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In an interview with Politico and Yahoo News released Thursday, Rice was asked if she would feel secure with a president Obama. "Oh, the United States will be fine," she responded. "I think that we are having an important debate about how we keep the country safe," she said, pointing to the Middle East and Iraq.

Hey fellow Freepers. I'm going to be away for two years because of an overseas committment in a land where I will be censored and cannot visit sites like this. What will happen to my account on Free Republic? Can I let it sit inactive that long?

Yes we can elect Barack Obama president, but... No we can't mention his middle name. No we can't win the war in Iraq. No we can't expand oil exploration, drilling or refining. No we can't build nuclear power plants. No we can't convert coal to oil. No we can't extract oil from shale.

Israel's Yes TV satellite company is establishing a reputation for pushing the boundaries with its ads. Last year, Yes created a minor furor when it produced a commercial featuring faux-angry mobs of Orthodox Jews dancing in the streets to the tune of the Village People's "YMCA" to protest the cable company's new high definition television. The entertaining ad sparked protests, with one critic calling the ad "anti-Semitic." (You can see the ad here or here.) As a follow-up, Yes has just released a new ad likely to be just as controversial, but for entirely different reasons. The latest commercial, which...

I’d love to be able to say that American voters are far too intelligent to ever fall for the socialist drivel currently peddled by the New Democrat Party, aka - the Democratic Socialists of America. But that would be a lie... Sadly, many Americans are indeed stupid enough to overlook the reality that “universal health care” and “socialized medicine” is the same thing. They are indeed stupid enough to support socialism over economic freedom, a greater communal good over individual liberty, a nanny state over self-governance and even a completely unqualified half-black 100% Marxist for president over a man who...

Listening to the tone of many Hillary supporters, they are angry. Even the slaves in the old slavery states were considered “3/4th’s of a person” under law, but apparently the DNC and many leading Democrats - the same ones who in the General election(s) against Republican Bush demanded that “every vote be counted” - now demand that Michigan and Florida voters only be counted as “1/2 of a person”. One could argue that the DNC elite, which is for Obama, considers these voters as perhaps less than even the slaves of the Old Democratic Party South. Putting Michigan aside, if...

Musicians Ozzy Osbourne, Stevie Nicks, Ted Nugent, Steve Winwood, Robert Plant, Kenny Loggins, Glenn Frey, Alice Cooper, Tony Iommi, Chris Squire, James Taylor, Todd Rundgren, Jackson Browne, Olivia Newton-John, Donna Summer, John Bonham (R.I.P.) & Rick James (R.I.P.)

? brand new visionman 'puter. worked for a week, but now when i turn it on the light and fan comes on, but then it turns off. is there something i don't know? thanks ken

The commercial was credited as one factor enabling Clinton to turn her campaign around in Texas last week. But, 42% of all voters said the person they’d most want to answer the phone was John McCain. Among all voters, 25% picked Clinton and another 25% named Obama as the person they’d want in the White House when a foreign policy crisis call arrived. Among Democrats, 46% said they’d like Clinton to take that call while 36% named Obama. Among Republicans, 79% named McCain while neither Democrat reached double digits. Among unaffiliated voters, 39% said McCain would be their top choice...

February 1, 2008 - San Francisco, CA - PipeLineNews.org - If we are to believe the Hillary Clinton campaign line, the main attribute which qualifies her above all others is that, "She is ready to lead on day one." She derives this alleged standing from what can only be called political osmosis, having been the wife of Bill Clinton, serving as his "co-president." This echoes a theme which Bill stated often during the 1992 presidential campaign, suggesting that a vote for him was a bargain because the lucky voter would get "two for the price of one," thus providing a...

ASSIRIYAH — Sunni and Shia tribal sheiks, local government leaders, senior Iraqi Army officials and local Iraqi Police officials from throughout the Taji area recently met at the Prayer Town Hall to continue reconciliation efforts and celebrate the “awakening”—a term used to describe a turning away from sectarianism and violence. More than 200 attendees from the villages of Hor Al Bosh, Sheik Ahmer, Shat Al Taji, Falahat and other areas dined as they discussed issues affecting their villages and ways in which they can improve the quality of life for the people living there. “They decided to have a Sawa...

