http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/news-news/ en-us Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:07:17 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385334/posts Washington responded on Thursday to the revelation of a split between its top civilian and military officials in Afghanistan by stressing the need for an “exit strategy” for US troops stationed in the country. The move came as Robert Gates, defence secretary, fulminated against the latest leaks of the administration’s internal deliberations over the strategy for Afghanistan. “It’s important to fully examine not just how we’re going to get folks in but how we’re going to get folks out,” said Robert Gibbs, White House spokesman, in the wake of a warning by Karl Eikenberry, US ambassador to Kabul, against an... The Financial Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385334/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:07:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385333/posts Abdul Walid Hamid pled not guilty Thursday morning to charges of battery, grand theft, exhibition of a deadly weapon and a possible hate crime. Police arrested the 22-year-old Hayward man Nov. 4 after he reportedly robbed a person and scared others at Stoneridge Shopping Center. Hamid's family posted bail, which was set at $27,000 bail, following an arraignment Tuesday. He is scheduled to appear for a pretrial at 9 a.m. Dec. 17 in department 703 of the Pleasanton court house. Calling it a bizarre case, Deputy District Attorney Ronda Theisen asked that Hamid be ordered to stay out of the... The Pleasanton Weekly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385333/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:06:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385332/posts Asian Shares Open Mixed, With Japan Down On Consumer Woes REUTERS Published: November 12, 2009 TOKYO — The Nikkei 225 stock average in Tokyo lost 0.5 percent on Friday, weighed down by selling of exporters like the Sony Corporation after concerns about consumer spending hit Wall Street and the yen strengthened slightly against the dollar. Shares in Hong Kong rose, with the Hang Seng opening up about 0.6 percent, while stocks in Shanghai were flat. U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as a stronger dollar weighed on commodity-linked shares and a guarded outlook from Wal-Mart Stores led to worries about consumer... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385332/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385329/posts A jury sentenced an Arkansas man to life in prison without parole for killing a television anchor, officials said Thursday. The Pulaski County, Arkansas, jury on Wednesday convicted Curtis Lavelle Vance, 29, of capital murder, residential burglary, rape and theft of property in the October 2008 slaying of Anne Pressly, 26. Pressly, the morning news anchor for CNN affiliate KATV, was found beaten and unconscious in her home. She died five days later... Prosecutor Larry Jegley said the jury gave Vance "everything they could give him except the death penalty..." Among the defense witnesses presented Thursday was Vance's mother, who... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385329/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:51:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385326/posts A Somali man from Minneapolis being held in a Dutch jail on suspicion of bankrolling terrorist activities has been identified by sources in the Twin Cities Somali community as Mohamud Said Omar, 43. Government officials in Amsterdam and federal authorities in Minneapolis would not confirm the identity of the man being held in the Netherlands. But several sources there and here say Omar, who is known by the nickname "Shariif," is the man in custody. Dutch authorities said in a statement that U.S. prosecutors suspect the man of bankrolling the purchase of weapons for Islamic extremists and helping other Somalis... StarTribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385326/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:43:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385324/posts Don't Fool Yourself: America Is Now A Communist Nation Politics / US Politics Nov 12, 2009 - 01:39 AM By: DailyWealth At last year's Alliance Conference, I urged folks to buy stocks – vehemently... It was the most bullish I've been in my entire life. But now I feel the opposite way. When the facts change, I change my mind. I never thought we'd see the government running $2 trillion deficits, taking over health care, owning all the banks... The stock market seems to believe the government can solve all of our problems with paper money and bureaucratic mandates. My... The Market Oracle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385324/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:32:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385323/posts A bright blue sky could not hide the gray shadows of pain that marked the eyes of the families of the victims of the "9/11" terrorist attack that found themselves in Arazim Park in Jerusalem on Thursday. They had gathered together with international dignitaries and Israeli leaders to dedicate a new monument to the their loved ones, who lost their lives in the senseless 2001 attack on America by the Al Qaeda terrorist organization... Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385323/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:23:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385317/posts Today I received a phone call from my friend, Gary H., who said that ACORN was staging a protest outside the Fox News studios in West Los Angeles. I called someone at the Fox News bureau to find out that there were no protesters there, but quickly realized ACORN had gotten that wrong too. They were protesting in front of FOX Television Center, the home of local affiliate KTTV. ***** snip ***** As we headed back to our cars, Gary H. was shaking. I asked if he was OK. He said he had to play me the audio of one... BigGovernment.