Free Republic

Dec. 29, 2006 — In yet another moral blow to Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys called for the prosecutor to step down from the Duke lacrosse case. The group, which represents district attorneys from across North Carolina, said in a statement that "it is in the interest of justice and the effective administration of criminal justice that Mr. Nifong immediately withdraw and recuse himself from the prosecution." "It's extraordinarily unusual and it means a great deal," said Joshua Marquis, a district attorney in Clatsop County, Ore. The district attorney group also called...

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a brief statement late Tuesday on the death of former President Gerald R. Ford. Annan released the brief, two-paragraph statement to media through his spokesman Stephane Dujarric: "The secretary-general mourns the passing of former President Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who died yesterday at the age of 93. He extends his sincere condolences to Mrs. Betty Ford, to the family of the former president, and to the government and people of the United States. "President Ford will be remembered for the leadership, calm resolve, and broad experience he brought to...

Stop crying your heart out, Oasis singer tells British troops in Iraq Tue Nov 21, 8:22 AM ET Noel Gallagher of the British rock band Oasis has told soldiers fighting in Iraq to stop complaining when they get wounded. The chief songwriter and lead guitarist said Tuesday troops loved getting involved in war-zone action until they get hurt. In a wide-ranging rant, the fired-up 39-year-old also turned his guns on British Prime Minister Tony Blair, environmentalists, Elton John, his brother Liam -- the lead singer in the band -- and predicted his own daughter would become a "mental, axe-wielding, cyber-punk...

Reason Magazine Blogger Finds Pleasure in Tears of Rick Santorum's 8-year-old Daughter Because the libertarian universe has no place for the vulnerable, weak, or the dependent--since none are autonomous adult-choosers in search of virtual kiddie porn--it has no qualms in providing a forum in which children and their families can be verbally abused and have profanities hurled at them. Read and weep Julian Sanchez's "Your Tears Are So Yummy and Sweet" in which the writer says he finds joy in the tears of Rick Santorum's eight-year-old daughter, who is pictured crying next to her father as he gives his concession...

Snipets to fit excerpt rule -- Page 50: Why did Kerry, a Vietnam War opponent, decide to enlist? In addition to feeling obliged to serve his country (and wanting to go on the same adventure that his Yale friends were going on), Kerry says that part of the reason he enlisted in Vietnam was fear of the draft: "I called [the draft board] because I was thinking one of the options was, maybe I'll go study abroad, which was a euphemism for screwing around a bit, but it was clear to me that I was going to be at risk....

WASHINGTON (AP) - During a Vietnam-era run for Congress three decades ago, John Kerry said he opposed a volunteer Army because it would be dominated by the underprivileged, be less accountable and be more prone to "the perpetuation of war crimes." Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran who turned against the war, made the observations in answers to a 1972 candidate questionnaire from a Massachusetts peace group. After Kerry caused a firestorm this week with what he termed a botched campaign joke that Republicans said insulted current soldiers, The Associated Press was alerted to the historical comments by a former law...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2006 — Karl Rove, President Bush's top advisor, talked to ABC News' Ann Compton about the remarks Sen. John Kerry says were a botched joke about the president, and about Bush's future. Here is a transcript of the conversation: COMPTON: Senator John Kerry has made a statement about Iraq. Do you take him at his word that he was talking about the president and not the troops? ROVE: I take him at his word when he insulted America's fighting forces. This is a habit that he's had over the years. He did it when he came back...

Just announced on the FNC.

Former President Bill Clinton gestures during remarks before the Center for American Progress, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006 at Georgetown University in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told the BBC in an interview set to be broadcast on Monday that his country would be prepared to hold talks with Israel provided that "an impartial arbiter" could be found. In a wide-ranging television interview to be broadcast later Monday, Assad accused the U.S. of neither having "the will or vision" to pursue peace in the Middle East. Assad suggested that U.S. President George Bush could not be an impartial arbiter and said no direct dialogue had taken place between the two nations.

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syria's president said in remarks released Sunday that he has increased the number of troops on the border with Lebanon, a move apparently aimed to appease international demands to bolster security following the Israel-Hezbollah war. But the troop movement was still likely to draw criticism from the U.S. and Iraqi governments, as President Bashar Assad said Syria shifted forces away from its eastern border with Iraq to fortify its frontier with Lebanon. The U.S. and Iraq have long accused Syria of not doing enough to stop insurgents crossing into Iraq to fight U.S. troops. Syria denies the...

