http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/dc-news/ en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:48:47 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417995/posts WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia is the latest battleground for an escalating conflict between same-sex couples demanding the “right” to marry and churches defending their freedom to maintain the integrity of their institutions. Last month, the district’s City Council legalized same-sex “marriage,” prompting celebrations for homosexual activists — and a sober reckoning for the Archdiocese of Washington. Congress must still approve the city-council vote, and opponents of the proposed law vow to take their fight to Capitol Hill, or the courts. But nobody expects a quick resolution to an issue that will continue to plague Catholic bishops throughout the... NC Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417995/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:48:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417883/posts Jesse Jackson, Area Black Leaders Blast Banks On Foreclosures Rev. Jesse Jackson convenes a meeting of more than 100 religious leaders at the Ebenezer African Methodist Church. By Hamil R. Harris Washington Post Staff Writer December 30, 2009 The Rev. Jesse Jackson joined more than 100 African American community leaders Tuesday to plot strategy against the wave of foreclosures that has affected homes and houses of worship across the country. After being bailed out by the government, many banks have repaid the Treasury Department and continue to conduct business as usual instead of offering help to people in danger of... WashingtonPost http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417883/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:52:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417154/posts Capitol Police tell staffers the situation has "stabilized" and the lock down will soon be called off. Hill staffers are in lock down after Capitol Police issued a report of a person with a gun. The email: Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 3:24 PM To: All House Staff Subject: Capitol Hill Complex Lock Down December 29, 2009 1523 hours A lock down has been intiated for all buildings in the Capitol Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417154/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:51:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417160/posts Siren up on Drudge. Possible man with a gun. Drudge Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417160/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:57:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416909/posts Jim, nothing suprises me anymore in regards to President Obama and the dangers of terrorism. I just got the chance to listen to the entire speech given by the young President yesterday and I must say I was stunned. Either Mr. Obama is completely oblivious to the reality of the war on terror, or he is so convinced in his approach to fighting terror that he refuses to even recognize the obvious. For your examination, here are two segments of the President’s address. The first is stunning in its ignorance or arrogance. So much so that I suspect even the... http://www.radioviceonline.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416909/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:20:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416698/posts Political observers should expect more retirement announcements from centrist Democrats, according to Rep. Dan Boren (Okla.), himself a centrist Democrat. Boren, who is being targeted for defeat by Republicans in 2010, said that a tough road ahead in 2010 could spur more Democrats to opt out of tougher races next fall."I think you’re probably going to see a few more [retirements], especially some of the older members who would rather leave on a high note," Boren told The Oklahoman. Four Democrats in centrist- or Republican-leaning districts have already said they won't run again in 2010: Reps. Brian Baird (Wash.), Bart... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416698/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:49:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416347/posts The city of Sacramento regulates handguns and ammunition, and the City Council is willing to go to court to continue that role. It voted recently to join other cities arguing in support of the city of Chicago, whose gun control ordinance is under review by the U.S. Supreme Court. On March 2, the court will hear oral arguments in the case of McDonald v. Chicago, a case sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation and the Illinois State Rifle Association. That case is filed on behalf of Chicago residents, including Otis McDonald, a retiree seeking to rid his neighborhood of drug... The Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416347/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:08:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415564/posts Christmas Day evening at Walter Reed, Week 245, December 25, 2009 Wet, Icy and Standing Tall FRONT GATE NOTES Not just another Friday Night at Walter ReedAfter four and a half years of Friday night... “support the troops” rallies at Walter Reed, the DC Chapter of Free Republic, lurkers and friends, were way overdue for a Friday evening on Christmas Day (and next week on New Year’s Day). And so it was last night on a wet, icy dark evening. It was quiet with only one ambulance arriving, Very few cars or pedestrians going in or out of the front... