Free Republic

(IsraelNN.com) The self-proclaimed pro-Israel J Street lobby opened its nationwide conference this week, trying to survive a growing tide of American Jews who oppose its anti-Israeli government policies. Speaking at the opening of its three-day conference this week in Washington, the group's director, Jeremy Ben-Ami, declared that J Street is “defining support for the creation of a Palestinian state as a core pro-Israel position.” He claimed wide backing for its policies despite the boycott of the conference by Michael Oren, the Israel Ambassador to Washington. Also absent were dozens of Congress members, concerned with the organization’s pro-Arab position and its...

Espn's commentators tell politicians to govern and worry about our troops, the economy, etc and stay the heck out of football...

I know what she is trying to do. She wants to channel Jackie O, but she comes across as a Walmart wannabe. Is this the best her staff of 20+ clucking hens can come up with? Her every outfit is progressively worse and her "Jackie O on the Shortbus" look is not catching on. Is America rushing to imitate the trends of the first lady? NO. Are women's fashions showing up with belts worn under the bosom? NO. Are trendy stores introducing a line of Fabulous Fall MO clothing? NO. Its time to come out and say it. Michelle, your...

WASHINGTON (AP) - General Motors has quit working with a partnership that collects toxic parts from scrapped automobiles, jeopardizing an effort to prevent mercury pollution just as hundreds of thousands of clunkers are headed to recyclers. Participants in the environmental program told The Associated Press the timing of GM's departure could hurt their work. The government's "cash-for-clunkers" program will lead to trade-in and recycling of an estimated 750,000 vehicles, some of which contain mercury switches.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford requested stimulus cash for the state's schools Monday, telling the U.S. education secretary he's doing so under duress and the $700 million in bailout money will create more problems. The request to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, sent by e-mail, caps months of Sanford's criticism of the $787 billion federal economic recovery law that raised the national political profile of the Republican Governors Association chairman and speculation of a 2012 White House bid. The state Supreme Court ordered him Thursday to follow a state budget law and request the money for the state's...

Members of the business community today are starting to sound off in opposition to President Obama's new plan to crack down on offshore tax evasion, denouncing the initiative as a "foolish" program that would do more harm than good.

Lays out why this bill is dangerous..

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2009 – During Women’s History Month, many Americans take time to salute the contributions of women. Manhattanville My Soldier, a New York-based troop-support group, is paying special attention this month to women serving in the U.S. armed forces. “The military women I met while serving in Iraq were courageous and kind,” My Soldier co-founder Juan Salas, an active-duty Army sergeant and Manhattanville College student, said. “We are asking civilians to pay respect to these brave women during Women’s History Month.” In observance of Women’s History Month, the group has created “My Soldier: Her Story,” a program that...

(IsraelNN.com) MK Rabbi Dr. Michael Ben-Ari gave his first speech to the Knesset on Monday. Ben-Ari discussed the economic hardship being felt by many in Israel as well as the costs of making concessions to Arab enemies. Arab MKs left the hall during his speech, leading Ben-Ari to express satisfaction at what he called “my first great achievement in Knesset.” Ben-Ari reminded those assembled of the suffering in Hatzor Haglilit, where workers are protesting the closure of the factory that provides many of the town's jobs. “As we gathered here, all of us beautifully dressed, in splendid garments, in Hatzor...

"Why on earth would 168 leading republicans in the RNC pick “the most moderate candidate” after such a huge defeat of the centrist, moderate McCainiac’s Disease in 2008?" http://conservativeamerican.org/conservatives/does-this-sound-conservative/

States Consider Selling Off Roads, Parks to Confront Financial Meltdown Saturday, New York Gov. David Paterson is considering selling assets like the Tappan Zee Bridge, seen above, which connects two New York counties. New York Gov. David Paterson is considering selling assets like the Tappan Zee Bridge, seen above, which connects two New York counties. ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota is deep in the hole financially, but the state still owns a premier golf resort, a sprawling amateur sports complex, a big airport, a major zoo and land holdings the size of the Central American country of Belize. Valuables like...

Burr will vote yes, Dole no, on bailout Barbara Barrett, Staff Writer Comment on this story U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, plans to support tonight's Senate vote on a bailout deal for the financial markets. In a statement on the Senate floor, Burr said he believes both the markets and small businesses need the stability that a rescue plan will offer, warning of an economic downturn rivaling the Great Depression if action isn't taken. Burr also blamed the crisis on "greedy behavior." "Much of what got us to this point was not only reckless behavior on Wall Street,...

Gutless McCain sells out conservatives.

