Free Republic

We need to slow America down. Slow down, America, and slow down the President and the Congress. Everyone knows that speed kills and haste makes waste. Wonder if the talk shows would be interested in a drive time story? The Tea Party was a good idea, and a massive April 15th showing on the Mall is good too, but how about a wide spread, simple plan to involve everyone with a wish to get active and create an impact without permits, plans, police, out of pocket expense and driving 1,000 miles. And something that could be done right away. Maybe...

AUSTIN — A state lawmaker wants to make sure no Texan is left out when it comes to hunting, even if the hunter is legally blind. Rep. Edmund Kuempel, a Seguin Republican, has filed a bill for the 2007 legislative session that would allow legally blind hunters to use a laser sight, or lighted pointing instrument. The devices are forbidden for sighted hunters. Blind hunters would also have to have a sighted hunter along with them, but they could hunt any game that sighted people can hunt in the same seasons and using the same weapons. "This opens up the...

THE idea seems like something out of a Superman comic: a machine or missile shoots tonnes of particles into the atmosphere that would block the Sun's rays, cool down the overheated Earth, and reverse global warming. But at the weekend scientists gathered in a closed session organised by NASA and Stanford University to discuss researching such a strategy. The idea is called geo-engineering: using technology to tinker with the Earth's delicate climate balance. Ken Caldeira, a climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University, said his modelling showed the idea worked. "We found that if...

In September, the headmistress of the Dvergsnes primary school in Kristiansand, Norway, proposed that boys be taught to urinate while seated, in order to reduce splashing and mistargeting, which burden the cleaning staff

Seattle -- A school bus driver fired after she reportedly made an obscene gesture at President Bush has filed a union grievance in an attempt to get her job back. The 43-year-old driver, whose name was not released, was driving middle school children back to school after a zoo visit on June 16 when the president and Republican Rep. Dave Reichert drove slowly by in a motorcade. From the bus, the children waved; with the windows down in their car, Bush and Reichert waved back. That's when the driver gave the president the finger, according to Reichert and Issaquah superintendent...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nonlethal weapons such as high-power microwave devices should be used on American citizens in crowd-control situations before being used on the battlefield, the Air Force secretary said Tuesday. The object is basically public relations. Domestic use would make it easier to avoid questions from others about possible safety considerations, said Secretary Michael Wynne. "If we're not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation," said Wynne. "(Because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in...

I am not certain what the legal ramifications would be in changing Free Republic from donations to a subscription service. It seems to me the switch may be detrimental to legal issues such as copyrights. If that is true I'd appreciate if someone could briefly explain that to me. However if that is not the case here is my suggestion: I have been wondering about this for some time now and have not seen any discussions about it. So I would like to ask: Is it time for Free Republic to become an online subscription service? Currently, the site is...

SCOTUS: How to make Alberto Gonzales acceptable to the base. (Especially the Pro-Life base) Some random thoughts and more....... As reported by NRO, et al: "Speaking in Tallahassee yesterday, AG Alberto Gonzales sounded like someone seeking serious consideration as a Supreme Court nominee. He called Chief Justice Rehnquist a “hero” and suggested those who think he’d be significantly more moderate than other nominees are “ill-informed.”" I would suggest that there are options open to the White House to make Gonzales acceptable, but they involve at least one bold move. If it is that important to nominate him, however, they should...

WASHINGTON – It wasn't just a speech commemorating the 60th anniversary of the United Nations that President Bush delivered in New York yesterday. Instead, he laid out an ambitious program of increased U.S. foreign aid to tackle worldwide problems of poverty and disease. Think of it as Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty" plan gone global. And he characterized this plan as an extension of his war on terrorism. "Confronting our enemies is essential, and so civilized nations will continue to take the fight to the terrorists," Bush said. "Yet we know that this war will not be won by force...

Dalworthington Gardens, Texas police will draw the blood of drunk driving suspects. After completing a training course, Dalworthington Gardens police officers have been certified to draw blood from any motorist whom they suspect of driving under the influence of alcohol. The small North Texas city joins three counties -- Montague, Archer and Clay -- which have recently adopted similar policies. These jurisdictions are seeking to make drunk driving convictions less vulnerable to court challenge as mounting evidence shows breathalyzer machines can be inaccurate. Under the new policy, a suspect will be brought to a police station and asked in a...

