http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/mi-news/ en-us Tue, 5 Jan 2010 20:49:14 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421650/posts Retail Sales of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac Up 13 Percent GM Retail Market Share Increased Two Share Points in Q4 vs. Q3 U.S. Dealer Inventory Reaches 385,000 – Lowest Year-End Level on Record DETROIT – GM dealers in the U.S. reported 160,996 retail deliveries in December – a 7 percent increase compared to last year, and a 50 percent increase over last month. Retail sales of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac brands were 146,419 – up 13 percent for the month. In total, GM dealers in the U.S. delivered 208,511 vehicles in December. This represents a total sales decline... Media.GM.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421650/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 20:49:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421641/posts FORD CAPS 2009 WITH 33 PERCENT SALES INCREASE, FIRST FULL-YEAR MARKET SHARE GAIN SINCE 1995 •Ford, Lincoln and Mercury December sales up 33 percent versus a year ago; highest sales month since May 2008 •Ford posts first full-year market share gain since 1995; December marks the 14th time in 15 months that Ford increased retail market share •Record December sales delivered for Fusion (up 83 percent) and Escape (up 75 percent) ; Fusion sets new full-year sales record (180,671); Escape full-year sales (173,044) second best ever •Ford’s F-Series tops best-seller lists again with December sales of 48,209 (up 16 percent)... Media.Ford.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421641/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 20:40:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421496/posts Ford Motor Co. posted a 33% rise in December U.S. light-vehicle sales, ending a stellar year for the auto maker compared with its rivals. Ford recorded its first full-year market-share gain since 1995. Meanwhile, Chrysler Group LLC posted a 3.7% decline and said its full-year sales were the worst the auto maker had seen in 47 years. Shares in Ford were up 7.1% to $11.01 at midday on the New York Stock Exchange, reaching the highest level since August 2005. Ford put its U.S. market share at about 15% for the year—about one percentage point higher than 2008. December's sales... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421496/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 18:07:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421473/posts Debbie Schlussel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421473/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 17:37:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421209/posts I'm only posting the link, because I don't know what's allowed from WWJ News. Cherry May not Seek Governor's Seat WWJ News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421209/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 10:23:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421112/posts The Northwest Flight 253 bombing attempt has once again reignited the debate over using profiling as a security technique. Many have pointed out over the years that ethnic profiling could have stopped the attacks of September 11. And it probably could have. But profiling alone is not the solution. First of all let's concede that America's intelligence capabilities are virtually useless. Shoe bomber Richard Reid was spotted by the Israelis. British intelligence knew about Umar. Nidal Malik Hasan did everything but walk around within the military establishment carrying a sign, "I Will Kill You All". And had he even actually... Sultan Knish http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421112/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 04:20:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2420057/posts ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Two contrasting images of Michele Obama are on display at the University of Michigan as part of the Clements Library's exhibition "Reframing the Color Line." The first shows the first lady in her official portrait, smiling and wearing a sleeveless dress with a string of pearls. In the background is an out-of-fucus of Thomas Jefferson, the president who wrote the Declaration of Independence while owning slaves. The second image is a cartoon from a cover of The New Yorker magazine. chicagotribune.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2420057/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 17:47:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419463/posts ... [M]eet Umar Abdulmutallab’s lawyer, Miriam Siefer, whose salary you are paying. [...] During the Detroit terror cell case, she represented Karim Koubriti, an Islamic terrorist in a cell, which plotted to blow up the U.S. Air Force Base in Turkey, where U.S. AWACS and Israeli F-16s are based and from where they took off. They also plotted to blow up hotels and casinos in Las Vegas and planned to detonate in Disneyland. During the course of her “representation” of terrorist Koubriti, Siefer and her fellow public defender, Richard Helfrick a/k/a Rick Helfrick (who will probably also assist her in... DebbieSchlussel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419463/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 14:07:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419097/posts Starting today, January 1, 2010, General Motors will be freed of billions in health care liabilities. Last May, as part of GM’s efforts to restructure out of court, they and the United Auto Workers union agreed to an amended version of the 2007 contract. Included in those revisions were for the union to take over nearly all of members’ health care costs. Prior to today GM was liable for nearly $2 billion per quarter in health care costs related to both active and retired UAW members. Starting today the UAW’s Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA) Trust will take over responsibility... gminsidenews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419097/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 