http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/terrorsupporters/ en-us Fri, 5 Jun 2009 05:50:48 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265252/posts WASHINGTON - A small band of determined women raised their voices against America's most powerful political lobby—the Israel lobby—and they got their point across. When Israeli Pres. Shimon Peres began speaking to the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference at the Washington Convention Center May 4 six members of CODEPINK Women for Peace raised banners saying “Want Peace? End the Occupation,” “What About Gaza?” and “No Money for War Crimes.” The next day, when U.S. Vice President Joe Biden began addressing the AIPAC meeting, another pair of CODEPINK members disrupted his speech. Each day, as the activists—some... The Final Call http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265252/posts#comment Fri, 5 Jun 2009 05:50:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236389/posts This space doesn’t usually take requests, but when my 94-year-old mother calls up and insists, it’s hard to say no. What she wanted when she called last week is not hard to come up with, after all: a forthright denunciation of the Obama administration’s apparent plan to let the torturers and their instigators off the hook. Thinking people everywhere (I’m one of them) have rushed to their keyboards to do their best to make sure the current government doesn’t get away with letting their predecessors get off scot free. MoveOn is on their case to make sure they don’t forget.... Berkeley Daily Planet http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236389/posts#comment Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:00:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2210111/posts BERKELEY — The U.S Marine Corps Recruiting Center, which has been the target of protests for the past 18 months, was badly damaged by vandals Wednesday night, the eve of the 6th anniversary of the Iraq war. Today, broken windows are boarded up with sheets of plywood at the recruitment center in downtown Berkeley. CodePink and other anti-war groups picketed in front of the Marine recruiting center at 64 Shattuck Square in downtown Berkeley since the fall of 2007. The groups say the Marines do not belong in liberal Berkeley and they should find a new spot for their center.... Oakland Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2210111/posts#comment Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:37:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2208575/posts Protests greet Bush's first speech as ex-president Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:00pm EDT CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - More than 100 protesters chanted "war criminal" and flung shoes in Calgary on Tuesday, angry that former U.S. President George W. Bush was in the Canadian city to give his first speech since leaving the White House. At least two demonstrators were hauled away by police after brief skirmishes, as 1,500 business people in the oil patch city waited outside a convention center for an hour to pass through tight security and enter the C$400-a-plate ($315) luncheon. Media were barred from the invitation-only... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2208575/posts#comment Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:29:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2181562/posts The public is likely to get its first close look at the Obama administration's policies on torture, secrecy and prisoners' rights in a San Francisco courtroom today, when federal judges press a government lawyer for a position on the practice known as extraordinary rendition. Five men - one now imprisoned in Egypt, one in Morocco, one at Guantanamo Bay and two who have been released without charges - are asking the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate a lawsuit that accuses a San Jose flight-planning company of helping the CIA transport them to overseas dungeons for interrogation and... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2181562/posts#comment Mon, 9 Feb 2009 15:59:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2159243/posts SAN FRANCISCO -- More than 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested today outside the Israeli Consulate and the Federal Building in San Francisco, venting anger over Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip. The demonstrators assembled about 8 a.m. at the intersection of Market and Montgomery streets, then protested outside the consulate, at 456 Montgomery, before heading up Market toward the Federal Building on Golden Gate Avenue. Traffic was stopped at several intersections. Police on foot and on motorcycles monitored protesters but made no arrests. Many protesters carried Palestinian flags, were draped in checkered Palestinian head scarves and carried anti-Israel signs, such... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2159243/posts#comment Mon, 5 Jan 2009 23:22:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2088610/posts Three Democratic senators demanded "bare-minimum" civil rights protections Tuesday for Americans who might be targeted in FBI national security investigations without any evidence of wrongdoing. In a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the senators also urged the Justice Department to delay still-tentative rules that would expand FBI powers to seek out potential terrorists. They said the new policy could allow surveillance of Muslim- or Arab-Americans based, in part, on their race, ethnicity or religion. "The Justice Department's actions over the last eight years have alienated many Americans, especially Arab and Muslim Americans," wrote Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin, Russ Feingold... AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2088610/posts#comment Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:35:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988341/posts SAN FRANCISCO - -- Protesters briefly clashed with San Francisco police several times today as officers tried to clear Market Street of hundreds of demonstrators marking the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. More than 50 people had been arrested by lunch time in incidents at several downtown locations. In the most recent scuffle, about 80 police in riot helmets and carrying billy clubs surrounded about two dozen demonstrators staging a die-in at Market and New Montgomery streets. The protesters laid in the street around 12:15 p.m., blocking traffic. At least two demonstrators were wrestled to the... