http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/government-news/ en-us Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:10:23 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386318/posts Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Stacey Aldrich as state librarian for the California State Library. Office of the Governor of California http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386318/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:10:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386316/posts Candidate Barack Obama urged a return to pre-9/11 counterterrorism-by-courts. President Obama’s Justice Department overflows with lawyers who spent the last eight years representing America’s enemies. Thus, Friday’s announcement that top al-Qaeda terrorists will be brought to New York City for a civilian trial is no surprise. That doesn’t make it any less inexcusable. The treatment of jihadist terror as a mere law-enforcement issue, fit for civilian courts, was among the worst of the national-security derelictions of the Nineties. While the champions of this approach stress that prosecutors scored a 100 percent conviction rate, they conveniently omit mention of the paltry... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386316/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:07:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386311/posts Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey is one of the many distinguished lawyers participating at the Federal Society's annual national lawyers conference here in Washington this week. As luck would have it, he was on the program for a speech this afternoon, not long after the Obama administration announced its decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three other terrorists in federal district court in New York. Mukasey is uniquely qualified to talk about this issue. Not only was he a war-on-terror-time Attorney General (you remember the war on terror, don't you?), but he was also the judge who presided over... Power Line http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386311/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:58:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386304/posts U.S. President Barack Obama bows as he is greeted by Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko as he arrives at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009. You know, he is getting better at this sort of thing. Practice makes perfect. This one has to go straight into the Obama Scrapbook section, "My Greatest Achievements." While a normal, well-brought-up American knows that free men do not bow to monarchs, it is interesting to read Miss Manners on the subject of bowing to foreign monarchs, not that manners is what we expect to see in this case. American Digest http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386304/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:47:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386301/posts Eric H. Holder Jr. called his order Friday to send the suspected plotters of the Sept. 11 attacks to trial in Manhattan "the toughest decision I've had to make as attorney general." But what the nation's chief law enforcement officer did not lay bare for public consumption was the four months of deliberation, lobbying and tug of war inside his own Justice Department that preceded an announcement that will follow him into history. In his nine months in office, Holder has jettisoned a public corruption case against former senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) because of prosecutorial lapses, launched an inquiry into... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386301/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:40:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386296/posts The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that 29% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-eight percent (38%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -9... RasmussenReports.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386296/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:33:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386292/posts States hungry for revenue are turning to taxpayers to make up the shortfall as they deplete rainy-day and economic-stimulus funds. To avert a popular revolt, many are resorting to a so-called millionaire's tax, which puts the burden on a smaller group of the very well-heeled. A flurry of rate increases occurred this year, and tax analysts say the trend will accelerate in 2010. In response, some wealthy residents are rethinking their financial strategies, including where they reside. They may see some sense to moving before they sell a business, for example, or stop using certain kinds of trusts. Doug Stanley,... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386292/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:22:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386290/posts (We criticized) Barack Obama when he bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia. Americans do not bow to royalty. When the royal is the ruling tyrant of a despotic regime, the wrong is compounded. Obama's bowing to the King was deeply offensive. When the story emerged from the shadows of the Internet,(Ben Smith) ran an item on Politico with the White House denying the bow. "It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah," said an Obama aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Bill O'Reilly ran a bemused segment on... Power Line http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386290/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:17:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386288/posts Our pal Raymond Ibrahim reviews Al Qaeda in Its Own Words, edited by Gilles Kepel and Jean-Pierre Milelli, over at the Middle East Quarterly: Al Qaeda in Its Own Words provides the translated writings of four jihadis—Abdullah Azzam, Osama bin Laden, Ayman Zawahiri, and Abu Musab Zarqawi. Edited by five people with Kepel, a French sociologist of Islam, as lead editor, it contains a wealth of data that, unfortunately, is presented in a rather confused manner. The actual words of Al-Qaeda are rarely analyzed or placed in context. Obvious contradictions—such as Al-Qaeda's constant protestations to Americans that its war on... jihadwatch.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386288/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:15:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386281/posts No one should be surprised by this. But all the learned analysts who know how much we need Pakistan will be. Double Game Update: "Pakistani Army ran Muslim extremist training camps, says anti-terrorist expert," by Charles Bremner in the Times Online, November 14 (thanks to Kris): The Pakistani Army ran training camps for a Muslim extremist group, at least until recently, with the acceptance of the US Central Intelligence Agency, according to France's foremost anti-terrorist expert. Jean-Louis Bruguière, who retired in 2007 after 15 years as chief investigating judge for counter-terrorism, reached this conclusion after interrogating a French militant who... jihadwatch.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386281/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:04:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386280/posts China has detained several dissidents and campaigners ahead of US President Barack Obama's much-anticipated first visit to the country, their relatives and close contacts told AFP Saturday. Obama arrives in Shanghai on Sunday and moves onto Beijing the next day for a four-day maiden presidential trip during which he has been urged to raise human rights with the Asian giant's top leadership. But as the visit drew close, the head of an activist group for parents whose children were sickened by tainted milk in China had been detained, his wife told AFP. "Zhao Lianhai was criminally detained for 'provoking an... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386280/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:04:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386261/posts The Obama administration has taken a giant step in its march to throw in the towel in the war against radical Islam. On FoxNews this morning, Peter King said of the decision to try the soldiers of al-Qaeda — who by their own account have no country but their cause — as civilians “may be the worst decision by a U.S. president in history.” It certainly is. It sends a signal to terrorists everywhere to attack civilians. Front Page Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386261/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:40:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386260/posts Vice President Biden made a surprise visit to a homeless shelter in Washington DC on Friday to help serve lunch to dozens of homeless men. Biden dropped by the Father McKenna Center, a homeless shelter a few blocks away from the U.S. Capitol building that serves around 100 men during the day. It also offers counseling for substance abuse and an HIV/AIDS initiative. Dressed casually in a black baseball cap, sweater and khakis, Biden put on rubber gloves and an apron to help distribute fish sticks. Biden said he was there because “you've got to remind yourself that but for... ABC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386260/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:37:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386259/posts Trying to reassure allies and rivals, President Barack Obama billed himself Saturday as "America’s first Pacific president," promising the nations of Asia "a new era of engagement with the world based on mutual interests and mutual respect." Turning tough, Obama also said that the U.S. "will not be cowed by threats" from North Korea, which he said for decades "has chosen a path of confrontation and provocation, including the pursuit of nuclear weapons." In a slap at President George W. Bush, Obama spoke of the importance of "multilateral organizations [that] can advance the security and prosperity of this region." "I... