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The view of the US's role in the world has deteriorated both internationally and domestically, a BBC poll suggests. The World Service survey, conducted in 25 nations including the US, found that three in four respondents disapproved of how Washington had dealt with Iraq. The majority of the 26,381 respondents also disapproved of the way five other foreign policy areas had been handled. Poll findings in more detail The number of those who said the US was a positive influence in the world fell in 18 nations polled in previous years. In those countries, 29% of people said the US...

United States Declaration of Independence [Incident: 061229-000185]

Is it terrible that I spend most of the time reading this whole Foley/Hastert disaster with my eyes firmly planted at the top of their sockets in mid-roll? Is it wrong that when I hear Representative DoubleChin of Some-Town-I'll-Never-Visit, MN* has had an affair, my first thought is "Dear Lord, who in their right mind would marry this guy in the first place, let alone have sex with him?" I've learned in life that someone's moral failings in one area do not necessarily translate into universal moral failings. I have a terrible temper, but I would never take drugs, steal,...

LOS ANGELES Two national Mexican-American organizations are launching a "popular referendum" to collect the opinions of hundreds of thousands of Spanish-speaking immigrants both legal and illegal on immigration reform legislation pending in Congress. Starting late next week, the Mexican Brotherhood Latin America and the Mexican-American Political Association will begin distributing questionnaires in Spanish at churches, work sites and activist organizations in over 20 states with high concentrations of immigrants. "This will reveal what immigrants think, what they are willing to accept, fight for and reject," said MAPA President Nativo Lopez. The nonscientific surveys come on the heels of massive national...

    The national media is a power-hungry institution. It maintains its power to determine what is important in American politics and government by making dupes of the American public. The "duping" occurs though media opinion polling.     To preserve their agenda power, the mainstream media have an ace in the hole: opinion polls. By asking the right questions of the public, the media can validate the legitimacy of their agenda focus by claiming the public has a similar view.     What is the mainstream media's favored agenda focus? They have long devoted disproportionate interest to political conflict, scandal, horse races and bad news....

The Committee of 100 survey that I have mentioned here in the past asked the question of the American general public and American opinion leaders - Should the US take a more active role in Cross Strait relations? Interestingly enough, the American general public and the American Opinion Leaders were about equal, with 44% saying the US should be more active. Just over half (52%) of the opinion leaders said, "no!", and just under half (47%) of the general public said, "no!" The majority opinion is for the US to mind its own business. One in ten persons in the...

The Committee of 100 survey that I have mentioned here in the past asked the question of American opinion leaders - What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "China?" 4. Human/religious/civil rights - 16% (This is the percentage of the US population that are treehuggers and activists.) 3. Communism - 16% (They think this means everyone eating off of the same table and sharing the car.) 2. Population - 40% (Finally someone realizes that China has something the rest of the world doesn't - the largest population in the world) and.... 1. Economic growth -...

I have mentioned the Committee of 100 survey many times in this blog and will mention it again. It has presented numerous insights into American attitudes toward China and the views on China and US-China Relations. Here are some facts about the poll. Opinion leaders - 203 in-depth interviews were conducted nationwide of Americans from diverse fields in leadership positions that influence public opinion and have some US-China relation familiarity - margin of error abt. 7% General Public - 1202 adults at random nationwide - margin of error abt. 3% Congressional Staff - 101 in-depth interviews of US Congressional Staff...

A growing number of students and parents are becoming painfully aware of the anti-American bias that occurs at universities throughout the United States. This is not just a matter of indoctrination, but can actually undermine the security of our country, as generations of students learn opinions rather than facts and are taught that defending the United States is a foolish cause. FSM Contributing Editor Charles Mitchell offers the examples of indoctrination that you've never heard and raises the question - why should parents, students, and taxpayers have to pay for professors who would rather teach their own beliefs rather than...

