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Retired Air Force Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak of Lake Oswego was once again in the middle of a campaign flap Wednesday when Hillary Clinton's campaign questioned his role as an adviser to Barack Obama because of his views on Israel. McPeak, known for his sharp tongue, stood by his position that U.S. policy in the Mideast is influenced by pro-Israeli voters, but he did apologize for last week's comment accusing former President Clinton of McCarthyism. An Obama spokesman said the senator disagrees with McPeak's comments on Israel but continues to stand behind him as a military adviser and co-chairman of...

(IsraelNN.com) A total of 24 people are hospitalized, mostly for shock, following the firing of more than 30 rockets and mortar shells from Gaza on Israel on Thursday. Among them are two with shrapnel injuries. Among the rockets and mortar shells fired from Gaza on Israel on Thursday, eight long-range Grad rockets hit the coastal city of Ashkelon. The city's 100,000-plus rocket-besieged residents were told just last night (Wednesday) by Defense Minister Ehud Barak that there was no need to change the city's deployment plans. The Katyusha-like were fired in several waves in the mid-afternoon hours. Two rockets slammed directly...

Paras almost retreated under Taliban assault By Tom Coghlan (Filed: 02/10/2006) British forces in southern Afghanistan came within hours of retreating from a key base because they suffered a critical shortage of helicopters, the task force commander has disclosed. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph Brig Ed Butler said Taliban fire was so heavy and accurate at Musa Qala, a key forward base in northern Helmand, that Army helicopters faced a serious risk of being hit. Brigadier Ed Butler, commander of British Forces in Afghanistan He said the loss of such crucial equipment — together with the political...

Gassy Bugs: Microbes may produce propane under the sea Julie Rehmeyer For decades, scientists have been puzzled by periodic findings of ethane and propane in sediments that they've pulled from deep below the ocean floor. As far as they knew, these gases could be produced only as petroleum is—by great heat applied to ancient, buried organic matter. But sometimes, ethane and propane turn up in areas where that process seems unlikely. A new report suggests a different source: microbes. Bacteria and archaea within underwater sediments could chew up buried organic material and spew out ethane and propane as waste products,...

In the Towers of Silence, an ancient ritual of death comes under threat By Peter Foster in New Delhi (Filed: 12/09/2006) The viability of the centuries-old Zoroastrian custom of allowing vultures to consume the corpses of its devotees has been called into question after a relative of one of the dead discovered piles of rotting bodies lying almost untouched by the birds. Dhun Baria, a member of Bombay's Zoroastrian community, known as Parsis, was shocked to be told that the body of her mother had lain untouched for nine months after she was laid to rest at the Towers of...

Arab despots, not Israel, are now under a greater threat Hizbullah's resistance to the region's military superpower will cause tremors in Egypt and Jordan - and even Syria Jonathan Steele in Tyre Friday August 4, 2006 The Guardian (UK) Unlike good children, Israel's drones are heard but not seen. Officially called unmanned aerial vehicles, these "eyes in the sky" circle south Lebanon day and night. Between six and 12 feet long, they are little more than cameras and a motor. They usually fly too high to be spotted, but they make a noise so loud you cannot forget it, like...

Iraqi security forces celebrate at a ceremony in Samawah, in southern Iraq, on July 13. Full responsibility for the province was handed over to the al-Muthanna provincial government by Coaltion forces. It is the first of Iraq's 18 provinces to have total responsibility for security. SAMAWAH - Hundreds gathered in Samawah, the capital of al-Muthanna province in southern Iraq, to witness the formal passing of responsibility for security and governance from Coalition forces to Iraqi control today.  Al-Muthanna is the first of Iraq’s 18 provinces to have complete responsibility for its own security. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki attended...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Gamblers who prefer their laptops to blackjack tables won't like what Congress is doing. On Tuesday, the House plans to vote on a bill that would ban credit cards for paying online bets and could padlock gambling Web sites. The legislation would clarify existing law to spell out that it is illegal to gamble online. To enforce that ban, the bill would prohibit credit cards and other payment forms, such as electronic transfers, from being used to settle online wagers. It also would give law enforcement officials the authority to work with Internet providers to block access...

