Free Republic

Note: The following news brief is a quote: http://ny1.com/8-queens-news-content/top_stories/109259/queens-imam-involved-in-terror-investigation-granted-holiday-travel 11/20/2009 09:14 AM Queens Imam Involved In Terror Investigation Granted Holiday Travel By: NY1 News The Queens imam under house arrest for allegedly interfering with a terror investigation will spend Thanksgiving in Virginia. According to reports, Ahmad Afzali was given permission to travel to his father’s home for the holiday. A federal judge in Brooklyn approved the trip after a request was filed by Afzali’s attorney. Federal prosecutors reportedly did not oppose the request, but the office of pretrial services was concerned his electronic ankle monitoring bracelet would be out of...

Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has decided not to run for governor of New York next year after months of mulling a candidacy, according to people who have been told of the decision. .. It remains unclear whether the former mayor is considering any other political race in 2010. Some have urged him to take on the newly installed Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, who has never run statewide and is still introducing herself to voters in parts of the state. The decision will be a boon to other Republican contenders. So far, Rick Lazio, a former congressman from Long Island,...

For if we are at war, why is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed headed for trial in federal court in the Southern District of New York? Why is he entitled to a presumption of innocence and all of the constitutional protections of a U.S. citizen? Is it possible we have done an injustice to this man by keeping him locked up all these years without trial? For that is what this trial implies — that he may not be guilty.

Decision to have a trial 6 months ahead goes to show they still have ideas that terrorism is a crime issue, not a military issue. Gov. David Patterson (D-N.Y.) is not at all on board with Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to have five Sept. 11 planners brought to New York City for a civilian criminal trial. Supposedly Holder made the decision, and he informed President Obama. Why is Patterson saying the White House warned him this was coming six months ago? The main headline this morning may be Patterson disagreeing with the White House on having the trials in...

Ten months before Al Qaeda in 2001 struck a deathblow in the heart lower Manhattan, one of the terrorist group's founding members plunged a sharpened comb through Pepe's left eye and into his brain, blinding the 42-year-old prison guard and causing severe brain injuries that plague him to this day. Pepe told FoxNews.com he worries that sending Mohammed and four of his alleged fellow 9/11 conspirators to New York could compromise the safety of the guards at the MCC prison. Keeping the prisoners in one location, he said, was especially dangerous. Teaming up against Pepe, they beat and blinded him,...

James Galyean wrote a post on Friday afternoon that I think we probably ought to focus on a bit more. The left is celebrating Barack Obama’s decision to send Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to New York City for a criminal trial in a civilian court. In fact, since Friday I have gotten a lot of hate mail from leftists saying I must not trust our due process system. The problem, however, is just the opposite. I very much trust our due process system to be exceedingly fair to a terrorist who will put great value in his opening statement. But, that...

That’s certainly the conclusion one can draw from two stories over the last couple of days. Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), who pushed Barack Obama to bring Guantanamo Bay detainees to the US for criminal trials, says that criticism of the decision is “un-American”: Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has strong words for the Republicans opposing Attorney General Eric Holder’s plan to bring five 9/11 suspects to New York City to face trial. “They see this as an opportunity to demagogue,” he said. “They will seize on any opportunity to do that, and that means they’ll even take a stand that’s un-American.”...

Our Campaign Is Not Over Yet! So many people have written hoping we continue the fight, count every ballot and make sure no one steals this election. Acorn and the unions did their best to try and say that the conservative movement was a sham. Rest assured they will not succeed. On Election Night the information we received was far different from what we received this week. They will not silence our voice that easily! There is also the fact that NY is using the Sequoia Voting Systems machines. Princeton University (http://citp.princeton.edu/voting/advantage/) cited them as having been susceptible to voter...

SNIPPET: "TERROR mastermind Rashid Rauf has been linked to a fresh Al Qaida plot to launch attacks on the US. The Birmingham-born extremist has been named by witnesses due to testify against Najibullah Zazi, who was arrested for plotting suicide bombings in New York. MI6 officers have linked the plot to a complex terror network said to be directed from Pakistan by Rauf and fellow jihadists. Zazi, 24, was identified through an intercepted communication, and was further implicated by US national Bryant Neal Vinas, who was captured in Pakistan last November. Vinas, 26, allegedly admits meeting Rauf and receiving training...

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani blasted the Obama administration on Friday for its decision to try five Sept. 11 suspects in New York, saying that such a trial would only encourage terrorists to target the city once again. Earlier Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba would be transported onto U.S. soil to face justice in civilian court. "After eight years of delay, those allegedly responsible for that attacks of September the 11th will finally face justice," Holder said. "They...