USA Citizens Day - July 1st Immigration Control Rally Nationwide Rally on Saturday, July 1st, at noon, at your City HallMay 1st - Million of Illegal Aliens Marched in our StreetsTwelve million illegal aliens demonstrated their political power, and declared May 1st to be A Day Without Undocumented Workers ( illegal aliens ). They boycotted the USA, all US businesses and institutions. Millions of them marched in our streets, carried Mexican flags, shouted "Si se puede!", and demanded new laws from our Congress. July 1st - U.S. Citizens Nationwide Rally for Immigration ControlRally to stop our continuous invasion by...

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The third anniversary of the Iraq invasion unleashed a surge of pessimism at a local farmers' market here, where stalwart Republicans, standing amid aisles of produce and miracle cures, said President Bush has messed up a war that looks more like Vietnam every day. ''It's chaos," said Roger Madaras, who voted twice for Bush. ''How many more people are going to be killed? We were going in to free the people of Iraq, but as far as I'm concerned, a lot of them are worse off today than they were under the dictatorship." Madaras, the owner...

February 28th, 2006 - Washington, D.C.— - COLEMAN TO INTRODUCE BILL TO BALANCE NATIONAL SECURITY AND ECONOMIC INTERESTS RAISED IN PORTS CONTROVERSY Citing recent concerns over the security of U.S. ports, Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman today announced that he will introduce legislation to require U.S. operation of foreign-owned investments impacting national security and critical infrastructure such as American port terminals. The Foreign Investment Transparency and Security Act (FITSA) of 2006 will prohibit foreign government controlled entities from managing a national security related facility or investment. However, the bill will permit foreign governments to own and invest in such facilities provided...

A view from Brooklyn. Some good 'ole cursing here.

Once a thriving debating forum, a beacon for freedom of speech on the internet, SterlingTimes.com has now officially frowned on open debate and narrowed it's outlook. Many of the once regular posters who have left since the arrival of Quidnunc and his henchmen have been branded "lefties", "nazis", "pompous upstarts" and "bigots", among other labels. The moderator has turned a blind eye to abusive treatment of anyone whose opinion slightly differs from that of Quidnunc & Co. and most recently has announced that SterlingTimes is no longer a debating forum. "There are plenty of boards available for those who want...

John G. Roberts pairs a youthful demeanor with a sharp, seasoned legal mind that has impressed Ivy League professors, government lawyers and U.S. presidents. Befitting his age of 50 and limited time on the appellate court, the book on his judicial decisions remains a work in progress. President Bush on Tuesday tapped Roberts to become the nation's 109th Supreme Court justice, introducing the Harvard honors graduate, former clerk to William Rehnquist and successful Washington attorney to the nation in prime time. "He has argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court and earned a reputation as one of the best legal...

DN: As cause for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Osama Bin Laden cited the United States' military presence since the Gulf War of 1991 in his native country, Saudi Arabia. Do you think diminishing that dependence would help the United States, and have you ever given thought to whether driving a Hummer helps exacerbate that dependence?

Thanks to the adoring press, Robert Redford recently got to remind the world that he's not a reporter but played one in a film. Redford, of course, was in the flick "All the President's Men," which co-starred Dustin Hoffman. While receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Czech Film Festival, the Sundance CEO remarked: "There are deep similarities going on, but where is the press? Where is the press?" The actor was chiding the news media for not pursuing a sequel to the investigation of Richard Nixon by launching a probe of President George W. Bush. "There are strong similarities...

Ronald Reagan, like all presidents, made a few mistakes while he was in office, and one of his more regrettable blunders was nominating a judge by the name of Sandra Day O'Connor for a position on the highest court in the land. Although many people in the left-wing media like to refer to her as a "moderate" jurist, that characterization only proves that they have no idea what a judge's job actually is. Using the word ''moderate'' to describe a judge is like using the word Jewish to describe a cat. The term simply does not apply. It is a...

The black Republican abolitionist Frederick Douglass said, “Without struggle, there is no progress.” Successful people in every walk of life grow in character and ability by seeking new and greater challenges to master. In Judging Thomas, Ken Foskett shows Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's struggles against poverty and prejudice as well as the determination to earn respect through excellence. Justice Thomas' life has proved his approach correct—hard work prevails over prejudice. Clarence Thomas came of age when Americans were struggling to rethink their perceptions about race and their attitudes toward blacks. Forced to confront their actions, Americans chose to change...