August 29, 2008 Statement of NOW PAC Chair Kim Gandy on the Selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain's Vice Presidential Pick Sen. John McCain's choice of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is a cynical effort to appeal to disappointed Hillary Clinton voters and get them to vote, ultimately, against their own self-interest. Gov. Palin may be the second woman vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket, but she is not the right woman. Sadly, she is a woman who opposes women's rights, just like John McCain. The fact that Palin is a mother of five who...

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been awarded a prime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention, joining at least five others at the St. Paul event who are considered potential running mates for Sen. John McCain. Perhaps the most atypical convention speaker, and potential running mate, is Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, who ran for vice president as a Democrat in 2000 and is now an independent and one of McCain's strongest supporters. For Pawlenty, the speaking role on the climactic last night of the Sept. 1-4 convention caps months campaigning for McCain, raising his national profile and speculation about his...

Should Sen. Hillary Clinton bow out of the presidential race?

See link for video -- John Boehner leads Republicans out of the House, protesting the Democrats not addressing FISA extension.

I spoke to one of my Thompson sources. He's still with his ailing mother. "He's just being a good son." He has not spoken to any other campaign or any other candidates, nor does he intend to at this time. He will not endorse, I am told by this source close to Thompson. I am also told, "he has no interest in a vice presidency or a cabinet position." At an "appropriate time" he will outline his plans for the near future. This source believes that the race has demonstrated that whatever happens from here on out, the GOP has...

TALK OF HILLARY EXIT ENGULFS CAMPAIGNS Mon Jan 07 2008 09:46:28 ET Facing a double-digit defeat in New Hampshire, a sudden collapse in national polls and an expected fund-raising drought, Senator Hillary Clinton is preparing for a tough decision: Does she get out of the race? And when?! "She can't take multiple double-digit losses in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada," laments one top campaign insider. "If she gets too badly embarrassed, it will really harm her. She doesn't want the Clinton brand to be damaged with back-to-back-to-back defeats." Meanwhile, Democrat hopeful John Edwards has confided to senior staff that...

Tennessee Town Has Run Out of Water Published: 11/1/07, 6:46 PM EDT By GREG BLUESTEIN ORME, Tenn. (AP) - As twilight falls over this Tennessee town, Mayor Tony Reames drives up a dusty dirt road to the community's towering water tank and begins his nightly ritual in front of a rusty metal valve. With a twist of the wrist, he releases the tank's meager water supply, and suddenly this sleepy town is alive with activity. Washing machines whir, kitchen sinks fill and showers run. About three hours later, Reames will return and reverse the process, cutting off water to the...

Iraqi leader tells Bush: Get Gen Petraeus out By Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent Last Updated: 2:44am BST 28/07/2007 Stormy relationship: Nouri al-Maliki and Gen David Petraeus Relations between the top United States general in Iraq and Nouri al-Maliki, the country's prime minister, are so bad that the Iraqi leader made a direct appeal for his removal to President George W Bush. Although the call was rejected, aides to both men admit that Mr Maliki and Gen David Petraeus engage in frequent stand-up shouting matches, differing particularly over the US general's moves to arm Sunni tribesmen to fight al-Qa'eda. One...

July 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Democratic Presidential Candidate and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich is being treated in a Cleveland area hospital suffering from the severe effects of apparent food poisoning. Kucinich became ill late on Sunday night while traveling from Cleveland to Ft. Lauderdale, FL where he was scheduled to address the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) national convention on Monday morning. He was accompanied on the trip by his wife Elizabeth. Despite experiencing severe gastrointestinal symptoms consistent with food poisoning, he proceeded with his scheduled appearance at the ILA event. Immediately following his speech, he flew back home to Cleveland where...

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2007 – Anyone who watched the final episode of HBO’s “The Sopranos” series understands what the Army is up against as it works to fill its ranks with high-quality recruits. When young Anthony Soprano Jr., “AJ” to his family and friends, expressed an interest in joining the Army, he met opposition from all corners. His girlfriend balked. His mother, Carmela, tried to dissuade him for fear he’s be deployed to Iraq. His father Tony, New Jersey’s mob boss, ultimately distracted him with a new BMW and an opportunity to make a movie. The story may be fictitious,...

Muslims Open A Window To Faith Forum Reaches Out To Ease Suspicions As The Faithful Face Mecca MICHAEL MCANDREWS, July 7, 2007 AMID HUNDREDS OF MUSLIMS during afternoon prayers on Saturday, Asim Abdelrahman, 6, keeps close to his father, Abdel Abdelrahman, during the annual meeting of the Islamic Circle of North America held at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. The Abdelrahmans, who live in Princeton, N.J., joined about 15,000 other Muslims, mostly from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as about 100 non-Muslim guests invited to learn more about Islam.