<p>There, teachers unions, whose idea of progress is preservation of the status quo, are waging an expensive and meretricious campaign to overturn the right of parents to choose among competing schools, public and private, for the best education for their children.</p>

Do you agree with former men's lacrosse coach Mike Pressler's decision to sue the University? Yes No

This is my first post here... hope I'm not screwing up tremendously or violating etiquette... I want to know the opinions of the people here on the concept of humanity moving out into space -- the moon, Mars, and beyond. Anyone have any thoughts to share? Do you feel strongly one way or the other? Neutral? I notice "space" doesn't even show up as a topic here... although we do have topics of "poetry" (which I applaud), "UFOs", and "Weird stuff." Cheers, Hal

I was in a *boring* meeting, absentmindedly doodling on a scratch pad. I was pretty amazed after the meeting when I noticed that I doodled the following: "I so enjoy discussions like these", she said wielding a bloody axe in her hand. After the meeting, I glanced at my notes and have a serious question: is these appropriate in this context? I mean, should the correct grammar be: "I so enjoy discussions like this", she said wielding a bloody axe in her hand. I mean, isn't discussions a collective and therefore implies a singular? Please set me straight. I am...

Michael Vick was always something of an Allen Iverson for Atlanta. Without him, the team is terrible, and with him, the team can never be great. He’s a wonderful athlete who dominates little more than the highlight reel. Truth be told, I seriously doubt the Falcons would have ever succeeded with Vick at the helm. As far as I’m concerned, the dog-fighting scandal was one of the best things that could have happened to the Falcons. They had to get rid of him somehow, even if they didn’t want to accept it. Michael Vick had a special appeal with the...

Of course, there will be the initial criminal investigations and accusations of foul play from those wanting to know if the typical illegal contributions were involved. But what if the Beast was actually sworn in as president? What then? She won't be Queen - at least not after a few years. I mean, c'mon, Americans voting in a large Republican Congress would be obvious after seeing the Clintons in power once more. (Hey, the RATS aren't in the lead by THAT much.) Billy Jeff will be free to troll the grounds for fresh meat. Hillary, with a new stash of...

But that analysis may be too simple. In Delaware Giuliani is asked for the umpteenth time if his views on 'social issues' would be fatal to his presidential ambitions. 'I don't get to decide what the issues are. But they are not usually the ones you think they are going to be,' he says. He is right. National security will still be the overwhelming issue of 2008. Giuliani's strong credentials there could make up for weaknesses elsewhere. There are also signs that his problems with the conservatives could be overstated. First, their power is waning. In 2006's congressional elections the...

The Zanta Clause Is it really possible to ban someone from TTC subways, Dundas Square, King Street, Yorkville, Taste of the Danforth, the St. Patrick's Day Parade, College Park and the Santa Claus Parade? Samantha Israel National Post's Toronto Magazine Saturday, February 17, 2007 The spectator seats are full at Old City Hall's Courtroom 114. A dozen young teenagers skipped school on this Wednesday afternoon in January to defend "Zanta," a local personality (or annoyance) who has been banned from several of Toronto's public spaces, from subways to the Santa Claus Parade. David "Zanta" Zancai's loyal supporters await his...

LONDON, Jan 14 (Reuters Life!) - A court in East London is expected to decide this week whether poker is a game of skill, chance or a combination of both. A jury has been asked to weigh up the role played by Lady Luck in the world's most popular card game, after police accused a club owner of illegally hosting a poker session and levying winnings and stakes without a license.Britain's Gambling Act states that a license is needed for hosting a game of chance but not those of skill, like chess.Derek Kelly, owner of the Gutshot private club in...

....But the team has a big problem. Mr. Shyiak was born in Canada and is working as a so-called temporary H1-B professional worker. His visa is expiring and U.S. immigration officials fret that this foreigner may be taking a job from an American citizen. So the university must comply with rules that require it to verify that there is no American worker who is "able, willing, qualified, and available to accept the job at the prevailing wage for that occupation." The university is taking out newspaper ads for the hockey team's head-coach position and hoping no one applies. ...Scott McNealy,...

Between Sept. 11, 2001, and his State of the Union Address in 2002, George W. Bush had America in the palm of his hand. But in that speech, Bush blew it. Singling out Iran, Iraq and North Korea as state sponsors of terror seeking weapons of mass destruction, Bush yoked them together in an "axis of evil" and issued this ultimatum: "I will not wait on events, while dangers gather. I will not stand by, as peril draws closer and closer. The United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's...

