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A 23-year-old Bloomington, Illinois, hotel employee accused of letting a number of people stay in rooms without paying has told police she let them stay only because some of them were homeless. Jeannie Roberts was charged yesterday with theft of labor, services or property. The general manager of the Clarion Hotel called police after discovering that five rooms were being used even though they were not checked out. Some of the unpaid guests were found in a hot tub, and police said the five rooms had been occupied by about 20 people. Police said the unpaid guests may have damaged...

For thousands of troops who have seen the war in Iraq first hand, the mission is a personal one even after they take off the uniform. Concerns about where that war may be heading is putting some local veterans face to face with lawmakers, fighting a different side of Operation Iraqi freedom. For retired Navy Veteran Chris Chilson, time with family is a luxury he's still getting used to. Afternoons spent together were few and far between during his 20 years on board aircraft carriers, some of them spent in the searing heat of the Iraqi desert. Chilson says, "It...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2008 – The Multinational Force Iraq commander will stay where he is for the time being, and no decision has been made to shorten tour lengths for Army personnel in the U.S. Central Command area of operations, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during a Pentagon news conference today. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates (left) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Michael Mullen hold a news conference in the Pentagon, Jan. 24, 2008. Photo by R. D. Ward   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. President Bush wants Army Gen. David H....

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2008 – The United States must maintain its resolve to win the war against terrorism and strengthen the Iraqi government, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said in a recent interview. “We have to stay with this; this is hard,” Ryan C. Crocker said in a Jan. 9 interview with Soldiers Radio and Television in Baghdad. “There are going to be more bad days, but increasingly, we’re seeing good days as well. The consequences of not succeeding in Iraq for the stability of the region, for the health of the international economy, and for America’s own security, are...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2008 – Coalition servicemembers are making a difference in Iraq, and despite political rhetoric there, the country’s leaders realize they need coalition forces to remain, the commander of coalition ground forces said yesterday. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, said that when he visits battalions and companies throughout Iraq, he is struck by the way Iraqis deal with coalition forces. “It’s a very interesting dynamic,” the general said during a conference call with military analysts from his headquarters in Baghdad. “I go out about five times a week, … and it’s clear...

11/20/2007 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Warriors wounded in war with mild to moderate injuries are being sent to the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group where they can be treated, recover and returned to duty. There are seven nurses on staff, which includes three intensive care unit nurses, who deal with a lot of different injuries or medical conditions on a daily basis. "Most of the patients that come here are aeromedically evacuated from up range," said Maj. Nancy Johnson," the 379th EMDG chief nurse. "We see a variety of injuries from improvised explosive devices, mortar blasts or bullet wounds, but...

One hundred forty-one paratroopers from 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division re-enlisted Oct. 14 on Forward Operating Base Kalsu in a ceremony conducted by Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commanding general of Multi-National Division–Center. Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Marcus Butler 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — One hundred forty-one Paratroopers decided to stay Army in a mass re-enlistment ceremony held on Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Oct. 14. The Paratroopers from 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division made the decision to continue their service in the Army after being deployed for over...

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, May 10, 2007 – Al Qaeda terrorists have chosen Iraq as the central front in their worldwide campaign against freedom, so America must stay in the fight to prevent them from establishing a safe haven from which to launch more attacks, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said in Iraq today.  Al Qaeda leaders believe they can wear down the United States, force the troops out of Iraq and make the country a launching pad for new attacks in the region and abroad, Cheney said in remarks to members of the Army’s 25th Infantry Division in Tikrit. “The terrorists...

Neighbours of a middle-aged woman who sunbathed in the nude have failed to get her evicted. The woman, 59, from Dalarna, central Sweden, not only sunbathed outside the door of her apartment block, but also stood in the same place and smoked in her birthday suit. Related Articles Helicopter makes emergency landing for McDonalds lunch 17th April 2007 Police remove handcuffs after sex play 13th April 2007 Swedish babies the height of fashion 12th April 2007 Article Options Send to a friend Printable version Submit to Digg.com Discuss this (11 Posts) Neighbours complained that the woman's public nudity was inappropriate,...

FORT HUACHUCA — He’s served in Army green and Navy and Air Force blue. He’s served on active duty, in the National Guard and in the Reserves. He’s served as an enlisted man, officer and warrant officer. The he is Randall Stittsworth, whose 15 years of military service has included being a dental technician, medic, platoon leader, a maintainer of electronic intelligence equipment and now a human intelligence warrant officer. At the first step in the Army warrant officer program, Warrant Officer Stittsworth, a Napa, Calif., native, is going through the basic course at the post’s Intelligence Center. Being from...

