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WASHINGTON/CHICAGO, Oct 22 (Reuters) - U.S. communications regulators voted unanimously Thursday to support an open Internet rule that would prevent telecom network operators from barring or blocking content based on the revenue it generates. The proposed rule now goes to the public for comment until Jan. 14, after which the Federal Communications Commissions will review the feedback and possibly seek more comment. A final rule is not expected until the spring of next year.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2009 – Defense Department federal employees could receive up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a military family member injured in the line of duty if an Office of Personnel Management proposal is adopted. The proposal would allow eligible federal employees to take 26 "administrative work weeks" provided for under the Family and Medical Leave Act to care for a servicemember wounded in the line of duty, OPM officials explained during a telephone conference call. The provision would extend to families of National Guard members or reservists injured while on active duty, explained Jerry...

It's a spelling mantra that generations of schoolchildren have learned — "i before e, except after c." But new British government guidance tells teachers not to pass on the rule to students, because there are too many exceptions. The "Support For Spelling" document, which is being sent to thousands of primary schools, says the rule "is not worth teaching" because it doesn't account for words like 'sufficient,' 'veil' and 'their.'

James Carville, political consultant and media personality, lays out his case for Democrats ruling Washington for the next 40 years in his latest book: “40 More Years, How the Democrats Will Rule the Next Generation.” In the introduction of the new Simon and Schuster offering, Carville, currently a political science professor at Tulane University, builds the case for why he believes the Democratic Party in American politics is stronger than ever before. “Obama created a new party,” Carville writes. “He brought new people in all across the country, and in 2008 those new people were donating, registering, and voting alongside...

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani Taliban are imposing their rule in a Pakistani mountain valley they took over last week, spreading fear in the area only 100 km (60 miles) from the capital, police and residents said on Monday. Surging militant violence across Pakistan and the spread of Taliban influence through the northwest are reviving concerns about the stability of the nuclear-armed U.S. ally. Pakistan is crucial to U.S. efforts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan but the government has been unable to check militant attacks in its cities let alone stop insurgents crossing into Afghanistan from border strongholds to battle Western forces....

Do concealed handguns contribute to air pollution? There are more than a dozen national parks and wildlife refuges in Georgia, and now your right to bear arms in Georgia’s national parks and refuges has been swept away by a federal judge in Washington DC. Yesterday, United States District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Kenneth L. Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, not to implement the new regulation that permits loaded, concealed firearms on national park and wildlife refuges until the Court can make a final decision on whether to enjoin the new regulation permanently. This new regulation had taken effect on...

US President Barack Obama mustered his powerful campaign army on Monday, calling on his millions of supporters to lobby on behalf of his budget and economic plan. The appeal to back the president was made in an email and video sent out by "Organizing for America," the organization which morphed out of Obama's campaign machinery to push his agenda when he entered the White House. In the video, Mitch Stewart, the director of Organizing for America, urged the president's supporters to take part in the "Organizing for America Pledge Project."

The co-chair of Barack Obama's Transition Team, Valerie Jarrett, appeared on Meet the Press this weekend and used, shall we say, an interesting word to described what she thinks Barack Obama will be doing in January when he's officially sworn into office. She told Tom Brokaw that Obama will be ready to "rule" on day one. It's a word that reflects the worst fears that people have for Obama the "arrogant," the "messiah," that imagines he's here to "rule" instead of govern.

CAMP VICTORY — Coalition forces once named the predominantly Sunni area in central Iraq, consisting of the cities of Yusuifiyah, Mahmudiyah, Iskandariyah and Latifiyah, the “Triangle of Death.” The troop surge initiated in 2007 neutralized much of the area enabling Iraqi Security Forces to take a leading role in the securing the region. An uprising there in March raised concerns and directed attention to the Iraqi Security Forces operating in that area; Coalition forces feared the ISF would struggle to maintain rule of law in the communities. “We got word that special group members were going to be coming down...

Oil prices threaten to end Malaysian party's 50-year rule By Thomas Bell in Kuala Lumpur Last Updated: 4:12AM BST 14/06/2008 As oil price protests spread around the world, the government of Malaysia could become the first to fall as a result of the crisis. Lorry drivers and motorists across Europe and Asia are in uproar, with the price of oil at unprecedented highs of about $138 a barrel. In the past few days there have been protests in France, Spain, Holland, India, South Korea and Nepal. Lorry drivers are threatening to blockade the Thai capital, Bangkok, on Tuesday. In Malaysia,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced that he is accepting the recommendation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  The listing is based on the best available science, which shows that loss of sea ice threatens and will likely continue to threaten polar bear habitat.  This loss of habitat puts polar bears at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future, the standard established by the ESA for designating a threatened species. In making the announcement, Kempthorne said,...

