Free Republic

On the first day of what was supposed to be tighter screening ordered by the U.S. for airline passengers from certain countries, some airports around the world conceded Monday they had not cracked down. The United States demanded more careful screening for people who are citizens of, or are flying from, 14 nations deemed security risks. But enforcement of the U.S. rules appeared spotty. "Everything is the same. There is no extra security," said an aviation official in Lebanon, one of the countries on the list. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: For a change, a pleasant, even delightful and funny story from the Associated Press about President Bush. An AP reporter accompanied GWB on what the reporter described as a "lung-busting" mountain bike ride this morning in Northern California, and later filed this report (unfortunately no photos were up on Yahoo as of 1:00pm Pacific time): Bush Takes Muddy Bike Ride on Earth Day By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer LAS POSADAS STATE FOREST, Calif. - President Bush marked Earth Day with a lung-busting mountain bike ride high above Napa County wine country, dodging ruts that...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: Earlier today, President Bush telephoned Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to express deep sorrow after the wounding by U.S. forces of freed hostage Giuliana Sgrena and the killing of a member of her Italian escort in Iraq. Also today, Syrian President Bashar Assad announced a two-stage pullback of his forces to the Lebanese border, but failed to address broad international demands that he completely withdraw Syria's 15,000 troops after nearly 30 years in the country. Assad also did not respond to President Bush's demand just a day earlier that Syria withdraw all its troops and...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: The President returned after dark from Florida yesterday. It appears that he and First Lady are relaxing at the White House this weekend. This past week, in addition to the SOTU and other publicized events, the President spoke with several foreign leaders this week, including: Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer to talk about the NATO training mission in Iraq. Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan. This was a call the President initiated. They talked about the successful election in Iraq and the way forward. They also talked about the importance of moving forward on the six-party...

Mental Health Charity Calls for Cannabis Probe Sat Jan 29,10:37 AM ET LONDON (Reuters) - A British health charity called on Saturday for an investigation into evidence that smoking cannabis may cause psychosis in people at risk of mental illness. Rethink, which campaigns on behalf of schizophrenia sufferers, said the mental health risks of using cannabis were not widely understood. "There is strong evidence from a wide range of sources that long term and short-term use of cannabis can 'trigger' a psychotic episode of schizophrenia in people who are at high risk of developing schizophrenia --- for instance, people who...

WASHINGTON - President Bush's dog Spot, the 15-year-old English springer spaniel who had remained eager to please despite increasing health troubles, died on Saturday. Bush and his wife, Laura, went along with a veterinarian's recommendation to put Spotty, as the longtime Bush family pet was known, to sleep, according to White House spokesman Allen Abney. She had suffered a series of strokes recently, including one this week, he said. "The president and Mrs. Bush and the entire Bush family are deeply saddened by the passing of Spot," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Saturday in a statement. "A loyal...

Friends A little Springer Spaniel, Who follows him around. Speaks volumes of his nature, No better judge is found. When dogs like you, you’re someone, Not just an empty suit. The love you give a faithful dog, Will always bear you fruit. If you like dogs that says a lot, About the soul you bear. But when the love’s a two way street, The partnership is fair. The bond is strong and touching, Between this man and friend. God Bless George Bush and Spotty, To them this poem I send. David Flurry 12/18/03