http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/stuckonstupid/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:53:22 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418220/posts Venezuela blames U.S. for destabilizing Iran www.chinaview.cn 2009-12-31 09:02:33 CARACAS, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela on Wednesday blamed the United States for destabilizing Iran by instigating violent protests in the Asian country. The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Venezuela rejects the destabilization attempts "promoted by the government of the United States against the government and people of Iran." "Venezuela is surprised that a group of countries led by the North American Empire are echoing a campaign to divide and spread violence among Iranians, in contravention of the fundamental norms of peace, non-interference and respect for sovereignty," the... Xinhua http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418220/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:53:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416804/posts The 2008 American presidential election brought into lucid focus longstanding discourses of racial belonging in the United States that have amplified Islamophobia and continue both subtly and explicitly nearly a year into Barack Obama’s presidency. The Islamophobic discourses underlying the 2008 election weren’t novel or newfangled, but they did reinvigorate dormant or tacit narratives of American nationhood as a domain of restricted access. These narratives of nationhood are replete with nostalgia and the implicit belief that a true American is somebody who is white and Christian. Islamophobia has become an acute element of America’s national identity. The problem of whiteness... The Pacific Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416804/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:34:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416702/posts <p>With a few Republicans already criticizing the Obama administration over the failed alleged terrorist attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound flight -- Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R) has taken issue with President Obama's silence so far -- it's worth noting that some Republicans have acted in ways that the previous administration would have attacked for being soft on terrorism.</p> MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416702/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:56:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2416057/posts The title of this post comes from remarks by Lt Gen. Honore at a press conference following hurricane Rita in 2005, when he was admonishing the press work with him cooperatively to communicate accurate information to the public for a change. It kind of sums up my view of NBC. This morning brought another example, when Andrea Mitchell was on a panel on Meet the Press spouting unfounded opinions about a vast array of issues. Here's one that really got to me. MR. GREGORY: Just be a little bit more specific, Andrea, whether we're talking about figures like President Obama... Wizbang http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2416057/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:44:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415634/posts GALVESTON — The 21st annual Kwanzaa Celebration sponsored by the Nia Cultural Center begins today at the Old Central Cultural Center, 2627 Ave. M. “Kwanzaa, A Celebration of Life, Love, Unity and Hope,” will be the theme. The marketplace opens at 3 p.m., and the celebration starts at 4 p.m. Performers include the Kuumba House African Dancers and Drummers, the L.A. Morgan Scarlett Drill Team, spoken word by Apotheosis Epidemic and Imani Jackson, a praise dance by Gwendolyn Butler and the annual Kwanzaa Village Keeper Awards. KHOU http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415634/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 06:22:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415138/posts 25 December 2009 BROTHER: BEWARE OF WOMEN! INTERNET HAGANAH.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415138/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:56:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414362/posts Hi Freepers, I realize that only a few people are awake, but I am having trouble getting a clear, cliff-notes version explanation of the bill the Senate is about to vote on tomorrow. All I know for sure is that if Pelosi, Reid, and Obama are behind it--it must be very, very bad. It's finally sinking in that something "big" is happening. Up until now, I've avoided really examining the issue and its implications for fear of getting too upset. I've listened to coverage on every news network and end up being more confused. I realize that it may be... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414362/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:39:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2411531/posts Found this on a web site I frequent. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2411531/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:12:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408612/posts Note: The following text is a quote: Some Guantanamo Detainees to Move to Illinois Prison By Gerry J. Gilmore American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2009 – President Barack Obama’s administration plans to transfer a limited number of detainees held at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to a prison in rural western Illinois, senior administration officials said here today. The federal government plans to acquire Thomson Correctional Center, a 10-year-old maximum security prison in Thomson, Ill., a farming community about 150 miles west of Chicago, officials said in a background briefing. The administration would need to work... DEFENSE.gov - American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408612/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:54:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407009/posts <p>US President Barack Obama has awarded himself a B plus for his first 11 months in office, stressing in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that there was still much to be done.