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2006 – The Army's Criminal Investigation Command is looking into allegations that coalition soldiers killed an Iraqi family of four in their home near Mahmudiyah, Iraq, military officials here announced today. A written statement issued by Multinational Division Baghdad said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman, the division's commanding general, requested a criminal probe into the allegations after the division's own preliminary investigation found sufficient information existed to recommend a criminal investigation. The incident that led to the allegations reportedly occurred in March, but the military's written statement did not provide a time frame. The statement...

The Book of Isaiah under the sands of Egypt The archaeological mystery has been solved! The latest research shows that the manuscript found by Polish archaeologists in the village of Gourna (Sheikh abd el-Gourna) near Luxor in Upper Egypt contains the entire biblical book of Isaiah in the Coptic translation. “This is the first complete translation of this book in Coptic” – says Prof. Ewa Wipszycka-Bravo of the Institute of Archaeology at Warsaw University. In February last year, Tomasz Górecki heading the Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the Warsaw University mission in Gourna, made a unique find in the rubbish...

One in four shops is caught selling knives to children under 16 By David Derbyshire, Consumer Affairs Editor (Filed: 21/06/2006) More than a quarter of shops that stock knives are illegally selling them to children under 16, according to a survey by trading standards officials. Despite concerns about rising knife violence, a significant number of shopkeepers are failing to check the ages of teenage customers or are wilfully turning a blind eye. Richard Beckett, 14, shows knives bought by teenage volunteers However, there was some evidence that the recent spate of stabbings and the Home Office amnesty may finally be...

Four Mexicans accused of sneaking across the border pleaded guilty Tuesday under a new state law targeting immigrant smugglers. They were among the first 48 alleged customers of smugglers to be charged as conspirators to the crime. The four, who pleaded guilty to solicitation to commit immigrant smuggling, were sentenced to two years supervised probation and expected to face deportation proceedings. Critics say the law was intended to be used against smugglers, not their customers. Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has said the customers of smugglers need to be held accountable. In all, 19 of the 48 have pleaded guilty...

Under tremendous pressure, mullahs agree to renovate tomb of "Cyrus the Great" May 29, 2006 Thanks to Iranian arab-parast, tomb of founder of Iran Zamin covered with dust but tomb of their beloved cowered arab imam whom ran away to Iran for dear life, covered with gold Under tremendous pressure by Iranian People, mullahs agree to renovate tomb of "Cyrus the Great". A team of experts have recently began renovating the tomb of Cyrus the Great at the ancient site of Pasargad in southern province of Fars. Several megaliths of the tomb have been stolen over time and the renovation...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, is under investigation by the FBI, which is probing corruption in Congress, ABC News reported on Wednesday. ABC, citing high level Justice Department sources, said information implicating Hastert was developed from convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating with the government. Part of the investigation involves a letter Hastert wrote three years ago, urging the Secretary of the Interior to block a casino on an Indian reservation that would have competed with those of other tribes. Hastert's Press Secretary told ABC in a statement: "We are not aware...

Durham, NC (AHN) - Adding insult to injury, Duke University is in the news again for yet another rape allegation. Police searched a dorm room this week after a female student said another student raped her following an end-of-classes party last week. The Associated Press reports on Wednesday, police searched a male student's dorm for photos, videotapes, cameras, drugs and women's clothing. According to a search warrant application investigators stated they were looking into allegations of second-degree forcible rape, possession of controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. As of Friday morning there have been no official charges filed, however...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (April 4, 2006) -- Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Andras T.S. Eder carried protest signs denouncing the Operation Desert Shield in 1991. Fifteen years later, he was promoted for his performance in combat. The 36-year-old Hungarian immigrant was promoted at the beginning of the month for his performance under fire while serving alongside his Marines from C Company, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5. It’s just one phase of a multi-faceted man who constantly reinvents himself, taking on the next great adventure in his life. “I try to be even-keeled,” Eder said. “It seems like...