Framers of Iraq's constitution will designate Islam as the main source of legislation — a departure from the model set down by U.S. authorities during the occupation — according to a draft published Tuesday. The draft states no law will be approved that contradicts "the rules of Islam" — a requirement that could affect women's rights and set Iraq on a course far different from the one envisioned when U.S.-led forces invaded in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein. "Islam is the official religion of the state and is the main source of legislation," reads the draft published in the government...

A parish priest has refused to give an Italian woman a Christian funeral because she had “lived in sin”. Father Giuseppe Mazzotta, parish priest at Marcellinara, near Catanzaro in Calabria, said that he had denied a Christian funeral to Maria Francesca Tallarico, who died of breast cancer at the age of 45, because she had lived with her partner but never married him. Her partner was separated and had an 11-year-old daughter. “She lived with her lover, so she was a public sinner,” Father Mazzotta said. “I decided not to celebrate an official Mass for this woman, who was not...

KANPUR: Five employees of the local branch of an insurance company have been arrested for putting up posters of terrorist Osama bin Laden to advertise a new scheme, police said on Wednesday. The employees of ICICI Prudiential Life Insurance Company, in a bid to launch a new policy of the company named ``Mission Jehad'', had pasted posters of Laden and put up green flags at their office at Mall Road here, they said. Inflammatory slogans They had also exhibited hand-bills with inflammatory slogans saying ``Dear terrorist naya farman jaari (new order has been issued), ten maro milton ke saath branded...

Bush waives restrictions on Palestinian aid WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush formally waived U.S. restrictions on providing direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority on Thursday in a move that set the stage for spending $50 million on projects in the Gaza Strip. The announcement came on the same day that a fragile Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire was imperiled, threatening disruptions to Israel's planned evacuation of settlers from occupied Gaza. Israel launched a fourth air strike in the space of an hour in the Gaza Strip on Friday, witnesses said, hours after an Israeli woman was killed in a...

Terrorist involved in Madrid and 9/11 bombings released by German court July 18, 2005 German-Syrian Mamoun Darkazanli Germany says terror arrest illegalMIM: If the Germans don't want to hand over one of their citizens, why don't they start proceedings to strip him of his citizenship instead of releasing him to continue his terrorist activity with the use of a German passport?http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/07/18/germany.extradite/BERLIN, Germany -- Germany's high court has ordered the release of a Syrian-born German man whom Spain wanted extradited in connection with the 2003 Madrid bombings.The Federal Constitutional Court ruled Monday it would be illegal to extradite Mamoun Darkazanli, a...

TEHRAN (AFP) - European nations negotiating with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme may be ready to help build nuclear reactors and supply them with fuel, Iranian negotiator Hossein Moussavian said. He told the official IRNA agency that a proposal promised by Britain, France and Germany by August and aimed at resolving the crisis could include such an offer, as well as a several-month delay before Iran's nuclear ambitions are referred to the UN Security Council. The EU proposal could make or break the lengthy diplomatic process aimed at easing widespread fears Iran is seeking nuclear weapons technology. In contrast...

MARYVILLE, Tenn. - A teenager was jailed for nine days after being accused of burning an American flag on the Fourth of July, and he faces trial next month. While the case could test a state statute against flag burning - an act the U.S. Supreme Court says is protected under the First Amendment - prosecutors said Andrew Elisha Staley has yet to argue that he was exercising free speech rights."Bottom line is, the kid got drunk," said Lisa Lee, his mother. "He's never been in trouble before."Staley, 18, is accused of taking the flag from a residence and setting...

WASHINGTON - Four female senators called Thursday for retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to stay on the court and try for chief justice if the ailing William Rehnquist steps down. In a letter to O'Connor, Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine and Democrats Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Barbara Boxer of California asked the nation's first female justice to consider staying on the high court if Chief Justice Rehnquist relinquishes the top spot. Rehnquist was discharged Thursday after two nights in the hospital for treatment of a fever. O'Connor announced her retirement on July 1, but...

Test Screening The Hill’s Geoff Earle reports Senator Sam Brownback will hold a personal meeting with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Brownback, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, was asked if he believes Gonzales would make a good SCOTUS nominee. “I need to talk with him about his view of the Constitution to tell. That’s what I hope to do this week,” Brownback said. My initial response is that if Brownback is “interviewing” Gonzales as a possible nominee, this must mean the White House is serious about the possibility of nominating him. Brownback is one of the strongest conservative voices in...