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy ordered Friday that his temporary stay protecting the Mount Soledad cross extend until state and federal courts can hear the city of San Diego's appeal this fall. In blocking a federal judge's order that the city remove the cross by Aug. 1 or face a daily fine of $5,000, Kennedy also indicated that the full court may want to review the controversial case. Kennedy said the court, which refused three years ago to get involved in the dispute, may consider it because of two new factors favorable to cross proponents. He cited legislation to...

WASHINGTON - The senior Democrat on the House ethics committee said Friday he won't step down from his post, contending there's no truth to allegations by a conservative group that he violated financial disclosure laws. Rep. Alan Mollohan (news, bio, voting record) of West Virginia accused Republicans of orchestrating the complaint by the congressional watchdog group and then using it to call for him to leave the ethics committee. The National Legal and Policy Center said Friday it filed a complaint in February with federal prosecutors, alleging that Mollohan consistently undervalued assets on congressional financial reports and also omitted assets....

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, April 4, 2006) – Col. Jeffrey N. Williams launched Wednesday from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a two-day flight to the International Space Station some 230 miles from earth. Flight engineer for Expedition 13, Williams is joined by Pavel Vinogradov of Russia and Marcos Pontes of Brazil. The crew will conduct a variety of scientific experiments, to include studying the effects of long-term weightlessness. “It is important that we dedicate time and effort to understanding the impacts of a weightless environment on the human body because the space station’s primary purpose, of course, is … to...

FBI: No Credible Threat, but Be Vigilant Saturday March 11, 2006 3:01 AM By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI said Friday there is no specific, credible threat of a terror attack aimed at college basketball arenas or other sports stadiums, but acknowledged alerting law enforcement to a recent Internet posting discussing such attacks. The FBI and Homeland Security Department distributed an intelligence bulletin Friday to state and local law enforcement nationwide describing the online threat against sporting venues, said Special Agent Richard Kolko, an FBI spokesman in Washington. ``We have absolutely no credible intelligence or...

Japanese hope the good times are back to stay By Colin Joyce in Tokyo (Filed: 06/01/2006) When millions watched the final episode of the phenomenally popular Project X series last week, this piece of television history was widely hailed as a sign that Japan was emerging from a 15-year recession. On its launch in 2000, 187 episodes ago, the documentary was cited as evidence that the country's gloom would last for years. Dwelling on the glorious era of post-war growth, it looked like a show made for a nation with a brighter past than future. Japanese executives pray for success...

No more Patriot Act means Operation Able Danger and 9/11 all over again. Don't let the sun set on the Patriot Act. Call your state senator at 202-225-3121. Freed Iraq. No thanks to Democrat oposition. Cowards cut and run. Marines never do. Stay the course. Peace with God. I believe in a time when Americans had guts. Maximum Effort. Abandon Iraq? NO! Thank you, FreeRepublic, for allowing me to post my work!

AL ASAD, Iraq (Dec. 1, 2005) -- In the air Wing, combat engineers don’t normally work a great deal with explosives. But, in Marine Wing Support Squadron 272, a detachment of combat engineers is working with the Untouchables’ explosive ordnance disposal Marines to change that. “Basically what we do is search for mines with a two-man sweep team (using metal detectors),” said Staff Sgt. Desmond E. Washington, the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the mine clearing detachment. If they find one, they destroy it in a safe way that eliminates the possibility of civilian casualties. If they encounter an IED, the...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2005 – To those who advocate a speedy withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, Vice President Dick Cheney posed two questions today. Would the United States and other free nations be better or worse off with terrorists like Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi running Iraq? And would the United States be more or less safe with Iraq ruled by extremists intent on its destruction? Cheney, speaking at the American Enterprise Institute here, warned against what he called "self-defeating pessimism" that overlooks solid progress being made in Iraq while advocating a prompt withdrawal of...

U.S. border governors stay away from Mexico meeting By Eduardo Quiros Fri Jul 15, 7:08 PM ET The governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger (C) holds his hand to his chest as he stands between the governor of the northern Mexican state of Coahuila, Enrique Martinez (L) and Jose Natividad Gonzalez (R) the governor of Nuevo Leon, at a meeting of U.S.- Mexico border governors in the northern Mexican city of Torreon July 14, 2005. This is Schwarzenegger's first official trip to Mexico as governor of California. (Stringer/Mexico/Reuters) TORREON, Mexico (Reuters) - A meeting in Mexico to address a vicious drugs...