Malaysian Muslim women 'live under apartheid' By Sebastien Berger in Bangkok (Filed: 11/03/2006) Muslim women in Malaysia are being discriminated against so severely that they face a "growing form of apartheid", the daughter of the former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, a prominent social activist, has claimed. Marina Mahathir, a Muslim herself, yesterday wrote in the Star newspaper: "Non-Muslim Malaysian women have benefited from more progressive laws over the years while the opposite has happened for Muslim women."Polygamy is allowed for Muslims but banned for non-Muslims, she pointed out, and under Islamic family law the father is the primary guardian of...

SENECA FALLS NY--Former Seneca County lawmaker Richard Ricci said Thursday "that's a bunch of baloney" to criticism that he was grandstanding when he led the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance at a public hearing Wednesday night. At the close of his prepared remarks, Ricci called on the crowd of about 300 at the New York Chiropractic College to stand with him and recite the pledge. Many in the crowd stood on cue, but a scattering of people didn't. They included Clint Halftown, the New York Cayuga Indians' federally recognized representative, and Syracuse lawyer Daniel French, a former U.S. Attorney...

AN army of senior golfers have shot down a former US president in the Battle of Medway. Maidstone's Medway Golf Club refused former president Bill Clinton a round of golf on Thursday because the crowded course was hosting its midweek championships. The rejected Mr Clinton instead played at Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club at Point Cook, where he happily signed autographs and posed for photos. The incident has left Medway red-faced, but yesterday members were standing firm on their presidential snub. "We can't deprive the paying members of their golf, even for an ex-president," said 62-year-old member Wendy Alley. "But it...

He said students were notoriously popular with clients. "Especially the 18 to 25s ... they are pretty much the prime market," said the man, who also refused to be identified. "We could actually do with some students, to be honest. It's a great way for the girls to pay off their loan and live and party and juggle all of these things." The New Zealand Prostitutes Collective's regional representative Bernie Bryant also knew some local students were selling themselves to learn. But she had a warning for those considering it. "It's a very transient industry and there's

Five Rancho Sahuarita homes that were under construction were destroyed Friday night in what officials are calling suspicious fires. The Rural/Metro Fire Department began receiving multiple 911 reports just before 11 p.m. of several homes on fire off of South Rancho Sahuarita Boulevard, south of West Sahuarita Road, said Battalion Chief Rick Flores, a department spokesman. When firefighters arrived, they found five homes that were under construction fully engulfed in flames, he said. Officials suspect that the homes were set on fire one by one. It took more than an hour and a combined 40 firefighters from Rural/Metro and the...

Danes in Indonesia 'under threat' Danish embassies have been the target of angry protestors Danish nationals have been urged to leave Indonesia over fears they may be targeted in the row over cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad. The foreign ministry says intelligence reports suggest an extremist group is actively seeking out Danes and Danish interests in Indonesia. It is the most serious yet in a string of advisories issued by Copenhagen to Danish nationals in Muslim countries. Denmark has temporarily shut its missions in Indonesia, Iran and Syria. Embassy staff in the first two countries were withdrawn after threats were...

Stone Age Footwork: Ancient human prints turn up down under Bruce Bower Researchers working near the shore of a dried-up lake basin in southeastern Australia have taken a giant leap backward in time. They've uncovered the largest known collection of Stone Age human footprints. SOLE SURVIVAL. Footprints attributed to a Stone Age person disappear under an Australian dune (top). In an impression of an adult's right foot (inset), the toes stand out. Cupper The 124-or-more human-foot impressions, as well as a few prints left by kangaroos and other animals, originated between 23,000 and 19,000 years ago in a then-muddy layer...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Dec. 1, 2005) -- Due to the heroic achievement of then Gunnery Sgt. Daniel W. Fleming under harsh conditions – including extremely low visibility and heavy enemy small-arms, machinegun and mortar fire – the Marines of Regimental Combat Team 1 were able to move into the city of Fallujah in the days leading up to Operation Al Fajr (New Dawn). The 39-year-old from Minneapolis, Minn., is now a master sergeant, and was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat Distinguishing Advice here Dec. 1. On Nov. 7, 2004, Fleming, platoon sergeant for Combat Engineer Detachment,...