The fate of the immigration bill comes down to Senate Republicans’ leader, Mitch McConnell........”The only thing that can save us now is if McConnell made an appeal to Republicans that this thing is out of control and we need to step back from it.......”said Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican. “He could do that....”..... Debate on the bill resumes today, and Republican leaders will have to decide quickly...........snipped from: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1844535/posts Jam McConnell’s phone today. Be polite. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1844535/posts#6 McConnell, Mitch- (R - KY) 361-A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2541 mcconnell.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm

MILWAUKEE- A thief found out the hard way that robbing a woman isn't the best way to capture her heart. Two men robbed a U-Haul store around 3 p.m. Sunday, taking an unspecified amount of cash, according the store's owner. But instead of fleeing, one man lingered and tried to strike up a conversation with the woman he had just robbed. "He stuck around and was trying to get the female employee's number," U-Haul general manager Patrick Sobocinski said. "She said he was just saying, 'Hey baby, you're pretty fine.'" According to Sobocinski, one robber went behind the counter, put...

Updated 2:15 a.m.: Former McHenry campaign worker indicted for voter fraud from 2004 election Kevin Ellis May 11, 2007 - 11:33PM A grassroots organizer in U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry’s 2004 bid for Congress faces a felony election fraud charge. A Gaston County grand jury indicted Michael Aaron Lay, 26, of Pioneer, Tenn., on May 7. Lay, who graduated with a law degree from the University of Tennessee on Friday, did not immediately return a phone message left with his father early Saturday. McHenry dismissed the charge against Lay as a political attack in a statement released by his office Friday...

I'll be out of No 10 within weeks, says Blair By George Jones and Brendan Carlin Last Updated: 1:56am BST 02/05/2007 Tony Blair promised yesterday that he would stand down as Prime Minister "in the next few weeks". The announcement was a late attempt to avert a large protest vote against Labour in tomorrow's mid-term elections. Tony Blair will announce his resignation date next Wednesday or Thursday He is planning to announce next Wednesday or Thursday that he is resigning as Labour leader. The decision should see Gordon Brown succeed him in Downing Street by July 2. Mr Blair used...

FORT HUACHUCA — The leadership of the Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca will change on June 29, when Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast turns over the reins to Brig. Gen. John Custer. Fast, who has commanded the center and fort since March 16, 2005, has been named the deputy for the Army Capabilities Training Center at the Training and Doctrine Command headquarters at Fort Monroe, Va. Custer, who is on the list for promotion to major general, will be returning to the fort from his position as the director of intelligence for the U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base,...

Outback cracks under assault of the Big Dry Five years of drought have left Australian land parched and towns on the verge of economic ruin Phil Mercer in Sydney Sunday December 10, 2006 The Observer (UK) A farmer moves his sheep in search of food in drought-stricken New South Wales, Australia. Photograph: David Gray/Reuters Drought has plunged one of Australia's most famous outback towns to the brink of social and economic collapse. Bourke - heralded as the 'Real Gateway to the Outback' - faces oblivion. Five years of drought has left Bourke facing its worst crisis. Little wonder Australians are...

A new dish is appearing on menus across the nation. Restaurateurs say they have little choice other than offer it, though it horrifies many customers. That item is the $40 entree. Until recently, such prices were the stuff of four-star, white-tablecloth meals, the kind that ended with a diamond ring on the petit four tray. But now entrees over $40 can be found in restaurants that are merely upscale, where diners wear jeans and tote children. In geographic terms, New York and Las Vegas have led the charge, and in culinary ones, luxury items like steak and lobster were first...

Moderate Muslims Urged to Speak Out Sunday October 1, 2006 2:16 AM By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press Writer COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - Moderate Muslims must take a stand against extremists, speakers said Saturday at a conference marking a year since the publication of Prophet Muhammad cartoons that led to violent demonstrations in Muslim countries. The 12 drawings, first published in the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten in September, were reprinted in several European countries four months later, prompting angry mobs to attack Western embassies in countries including Lebanon, Iran and Indonesia. The cartoons, which included a drawing of the prophet with...

(Sept. 19) - Adopted two days after her first birthday, Sarah Culberson grew up the youngest daughter in a close-knit family from Morgantown, W.Va. She was surrounded by love in her home, but always wondered about her roots. Searching to unlock the secrets of her past, at age 22, Culberson began searching for her birth parents. She quickly learned that her mom had died a dozen years earlier from cancer. Culberson was crushed. A few years later, a private investigator helped her locate her birth father, along with an unbelievable surprise. Culberson wasn't an average suburban girl -- she was...