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386259/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:33:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386257/posts CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel made up of medical and public health experts, met July 29, 2009, to make recommendations on who should receive the 2009 H1N1 vaccine While some issues are still unknown, such as how severe the flu season, the ACIP considered several factors, including current disease patterns, populations most at-risk for severe illness based on current trends in illness, hospitalizations and deaths, how much vaccine is expected to be available, and the timing of vaccine availability. The groups recommended to receive the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine include: Pregnant Women because they are at... Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386257/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:30:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386255/posts JERUSALEM – A memorial to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was unveiled in the Arazim park outside of Jerusalem. Commissioned and built by the Jewish National Fund-USA, the memorial commemorates the victims of radical Islam and features a central sculpture in the shape of a waving American flag transformed into a memorial flame. A small piece of wreckage from the World Trade Center resides in a compartment in the granite base. The sculpture is surrounded by a circular, crater-like plaza and reflection area tiled in stone. The Jerusalem monument is one of the first major international memorials to... wnd.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386255/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:24:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386253/posts America's democracy and very existence depends on authorities closing down terrorist cells within our borders. Magic City Morning Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386253/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:23:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386250/posts <p>WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Heavily Catholic Poland has joined the Vatican in criticizing a European court ruling against the display of crucifixes in Italian schools.</p> <p>President Lech Kaczynski said his country will never agree to remove crosses from its schools.</p> New Haven Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386250/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:18:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386249/posts The U.S. trade deficit expanded in September by the most in a decade as rising imports of petroleum, autos and manufactured goods from China wiped out an otherwise impressive gain in exports, which reached their highest level since December. The trade gap jumped 18.2 percent, widening from $30.8 billion in August to $36.5 billion in September, the Commerce Department reported Friday. It was the largest monthly imbalance since January but it remains well below the peak deficit of $65.9 billion in July 2008, when oil prices reached record levels just before trade flows collapsed around the world. (snip) Exports in... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386249/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:17:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386248/posts The former Louisiana congressman who famously hid $90,000 cash in his freezer following an FBI bribery sting was sentenced to 13 years in prison Friday, the longest term ever imposed on a congressman convicted of bribery. Prosecutors wanted the 62-year-old William Jefferson, a Democrat who represented parts of New Orleans, to serve at least 27 years in prison. The defense wanted less than 10 years and hoped Jefferson could remain free on bond while he appeals his conviction. Jefferson said nothing in court after he was sentenced. He was convicted in August of 11 counts, including bribery and racketeering. Prosecutors... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386248/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:14:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386247/posts Ten high-profile Guantanamo Bay detainees are being transferred to face justice in the United States. The five detainees heading to civilian court in New York to face charges they orchestrated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are: -Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who admitted to interrogators that he was the mastermind of the attacks. He allegedly proposed the concept to Osama bin Laden as early as 1996, obtained funding for the attacks from bin Laden, oversaw the operation and trained the hijackers in Afghanistan and Pakistan. -Waleed bin Attash, -Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni, allegedly helped find flight schools for the hijackers. -Ali Abd... November 14, 2009 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386247/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:13:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386245/posts Ignoring the economic plight of 1 in 6 Americans who are out of a job or underemployed, Democrats in the House of Representatives played Nero this past Saturday and voted to socialize one seventh of the U.S. economy. Never missing a chance to get the nation’s priorities all wrong, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi looking as proud as papa Stalin himself declared “the bill is passed” … and with a slam of the gavel forever changed American healthcare. Not quite. Less than 24 hours later Senators including Lindsey Graham declared “the House bill is dead on arrival.” Months of... Canada Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386245/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:08:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386244/posts How low will the new American president go for the world's royalty? This photo will get Democrat President Obama a lot of approving nods in Japan this weekend, especially among the older generation of Japanese who still pay attention to the royal family living in its downtown castle. Very low bows like this are a sign of great respect and deference for a superior. To some in the United States, however, an upright handshake might have looked better. Remember Michelle Obama casually patting Britain's Queen Elizabeth on the back during their Buckingham Palace visit? America's royalty tends to make movies... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386244/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:08:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386240/posts WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, mindful of public anxiety over the government's mushrooming debt, is shifting emphasis from big-spending policies to deficit reduction. Domestic agencies have been told to brace for a spending freeze or cuts of up to 5 percent as part of a midterm election-year push to rein in record budget shortfalls. Yet with the economy still in distress and unemployment pushing past 10 percent, prospects for making a dent in a trillion-dollar-plus annual deficit seem slight. And since the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs would likely be shielded from such cuts, overtures toward trimming the deficit... Google http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386240/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:00:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386234/posts <p>Outraged New Yorkers said yesterday that admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other terrorists deserve to be put to death -- and some even volunteered for the job.</p> <p>"Kill them without a trial. Just a bullet in the head and say goodbye. Why waste taxpayer money?" said Thomas Pland, 70, a truck driver from Astoria, Queens.</p> NEW YORK POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386234/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:41:03 GMT