Free Republic

A New York Times investigation has found no evidence to support claims al-Qaeda or any other international terrorist organization had links to the 2012 storming of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The six-part report published Saturday instead blamed the poorly-planned attack on local extremists outraged by an American-made video mocking Islam. The Times refutes claims made by many Republicans that al-Qaeda was involved in the attack despite Obama administration assertions to the contrary. ‘Extensive interviews with Libyans in Benghazi who had direct knowledge of the attack there and its context, turned up no evidence that Al Qaeda or other

New classified testimony on Benghazi by five CIA employees shows the administration's initial narrative about a protest gone awry was "indefensible," according to a lawmaker who took part in two classified sessions before the House Intelligence Committee. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., told Fox News that witnesses described how five mortars rained down on the CIA annex over 90 seconds during the attack -- with three direct hits. King argued that the details raise more questions about why the administration initially claimed the attack sprung from a protest over an anti-Islam film – a narrative officials later abandoned. **SNIP** Fox News...

One of the wild cards in estimating future sea level rise from global warming is the enormous East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which holds more freshwater in its icy expanse than the whole of Greenland. Some climate models predict the giant ice sheet will undergo relatively little change as the planet warms in coming decades, while others forecast significant melting. Now, a new study suggests parts of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet underwent significant melting during the Pliocene, a recent geologic epoch when climate conditions were similar to those of today. ... During the Pliocene epoch between 5.3 million to 2.6...

George Zimmeman was found not guilty by a six-woman jury late in the evening of July 13, 2013. To try to understand why they came to that decision, consider the closing statements of the prosecution and defense. In many ways, they forecast that verdict.In this backwards case — defense attorney Mark O’Mara called it the “bizarro case” — the prosecution plumbed improbable depths once more by springing a motion to send an alternate charge of third-degree murder to the jury. Third-degree murder in Florida is murder committed during the commission of a felony. The supposed felony here? Child abuse....

What Was The New Evidence? I had not heard of what new evidence surfaced that caused a criminal charge. I have heard that a sitting Grand Jury was bypassed to avoid them from reviewing the evidence. I had more concern before Zimmerman's acquittal of all charges but the curiosity remains. If there wasn’t evidence for a charge right after the incident what changed four months later? Was some power trying to suppress a charge or was some power trying to bring a charge?

Can any legal minded FReepers answer this question? I'm thinking that if the Judge allows the Prosecution to present evidence regarding Zimmerman's school history such as classes taken, etc., then wouldn't she then be compelled to allow the Defense to present Trayvon's school history, to include suspensions, etc? If the Prosecution seeks to paint Zimmerman as 'wanna be cop' then so too shouldn't the Defense be allowed to present Trayvon as a hostile street thug?

If your cell phone stops working, don’t blame your battery. The government remotely disabled it. Central to society is the constant question of who is in control. Our quaint republic is rather unique in that we believe, and actually once enforced, the right of individual self-determination. In short, you were in charge of you and any problems you created for yourself were yours to deal with. Despite being widely popular, certain insecure individuals with weak mental constitutions wanted a perpetual nanny once they were too old for their original keepers, and found pliable politicians to allegedly protect them. In return,...

The country’s top Islamic guidance body, Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), on Wednesday declared the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test unacceptable as evidence in case of forced rape, besides terming cloning as unethical and un-Islamic. The members of the Council of Islamic Ideology met under the chairmanship of Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani during a two-day sitting of the council. CII members declared the cloning process ‘Haram’ or ‘forbidden’ under Islam, saying it would not be permitted. However, the cloning procedure could be used for the replacement of damaged body parts, or the growth of new parts of the human body for...

Scientists believe they have found the first evidence of the existence of other universes beyond our own, following analysis of the radiation left behind by the Big Bang. Data gathered by the European Space Agency's Planck spacecraft enabled researchers to map the "cosmic microwave" of background radiation left behind when the universe began 13.8 billion years ago. The findings imply the universe could be just one of billions, or even an infinite number, they say. The map showed anomalies that cosmologists believe could only have been caused by the gravitational pull of other universes outside our own. "These anomalies were...

Testimony from victims of the Syrian conflict suggests rebels have used the nerve agent sarin, according to a leading United Nations investigator. Carla del Ponte told Swiss TV there were "strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof". However, she said her panel had not yet seen evidence of government forces using chemical weapons. Syria has recently come under growing Western pressure over the alleged use of such weapons. Ms del Ponte, who serves on the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, said in an interview with Swiss-Italian TV: "Our investigators have been in neighbouring countries interviewing victims,...