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415564/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:59:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414983/posts It has been an interesting time around the Washington, D.C., area these last few weeks. The District of Columbia City Council passed a law restricting the ability of Catholic Charities to continue its same level of social services to the city’s poor and homeless. The Baltimore City Council passed a bill subjecting crisis pregnancy centers to a $150-a-day fine for not posting signs stating what services they do not offer. Suburban Montgomery County Council is considering legislation to impose a $750-a-day fine (it is, after all, one of the richest areas in the United States) on pro-life pregnancy centers for... Catholic Exchange http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414983/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:36:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414833/posts WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON - When the feds whack New York, you usually hear Chuck Schumer lead the outrage. But on health care, he's been practically mute about some mighty hits headed our way. Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Paterson both slammed the Senate bill Monday, charging it would cost the city more than $500 million and rip a $1 billion-a-year hole in the state budget. Schumer, a veteran streetfighter for federal cash, has been suddenly recast as a defender of Washington - and a deal he helped cut that shafts New York. "He's being uncharacteristically quiet in part because the numbers... NY DAILY NEWS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414833/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 05:03:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414776/posts The internal threat from Muslim extremists in the military extends to high-level Defense Department aides who have undermined military policy. In fact, one top Muslim adviser pushed out an intelligence analyst who warned of the sudden jihad syndrome that led to the Fort Hood terrorist attack. An honored guest of the Ramadan dinner at the Pentagon this September was Hesham Islam, who infiltrated the highest echelons of the Ring despite proven ties to U.S. terror front groups and a shady past in his native Egypt. As senior adviser for international affairs to former deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, Islam ran... Investor's Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414776/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 01:11:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412875/posts Detroit's (predominantly black) public schools are the worst in the nation and it takes some doing to be worse than Washington, D.C. Only 3 percent of Detroit's fourth-graders scored proficient on the most recent National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) test, sometimes called "The Nation's Report Card." Twenty-eight percent scored basic and 69 percent below basic. "Below basic" is the NAEP category when students are unable to demonstrate even partial mastery of knowledge and skills fundamental for proficient work at their grade level. It's the same story for Detroit's eighth-graders. Four percent scored proficient, 18 percent basic and 77 percent... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412875/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:47:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413449/posts All details and information, including info on buses and hotels, will be found on the primary planning hub at http://www.TaxDayTeaParty.com capveterans http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413449/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:44:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413543/posts An American Airlines plane crashed and broke in two after landing at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to local reports. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Details were not immediately available, however, passengers on the plane told local media that flight 331 had just arrived from Miami in pouring rain when the accident occurred. The flight apparently originated in Washington, D.C. Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413543/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:05:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413122/posts The White House has named yet another unaccountable appointee to oversee information technology. We already have shady Vivek Kundra as Federal Chief Information Officer. Then we have Aneesh Chopra as US Chief Technology Officer. Now, meet the new Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt. Which one of them will protect us from White House snoops sifting through Facebook and Twitter and the next Internet Snitch Brigades? Michelle Malkin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413122/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:06:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412511/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - The Washington Times says it will publish its last Sunday edition this weekend. The newspaper made the announcement Monday, saying it will produce Monday through Friday editions that focus on its "distinctive news and opinion content." The new print edition will be sold for $1 at retail outlets and newspaper boxes in the Washington area. The current weekday edition is 50 cents and Sunday's paper costs $1. Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412511/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:08:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412507/posts Federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area are OPEN under an UNSCHEDULED LEAVE policy. This Means . . . Employees who cannot report for work may request unscheduled leave for their entire scheduled workday. Employees must notify their supervisors of their intent to take unscheduled leave. Emergency employees are expected to report for work on time. OPM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412507/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:56:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412323/posts WASHINGTON (AFP) – The federal government was closed Monday after a record-breaking snowstorm swept across the northeastern United States and put a damper on one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. Just days before Christmas, the eastern seaboard from North Carolina to New England was digging out from the worst blizzard in years, which closed train and bus service, paralyzed air traffic, crippled motorists and left hundreds of thousands of residents without power in some areas. Americans pining for a white Christmas got more than they bargained for, with local officials urging residents to hunker down indoors as... AFP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412323/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:33:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412136/posts A group called Americans for Prosperity in Nebraska gathered a crowd for a rally in Omaha to press Sen. Nelson on the reform bill. Anger over senator Ben Nelson's support of health care reform. Nearly 2,000 people rally in Omaha, hoping he's listening. The group's message is two fold -- reconsider your vote Senator Nelson and remember your decision when elections roll around. With their signs in hand, Nebraskans filled Omaha's Music Hall, rallying against the senate health care bill and Sen. Nelson's support for it. "I think that's why we're all here. To get him to listen to us,"... 1011now http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412136/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:52:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412115/posts The Washington Post reports that yesterday’s record snowfall resulted in an impromptu mass snowball fight in downtown Washington DC. While some may have been celebrating an upcoming white Christmas, it appears that the Metropolitan Police Department may have already received the best from Santa. A plainclothes detective was stopped at the intersection when his burgundy Hummer (a $40k+ vehicle) was hit with snowballs. Video shows him get out of his stylish ride and draw his service sidearm. He then drops his comm unit and bends to pick it up out of the snowy street, all while holding his handgun pointed... Austin Gun Rights Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412115/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:50:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412097/posts “Arrested Americans show no remorse about their terror plans” PTI Monday, December 21, 2009 14:44 IST SNIPPET: “Lahore: Five American Muslim youth arrested by Pakistani authorities on suspicion of terror links have shown no remorse about their plans to commit terrorist acts and one has even said they should be hanged so that they could become martyrs, a senior police official said today.” SNIPPET: “Zamzam, Waqar Hussain Khan, 22, Ahmed Abdullah Minni, 20, Iman Hasan Yemer, 17 and Omar Farooq, 24, were arrested in Sargodha, located 200km from Islamabad, on charges of planning terror attacks in Pakistan and abroad.” SNIPPET:... (PTI) via DNAINDIA.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412097/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:08:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412000/posts Deep in Health Bill, Very Specific Beneficiaries ROBERT PEAR December 20, 2009 WASHINGTON — Buried in the deal-clinching health care package that Senate Democrats unveiled over the weekend is an inconspicuous proposal expanding Medicare to cover certain victims of “environmental health hazards.” The intended beneficiaries are identified in a cryptic, mysterious way: individuals exposed to environmental health hazards recognized as a public health emergency in a declaration issued by the federal government on June 17, 2009. And who might those individuals be? It turns out they are people exposed to asbestos from a vermiculite mine in Libby, Mont. For a... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412000/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:23:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412015/posts Walter Reed, Week 244, 12/18/09 T’was the Friday Before Christmas Santa Arrives at Walter Reed FRONT GATE NOTES T’was the Friday Before Christmas and Santa joined the DC Chapter in Supporting the Troops and their Families.This past Friday night saw the beginning of what the lame stream media is now calling the great Blizzard of ’09. It began during our Support the Troops Friday night rally and ended early Sunday morning leaving 21 inches on the ground. But it didn’t scare the DC Chapter of Free Republic away from its 244th consecutive Friday night at the front gates of Walter... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412015/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:01:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411931/posts Subject: DO NOT GIVE UP! Senate Watch TONIGHT with NATIONWIDE Virtual Vigil Greetings Patriots,It is five days before Christmas and it looks as if the Scrooges in DC aren't packing it up and going home.  Instead, they have decided to call Ba-humbug and pass this legislation that 61% of Americans do not support.  This past week, even Howard Dean came out and said it was not good for this country because it is a bailout for big insurance companies.  On Thursday, MoveOn.org sent a message to their members that they do not want the legislation passed either and that... Tea Party Express http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411931/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:47:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411867/posts Federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area are CLOSED. OPM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411867/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:25:03 GMT