Free Republic

If we have free will, so do subatomic particles, mathematicians claim to prove.“If the atoms never swerve so as to originate some new movement that will snap the bonds of fate, the everlasting sequence of cause and effect—what is the source of the free will possessed by living things throughout the earth?”—Titus Lucretius Carus, Roman philosopher and poet, 99–55 BC. Human free will might seem like the squishiest of philosophical subjects, way beyond the realm of mathematical demonstration. But two highly regarded Princeton mathematicians, John Conway and Simon Kochen, claim to have proven that if humans have even the tiniest...

There is a little Fascist in all of us; the desire to smash our enemies, to humiliate them and to make them crawl before they … go. It’s the farthest we get from the Sermon on the Mount and a reason to remind ourselves how far we are from grace. George Will, perhaps inspired by Barack Obama’s comment that “America ..ah.. .is .. is … no longer what it could be … what it once was. I don’t want that future for my children.” Reminds us what America once was. On the night of Aug. 13, Mabel Hallam, a pretty...

ONE OF THE PUZZLING QUESTIONS likely to turn up sooner or later to vex the seeking Christian is how he can fulfill the scriptural command to love God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself. The earnest Christian, as he meditates on his sacred obligation to love God and mankind, may experience a sense of frustration gendered by the knowledge that he just cannot seem to work up any emotional thrill over his Lord or his brothers. He wants to, but he cannot. The delightful wells of feeling simply will not flow. Many honest persons have become discouraged...

The development of civilization depended on urbanization, which depended on beer. To understand why, consult Steven Johnson’s marvelous 2006 book, “The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World.” It is a great scientific detective story about how a horrific cholera outbreak was traced to a particular neighborhood pump for drinking water. And Johnson begins a mind-opening excursion into a related topic this way: “The search for unpolluted drinking water is as old as civilization itself. As soon as there were mass human settlements, waterborne diseases like dysentery became a...

There’s some idea out there in the world that Will Smith "owns" the July 4 holiday weekend in terms of box office. I guess this is because of "Independence Day," one of my favorite movies, and "Men in Black," also quite good, released, respectively, in 1996 and 1997 on that weekend. Alas, all good hype must come to an end. "Hancock," with which Sony is hoping to have a merry July 4, 2008, may not duplicate Smith’s previous successes. It is one of the worst family holiday weekend releases of recent memory — and jaw-droppingly so. And that’s hard to...

The day after the Supreme Court ruled that detainees imprisoned at Guantanamo are entitled to seek habeas corpus hearings, John McCain called it "one of the worst decisions in the history of this country." Well. Does it rank with Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857), which concocted a constitutional right, unmentioned in the document, to own slaves and held that black people have no rights that white people are bound to respect? With Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which affirmed the constitutionality of legally enforced racial segregation? With Korematsu v. United States (1944), which affirmed the wartime right to sweep American citizens...

Numbers come precisely from the agile mind and nimble tongue of Frank Buckles, who seems bemused to say that 4,734,991 Americans served in the military during America’s involvement in the First World War and that 4,734,990 are gone. He is feeling fine, thank you for asking. The eyes of the last doughboy are still sharp enough for him to be a keen reader, and his voice is still deep and strong at age 107. He must have been a fine broth of a boy when, at 16, persistence paid off and he found, in Oklahoma City, an Army recruiter who...

Hillary Clinton, 60, Illinois native and Arkansas lawyer, became, retroactively, a lifelong Yankee fan at age 52 when, shopping for a U.S. Senate seat, she adopted New York state as home sweet home. She may think, or at least would argue, that when she was 12 her Yankees really won the 1960 World Series, by standards of “fairness,” because they trounced the Pirates in runs scored, 55-27, over seven games, so there. Unfortunately, baseball’s rules—pesky nuisances, rules—say it matters how runs are distributed during a World Series. The Pirates won four games, which is the point of the exercise, by...

