Free Republic

International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) general president Jimmy Hoffa Jr. is suspected by his members of trying to squash a union comprised of some of his own Teamsters organizers.Hoffa’s battle with his own organizers’ union overlaps with a host of other problems for the prominent labor leader, including a pension crisis that is undercutting his support and a potential UPS strike that he might not be able to afford, according to insiders.Hoffa still has not granted a contract to the Federation of Agents and International Representatives (FAIR), a union that represents Teamsters organizers. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) allowed...

The judge in the San Diego City Hall corruption case ruled against the defendants yesterday on their most significant pretrial requests, including motions to throw out wiretap recordings and to split the case into separate trials. The defense had asked that the wiretaps be ruled inadmissible because an FBI agent failed to disclose on wiretap applications that defendant Lance Malone made statements showing his ignorance of a criminal conspiracy, in particular a comment that "nothing illegal" was going on. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey T. Miller dismissed that argument, concluding that the judge who approved the wiretap applications "had substantial basis...

PARIS, March 12 (Reuters) - A commando-style gang used a bazooka to blow its way into a prison near Paris and free one of the inmates in a pre-dawn raid on Wednesday, officials said. The gang of four or five men machine-gunned watchtowers at the prison, in Fresnes to the east of the French capital and near Disneyland Paris, before rushing inside to the cell of Antonio Ferrara, who was serving time for organised crime. "The commando gang entered the high-security section of the prison and gave Antonio Ferrara explosives which allowed him to blow open the bars on the...

I'm From New JerseyBy John Gorka I'm from New Jersey I don't expect too much If the world ended today I would adjust I'm from New Jersey No I don't talk that way I watched too much TV When I was young I'm from New Jersey My mom's Italian I've read those mafia books We don't belong There are girls from New Jersey Who have that great big hair They're found in shopping malls I will take you there I'm from New Jersey It's not like Texas There is no mystery I can't pretend I'm from New Jersey It's like...