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Arlen Specter floats a rather bizarre selection to replace Chief Justice William Rehnquist if, as expected, he retires this week: Outgoing Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Specter Suggests a Chief Justice: O'Connor (NYT | RSS) Senator Arlen Specter, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, suggested on Sunday that President Bush could name Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring from the Supreme Court, to the position of chief justice if it opens up. "I think it would be very tempting if the president said to Justice O'Connor, 'You could help the country now,' " Mr. Specter, Republican...

Is it possible that President Bush's pending Supreme Court nomination could provide him with his very own Sista Souljah moment? In the midst of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, the candidate attended a meeting of Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition and launched a rebuke of the group for providing a forum to black rapper Sister Souljah, whose racially inflammatory comments had recently been in the news. Clinton's purpose was to demonstrate his ability to stand up to a constituency to which he was perceived to be beholden. For Clinton it was African Americans. For Bush it is social conservatives. Perhaps no...

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Someone urinated in the holy water at a suburban Rochester, N.Y., Catholic church. Four local teens have been charged with that and other vandalism. Monroe County sheriff's deputies said the teenagers smashed wine bottles against the walls, left bicycle skid marks on the carpet, emptied the fire extinguishers and burned cigarette holes in the Saint Pious X Church. The damage is estimated at $17,000. Charged are 18-year-old Dan Seklar, 17-year-old Richard DeCarolis, 16-year-old Michael Street and a 15-year-old who is being charged as a juvenile. All are charged with burglary and criminal mischief, both felonies. The boys...

With O'Connor already announcing her intention to retire, Rehnquist leaving us with only a question of when, and the strong likelihood of 85-year-old Stevens or Ginsburg retiring by 2008, I propose that Bush should consider nominating Anthony Kennedy to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Don't get me wrong: I'd love to watch Nancy Pelosi's head explode as Clarence Thomas or Antonin Scalia were promoted. But the viscreal thrill of it aside (and yes, I know I'm a junkie when I can refer to the "visceral thrill "of a Supreme Court nomination), it wouldn't do much. "Chief Justice" has...

Ruling throws media for a curve A judge's ruling that two talk-radio hosts' on-air activity could be considered campaign contributions has attracted concern that the decision could have unintended effects on other media. "This is an extremely important ruling that has very significant implications across the country for the First Amendment," warned Mark Lamb, one of two lawyers who represented Initiative 912 sponsors in Thurston County Superior Court against claims by opponents that the radio hosts' activities could be considered political contributions.Superior Court Judge Chris Wickham ruled Friday morning that on-air advocacy of the anti-gasoline-tax initiative by KVI Radio hosts...

I just realized...I mean that. It's going to come down to this. I have often argued, as many here have, that when FReepers said they would sit home rather than vote for (McCain, usually, sometimes Guiliani), that such sitting out would put Hilary in the Whitehouse. But I'm not moving on this.

Massachusetts residents who choose not to obtain health insurance would face tax penalties and even the garnishing of their wages under a proposal Governor Mitt Romney unveiled yesterday. -snip- Under Romney's proposal, uninsured Massachusetts residents would be asked to enroll in a plan when they seek care. If they refuse, the state could recoup the medical costs in several ways, Romney said yesterday: The state might cancel the personal tax exemption on their state income taxes, which is worth about $175. It could withhold some or all of their state income tax refund and deposit it in what Romney called...

The United States said on June 22 it would give North Korea 50,000 tonnes of food aid, saying its decision was based on humanitarian need and was not linked to efforts to end Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. 'The United States will be donating, in response to the World Food Program appeal, 50,000 metric tonnes of agricultural commodities for North Korea,' State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said, adding it was not designed to lure North Korea to six-party talks on ending its suspected nuclear arms programs.

Cops: Woman Uses Ex's Credit Card for Hit Man Thu May 19, 8:21 PM ET OSWEGO, N.Y. - A 25-year-old woman was charged with trying to hire a man to kill her ex-husband, and police say she used one of his credit cards to pay for the would-be hit man's flight from Australia. Police Capt. Michael Dehm said it was a report of an unauthorized $2,824 credit card charge from the ex-husband that led authorities to Terra L. Endres, 25. Endres was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree criminal solicitation and first-degree identity theft, both felonies. She was being held...

The United States, Canada and Mexico should establish a common security perimeter to guard against terrorism in North America, a tri-national independent task force said in a report released on Tuesday. The countries should police their borders together to help border trade, allow easier movement of citizens and to keep out potential security threats, the task force said at New York's Council on Foreign Relations. "If our two borders, the one between Canada and the United States and the U.S. and Mexico, became a frontline for security the impact that would have on normal relations and economic relations would be...