WASHINGTON - Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, denying rumors of his retirement, said Thursday he will continue heading the court as long his health permits. "I'm not about to announce my retirement," he told The Associated Press. "I want to put to rest the speculation and unfounded rumors of my imminent retirement," Rehnquist, 80, and ailing with thyroid cancer, said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. "I am not about to announce my retirement. I will continue to perform my duties as chief justice as long as my health permits." Rehnquist released the statement hours after being released...

US airmen told to stay away from capital By David Sapsted (Filed: 12/07/2005) All 12,000 American airmen based in Britain have been banned from going near London because of the bombings. The directive, issued on Friday, indefinitely bans USAF personnel, most of them based at the huge airfields at Lakenheath and Mildenhall in Suffolk, from going inside the M25. Families of the servicemen and women are being "highly encouraged" to stay away, too. While Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, was boarding an Underground train yesterday and declaring that "we don't let a small group of terrorists change the way...

Announcing a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq would send the wrong message to the troops, to Iraq, and to terrorists, President Bush said Tuesday. Responding to calls by a number of lawmakers and other critics, Bush assured Americans in a televised speech delivered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, that the troops would not remain one day longer than needed. But setting a deadline for their withdrawal would be "a serious mistake," he said. "Setting an artificial timetable would send the wrong message to the Iraqis who need to know that America will not leave before the...

Demos' hijinks may stay secret Rule 'salacious' tape off-limits, judge urged Wednesday, May 18, 2005 By Martha Carr Staff writer LOS ANGELES -- A secretly recorded conversation laden with salacious details about the fast-and-loose lifestyles of big-name Democratic stalwarts could stay under wraps in the trial of Sen. Hillary Clinton's former national finance director, if the government has its way. Prosecutors Tuesday asked a federal judge to declare the tape off-limits to defense attorneys on the basis that much of it is hearsay. They also vowed not to introduce it as part of their case when New Orleans media consultant...

“You should have much success and do not evacuate.” So wrote soldiers of the 51st battalion of the Golani Brigade in a fax sent to the residents of Gush Katif. The letter, signed “Liron and Gal from Car 51,” began the letter with words of thanks for the refreshments area set up by residents to provide soldiers with a place to rest. It went on to urge the residents not to leave their homes. “You give us strength to continue,” the soldiers wrote, by hand, on the official stationary with hearts drawn for emphasis. “We have not met many people...

SEATTLE (AP) - Tony Ruiz-Heredia thought his immigration troubles were over when Gov. Gary Locke pardoned him last fall. He and his wife were so excited they bought a house in Tacoma where they could raise their son. But five months later, Ruiz-Heredia is locked up and immigration officials - who say the pardon is irrelevant - are trying to send him back to Mexico after nearly 25 years in the United States. "I just want my husband out of there," Isabel Ruiz sobbed in an interview this week. "He's a really good working man, not a troublemaker, doesn't do...

Members of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) Black Caucus have become seemingly desensitized to racial slurs. The Caucus did not even blink when the extreme Left’s new champion, Howard Dean, made prejudiced statements right before their very eyes. From Dean’s comments, it seems he believes that a Black person’s place is to be cleaning toilets at a hotel in which whites stay. According to the Washington Times, On Feb. 11, the day before he was elected party chief, Mr. Dean asked, at a meeting of the DNC Black Caucus, "You think the Republican National Committee could get this many people...

A liberal - To the Republican community. 1. What are your goals as Republicans? 2. Is your goal to make Liberals to leave America? 3. If you want us to stay, when does this country go too far to the right? 4. If you want us to leave, will the US government pay for our plane tickets?

ASHINGTON, Dec. 19 - The continuing debate among Republicans over whether Donald H. Rumsfeld should remain as defense secretary grew more fractious on Sunday, as two prominent senators argued that removing Mr. Rumsfeld would disrupt the coming Iraqi elections, while a third, Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, said he had "no confidence in Rumsfeld's leadership." Talk of the defense secretary's future dominated the television interview programs on a day when car bombs killed more than 60 people in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala. The debate was caught up in fresh accusations by both Democrats and Republicans about the...