MOSUL, Iraq — The Soldier medics of Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, play a dual role in the Army. They are on the front lines of the war on terror, stacking up on houses with Infantry Soldiers, providing overwatch in the air-guard hatches of Strykers, living with the line platoons, and performing numerous Soldier tasks required by their chosen profession. Over the past months, Sgt. Eric Syfrett, Spc. Derek Bartholomew, Spc. Micheal Bosch, Spc. James Johns, Spc. John Teale, Spc. William Trevathan and Pfc. Jesse Garcia have treated casualties under enemy fire, treated gunshot wounds, performed preventative medicine...

5 Marines were killed in Iraq yesterday. The more than 2000 U.S. troops lost in Iraq makes me want to vomit. But now, as calls to pull our troops out of Iraq grow, I fear that a premature withdrawal will lead to an even greater disaster than the sacrifices already made. Cutting and running now would render this ultimate in human toll meaningless. Unfortunately, the great gains that have come from American sacrifices go under-reported. Iraqis are learning the intricacies of democratic politics, as “accountability has taken root.� Coalitions are being formed and reshuffled. Pundits are speculating on party endorsements....

Baghdad's mortuary reels under the weight of killings By Oliver Poole in Baghdad (Filed: 07/11/2005) The bodies are arriving at the mortuary in Baghdad in such large numbers that the orderlies have run out of places to store them properly. They are forced to leave them in piles in the overloaded freezer compartments or send them for burial in anonymous graves. Grief at the funeral of a driver, killed on Saturday by gunmen Last month there were 972 corpses received, almost all victims of violent death. The vast majority were brought in with bullet holes. Many had their hands bound...

Thursday, November 03, 2005 20:42 IST JNW HEADLINE NEWS Israeli kids under Kassam threat By Ryan Jones November 3rd, 2005 Israeli kindergarten children are under constant threat from “Palestinian” artillery crews that would love nothing more to score a direct hit on their classrooms, and their parents have just about had enough of the situation. “I am very very fearful for my children. It doesn’t matter how much you guide children and tell them to put their hands over their head. A hand over the head will not protect them from a Kassam which will open a hole in the...

Dr. Levin is the author of The Oslo Syndrome: Delusions of a People Under Siege. He earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania, a B.A./M.A. in English language and literature from Oxford University, an M.D. degree from Penn and a Ph.D. in history from Princeton University. He is a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and maintains a private practice in psychiatry. Dr. Levin has written extensively on Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict. His articles have appeared in The New Republic, The Boston Globe, The Washington Times, and The Jerusalem Post. On the...

UN warning as Beijing claims bird flu is 'under control' By Richard Spencer in Beijing (Filed: 28/10/2005) The Chinese government yesterday insisted it had bird flu under control, amid fears that it could prove to be the source of a global epidemic. The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) also gave a warning of the potential scale of the problem in China, which has reported three outbreaks in different parts of the country in the past week. Chinese health inspectors disinfect a motorcycle ''The frequency of the outbreaks here increases the risk of human infection. Nobody can rule it...

Under Downtown Prague Volume 58 Number 6, November/December 2005 by Nick Holdsworth The Czech Republic's biggest excavation reveals layers of history.(Courtesy Archaia) Every Czech school child knows the story. Prague was a crowded medieval city bursting at the seams when, in 1348, its problem was solved at a stroke by the brilliance of Charles IV. The greatest of Czech kings ordained that a massive swathe of farmland around the walled city should become a new urban space called Nove Mesto, or New Town. The Prague we know today is said to be largely a product of Charles IV's effort at...