</p> <p>"A good solid B plus," Mr Obama said during an hour-long, intimate soft-focus ABC network Christmas at the White House special, when Winfrey asked what grade he would give himself.</p> Telegraph (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407009/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:02:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406972/posts The Rt Rev Stephen Venner called for a more sympathetic approach to the Islamic fundamentalists that recognises their humanity. The Church of England’s Bishop to the Forces warned that it will be harder to reach a peaceful solution to the war if the Afghan insurgents are portrayed too negatively. His comments came as the Prime Minister visited Afghanistan and warned that the Taliban was fighting a "guerilla war" aimed at causing "maximum damage". Gordon Brown said soldiers were discovering improvised explosive devices every two hours. Mr Brown stayed overnight in the Allied base in the southern city of Kandahar, the... telegraph.co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406972/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:18:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405217/posts Matt Frei, BBC man in Washington, has a long history of patronising Middle America and especially evangelical Christians. His latest piece instructs them to change their views on climate change, because “there is no prominent conservative politician on the horizon who is, to put it bluntly, both pro-life and pro-planet”. Pro-planet, in Frei’s worldview, means accepting the AGW alarmists’ views lock, stock and barrel.Frei doesn’t condemn all American evangelicals. On the contrary, he divides them into good and bad varieties: The evangelical movement is split between those conservative Christians who suspect that climate change is an evil secular plot, concocted... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405217/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:35:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392474/posts The United States' 39th president sat down with THE NATION'S EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SUTHICHAI YOON to discuss major issues affecting the world today. Here are excerpts from the exclusive interview: Suthichai: How do you assess President Obama's performance so far? Carter: He has set a good goal for himself in many ways. He has announced an end to torture. He has announced his goal to do away with nuclear weapons. He has changed the image of my country among many people around the world.Do you think he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize? Yes, I do. Some people don't agree with that. I... Nation Multimedia http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392474/posts#comment Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:13:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389526/posts One of the few concrete signs of cooperation to emerge from this week's U.S.-China summit could boost Beijing's drive to become a global aircraft maker. President Barack Obama pledged Tuesday to push for closer technical collaboration and eventual U.S. safety approval for China's ARJ21 commuter jet. That amounts to both a symbolic and practical step to counter Beijing's growing frustration with U.S. aviation policy and U.S. restrictions on the purchase of certain technologies. The high-profile U.S. initiative is especially significant because China's own safety regulators are still a year or more away from approving the 70-to-100-passenger aircraft being developed by... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389526/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:41:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385422/posts Source: 9/11 Terror Detainees Face Trial in N.Y. Friday, November 13, 2009 WASHINGTON — Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be sent to New York to face trial in a civilian federal court, an Obama administration official said Friday. The official said Attorney General Eric Holder plans to announce the decision later in the morning. The official is not authorized to discuss the decision before the announcement, so spoke on condition of anonymity. (AP) via FOXNEWS.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385422/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:48:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376350/posts At the age of 18, Mitsuhiro Matsushita already has a good idea of his ideal future. After he graduates from university a few years of work will be followed by marriage to an industrious wage earner. When children arrive it will be Mitsuhiro who stays at home looking after them, baking cakes and biscuits and living the traditional life of the Japanese housewife. None of this would be noteworthy but for one thing. Mitsuhiro is not a conventionally minded Japanese woman, but a thoughtful, articulate and fashionably dressed young man. And far from being a marginal eccentric he is a... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376350/posts#comment Mon, 2 Nov 2009 10:04:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374376/posts The internet regulator has approved plans to allow non-Latin-script web addresses, in a move that is set to transform the online world. The board of Icann voted at its annual meeting in Seoul to allow domain names in Arabic, Chinese and other scripts. BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374376/posts#comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:48:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369033/posts Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, has called on his countrymen to stop singing in the shower to help save water and electricity. The left-wing leader said they should attempt to wash in less than three minutes and breaking into song distract them. "Some people sing in the shower, in the shower half an hour. No kids, three minutes is more than enough. I've counted, three minutes, and I don't stink," he said during a televised Cabinet meeting. Getting into his stride, he went on to label baths and jacuzzis anti-communist. TELEGRAPH.CO.UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369033/posts#comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:45:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2357361/posts SNIPPET: "(CNSNews.com) – Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced Tuesday that she is pursuing plans to remove some captured illegal aliens from “prison-like or jail-like circumstances” and put them in converted hotels and nursing homes. “To better manage detention operations, ICE will develop a risk assessment and custody classification, which will enable detainees to be placed in an appropriate facility,” DHS said in a statement. “ICE will pursue detention strategies based on assessed risk and reduce costs by exploring the use of converted hotels, nursing homes and other residential facilities.” Napolitano explained her department’s thinking at a press conference at... CNS NEWS.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2357361/posts#comment Thu, 8 Oct 2009 06:15:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2354936/posts Deposed President Manuel Zelaya called on the Honduran regime to restore civil liberties and withdraw soldiers surrounding his Brazilian embassy refuge as a precondition for talks aimed at solving the political crisis. Representatives of Zelaya and the military-supported interim Honduran regime agreed to restart talks this week, without setting a date, that would restore democracy after soldiers ousted the president at gunpoint on June 28 and kicked him out of the country in his pyjamas. Zelaya's surprise return on September 21 to the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa triggered a new wave of protests and a clampdown on civil rights, but... AP via Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2354936/posts#comment Mon, 5 Oct 2009 02:25:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2349026/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is offering Iran "a serious, meaningful dialogue" over its disputed nuclear program, while warning Tehran of grave consequences from a united global front. "Iran's leaders must now choose—they can live up to their responsibilities and achieve integration with the community of nations. Or they will face increased pressure and isolation, and deny opportunity to their own people," Obama said in his radio and Internet address Saturday. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2349026/posts#comment Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:17:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2347854/posts Arizona’s border was judged to be open not only to drug smugglers but also aliens with “extensive criminal records” and from “special interest countries,” which are defined as “countries that could export individuals who could bring harm to the United States through terrorism. ”Special-interest countries are those designated by the intelligence community as countries that could export individuals who could bring harm to the United States through terrorism,” said the NDIC report. CNSNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2347854/posts#comment Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:30:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2347018/posts WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2009 AT 5:51 PM “Mom, It's Hokum. It's a Bunch of Malarkey.” Posted by Jesse Lee [ SNIPPET: "At a town hall meeting today with seniors in Silver Spring, MD, Vice President Joe Biden and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius discussed the release of a new report, "Health Insurance Reform and Medicare: Making Medicare Stronger for America's Seniors." The Vice President was perfectly clear: "Nobody is going to mess with your benefits. All we do is make it better for people on Medicare." He joked about having to disabuse his own mother of myths... WHITEHOUSE.gov http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2347018/posts#comment Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:04:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2343923/posts Obama was “appointed by God”, we are instructed by a man boasting academic credentials. Writing in the Orlando Sentinel, Jeremy Levitt, “associate dean for International Programs and a distinguished professor of international law at Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando,” makes this case at the conclusion of a rambling attack on critics of ObamaCare and the right in general: I would remind the far right what the Apostle Paul wrote, " ... there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." Hence, Obama is the U.S. president and leader of the... AmericanThinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2343923/posts#comment Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:34:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2343256/posts Why has the Obama administration decided to toss eastern Europe under the bus in order to make nice with Russia? According to CNN, Joe Biden says that a missile-defense system in Europe isn’t really necessary, because Iran isn’t much of a threat. No, really: Vice President Joe Biden earlier refused to confirm to CNN that the George W. Bush-era plan was being shelved. But he did explain the logic of doing so, saying Iran — a key concern for the United States — was not a threat. --------------------------------------------------------- “I think we are fully capable and secure dealing with any present... Hotair http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2343256/posts#comment Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:59:10 GMT