INDEPENDENCE, Mo.—Business, meaning research by historians and nourishment for history hobbyists, is brisk at the Harry S. Truman Library on this 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, the desegregation of the armed services, recognition of the state of Israel and the improbable election of the president responsible for many momentous policies. The library is a place, and now is a time, to ponder the transformation Truman wrought in the presidency and the Constitution and why that transformation should be debated before the next president is selected. With a mere 15 million pages of documents, this library is minuscule: The Clinton...

On New Year’s Day, Chief Justice John Roberts, pursuant to his duty to report annually on the condition of the federal judiciary, issued a short and persuasive plea. It was lost in the cacophony of political news. Besides, why worry about the judiciary? We have Alexander Hamilton’s assurances, from Federalist 78, that the judiciary is “the least dangerous” branch of government. Having “neither force nor will, but merely judgment,” it “has no influence over either the sword or the purse; no direction either of the strength or of the wealth of the society; and can take no active resolution whatever.”

When the upscale stores—Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and other magnets for affluent shoppers—open their doors at the CityNorth “urban village” being built here, Phoenix taxpayers will be there, sort of. They are providing a $97.4 million subsidy to the Chicago-based developer of the 144-acre project that will include residential, office and hotel facilities. The subsidy—allowing the developer to keep sales taxes collected up to $97.4 million—might, however, violate the state constitution. Represented by the litigation arm of the Goldwater Institute, six taxpayers who own small, unsubsidized businesses say the subsidy violates three constitutional provisions.

In an episode of the sitcom, Will and Grace, the two end up as political adversaries when they back opposing candidates in a mayoral election.   Political naïveté finds Will backing a city-council candidate because he's gay, and Grace behind another because she's a Jewish woman.   To settle matters, the roomies host fund-raisers attended simultaneously by both aspirants.    After listening to each respective candidates stump speech, turns out one's cruel and heartless and the other's a racist.   Becoming disillusioned, they both decided not to vote at all.   But when Jack asks, "So, did you vote?"   Will answers, "We don't...

When 30 years ago I resurrected Flashman, the bully in Thomas Hughes's Victorian novel Tom Brown's Schooldays, political correctness hadn't been heard of, and no exception was taken to my adopted hero's character, behaviour, attitude to women and subject races (indeed, any races, including his own) and general awfulness. On the contrary, it soon became evident that these were his main attractions. He was politically incorrect with a vengeance. Through the Seventies and Eighties I led him on his disgraceful way, toadying, lying, cheating, running away, treating women as chattels, abusing inferiors of all colours, with only one redeeming virtue...

George Will on Huckabee George Will on Mike Huckabee

Time to tighten the belt, Paris. Hotel magnate Barron Hilton announced yesterday that he's leaving 97% of his wealth to charity, dramatically cutting the fortune his children and grandkids will get. That means granddaughter Paris Hilton, who once stood to inherit $100 million or more by some accounts, could end up with a measly $5 million or so. "The whole family will be devastated, particularly [Paris' mom] Kathy," a pal of the clan told the Daily News last night. "Some of them could be likely to contest the will - it'll be in the courts longer than Anna Nicole Smith...

The Reviews Keep Coming In: Unimpressed by Fred Thompson's Campaign Roll-out, Conservatives Are "Still Looking" It's been only one week since lobbyist turned Senator turned actor Fred Thompson announced his candidacy for president, but it's been plenty of time for conservative commentators to see what they need to and call him unimpressive. Today two prominent conservative columnists criticized Thompson and said Republicans were unenthusiastic about his presidential prospects and would keep on looking for a candidate to rally behind. According to the columnists, conservatives' worst fears have been realized. Fred Thompson is just not the candidate they've been waiting for....

Dear Dave: My daughter is 17, in high school and has a car and a part-time job. Should a teenager have an emergency fund? If so, how much money should she set aside? — Darlene Dear Darlene: Three to six months of expenses is what I recommend for adults, and that’s generally a good rule of thumb for teenagers, too. But she won’t need as big an emergency fund as a married couple with kids if her expenses consist solely of her car and her social life. I’d suggest saving up about three months worth of what it takes to...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2007 – Terrorists know they can’t defeat the United States militarily, so they seek instead to break the nation’s will, Vice President Dick Cheney told the crew of the USS Kitty Hawk today. Vice President Dick Cheney waves to the audience after speaking to military personnel, family members and Department of Defense civilian employees during a visit to the USS Kitty Hawk, Yokosuka, Japan, Feb. 21, 2007. Cheney is in Japan during a week-long tour of the Pacific. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Kyle D. Gahlau  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Cheney spoke aboard the...

