Free Republic

For more than two years now, the U.S. government has barred me from entering the United States to pursue an academic career... First, I was told that I could not enter the country because I had endorsed terrorism and violated the USA Patriot Act. It took a lawsuit for the government eventually to abandon this baseless accusation. Later, I reapplied for a visa, twice, only to hear nothing for more than a year. Finally, just 10 days ago, after a federal judge forced the State Department to reconsider my application, U.S. authorities offered a new rationale for turning me away:...

The man accused of speeding through the streets of Fremont and San Francisco killing one man and injuring 19 others did not make his scheduled court appearance Thursday because he remains in the psychiatric ward at San Francisco General Hospital. Omeed Aziz Popal, 29, whose arraignment was scheduled for 9 a.m. at the San Francisco Superior Court Thursday, is accused of driving his SUV into 54-year-old Stephen J. Wilson of Fremont, killing him, and then driving into San Francisco and hitting as many as 14 to 19 people. The number of victims and criminal charges continues to change in the...

One person was killed and at least 14 others injured when a rampaging man intentionally targeted pedestrians with his sport utility vehicle in San Francisco and Fremont on Tuesday afternoon, according to police. The driver, Omeed Aziz Popal, 29, of Fremont, was taken into custody on suspicion of 14 counts of attempted murder and one count of willful flight after causing serious injury or death, according to San Francisco police Sgt. Neville Gittens. The spree apparently began around noon across the bay, where Fremont Police Sgt. Chris Mazzone said a 55-year old man was struck and killed by a black...

Suit Backing Muslim Scholar Challenges Part of Patriot Act By JULIA PRESTON Citing the case of a prominent Swiss Muslim scholar who has been barred from the United States, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit today seeking to strike down a clause of the USA Patriot Act that bans foreigners who endorse terrorist activity from traveling to this country. The suit was filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan on behalf of the scholar, Tariq Ramadan, and three national organizations of academics or writers who have invited him to speak to their members. The groups, including the...

An unknown Iraqi group has issued a video of four western hostages calling them spies, Al Jazeera television has reported.It comes after it was revealed that kidnapped peace activist Norman Kember gave an interview shortly before his trip to Iraq, telling how he wanted to meet ordinary Iraqis.The 74-year-old told Premier Christian Radio: "I hope to meet ordinary Iraqis of various backgrounds, Shi'ites, Sunnis, Christians and and just hear their stories, then come back and talk about it."Interviewer Rob Frost asked him whether he considered going to Iraq to be brave.Mr Kember replied: "I don't know, I've done a lot...

Might be the break!

EAST CHICAGO — A bomb explosion on Cline Avenue near Interstate 94 rocked the area Wednesday night and tied up traffic for hours. No injuries from the blast were reported. Police were notified of a possible bomb in the back of a car about 7:45 p.m. at Cline Avenue north of Columbus Avenue. Authorities cleared the expressway and the surrounding area before attempting to detonate the device about 9 p.m. Lake County police were still gathering information late Wednesday. Police spokesman Mike Higgins said East Chicago police received a call about a domestic disturbance involving a weapon. During a traffic...

It was about midday when a young Palestinian woman from the refugee camp of Jabalya in Gaza approached an Israeli checkpoint clutching a special permit to visit a doctor on the other side of the border.The girl had big, brown eyes and her black hair was tied in a ponytail, but it was the strangeness of her gait that attracted the attention of the security officials at the Erez crossing, the main transit point between Israel and the Gaza Strip. When a soldier asked her to remove her long, dark cloak, she turned to face him. All her movements were...

Despite the distribution of a video of the Arab suicide bomber who intended to blow up a hospital by the IDF, nearly all foreign news agencies chose to boycott the story altogether. An outraged former undersecretary to US President Ronald Reagan and candidate for Republican Presidential nominee, Gary Bauer wrote a scathing critique of the world media’s decision to avoid the story. Excerpts from Bauer’s letter: ”If you don't get the Fox News Channel then you didn't see any of the dramatic footage of the Israeli army's arrest yesterday of a 21-year old, female Palestinian homicide-bomber, strapped with 25 pounds...

03/23/2003 All The News That's Fit To Print? - Part I As the world's most important daily newspaper, the New York Times is disproportionately influential in framing the public and diplomatic discourse on many issues, both in the U.S. and beyond. This is particularly true with regard to the Middle East, given how much space it allocates to the subject. One of the great myths of modern journalism, particularly outside the U.S., is that the New York Times is "pro-Israel." In fact, it would be truer to say that the opposite is the case - to a greater extent than...