legislators and local governments would be required to cede too much influence in deciding how to remake California's roads, jails and waterways. --snip-- Democratic leaders, who suggested months before Schwarzenegger that a large investment needed to be made in the state's physical foundations, agreed that lawmakers should not select every project. But under the governor's plan, enormous multibillion-dollar ventures — such as deciding how to move goods more quickly through California's ports and setting fees on water users — would be determined...

RALEIGH, N.C. - Scores of illegal immigrants working as cooks, laborers, janitors, even foreign-language instructors have been seized at military bases around the country in the past year, raising concerns in some quarters about security and troop safety. The immigrants did not work directly for the military but for private contractors, as part of a large-scale effort by the Pentagon to outsource many routine rear-echelon jobs and free up the troops to concentrate on waging war. Some worry that this fast-growing practice could make U.S. military installations more vulnerable to security breaches. "We can't let down our guard," said Rep....

WASHINGTON - A scientific article that says terrorists could poison thousands of people through the milk supply — withheld at first at the government's request — is being published despite continuing objections after the National Academy of Sciences concluded it wouldn't help attackers. The study by Lawrence M. Wein and Yifan Liu of Stanford University discusses such questions as how terrorists could release botulinum toxin into the U.S. milk supply and what effective amounts might be. Bruce Alberts, president of the Academy, said in an accompanying editorial that a terrorist would not learn anything useful from the article about the...

Study: Illegal Immigrants Attended College June 15, 2005 Maribel Gonzalez A groundbreaking study has enhanced the profile of the undocumented Hispanic immigrant to the United States, showing that a quarter of those without a visa or Green Card have at least some college education. "Not all of the unauthorized population fits the stereotype of a poorly educated manual laborer," said demographer Jeffrey S. Passel, who prepared the study "Unauthorized Migrants: Numbers and Characteristics," released Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center. The document establishes that, overall, undocumented immigrants have less formal education than the rest of the U.S. population. Some 49...

Over half of voters think Congress (search) is out of touch with the country, and fewer than one-in-five believe Congress has passed legislation this year that would improve the quality of life for Americans. Clear majorities think the Patriot Act (search) is good for the country and support extending the legislation, which is set to expire at the end of the year. In addition, more than twice as many voters oppose closing the military prison at Guantanamo Bay as support closure. These are just some of the findings from the latest FOX News nationwide poll of voters. The poll shows...

The American Civil Liberties Union has been shredding some documents over the repeated objections of its records manager and in conflict with its longstanding policies on the preservation and disposal of records. The matter has fueled a dispute at the organization over internal operations, one of several such debates over the last couple of years, and has reignited questions over whether the A.C.L.U.'s own practices are consistent with its public positions. The organization has generally advocated for strong policies on record retention and benefited from them, most recently obtaining and publicizing documents from the government about prisoners at Guantánamo Bay,...

LAS VEGAS -- The maker of Tasers is launching a major high-stakes campaign to market its new model to consumers despite scores of fatalities and injuries linked to the police Taser, including the death of a man in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood last week. Taser International, which has made its name in law enforcement and the military, envisions a future in which millions of average citizens protect their homes and communities with the stun guns instead of firearms. Tasers fire two wires tipped with electric barbs, delivering a shock that painfully and briefly paralyzes a person. The new consumer model has...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - With state Senate hearings scheduled to analyze a struggling procurement program, a Sacramento-based auto dealer accused the Department of General Services Monday of improperly awarding a $21 million police car contract. An attorney representing Downtown Ford, which is filing a formal protest, said state officials violated their own bid policies in giving the contract last month to a rival dealer after Downtown Ford won an initial auction to sell the state up to 1,000 police cars. The protest comes as lawmakers and other officials are paying more attention to the state's "strategic sourcing" program, which has delivered...

