Free Republic

The boys in green are coming as the Environment Agency sets up a squad to police companies generating excessive CO2 emissions. The agency is creating a unit of about 50 auditors and inspectors, complete with warrant cards and the power to search company premises to enforce the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), which comes into effect next year. Decked out in green jackets, the enforcers will be able to demand access to company property, view power meters, call up electricity and gas bills and examine carbon-trading records for an estimated 6,000 British businesses. Ed Mitchell, head of business performance and regulation...

GREENSBORO -- A buck-a-day -- that's the incentive being offered to young girls to keep them from getting pregnant, WXII-TV reported. The group College-Bound Sisters was founded at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro by Hazel Brown, a maternity nurse who thought too many teens were having babies. Brown said she hopes the program, which pays $1 each day to 12-to-18-year-old girls, will keep them from getting pregnant. In addition to remaining pregnancy-free, the girls must also attend weekly meetings. The program is funded by a four-year grant from the state. "Our three goals are that they avoid pregnancy,...

TV and Obama: mutual love affair By David Bauder July 6, 2009 Reporting from New York -- Even President Obama, a gleam in his eye as he talked at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Assn. dinner two weeks ago, seemed to recognize the special relationship he's forged with TV networks in the opening months of his administration. "A few nights ago, I was up tossing and turning and trying to figure out exactly what to say," he said. "Finally, when I couldn't get back to sleep, I rolled over and asked Brian Williams what he thought." The reference to the...

State Sovereignty Movement Website Many of you have asked for a central location to stay up to date with state sovereignty bills. While the idea of centralizing information and/or control over a movement of this kind seems to fly in the face of the principles of decentralization that the Tenth Amendment Center stands for, we have gladly succumbed to popular demand with this informational post.We’ll do our best to keep this post updated when new bills are introduced. If you feel something is missing from the list, please don’t hesitate to contact us to let us know. It’s essential that...

A New York congressman says Michael Jackson was a "pervert" and calls on society to stop "glorifying" the late entertainer in a YouTube video. Rep. Peter King said Jackson -- whom he called a "low-life" -- is being glorified in the days after his death while society ignores the efforts, of teachers, police officers, firefighters and veterans. In the two-minute video, King claims the "day in and day out" coverage of Jackson's death is "too politically correct." "Let's knock out the psychobabble," King said in the video taped outside an American Legion Hall on New York's Long Island. "He was...

As a weary nation welcomed the respite of the long holiday weekend, TV advertising sales executives particularly looked forward to July 4th fireworks, pyrotechnics in short supply thus far in this year's upfront marketplace. With the exception of the deal between NBC Universal and GroupM -- one that, as of press time, both sides continued to deny had actually closed -- little headway of note has been made. Interpublic's Magna is also in advanced talks with NBC, although a substantive push for a deal isn't expected until later this week at the earliest. "There was a lot of talk at...

America may be in the midst of a deep recession, and the nation may be facing unprecedented deficit spending and debt, but the White House will not reveal the cost to taxpayers of the European vacation that first lady Michelle Obama and the president’s two daughters, Malia and Sasha, took last month. Travel by an American first lady typically includes the military passenger jet that carries her and the children, Secret Service personnel to provide security, and a separate cargo plane to haul official vehicles. First Lady Michelle Obama’s tour of Paris with her children included a convoy of 20...

Israel is urging the United States and other countries to start preparing now for the possibility that Washington's proposed dialogue with Iran will fail, by readying a "Plan B" that includes "paralyzing sanctions" and other measures against Tehran. The U.S. has resisted this idea so far. The Israeli messages - sent against the background of the recent unrest in Iran - have been delivered to the White House, the State Department and senior officials in the U.S. intelligence community by senior officials in the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Ministry. Similar messages have been sent to senior officials in...