"...Sweet Sixteen events have exploded in size and popularity at the same time that the Hispanic tradition of the Quinceañera, a party thrown for a girl of 15 to mark her transition into womanhood, is receiving more attention. Though both events are more secular than Bat Mitzvahs, they bear a similar social function to the Jewish tradition. The host and her family -- rather than a committee of ladies-who-lunch -- make the decisions about attendees, decor and entertainment. As a result, the party may be an expression the family's status and wealth -- rather than a rite of passage for...

North Korea 'determined to carry out underground test' By Sergey Soukhorukov in Pyongyang (Filed: 10/09/2006) Russian diplomats believe it is now "highly probable" that North Korea will officially join the nuclear club by carrying out its first underground test of an atomic device. Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader, is said to have made clear his intention to explode a device during recent talks with Russian and Chinese officials in Pyongyang. Although he was pressed to resume six-party talks over his nuclear programme, the Russians concluded that he was serious in his desire to demonstrate that his scientists have...

Hospital superbug 'out of control' as child MRSA cases rise to 150 By Beezy Marsh, Health Correspondent (Filed: 10/09/2006) Nearly 150 babies and children last year suffered potentially fatal blood infections after contracting the MRSA superbug in NHS hospitals, Government research reveals. The figure is double that of previous estimates, raising concerns that MRSA is tightening its grip on the very young and that poor hospital hygiene is allowing the superbug to spread. Children with MRSA in their blood require emergency hospital treatment to prevent blood poisoning and toxic shock, which can quickly lead to organ failure and death. Premature...

Contact: Neil Schoenherr nschoenherr@wustl.edu 314-935-5235 Washington University in St. Louis Modern humans, not Neandertals, may be evolution's 'odd man out'Looking incorrectly at Neandertals Could it be that in the great evolutionary "family tree," it is we Modern Humans, not the brow-ridged, large-nosed Neandertals, who are the odd uncle out? New research published in the August, 2006 journal Current Anthropology by Neandertal and early modern human expert, Erik Trinkaus, professor of anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, suggests that rather than the standard straight line from chimps to early humans to us with Neandertals off on a side graph, it's...

Sudan orders African troops out of Darfur By David Blair, Africa Correspondent (Filed: 04/09/2006) Sudan's regime sought to remove the only international military presence in Darfur yesterday when it demanded the withdrawal of all African Union troops from the war-torn region. The AU, an alliance of all 53 African countries, has 5,000 troops and 2,000 civilian staff in Darfur. Crippled by incompetence and lack of resources, the mission has largely failed to protect the population.But it has recorded numerous attacks on civilian targets mounted by Sudanese government forces and their allies from the notorious Janjaweed militia. Violence, starvation and disease...

Residents of the Ghazaliya neighborhood of Baghdad wait in line for medical treatment conducted by Iraqi doctors of the 6th Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, Iraqi National Guard, with Coalition doctors providing support. Department of Defense photo by Navy Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Brett Cote, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.BAGHDAD -- Nearly 200 residents participated in Operation Ghazaliya Aid, receiving medical treatment for a variety of ailments.Soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, along with Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Multi-National...

Jubilant Iraqi looters strip military base after British forces pull out By Oliver Poole in Baghdad (Filed: 26/08/2006) Thousands of jubilant Iraqis looted the British military base in Amarah yesterday, only a day after the Army pulled out of the camp. Everything from doors and window frames to corrugated roofing and metal pipes was pillaged from Camp Abu Naji, previously Britain's only permanent base in Maysan province. Witnesses said that thieves filled up lorries with their gains. When one was asked what he was doing, he answered: "This is war loot." The British decision to hand over the camp to...

SIERRA VISTA — Seized with sorrow as she said goodbye to her four small children, Army Sgt. Alberta Cole resorted to a time-honored trick employed by parents everywhere. "The kids said, 'Mommy, you're crying.' And I said 'No, my eyes are just watering,' " said Cole, a 30-year-old single mom who left for Iraq on Tuesday, her youngest child's first birthday. Hundreds of loved ones waved and wept as members of Fort Huachuca's 86th Signal Battalion boarded a plane bound for Baghdad. Cole is one of 340 Southern Arizona soldiers scheduled to spend a year overseas. A neighbor is watching...