19:50:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418925/posts One of the most important things to remember about socialism – or coercion of any kind – is it fails eventually because human beings have an innate desire for liberty and a strong need for personal property rights. In fact, the origins of government lie in the need of agricultural communities to protect themselves from violence and theft. So it is particularly ironic that in more recent times, it is government itself that has more frequently played the role of bandit. When you start taxing people at extreme rates to pay for socialist “benefits,” when you start telling them which... Whiskey and Gunpowder http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418925/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 14:18:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418821/posts SPRING HILL, Tenn. - For more than 20 years General Motors was the driving force behind much of Middle Tennessee's growth. In 2009, government bailouts, bankruptcy and company restructuring took a toll. The day before Thanksgiving, GM closed most of its' Spring Hill Plant. More than 1,000 workers lost their job. GM's decision to shut down the Spring Hill Plant did not happen overnight. For the first half of 2009 corporate officials weighed their options behind closed doors. The company could keep production of the Chevy Traverse in Spring Hill or move the product to plants in Michigan or Wisconsin.... Nashville Channel 5 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418821/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 05:21:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418409/posts Following up on a visit from FBI officials about an eyewitness account first described to MLive.com, Michigan attorney Kurt Haskell described the visit in comment sections across MLive on Wednesday. Haskell and his wife, Lori, were aboard Flight 253 when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab allegedly tried to destroy the plane. They say another man tried to help Abdulmutallab board the plane in Amsterdam. "Today is the second worst day of my life after 12-25-09. Today is the day that I realized that my own country is lying to me and all of my fellow Americans. Let me explain. Ever since I... Mlive.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418409/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:45:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418214/posts Intelligence efforts are said to be focused on finding those involved in the plot to get Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on the Northwest Airlines plane with explosives in his underwear. Security officials are also likely to identify other "high value" al Qaeda targets who could be the target of strikes. The suggestion comes as US President Barack Obama condemned the "systemic failures" that saw intelligence about a Nigerian trained in Yemen planning a bomb attack squandered with the potential cost of hundreds of lives. Mr Obama called for "lessons to be learned" over the failures to link up intelligence. The... The London Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418214/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:48:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418083/posts The more pro-abortion leaders attempt to silence opposition to the pro-abortion Senate bill, the more people speak out. Rep. Bart Stupak informed Greta Van Susteren of FOX News that the White House told him to keep silent on abortion until the President had a chance to walk him through the pro-abortion Nelson-Reid Amendment. Stupak responded, "I don't need you to walk me through the amendment. I can read, and this amendment is unacceptable." He went on to explain his objections to the Senate bill: -- It recognizes abortion as a benefit covered under disease prevention (by this logic, the baby... Susan B. Anthony List (SuzyB.org) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418083/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:13:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417594/posts A person was detained by customs at Detroit Metro Airport on Friday following Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's alleged attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, according to a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is unknown why the person was detained or whether the person will face any charges, spokesman Ron Smith told MLive.com. Bill Carter, a spokesman with the FBI in Washington, D.C., said in an interview Tuesday that Abdulmutallab was the only person arrested or charged in relation to Friday's foiled attack. MLive.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417594/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:15:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417316/posts Candidate Rick Snyder criticizes opponent for governor Pete Hoekstra for citing attempted Detroit terrorist attack in fundraising letterU.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra was blasted Monday for using an attempted terrorism attack to raise money for his campaign for governor. A fundraising solicitation Hoekstra's campaign e-mailed Monday criticized the response by President Barack Obama administration's to a failed attempt to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 as it neared landing at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The solicitation showed poor judgment, according to a campaign spokesman for Rick Snyder, an Ann Arbor venture capitalist and 2010 Republican gubernatorial candidate. Grand Rapids Press File PhotoRick... Mlive.