Few people are in the middle on Ann Coulter; most either love her or hate her, and usually their position has to do with ideology. Conservatives like Coulter's willingness to call things as she sees them, often at the expense of offending nearly everyone. People also like her because she thumbs her nose at the left better than just about anyone else. She was also the most ardent defender of impeaching Bill Clinton for committing perjury. While Coulter didn't succeed in her attempts to get Willie and his cigar booted from the Oval Office, she did succeed in making herself...

A federal rule that allowed expedited logging on national forests saved thousands of homes during the recent wildfires in California, the Forest Service chief said Thursday. Gail Kimbell cited "some real vivid examples" in California where the agency's practice of logging without first analyzing its effect on the environment protected homes and spared lives. "The hazardous fuels treatments were instrumental saving thousands of homes" in southern California during recent wildfires near San Diego and Lake Arrowhead, Kimbell said. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the practice Wednesday, saying it violated the National Environmental Policy Act. Kimbell...

Mesopotamian city grew regardless of kingly rule 19:00 30 August 2007 NewScientist.com news service Roxanne Khamsi Changes in pottery over the years allowed researchers to develop a timeline for the Tell Brak's expansion Contrary to the assumption that ancient cities always grew outwards from a central point, the urban site of Tell Brak in north-eastern Syria appears to have emerged as several nearby settlements melded together, according to researchers' analysis of archaeological evidence. Experts say that the findings lend support to the theory that early Mesopotamian cities developed as a result of grassroots organisation, rather than a mandate from a...

When a 73-year-old Londoner collapsed at a betting shop on New Year's Eve afternoon, his luck had run out – thanks to European Union rules that required two nearby ambulance crews to be kept on their 30-minute breaks. A paramedic arrived by rapid-response car in a matter of minutes to the shopping center where the unnamed senior was stricken and began caring for the man. Witnesses say he made desperate calls on his cell phone in an attempt to have an ambulance dispatched. The London Ambulance Service, which has launched an investigation of the incident, confirmed that two crews were...

CLEVELAND - A federal judge on Wednesday struck down a first-of-its-kind voting rule that required naturalized citizens in Ohio to provide proof of their citizenship if challenged by a poll worker. A group of naturalized citizens, backed by the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, sued in August, alleging the law singled out one group of citizens and placed an unfair burden on them. Secretary of State Ken Blackwell agreed that the rule was unconstitutional and did not challenge the lawsuit at a court hearing Wednesday. Judge Christopher Boyko said the rule raised concerns of profiling and would...

Pelosi: 'Permitting Indefinite Detention Under Conditions that Cannot be Challenged in Court is Contrary to Our History and Values'Wed Sep 27, 3:45 PM ET To: National Desk Contact: Brendan Daly or Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616, both for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor this afternoon in strong opposition to H.R. 6054 -- Military Commissions Act. Three major amendments offered by Democratic Members were rejected by the Rules Committee. Below are Pelosi's remarks: "It's been five years since 9/11, yet not one person who has been directly...

U.S. Army Soldiers escort detainees to the courthouse in Baghdad, Aug. 3. The Soldiers are from 1st Battalion, 180th Field Artillery, Arizona Army National Guard. Department of Defense photo by Air Force Senior Airman Richard Rose. As the democratic government of Iraq establishes itself throughout the country, it faces the challenge of erasing decades of tyranny and oppression. One of the challenges the government is tackling head on is the legal trials of previous regime officials.Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein continues his second trial by the Iraqi High Tribunal on Monday for the Anfal genocide campaign against the Kurds. Faced...

Here's TWO book reviews for two great books. By the mistress of True Crime, Ann Rule, or course. In "Bitter Harvest" we have a mother who burns her children alive. In "Heart Full of Lives" we have a woman who murders her husband as he sleeps. Both women were very sucessful, well-traveled. One was a doctor, the other a photographer and writer. Both women were wealthy and SHOULD have been extremely happy with their lives. Ann Rule does an amazing job with these tales of True Crime.

Sikh bracelets, but no Christian rings at school bans pupils from wearing 'purity rings' A group of teenage Christians have been banned by a secondary school from wearing "purity rings" as a symbol of their religious belief in chastity until marriage. At least one of the dozen pupils, who all attend the same girls' comprehensive in Horsham, West Sussex, is considering legal action against the Millais School for "a breach of human rights". Although the school allows Muslim and Sikh pupils to wear headscarves or kara bracelets as a means of religious expression, the purity ring - a small band...