CHICAGO -- After an excellent year, Boeing is counting its blessings, which include its competitor. They also include an anticipated doubling of the commercial aviation market in the next 20 years, which will require 27,000 new planes, costing $2.6 trillion. Americans ambivalent about globalization should note how Boeing, under chief executive James McNerney, is prospering. The Sept. 11 attacks devastated commercial airlines, causing Boeing -- which cut its jetliner production in half -- to rapidly shed more than 40,000 of its 93,000 workers who designed and built the planes. But the revival has added back some 13,000 jobs and raised...

WASHINGTON -- After sending strong signals for two years about a second run for the presidency, Senator John F. Kerry has held no public political events in more than two months, even as his potential rivals ramp up their own campaigns. Behind the scenes, Kerry has been more active, hiring several top operatives and hosting several major fund-raisers with Democratic activists, including a breakfast yesterday in New York City and a birthday event at his Beacon Hill home last month, where he raised $250,000. Aides to the Massachusetts Democrat said he is still mulling whether he should run again for...

For someone as conservative as myself, I usually harbor far less respect and admiration for George Will than most people would think. He may gaze more astutely at his navel than I do mine, but there’s an asymptotic limit to what the guy can tell me about lint hair that I would really care about. Today, however, he cut through the mendacious cattle droppings with a sharpened broadsword of an opinion column. Today, he unloaded on the farcical issue of the minimum wage. It seems that The Democratic Party has made it a cornerstone of their plan to fight poverty...

“Is it an illusion? That’s the question,” said Michael Silberstein, a science philosopher at Elizabethtown College in Maryland. Another question, he added, is whether talking about this in public will fan the culture wars. “If people freak at evolution, etc.,” he wrote in an e-mail message, “how much more will they freak if scientists and philosophers tell them they are nothing more than sophisticated meat machines, and is that conclusion now clearly warranted or is it premature?” Daniel C. Dennett, a philosopher and cognitive scientist at Tufts University who has written extensively about free will, said that “when we consider...

Solar flares will disrupt GPS in 2011 14:29 29 September 2006 NewScientist.com news service Jeff Hecht Navigation, power and communications systems that rely on GPS satellite navigation will be disrupted by violent solar activity in 2011, research shows. A study reveals Global Positioning System receivers to be unexpectedly vulnerable to bursts of radio noise produced by solar flares, created by explosions in the Sun's atmosphere. When solar activity peaks in 2011 and 2012, it could cause widespread disruption to aircraft navigation and emergency location systems that rely heavily on satellite navigation data. Particularly intense solar activity occurs roughly every 11...

There was a radical change in Adam’s will in the fall, and he was enabled to return to God by another radical change. It was not Adam who sought God, but rather God who sought Adam. The enslaved will cannot of itself love God. Men who love God, then, do so because God first loved them (I John 4:10). The enslaved will is controlled by its affections, which are evil, earthly, and sensual (James 3:15). As Adam’s will acted according to his nature after the fall, so every sinner’s will is free only to act according to his nature. The...

'Green' Lib Dems promise they will penalise wealth By George Jones and Brendan Carlin (Filed: 20/09/2006) The Liberal Democrats took a decisive shift to the Left yesterday by enthusiastically adopting a tax package which could leave two million people £2,500 a year worse off. Although the party leadership claimed it would hit only the "top 10 per cent" – and millions of lower-income people would pay less tax – the measures will begin to bite on a family with an income over £54,000 a year. As Charles Kennedy received a warm reception on his return to the political front line...

