Free Republic

INQUIRER SENIOR WRITER One-gun-a-month laws sound attractive to gun-control activists and draw broad public support in polls. But it's not clear that such statutes have had much impact on gun violence. A study published last year in the journal Injury Prevention found that the laws restricting purchases had had no measurable impact. The study was done by a team of doctors from the University of Washington, using data from 1979 to 1998. Another study, done in 2001 by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, found evidence of a slight decrease in gun violence associated with Maryland's one-gun...

The Danish government stepped up efforts Tuesday to curb the damage caused by the publication of cartoons in a Danish newspaper linking the Prophet Muhammad to terrorism. But the moves failed to allay Muslim anger as retailers boycotted Danish goods in the Middle East and protesters in Gaza set fire to photos of Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The economic fallout continued, with the French supermarket chain Carrefour announcing it was pulling Danish goods from its shelves in Arab countries. A day after the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, apologized for offending Muslims, the Danish foreign minister, Per Stig Moller, handed out...

(AP) -- After more than a year of delays, the Department of Homeland Security says it plans to launch a preparedness program next month aimed at alerting and preparing children for terror attacks and natural disasters. The program, called Ready Kids, is scheduled to roll out with TV ads, school programs and other events. "Ready Kids is a tool for parents and teachers to use to be able to speak to their students and children about how to be prepared for any type of disaster," said DHS spokeswoman Joanna Gonzalez.

A year ago, California voters grew resentful enough of the state's fiscal condition to toss out Gov. Gray Davis. Arnold Schwarzenegger stormed into office on a promise to cure the state's fiscal ills. He did so in his first budget by proposing $15 billion in borrowing to cover the general fund deficit, which the voters approved, and with other budget practices that have become part of the budget-balancing process by his predecessors, such as taking from other, dedicated state funds. After considerable sound and fury, the current budget was enacted, and the state breathed a bit easier. Now comes the...

LOS ANGELES -- Using a cellular telephone in a city library could cost incessant yakkers plenty -- up to $1,000. City leaders adopted an ordinance, which takes effect Sept. 15, that bans all cell phone use in libraries, including talking, text messaging and ringing tones of any kind. First-time violators will be warned, then fined $250 if they don't comply. A second offense gets a $500 fine and a third offense gets a $1,000 fine. Huntington Beach, Calif., civic leaders believe those may be the nation's stiffest fines for cell use. The ordinance was prompted by complaints about annoying rings...

<p>Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget doesn't ``blow up boxes'' as he promised, but at least it lights some fuses.</p> <p>Legislative Democrats, on the other hand, have responded by crawling into boxes and pulling down the lids. They'll have to do better than crying, ``Save the status quo.''</p>

Won't work Dems. Keep trying. Now that the economy is unmistakably recovering, your only hope left is to paint Operation Iraqi Freedom as Vietnam Redux - because Vietnam is considered a classic failure and you so desperately want the president to fail. There have been many posts here about why this comparison is flawed. I have more reasons but also why the strategy itself will fail. Maybe already has. You have to hope the president fails and by extension that America fails. You will have to campaign and preach this. You have to motivate folks out there to work hard...