http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/frontpage-news/ en-us Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:12:08 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415947/posts PHOENIX — Authorities say they’ve detained two men thought to have been acting suspicious aboard a flight bound for Phoenix. A Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman says passengers aboard U.S. Airways Flight 192 from Orlando, Fla. Saturday night reported that two men were acting strangely. The New York Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415947/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:12:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416019/posts Today is my last day as a staff reporter for The New York Times. After spending more than a quarter of a century writing about science and the environment, more than half of that time here, I am switching gears for the second half of my professional life. I’ll be continuing to blog, write and work with video. And I’ll certainly keep contributing to this remarkable newspaper as it works to sustain a reliable view of the fast-changing planet while straddling the uncertain interface between the front page and home page. But my prime focus now will be education and... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416019/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:31:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416018/posts Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security secretary, said on Sunday that there was so far no evidence of a wider terrorist plot in what federal authorities said was an attempt by a 23-year-old Nigerian man to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day. But speaking on CNN’S “State of the Union,” Ms. Napolitano said that the suspect’s claimed ties to Al Qaeda were “part of the criminal justice investigation that is ongoing.” Although Ms. Napolitano said it would be “inappropriate to speculate” on such ties, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation over the weekend said that... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416018/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:29:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415994/posts Thailand has begun deporting a group of about 4,000 ethnic Hmong back to communist Laos, despite international concerns for their safety. Thai officials said unarmed soldiers began closing a camp for Hmong refugees in northern Phetchabun province. Thailand describes them as economic migrants. The Hmong say they face persecution in Laos because they sided with US forces during the Vietnam war. The UN had urged the Thais to call off plans to deport them. BBC World News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415994/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:13:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415985/posts Just watched CNN interview the most prominent Mullah shill (except perhaps Trita Parsi), Mahmoud AmirAhmadi, professor at Rutgers University and open supporter of the Islamic regime in Iran dance around the situation and try to warn the USA to hesitate lending support for the anti-regime confrontations IN CASE SOMETHING WORSE REPLACED THE BRUTAL, BLOOD THIRSTY MULLAHS!!!!!! What might that be? What could it be? What does he mean? The MEK? Compared to the Mullah regime they would not necessarily be much better but certainly not worse. And would decimate the Mullahs. This article will have Farsi/Persian videos of events in... AntiMullah & Various Sources http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415985/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:43:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415922/posts Interview with Chicago Fire Chief Alden Brown two days after the Great Chicago Fire: ALDEN BROWN: One thing I'd like to point out is that the system worked. Everybody played an important role here: the local citizens took appropriate action. Within literally an hour to 90 minutes of the incident occurring, all 128 towns and villages in the Chicago area had been notified to take some special measures in light of what had occurred in Chicago. We instituted new measures on the ground, both in central Chicago and at Mrs. O'Leary's barn, where the fire originated. So the whole process... NewsBusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415922/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:13:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415909/posts HONOLULU — The United States is strongly condemning the violence in Iran, offering its support to those who seek universal rights. National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer on Sunday denounced Tehran's "unjust suppression of civilians" in a crackdown that has killed at least four people, including the nephew of an opposition leader. Hammer says governing through fear and violence is not just. Hammer quoted President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, saying "it is telling when governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation."Witnesses and opposition Web sites said Iranian... The Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415909/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:39:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415904/posts WASHINGTON, D.C. A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today called for “swift justice” in the attempted bombing Friday of a Northwest Airlines flight arriving in Detroit. Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) told the Detroit Free Press that he was grateful the alleged bomber did not succeed in his attack. A Nigerian man has been charged with attempting to destroy the plane after he allegedly tried to detonate a bomb as it was arriving in Detroit from Amsterdam. SEE: Local Nigerian Muslims Condemn Attack (Detroit Free Press)... OfficialWire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415904/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:31:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415898/posts MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS ARE JUST DROOLING FOR THIS REID/OBAMA HEALTH CARE FARCENow that Christians have once again celebrated the birth of their savior Jesus Christ with love and sharing it’s sad that we must return to the mundane and seriously imperfect world of political correctness where lies and fraudulent promises are everyday fare for the pretenders. But those who are the most guilty of such deceitfulness have too much at stake to suddenly change to truthfulness. I speak mainly of the current rulers of our government in both houses of Congress and the Administration in the White House. They... The Canada Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415898/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:08:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415856/posts The Obama administration promised Sunday to review security procedures at airports and the government's system for checking suspicious travelers after an alleged terrorist bent on destroying a jetliner came close to succeeding. An apparent malfunction in a device designed to detonate the high explosive PETN may have been all that saved the 278 passengers and the crew aboard Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas Day. No undercover air marshal was on board and passengers subdued the suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, of Nigeria.Abdulmutallab was hospitalized with burns from the attack and was read an indictment filed Saturday in federal court in... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415856/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:30:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415825/posts (snippet) In the December 21 video posted on extremist websites affiliated with al Qaida, a bearded man in head-dress, identified as Mohammed al-Kalwi, says: "We are carrying a bomb to hit the enemies of God. O soldiers, you should learn that we do not want to fight you, nor do we have an issue with you. We only have an issue with America and its agents, and beware of standing in the ranks of America." UK Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415825/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:40:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415780/posts Despite mounting evidence of a sophisticated international plot to bring down a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day, the man charged in the thwarted attack — who was on U.S. officials' radar for years — was never considered a sufficient threat to keep from flying. The alleged Christmas Day terrorist had been in one of the U.S. government's largest terror databases since November, when his father brought him to the attention of embassy officials in Nigeria. But Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab came to the attention of intelligence officials months before that, according to a U.S. government official involved in the investigation. The... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415780/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:11:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415738/posts In the wake of the terrorism attempt Friday on a Northwest Airlines flight, federal officials on Saturday imposed new restrictions on travelers that could lengthen lines at airports and limit the ability of international passengers to move about an airplane. The government was vague about the steps it was taking, saying that it wanted the security experience to be “unpredictable” and that passengers would not find the same measures at every airport — a prospect that may upset airlines and travelers alike. But several airlines released detailed information about the restrictions, saying that passengers on international flights coming to the... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415738/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:15:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415732/posts The war in Yemen intensifies daily as Saudi forces batter northern Yemen villages along the border. Yesterday more than 700 missiles, artillery bombardments, tank raids and mortar attacks targeted those villages, Houthi fighters website reports. Hamsayeh.Net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415732/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:06:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415731/posts Pres. Obama should find time in his busy vacation schedule to drop a palm-trees-and-sandy-beaches thank you postcard to NBC. On this morning's Today, successive network staffers defended the administration's [mis]handling of the Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab matter. First, terrorism expert Roger Cressey [who usually plays it straight], claimed there wasn't enough information to "connect the dots" and move young Umar from the "watch list" to the "no-fly" list. Really? The guy's father, a respected international banker, was so concerned about his son's extremist Islamist views that he took the unusual measure of personally contacting the US embassy with a warning.... NewsBusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415731/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:04:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415698/posts Australian households are in record levels of debt, and for the first time have surpassed American levels. Reserve bank figures show household debt - the combination of personal and mortgage debt - is equivalent to Australia's GDP. That means every adult owes an average of $74,000. Analysts warn that the financial crisis that rocked Main Street in America could well hit Australian families in 2010. Economics Professor Steve Keen at the University of Western Sydney says it is a sign that families are under financial stress. "We now have an enormous proportion of income that has to be devoted to... Australian Broadcasting Corporation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415698/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:29:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415689/posts LANTANA, Florida — It started with a cough, a cool-season hack that refused to go away. Then came the fevers. They bathed and chilled the skinny frame of Oswaldo Juarez, a 19-year-old Peruvian visiting to study English. His lungs clattered, his chest tightened and he ached with every gasp. During a wheezing fit at 4 a.m., Juarez felt a warm knot rise from his throat. He ran to the bathroom sink and spewed a mouthful of blood. I'm dying, he told himself, "because when you cough blood, it's something really bad." It was really bad, and not just for him.... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415689/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:58:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415685/posts On Saturday night in Tehran, members of a pro-government militia broke into a mosque where former President Mohammad Khatami, a reformist leader, was speaking, forcing him to break off before concluding his remarks. As my colleague Nazila Fathi reports, “about 50 vigilantes armed with chains, batons and pepper spray disrupted a speech by Mr. Khatami at Jamaran Mosque in Tehran, the home mosque of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.” NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415685/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:43:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415681/posts As previously reported, the Republican Senate caucus and at least ten attorneys general are preparing political, procedural, and legal challenges to the health-care reform legislation proposed by President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-8), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). But freedom activists are trying to encourage State legislatures in as many States as possible to present another challenge: nullification. Nullification is any action taken by a particular government that makes the laws passed and enacted by a higher-level government null and void within the lower-level government's jurisdiction, or at least causes enforcement of the higher-level law to... Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415681/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:23:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415676/posts TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters in the capital Sunday, killing at least four people in the fiercest clashes in months, opposition Web sites and witnesses said. Fox/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415676/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:03:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415666/posts See video at source Youtube, Glenn Beck Show, Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415666/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 11:28:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415638/posts Senior Obama administration officials have requested that National Security Adviser Uzi Arad explain an Israel Defense Forces raid in Nablus on Saturday during which undercover troops killed three Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorists. Arad shared intelligence with the officials that Israel had received about the militants, who belonged to the military wing of the Western-backed Fatah movement and the details of the operation that led to their deaths. The national security advisor, a key aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressed that this was a case of self-defense, since the three were behind a terror attack on Thursday in which... Haaretz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415638/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 06:42:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415423/posts Baucus is drunker than a skunk, but I'm just as upset as him railing on the Republicans not being "Bi-Partisan" on healthcare. Other than that, funny (and sad sad sad) stuff. You Tube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415423/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:56:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415619/posts (snip) Sen. Lindsey Graham believes his fellow South Carolina Republican's verdict is too harsh. He plans to vote to confirm Bernanke, who just turned 56. “I remember what it was like in September 2008 when the stock market went down a thousand points, and we had one failure after another of major financial institutions,” Graham told McClatchy. “Bernanke and some others came up with a game plan to save us from another Great Depression,” Graham said. “I think he's been a pretty steady hand at the tiller.” DeMint also blasts Bernanke on the $700 billion financial bailout bill pushed by... The Herald, Rock Hill, SC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415619/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:27:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415618/posts PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona Sen. John McCain is criticizing passage Thursday of the health care overhaul bill saying sleazy deals were cut behind closed doors. In an interview with Phoenix radio station KTAR-FM, McCain said "the lobbyists and special interests have won. The American people have lost. But the battle isn't over." (snip) He predicts Democrats will pay a very heavy price for passage of health care overhaul that he estimates will add another $2.5 trillion debt on future generations of Americans. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415618/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:18:07 GMT