'He is a dog and if we see him we will kill him' Clancy Chassay in Beirut Monday September 11, 2006 The Guardian (UK) Protesters greet Tony Blair’s visit to Lebanon. Photograph: Alvaro Barrientos/AP Hundreds of angry demonstrators waving Lebanese flags and chanting "down with Blair" gathered to protest at Tony Blair's meeting with Fouad Siniora at the prime minister's office in the heart of Beirut today. Held back by a line of Lebanese troops and security personnel enforcing a 1km buffer zone around the office, some protesters carried posters reading "Blair, you killer, go to hell" and "The blood...

Price of food and drink will soar, experts predict By David Derbyshire, Consumer Affairs Editor (Filed: 24/08/2006) On top of soaring fuel bills, petrol prices and council tax, retail experts issued a warning yesterday that the cost of food and drink was about to go up sharply. Supermarkets are expected to pass on higher prices to customers after a combination of poor harvests and the rising cost of global commodities such as orange juice and coffee. Drink up: The cost of orange juice is expected to rise by up to 25 per cent over the next few months The cost...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2006 – Military might will not win the battle for Afghanistan, NATO’s top military officer said here today. Building a government that guards the liberties of its citizens, provides economic opportunities and treats all fairly before the law will do more than simple military pressure, U.S. Marine Gen. James L. Jones said during a Pentagon interview. NATO has assumed the security mission in southern Afghanistan. The alliance now has responsibility for about 80 percent of the nation and is scheduled to assume command for the rest of the country by the end of this year. Jones said...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2006 – In his weekly radio address yesterday, President Bush reiterated American resolve against extremist terrorists and declared that the free world will prevail against enemies of freedom. “America, Great Britain, and our allies are determined to defend ourselves and advance the cause of liberty,” Bush said. “With patience, courage, and untiring resolve, we will defend our freedom, and we will win the war on terror.” The president acknowledged the enormity of the challenge that still lies ahead. “America is fighting a tough war against an enemy whose ruthlessness is clear for all to see,” he said....

BAGHDAD, Aug. 12, 2006 – The will of the United States is the only question in whether the nation’s effort in Iraq and Afghanistan will succeed, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today. “There is no way to militarily lose this war,” Marine Gen. Peter Pace said, speaking to reporters traveling with him while en route here. “The only way we can lose is if we decide that we just don’t want to do it. And if we decide that, that would not end the involvement, it would simply shift it from its current battlefield in Iraq...

July 18, 2006 -- 'GROTESQUE" was Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's characterization of the charge that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was responsible for the current Middle East conflagration. She is correct, up to a point. Speaking on ABC's "This Week," Rice called it "short-sighted" to judge the success of the administration's transformational ambitions by a "snapshot" of progress "some couple of years" into the transformation. She seems to consider today's turmoil preferable to the Middle East's "false stability" of the last 60 years, during which U.S. policy "turned a blind eye to the absence of democratic forces." There is,...

BALAD, Iraq, July 12, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld arrived here today on an unannounced visit to meet with U.S. troops. He was then to travel to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and senior U.S. military leaders. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld speaks to troops at Camp Anaconda, in Balad, Iraq, July 12. Photo by Airman 1st Class Andrew Oquendo, USAF   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Coalition forces will win in Iraq when they help the Iraqi people take the fight to the terrorists and achieve their own success in the...

On Sunday's This Week, during the roundtable discussion, host George Stephanopoulos embarrassed himself and had to backtrack after he raised Clinton Defense Secretary William Perry's recommendation -- that President Bush bomb the nuclear missiles on the launchpad in North Korea -- but then went a step further and combined Perry's proposal with blaming the Iraq war for preventing that type of action in 2003, only to be thoroughly refuted by George Will. “I don't even believe what I said,” Stephanopoulos sheepishly conceded, “So I take it back, you're right.” Stephanopoulos had proposed: “What if in 2003, instead of invading Iraq,...

More troops will go to Afghanistan By Neil Tweedie (Filed: 07/07/2006) Britain is to reinforce its military contingent in southern Afghanistan following the deaths of six troops in clashes with the Taliban and other armed groups over the last month. Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said he was considering what reinforcements to send as a "matter of urgency" after being advised that they were necessary following fierce fighting in the lawless province of Helmand, a centre of resurgent Taliban activity. Pte Damien Jackson The announcement will increase concern that the Government is succumbing to "mission creep" as it seeks to...