Shops run out of money as Zimbabwe changes currency By Peta Thornycroft in Harare (Filed: 22/08/2006) Crowds filled Zimbabwe's banks and shops yesterday as they rushed to meet a deadline to acquire new currency after the government cancelled the old one. Three noughts have been struck off the new notes in an effort to reduce the huge volume of cash required for the simplest transaction in a land where annual inflation runs at almost 1,000 per cent. People had to hand in old notes by yesterday's deadline. But the task was complicated by an official regulation banning anyone from possessing...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2006 – Over the past two and a half years, about 500 severely wounded servicemembers and their families have enjoyed 5,000 free dinners out on the town thanks to Hal Koster and Marty O’Brien. “Some of them have come to multiple dinners because some of them are here for years,” Koster said Aug. 18, as he looked over the 60 or so guests dining on the rooftop of The Exchange restaurant here. About 20 servicemembers, many in wheelchairs and prosthetics, family members and other guests dined overlooking a panoramic view of the U.S. Capitol, and the Washington...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006 -- Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted Operation River Falcon July 25-27 in and around the town of Sayifiyah. “The goal was to set conditions in the area in support of future projects and more kinetic operations,” said Capt. Colin Brooks, commander, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment. Sayifiyah had once been a “French Riviera”-type region for Sunnis, who were given preferential treatment under the Sadam regime, Brooks said.  Located southeast of Baghdad on the Tigris River, the small area, which...

Stressed out and anxious in Beirut By Hugh Sykes BBC News, Beirut For many in Beirut the bombing feels like collective punishment People keep asking me, "Do you know when it will stop?" I shrug my shoulders, and say: "Your guess is as good as mine." Then they ask: "But Beirut - will they bomb Beirut again?" "What would be the point?" I reply. Then they bombed Beirut again. Dozens of displaced children living in a school in a quiet neighbourhood near the city centre heard terrifying loud bangs in the middle of the night. Four massive thumps one night,...

Scientists to stake out world's hurricane nursery 14:26 27 July 2006 NewScientist.com news service Jeff Hecht A map of 2004 hurricane paths shows the point where each storm was recognised as a tropical depression. Almost all major hurricanes begin as low pressure wavefronts coming off the African coast (Image: US National Hurricane Center) Scientists will spend the peak of the North Atlantic hurricane season focusing a fleet of satellites, a dedicated research aircraft, and ground-based radars on belts of thunderstorms and low pressure moving westwards from the tropical African coast. The aim is to find out why and how about...

'A second shot rang out. Both men were dead. Now I could never be known as Frank Sinatra's daughter' By Douglas Thompson (Filed: 23/07/2006)Page 1 of 9In February 1947, Frank Sinatra, cooler than his eyes were blue, flew into Havana to perform for an audience not only tougher than his usual crowd, but far deadlier. The engagement would change Sinatra's life, and do much to shape, in the years that followed, the world's idea of who he was. The Cuban interlude, a darkly Runyonesque affair, rich in sex and menace, would have an equally lasting effect on a woman who,...

Convoy of fear driven out by war machine By Tim Butcher, in Tyre, southern Lebanon (Filed: 21/07/2006) It was the terrified faces of the children pressed against the car windows yesterday looking up for Israeli aircraft that showed this was no ordinary seaside drive. Thousands of Lebanese fled in fear up the country's Mediterranean coast road, pathetically waving white towels and pieces of clothing as if that could protect them from the force of the Israeli war machine. A family flee their village in southern Lebanon Bumping past craters ripped deep into the road by Israeli bombs, the stream of...

THE NEW WORLD DISORDER Foreign ownership of U.S. airlines? Bush ready to defy Congress' ban despite pilots' fears of another Dubai ports deal The Department of Transportation, acting under President Bush's orders, is preparing to issue an administrative ruling that would open U.S. airlines up to foreign ownership, despite specific prohibitions and warnings from Congress, as well as predictions by pilots that another Dubai ports controversy is in the offing. The proposed ruling puts the Air Line Pilots Association, or ALPA – the largest airline pilot union in the world representing 61,000 pilots who fly for 40 U.S. and Canadian...

Palestinian PM is defiant as Gaza runs out of water By Harry de Quetteville in Gaza (Filed: 01/07/2006) The Palestinian prime minister emerged from hiding yesterday, vowing to defy Israeli military pressure which has left the Gaza Strip facing a humanitarian crisis. Ismail Haniya: 'No concessions' to the barrage Ismail Haniya, who has already survived one Israeli assassination attempt, has been under cover since a 19-year-old Israeli soldier was captured by Palestinian militants on Sunday. Israeli public television reported yesterday that Cpl Gilad Shalit was alive and had been treated by a Palestinian doctor for his injuries. But until he...