Hi everyone, it's been awhile since we had a refresher course on the posting guidelines. We've had a lot of newbies sign up. Welcome Aboard! The more the merrier! And it doesn't hurt you longtimes to re-read this. As always, we're here to help. Ask questions, we'll do our best to answer. Are you ready maggot? SEARCH If it's a breaking news topic, check breaking news first, it's probably already posted. Check the breaking news sidebar first. Don't try to be the first one with the story, you've already been beaten by about eight threads. To avoid duplicate posts, please...

Chertoff: U.S. Still Plans Passport Rule Wednesday April 19, 2006 1:31 AM By LARA JAKES JORDAN Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration said Tuesday it still plans to require passports from all foreigners entering the United States by the end of next year, despite calls for a delay by some Republicans worried about strained relations with Canada. At issue is a 2004 law, being phased in over three years, to tighten U.S. borders against suspected terrorists and other criminals. But critics on both sides of the nation's northern border fear the passport requirement will hamper commerce and...

Venezuelan middle class flees Chávez rule of hate By Sophie Arie in Caracas (Filed: 05/03/2006) Venezuela's once-thriving middle class is packing its bags and fleeing the country, afraid for the future as the socialist president, Hugo Chávez, calls on the slum-dwelling masses to rise up and seize wealth from those better off than themselves. Growing numbers of professionals, business owners and shopkeepers are fed up with the climate of hostility that the Left-wing president has encouraged in his effort to boost his populist credentials. President Hugo Chávez María Carolina García was blowing up helium balloons in her party-decorations shop in...

U.N. rule to bar religious offense sought CAIRO, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- The European Union is debating ideas and measures that might be endorsed by the United Nations to bar the slandering of religions. EU foreign policy and security commissioner Javier Solana said after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday the EU and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) "are considering certain ideas to safeguard and protect religious values in general, but the time is not appropriate to disclose the details." Solana issued a joint statement Monday with the chief of the Jeddah-based OIC Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stressing their...

How Did Dick Cheney Break the No.1 Rule of Hunting? For veteran sportsmen like the vice president, safety is a core value By TIMOTHY J. BURGER/WASHINGTON The cardinal rule of hunting could not be more simple: Don’t shoot the people (or the dogs). If there’s anyone in Washington who knows this, one would have thought it would be Vice President Dick Cheney, who accidentally shot his friend and fellow hunter Harry Whittington, 78, late Saturday afternoon. Whittington is expected to recover from his injuries, but the question will linger on: how does an accident like this happen among hunters with...

German language rule upsets Turks By Kate Connolly in Berlin (Filed: 26/01/2006) Schools in Berlin with a "German-only" language rule and large numbers of foreign pupils have been accused of discrimination. Six secondary schools have banned all languages except German in the classroom, playground and on school trips to speed integration. The Union of Teachers voted this week to expand the policy nationally. In some schools up to 90 per cent of the pupils are non-German. The rule has been criticised by some politicians and Turkish groups who say it discriminates against the pupils and violates the constitution. The Turkish...

Many issues that affect our lives and shape our nation turn on judges' decisions on constitutional questions. Can students say "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance? Can states take away private property for private uses? Can Congress restrict campaign contributions and expenditures? Answers to these and other constitutional questions depend critically on how one approaches the interpretive task. Any sensible approach to constitutional interpretation must look to the core sources of law - the text, structure, and history of the constitution. For many questions, these will provide enough guidance to answer the constitutional question presented. Yet in many other...

Our Ukraine Bloc led by President Viktor Yushchenko proposed to introduce direct presidential rule in Ukraine by the end of the parliamentary elections. As a statement made by the bloc says, “under the threat of a national catastrophe we call to introduce direct presidential rule until the elections to the Supreme Rada are held, which are to be carried out fairly and transparently in accordance with the Ukrainian Constitution in March 2006.” Ukrainian Justice Ministry Sergey Golovaty has already reacted to the initiative: “The Constitution prohibits such a measure.” As the same time, Golovaty expressed his confidence that Yushchenko would...

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- The first weekend of deer season began with hunters adjusting to a new rule: spikehorn deer -- male deer that have just a single antler -- are off limits to this year. The regulation is designed to try and strengthen herd numbers. The regulations also reduce the number of deer a hunter can take during the state's archery, rifle and black powder seasons from three to two. "I was a little bit worried about it this year, but I think in the end it will be well-worth it," said hunter Jeff Kershner. I would like to see...