Why don't the poll surveys have a thread dedicated solely to discussions on why we answered the way we did? They are like a sentence without a period. I am always curious as to the reasoning behind some peoples vote. Everytime we have a poll question, I always look for a thread that brings the subject up.

The recent release of Justice Harry A. Blackmun's private Supreme Court case files has starkly illuminated an embarrassing problem that previously was discussed only in whispers among court insiders and aficionados: the degree to which young law clerks, most of them just two years out of law school, make extensive, highly substantive and arguably inappropriate contributions to the decisions issued in their bosses' names. Even Roe vs. Wade, Blackmun's most famous decision, which legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, owed lots of its language and much of its breadth to his clerks and the clerks of other justices. A decade later,...

China goes undercover to sway opinion on internet 20.05.05 BEIJING - China has formed a special force of undercover online commentators to try to sway public opinion on controversial issues on the Internet, a newspaper said yesterday. China has struggled to gain control over the Internet as more and more people gain access to obtain information beyond official sources. The country has nearly 100 million Internet users, according to official figures, and the figure is rising. A special force of online commentators had already been operating in Suqian city in the eastern coastal province of Jiangsu since April, the Southern...

For 200 years the Senate carefully considered the professional track record of any judge nominated for the federal bench. That changed five years ago when ranking Democrats decided to turn the Senate Judiciary Committee into their own personal meat grinder. Despite having nearly 100 federal judgeships to fill, these Democrats resolved to torpedo most of President Bush's nominations. This partisan blood oath – as opposed to careful consideration of each jurist's record – now decides who presides over our federal courts. At least one major implication is that the dearth of federal judges (one-eighth of all federal judgeships still remain...

When property passes by probate, it means that the state courts supervise the disposition of the property. If the person left a valid will, the courts supervise to ensure that the terms of the will are followed. If the person did not leave a valid will, the courts follow the state law for intestacy. Many states have a special court that handles probate, often called a probate court or an orphans court. The difference is in name only, and they all function very similarly.

A new survey by FindLaw finds that only 33% of Americans have a living will. Sixty-seven percent of Americans lack a living will, potentially leaving them with no say over whether they wish to receive life-sustaining medical treatment in the event they should become incapacitated or terminally ill. The national survey of 1,000 adults was conducted by telephone and results are accurate to within plus or minus three percent. ------- This page provides links to legal documents, news and commentary pertaining to Terri Schlindler Schiavo.

Living in New York, I have no choice but to read the New York Times every day. I try to leaven it with the Daily News and the New York Post, but it's a witch's brew. The News has somehow cast itself as the newspaper of the underclass, so it feels obliged to report every bit of mayhem coming out of New York's poor neighborhoods. Somebody killed somebody over a jacket. Somebody got shot over a parking space. A grandmother in a housing project was killed in the crossfire by drug dealers. News about democracy demonstrations in Lebanon usually appears...

I have been inundated with requests from readers to speak out on this topic, sign and forward a petition, one supporting her parent’s wishes, another allegedly supporting her wishes, as communicated by her husband and legal guardian Michael Schiavo. Until today, I have declined to inject my personal thoughts into this discussion. There is little in this world more difficult or personal than the decisions facing the Schiavo family today. My knowledge on this matter is limited to press reports in which, as a general rule, I have no confidence at all today. Unlike anyone else with whom I have...

A few weeks ago I was watching a program on C-Span pertaining to the impact of foreign court opinions upon the U.S. justice system. The primary participants in the discussion were Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Stephen Breyer, and the event took place at the American University Law School in Washington D.C. rtsp://video.c-span.org/archive/sc/sc011305_scalia.rm The debate revolved around questions asked by a moderator named Professor Norman Dorsen, and the first multi-part question asked was, "When we talk about the use of foreign court decisions in U.S. Constitutional cases, what body of foreign law are we talking about? Are we limiting...