In case you somehow missed it, Venezuelan dictator, Hugo Chavez, provided entertainment for the UN body this week. After Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad clearly disappointed the UN body with his uncharacteristically (and ridiculously) sappy “we love everyone, even Jews – so why can’t we have nukes” speech, the UN was desperate for fireworks and entertainment of some sort from somebody. Since Ahmadinejad had been muzzled by France, who is hoping to keep Iran’s nuclear ambitions off the UN Security Council table, enter Cindy Sheehan’s President of choice, Hugo Chavez, stage right…

<p>FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON ON NOT CAPTURING BIN LADEN: 'At least I tried. That's the difference between me and some, including all the right wingers. They ridicule me for trying. They had eight months to try, they did not try. I tried. So I tried and failed'...</p>

Theory that U.S. orchestrated Sept. 11 attacks 'not absurd': Venezuela CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that it's at least plausible that the U.S. government was involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. Chavez did not specifically accuse the U.S. government of having a hand in the Sept. 11 attacks, but rather suggested that theories of U.S. involvement bear examination. The Venezuelan leader, an outspoken critic of U.S. President George W. Bush, was reacting to a television report investigating a theory that the Twin Towers were brought down with explosives after hijacked airplanes crashed into them in 2001....

Helsinki, Sep 10 (EFE).- Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Sunday here defended "calm responses" to terrorism as the only really effective ones and he urged that special attention be paid to the victims of terrorism all over the world. Zapatero made his suggestions before dozens of world leaders at the 6th EU-Asia, or ASEM, summit, where the task before participants from the 25 EU nations and 13 Asian countries is to marshal international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, combat climate change and foster trade, among other things. He said that ASEM must adapt itself to new...

ABC News has confirmed that Adam Gadahn, the American who converted to Islam and joined al Qaeda, has been charged in a sealed indictment with providing material support to terrorism. Gadahn recently appeared with al Qaeda's No. 2 in command Ayman Zawahiri exhorting Americans to convert to Islam. Gadahn, in addition to helping al Qaeda with propaganda and communications, is also suspected of helping al Qaeda with English translations and understanding U.S. culture and vulnerabilities. Charges may be announced in the next week. Officials have also considered charging Gadahn with treason.

For an event that would turn a page in American history, former president Jimmy Carter has agreed in principle to host former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami for talks during his visit to the United States starting this week. Carter's term as president was dominated by the rupture in relations after the 1979 Iranian revolution and the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days until the day he left office. Iranians made the overture for the meeting, and the Carter Center in Atlanta is working on the possible timing, said Phil Wise,...

Former US president Jimmy Carter lashed out at British Prime Minister Tony Blair for being "so compliant and subservient" to the Bush administration in Washington. "I have been surprised and extremely disappointed with Tony Blair's behaviour," Carter told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper as he promoted his new book "Faith and Freedom." "I think that, more than any other person in the world, the prime minister could have had a moderating influence on Washington, and he has not," said the 81-year-old former head of state. He faulted Blair for not having been a constraint on US President George W. Bush's decision...

Big Brother watches Free Republic. I was reading the post DIESEL BLUES I had PerrGuardian 2 running; and what do I see being blocked U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 72.240.241.61:1395. (Source), 134.67.99.207:80 (destination), and U.S. Department of Energy 72.240.241.61:1415 (source), 205.254.143.167:80 (destination). Maybe now I should wait for the knock on the door, but I don’t think they will knock first. They will probably just take my harddrive to see what other NEWS I am reading.

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- For the past five years, the housing bulls have been trotting out one rational-sounding argument after another to explain why the boom made perfect economic sense. Forget about a crash, they assured homeowners. Expect a "soft landing" where your three-bedroom colonial in Larchmont or Larkspur not only holds onto its huge price gains, but keeps appreciating at a "normal," "sustainable" rate of 6 percent or so into the sunset. Real estate slowdown New homes slump worsens Pace of new home sales falls more than forecast as inventory builds, prices decline. (more) Freebies for home buyers Home...