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385317/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:03:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385315/posts Let’s keep this simple. Word got out today via Politico that the RNC’s health care package for their employees covers abortions. At the risk of belaboring the obvious, if you at any time have donated to the RNC since 1991 (when this policy apparently took place), some incremental portion of your donation went to the administrative costs of running the RNC, including employee salaries and benefits packages. Part of “benefits packages” in this context is apparently a health care package that pays for abortions. For thirty years, we have fought tooth and nail to prevent our tax money from being... RedState.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385315/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:59:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385314/posts Don't assume that the 38 Democrats who voted against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's extremist version of healthcare reform wouldn't have supported it if their votes had been needed. The days before the final passage on Saturday were not filled with stirring appeals to get Democrats to back the bill so much as an auction to decide whom to let off the hook. Knowing that the bill probably be political suicide for any red-state Democratic member of Congress, particularly the freshmen, the House leadership had to negotiate with its members to assure that the 38 defectors were the ones who needed... newsmax.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385314/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:56:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385309/posts It’s not likely, but a huge embarrassment to Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama could be shaping up in the 23rd Congressional District of New York. Doug Hoffman, the Conservative party candidate, conceded the race on election night when he was told that, with 93 percent of the vote counted, he was 5,300 votes behind and had barely carried his stronghold of Oswego County. In fact he carried Oswego by 1,748 votes and, thanks to the recanvass, is now only 3,000 votes behind the Democratic candidate, Bill Owens. On election night, he was behind Owens by 300 votes in Jefferson County.... Commentary http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385309/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:51:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385308/posts LOCK HAVEN - It's been almost four months since Valerie Teresa Heidt, 12, of Hublersburg, died in a fatal boat crash on the Susquehanna River and an intensive investigation began. This morning, Clinton County District Attorney Michael F. Salisbury said that probe is nearing an end and he will be meeting with officials today to discuss time tables and charging options. Salisbury said his office was contacted Tuesday by the private New Jersey firm conducting the crash reconstruction segment of the investigation and has been informed that the report is in the "final stages and should be received within the... The Lock Haven Express http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385308/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:45:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385307/posts Two leaked classified cables from the US Ambassador in Kabul voicing grave concern about sending more American troops to Afghanistan have exposed open conflict inside President Obama’s national security team over his war strategy. The contents of the cables, passed to The Washington Post and The New York Times yesterday by three officials, also highlighted growing uncertainty inside the White House about how to prosecute the war, amid deep concerns over the corruption of Hamid Karzai’s Government. The cables put the Ambassador, Karl Eikenberry — a retired general who in 2007 was the top military commander in Afghanistan — starkly... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385307/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:41:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385305/posts A year after 26/11, no takers for bodies of nine slain terrorists IANS 12 November 2009 MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Almost a year after they were killed during the terror assault on Mumbai last November, the bodies of the nine terrorists continue to remain in Mumbai's J.J. Hospital morgue. There are no claimants and the authorities are clueless on what to do with them. They continue to remain in a room sealed with round-the-clock security and where the temperature is set at four degrees Celsius to prevent any decomposition. The 10 gunmen killed over 170 people in a series of coordinated attacks... Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385305/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:38:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385303/posts JERUSALEM – Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign for the Democrat nomination deliberately appealed to white supremacy, fear and anxiety, charged longtime Barack Obama colleague and Weatherman terrorist William Ayers and wife, Bernardine Dohrn. In a co-authored article in the socialist Monthly Review magazine, the two radicals argued last year's national elections had "racist" undertones and that President Obama's ascent to power can be used to "build a new society." "[Hillary] Clinton flagrantly appealed to white voters' identity as 'workers' or 'women' – offering white people any reason to vote against Obama without saying he's black – and followed the ancient and... WorldNetDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385303/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:35:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385302/posts /begin my translation A N. Korean Diplomat Found Dead in Shenyang (Disappeared since Oct.) Choi Yushik in Beijing 2009/11/13 Authorities looking into various possibilities A consul at N. Korean Consulate in Shenyang, China, was recently found dead in the city, raising tension among the diplomatic circles in China. A source on N. Korea in Beijing said on Nov. 12, "A consul in charge of economic affairs at N. Korean Consulate in Shenyang was found dead on Oct. 30. Chinese authorities are investigating." The consul went missing in early October, which prompted rumors. One version said he may have escaped to... Chosun Ilbo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385302/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:32:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385299/posts News that