"Don't for a second think Obama wants what is best for U.S. He is flying the U.S. plane right into the ground at full speed. Let's roll." @Sen_Schultheis A Colorado legislator has been blasted by local and national news outlets for sending an online Twitter message, or tweet, that criticized President Obama with language some say is a reference to United Flight 93, which was hijacked and crashed during the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Earlier this week, state Sen. David Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs, posted the words, "Don't for a second think Obama wants what is best for U.S. He is flying...

New York State’s Dedicated Highway and Bridge Trust Fund hasn’t been all that dedicated. Since 1991, only 34.9 percent of the money in the fund went directly toward the repair and improvement of the state’s deteriorating roads and bridges. And over the next four years, that will shrink to about one fifth. It’s supposed to be a “locked box,” but apparently the lock wasn’t very strong. If only one-third of the money in the Highway and Bridge Trust Fund has actually been used to pay for highways and bridges, the question, is, where did the money go? The answer is...

SNIPPET: "Muthana is facing five counts of second-degree assault, DWI and reckless driving. He is accused of injuring six people. They are 21-year-old Dominick Nicholson, 20-year-old Tyrese Beard, 40-year-old James Pross, 50-year-old Debra Hollis, 25-year-old Luis Cruz and 49-year-old Diane Neil. All are Rochester residents." SNIPPET: "In his statement to police, he said he drank six cans of Budweiser in an hour. Then he started using swear words, cussing police and government. He said, "Ben Franklin was stupid. He should have made it so you *expletives* can't swerve the law. The Muslims will fix this country." When bail was being...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be sent to New York to face trial in a civilian federal court, an Obama administration official said Friday.

Source: 9/11 Terror Detainees Face Trial in N.Y. Friday, November 13, 2009 WASHINGTON — Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be sent to New York to face trial in a civilian federal court, an Obama administration official said Friday. The official said Attorney General Eric Holder plans to announce the decision later in the morning. The official is not authorized to discuss the decision before the announcement, so spoke on condition of anonymity.

Washington -- Conservative Doug Hoffman conceded the race in the 23rd Congressional District last week after receiving two pieces of grim news for his campaign: He was down 5,335 votes with 93 percent of the vote counted on election night, and he had barely won his stronghold in Oswego County. As it turns out, neither was true. But Hoffman’s concession -- based on snafus in Oswego County and elsewhere that left his vote undercounted -- set off a chain of events that echoed all the way to Washington, D.C., and helped secure passage of a historic health care reform bill....

Washington -- Conservative Doug Hoffman conceded the race in the 23rd Congressional District last week after receiving two pieces of grim news for his campaign: He was down 5,335 votes with 93 percent of the vote counted on election night, and he had barely won his stronghold in Oswego County. As it turns out, neither was true.

Mineola, NY –-(AmmoLand.com)- The Nassau County local law banning the possession of handguns mislabeled “deceptively colored” remains on hold indefinitely pending the outcome of a legal challenge by gun-rights activists. In June 2008, Nassau passed Local Law #5, criminalizing the possession and sale of “deceptively colored handguns” as a supposed danger to law enforcement. The law originally banned all handguns except for those that are “black, grey, silver, steel, nickel or army green.” It does not grandfather currently owned guns and mandates that gun owners surrender all banned guns for destruction without any compensation, and with no opportunity to sell...

where Map data ©2009 Google - Terms of Use view large map A bodega worker in Elmont scared off handgun-toting bandits who were trying to rob the cashier when he whipped out a shotgun, Nassau County police said. Police say the shotgun that the worker brandished was behind the counter when the two bandits came into the Elmont Deli at about 4:15 a.m. Saturday and pointed a handgun at the cashier, demanding money from him. Another employee produced the handgun, police said. "After he brought out the gun, they run away," said Sias Jihan, a co-worker of the employee who...

NEW YORK — A man who once swam for the U.S. Naval Academy's water-polo team has survived a terrifying leap from the George Washington Bridge. Authorities say 28-year-old Adrian Rawn stopped his car on the lower level of the bridge connecting Manhattan to New Jersey at about 11:30 a.m. on Friday, then walked to the rail and jumped.

FR can't post threads from the Lower Hudson newspaper. Some more good news. I just wanted to let everyone know that a Republican and Pro-Life Catholic who is the station manager and program director of The Catholic Channel on Sirius Satellite Radio, Rob Astorino, won the election for County Executive for Westchester County, a liberal democrat bastion outside of NYC. He was attacked by the non-religious, pro-abortion left for being anti-femal and pro life. And still won!