Is Ahmadinejad Another Hitler? "Ahmadinejad--I call him Ahmad-in-a-head--I think he's a Hitler type of person," Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. "He has made it clear that he wants to destroy Israel. He has made it clear he doesn't believe in the Holocaust. He's a, he's a--we all know what he is," the senator added.

As you probably already know, Iranian president Mahmood Ahmadinejad has started a weblog in Farsi, English, Arabic and French. This led me to lookup the whois-record of his domain name, ahmadinejad.ir. There's something strange here. While the first name of the Iranian president is "Mahmoud", the domain registration says "Mahdi". In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam, who will change the world into a perfect Islamic society before the end of times. It is well known that Ahmadinejad is a strong believer in the return of the Mahdi. But isn't this registration a strong indication that...

Did the Dems Threaten ABC? The Democrats have gone nuts over the ABC miniseries, The Path to 9/11. But it's a little hard to see why. Maybe it's because Disney and ABC have been reliably pro-Democrat in the past, so the Dems feel betrayed. Looking at the big picture, though, it's a little hard to see what the Dems are complaining about. I haven't seen the miniseries, but I take it that it doesn't portray the Clinton administration as having taken very effective action against the growing threat from Islamic terrorists. What I don't understand is how the Democrats think...

(snip) ..Academic leftists, and their media allies, are in agreement with many of the stated goals of communism, such as equal distribution of wealth, income equality and other goals spelled out in.."Manifesto of the Communist Party." Leftist elites love the ideas of communism so much that they are either blind to, or tolerant of, its many shortcomings. In practice, communism is nothing less than sheer barbarism that makes even the horrors of Naziism pale in comparison...The Soviet Union murdered about 62 million of its own people..Chinese, 35.2 million murdered. By comparison, Hitler's Nazis managed to murder 21 million of its...

Are People Who Attack American Principles "Un-American"? By JB Williams on Aug 13, 2006 In a word, yes! Living in America (legally or illegally) does not make one an American. Accepting, adopting, understanding, believing in, living, promoting and defending real American foundational principles, (the American dream), makes one an American. Nothing less will do… One who works to stop others from smoking can’t be called anything short of anti-smoking. One who works to stop others from owning guns would certainly and appropriately be deemed anti-gun rights, or anti- 2nd Amendment. If you work to stop abortions, you are certainly anti-abortion...

I must admit that I did not know the Lebanese "army" could field 15,000 people and was under the impression that their military was less than 10,000 "fighting" personnel.Thus when they offered 15,000 individuals to the UN as part of the monitoring force, my mind wondered whether this would include several thousand Hezbollah (or even Syrian or Iranian fighters) being given Lebanese military uniforms and thus have free movement back and forth and "at will" access into the "off limits" or restricted areas of South Lebanon. Similary, if the Lebanese military arrives with a thousand extra uniforms, they can dress...

I was on a 6-person JP court jury. We heard an eviction case. The man had lived in the apt. 6 years. In November, he was working on an elevator and fell four floors. He signed a new lease that month and has been out of work since, but managed to pay five of the six months his $433 rent. Term date on the lease was June 31st. Manager said he owed $741 as of court date, July 26. But the man had a hand-written letter without a date stating he owed $979. No explanation was given for the numbers....

THE CORNER:   HOME    SEARCH    E-MAIL    PRINT    RSS Monday, July 31, 2006 Was Qana Staged? Cont'd [Jonah Goldberg] A giant banner denouncing Rice and the "Qana massacre" might have been made a bit too quickly. I don't want to get too far out ahead on this, but I know we've got a zillion printer-type folks among our readers. Do you guys think such a banner could be made in 2-4 hours (particularly in a supposedly war-ravaged area)?Update: From a reader: "Do you guys think such a banner could be made in 2-4 hours (particularly in a supposedly war-ravaged area)?" Heck...

It’s a special thing when artists who’ve achieved greatness in their own right join forces to create a new musical entity. We’ve been blessed with a number of these “supergroups”: Blind Faith, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Velvet Revolver and Golden Smog, to name just a few. When a supergroup clicks, it can be magical. But when they don’t work…look out. The Million Dollar Quintet It’s a little-known fact that the Million Dollar Quartet —Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins— was originally a quintet. The fifth member of this historic December 4, 1956, Sun Studios jam...

