Free Republic

Majority Democrats in the California Assembly have rejected two amendments that would have allowed schools to fire any employee discovered to be part of an extremist terror network and require users of school facilities to affirm they are not terrorists. A report from Karen England at the Capital Resource Institute said the amendments were submitted by assemblymen Martin Garrick and Chuck DeVore to a plan that also would allow members of the Communist Party to teach in public schools. "I am appalled that Democrat lawmakers will not agree to these commonsense amendments," said England, executive director of CRFI. "My son...

Daytona Beach is dying a slow death due to widespread corruption and abuses in City Hall. When will this stop? The State Attorney, who shares a lot of the same campaign contributors that have caused many of the abuses, refuses to instigate an investigation in spite of the overwhelming evidence and multiple criminal complaints from citizens. The Daytona Post

About two dozen demonstrators gathered outside a D.C. Zoning Commission meeting last night to object to plans to place a day-laborer center in a Northeast shopping plaza. "I do not want to see a day-labor center in the area," said Pat Smith, a program analyst who lives a block from the proposed site, near a Home Depot at 901 Rhode Island Ave. NE. "I don't want to see my taxpaying dollars going to illegal immigrants." D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr., Ward 5 Democrat, plans to spend $500,000 in city funds for the project, which he says would also provide...

A hearing on this matter was held on August 6, 2007 at a JP courthouse in Bisbee, Arizona. Several things have been reinforced: (1) The Mexican Consulate is the engine behind this ridiculous prosecution. They take great pride in destroying the careers and lives of Border Patrol agents. They have an agenda (open borders and zero immigration enforcement), and they bully our weak American government counterparts into doing their bidding. It’s sickening. (2) The alleged victim in this case was a gang-banger. He was wearing gloves when he threatened Agent Corbett with a rock. The Cochise County Sheriff’s Department did...

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa condemned the Police Department's use of force against demonstrators and reporters at an immigration rally, saying he was "deeply, personally troubled" by the clash. The mayor returned home Friday after cutting short a trade mission to El Salvador and Mexico amid criticism for being out of town since Tuesday's melee at MacArthur Park. "Like every Angeleno I was deeply, personally troubled by the events of May 1st," the mayor said at City Hall. "Those images hit me in the gut. "... We don't need a long and lengthy investigation to stand up and speak...

CAIRO, Egypt - A new video of al-Qaida's No. 2 leader released on Saturday mocks President Bush and U.S. legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, saying the bill would rob the group's fighters of the chance to kill more Americans. Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahri derided the new U.S.-backed Baghdad security plan, recounting an April 12 suicide bombing in Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone when an attacker slipped through security and killed a Sunni legislator in the Iraqi parliament's cafeteria. An al-Qaida-led amalgam of Sunni insurgents in Iraq claimed responsibility. "And lest Bush worry, I congratulate...

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney says he is "willing to bet" that Democratic lawmakers will back down and approve a war-spending bill that doesn't call for U.S. troops to leave Iraq. Top Democratic leaders shot back that Cheney has lost all public credibility. With President Bush and Congress in a stalemate — he plans to veto legislation that orders U.S. troops home, which the House and Senate plan to send him — both sides are looking ahead. In an interview broadcast Sunday, Cheney predicted the Democrats will blink. He said Congress will end up passing a "clean" bill that...

Former President Clinton defends his record on terrorism in heated interview with Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace (photo: Fox News Sunday) If Bill Clinton was really offended by Fox News Channel's Chris Wallace about his efforts to get Osama bin Laden and fight terror, he's really going to be incensed about a new series of TV commercials set to air on national news programs this week. The first 30-second spot, "Defending Freedom," http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzTQMjkVtcI commends President Bush's actions in Iraq and Afghanistan and blasts Clinton for not making the fight against terror a priority. It is produced by Move...

No sooner had Air Spitzer been grounded than the attorney general-cum-gubernatorial candidate found himself caught in an electrical storm. Eliot Spitzer has said that from now on he'll pay full price for flights in private jets, as the law has required all along. Mr. Spitzer had previously attempted to take cover behind a haze of technicalities to obscure his campaign's troubles with state lobbying and campaign finance laws when it comes to air transportation, as our Jacob Gershman has reported over the past week. Then the lightning started. The electrical storm centers on the fact, reported by the Associated Press,...

WASHINGTON - The Senate's immigration proposal would cost $49 billion over the next five years and $127 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The majority of the costs would be for increased enforcement, such as hiring more Border Patrol officers and building more detention facilities. The legislation would offer a chance at citizenship for millions of immigrants. Spending on government benefits programs, including refundable tax credits for the working poor, would rise by $16 billion for the years 2007-11, and by $48 billion over the decade, the CBO said in a report released over the...