We keep hearing about "zero tolerance" from government officials and in government schools. Well, perhaps it is time We the People ought to demand a little zero tolerance from them. For instance, they jailed Martha Stewart for lying to an investigator. What about Bill Clinton? There are still a few matters that have not been resolved with the Clinton fiasco yet. Why isn't out and out perjury treated more seriously than lying so some stuffy investigator? We should have zero tolerance for all political lying -- for all public officials, which are public servants, actually. Turn the law around and...

Here's a quick question for all you Constitutional scholars: Which of the enumerated powers authorized to the federal government are described in the Bill of Rights? None, of course. Except in later amendments, regulatory powers given the federal government by the Constitution of the United States are listed in the body of the Constitution. The Second Amendment, then, is something else. When we are unsure about the exact meaning of a section of the Constitution, the Supreme Court instructs that we should look to The Federalist Papers for clarification. In Cohens v. Virginia the Court said: "Its intrinsic merit entitles...

I'm looking for comments based on personal experience concerning the use of hypnotism for improved results in weight loss and other issues which may be enhanced by it's use.

NEW YORK - Bill Cosby says the opinions he's expressed in his controversial prodding of fellow blacks are consistent with what he's done as an entertainer for more than 40 years. In several forums this year, the 67-year-old Cosby has criticized some black children for not knowing how to read or write, said some had squandered opportunities the civil rights movement gave them and unfairly blame whites for problems such as teen pregnancy and high dropout rates. "I didn't take this as a job," Cosby told CNN's Paula Zahn in an interview that was to air Thursday night. "I took...

Yesterday this paper had a weak endorsement for Kerry- posted here http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1255448/posts Today, ALL responses from the public questioned their editorial judgement: We will prevail Re "Kerry for president" (Editorial, Oct. 24): Sunday, October 24, 2004 - The Daily News staff offers a litany of reasons for its support for John Kerry's run for the presidency. The "botched invasion" of Iraq was prominent among these reasons. The Daily News is wrong. Problems, botched operations and a long recovery and rebuilding period were all part of World Wars I and II. Chaos, tactical errors, and unforeseen difficulties have plagued the winners...

I found a note on my windshield this evening after coming out of my local Lowes store. I guess he found my ProtestWarrior sticker in direct contradiction to the Bush/Cheney yard sign I have taped in the back window of my camper-shell. Here is what he/she/it wrote: "You cannot simutaniously protest lies, protest tyrants, and support a tyrant who tells lies. Bush is evil." The spelling is as was written on the note, and if I was a real pajamahudeen computer geek, I could figure out how to scan the note and post it with this. Alas, I am merely...

The polls have be gyrating all over the place. What are we to make of them? Perhaps, the pollsters can't poll a tight race like we have now because they have no experience with it (except 2000, which is not as close as now). Perhaps 2000 would not have been as close as it was if it not for the DUI surprise and the early calls on Election Night.

K L Marsala When you sign up today with the P J Club (pajama club) you'll get full rights to espouse your ideals, opinions and investigations via the World Wide Web. The P J Club is open to all that love the free flow of information and value what our founding fathers valued and that is- freedom of speech. The P J Club isn't pretentious. We don't require silk pajamas, cotton ones are just fine. Your Pj's don’t have to have your initials embroidered upon them, unless of course you can't remember your name…then by all means. We don't require...

McCain's speech was contradictory After referring to all U.S. citizens as friends and calling for more civil debates on the issues as opposed to malicious smear campaign tactics, Sen. John McCain - in his speech before the Republican Convention - then referred to Michael Moore as "a disingenuous filmmaker who would have us believe that Saddam's Iraq was an oasis of peace." Can McCain please tell us what part of Moore's film even remotely suggested an "oasis of peace" in Iraq? It is McCain who is disingenuous, and if he truly wants others to debate the issues in a civil...

By PETER COOPER Staff Writer A vote is a voice, and celebrity provides a microphone. Thus — especially in an election year — it's common for politically minded artists and musicians to use their fame as a platform to push agendas and candidates. That's been the case for hundreds of years in hundreds of countries, and the American tradition includes plenty of singing and stumping.

