Free Republic

SHICKSHINNY (PA)– Two people who allegedly pierced three kittens that they marketed as “gothic kittens” on Web sites are facing animal cruelty charges. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Luzerne County filed six counts of cruelty to animals and three counts of criminal conspiracy against Holly Crawford, 34, of Dobson Road, Ross Township, and William Blansett, age unknown, of Sweet Valley, on Tuesday. The charges were filed with District Judge John Hasay in Shickshinny and mailed to Crawford and Blansett. Humane officers with assistance from the state police at Shickshinny executed a search warrant at Crawford’s...

US agents at Guantanamo Bay tortured a Saudi man suspected of involvement in the 11 September attacks, the official overseeing trials at the camp has said. Susan Crawford told the Washington Post newspaper that Mohammad al-Qahtani had been left in a "life-threatening condition" after being interrogated. She said Mr Qahtani had been subjected to sustained periods of cold, isolation and sleep deprivation. Mr Qahtani remains at Guantanamo, but all charges against him were dropped. He had been facing trial on counts of conspiracy, terrorism, and murder in violation of the laws of war.

A Bush administration official responsible for reviewing practices at Guantanamo Bay says the U.S. military tortured a Saudi national who allegedly planned to participate in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Washington Post reported. "We tortured [Mohammed al-]Qahtani," Susan J. Crawford told the Post. "His treatment met the legal definition of torture. And that's why I did not refer the case" for prosecution. Crawford is the first senior Bush administration official who investigates Guantanamo dealings to publicly say a detainee was tortured.

President and Mrs. Bush returned to the White House today from Crawford TX where they spent part of the holidays.

President and Mrs. Bush left the D.C. area today and arrived in TX where they will vacation at their ranch in Crawford.

Happy 10-4 Day.Cue the announcer: "Whenever the laws of any state are broken, a duly authorized organization swings into action. It may be the called the State Police, State Troopers, Militia, the Rangers, or the Highway Patrol. These are the stories of the men whose training, skill, and courage, have enforced and preserved our state laws. From the web site: Currently, Highway Patrol is not being aired on TV, and the owner of the series, MGM, has never released episodes on VHS or DVD, as far as we know. Bummer. Let MGM know of your interest in a trip down...

‘Jim Crawford’ RepublicansThe GOP is working to keep eligible African-Americans from voting in several states. Jonathan Alter Newsweek Web Exclusive Updated: 2:37 PM ET Sep 11, 2008 It was a mainstay of Jim Crow segregation: for 100 years after the Civil War, Southern white Democrats kept eligible blacks from voting with poll taxes, literacy tests and property requirements. Starting in the 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court declared these assaults on the heart of American democracy unconstitutional. Now, with the help of a 2008 Supreme Court decision, Crawford vs. Marion County (Indiana) Election Board, white Republicans in some areas will keep...

In his radio address today, President Bush sharpened his attacks on the Democratic-controlled Congress, blaming it of being partially responsible for high gas prices and urging lawmakers to facilitate new oil exploration. The president and Mrs. Bush are in Crawford this weekend. (I wonder if he called 41 and said "Dad, it looks like your choice of Qualye will ne longer be viewed as the worst VP pick in recent history.")

Today the President continued to operate from his ranch in Texas where he is vacationing, a White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe briefed reporters on the President's activities. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Iraq Pray for President Bush -- Day 2899 Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

President and Mrs. Bush Saddened by Death of Zambian President Levy MwanawasaLaura and I are saddened to hear of the passing of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa. President Mwanawasa was a champion of democracy in his own country and throughout Africa. As President of Zambia, President Mwanawasa launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign and dedicated himself to improving the welfare of all Zambians. As Chairman of the Southern African Development Community, President Mwanawasa worked tirelessly to uphold the values of good governance, speaking out against human rights abuses and threats to democracy when many others were silent. On behalf of the United...

President Bush and Secretary of State Rice met in Crawford today and then addressed the media about the situation in Georgia. President Bush welcomed Russia's signing of a Georgian cease-fire agreement as a "hopeful step," but also sternly warned Moscow that it must withdraw troops immediately and cannot claim two breakaway Georgian provinces as its own. President Bush Discusses Situation in Georgia The focus of the President’s Radio Address today was Global Diplomacy. FULL REMARKS OF RADIO ADDRESS

The AP gives us a story about some so-called “documentary” about what evil befell the poor folks of Crawford, Texas, after Governor George W. Bush bought his ranch property there. I’ll start right out with the key section that pretty much describes what we’re dealing with, a quote by the director of this film. “I wanted to do a film indicting Bush for this political stagecraft, using this town as a prop.” A guy that wanted to exploit the kind folks of Crawford, Texas is being presented as a wonderful fellow by the press? Say it isn’t so! Naturally, the...