[Amother writer on NRO] is absolutely right - not the [post] on Sheena Easton, the one on immigration (though he's right on Sheena, too). But how about some of you natives piling on? I assumed NR's transplanted British Empire wallahs were steamed about this because we were foolish enough to check the wrong box and come here as legal immigrants - which, believe me, is a mistake I wouldn't make again. But this bill moves not just legal immigrants but U.S. citizens to the back of the bus. The undocumented guys only have to pay taxes for any three out...

HONEST KPD personnel have turned over police documents that prove corrupt police have conspired and targeted PINKERTON in an attempt to make PINKERTON a victim of malfeasances' and conspiracy to maliciously prosecute. Pinkerton has posted these files on his website.

INVASION USAU.S. alerting Mexico to Minuteman patrols'Unbelievable that our own government....is sending intelligence to another country' Posted: May 9, 2006 11:37 a.m. Eastern © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com The U.S. Border Patrol is tipping off Mexican authorities on the positions of members of the Minuteman civilian patrols. U.S. officials have agreed to the notification process to reassure the Mexican government that the illegal immigrants' rights are being observed, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin of Ontario, Calif., reports. When the Minuteman and other civilian border patrol groups help apprehend illegal immigrants, the Mexican government must be notified, according to three documents on the...

NEW ORLEANS — At least one of the experts testifying before a Senate panel investigating the levee failures said that the problems with the city’s flood control system could go beyond design flaws. Raymond Seed, an investigator for the National Science Foundation, told members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs today that engineers are looking into claims that workers didn’t follow design specifications when they built certain sections of levee that were breached. “We are receiving some very disturbing reports from the people involved in some of these projects that suggest that perhaps not just...

DALLAS -- The Dallas Police Department's search for a few good men and women continues, but the department is also turning down several candidates who moved to North Texas in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Background investigations revealed some of the candidates deserted their posts and evacuated New Orleans when they were needed most.Deputy Chief Floyd Simpson said those are not the kind of officers that the city of Dallas is looking for. "In law enforcement, in the military, deserting your post is considered, well, it's not a good thing," said Simpson. The Dallas Police Department insists all new recruits...

2:47pm 10/19/05 Court issues warrant for DeLay, sets bail: AP By William L. Watts WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- A Texas court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and set his bail at $10,000 in a routine step before his first court appearance on conspiracy and state money laundering charges, the Associated Press reported. The issuance of the warrant is "a matter of routine and bond will be posted," DeLay attorney Dick DeGuerin told the A.P. The lawyer said DeLay would make his first court appearance Friday morning. DeLay, who remains a member of...

Rep. Tom DeLay will likely be booked in a Texas county jail this week despite attempts by his attorneys to bypass the fingerprinting and mug shot process. The former House majority leader was forced to step down from the post last month when he was indicted by a Texas grand jury. DeLay initially was charged with conspiracy to violate the election code and days later was indicted on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to launder money in an alleged illegal scheme to funnel corporate money to Republican Texas legislative candidates. DeLay's arraignment is set for Friday before state district...

Federal agents and district attorney's investigators descended on San Francisco's controversy-plagued building department Thursday and led away a longtime city employee in handcuffs after arresting him on felony bribery charges. Augustine Fallay, head of the Department of Building Inspection's one- stop permit program, faces 10 counts of bribery and three counts of perjury resulting from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Francisco district attorney's office. Fallay, 47, had worked for years as an official in the planning department before transferring to Building Inspection in 2001. There he had been manager of the 10-member one-stop permit...

Attached is e-mail coorespondence with someone who was outraged and the treasurer of the school board. This is how they look on parents and children, not as someone they are serving but subjects to command and cow into obedience. Maybe you didn't find the suspension outrageous, but this response is that much more outrageous. It's dripping contempt for the public for having a say and a criticism of them is too much. The absolute ridicule of a servicewoman trying to talk to her son and the son who wants to talk to his mom is beyond description. This is beyond...

The county attorney's office has some explaining to do. Why are hundreds of drug cases being dropped and now, Eyewitness News 4 has learned that more than 300 summonses involving domestic violence haven't been served. This latest problem, involving domestic violence cases, could be particularly troubling for County Attorney Barbara LaWall. Lawall has run for office on a platform to fight domestic violence. Yesterday, Eyewitness News 4 broke the story that the county attorney's office was dropping over 500 drug cases. A letter went out to law enforcement agencies telling them about the drug cases the county attorney's office is...

President Bush's call to allow Americans to take a portion of the money they pay as Social Security taxes to set up private retirement accounts has to be a good idea. Why? The more of what a person earns that's in his pocket and under his control, the better off he will be. At a later date, when the details of the president's plans are known, I'll address the various reform plans under debate. For now, let's look at some of the gross political deceit, lies and unkept promises that have become a part of Social Security. Here's what a...