At this writing, close to midnight on Election we have a good Idea of the results. The GOP has taken over the state houses in Virginia and New Jersey and they have seen major gains in those states legislatures. Mike Bloomberg was reelected by a whisker and in NY 23 Doug Hoffman has lost to Bill Owens. The talking-heads heads have been talking all night and quite frankly very few of them have it right. To be honest very little of this election was about President Obama, but in the end there will be implications for the POTUS.

USS NEW YORK (LPD-21) PUBLIC SHIP VISITS ... – Wednesday, November 4 – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Thursday, November 5 – 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. – Sunday, November 8 – 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – Monday, November 9 – 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Tuesday, November 10 – 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Wednesday, November 11 – 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Dates and times are subject to change; updates will be posted here.) NO LARGE PACKAGES OR BACKPACKS WILL BE PERMITTED. Those who plan to go aboard the ship are advised to: -- Arrive...

President Barack Obama's political clout was on the line Tuesday as Virginia and New Jersey chose governors in contests that could serve as warning signs for Democrats about the public's mood heading into an important midterm election year.

The governor’s race in New Jersey is a referendum on the failed fiscal policies of the state’s current governor. New Jersey suffers under the highest tax burden in the nation – a burden which has caused many New Jerseyans to leave their home state for better economic prospects elsewhere. Chris Christie is dedicated to ending the reckless spending, the tax hikes, and the corruption that has plagued New Jersey for far too long. A vote for Chris Christie as the next governor of New Jersey will help to lead this great state – “The Crossroads of the Revolution” – back...

The drama continues in New York’s 23 Congressional District. An 11th-hour poll in a much-watched upstate New York House race shows Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman leading Democrat Bill Owens 41% to 36%, two days after the Republican candidate pulled out and one day before the election. But the race remains fluid. Since Republican Dede Scozzafava withdrew on Saturday, she still retains the support of 6% of the voters, while the number of undecided voters doubled from 9% to 18%, according to the poll released this morning by the Siena Research Institute. The poll has a four percentage point margin...

Dierdre K. Scozzafava's decision to suspend her campaign for the 23rd Congressional District seat is a shocking development in what had already been an extraordinary race. In her statement Saturday morning, the assemblywoman explained the reasons behind her decision: "It is increasingly clear that pressure is mounting on many of my supporters to shift their support. Consequently, I hereby release those individuals who have endorsed and supported my campaign to transfer their support as they see fit to do so." During the day Saturday, she began to quietly and thoughtfully encourage her supporters to vote for Democrat William L. Owens.

SNIPPET: "This jihadist wannabe is a "terror" on the road. Yousef al-Khattab is a Jewish-born, Jersey-raised convert to Islam who schleps tourists on his pedicab by day and propagandizes for the terrorists he idolizes by night." SNIPPET: "He spends his free time annoying mainstream Muslims by handing out hate-filled literature outside the city's mosques with a handful of followers in tow or posting death threats against Jews disguised as prayers on his "Revolution Muslim" Web site. "Anyone who denies jihad is not a Muslim, that is what the Koran says," the bushy-bearded al-Khattab -- birth name Joseph Leonard Cohen --...

British General John Burgoyne must have been bitterly disappointed one day in July 1777 in the upper Hudson Valley — the day his army, hot in pursuit of the Americans they had just driven from Fort Ticonderoga, ran into a lake that wasn’t supposed to exist.  This part of upstate New York had already been thoroughly explored and mapped, yet the Redcoats, confident of speedily overtaking and finishing off the American force, suddenly found themselves blocked by a brand-new body of water where dry forest and field was supposed to provide swift passage. The British must have soon ascertained, as...

A SUPRISE Halloween treat for NY23. At the UCONN game but wanted to bring your attention to Dede Scozzafava dropping out of the race in New York’s 23rd District. The RINO’s withdrawal might leave room for Doug Hoffman to step in as the conservative independent who will no longer be branded a third party spoiler destroying chances for Republicans. Hat tip to Gateway Pundit, but many other bloggers are now up and tracking including Jim Geraghty, Pamela Gellar, Power Line, Sweetness & Light, Hot Air and Michelle Malkin. Hot Air was speculating 18 hours ago. As the folks at Red...

October 29, 2009The following article was submitted in a slightly shorter form to the New York Times as an op-ed article. The Times declined to publish it. I thought you might be interested in reading it. FOUL BALL!By Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan Archbishop of New York   October is the month we relish the highpoint of our national pastime, especially when one of our own New York teams is in the World Series!   Sadly, America has another national pastime, this one not pleasant at all: anti-catholicism.             It is not hyperbole to call prejudice against the Catholic Church a...