Colin Powell is lacerating those who attack Sotomayor and says the GOP is not sensitive enough to minorities.....Powell, from Sotomayor's Bronx neighborhood, said she should face "a spirited Senate hearing"...but should not be condemned for ruling against white firefighters. "We can't continue to have somebody like Sotomayor.....called a racist...and he sniped at Rush and others who say Powell supports Obama only because both are black.

Opponents of United States Supreme Court nominee Sonya Sotomayor have grounded their position in Sotomayor's alleged racial bias pointing to speeches in which she says things like "I would hope that a wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences, would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." But that dog's probably not gonna hunt. The reality is that almost every modern American institution including corporate America, the military, and academia have been publicly cheering on women and minorities in public forums, literature, programs seeking to improve workplace performance...

National Rifle Association Arizona - -(AmmoLand.com)- The Arizona Senate passed three important self-defense bills in a session that lasted into the early morning hours Wednesday. First, SB 1113 enables law-abiding Right-to-Carry permit holders to carry firearms for self-defense in restaurants. This NRA-backed bill passed by an overwhelming, bi-partisan majority of 19-8 and will now be sent to Governor Jan Brewer’s (R) desk for her consideration. “If this important, common-sense legislation is signed, Arizonans will have the ability to defend themselves and their families from criminal attack in restaurants,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. “Headlines remind us that restaurants...

A bizarre shooting in Belen leaves a former corrections officer dead, and a former Marine in jail charged with his murder. The shooting is once again raising debate over what's considered self defense. The brother of the person who was shot and the suspect's friend each have very different opinions about what happened. The incident happened around 10:15 Saturday night at Enchantment Propane. Evidence of a break-in was still visible on Sunday. The murder that happened in the midst of the burglary is likely going to extend a long-standing debate for years to come. Louie Gabaldon still has a lot...

The FBI, in a rare response to rampant rumors on the Internet, said it is not investigating Alaska Gov. Sara Palin on public corruption charges. "Normally, we don't confirm or deny those kind of allegations out there. But, by not doing so, it just casts her in a very bad light," said FBI Special Agent Eric Gonzalez, who confirmed for CNN the statement he made to the Anchorage Daily News. "There is just no truth to those rumors out there in the blogosphere." Gonzalez told The Los Angeles Times that there was "no wiggle room" in his comments for any...

Mullen Advises 'Measured' Approach to Gay Policy The nation's top military officer said Sunday he has advised President Barack Obama to move "in a measured way" in changing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bans gays from serving openly in the military. Obama as a candidate pledged to end the ban. As president, he has not said when or how he will take steps to do so, drawing criticism from gay rights activists and others. The president has pointed out that Congress in 1993 made into law a policy begun by President Bill Clinton. "It's very clear what President...

Suspicious N. Korean freighter yet to reach home: official By Sam Kim SEOUL, July 6 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean freighter suspected of carrying weapons banned under a U.N. resolution has yet to enter North Korean waters, a South Korean official said Monday. "It has not yet entered North Korea. (The journey) will likely end within the day," South Korean defense ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said in a briefing.

After a low-profile Fourth of July, Sarah Palin took to Twitter this morning to decry her critics and urge supporters to weather the media criticism over her decision to resign as governor of Alaska. "Critics are spinning, so hang in there as they feed false info on the right decision made as I enter last yr in office to not run again," she wrote through TwitterBerry, a mobile device application for the popular 140-character-per-"tweet" social-networking site. The brief message, consistent with the tone of her Friday news conference, during which she condemned as "blood sport" the national political process, came...

US pressures IAI to drop bid on fighter jets to India By YAAKOV KATZ Under pressure from the Pentagon, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has been forced to back out of a joint partnership with a Swedish aerospace company to compete in a multi-billion dollar tender to sell new multi-role fighter jets to the Indian Air Force. The deal, estimated at a whopping $12 billion for over 120 new aircraft, is being fought over by Lockheed Martin's F-16, Boeing's F-18/Hornet, Russia's MiG-35 and BAE's Eurofighter. IAI was asked by Saab, manufacturer of the Gripen fighter jet, to jointly develop an advanced...