WASHINGTON, April 25 - Maneuvering in advance of a Senate floor showdown on judicial nominees intensified Monday as Senate Democrats prepared a compromise offer to Republicans that would allow votes on some judges and showcased new tactics for confronting Republicans should filibusters be barred. Congressional officials said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, could make a proposal as early as Tuesday to allow votes on two of three Michigan nominees for a single appeals court. It could be coupled with other guarantees to Republicans, potentially including a vote on one of four candidates drawing the deepest opposition. In...

PITTSBURGH -- An evangelical Christian talk show host who questioned the beliefs of the Catholic church and entertained a caller's question about whether the late Pope John Paul II would go to heaven has been fired. Marty Minto, 39, a senior pastor at a New Castle church, was fired Friday after three years as a host on WORD-FM in Pittsburgh. He said he was told that he was alienating listeners. "As far as I'm concerned, I was doing what I've always done on the radio -- look at events around the world from a biblical perspective. I've always been willing...

ALBANY, March 29 - Commuters from out of state who take cars, trains and buses to jobs in New York have long grumbled about having to pay New York State income tax. A ruling handed down on Tuesday by the state's highest court found that the growing ranks of telecommuters from out of state must also pay. The Court of Appeals ruled 4 to 3 that a computer programmer for a group of trade unions in Queens who works mostly out of his home in Nashville must pay New York State tax on all his income, not just on part....

TiVo began testing interactive advertising tools during the weekend as it looks to appease companies wary of users' ability to skip over ads. The company confirmed late Monday that it released the first in a series of advertising features to a random and limited number of subscribers to the digital-video recorder service. The first test feature--a tag--pops up on the screen when a viewer is fast-forwarding through an advertisement. If viewers press the thumbs-up or select button during the half second the tag is displayed, they will be redirected to a menu that leads to more information about the advertised...

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Nathan Wilson is an English teacher with no scientific training, but he thinks he knows how the piece of linen revered by many as Jesus' burial cloth was made. And he thinks it's not a physical sign of the Resurrection . . . Shroud expert Dan Porter said that while Wilson's theory is ingenious, it does not produce images identical to those on the shroud . . . "It is not adequate to produce something that looks like the shroud in two or three ways," said Porter, who lives in Bronxville, N.Y. "One must produce an...

The Weather Channel unveiled a new logo and marketing campaign Thursday. Using the tag line "Bringing Weather to Life," the network wants to draw more of the viewers it labels “vitalists." Network President Patrick Scott defined them as a cross between viewers who are actively interested in weather and “planners” who use the channel to schedule their lives. Spots focus on families flying kites or business "drones" suddenly having snowball fights. The campaign is part of a long-running effort to reduce the network’s reliance on what executives call “commodity” viewers, i.e. those who stop in to quickly check a forecast...

January 31, 2005: For over half a century, kits have been sold that enable military history buffs to assemble scale models of military ships, aircraft and vehicles. But that era is coming to an end, as the manufacturers of the original equipment, especially aircraft, are demanding high royalties (up to $40 per kit) from the kit makers. Since most of these kits sell in small quantities (10-20,000) and are priced at $15-30 (for plastic kits, wooden ones are about twice as much), tacking on the royalty just prices the kit out of the market. Popular land vehicles, which would sell...

We are already paying for Mexico's failures. Why not annex it?

JERUSALEM - At the Museum of Taxes, anecdotes about tithing in the Holy Land are meant to amuse Israelis buckling under some of the highest taxes in the world. But days go by without visitors to the one-room display in Jerusalem — partially funded by tax money and now threatened with closure. Mira Dror, the director, curator and only guide, thinks shutting down the museum, founded in 1964, would be a huge loss. "It is not just a museum of taxes, it is a museum of the history of the country," said Dror. The museum takes visitors on a tour...

Bill Maher has made another stab at career suicide. The Bush-bashing comic stunned some of Hollywood's most powerful liberals by joking about Bill Clinton's sexual indiscretions at a benefit honoring Sen. Hillary Clinton. New York's junior Senator was accepting an Oceana Partners award in Los Angeles last Wednesday for her work on environmental issues. Maher emceed the event, which also honored marine explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau, as well as Ron Howard and his Imagine partner, Brian Glazer. Among the unamused in the audience were Oceana board member Ted Danson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kiefer Sutherland, Diane Lane, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal and Kirsten...

Well, another dumb idea from the state department and Collin Powell - a peace conference, for the war by the arabs/muslims against the rest of the world, and not a single representative from an arab/muslim country.