SNIPPET: "Search at Grundy County plant called part of ongoing probe" SNIPPET: "But a source said the owner of the plant, which processes lamb and goat, was taken into custody at his home in Chicago. Documents and records were taken from the plant and from a Chicago travel agency on West Devon Avenue, also owned by the same person, the source said."

The Nov. 3 election to replace longtime Rep. John McHugh, a Republican appointed by President Obama to be Secretary of the Army, has especially drawn the attention of conservatives in recent weeks. That's mainly because the New York GOP leadership picked liberal state assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava as their candidate, sparking a struggle that pits the Republican establishment against grassroots activists ... Given his hardscrabble upbringing, Hoffman's sympathies are clearly with the conservative grassroots. He was able to get a college education only because his excellent academic record in high school inspired local businessmen to establish a scholarship fund to assist...

Dede Scozzafava's financial support to fund her collapsing Republican bid for the New York 23rd Congressional District is now almost exclusively being drawn from the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, and according to NRCC sources, her staff is, essentially, "four paid staff and her family," adding ruefully, "and I'm not so sure about the family." Scozzafava's campaign hasn't had a good week, taking hits almost daily from conservative grassroots organizations and websites and in the media. Last week, just about every major conservative political website and organization called on Scozzafava to step aside after it was...

A Long Island gas station clerk says he was just doing his job Wednesday night when the two masked men stormed in and demanded cash. He grabbed their shotgun and chased them away. Video at link.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan Washington D.C., Oct 24, 2009 / 05:50 pm (CNA).- Archbishop of New York Timothy M. Dolan has been named Moderator of Jewish Affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). USCCB president Cardinal Francis George says Dolan will be a friend to the Jewish community and will convey “profound respect” for others’ spiritual gifts. Archbishop Dolan succeeds Archbishop emeritus of Baltimore William H. Keeler in the role.His five-year appointment was announced in a Friday USCCB statement and will become effective Nov. 11. Cardinal George’s announcement noted the New York Archdiocese’s “long history of cooperation and...

There aren’t many churches in Christendom where the person sitting next to you is likely a star of stage, screen or television. St. Malachy’s Church, located on 49th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, founded in 1902, is a little jewel box of a church and an essential and important aspect of New York City’s theatrical community.Because of its location in the midst of the Theatre District — and the number of actors who have graced its precincts — it has come to be known as the Actors’ Chapel. Prior to 1920, St. Malachy’s was a working-class Irish-Italian parish....

Crossing the border? Today it's not really that hard, just have your license and your birth certificate ready at customs. But in the not-so-distant future, that's all going to change. The Department of Homeland Security has proposed a federal passport card that Americans will need to visit a neighboring country. The cost of that card is estimated at $50 a person. Some North Country leaders said that's ridiculous. Senator Jim Wright said, "The reality is no one wants to spend that kind of money for every member of their family when there are valid identification programs already in place.""$50 a...

Gay rights activists stood alongside religious fundamentalists in the balcony of the state Assembly chamber last Tuesday looking down upon what could either be a monumental movement for the gay community or the solidification of traditional religious beliefs in New York state. Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s controversial program bill to legalize same-sex marriage, sponsored by Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, D-Manhattan, found its way to the Assembly floor after several weeks of stagnation. After three hours of emotional debate, the bill passed 85 to 61. ::snip:: Party lines became less clear as the bill came to the Assembly floor after an hour-long Republican...

Schroeppel, NY - When Deanna Candee and her son, Adam, returned from a shopping trip Saturday to their Schroeppel home, they suspected something was wrong when they saw the garage door open. Candee’s home had been ransacked. An intruder was still inside. As her 25-year-old son moved toward the cellar to check out a noise, Deanna, 48, started into the house, said Wilson Candee, Deanna’s father-in-law. The intruder confronted her and grabbed her by the hair, Wilson Candee said. Adam heard his mother scream, went to her aid and pulled the intruder off. He and the stranger began to struggle....

There are some who believe “Tea Party” and “Town Hall” crowds fit in neat categories of at-best Republican Party strong hands, or at worst anti-Obama bigots. In both instances, there has been no evidence to support these stereotypes. We have heard time and time again testimony from individuals who are concerned with too much government intervention, and too much government spending, not your typical political thug nor white supremacist. I had the opportunity to speak at an August town hall meeting in Bellerose Queens, where I discussed how government run health care will negatively impact medical care for millions of...