Hear Come the Whistle-Blowers– Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) spilled the beans tonight on the Benghazi hearings scheduled for May 8th. Gowdy said “first hand witnesses” will be testifying on the massacre and coverup. He told Greta – she won’t want to miss it. “Well I am not liberty to disclose the identity of the witnesses but I will just say what I have said previously which is it is going to be a very informational and instructive hearing. I would encourage you to follow it. Benghazi is warming up. It is not going away despite the efforts of this administration…...

Chuck Hagel, who was nominated on Monday by President Barack Obama as Secretary of Defense, dismissed allegations that he is against Israel. The former Nebraska senator said in an interview that an accurate assessment of his record will demonstrate "unequivocal, total support for Israel" and endorsement of tough international economic sanctions against Iran. Critics have "completely distorted" his record, the former Nebraska senator told the Lincoln Journal Star, a local newspaper based in his home state. At last, Hagel said, with his nomination announced by the president, he has an opportunity to set the record straight. He added that there...

Maybe if Hillary wasn’t so busy doing God knows what she would have been paying attention to what was going on here, and maybe if Obama would’ve attended more than just 39% of his national security briefings he would’ve as well. Or maybe they both knew, and were SO negligent that they didn’t do anything. One or the other is the case here, because I’ve been on the ground in U.S. military/diplomatic installations in war zones, and intelligence is normally lapped up like mother’s milk as a matter of survival, and whenever threats start trending over a period of time,...

ST. PETERSBURG — As the man rushed past the Mariner Car Wash, an employee couldn't help but notice his distinctive forearm tattoo: "Most Wanted." When police investigating a bank robbery came around a few days later, the worker mentioned the man, confirming DNA evidence police had that tied a man with just such a tattoo to the crime.

SANFORD, Fla. - The attorney for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, announced on Monday he has received the evidence against his client and a "credible threat." Attorney Mark O'Mara posted on his defense website, GZLegalCase.com, that he received the discovery for the Zimmerman case just after 5 p.m. on Monday. According to the website, the discovery package included, "67 compact discs and numerous hardcopy documents, including the State’s Discovery Exhibit and Demand for Reciprocal Discovery. The discovery also includes witness statements, 911 calls, non-emergency calls, photos, video, medical records, and more." "All the...

SANFORD, Fla. - As controversy over the $200,000 George Zimmerman raised on PayPal took center stage Friday, Special Prosecutor Angela Corey's decision to ignore legal questions raised over whether she's obeying Florida's public record law went largely unnoticed. But the issue of whether Corey has the legal right to continue preventing the public from seeing the evidence she says proves Zimmerman committed the second degree murder of Trayvon Martin seems to be coming to a head. The special prosecutor's office on Friday refused to make that evidence public -- even though an attorney fighting for the public's access insists Friday...

Penn State researcher and his CRU/IPCC colleague treated AGW like a religious "cause" despite warnings from peers Anthropogenic global warming is a fascinating hypothesis that mankind may be able to systematically increase the Earth's temperature in the long term by burning deposits of hydrocarbon fuels. But the key thing to note is that despite the intriguing premise, little definitive information has been determined in this field even as politicization runs rife. In fact, researchers are still struggling to explain why warming has stalled in the last decade even as levels of carbon dioxide -- supposedly the most important greenhouse gas...

If a private health insurer had engaged in the kind of criminal obstruction that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has been tied to in her home state of Kansas, it would be a federal case. Instead, it's a non-story in the Washington press. Nothing to see here. Move along. On Monday, a district judge in the Sunflower State suspended court proceedings in a high-profile criminal case against the abortion racketeers of Planned Parenthood. World Magazine, a Christian news publication, reported on new bombshell court filings showing that Kansas health officials "shredded documents related to felony charges the abortion...

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to Islamabad said in remarks broadcast Saturday that there is evidence linking the Haqqani insurgent network to the Pakistani government, a charge that could raise tensions in an already strained anti-terror alliance between Washington and Islamabad. The U.S. and NATO blame the Haqqani network for many of the attacks in Afghanistan, including this week's strike on the U.S. Embassy. The group — affiliated with both the Taliban and al-Qaida — and its army of several thousand fighters is widely assumed to be based just over the Afghan border in Pakistan. U.S. officials have long...

On March 20th, 2009, Army Ranger 1st Lieutenant Michael Behenna was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing Ali Mansur, a known Al Qaeda operative while serving in Iraq. Mansur was known to be a member of an Al Qaeda cell operating in the lieutenant’s area of operation and Army intelligence believed he organized an attack on Lt. Behenna’s platoon in April 2008 which killed two U.S. soldiers and injured two more. Army intelligence ordered the release of Mansur and Lt. Behenna was ordered to return the terrorist to his home. During the return of Mansur, Lt. Behenna again...