Vanity Fair's Todd Purdum joined Chuck Todd, filling in for Chris Matthews on Hardball, to discuss his recent article on Sarah Palin.

Joe Biden told "This Week" that the Obama administration "misread how bad the economy was." He also the administration made this mistake because they just looked at the consensus forecasts at the time...and they proved to be wrong. If the latter is true, the administration deserves the crap it has been getting. In the months leading up to Obama's inauguration, the economy fell off a cliff. The credit markets seized up. Several major investment banks went bust. The Fed and Treasury talked of an apocalypse. Everywhere you looked, you heard one analyst after another saying the country was plunging toward...

Scientists have uncovered powerful evidence that caffeine not only helps to stave off the disease but can treat it. They hope soon to follow up the initial results from animal experiments with human patient trials. US neuroscientist Dr Gary Arendash, who led the research, said: "The new findings provide evidence that caffeine could be a viable 'treatment' for established Alzheimer's disease, and not simply a protective strategy. "That's important because caffeine is a safe drug for most people. It easily enters the brain, and it appears to directly affect the disease process." A key aspect of Alzheimer's is sticky clumps...

SEOUL, July 6 (AP) - (Kyodo)—South Korea's Defense Ministry said Monday that North Korea's missile launches conducted on Saturday showed an improvement in accuracy. "We are aware accuracy has been improved (in the North's missile launches," ministry spokesman Won Tae Jae told a press briefing. Won said North Korea's missiles launches have had "somewhat big margins of error" in terms of landing at intended points so far. "Much improvement has been made this time in that regard," Won said, declining to go into details. North Korea fired seven missiles into the Sea of Japan in defiance of a U.N. Security...

There is a point in tournament poker where one player doesn't have the chips to play out the next raise, but they have great cards, so they call "all in." At that point, nobody can raise them and the hand gets played out -- either to a game changing win or a total loss for the person who made the call. It appears Sarah Palin decided she and her family could no longer deal with the thousand cuts, so she is "all in." Palin may well decide to stay home and make macaroni and cheese for the kids, but history...

Two groups on campus, Anns Race Alternatives (ARA) and Students Against Militarism (SAM), work within these mental limits to foster awareness and practical action necesary to counter the growing threat of war. Though the emphasis of the two p:roups differ, they share an aversion to current government policy. These groups, visualizing the possibilities of destruction and grasping the tendencies of distorted national priorities, are throwing their weight into shifting America off the dead-end track. The Reagan administration's stalling at the Geneva talks on nuclear weapons has thus already caused severe tension and could ultimately bring about a dangerous rift between...

RUSH: Our official climatologist here, Dr. Roy Spencer, University of Alabama at Huntsville sent me a question after hearing my last dissertation: "Equality of outcomes. How can a senator or congressman, for example -- after working to achieve their station in life, how can a senator or congressman -- then argue that everybody else needs to be the same?" Now, Snerdley, you're acting in there like, "Yeah, right." What do you mean, "Yeah, right"? Do you think it's a good question? It is a good question. Do you know the answer? The answer is relatively simple. Do you know what...

Socialism is just Feudalism of the New Dark Ages by Fred Jake As I read an article on the Reformation, I was struck by the way the Muslim in the White House and his socialist buddies in congress are trying to return us back to the feudal days, where everything including the people are owned by the government. As good serfs, we are to just shut up and follow the rules and regulations set in place by today's church (which is the church of environmentalism ie..global warming and other earth worshiping entities), the nobles (Democrat politicians treated like royalty),...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683 Arizona Legislature Sends Three Self-Defense Bills to Governor Brewer Wednesday, July 01, 2009 Fairfax, Va. – The Arizona Senate passed three important self-defense bills in a session that lasted into the early morning hours Wednesday. First, Senate Bill 1113 enables law-abiding right-to-carry permit holders to carry firearms for self-defense in restaurants. This NRA-backed bill passed by an overwhelming, bi-partisan majority of 19-8 and will now be sent to Governor Jan Brewer’s (R) desk for her consideration. “By adopting this important, common-sense legislation, Arizonans now have the ability to defend themselves and their...