A children's picture book for conservatives whose villains include Hillary Clinton and Senator Ted Kennedy has become the surprise publishing hit of the year. Sales of Help! Mom! There are Liberals Under My Bed! have rivalled even the latest Harry Potter novel, with the book racing up the best-seller charts after it was published two weeks ago.

UNDER THE COVERS, CONSERVATIVE-STYLE By Azi Paybarah Two new books for the kiddies are hitting stores—one that will help get them laid, and another to turn those one-night-stand spawn into good little conservatives. First up is the long-awaited The O'Reilly Factor for Kids. Those with strong visual imaginations will doubtless be pleased to learn that O'Reilly (as he frequently refers to himself) didn't get laid until he was twenty. But it's about the children, and O'Reilly gives spin-free lessons about teenage sex, drugs, and what kind of junior high school girls turns him on. The Long Island native spills the...

Malta fears it will sink under growing tide of migrants from Africa By David Rennie in Valletta (Filed: 21/09/2005) The holiday island of Malta is in the grip of an accidental tragedy: it is directly in the path of a growing and potentially vast flow of asylum seekers from sub-Saharan Africa to southern Europe. Caught: exhausted boat people from Africa await their fate Its proximity to Libya, 180 miles to the south, threatens the identity and culture of the islanders. Thousands of refugees have made the crossing in recent months. Libya has said that there are 1.5 million sub-Saharan Africans...

Liberals Furious Over New Children's Book New kid’s book “Liberals Under My Bed” becomes lightning rod for controversy. Prominent liberals liken it to Nazi propaganda, but conservative author laughs off allegations. Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) September 20, 2005 –- Liberals all over the country are up in arms over a new children’s book that portrays cartoon versions of left-wing icons Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy taxing and regulating a lemonade stand. “Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed” (Kids Ahead; hardcover: $15.95; ISBN 0976726904) hits bookstore shelves today, but author Katharine DeBrecht has already found herself under fire from...

Children"s Author: Warn Kids About Liberals Tue Sep 13, 3:00 AM ET (PRWEB) - Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) September 13, 2005 - – The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina has exposed an ugly truth about liberals, and parents need to teach this to their kids, according to the author of a controversial upcoming children"s book. Katharine DeBrecht — the author of the soon-to-be-released "Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed" (Kids Ahead; hardcover: $15.95; ISBN 0976726904) — dismisses the notion that parents should not talk to their young kids about politics. If anything, she claims, the behavior of liberals following...

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Arms cache blast under warlord's home kills 28 By Tom Coghlan in Kabul (Filed: 03/05/2005) An illegal arms dump exploded yesterday beneath the home of an Afghan warlord, killing at least 28 people. Officials said the explosion devastated a village in Baghlan province, 75 miles north of Kabul. The cause of the blast was unclear. The warlord, named as Jalal Bashgah, was not at his home at the time of the explosion, though eight members of his family were killed or injured. The blast injured more than 70 people and the number of dead was expected to rise. The Interior...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that people who cheat foreign governments of tax revenue can be prosecuted under U.S. law for wire fraud. In a 5-4 decision, the court upheld the fraud convictions for three men accused of sneaking thousands of cases of whisky, vodka and rum into Canada from the United States and avoiding millions of dollars in Canadian taxes. Canada did not pursue the trio for tax evasion, but American prosecutors did and the three were sentenced to prison. The U.S. wire fraud law bars the use of interstate wires, such as phones and computers,...

Oil-hungry China takes Sudan under its wing By David Blair in Khartoum (Filed: 23/04/2005) A metallic maze of chimneys, pipes and vents glitters on the horizon in the desert outside Khartoum, dominating the landscape for miles around. This new oil refinery is the jewel in the crown of Sudan's military regime. It forms the vital artery of a thriving oil industry that poured £1 billion into government coffers last year. Without this windfall gain - likely to be far larger this year - President Omar al-Bashir could not maintain his military machine, let alone wage war against rebels in the...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United Nations is investigating allegations that officials in the highly respected U.N. electoral division spent electoral money on inappropriate travel and a university degree for one staffer, a U.N. spokesman said Tuesday. The claims originally surfaced in a U.N.-commissioned management review that was leaked in March. That review also revealed staff allegations of sexual and professional harassment in the office, which helps organize elections around the world. Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast ordered a preliminary investigation April 6 into alleged misuse of electoral money and referred the other allegations to the Office of Internal...