Note: The following text is a quote: THE BRIEFING ROOM THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _______________________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release October 20, 2009 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT TO JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE STAFF MEMBERS Joint Terrorism Task Force Headquarters New York, New York 4:24 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Please be seated. Thank you so much. It is great to be here today and I am honored to spend some time with the men and women who are working so hard, around the clock, to keep not only this city but also this country...

Note: Photo and video included. SNIPPET: "Ahmad Wais Afzali, 53, is charged with tipping off Najibullah Zazi that New York City police detectives were after him. Afzali is also accused of lying about it to federal agents. The Imam remains free on bail." His lawyer says the indictment is "merely a tired rehash of the same discredited allegations."

SNIPPET: “DENVER — A Colorado man whose son is accused of plotting a terror attack in New York City is scheduled to go to trial in December on a charge of lying to investigators. A federal judge on Tuesday scheduled a 10-day trial for Mohammed Wali Zazi starting Dec. 7 in U.S. District Court in Denver.”

A man who broke into a home near Phoenix was shot and killed Saturday when the homeowners came home, said Oswego County Sheriff Reuel Todd. The owners of the home at 211 Hilltop Drive in Schroeppel fought with the intruder, Todd said. “There was a violent struggle,” the sheriff said. The intruder was shot once with a handgun and died immediately, Todd said. Where the gun came from is under investigation, he said. A source familiar with the case said a woman came home from shopping with an adult son and found the male intruder inside the home. The intruder...

Schroeppel, NY -- The man who was shot and killed during an apparent burglary Saturday at a Schroeppel home has been tentatively identified. Oswego County Sheriff's officials said Timothy Hartigan, 39, was killed after Deanna Candee, 48, and her son, Adam Candee, 25, came home to their residence at 211 Hilltop Drive to find an intruder. A violent struggle ensued during which Deanna Candee got her pistol and shot Hartigan once, sheriff's officials said. Hartigan, who has no known permanent address, was pronounced dead at the scene, sheriff's officials said.

The Rochester Operation "Can You Hear Me Now" rallies and march, is starting at the WHEC-TV Studios on 191 East Avenue. The rally will start at 11am on Saturday, 10/17/2007. Here's the map for the rally point: We're starting things off with the Presentation of the Colors, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a few speeches. We'll then proceed on our march that will follow this route through Downtown Rochester, across the Genesee River, ending at the Gannett Building, for a protest at our local newspaper, the Democrat and Chronicle: BTW, we are conducting a peaceful, but spirited event...

The NY-23 special election has been off our radar screen but the boss is blogging up a storm about it, seeing it — as, increasingly, many prominent conservatives do — as a bellwether for the party’s approach to the midterms. The RNC, NRCC, and even Gingrich are all in for liberal Republican Scozzafava; Michelle, Fred Thompson, and the Club for Growth support the upstart fiscal conservative Doug Hoffman. The question: How big should the big tent be? Evidently, per the party leadership, pretty darned big: Scozzafava is an abortion rights advocate who favors gay marriage. It would be one thing...

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 251 PM EDT FRI OCT 16 2009 NYZ009-036-037-044>046-055>057-062-PAZ038>040-043-044-047-048-072- 170300- /O.CON.KBGM.WS.A.0004.091017T1600Z-091018T1800Z/ NORTHERN ONEIDA-MADISON-SOUTHERN ONEIDA-CORTLAND-CHENANGO-OTSEGO- TIOGA-BROOME-DELAWARE-SULLIVAN-BRADFORD-SUSQUEHANNA- NORTHERN WAYNE-WYOMING-LACKAWANNA-LUZERNE-PIKE-SOUTHERN WAYNE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BOONVILLE...ONEIDA...UTICA...ROME... CORTLAND...NORWICH...ONEONTA...COOPERSTOWN...OWEGO...BINGHAMTON... WALTON...DELHI...MONTICELLO...TOWANDA...SAYRE...MONTROSE... TUNKHANNOCK...SCRANTON...WILKES-BARRE...HAZLETON...MILFORD... HONESDALE 251 PM EDT FRI OCT 16 2009 ...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON... A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. ANOTHER AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE NORTH ALONG THE MID ATLANTIC COAST SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE WATCH AREA...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND...

If Republicans want to maintain New York's 23rd congressional district, I would recommend the Republican candidate, Assemblywoman "Dede" Scozzafava drop out of the special election being held to replace Republican Congressman John McHugh, and endorse Conservative candidate for Congress, Doug Hoffman. This is no longer a third party candidate which Republicans can dismiss, because Doug Hoffman is not a third party obstructionist, he is the only true Republican in the special congressional election. According to a new poll released by the Siena Research Institute, Scozzafava is losing more support each and every day, Hoffman is gaining support, and Owens is...