The House's No. 2 Democrat said Sunday that he is not satisfied with the results of the stimulus so far, but it's too soon to consider a second package since not all of the $787 billion has been released yet. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the Obama administration inherited an economy that saw 2 million jobs lost in the three months before President Obama took office. He said only 130 days have passed since the stimulus was enacted and it needs more time to work. "I don't think anybody can honestly say that we're satisfied with the results...

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~Patrick Henry...a slightly different take on our heroes, in honor of Independence Day...             Born: May 29, 1736 Birthplace: Hanover County, Virginia Education: (Lawyer, Politician) Work: Elected to Virginia House of Burgesses, 1765; Admitted to the Bar of the General Court in Virginia, 1769; Elected to the Continental Congress, 1774;...

unusually wet and cool june for central park... for some perspective...here are the top ten coolest and wettest junes on record since 1869 for central park ny: coolest wettest avg. temp. year inches precip. year 64.2 1903 10.27 2003 65.2 1881 10.06 2009 65.7 1916 9.78 1903 66.8 1926/1902 9.30 1972 67.2 1958 8.79 1989 67.3 1927 8.55 2006 67.4 1928 7.76 1887 67.5 2009/1897 7.58 1975 67.7 1878 7.13 1938 67.8 1924 7.05 1871 due to the unusually cool and wet conditions in june...here are some interesting facts to note: this june is tied for the 8th coolest on...

          Solar awakening: Two sunspots shown / July 4, 2009 / Dave Tyler During the past four years, the sun has been in a prolonged quiet phase which has led some to claim this signals a period of global cooling. The number of “blank� sunspot days, a measure of overall solar energy output, has been more than 30% above the long-term average.The year 2008 saw the sun with its lowest number of sunspots for any year in a century. This only fueled the speculation of an impending global cooling scenario.In fact, slight cooling has been observed since the year 2001, but the...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Many Americans from coast-to-coast turned Independence Day 2009 into a "counterattack" against what they call the high-spending, freedom-shrinking policies of President Barack Obama and members of Congress, irrespective of party affiliation. With some 2,000 rallies taking place in all 50 states, cities such as West Palm Beach, Fla., were typical of the angst vented against recent government action. Approximately 1,000 people turned out in this affluent region for an evening featuring brief speeches and hundreds of homemade signs. Among those carrying a placard was Barbara Allen of Juno Beach, Fla. Get ready for Sept. 12!...

Colin Powell Attacks Critics of Sotomayor Colin Powell, one of the nation's most prominent African-Americans, is going after people who attacked Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor because of her stand in favor of affirmative action. Powell, who's from the same Bronx neighborhood in New York as Sotomayor, said she should face "a spirited set of hearings" in the Senate. But he said the federal appeals court judge, who would be the first Hispanic justice, shouldn't be condemned for ruling against white firefighters who contended they suffered reverse discrimination. "What we can't continue to have is to have somebody like a...

As Gov. Sarah Palin blasted the media Saturday in a tough Facebook post, her attorney delivered a strong warning to news outlets that they should not report any stories that allege the Alaska governor is leaving office because she is under any kind of federal investigation. CNN has not reported these allegations were in any way connected to the governor's decision to leave office early. "To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as 'fact' that Governor Palin resigned because she is 'under federal investigation' for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will...

Rioters in China's far west Xinjiang region burned vehicles and blocked traffic in the regional capital Urumqi, and police rushed to the scene to impose order, the state news agency reported on Sunday. Restive Xinjiang is divided between the largely Muslim Uighur people and Han Chinese...

