Free Republic

If you think environmentalism is all about saving the Earth, protecting the whales, stopping pollution, and the like, here's some news. It's not! Listen to what environmental advocates themselves have to say: "I think if we don't overthrow capitalism, we don't have a chance of saving the world ecologically. I think it is possible to have an ecologically sound society under socialism. I don't think it's possible under capitalism." Judi Bari, Earth First! member.[Environmentalism equals replacing capitalism with socialism.] "The environmentalist's dream is an egalitarian society, based on rejection of economic growth, a smaller population, eating lower on the food...

Hundreds of doctors have sent open letters to political leaders expressing fears for the future of the NHS.A group of 900 medics say changes to funding are urgently needed as the system is not sustainable. They say a system which relies on taxpayers alone cannot meet rising expectations. The group - Doctors for Reform - has almost doubled in strength since its launch in 2004. While resources have risen above continental European levels, they say the service does not deliver a European standard of care. They claim if the service cannot provide a comprehensive and high quality service now, at...

"Unlawful Possession Of Laying Hens" Egg farmer stands his ground in raid By NICK GARDINER Staff Writer SHANLY -- A 10-hour standoff between federal food inspectors and a local egg farmer backed by 40 landowners ended Thursday evening when thousands of confiscated eggs and chickens - many dead or dying after going hours without ventilation or water - were released back to the owner. Inspectors who raided the County Road 21 farm near the Grenville-Dundas County border allege Shawn Carmichael, owner of Carmichael Poultry Farm at 317 County Road 21, had been selling ungraded or improperly graded eggs and lacked...

Woman told doctor of drug allergy A mother who died in hospital after wrongly being given penicillin had warned doctors she was allergic to the drug, an inquest has heard. Teresa Innes, 38, of Turnhill Grove, Bradford suffered anaphylactic shock and was left in a coma after she was given the drug in September 2001. Ms Innes had been due to have a minor operation on an insect bite on her leg. She died in August 2003, after a judge gave permission for the Bradford Royal Infirmary to end artificial feeding. Allergy wristband Bradford Coroner's Court heard the former care...

A baby boy died after an untrained doctor pressed the wrong button on his bypass machine because it was a less "horrid" colour than the other, an inquest heard yesterday. Four-month-old Thomas Smith was on a heart and lung bypass machine when Simon McGuirk, a cardiac surgical registrar, accidentally turned it off. Mr McGuirk said that he did not know whether to press the orange or blue buttons to restart the machine, so opted for the blue. It sent the machine into reverse, sucking blood from Thomas's body. He died a short time later. The inquest heard that Thomas had...

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...

HAVANA - Over the past 10 years I've crossed Cuba many times -- by train, bus, motorcycle and '57 Chevy, transported on the backs of produce wagons and horse-drawn carts, standing in peso trucks shoulder-to-shoulder with locals, and squeezed atop water carriers. Along the central motorway, down dusty trails that pass obscure rural villages, through seemingly impassible roads after torrents of rain, my drivers took a foreigner aboard, even if it was forbidden. Some even took me into their homes and allowed me to witness their lives. Their kindness will stay with me always. So will their terrible plight. When...

Estate agents long for spring. The market stirs up again and before long the annual rite of rising house prices is in full spate. Of course, it's less fun if you are a young couple, with both of you working, wondering why, despite being wealthier in almost every respect, you can't afford the same size home your parents had when they were your age. It's a worry, too, if you are one of those parents, wondering how your children are ever going to get on the housing ladder, concerned that your grandchildren are being brought up in a cramped flat...

THE LIFE OF BABY CHARLOTTE By Michelle Malkin   ·   February 25, 2006 05:29 PM Sentenced to die Doctors in England have won the power to withhold life support from two-year-old brain-damaged child Charlotte Wyatt--against the adamant wishes of her parents: The parents of Charlotte Wyatt have been told that doctors are to be allowed to let their profoundly ill baby daughter die if they feel it is in her best interests. A High Court judge yesterday lifted a previous ruling that she should always be resuscitated, on the grounds that the two-year-old was now on a "downward rather than an...

Gay marriage, medical marijuana or calls to impeach President Bush, San Francisco City Hall has a long history of giving the rest of the country something to talk about -- and this week the talker was a bombshell served up by Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval. It started with Sandoval going on Fox's "Hannity & Colmes" show to explain why he opposed bringing the historic battleship Iowa to San Francisco: "We just don't want to put a 10-story gun on the waterfront where everybody is going to be looking at it every single day." But things really got interesting when the conversation...

Britain's baby drought is fast becoming one of this country's most pressing long-term problems. A new think tank report reveals that, while some women are happy to remain childless, others are desperate to conceive. It's just that the problems of juggling motherhood and a career are becoming intolerable When Julie Kendall walked down the aisle at the age of 26, it was always with the idea that some day she would be a mother. At that age there was no obvious hurry. Both she and her husband were keen to establish careers; her own mother had urged her not to...

THE high court ruled today doctors do have the power to withdraw food and drink from terminally ill patients - even if it is against their wishes. The General Medical Council (GMC) was appealing against a previous ruling that gave Lesley Burke - who suffers from a degenerative brain condition - the right to insist on nutrition during the final stages of his illness... The appeal judges were told {that]a patient did not have the right to demand any particular form of treatment... Joyce Robins, co-director of human rights campaign group Patient Concern, said the decision was a disappointment. She...

HELENA - Gov.-elect Brian Schweitzer proposed a state general fund budget Tuesday that calls for spending more on economic development, public schools and the University System and low-income families through expanded energy assistance and health insurance for their children.The Democrat, who takes over as Montana's governor on Monday, called for no general fund tax increase in his budget over the next two years. He was able to take advantage of growing state general fund revenues, which are projected to be 4.78 percent higher than they were two years ago, thanks primarily to higher individual income, corporate income and natural resource...

<p>This past April, Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio introduced legislation that would establish a Cabinet-level Department of Peace. I -- along with thousands of others -- have lobbied our congresspeople and advocated the idea however possible to friends and associates.</p>

<p>It's a good thing George Washington got his political start in 18th century Virginia. If he lived in Vermont today, he'd find his campaign expenditures illegal. That's because in 1997 the state passed Act 64 limiting the amount a candidate for a seat in the state's lower house can spend to 70 cents per registered voter.</p>