Free Republic

President Obama's "Safe Schools Czar," already a target of social conservatives for his past drug abuse and what they say is his promotion of homosexuality in schools, is under fresh attack after it was revealed that the pro-gay group he formerly headed recommends books his critics say are pornographic. The group under fire is the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which Kevin Jennings, now the assistant deputy secretary for safe and drug-free schools in the Department of Education, founded and ran from 1990 to 2008. GLSEN says it works to create a welcoming atmosphere for homosexual students in...

Faced with persistent questions from a leading Republican senator, Stephanie Villafuerte on Monday withdrew her name from consideration to become Colorado's next U.S. attorney...two days after Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked that consideration of her nomination be delayed because her record is "incomplete." The controversy has its roots in a 2002 plea deal extended by the office of then-Denver District Attorney Ritter. Walter Noel Ramo, a small- time heroin dealer and illegal immigrant with multiple aliases, was permitted to plead guilty to the manufactured charge of agricultural trespass, rather than a...

The $700 billion the federal government borrowed in October 2008 to pay for corrupt Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd's $700 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) was supposed to go exclusively to unfreeze the credit markets by buying distressed mortgage-backed securities. That was the first lie of many. Ten days after the TARP was created, the Treasury Department unilaterally changed the rules to bail out too-big-to-fail banks that weren't failing. Two months later, George W. Bush decreed the government can use TARP funds any way it damn-well pleases so he could spend $17.4 billion to bail out General Motors and Chrysler,...

Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro has accused the US of plotting to overthrow left-wing governments in Latin America. The "friendly smile" of US President Barack Obama could not be trusted, Mr Castro said in remarks read out at a summit of leftist leaders in Havana. His comments were echoed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and other regional leaders at the meeting. Fidel Castro's remarks suggest hopes for a thaw in US-Cuba ties may be waning, correspondents say.

Democrats on Tuesday begin their new push for an immigration bill, hamstrung by the image of legalizing millions of illegal immigrant workers at a time when the unemployment rate stands at 10 percent -- more than twice what it was the last time Congress tried to act. "It certainly will confuse the debate a lot more, but at the end of the day what we have to understand is fixing this system will be good for American workers," said Eliseo Medina, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, which is one of the major advocates for legalizing illegal...

Considering he was tying my hands behind my back at the time, Henrik was surprisingly good company. “I like your laptop,” he said. “I want to put one of those on my — how do you say it — Christmas wish list.” He sat me in a line in front of an Italian anarchist and said, by way of goodbye: “I like London. Enjoy your stay in Copenhagen.” Henrik, a Danish riot policeman, had just arrested me. For those climate change activists wondering how the Danish police would deal with a week of planned protests outside the UN climate change...

The thirteen US soldiers murdered at Fort Hood were killed by the bullets fired by Malik Nidal Hassan, but there were those who helped Nassan fire his bullets, who did everything but hold his gun and pull the trigger for him. The initial FBI review has found that the Justice Department guidelines for opening a criminal investigation were too high, in turn investigators have said that it now requires a very high standard of evidence in order to convict a terrorist plotter. Pursuing charges before all the evidence is in hand can backfire – suspects have sued authorities before, claiming...

Cigarette smoking is out but pot use is in among the nation's teenagers, who also report a higher use of prescription painkillers and a waning perception about the risk of illicit drugs, a federal study on students has found. As more states move to approve medical marijuana, and pot legalization and decriminalization become more mainstream in the national discussion, teens seem more accepting of pot use, according to a study released Monday by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The national survey, "Monitoring the Future," was conducted by the University of Michigan and queried 47,097 students in the eighth, 10th...

"Stop, stop, you're killing me: Knoxville Muslim says he was joking about carrying out jihad terror attack at shopping mall Ha ha! A real side splitter! Look out, Letterman!" SNIPPET: "...pushed for the detention pending trial of Hazam Ali Ahmed. The 35-year-old Ahmed was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms after authorities last week found two guns inside the Central Convenience Store on Keith Avenue that he operated. However, testimony at Monday's hearing shows Ahmed has been on the radar screen of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force since at least January 2006." SNIPPET: ""He referred to...

Courtesy Oleg Volk, A Human Right Related Articles * House File 596 analysis--Iowa Gun Owners * Iowa legislation update--Iowa Carry Jeff Knox of the Firearms Coalition says the NRA is derailing a good concealed carry bill and pushing a bad one in Iowa: [O]ne would expect advocates to unite around the Alaska-style bill for this legislative session with an eye towards either passing a very good bill, or forcing a clear record vote on such a bill and using that vote against opponents in the next General Election. Instead, after ignoring the state for decades, NRA has decided to ride...