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!

I have become responsible for two dogs due to a death in the family.

ROME - Premier Silvio Berlusconi reaffirmed Thursday that Italy would keep its troops in Iraq (news - web sites) for as long as the government there wanted them. After a meeting with interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, Berlusconi said, "Italy will stay in Iraq according to the requests that will come from a legitimate Iraqi government." His comments came a day after Hungary said it would withdraw its 300 non-combat troops from Iraq by the end of March, undercutting President Bush (news - web sites)'s effort to hold the multinational force together. Also Thursday, the Czech parliament voted to extend...

If you cowards go to Canada stay away from the part I live in 25% of my year. M. Moore lied about Canada when he said they have just as much violence in their culture. Bull, he only sampled one metropolitan area. My Grandparents were from Canada (farmers) and my Wife’s Grandmother came from a coal mining community in Canada. The part of Canada I love is actually more conservative where it counts and the only liberalism there is the liberality of their actions towards friends and neighbors. I can’t tell you where this part of Canada is because I...

Speaking of the Opera, I guess if you want Music Director Donald Runnicles to stick around, you'd better vote for John Kerry in November. The Scottish maestro, in Salzburg to conduct Korngold's "Die Tote Stadt," told an interviewer from the Austrian paper Der Standard that the outcome of the presidential election could determine whether he stays in the United States: "I would really have to think about whether I could stay there [the United States] if Bush wins a second time," he said. "The American people can make a mistake once, but if they re-elect him, then they actually want...

Read both of these in today's Early Bird and they are worth the read.Detroit News August 6, 2004 Iraqi Women Tour U.S. With This Quiet, Stunning Message: ThanksBy Laura Berman, The Detroit NewsThis is a great read but because it is the Detroit News we're not allowed to put more than their link up. There is another great story from the Columbus (OH) Dispatch August 4, 2004 Don't Leave Yet, Iraqi Women Urge Troops Two Activists Attend Forum, Praise U.S. effortBy Rasha Aly, The Columbus Dispatchbut to search the archive you have to register with them and they too are...

Hijackers allowed to stay for fear of infringing their human rights By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor (Filed: 14/07/2004) Nine Afghan gunmen who hijacked an airliner four years ago and forced it to fly to London have been told they can stay in Britain with their wives and children. After a secret court hearing, immigration adjudicators refused them asylum but ruled that they could not be deported because their human rights would be infringed. David Davis, the shadow home secretary, described the ruling as "crazy" last night on the grounds that it sent the wrong signals to others tempted to...

Amish Request to Stay in U.S. Denied Thursday April 22, 2004 1:01 AM By JOE MANDAK Associated Press Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) - An Amish Canadian fighting a federal law that requires photo identification for people entering the United States cannot stay in the country while his case is heard, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. Daniel Zehr, a member of the Old Order Amish, claims the law infringes on his religious freedom because his sect takes literally the Bible's prohibition of graven images. Zehr's attorney Mark Knapp said he'll file an emergency appeal of Senior U.S. Judge Alan Bloch's order Thursday...

Friday April 9, 1:54 AM US allies pledge to stay in Iraq despite kidnappings, furious fighting US allies insisted they would stay in Iraq after insurgents kidnapped several foreign nationals in a bid to break up the coalition and the worst fighting since the fall of Baghdad continued. Coalition forces pressed on with offensives to crush a two-pronged rebellion in the west and south of the country that has claimed hundreds of lives over the past week, with one US commander comparing the fighting to Vietnam. Three abducted Japanese nationals were paraded on television by a previously unknown group, while...

<p>Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly last night rejected Governor Mitt Romney's bid to seek a Supreme Judicial Court order to delay implementation of its gay marriage ruling, creating a major roadblock to the governor's plans to block same-sex marriages from taking place in May.</p>

<p>The Massachusetts Legislature voted yesterday to ban gay marriage and establish civil unions, approving a proposed constitutional amendment that would reverse the Supreme Judicial Court's historic ruling that legalized same-sex marriages.</p> <p>Governor Mitt Romney immediately vowed to ask the court to block gay marriages until voters can decide the fate of the dual proposal in November 2006. The SJC decision legalizing gay marriages is set to go into effect May 17, and Romney said he wanted to avoid confusion that he believes would result if gay couples married and then the voters banned gay marriage.</p>

Kentucky's highest court stepped into the fray of Lexington's smoking ban yesterday, unanimously blocking the ordinance for an additional three months -- ample time for the debate to be picked up by the state legislature. The last-minute stay overturned a ruling by an appeals court, which just hours before had agreed to let the ban start today as scheduled. The Court of Appeals had been asked to review a Fayette circuit judge's upholding of the ban, the first of its kind in Kentucky. But the Supreme Court agreed to settle the appeal directly. The justices set a hearing for March...

