Free Republic

A network of "sophisticated" high-end brothels in greater Boston and eastern Virginia provided sex for pay to "elected officials, high tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors that possess security clearances, professors," and others, federal prosecutors said Wednesday...Charged in the case were Han "Hana" Lee, 41, Junmyung Lee, 30, and 68-year-old James Lee.

Now that ABC News has the list of phone numbers given to them by the "Washington Madam," the question is: Whose names will they publicize if they find out there are public figures whose phone numbers are among those they have? Let us suppose, for the sake of argument, the names include Karl Rove and Ted Kennedy. Are both names equally likely to be revealed? If only one name is revealed, do you have any serious doubt which the liberal media will reveal? That is the problem with Washington scandals. In fact, the very definition of a "scandal" by the...

WASHINGTON — The so-called "Beltway Madam" pleaded not guilty to federal racketeering and money laundering charges in federal court Friday. Prosecutors say Deborah Jean Palfrey, 50, ran a call-girl service in the Washington, D.C. area for 13 years, taking appointments from her California home and dispatching women to luxury hotels in Washington and Baltimore. They say the service promoted prostitution. Palfrey was released Friday on her own recognizance, but had her passport confiscated. She was officially booked, and had her picture and fingerprints taken by police. The judge also ordered Palfrey to wear an electronic monitoring device to track her...

Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright today harshly criticized the Iraq war, calling it the "biggest mistake in US history." Asked by the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper, whether the US invasion of Iraq was a mistake, Albright responded by saying that this is "likely the biggest wrong foreign policy decision in the history of the United States." She pointed out that Washington did not take into account the repercussions of the Iraq war, according to the German-language transcript of Albright's interview with the Frankfurter Rundschau. Albright made clear that America's reputation was "badly damaged, ts moral status undermined and its...

PARIS -- "Bonjour, mademoiselle" -- is that a sexist insult? A classic pickup line? Or just a friendly greeting for millions of Frenchwomen every day? Whatever it is, it could become a thing of the past. A group of French feminists wants to get rid of the word "mademoiselle," or "miss," saying the term turns a female into an inferior being defined by her marital status. "When you get letters, the postman or anyone passing by your mailbox can see whether you are married or not. It's nobody's business," said Mathilde, an unmarried 40-year-old, who has started a petition for...

October 22, 2005 -- "Commander in Chief" starring Geena Davis as a woman president is one of TV's top shows, but 28 percent of Americans say they're not likely to vote to put any real-life woman in the Oval Office. Men, especially older men, are least receptive — 36 percent of men over 45 turn thumbs down on a woman president — while women under 45 (41 percent) are most enthusiastic, according to a new Marist/WNBC poll yesterday .

Overcast, a breeze off the East River thwarting humidity. Buster and I go on a walk. Parked in front of one of the Upper East Side’s most prominent addresses: a blue van idling at the curbside, its backdoor open, with a ramp extending from door to the sidewalk, obviously for a wheelchair. Behind the van, a black limousine, also idling, with two security men standing alongside, waiting. I stop to chat with the doorman whom I’ve been stopping to chat with ever since I moved into the neighborhood almost ten years ago. A few minutes pass. The cars remain idling,...