Scientists Interrupt Search for the “Mayan Atlantis" in the Caribbean. Cuban Newpaper: GRANMA Mexico City, November 6, 2004 Forwarded by David Drewelow This story updates this prior story . - A group of scientists searching for a hypothetical “Mayan Atlantis" found a pyramid of 35 meters under the waters of the Caribbean, but it had to interrupt the mission due to technical problems, as reported by the Mexican newspaper Millenium, today. After 25 days of work in the sea, near the southwestern end of Cuba, the investigations deeper than 500 meters had to be abandoned due to problems with the...

When it comes to the law of unintended consequences, the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance "reform" is rapidly becoming a legal phenomenon. The latest example comes courtesy of the Federal Election Commission, where officials are being asked to extend the law to the very people it is supposed to empower: individual citizens. snip The problem facing the FEC is that McCain-Feingold broadly restricts coordination with, and contributions to, political candidates. So what is the agency to do with all those people who use their Web sites to praise a candidate? Computers and Web access cost money, which could be construed as a financial...

Voters in this woodsy mountain village will decide soon whether to recall a member of the town's Board of Trustees who refuses to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. David Habecker, a two-term member of the board, faces a Feb. 15 recall vote after drawing the community's ire for refusing to stand because he objects to the phrase "under God." He said the wording violates Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, which states that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." "This makes the Pledge a religious...

In Estes Park, there's discomfort on all political sides that the flap over a town trustee's refusal to recite the Pledge of Allegiance is redefining the community. "Estes Park is becoming known as a town that wants to recall someone instead of as a tourist attraction," said Linda Wagner, a 12-year resident.

Editorial: Raiding the tobacco till Friday, December 3, 2004 Three years ago, when the cash was flowing freely on Beacon Hill, Massachusetts led the nation in spending on anti-smoking programs. Voters had agreed to raise cigarette taxes to fund anti-smoking initiatives, and the state's share of the huge federal tobacco settlement brought in even more cash intended to mitigate the health effects of smoking. That investment was paying off. National polls consistently found Massachusetts teen-agers trailing teens from around the country in smoking rates. That was then. After years of budget shortfalls, Massachusetts has fallen to 40th place in tobacco-control...

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!

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Marine being investigated for allegedly killing an unarmed, wounded Iraqi was acting under extreme combat stress, comrades said yesterday. It was also disclosed that the Marine had just returned to duty after being shot in the face the previous day. [snip] Marines interviewed yesterday said the shooting wasn't a scandal, but evidence of how soldiers react under extreme circumstances. "I can see why he would do it," said Lance Cpl. Christopher Hanson. "He was probably running around being shot at for days on end in Fallujah. There should be an investigation, but they should look...

Twice this year, the House has passed bills to curb judicial activism by limiting federal court jurisdiction.The passage of the Pledge Protection Act of 2004 (H.R. 2028) by the U.S. House of Representatives on September 21 by a vote of 247-173 has highlighted some very encouraging signs in Congress. And I do not simply mean that the Pledge of Allegiance would be protected, though that is a good thing as well.H.R. 2028 states: "No court created by Act of Congress shall have jurisdiction, and the Supreme Court shall have no appellate jurisdiction, to hear or decide" cases pertaining to the...

WASHINGTON - Justices once again are considering a case involving the Pledge of Allegiance. Justices were asked this year whether the pledge and its reference to God belong in public schools. They got rid of the red-hot case without ruling on that issue. Now, a Colorado man wants the court to decide if the oath belongs in courthouses. Frank Herbert Wonschik was convicted of possessing parts for a machine gun in 2002 by a jury that recited the pledge after hearing a patriotic speech from the judge. His federal public defender, Jill Wichlens, said in court papers that judges hearing...