New Delhi: Mumbai has been a favoured playground for terrorists for close to three decades. After the latest outrage on July 11, the familiar question surfaces yet again: Can India hit the fountainhead of terrorism, which, as it has consistently complained, lies across its western boundaries? India complains bitterly that terror camps still dot the landscape of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. The only difference is that these are now more discreet and at a farther distance from the LoC. Infiltrations continue through the highlands and terrorists have their strongholds from the jungles of Kupwara and Bandipore to the Surankote heights. The terrorist strike...

WTOV9.comIllegal Immigrants Free To Go Local police said they intercepted 20 illegal Mexican immigrants, but were ordered by immigration officials to let them go free. Belmont County Sheriff Fred Thompson said his officers were instructed by federal immigration services to let all 20 illegal immigrants go free, and said his department has no choice but to follow the orders from immigration officials. Thompson said officers stopped a van at 3 a.m. Tuesday which was traveling the wrong direction on Interstate 470 in St. Clairsville. The officer discovered 20 illegal Mexican immigrants inside the van, including three who were previously deported....

NEWS ADVISORY, June 20 /Christian Newswire/-- Britain’s renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking told a recent Hong Kong news conference the human race must “spread out into space for the survival of the species.“ He cited “sudden global warming, nuclear war, or a genetically engineered virus� as threats that could wipe out humanity at any time. “As dire as Hawking’s concerns may be, humanity’s plight is actually worse,� says astronomer Hugh Ross, founder and president of the science/faith think tank Reasons To Believe (www.reasons.org). “But,� he adds, “that is not to say the human race is without hope.�  Ross explains, “It’s important to...

Every six months or so, the liberal media search for any story that casts our soldiers in a bad light. Abu Ghraib was portrayed as indicative of almost the entire U.S. Army when, in fact, it consisted of less than 1/1000 %. Besides which, in the scheme of possible war atrocities, it doesn't even rank. It was more uncouth behavior than atrocity. As soon as a scenario is found where our soldiers defended themselves from enemy fire, road bombs or check-point crashing cars, the media indict our boys, without first considering the circumstances which necessitated the shooting response. Guilty! Guilty...

People are willing to be tolerant, but only to a certain point. And from California to the Midwest and Florida, signs of exclusionary thinking are popping up all over. Has it become okay to exclude again? Perhaps one of the most treasured of American rights is the freedom of association. This is the right to hang out with whomever we want, wherever we want. It's a complicated right, because when we hang out with "people like us," inevitably someone gets kept out. Where and how to draw the line is a question we all seem to be struggling with right...

Following is the daily "Profile America" feature for Monday, May 15 from the US Census Bureau: Profile America is one of the basics of most women's wardrobes went on sale for the first time on this day in 1940. Publicized as "Nylons Day," stores selected to carry the new product were mobbed. Some 63-million pairs of nylon stockings were sold the first year, but they soon became scarce as nylon production went to the war effort, such as parachutes. Nylon was the first artificial fiber. It was soon joined by many others, which have become a mainstay in making clothing...

At Saddam Hussein's former Republican Palace, Tuesday is now karaoke night `It's Saigon all over again' at the temporary home of Iraq's latest conquerors BAGHDAD—Tuesday night is karaoke night at Saddam Hussein's Republican Palace in central Baghdad's fortified Green Zone. To the beat of the music, Iraq's latest conquerors triumphantly take to a stage that dominates the inner courtyard of what is today the temporary U.S. embassy in Baghdad and bawl out old rock 'n' roll and blues anthems to their hearts' content. A few metres away, soldiers take off their shirts to play volleyball, U.S. State Department contractors have...

BERNBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Helmut Rieche, the proud mayor of this struggling east German town, likes to focus on the positive when describing the changes that have occurred here since the collapse of communism. The old state-run cement company that polluted the river and turned the town gray with fumes has been closed down, he says. And the elderly of Bernburg, who Rieche says seemed hidden from view under the communists, are out on the streets again. "We have about 250 citizens that are over 90 years old. The people are living longer and that is a sign that they...

Here it is 2006 and conservative blacks are enduring slurs worthy of a grand wizard of the KKK. Is it possible that liberals are the worst bigots of all?