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417316/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:54:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416029/posts New population figures give a boost to the GOP By: Chris StirewaltPolitical EditorDecember 28, 2009 The 2010 census is sure to be controversial.Republicans will thunder about the community organizers who get hired to do the counting, and Democrats will wail that the homeless and migrant workers are undercounted.But in the final pre-count estimate just released by the Census Bureau, we already have a broad idea of where the results are headed and what they will mean politically.The numbers are cause for alarm for Democrats.Of the states gaining House seats -- Texas (three) and Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah... Washington Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416029/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:44:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416527/posts Europe We Hardly Knew Ye By Norma Zager “The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay, I heard the laughter of her heart in every street café. The last time I saw Paris, her trees were dressed for spring, And lovers walked beneath those trees and birds found songs to sing...” Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein. The latest terrorist attempt on a Northwest Airlines plane bound for Detroit is the greatest example and warning to the world that a sleeping giant has awakened. We are all bursting with pride. Obviously, the terrorist had no idea what... "Postcards from Israel - Postcards from America" http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416527/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:45:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416439/posts Cell phone-related materials, including SIM cards, were recovered during searches of "flats or apartments of interest" connected to Flight 253 bomber suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Fox News learned Monday. SIM cards, which store cell phone numbers and incoming or outgoing calls, may be able to determine who was talking to whom in the months and days prior to Abdulmutallab's flight from Nigeria to Detroit. Catherine Herridge - FOXNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416439/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:27:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416364/posts DETROIT (WXYZ) - A hearing that had been scheduled for today in the case of the suspected terrorist who investigators say tried to blow up a Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit has been cancelled. No reason for the cancellation has been given. Prosecutors were expected to ask for a DNA sample from Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. He was not going to be in court for the hearing. Abdulmutallab's court appointed attorneys say they will fight the request. wxyz.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416364/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:32:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416163/posts Every year around Christmastime, the Census Bureau releases its population estimates for each state for the 12 months ending on July 1. The numbers look dry on a sheet of paper (or on an Excel spreadsheet on your computer), but they tell some vivid stories. The more so when they reflect, as the numbers for 2008-09 do, the effects of a sharp downward shift in the nation’s economy. Given the recession, it’s not a surprise that percentage growth, at 0.86 percent, was the lowest in this decade, just a tad below the rate in 2002-03, and well below the peak... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416163/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:48:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416089/posts The latest numbers from the Census Bureau show that there is a mass exodus of taxpayers happening in all the most liberal states. This means that such states are not only losing urgently needed revenues at the worst possible time, but also representation both in the electoral college and in the House. As I have noted before, studies also unsurprisingly show that these states are the most bankrupt. This is how liberals "help" people. As usual, California topped off the list. Even including the illegal immigrants perpetually pouring into the state, it still managed to lose almost 100,000 more residents... The Macon County Conservative Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416089/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:13:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416004/posts Investigators combed through Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's history Sunday in hopes of learning how the British-educated son of a Nigerian bank executive ended up carrying what authorities said was a bomb onto a Michigan-bound jetliner. Abdulmutallab was released from a hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Sunday after being treated for burns, according to Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Detroit, Michigan. The 23-year-old is charged with attempting to set off an explosive device aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from the Netherlands shortly before its landing in Detroit on Christmas Day, and was being held in... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416004/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:53:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415977/posts <p>Investigators piecing together a brazen attempt to bring down a trans-Atlantic airliner said Sunday the suspect tucked a small bag holding his deadly concoction on his body, using an explosive that would have been easily detected with the right airport equipment.</p> Associated Press on Washington Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415977/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:23:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415943/posts On the city's east side, where auto workers once assembled cars by the millions, nature is taking back the land. Cottonwood trees grow through the collapsed roofs of homes stripped clean for scrap metal. Wild grasses carpet the rusty shells of empty factories, now home to pheasants and wild turkeys. This green veil is proof of how far this city has fallen from its industrial heyday and, to a small group of investors, a clear sign. Detroit, they say, needs to get back to what it was before Henry Ford moved to town: farmland. "There's so much land available and... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415943/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:08:59 GMT