4 hours ago LONDON - Author J.K. Rowling said two characters will die in the last installment of her boy wizard series, and she hinted Harry Potter might not survive either. "I have never been tempted to kill him off before the final because I've always planned seven books, and I want to finish on seven books," Rowling said on Monday's "Richard and Judy" television show. "I can completely understand, however, the mentality of an author who thinks, `Well, I'm gonna kill them off because that means there can be no non-author written sequels. So it will end with me,...

Plants predict where rumbling volcanoes will blow 09 June 2006 NewScientist.com news service WANT to know where a rumbling volcano is likely to split at the seams? Look for the tallest and greenest plants. Vigorous plant growth on the flanks of a volcano like that at Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, can indicate where magma is most likely to spurt out. Satellite images reveal that shrubs and trees grow taller and greener along stripes where the volcano eventually ruptures. Nicolas Houlié from the University of California, Berkeley, and his colleagues studied satellite images of Mount Etna in Sicily and Mount Nyiragongo...

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 8, 2006 – Arming submarines with nonnuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles will give America a necessary quick-strike weapon in the war on terror, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday. The proposal, part of the Defense Department's 2007 budget request, aims to remove two nuclear missiles from each of the Navy's 14 ballistic missile submarines, or SSBNs, and replace them with two conventionally armed Trident missiles, said Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani at the Naval Submarine League's annual symposium. The move would put about 22 such missiles into operational deployment, he said. "It's...

'Desert fish will help to feed the world' By Max Benitz (Filed: 05/06/2006) Deserts will produce much of the farmed fish and the clean power of the future, a United Nations report says. Aquaculture already thrives in deserts such as the Negev in Israel and Arizona, according to the report published to mark World Environment Day. It says saline water in desert wells and sunlight can be used to mimic tropical seas, making them ideal for farming fish and shrimp. Another benefit is that fish farming uses less water than the production of a vegetable crop. Many fish and algae...

Warrant will give EU judges power over British police By David Rennie in Brussels (Filed: 02/06/2006) The Government signed up to a European Evidence Warrant yesterday that gives foreign judges the power to send British police into a British home and seize evidence in connection with suspected crimes committed in other European Union nations. The new warrant is founded on the principle of "mutual recognition", meaning that British authorities have only the most slender, technical of reasons to object to a warrant, and in most cases must execute them automatically, as if they were issued by a British court. The...

I got a minus 51 on my last test. I couldn't be more delighted. "It seems you take many sensible precautions,'' was the automated evaluation from my online tester. The exam tested my risk of being burglarized. I hate to be the guy or gal who scored more than 120. "You are going to be burglarized as soon as a burglar or setup man discovers your home,'' the exam giver dryly notes. The test I took is called "Rate Your Risk,'' found online at www.rateyourrisk.org. The site also offers two other fun but informative and insightful surveys that measure your...

6. Men's inability to do good manifests itself above all in the work of redemption, which God does quite alone. On the other hand, it may be proper to consider what the remedy is which divine grace provides for the correction and cure of natural corruption. Since the Lord, in bringing assistance, supplies us with what is lacking, the nature of that assistance will immediately make manifest its converse, viz., our penury. When the Apostle says to the Philippians, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you, will perform it until the...

In a city haunted by Katrina, the question is: Will it happen again? By Francis Harris in New Orleans (Filed: 13/05/2006) Hurricane season is approaching New Orleans like a recurring nightmare. Very soon, the great storms which brew in the Gulf of Mexico's warm waters will once again race landwards and attack the city's protective levees. Meteorologists are predicting an "active" six month season. It is a frightening prospect for a city still punch-drunk from last year's flooding. The authorities are making a huge effort to shore up the system. Across the semi-deserted metropolis, engineers are working day and night...