Military ordered to turn back Zelaya's jetBy WILL WEISSERT and NESTOR IKEDA – 1 hour ago TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduras' ousted President Manuel said he was getting on a flight home to reclaim his post on Sunday, accompanied by the U.N. General Assembly president and a group of journalists. The interim government said it ordered the military to prevent the landing of Zelaya's plane. If turned away, it will likely land in El Salvador, where a separate flight was headed with Latin American leaders who support Zelaya's reinstatement. Thousands of protesters were gathering in the capital of Honduras in...

Ms. “You Betcha” really outdid herself Friday. In a breathless, rambling, manic and, let’s be honest here, downright nutty address outside her Wasilla home, the self-described “pit bull with lipstick” shocked and amused the political world by announcing she’s quitting, mid-term, as Alaska’s governor. Why?

Hundreds protest taxesKeyes urges residents upset about government's path to spill some TEA at party By Craig Peters Last Modified: Sunday, July 5, 2009 at 1:02 a.m. Several hundred people filed into Boiling Springs Community Park Saturday for a Fourth of July TEA Party and picnic. Michael Brady, one of the event's lead organizers, took the stage in period attire of founding father Thomas Paine. Brady told attendees the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) party movement across the country is a "protest against the overreaching of our government." "I'm not calling anyone to arms … yet," Brady said. He received cheers...

A senior Church of England bishop has angered gay-rights campaigners by saying homosexuals should repent. Archbishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper that the Bible defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman. He said the church welcomed gay people, "but we want them to repent and be changed." Nazir-Ali is a leading member of the conservative wing of the global Anglican Communion, which is riven by divisions over homosexuality and the ordination of women. Gay groups condemned the bishop's remarks. Campaigner Peter Tatchell said Nazir-Ali's view "goes against Christ's gospel of love and...

(Please blame National Weather Service for the "all caps".) DUE TO THE UNUSUALLY COOL AND WET CONDITIONS IN JUNE...HERE ARE SOME INTERESTING FACTS TO NOTE: THIS JUNE IS TIED FOR THE 8TH COOLEST ON RECORD. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 67.5...3.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL...WHICH ALSO OCCURRED IN 1897. THIS WAS THE COOLEST JUNE SINCE 1958...WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 67.2 DEGREES. BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES OCCURRED ON 23 OUT OF 30 DAYS THIS JUNE...OR 75 PERCENT OF THE MONTH. CENTRAL PARK HAS NOT HIT 90 DEGREES IN THE MONTH OF JUNE THIS YEAR. THE LAST TIME THIS OCCURRED WAS BACK IN 1996....

Colin Powell, one of the nation's most prominent African-Americans, is going after people who attacked Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor because of her stand in favor of affirmative action. Powell, who's from the same Bronx neighborhood in New York as Sotomayor, said she should face "a spirited set of hearings" in the Senate. But he said the federal appeals court judge, who would be the first Hispanic justice, shouldn't be condemned for ruling against white firefighters who contended they suffered reverse discrimination. "What we can't continue to have is to have somebody like a Judge Sotomayor ... called a racist,...

LISTS IRISH HIDEAWAY'S WORTH AS MERE $638G Sen Dodd (D-Conn) may have low-balled value of Ireland vacation property. Dodd's financial disclosures claim $638,000 for his 3-bedroom cottage on 10 acres with breathtaking views of the Atlantic......Dodd's next-door neighbor was selling for $1.2M. "Dodd continues to mislead about the property's value," charged DC-based ethics watchdog, Judicial Watch. Dodd purchased 1/3 interest for $160,000 with William Kessinger, Kansas, who was a business partner of disgraced Bear Stearns principal Edward Downe Jr, Dodd's longtime friend. Downe pleaded guilty to insider trading and securities fraud in 1993 but was pardoned, at Dodd's urging, by...

... We must at once understand all of the evil political movements of history, the plague of human prejudice, long-standing geopolitical conflict, the effective demise of the American Bill of Rights, among other things. A population can be led, no matter how outrageous the claims being made to lead them. In the midst of the global warming hoax, we have seen incontrovertible evidence of the ease with which at least some followers are driven to fanaticism in support of a purely manipulative cause. ...

