http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/news-news/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:44:36 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286835/posts Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! By Alan Caruba Monday, July 6, 2009 Sarah Palin’s stunning announcement on July 3rd that she would step down as Governor of Alaska at the end of the month left all the political pundits gazing into their crystal ball desperately looking for an explanation. The most obvious answer was the one she offered. She had done as much as she thought she could do for Alaska and now she wanted some time with her family. We are conditioned to never believe what politicians tell us and, in most cases, that is the wisest thing, but Palin breaks... Canada Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286835/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:44:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286834/posts Chalk up another strange twist in the Sarah Palin affair. Just when we thought blogger attacks on the Alaska guv would spike, her surprise resignation is being met with positive blog buzz. Whereas her "Zeta Buzz" was 54 percent negative before her weekend resignation press conference, it has since changed to 69 percent positive, say our friends at Zeta Interactive. Here's what they tell us about Palin: Over the past few weeks, the blogosphere has been flooded with information—celebrity deaths, rumors, speculation, gossip and commentary. On July 3, another topic made its way into online communities, chat rooms and social... US News and World Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286834/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:43:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286832/posts PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Bill Clinton aims to refocus international attention on this Caribbean country's deep economic problems and environmental decay during his first visit as the United Nations' special envoy to Haiti. The former U.S. president, who is expected to meet with Haitian President Rene Preval and visit hurricane-battered areas, is lending his prestige to the plight of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere as world attention has shifted to the global financial crisis and other trouble spots. He was scheduled to arrive late Monday, but no public events were planned until Tuesday, the United Nations said. AP via Google News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286832/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:39:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286831/posts President Barack Obama will throw out the first pitch at the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. President Obama will be the fourth U.S. President to throw out the first pitch at the Midsummer Classic joining John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford. President Obama will be the seventh U.S. President to attend the All-Star Game. The first U.S. President to attend an All-Star Game was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937. St. Louis Front Page http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286831/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:39:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286828/posts But the panic among mainstream media commentators and the GOP establishment suggests real worry that if she does, she might pull off an upset. Why else the vehement assertions that she's clearly made a terrible mistake? Why else the categorical insistence that her political career is finished? Aren't they all protesting too much? The media establishment didn't protest much about the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama. He gave a good speech at the 2004 Democratic convention, was elected to the Senate that fall, and immediately started running for president. He didn't accomplish much in his four years in the Senate... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286828/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:32:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286826/posts "Government Motors" is driving Americans away There is a groundswell of disdain for the federal bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler, even as polls show that a growing "Buy American" sentiment is boosting sales for the only Detroit automaker that avoided bankruptcy and federal rescue - Ford. "I won't buy a socialist car," columnist and radio talk-show host Hugh Hewitt thundered. Others agree - at least about GM. "Over the years, we have mostly been a General Motors family. Since GM has become Government Motors, we will never again buy a GM product," said William Crowley of Spicewood, Texas. However,... http://www.washingtontimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286826/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:29:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286825/posts Independence Hall Tea Party III was quite a success, surprising even to us. At the highest point 2100 people (a tad more than Philadelphia Tea Party II)were present. And people were coming and going through out. Over a thousand people signed our Tea Party Petitions on Cap and Trade, Health Care and EFCA,and to join Independence Hall Tea Party Association many also signing up for the Mother of all Tea Parties on 9/12. We were not permitted to collect money on Independence Hall territory, but if you were one of the people who signed up for a bus for 9/12,... Me http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286825/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:27:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286823/posts As you know, on July 4th, the U.S. joined other OAS member-states in unanimously deciding to suspend the right of Honduras to participate in the OAS. Our goal remains the restoration of the democratic order in Honduras. And we renew our call on all political and social actors in Honduras to find a peaceful solution to this crisis. We regret the necessity of this measure and look forward to the day when circumstances will allow the measure to be lifted and Honduras’ participation resumed. It’s important to note that under the provisions of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, this suspension does... State Department http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286823/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:26:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286818/posts In a new report, global aid agency Oxfam says impoverished communities like Nassapir are already being hit hard by the effects of global warming, including increased drought. Without international funding to help them cope and tough targets for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, the food, water, health and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of the world's poorest people will be put at even greater risk. Oxfam says interviews it carried out with farmers in 15 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America show that seasons are shrinking in number and variety. This is destroying harvests, pushing farmers to abandon traditional... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286818/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:23:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286817/posts Tennessee Planned Parenthood loses government funding for abortions Bob Diamond July 5, 7:05 PM .iconpanel a { text-decoration:none; color:#006699}; .iconpanel a:hover { text-decoration:none; color:#006699} .emailshowing { display:none}                There was a one-sided vote in both the Tennessee house and senate that removed Planned Parenthood’s decades long stranglehold on family planning funds in the Volunteer State.  Susan Allen of Tennessee Right to Life is thankful that Planned Parenthood will no longer receive the annual automatic nod from the state.  She commented that, "For approximately 40 years, Planned Parenthood was given preferential treatment in the Tennessee state law for getting family... Charlotte Christianity Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286817/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:22:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286815/posts Sarah Palin's political future seems to be in question now more than ever since she announced her resignation as Alaska's governor, but prominent conservative Rush Limbaugh says it is too early to count her out of the 2012 presidential race. "I don't think this precludes her running for office down the road, the presidency, in 2012, at all," Limbaugh said in a radio interview over the weekend with Brian Maloney of Radio Equalizer. "I think these people saying she's an instant target because she quit is just inside the beltway formulaic. And she's not that." Limbaugh echoed that sentiment: "If... CBS News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286815/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:18:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286814/posts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - To fairly divide the climate change fight between rich and poor, a new study suggests basing targets for emission cuts on the number of wealthy people, who are also the biggest greenhouse gas emitters, in a country. Since about half the planet's climate-warming emissions come from less than a billion of its people, it makes sense to follow these rich folks when setting national targets to cut carbon dioxide emissions, the authors wrote on Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study suggests setting a uniform international cap on how much carbon dioxide each... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286814/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:16:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286811/posts Reihan Salam, an influential young player in the effort to revive the Republican Party, writes this weekend that Sarah Palin's resignation is another sign of the fading culture wars: What does seem increasingly clear is that Palin's collapse represents the end of a certain kind of politics. If the culture war really is ending, culture warriors like Palin will fade from the scene. I can hear many mainstream Republicans sharing Salam's sigh of relief. I think they're fooling themselves. It's wishful thinking by the GOP's non-social conservatives, who want the party to double down on fiscal conservatism—especially now that Democratic... US News and World Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286811/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:07:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286810/posts 12:16 AM PDT, July 6, 2009 Reporting from Beijing -- China's worst ethnic violence in years broke out Sunday in the northwestern city of Urumqi, leaving 140 people dead and more than 800 injured, the state news agency Xinhua reported. The unrest pitted Uighurs, a long-aggrieved Muslim minority, against the Han Chinese, who increasingly dominate the far-flung Xinjiang region. With the death toll climbing over the course of the day, the violence appeared to be far deadlier than that last year in the Tibetan region. LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286810/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:07:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286807/posts It's always nice to see the leaders of the United States and Russia having a pleasant summit. But let's not fool ourselves into thinking the statements mean much. In July 2008, President Bush and Russian President Dimitri Medvedev had a meeting at the G8 summit: PRESIDENT MEDVEDEV: (As translated.) Well, indeed, we had this exchange today with George concerning various issues on the agenda of our relationship, including those of domestic importance, trade and investments, and internationally related matters, including those conflicts and crisis tendencies in the world. And true that on certain matters we do have differences originating from... NRO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286807/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:01:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286806/posts A very wise friend suggested to me that Obama's second term is an inevitability. I have to take issue with him because it seems all too clear to me that the president has abandoned the ironclad strategy for victory. What he should have done was to dedicate himself to fixing the banking/financial system, to restore its foundations, to bring about better rules, and to restore public confidence in the lifeblood of the system. Had he done that, eight years would have been a foregone conclusion. Instead, he has made the financial system an interesting sideline to go along with his... American Spectator http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286806/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:59:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286802/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - With health care legislation at a crossroads, the nation's hospitals are near agreement with a key lawmaker and the White House to pick up part of the cost of President Barack Obama's plan for expanded coverage, officials said Monday. The precise size of the deal was not available, although several days ago, talks were focused in the range of $150 billion to $155 billion over a decade. These officials said under the emerging agreement, hospitals would accept lower-than-anticipated payments under Medicare and Medicaid, the federal health care programs for seniors and the poor. breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286802/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:55:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286799/posts It is hard to consider a report with only 227 polled as being a total bogey for the whims and will of the nation. But Chief Executive magazine’s CEO Index that may show at least some concern even to those who would be fine with green shoots. The report shows the monthly CEO Index having pulled back by about 2% or 1.4 points to reading of 74.3 points for June. The reasons may be more interesting than the report, because this breaks 3 consecutive months of increases. This survey shows that CEOs are still wary about the current business climate.... Wall St 24/7 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286799/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:53:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286797/posts Perhaps in an effort to shore up his budgetary bona fides during a period of reckless spending, President Obama recently announced his goal to put the federal government on a budgetary diet. As Obama put it, under his plan “Congress can only spend a dollar if it saves a dollar elsewhere.” At first blush, all of this seems reasonable. Irrespective of party affiliation, Americans are upset with Washington’s utter lack of budget discipline, and any rule meant to rein in spending is something we should all endorse. But the problems with this pay-as-you-go budgeting, also known as “paygo,” are many.... Wall St 24/7 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286797/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:50:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286795/posts YAKIMA, Wash. — A Washington kindergarten teacher who sent a 5-year-old student home with a bag of feces tucked in his backpack has been formally reprimanded. A West Valley School District official warned teacher Sue Graham in a letter that similar behavior in the future will result in disciplinary action, including termination. FoxNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286795/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:45:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286793/posts The media sure knows how to pile it on. The elite eastern establishement sure knows how to scream. Many said , I never thought she had a chance anyway. I'm talking about rank and file republicans least of all the bloody murder screams from the left. So why the big fuss over the , let me quote , under qualified , sporadic diva , who needs years to study up before ever being ready to run for President? The fuss is because the first shots of the 2012 Presidential campaign have been fired and it's got the establishment on both... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286793/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:40:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286789/posts Sarah Palin's recent resignation from her post as governor of Alaska may have baffled many, but her intentions are clear, say two people who have carefully watched the determined politician for the past year. "She wants to be president of the United States, and she has not been coy about that," says CBS News' Scott Conroy, who followed Palin on the 2008 campaign trail. Conroy and Shushannah Walshe, who covered Palin for Fox News, both guests today on Washington Unplugged, will be releasing a book in January about Palin. In some respects, Palin's resignation was not very surprising, Conroy and... CBS News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286789/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:35:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286788/posts NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Nearly five months after President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a still-worsening economy has many wondering if stimulus is a bunch of baloney. In February, the stimulus bill was passed with the promise that funds would be paid out quickly to save or create 750,000 jobs by early August. Without it, the Obama administration said, unemployment could rise to 9% in 2010. With August quickly approaching, $56.3 billion, or 10% of stimulus funds have been paid out, and the unemployment rate has already risen to 9.5%. "This form of fiscal stimulus will... CNN Money http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286788/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:34:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286787/posts Over 850,000 copies sold! #1 on the NYTimes Bestseller List for 12 out of 13 weeks!Buy it… read it… live it!“Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny precisely because its principles are the founding principles.” --Mark Levin in Liberty and TyrannyWelcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a virtual FRink.Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic.com! You can call Mark’s show: 1-877-381-3811 The Mark Levin Show http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286787/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:29:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286783/posts KABUL, Afghanistan -- As Marine Corps forces roll into southern Afghanistan, they face an enemy familiar to US officials -- Mullah Zakir, a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who now leads a reconstituted Taliban. Abdul Qayum Zakir, also known as Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul, is from Helmand Province and has taken a circuitous route to become head of the radical Islamic group. Zakir was a senior fighter during the Taliban regime in the 1990s. In a memorandum prepared for his administrative review board at Guantanamo, Zakir apparently "felt it would be fine to wage jihad against Americans, Jews, or Israelis if they... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286783/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 21:24:29 GMT