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution Wednesday of a condemned inmate who was part of a lawsuit that challenged one of the drugs used to carry out the death sentence. Kevin Lee Zimmerman won his reprieve about 20 minutes before he could have been put to death for a fatal stabbing and robbery at a Beaumont motel in 1987. In a brief order, Justice Antonin Scalia stopped the punishment pending an additional order from him or the court. ``I'm disappointed,'' Zimmerman told a Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman, Michelle Lyons. ``I was ready to...

Spain pledges to stay on in Iraq Only one Spanish officer survived the ambush Spain's prime minister has vowed to keep troops in Iraq despite "great pain" at the killing of seven intelligence agents in an ambush. "Freedom is under threat from the terrorists," said Jose Maria Aznar, whose country is a key European member of the US-led coalition in Iraq. Unknown attackers have also killed two Japanese diplomats, two South Koreans, a Colombian and two US soldiers. Responding to its losses, Japan also pledged "not to give in to terrorism". In the latest attack, South Korea confirmed that two...

The President signed the Partial Birth Abortion bill today and within an hour, a Nebraska Federal Judge according to Fox News had put a stay on the Partial Birth Abortion bill taking effect. ACLU is also shopping for a Manhatten Federal Judge to do the same.Since these liberal judges have taken this action, it is up to Freepers to take action. Please start writing letters and calling talk radio NOW. You can find the info for your area by visiting Bush-Cheney '04 at: Bush-Cheney '04 Activism Site Please post on this thread the action you have taken and notify all...

WBAL flip-flops over Limbaugh Station decides to use local hosts in his absence, then changes its mind -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Dan Thanh Dang Sun Staff Originally published October 18, 2003 Amid national chatter about conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh's addiction to prescription drugs, WBAL radio found itself at the center of an industry storm this week after it pulled his syndicated show from its usual time slot and then flip-flopped on that decision. The Hearst-owned news talk station said it decided to move Limbaugh out of the key early afternoon time slot amid worries that substitutes for the top-rated host would not...

State Supreme Court vacates stay for Hunt execution Thursday, September 11, 2003 5:44PM EDT By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The state Supreme Court sided with prosecutors Thursday, allowing the execution of a man convicted of two Robeson County killings to go forward. The court vacated the stay issued Tuesday for convicted killer Henry Lee Hunt by Robeson County Superior Court Gary Locklear, who ruled that the court should have time to review whether the state should use two drugs, not the three it now uses, for lethal injections. The use of the word "only" when describing the lethal injection process "does...

Carlos Guerra: Demo senators hunkering down for longer stay Web Posted : 08/24/2003 12:00 AM ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — As the end of the second, $1.7 million special legislative session approaches, Senate Democrats who came here to stop the GOP's redistricting plan are clearly weary — but defiant. The session ends Tuesday. On Wednesday, a Laredo federal judge will hear the senators' challenge of sanctions slapped on them for leaving and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's abrogation of a long-held Senate rule that prompted their flight. And Thursday, a delegation plans to visit Department of Justice officials in Washington. In the meantime,...

Moore's motives Why didn't chief justice ask 11th Circuit for stay? 08/11/03 Even Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore's staunchest supporters ought to be wondering - and worrying - about his motives in his fight to keep the Ten Commandments monument on public display. Consider: In December 2002, when U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ordered Moore to remove his 2½-ton monument from the rotunda of the state judicial building, Moore immediately sought relief from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Days later, Thompson issued a stay, allowing Moore to keep the monument in place while the case was on appeal....

'Ten Commandments' Justice Loses Again MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A federal appeals court declined Tuesday to lift an order requiring the chief justice of Alabama's Supreme Court to remove his Ten Commandments monument from the state judicial building by midnight Wednesday. Chief Justice Roy Moore immediately asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider what it had just decided, until the U.S. Supreme Court can rule on a petition by Moore to intervene. Moore, who installed the 5,300-pound monument in the rotunda of the judicial building two years ago, contends it represents the moral foundation of American law and...