UK 'cannot rule out nuclear attack by terrorists' By Joshua Rozenberg, Legal Editor (Filed: 03/11/2005) The suicide bombings in London on July 7 were not the worst attacks that we could expect in Britain, according to the former head of MI6. Sir Richard Dearlove, who retired last year as head of the Secret Intelligence Service, said chemical, biological and genetic terrorism was in prospect and a nuclear attack could not be ruled out. Acknowledging that the July bombings had been "very lethal", he said they did not amount to a "strategic terrorist event". Sir Richard, who was taking part in...

NEW YORK (AP) - A federal judge expressed reluctance about beginning judicial oversight of pollution issues that affect global warming as she heard arguments Friday in a complaint brought by eight states against some of the nation's largest power companies. "Why should I do something that Congress and the president have decided they don't want to do as a matter of policy?" Judge Loretta Preska asked lawyers for the states. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said the states would prove that the five power companies are responsible for 10 percent of the nation's carbon dioxide emissions. The states are asking...

give them a call and state we want a division 1 football playoff too.

Kurds in Iran's western city of Mahabad are rioting against the Iranian government after the torture and brutal death of activist, Shovaneh Ghaderi, at the hands of the police. Shovaneh was a member of the Revolutionary Union of Kurdistan. His crime evidently was to call for autonomy in Kurdistan. Reports are that Shovaneh was shot by police and tied to a car. He was dragged by the car to the police station, suffering severe lacerations. At the police station, he was allegedly tortured until he died. Shovaneh was 25-years old at the time of his murder. The police brutality came...

Alexander Bandurka, the acting head of Parliamentary Committee on legislative securing of law-enforcement activity, considers that the President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko exceeded his authority having liquidated traffic police. Bandurka pointed out that the structure and number of Ministry of Internal Affairs, which includes traffic police, are regulated by the Act about police. The reorganization of traffic police should be conducted in accordance with the law. “The very form of the reorganization is not legal… It should be done by means of law, which is to be passed by Verkhovna Rada", said Bandurka. He also pointed out that the President...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A state official on leave amid an investigation into a half-million-dollar contract awarded to his brother-in-law also recently changed an agency overtime rule in a way that benefits his new wife. Robert Millette, director of finance and administration for the Illinois Department of Transportation, decreed in January that any employee who serves as a "technical manager V" would be eligible for time off in exchange for working overtime, a perk not previously offered, a department spokesman said. Millette's wife, Angela Korbar, is in the "technical manager V" category as a personnel manager in the Transportation Department's...

WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) - A judge said he would rule Monday on whether the 2004 gubernatorial election should be nullified. Chelan County Superior Court Judge John Bridges' announcement came Thursday, as Democrats were nearing the end of their defense of the disputed election, which Democrat Christine Gregoire won by just 129 votes. Republicans challenging Gregoire's victory have focused on errors in the Democratic stronghold of King County, the state's most populous and home to about a third of the total votes statewide. They contend the errors indicate fraud and want the election overturned to allow a new contest between Gregoire...

The Book of Joshua as a Political Classic Daniel J. Elazar The argument of this paper is that the Book of Joshua is a classic of political thought, that can be and should be read as a coherent whole, in fact, as a major statement of the classic political world view of the Bible. For political science, it is the first classic exposition of federal republicanism.1 While the themes it emphasizes are derived from the Torah itself, the Torah combines them with other elements. In Joshua, the federal republican character of the Israelite edah (lit: congregation or assembly -- the...

Though even some conservatives disagree, no matter how you spin it, this compromise agreement among the 14 self-anointed Senators is a big loser for Republicans and for the country. The best way to measure this is to compare what is likely to happen with the agreement in place with what likely would have happened had the agreement not been reached. Republicans received only one "concession" in the deal: Democrats agreed not to filibuster three judges, Janice Rogers Brown, William Pryor, and Priscilla Owen. But many believe Republicans had sufficient votes in the Senate, especially with Vice President Cheney's tie-breaking vote,...

Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government 8. Majority Rule The only way a republican government can function, and the only way a people's voice can be expressed to effect a practicable control of government, is through a process in which decisions are made by the majority. This is not a perfect way of controlling government, but the alternatives--decisions made by a minority, or by one person--are even worse and are the source of great evil. To be just, majority decisions must be in the best interest of all the people, not just one faction. "The first principle of republicanism is...