Shape-shifting car will brace for impact 15:34 10 May 2006 NewScientist.com news service Tom Simonite A car that can anticipate a side-on impact and subtly alter its body shape to absorb the force of the crash is being developed by researchers in Germany. The car will use hood-mounted cameras and radar to spot a vehicle on course for a side-on collision. Once it realises an impact is imminent it will activate a shape-shifting metal in the door. This reinforces the bond between door and frame, which is normally a weak spot, and distributes the force of the blow more safely....

Family Members Object to Rosa Parks' Will Tuesday May 2, 2006 3:01 AM DETROIT (AP) - A dozen nieces and nephews of civil rights icon Rosa Parks have filed an objection to her will in hopes of gaining control of the use of her name and image. The family members, who have been feuding for years with the people Parks appointed to handle her affairs, filed the legal challenge Friday. ``We still are very open to talk settlement in this case, if for no other reason than both sides have a deep respect for Ms. Parks,'' Frederick Toca Jr., an...

Only drugs and vaccines will deflect bird flu pandemic 18:00 26 April 2006 NewScientist.com news service Debora MacKenzie In just 16 weeks, the pandemic near-saturates the US (Image: Neil Ferguson) The picture is just as bleak for the UK (Image: Neil Ferguson)One of the world’s most powerful pandemic models has reached a stark conclusion: only combining a pre-pandemic vaccine with larger stocks of antiviral drugs than currently planned would really prevent mass disease. Closing borders and restricting travel will do very little.The conclusions mirror those reached earlier this month by a separate group working with a different model in the...

British will hunt down Taliban, says Reid By Isambard Wilkinson in Lahore (Filed: 25/04/2006) John Reid, the Defence Secretary, conceded yesterday that British troops in Afghanistan may launch offensive missions that involve hunting down and killing Taliban insurgents. The statement came after months of uncertainty following the announcement that 3,300 troops would be sent to Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. John Reid on manoeuvres with the British Army in Afghanistan The Government had insisted that Nato troops would not move beyond peace-keeping duties and helping reconstruction efforts, despite American pressure for them to take on a combat role. But Mr...

'Jews are our enemy. I will pull the trigger whenever required' Jane Flanagan in Gaza City (Filed: 23/04/2006) Jamal Abu Samhadana had just been appointed chief of the Palestinian security services, but his supporters saw no reason to celebrate. Instead of driving around the potholed streets firing their AK47s in the air, his advisers gathered in a tin-roofed hut in a remote part of the Gaza territory, safe - they hoped - from prying ears. Jamal Abu Samhadana For now is a dangerous time to be the Palestinians' security supremo, and Abu Samhadana's allies know that even if the Israelis...

Kadima party officials told the Likud’s coalition negotiating team that Kadima plans to implement its “convergence plan” to uproot dozens of Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria by 2008. Kadima negotiators said the withdrawals would be made prior to the next U.S. presidential election in November 2008. After the meeting between the two teams which took place in Ramat Gan’s Maccabiah Olympic village, former Education Minister, MK Limor Livnat (Likud) concluded, “the chance that we’ll be joining the coalition is very, very unlikely.” Kadima negotiators also told their Likud counterparts that Kadima would oppose holding a national referendum on carrying...

But to those Republicans who turn out to pick presidential nominees, one electoral consideration could trump ideological aversions: California. Ken Khachigian, a veteran of Ronald Reagan's White House, is a California Republican strategist who in 2000 was a senior adviser to McCain's campaign. Khachigian says McCain could "put California in play.'' McCain might be the only conceivable Republican nominee who could. To put California in play is not the same thing as carrying it. But carrying it is not necessary to significantly improve a Republican nominee's national chances. If the nomination of McCain could force the Democratic nominee to spend...

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2006 – The Iraqis are going through a historic process to form a government of national unity, and success in that country will provide a basis for a more stable Middle East, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Sunday morning talk shows today. "We faced the outcome of an ideology of hatred throughout the Middle East that had to be dealt with," Rice said on NBC's "Meet the Press" today. "Saddam Hussein was part of the old Middle East. The new Iraq will be part of a new Middle East, and we will all be safer."...