Guest columnist King County voters in good hands By Corky Mattingly Special to The Times I've been particularly troubled by one recurring comment regarding the gubernatorial recount in King County. It pertains to county Elections Director Dean Logan's professionalism and integrity. There also have been suggestions that Logan's decisions are based on partisan politics and are without justification or regard to Washington state law. As president of the Washington State Association of County Auditors, I assure you nothing could be further from the truth. All 39 counties conducted the recount process according to the rules currently in place, which are...

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has long been rumored as desperately seeking the democratic nomination for president in 2008. And while many political observers fully expect the power hungry former First Lady to hit the campaign trail within only a few months of being re-elected as a US Senator in 2006, US News & World report claims to have a confirmation of sorts. From USNews.Com's Washington Whispers: Hillary's in… You don't have to take it from us about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton 's desire to run for president. Her brothers, Hugh and Tony Rodham, say it's true. Friends...

The trumpeted sexual harassment suit against Gov. James McGreevey by former aide Golan Cipel would no doubt be the most sensational employment case in state history. The threat alone led the governor to resign and acknowledge that he is gay. So who did Cipel, identified by McGreevey aides as the man with whom the governor had a consensual, adulterous affair, turn to as his lawyer? (snip) (Allen) Lowy has no visible labor and employment experience, is not admitted in New Jersey and, according to a close friend and colleague, is not a litigator. Lowy has brought on co-counsel, but that...

Whistleblower Coming In Cold From the F.B.I. by Gail Sheehy Sibel Edmonds says she was shocked at the lack of security in the F.B.I.?s counterintelligence squad when she went to work there shortly after Sept. 11. But when she spoke up, she was canned. Gail Sheehy tells her story.

Jim Robinson is taking his supporters for a huge ride. Even though he's using this ancient perl/CGI format(that has changed 3 times in 6 years), there's no way in hell it costs $260,000 a year to run FreeRepublic unless Robinson is paying himself and his family at least $225,000 a year. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/budget Monthly Expenses Bandwidth $2,700 Technical Services 4,000 Administrative 7,500 Legal Expenses 3,000 Estimated Bank Fees, Insurance, Office Expenses, Maintenance and Repairs, Supplies, Travel, misc. 2,200 $2700 a month for bandwidth? What, he has his own dedicated T1/T3 lines? $48,000 a year for "Technical Services?" You could hire three...

An audit of the Palestinian Authority revealed that President Yasser Arafat had diverted US$900 million in public funds to a special bank account he controlled and most of the money was later invested in Palestinian assets, an International Monetary Fund official said Saturday. Karim Nashashibi, IMF resident representative in the West Bank and Gaza, credited openness and transparency in the Palestinian Authority's accounting under Finance Minister Salam Fayad for disclosing the transfers between 1995 and 2000. The large majority of the money was invested in Palestinian assets at home and abroad, Nashashibi said. A Palestinian Investment Fund was established to...

Patron Saints of Desperate, Forgotten, Impossible or Lost Causes Saint Philomena Little is known of her life, and the information was have was received by private revelation from her. Martyred at about age 14 in the early days of the Church. In 1802 the remains of a young woman were found in the catacomb of Saint Priscilla on the Via Salaria. It was covered by stones, the symbols on which indicated that the body was a martyr named Saint Philomena. The bones were exhumed, cataloged, and effectively forgotten since there was so little known about the person. In 1805 Canon...

Charles Krauthammer is exceptional man. A psychiatrist by training, he has left his original profession to become a celebrated pundit, applying his unique insights into the world of the demented to the word of the truly demented -- international politics. In a recent syndicated column Bracing for the Apocalypse, Dr. Krauthammer provides us with his chilling diagnosis of humankind's current chances for longevity and pronounces the situation terminal -- unless forceful action is taken immediately. Even more interesting (and just as chilling), he posits a hypothesis regarding the origins of our current terminal condition, tracing the terror and apocalyptic threat...

Throughout my college career I was lucky to have studied under some well-known, very knowledgeable history professors. These were men of integrity and vision, who taught their classes with passion and honesty. These learned scholars provided me with the tools I needed to seek the truth of the past and the willingness and interest to explore the lessons of my forefathers. I graduated Johns Hopkins in the spring of 1993. During my four-year stay at Hopkins there were a few attempts to hijack history and political science by “progressives” who wanted to force students to specifically view the world through...

The current joint Senate-House committee hearings on the intelligence failings leading up to the tragic events of 9/11 appear to be continuing a typical political tradition on Capital Hill -- spinning political wheels in the service of appearing to do something, while accomplishing absolutely nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. To this observer anyway, that's seems to be the best description of all the manufactured sound and fury emanating from these current joint congressional hearings into pre-9/11 intelligence failures. The biggest problem is that the hearings aren't "hearing" from the appropriate sources. Everyone from the current lame-duck FBI director to the current...