Today is a no-burn day in most of Kern County, and local air pollution control inspectors are using high tech gadgets to seek out violators -- a method some say is against the law because it amounts to an illegal searches of people's homes. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is using six new infrared heat detectors, called non-contact infrared thermometers, to catch people burning wood in their fireplaces on designated no-burn days. With the devices, pollution control inspectors can be outside a home, point the infrared scanner at a chimney, pull the trigger and get a temperature...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

As one of the broadest probes of wrongdoing in the history of San Jose government begins, ethical and legal scholars are questioning if the independent investigator assigned by the city to conduct the inquiry is fit to do so -- especially if it means looking into the actions of City Attorney Rick Doyle. Doyle's office has paid the outside investigator -- San Francisco law firm Hanson Bridgett -- more than $174,000 over the past four years to examine ethics complaints filed with the city. The council last week chose the firm to investigate whether the mayor, city manager, Doyle or...

Six months before the San Jose-Cisco Systems controversy went public, Leon Nix knew the city risked violating its own rules by favoring the networking company's products in its new City Hall. But he feared speaking out, thinking his bosses might come after him. Now it appears he may have been right. On a January morning, Nix, then the project's budget analyst, reluctantly sent an e-mail to his boss pointing out potential problems with the $8 million contract. A week later, he was taken off the project without being told why. Today, as officials wonder where the truth lies in the...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Worried about air pollution and related health problems, most Californians want lawmakers to make protecting the environment a top priority, even if it hinders economic growth, according to a poll released Thursday. The poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found wide support across racial, ethnic, regional and political lines for environmental protection programs to reduce air pollution, reduce auto emissions and develop alternative energy sources. "As our state becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, concerns about environmental issues are being seen across a broad spectrum of the population," Mark Baldassare, the San Francisco-based institute's...

CONVENTION HEAD DOWNPLAYS CONCERNS Author(s): Frank Phillips, Globe Staff Date: May 14, 2004 Page: B1 Section: Metro/Region New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, chairman of the Democratic National Convention, yesterday expressed confidence that rising costs will not prevent the party from putting on an event that can provide all the "pizzazz" needed to showcase John Kerry's presidential candidacy. Richardson acknowledged that some "glitches" - an apparent reference to the unexpected cost increases - still need to be resolved. But he said Democratic leaders can raise the funds to cover any higher-than-expected costs involved for the production and construction to set up...

WESTBURY, N.Y. (AP) - Muslims on Long Island signed a petition condemning the American bombing of mosques in Iraq, while worshippers and clerics at Friday prayers around the United States worried that the war is getting out of control. After their weekly service at the Islamic Center of Long Island, 200 worshippers signed a petition to President Bush. It not only condemned military actions at mosques, but urged the president to "bring home our boys and girls." The prominent, New York-area mosque was one of many where American Muslims were talking about the situation in Iraq on Friday. Over the...

The United States tonight joined European human rights officials in expressing concern about Russian parliamentary elections on Sunday that delivered big victories to allies of President Vladimir Putin. The elections give Putin a stronger hand as he works on strategy for seeking a second term next March. Putin praised the outcome as “strengthening Russia’s democracy.” But the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a human rights and democracy watchdog group, said the election process represented a regression from democratic reforms Russia adopted after the collapse of the Soviet Union. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said tonight: “It was...

A High Price for Speaking Up Pilots in Iraq Face Court-Martial for Voicing Concerns About Aircraft By Martha Raddatz Nov. 21— Two U.S. Army pilots charged with ferrying American military brass around Iraq decided to speak out about the vulnerability of their aircraft. Their reward: criminal charges. Chief Warrant Officers William Lovett and Robert Jones have 53 years of service between them in the active duty and Army Reserves. Jones has flown in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and Bosnia. But their current mission in central Iraq may be their last. Long before U.S. helicopters were being shot down, the reserve...

<p>WASHINGTON -(KRT) - For the first time since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the American people are more concerned about the nation's economic woes than about terrorism, war or Iraq, a new poll found.</p> <p>Fully 41 percent of those polled cited the economy, unemployment or the federal budget deficit as the nation's biggest problem, while 29 percent pointed to issues related to war and terrorism, according to the poll released Friday by the Pew Research Center.</p>