I receive an English comic book several times a week via e-mail called: “The Party for Islamic Renewal.” In one of their latest issues, British Muslims are wailing about how badly Muslims are treated around the world. The Muslims of England must unite to protest the horrible, evil, cruel, and completely unjust persecution and oppression of Muslims. Muslims complain that in France, the locals don’t like the Muslim girls to wear their hijabs. This is an outrage. I understand that in Egypt a woman is encouraged to wear the hijab. In fact, I believe it’s mandatory, especially if she is...

There are now more cats than dogs in the United States (78 million cats vs. 65 million cats in 2003, according to American Animal Hospital Association and the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association). So, here are feline facts to amaze, delight and inspire anyone from the ailurophile to the casual cat fancier: • Kittens are born blue-eyed. If their eyes change colors, it generally occurs at 4 to 5 weeks of age. Kittens open their eyes at 7 to 10 days but can't hear until they're about 14 days old. • The cat is the only animal that purrs. Domestic...

WASHINGTON – As California officials assert their authority in court over liquefied natural gas terminals, Congress is moving to make it clear that federal regulators have the final word on where the sometimes-controversial facilities are located. An energy bill being crafted by a House committee would solidify the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's role in approving the growing number of proposed LNG facilities nationwide, proponents say. Some of the terminals, including several proposed for California, have encountered strong opposition from residents worried about accidents or terrorist attacks involving the highly explosive fuel. Senate energy subcommittee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., introduced similar...

Boxer Amendment to End Global Gag Rule Passes in the Senate Feminist Daily News Wire April 6, 2005 Led by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), a champion for women's rights, the Senate passed an amendment to a foreign aid bill on Tuesday to overturn the Global Gag Rule. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Boxer and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), was passed 52-46, with eight Republican Senators joining the Democrats. Reuters reports that the US Senate has repeatedly rejected the dangerous and restrictive policy since it was first imposed by the Reagan Administration in 1984. Though President Clinton rescinded the policy for...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A proposal that would let the California Republican Party make an early endorsement of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and allow early party contributions to his re-election campaign led a longtime activist to resign from a key party committee Friday. Dora Kingsley said the rule proposed by party Chairman Duf Sundheim for consideration at the party convention this weekend in Sacramento could bring criticism of Schwarzenegger. The state Democratic Party allows such preprimary endorsements, but Kingsley said the GOP rules prohibit them "in order to protect the integrity of the nomination process." Changing the rule could "lead to loss...

Public intellectuals now claim intelligence is higher in the blue states than in the red states. To some extent they have empirical evidence since Democrats overwhelmingly win two educational groups—those with postgraduate degrees and high school drop outs. Seemingly the public intellectuals focus on the first rather than the latter, but it does raise the question what does distinguish the red “stater” from the blue “stater?” Attorney David Lebedoff answers this question in The Uncivil War: How a New Elite Is Destroying Our Democracy. Lebedoff believes the divide is between those who believe in rule by the “New Elite” (liberals)...

This week, the Bill of Rights becomes 213 years old. These 461 words were intended to be the backbone for defense of what the Founding Fathers called our "unalienable" rights. And so they were, with only few exceptions, for over 140 years. Starting with the blatant and unconstitutional socialism of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, Washington has steadily eroded our rights. So, today, many of these so called "unalienable" rights are but privileges allowed or refused at the whim of a capricious central government, and some have been all but completely usurped by Washington. Yet, these Amendments are still part...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

Note:  The following column was the lead article in the November issue of Zogby’s Real America newsletter.  For more hard-hitting commentary like this from John Zogby and his team at Zogby International, check out the latest issue of Zogby’s Real America newsletter.   Visit http://www.zogby.com/realamerica/index.cfm for details.)The Incumbent Rule is one of those useful analytical tools that people in my business, along with political scientists and pundits of every stripe, put a lot of stock in.  It’s a proven device for making predictions based on history, and it’s held up surprisingly well over time.  But it’s also taken a lot of...

WASHINGTON - Defeating the insurgents in Fallujah is critical in the battle for a free Iraq (news - web sites) because "one part of the country cannot remain under the rule of assassins," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Monday. "These are killers. They chop people's heads off," he told a Pentagon (news - web sites) news conference hours after American and U.S.-trained Iraqi troops launched an assault on Fallujah. Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said victory in Fallujah would not end the insurgency or eliminate the need for more fierce combat in...

<p>Except for the presidential election, the most important election this year will take place on April 27 in Pennsylvania. No, it's not the "American Idol" finals. It's even more important than that. That's the day of the Republican primary pitting a great Republican, Pat Toomey, against the 74-year-old, Ira Einhorn-defending alleged "Republican," Arlen Specter.</p>