CRAWFORD, Texas -- The president's 1,600-acre ranch in Crawford, Texas, is all gussied up for this evening's wedding of Jenna Bush to long-time boyfriend Henry Hager. President Bush will walk his daughter down the aisle before about 200 friends and family members in a very private outdoor ceremony. The festivities got under way last night with a rehearsal dinner hosted by the groom's parents in the tourist town of Salado, Texas, about 54 miles from Crawford. There'll be a barbecue lunch today back at the ranch. The father of the bride uses his weekend radio chat today to pay tribute...

President Bush gave his Radio Address today from Crawford TX. The focus of the speech was the economy. Friday evening, VP Cheney attended a fundraiser in Tulsa, Oklahoma. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice returned to the Middle East on Saturday to provide a badly needed shot in the arm for the Middle East peace process ahead of a visit by President George W. Bush. Commemorative items for the upcoming wedding of first daughter Jenna Bush and her fiance Henry Hager are now on sale at The Red Bull in Waco, Texas.

April 30, 2008, 6:00 a.m. Voters Are Far from the Biggest LosersLife after Crawford. By Abigail Thernstrom For one of the most anticipated big decisions of the current Supreme Court term, the Indiana voter-ID ruling Monday is certainly a bit anti-climactic. No big deal, Justice John Paul Stevens, writing the lead opinion, said, in essence. The Indiana law requires citizens, before voting, to show an approved photo identification — a passport or driver’s license, for instance. “There is no question about the legitimacy or importance of the State’s interest in counting only the votes of eligible voters,” Stevens concluded....

Officials said they have detained a British man after he flew near President Bush’s Crawford ranch, later taking him to Austin for a mental evaluation. McLennan County sheriff’s deputies were called by the U.S. Secret Service on Friday evening to a pasture five to seven miles from the president’s ranch about a possibly intoxicated pilot, Chief Deputy Randy Plemons said. Bush was not at the ranch when the incident happened. At the time of the call, a heavy thunderstorm was passing through the Crawford area, but Plemons said he wasn’t sure what factors caused the pilot to land in the...

CRAWFORD v. MARION COUNTY ELECTION BD. (Nos. 07-21 and 07-25) Web-accessible at:     http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-21.ZS.html  Argued: January 9, 2008 -- Decided: April 28, 2008* Opinion author: Stevens ===============================================================   After Indiana enacted an election law (SEA 483) requiring citizens voting in person to present government-issued photo identification, petitioners filed separate suits challenging the law's constitutionality. Following discovery, the District Court granted respondents summary judgment, finding the evidence in the record insufficient to support a facial attack on the statute's validity. In affirming, the Seventh Circuit declined to judge the law by the strict standard set for poll taxes in Harper v....

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s voter identification law on Monday, concluding in a splintered decision that the challengers failed to prove that the law’s photo ID requirement placed an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote. The 6-to-3 ruling kept the door open to future lawsuits that provided more evidence. But this theoretical possibility was small comfort to the dissenters or to critics of voter ID laws, who predicted that a more likely outcome than successful lawsuits would be the spread of measures that would keep some legitimate would-be voters from the polls. Voting experts said the ruling...

The Supreme Court's refusal to strike down an Indiana law requiring government-issued photo identification at the ballot box could disenfranchise minority and elderly voters at next week's primary and prompt other states to pass similar laws, voting advocates said Monday. The court, in a splintered 6-3 ruling Monday, said Indiana's law, which took effect in 2006 and requires voters to present a state or federal photo ID card at the ballot box, does not violate the First or 14th amendments. The court said the law served as a justifiable protection to the electoral process. "It's especially worrisome that the court...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has ruled that states can require voters to produce photo identification without violating their constitutional rights. The decision validates Republican-inspired voter ID laws. The court vote 6-3 to uphold Indiana's strict photo ID requirement. Democrats and civil rights groups say the law would deter poor, older and minority voters from casting ballots.