President Barack Obama is demanding new Afghanistan options and answers, after months and eight meetings with top officials on General Stanley McChrystal's request for more troops, led ABC anchor Charles Gibson to express exasperation Thursday night: “What new questions are there to be asked after all this time?” CBS and NBC, however, weren't so dubious. Though Katie Couric painted “a long, drawn out process,” Chip Reid assigned gravitas to Obama as he asserted Obama “has been agonizing over this decision” and “recently immersed himself in the agony of war.” Reid touted: “That the President is so thoroughly researching... Newsbusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385299/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:23:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385298/posts RICHMOND, Va. - With his state under an emergency declaration because of heavy rain and floods Thursday, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine was in Arkansas for a Democratic fundraiser. Kaine is chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He appeared Thursday with Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe at a closed $250-per-ticket luncheon at a home in Little Rock. -snip- WJLA DC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385298/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:22:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385296/posts Allison Kilkenny, a self-styled “political humorist,” ripped the Catholic Church on the Huffington Post on Thursday for threatening to pull the plug in its social services in Washington, DC if same-sex “marriage” is legalized there. Kilkenny labeled the Church the “Inexplicably Evil Organization Most Disconnected From Real People,” and bashed Pope Benedict XVI as a “decrepit former Nazi youth.” The “humorist” (pictured at right, courtesy of Wikimedia) began her screed, titled “Catholic Church Threatens to Stop Feeding Homeless Over Gay Marriage,” by comparing the Church to Goldman Sachs, and used her “evil” label only after three sentences (perhaps showing a... Newsbusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385296/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:20:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385295/posts The NEA’s (National Education Association’s, a.k.a. Nefarious Elitist Asses’) recommended reading list includes two books by Brother O mentor and communist community organizer Saul Alinsky that advocate the violent overthrow of the U.S. government. The Democrat-controlled teachers’ union praises Alinsky’s Reveille for Radicals and Rules for Radicals as “an inspiration to anyone contemplating action in their community! And to every organizer!” ... CFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385295/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:20:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385294/posts Just as I got off the stage at NewTeeVee Live with CNN Worldwide VP of Digital Marketing and Development Andy Mitchell, I saw a report that CNN is cutting back on its web video newscasts. The company laid off its four CNN.com Live anchors as well as “several production staffers,” according WebNewser. CNN.com Live launched as a free service in 2007 to replace the paid web service CNN Pipeline, which failed to gather many subscribers. Up till today, it had its own staff of anchors completely separate from the cable TV channel. I followed up with Mitchell in the green... newteevee.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385294/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:19:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385293/posts NEW YORK | The rumors are true, according to Sarah Palin: The McCain-Palin campaign was not a happy family. In Mrs. Palin's autobiography "Going Rogue," the former Alaska governor confirms reports of tension between her aides and those of the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain. The vice presidential candidate confirms that she had wanted to speak on election night, but was denied the chance and says she was kept "bottled up" from reporters during the campaign. Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385293/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:16:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385291/posts Judges on the U.S. Supreme Court are being asked to boot Hillary Clinton from her position as U.S. secretary of state in a lawsuit that charges her appointment violated the U.S. Constitution. Judicial Watch, the public interest group that monitors and investigates government corruption, confirmed it has filed a notice of appeal of its case to the nation's highest court. The lawsuit asserts Clinton is ineligible for the post because the Constitution, Article I, Section 6, states: "No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of... WorldNetDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385291/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:10:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385290/posts NEW YORK -- Federal prosecutors Thursday took steps to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government. In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors filed a civil complaint in federal court seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets of the Alavi Foundation and an alleged front company. The assets include Islamic centers in New York City, Maryland, California and Houston, more than 100 acres in Virginia, and a 36-story office tower... News Max http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385290/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:06:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385288/posts Looking at the Cook Political Report’s latest competitive race chart is in itself informative - the short version is that of the top 108 competitive races, the following ratios apply: Dem GOP Likely D 45 0 Leans D 23 1 Toss-up D 12 0 Toss-up R 0 3 Leans R 1 8 Likely R 0 15 Total 81 27 …but there’s some interesting things that can be seen with a little sorting. Below is a chart of competitive seats, sorted by Cook Partisan Rating: TX-17 Chet Edwards R+20 ID-1 Walter Minnick R+18 AL-2 Bobby Bright R+16 MO-4 Ike Skelton R+14... Red State http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385288/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:05:42 GMT