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988341/posts#comment Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:23:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981458/posts GENEVA, Switzerland (AP) -- The U.N. Human Rights Council has condemned Israel's offensive in Gaza and called on Palestinians to stop rocket fire into Israel. The resolution passed Thursday said Israeli incursions into the Palestinian territory inflicted collective punishment on the civilian population. Israel launched the offensive last week in response to Palestinian militants barraging southern Israel with rockets. AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981458/posts#comment Thu, 6 Mar 2008 19:03:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1974643/posts The proliferation of dubious conferences on "academic freedom" continues unabated. And, in each case, biased and politicized Middle East studies academics are a major component.In October, 2007, the University of Chicago hosted, "In Defense of Academic Freedom," an event whose unifying theme was "the notion that Jewish groups have degraded the quality and breadth of discussion in the media and in Washington." Hardly the stuff of self-described progressives, but such is the state of discourse in the corridors of academia today. Then there was the "DePaul Academic Freedom Conference" earlier this month. It featured the usual suspects, all alleging "academic... Campus Watch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1974643/posts#comment Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:12:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1949839/posts SFGate printed a rebuttal from CAIR to my column, "Savage vs. CAIR: The Battle over Free Speech" today titled, "Free Speech vs. Hate Speech." It consists of the usual CAIR talking points and obfuscation and the author, CAIR-San Francisco Bay Area Executive Director Safaa Ibrahim, demonstrates a marked lack of understanding (whether purposeful or not) of the concept of free speech. In addition, she doesn't disprove any of the allegations made in my article. And, if the reader comments are any indication, the American public isn't buying it. Update (1/5): Conservatarian weighs in on CAIR's "dissimulation" here and Douglas Hagmann... Cinnamon Stillwell's Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1949839/posts#comment Mon, 7 Jan 2008 21:59:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1948352/posts Cinnamon Stillwell's recent column in SF Gate, "Savage vs. CAIR: The battle over free speech" on Dec. 19 offers a holiday assortment of misleading truths and omissions of facts. In her misguided defense of the "Savage Nation" radio show, Stillwell essentially defends anarchistic hate against minority groups including African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Muslims, Catholics, Jews, immigrants and women. She does so under the pretense of defending free speech. Of course, most elementary school students will tell you that hate speech is not to be confused with free speech. CAIR, the California Council of Churches, Rabbi Haim Dov Beilak and other... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1948352/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jan 2008 18:38:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1940427/posts U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and two other senior members of the House Judiciary Committee have called for the immediate opening of impeachment hearings for Vice President Richard Cheney.Baldwin and fellow Democrats Robert Wexler of Florida and Luis Gutierrez of Illinois on Friday distributed a statement, "A Case for Hearings," that declares, "The issues at hand are too serious to ignore, including credible allegations of abuse of power that if proven may well constitute high crimes and misdemeanors under our Constitution. The charges against Vice President Cheney relate to his deceptive actions leading up to the Iraq war, the revelation... Madison.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1940427/posts#comment Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:10:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936219/posts WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate's No. 2 Democrat on Friday asked the Justice Department to investigate whether the CIA obstructed justice by destroying videotapes that documented the harsh 2002 interrogations of two alleged terrorists. A day after CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden told agency employees the tapes were destroyed in 2005, members of Congress, human rights groups and lawyers for accused terrorists said the tapes may have been key evidence that the U.S. government had illegally authorized torture. In a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois asked for a probe of "whether CIA... AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936219/posts#comment Fri, 7 Dec 2007 17:44:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1924619/posts Earlier this year, the Center for Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. It was founded in 1957 by Gustave E. Von Grunebaum, a scholar at the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute and the first president of the Middle East Studies Association. Grunebaum sought to establish at UCLA a groundbreaking Middle East and Islamic Studies program featuring an array of experts in languages, culture, and history. Unfortunately, the best-known UCLA professors specializing in the region today, far from embodying the classical approach to the discipline in which knowledge is the overriding goal, exemplify... Front Page Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1924619/posts#comment Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:02:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1915090/posts As part of the "Islam Awareness Week" currently taking place at the University of Pennsylvania, a discussion titled, "Don't Believe the Hype: How the Media and Hollywood Portray Muslims and their Faith" will take place on October 24. Looking at the description of the event, it's clear that the usual platitudes about "Islamophobia," "racism," and "misconceptions" will be employed to mask the need for honest examination and, ultimately, reform in combating Islamism: This event will seek to address the way Western media has created an unwarranted sense of fear towards Muslims. This speaker panel will address the heavy-hitting issue of... Campus