Free Republic

WASHINGTON -- Former San Jose mayor and U.S. Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta, who already has an airport named after him, received yet another honor Friday when the House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing his career accomplishments. Sponsored by his close friend, Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, the resolution "honors the accomplishments and legacy of a great American hero ... for his groundbreaking contributions to the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community and to our nation through his leadership." It was the first time in recent history that the House has honored a living former member of Congress with a resolution,...

PHILADELPHIA, (AP) -- Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta chided pop star Britney Spears as "irresponsible" for driving with her baby on her lap as he announced a new initiative Monday to improve child car-seat safety. "Recent photos of Britney Spears driving with her infant son on her lap are troubling. And while Ms. Spears has acknowledged her mistake, her actions still send the wrong message to millions of her fans," Mineta said at an event at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to mark the start of Child Passenger Safety Week. Photos published earlier this month showed Spears driving her sport-utility vehicle in...

MSNBC TV's Joe Scarborough breaks down the TSA's new security initiative: Can body language help bust terrorists? Will this lead to racial profiling? Guests include Michael Smerconish, radio talk show host/author; and Steve Emerson, Terrorism Expert --- A new policy at the Transportation Security Administration has high hopes that talk can help prevent terrorism. Screeners at 40 airports are going to start to question travelers to try to identify potential terrorists. Passengers are going to be questioned, while screeners observe their behavior and their body language. Those failing this talk test will undergo extra physical screening and more questioning. But...

Now that December has finally rolled around again, the time has come for all of us to take a few moments out of our busy, workaday lives and thank the American Civil Liberties Union for all it does throughout the year on behalf of each and every U.S. citizen. After all, if it weren't for the unyielding efforts of ACLU lawyers, there's no telling how many school children this year would have been forced by their teachers to grapple with unsavory concepts like personal responsibility, religious freedom, sexual abstinence, capitalism, parental rights, the sanctity of human life, and the dreaded...

<p>The San Jose airport is looking at plans to add 18 bomb-detection machines and house them in tents to meet a Dec. 31 federal deadline to inspect every piece of checked luggage for explosives.</p> <p>Officials released no details Monday about how quickly the tents could be in place or exactly when the machines would be installed. The tents are needed because there is no room for the machines in the airport itself.</p>