While the issue of homosexuals in the military has only recently become a point of great public controversy, it is not a new issue; it derives its roots from the time of the military's inception. George Washington, the nation's first Commander-in-Chief, held a strong opinion on this subject and gave a clear statement of his views on it in his general orders for March 14, 1778: At a General Court Martial whereof Colo. Tupper was President (10th March 1778), Lieutt. Enslin of Colo. Malcom's Regiment [was] tried for attempting to commit sodomy, with John Monhort a soldier; Secondly, For Perjury...

Iraq observers have spent much of the past three years debating the extent of Iranian influence in Iraqi affairs. There is a growing belief in both Iraqi and U.S. circles that Iranian agents have permeated the Iraqi security apparatus, as well as the extra-governmental militias that engage in armed conflict with Iraqi police and army units and multinational forces. Iranian-style weapons -- in particular, more powerful improvised explosive devices -- have also made their way to Iraq in increasing numbers, posing a considerable threat to Iraqi and U.S. security forces. Speaking to reporters at a March 7 press briefing in...

There's a growing membership in the I Hate Oprah Club. A nod from Oprah Winfrey moves best-seller lists. Stocks rise when her name is attached to a company or product. Millions listen when she speaks at Coretta Scott King's funeral, and millions more cheer when she loses 20 pounds. Forget about her 49 million viewers each week. The real pinnacle of celebrity is attaining single-name status. But there are Oprah-haters, too: those who speak out against America's most beloved talk show host. They accuse her of materialism, manipulation, power mongering, arrogance and generally being in love with herself. As her...

COMMENTARYMarch 2006 Has the New York Times Violated the Espionage Act?Gabriel Schoenfeld“Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts.” Thus ran the headline of a front-page news story whose repercussions have roiled American politics ever since its publication last December 16 in the New York Times. The article, signed by James Risen and Eric Lichtblau, was adapted from Risen’s then-forthcoming book, State of War.1 In it, the Times reported that shortly after September 11, 2001, President Bush had “authorized the National Security Agency [NSA] to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States . . . without the court-approved warrants...

When President Bush gave his "axis of evil" speech he went out of his way to make the world understand that it isn't a war with Islam itself that we were joining — and I say joining because the war had been started by the Jihadists decades before. And, in observance to our Western principles, that must be the correct way to view our conflagration with radical Islam. Let's face facts, it certainly is uncomfortable to a Westerner who has been brought up on tolerance, freedom of religion, and liberty to contemplate a war against an entire religion. But are...

February 12, 2006 Are Muslims a Threat to Europe?By Steve ChapmanBERLIN -- A few days ago, the German newspaper Die Welt decided to show its support for freedom of the press by publishing the controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad -- on the front page, no less. Germany is home to some 3 million Muslims. And something interesting happened when Die Welt took that risky step: nothing. That is not entirely surprising. Though the cartoons appeared first in Denmark, the violent protests occurred far away, in places like Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and Afghanistan. Still, the underlying worry about this...

In a speech last week, Al Gore took another swing at the National Security Agency's electronic surveillance program, which monitors international communications when one party is affiliated with terrorists. Specifically, Mr. Gore argued that George Bush "has been breaking the law repeatedly and persistently," and that such actions might constitute an impeachable offense. The question he raises is whether the president illegally bypassed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). But the real issue is national security: FISA is as adept at detecting--and, thus, preventing--a terrorist attack as a horse-and-buggy is at getting us from New York to Paris. I have...

It's a work-out that might make a podiatrist wince, but a new exercise routine is turning the gym into more of a catwalk. NY1 Health & Fitness Reporter Kafi Drexel filed the following report. Usually, most foot doctors tell us to stay out of high-heels. But a new class at Crunch Fitness, a place known for bringing the theatrics into exercise, encourages you not only to pack your sneakers, but throw a pair of stilettos into the gym bag too. "For so many of our clients in New York – everybody this summer wore flat shoes... then all the sudden...

LAWRENCE, Ind. -- Authorities in Lawrence unwrapped an elaborate drug trafficking scheme Thursday. Police intercepted 75 pounds of marijuana they said was being transported from Texas to a hotel in Lawrence. The drugs were found wrapped in coffee grounds to cover the smell and disguised as Christmas presents. Officers said it's just one of many schemes traffickers use to move drugs. "They try everything, but … when they go discarding what they've wrapped it in, it's a telltale sign of a trained investigator that deals in narcotics," said Lawrence police deputy chief Jack Bailey. "They know certain things to look...