Free Republic

A restaurant fired back at New York Times columnist David Brooks after he complained Wednesday on social media about the cost of his meal, saying, "This is why Americans think the economy is terrible." "This meal just cost me $78 at Newark Airport. This is why Americans think the economy is terrible," Brooks wrote with a picture of his dinner, which consisted of a cheeseburger, fries and what appears to be an alcoholic beverage. However, the restaurant 1911 Smoke House Barbeque pushed back on Brooks' post on Facebook Thursday. "Looks like someone was knocking back some serious drinks - Bar...

An initial maintenance inspection suggests an issue with a hydraulic pump on the aircraft, which had 256 passengers on board for the flight, United Airlines said. Sparks flew off the plane as it climbed after takeoff, according to a video posted online that purports to show the flight. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what happened with Flight 149, which departed Newark airport late Wednesday night, then declared an emergency. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft had been headed to Sao Paulo, Brazil, before returning to Newark, the FAA said. The hydraulic system on the Boeing 777 runs key systems, such as...

- Passengers on flights from Newark Liberty International Airport to India are complaining about bed bug infested seats. In one case this week a family complained their infant was covered in bites and bleeding by the time the 17-hour flight landed in Mumbia. Pravin Tonsekar tweeted Air India photos of his seat with apparent bed bugs on them. Air India replied with a comment that it is: "sorry to hear this. Sharing the details with our maintenance team for corrective measures in this regard." Another passenger tweeted to the airline that his family few out of Newark on July 18...

When I heard Clinton was picked by the Obama administration to serve as the Secretary of State, I was curious if anyone in the Senate confirmation hearings would bring up her political ties with Ram Ranjan.And since her confirmation, Clinton has now put blame on Sri Lanka for the death of civilians. For those who don't know who Ram Ranjan is, he was involved with a political fundraiser for Hillary Clinton. Ram Ranjan is a supporter of the Tamil Tigers. The Tamil Tigers are considered a terrorist group. In the above hyper link you will find the following: Update II:...

For twenty years – long before 9/11 – the danger of terrorists armed with surface to air missiles shooting at passenger planes has been the secret fear of many top political leaders. In the late 90s, a terrorist network was nabbed trying to bring them into Newark Airport, but the airline industry and the government have done nothing to equip passenger airplanes with any defense against these always deadly missiles. Now Barack Obama has committed the ultimate sin: He has let 20,000 surface-to-air missiles escape from military depots in Libya. According to ABC News “U.S. officials had once thought there...

Did you hear about al Qaeda's recent attack at Newark Airport? Neither did I. Yet the Transportation Security Administration is worried about its poor performance there -- so worried that it isn't even blaming passengers or congressional stinginess, as it usually does. "The performance of the TSA here at Newark Liberty International Airport has been on a gradual decline," said an internal report obtained by the Star-Ledger last week. Indeed, its failings have "produced a lack of faith in our ability to provide world-class security." But not a single terrorist has exploited that "decline" -- so how necessary is the...

BOUNTIFUL - When Gregg Revell packed his bags for a trip to Pennsylvania last April, he had no idea how far he'd be traveling. Before the week was out, the 57-year-old suburban real estate agent and grandfather would be arrested, thrown into one of the country's most notorious jails, strip searched and inoculated against his will. The soft-spoken Utah native would be on his way to becoming a poster child for the National Rifle Association in a $3 million lawsuit. During a nearly five-day stay in a Newark, N.J., jail, he would meet a terrifying side of America that most...

There's been a security shakeup at the top at Newark Liberty International Airport. The airport's federal security director, Marcus Arroyo, cleared out his office following a meeting with the Transportation Security Administration 's Eastern area director yesterday. T-S-A officials say Arroyo was told to either retire or be reassigned. The former Navy Seal took over the job shortly after the nine-eleven attacks. Newark was one of the airports where the hijackers flew out of. The airport has been troubled during his term with security breakdowns and high staff turnovers. Deputy airport security director Mark Hatfield Junior has been named acting...

(AP) — Some highlights from an FBI affidavit filed in federal court in New Jersey, outlining the alleged plot to smuggle a shoulder-launched missile into the United States: _Investigation began in December 2001, when a "cooperating witness" or informant under federal law enforcement control began talking with the alleged arms dealer, Hemant Lakhani, about obtaining anti-aircraft guns and missiles. The witness told Lakhani he was representing a Somali group that wanted to buy one missile initially "with a purchase of a greater number of missiles to follow." _Between Dec. 2001 and Aug. 13, 2003, more than 150 conversations between Lakhani...

NEWARK, N.J. -- A man arriving from Portugal apparently committed suicide in a janitor's closet at Newark Liberty International Airport. Authorities said the 39-year-old Maryland man was found by a cleaner Sunday afternoon. The man's name was being withheld while authorities tried to reach relatives. The man apparently hanged himself between his walk from the plane and the customs checkpoint to re-enter the United States. Authorities said the man, a U.S. citizen, was scheduled to make a connecting flight to Washington, D.C. The Essex County Medical Examiner's Office planned to perform an autopsy.

Battle-weary Marine Sgt. Juan Jimenez thought two weeks' combat leave meant no fighting for a while — but he discovered he was wrong when he landed in the clink at Newark Airport, all because his bag was missing. Exhausted and eager to get home to Orlando, the frustrated leatherneck said he "raised a ruckus" with American Airlines officials. Jimenez, 25, said Port Authority cops detained him for three hours, apparently hoping the problem would be resolved by the time he was sprung.[snip] Jimenez — whose battalion suffered four dead and 39 wounded in its house-to-house search for rebels in...

<p>Dozens more migrants seized at Newark airport Monday, April 12, 2004 Associated Press More than 40 illegal immigrants on two flights were detained this weekend when their planes landed at Newark Liberty International Airport, authorities said.</p> <p>Four other illegal aliens awaiting the planes' arrivals were arrested and charged with smuggling the immigrants, said Janet Rapaport, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.</p>

No, it wasn't just an alligator bag. Rather, a live alligator was captured inside the baggage hold of an airliner on Monday after it escaped from a crate of four gators being shipped from Miami, officials said. The alligator was a juvenile, 4-5 feet long and weighing as little as 10 pounds, and remained inside a burlap bag with its mouth bound shut, said Tim Wagner, an American Airlines spokesman. No one was reported hurt, and the alligator was placed back in its crate and claimed by its owners, Wagner said. Authorities were looking into how the reptile got out...