Obama stayed away from hot-button words in remarks Thursday on immigration reform, but hinted that his immigration push will include some kind of “amnesty” or “legal path” for illegal immigrants already in the U.S. Obama also said Thursday he is making U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano a key point person on the immigration reform push

Gov. Sarah Palin's personal attorney issued a statement Saturday denouncing rumors that Palin resigned because she is under criminal investigation and threatening legal action for publishing "defamatory" material about the governor. "I can say definitively I am aware of no criminal investigation whatsoever involving Sarah Palin. Zero," Palin's attorney, Thomas Van Flein, said in a phone interview as he attended the Fourth of July festivities on the Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage. Earlier in the day, Palin's personal spokeswoman, Meg Stapleton, sent out a statement from Van Flein attacking "false and defamatory allegations that the 'real' reasons for Governor Palin's...

The distant early warning line clean-up project (update to BG–01.013)BG–09.048 - June 29, 2009BackgroundDuring the Cold War, North America relied on radar networks to provide an early warning of airborne attacks inbound over the North Pole. From the early 1950s, a series of isolated radar stations were constructed in Canada, Alaska, and Greenland to identify unfriendly aircraft and direct fighter planes that would intercept them. The most northerly of the networks, the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line of radar sites, was established in the late 1950s and extended along the Arctic coastline (roughly along the 69th parallel) from northwestern Alaska...

I want to apologize for a planned new venture that went off track and for any cause we may have given you to doubt our independence and integrity. A flier distributed last week suggested that we were selling access to power brokers in Washington through dinners that were to take place at my home. The flier was not approved by me or newsroom editors, and it did not accurately reflect what we had in mind. But let me be clear: The flier was not the only problem. Our mistake was to suggest that we would hold and participate in an...

New appraisal rules under fire Critics charge that a new system is fostering the use of appraisers willing to work for low fees and who are willing to conduct home appraisals far outside their typical areas of activity, leading to low-ball appraisals that can hurt builders, real estate agents, consumers and lenders. By Kenneth R. Harney Syndicated columnist WASHINGTON — It's by far the hottest controversy in real estate this summer and it could directly affect the value of your house — probably negatively — by tens of thousands of dollars. The issue concerns lowballed valuations and the new rules...

Bernard Madoff hires help to survive hard time (Bob Daemmrich/Polaris/eyevine) The 'Supermax' jail in Colorado where Madoff could find himself James Bone in New York Bernard Madoff has hired a veteran prison consultant to help him to find the best possible jail in which to serve his 150-year sentence for Wall Street’s biggest fraud. After his sentencing this week Madoff, now Prisoner No 1727-054, met Herb Hoelter, of the National Centre for Institutions and Alternatives, whose previous clients include the jailed Sotheby’s chairman Alfred Taubman and the financiers Michael Milken and Ivan Boesky. The draconian maximum sentence imposed by the...

Enlarge ImageOutlier. Astronomers think they have found an intermediate-mass black hole (bright blue object) just outside a distant galaxy. Credit: Heidi Sagerud Heavyweight and lightweight black holes abound in the universe, but nobody has detected a middleweight--and some scientists argue they don't exist. Now, astronomers say they have found the first conclusive evidence for one of these elusive objects at the fringe of a distant galaxy. Estimated to be at least 500 times more massive than the sun, the discovery could plug a large gap in the cosmic menagerie, though it leaves unanswered questions about this type of black...

House Democrats were surprised at the number of Republican votes they won on the razor close climate change vote, which allowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to let a few more Democrats cast their own no votes. In what Democrats are readily admitting was their toughest vote since they took back power in 2007, the eight Republican votes proved critical to letting Pelosi hand out as many free passes as she could to members who thought that it would be too difficult to selling the bill in their districts.   The climate change bill passed 219-212, by just two votes...