Example: When the moronic-right is loudly asserting that Sen. Kerry did not deserve the five medals he was awarder, including 3 Purple Hearts for being wounded in combat, the fact that he still carries shrapnel in his leg would appear to be a big f---g deal. Unless of course you are trying to support and sustain the Lying Liars. The Washington NeoClowns can't even get their clown shoes on right, and there is no wrong way to do that.

<p>Regarding the letter to the editor Thursday "Animosity toward Bush a bad example for kids," from a veteran teacher.</p> <p>What sets a bad example is attitudes like those of Marilyn Houser.</p> <p>For too long, educators have been quiet and uninvolved in politics and public policy.</p>

Florida Man Wades into Kobe Drama Lawyer asks judge to bar cameras from court to keep filth off television By Charlie Brennan, Rocky Mountain News August 20, 2003 The peanut gallery surrounding the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case keeps expanding and is making itself heard loud and clear. On Tuesday, one day after a Boulder couple associated with the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation filed papers in the Bryant case which one legal observer labeled a "legal version of junk mail," a Florida attorney with no previous connection to the Eagle County proceedings waded into the Bryant drama with a motion...

In a recent discussion on a 'right to marry' thread, a new poster made the statement that the Mass. supreme court was in the process of 're-defining' the word, 'marriage'' to include homosexual unions. Throughout the history of the human race, the word, 'marriage,' always referred to the union of a man and a woman. In fact, the legal dictionary specifically defines 'marriage' as pertaining to a man and a woman. The question I would like to address is not whether homosexuals do or do not have the 'right' to marry, but more importanty, does a supreme court have the...

Editorials worldwide denounced the U.S. president for attacking Iraq. In Britain, The Financial Times deemed the attack “hard to justify in terms of international law, or any conception of a new world order.” In Jordan, Al Dustur called it a “cheap attempt” to divert attention from the White House’s failed economic plan. In Italy, La Stampa said the president “finds himself at the center of a domestic and international debate over his personality and his capacity for decision-making, in other words, his leadership.” Harsh words for an American president. Or more specifically, harsh words for Bill Clinton. Those editorials were...

<p>Twenty-five years ago, Charles Cleveland, then a Drake University professor, captured attention with a computer program designed to identify people's attitudes based on what they said or wrote.</p> <p>A 1978 Des Moines Register story about the project stirred up a hornets' nest. Privacy advocates worried that government agencies would use the program to develop psychological profiles that would lead to the dark futures portrayed by novelists George Orwell and Aldous Huxley.</p>

<p>While polls and lawn signs and protests can make it seem as if everyone is taking sides, experts say many Americans are torn by competing emotions about the war with Iraq, especially now that U.S. troops are in the line of fire.</p>

A friend has said much worse things about President Bush and his foreign policy than the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks has. It's worth noting that he might have to forfeit some of his income if he had her platform. This is only the first draft of history, to be seasoned with perspective by skilled hands in the rewrite department. But Natalie Maines's experience is useful. First draft writers interested in the health of the First Amendment go where they need to go while homeland security is paramount and patriotism flourishes. Right-wing radio fanatics dug into Maines like Guatamalan...

``The Supreme Court made a ruling that we are the ones who decide who goes in the parade and who doesn't,'' he said, declining to discuss the matter further.

Does George W. Bush's religious faith inappropriately dictate policy?

This is a shameless vanity. I'm working on a web project today and need a listing of conservative blogs. I figure that FReepers know where a lot of them are and probably write the best ones. Post your best ones here, or FReepmail me. Oh, and yeah, I'm on a deadline. I gotta have these today. Thanks

A solid majority of Canadians believes prayer has a place in the classroom, a National Post/Global National poll has found. When asked "should prayer be allowed in public schools," 68% of respondents to the country-wide poll said yes, compared with 28% who said no. The results underline a theme of anti-religious political correctness that has emerged in government institutions this month, despite a seemingly tolerant public. For example, Toronto bureaucrats were forced by public outcry to declare the city's "holiday tree" is, in fact, a Christmas tree, while The Royal Canadian Mint rebuffed criticism of its television ads, which feature...