Free Republic

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...