Watch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1915090/posts#comment Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:37:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1898526/posts WASHINGTON, (AP) -- After weeks of suggesting Democrats would temper their approach to Iraq legislation in a bid to attract more Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared abruptly Tuesday that he had no plans to do so. The Democratic leader said he will call for a vote this month on several anti-war proposals, including one by Sen. Carl Levin that would insist President Bush end U.S. combat next summer. The proposals would be mandatory and not leave Bush wiggle room, said Reid, D-Nev. "There (are) no goals. It's all definite timelines," he told reporters of the planned legislation. Levin,... AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1898526/posts#comment Tue, 18 Sep 2007 20:16:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1895903/posts "Dubbed "Operation Eagle Justice," the GOE events will start with a rally on the National Mall and conclude with a counter-demonstration along the ANSWER march route. "As ANSWER and their allies in the hate-America crowd will stumble by, we will treat them to some good old-fashioned, red-blooded American 'free speech,'" the group says on its Web site." Cybercast News Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1895903/posts#comment Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:02:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1886193/posts WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Twenty retired federal judges, two rear admirals and a Marine general joined 383 current or former members of the European and British parliaments on Friday in urging the Supreme Court to grant detainees at Guantanamo Bay full access to the U.S. court system. Lower court rulings supporting the Bush administration's opposition to full court access "were seized upon by repressive governments as a license to incarcerate their own citizens and others with impunity," 25 retired American diplomats wrote in one court filing. In June, the Supreme Court agreed to take the detainees' case, reversing a decision in... AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1886193/posts#comment Fri, 24 Aug 2007 23:49:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1883553/posts Members at S.F. convention reject banning presence at suspects' questioning -- After a raucous debate about what role - if any -- psychologists should play in U.S. government interrogations of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, the American Psychological Association voted overwhelmingly today to reject a measure that would have banned its members from those interrogations. Instead, the association passed a competing measure that reaffirms the organization's position against torture "and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment" of terror suspects. For the first time on record, the resolution lists specific treatment that the association opposes, including mock executions, water-boarding,... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1883553/posts#comment Sun, 19 Aug 2007 23:37:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1849072/posts AS THE saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." It may be catchy, but history has shown its peril as foreign policy. It's now the risky strategy U.S. commanders are following in arming Sunni fighters who pledge to hunt down al Qaeda guerrillas in Iraq. Given lackluster results with a surge of 30,000 new troops, the American military is gambling on a new tactic. It's running guns, ammunition and supplies to one foe in hopes it will go after another. The aim is to equip Sunni forces, who have turned on al Qaeda ranks responsible for a... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1849072/posts#comment Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:32:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1841218/posts ORCAS ISLAND, Wash. — Vandals burned dozens of small American flags that decorated veterans' graves for Memorial Day and replaced many of them with hand-drawn swastikas, authorities said Monday. AP via FOX News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1841218/posts#comment Tue, 29 May 2007 03:36:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1836155/posts MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Prosecutors on Friday appealed a judge's decision to charge three U.S. soldiers with homicide in the death of a Spanish journalist in Iraq, a court official said. Prosecutors at the National Court said the troops from the U.S. 3rd Infantry, based in Fort Stewart, Ga., committed no crime when their tank fired a shell at Baghdad's Palestine Hotel in 2003, killing Jose Couso, a cameraman for the Spanish television network Telecinco, and Taras Portsyuk, a Ukrainian cameraman for Reuters. The prosecutors characterized the attack as an accident of war, said a court official who spoke on... AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1836155/posts#comment Sat, 19 May 2007 03:29:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1827272/posts When a deputy assistant secretary for the Defense Department blasted U.S. law firms for representing prisoners at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, the Pentagon was quick to say that his comments did not reflect the "thinking of its leadership." For his part, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was quick to say that "good lawyers representing the detainees is the best way to ensure that justice is done in these cases." The deputy apologized, saying that he believed that "a foundational principle of our legal system is that the system works best when both sides are represented by competent legal counsel." He then... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1827272/posts#comment Wed, 2 May 2007 17:35:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1826761/posts WASHINGTON (AP) -- Seventy-five lawyers for nearly 400 Guantanamo Bay detainees urged Congress on Tuesday to give the prisoners access to U.S. courts. Fanning out across Capitol Hill for private meetings with senators and House members, the attorneys are seeking legislation to overturn a section of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that stripped the detainees of court access. Under last year's law, the detainees are entitled to a procedural review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia into whether they were properly designated unlawful enemy combatants. AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1826761/posts#comment Tue, 1 May 2007 20:42:13 GMT