A 14-year-old boy was charged Monday with raping a 12-year-old girl in the stairwell of an El Cerrito middle school, and the principal and vice principal have been placed on administrative leave while police and school officials investigate the alleged crime.

* One year anniversary of HB 89 arrives without dire consequences Violent crime lower following law permitting legalized carry of firearms on mass transit. Today the Atlanta Gun Rights Examiner brings you a story you are not going to see anywhere else. The Georgia General Assembly passed HB 89 in 2008, which made criminal prohibitions on carrying firearms on public transportation, in restaurants that serve alcohol, in state parks, and in wildlife management areas inapplicable to Georgians possessing a firearms license. HB 89 took effect on July 1, 2008, and many predicted mass bloodshed as a result. Nowhere was the...

RE: Louis Butler's nomination to be a U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Wisconsin. On December 3 the Judiciary Committee voted out this controversial nomination on a party-line vote of 12-7, and floor action is expected in the near future. Louis Butler is unfit for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench because his record demonstrates a far-left agenda of personal beliefs and political ideology that he imposes from the bench, and the people of Wisconsin have twice rejected him as undeserving to serve on their highest court. ACTION: The nomination of Louis Butler is one of those...

Colorado - -(AmmoLand.com)- Last week, a Pennsylvania judge decided to actually follow the law and find David Ross not guilty for the alleged crime of possessing a weapon on airport property. You see, Pennsylvania state law protects the right to open carry outside the secured areas at the airport. So Mr. Ross was acting well within the law when he removed his handgun from his luggage and began to holster it as he walked out of the airport. But an officer of the Allegheny County Police Department took issue with a civilian attempting to keep and bear arms. The officer...

They just announced it. I didn't catch whether he is on at 7AM or 8AM He'll be slamming the Fed which I want to see You can TIVO it if you have one

The former vice president said new research showed that the Arctic could be completely ice-free in five years, but the scientist his estimate was based on denies the timeline. There are many kinds of truth. Al Gore was hit by an inconvenient one yesterday. The former vice president, who became an unlikely figurehead for the green movement after narrating the Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," became entangled in a new climate change row. Gore, speaking at the Copenhagen climate change summit, stated the latest research showed that the Arctic could be completely ice-free in five years.

A south Texas couple put an aborted 7-month-old fetus in a gift box under a Christmas tree after they were unable to flush the remains down a toilet, authorities allege. Ruby Lee Medina, 31, and Javier Gonzalez, 37, of Mission, were charged on Monday with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. Their bonds were set at $US20,000 ($A21,820) each. San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez said police found the fetus inside the woman's trailer home on Thursday after getting an anonymous tip. Autopsy results are pending but Gonzalez said police believe the woman used pills to induce an...

China executed Tuesday the former manager of a securities company who embezzled millions of dollars — the first execution of an executive from the communist country's financial sector, state media said. Some wanted Yang Yanming kept alive so he would explain where the 65 million yuan ($9.5 million) went, news reports said. Yang refused to tell. China has also executed government officials in its long-running fight against corruption, which is a major source of anger among the country's citizens. The Beijing Evening News said Yang was the first person from a Chinese securities company to be executed. "Someone has to...

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Four Toledo police officers will be off the job for the next few months after they pleaded no contest to internal drug and alcohol charges Monday. Two of the officers were accused of driving their cruisers while intoxicated and another two tested positive for marijuana. The chief said if the officers did not agree to the plea deal, then they would have been terminated. Officers James Breier and Donald Mitchell faced a judge for their OVI charges last week on charges of operating their cruisers without a license. But Monday, they pled to internal charges of...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For over a year, an exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation has put the spotlight on judges who abuse their position. It turns out, some of those judges could have been in trouble before -- but the public might never know. Judicial officials will tell you that they're doing a good job of keeping Tennessee judges on the straight and narrow, but ethics advocates say they're using a double standard. When they judge the people who elected them, Tennessee judges do it in open court for the whole world to see."Judges are folks just like everybody else," said Rutherford...

Three police officers were shot early Monday evening and a suspect injured during a drug raid at 12 Hollis St. in the city’s West End, the police said. Police Chief Dean M. Esserman said the officers were wearing coats and jackets labeled Providence Police and were making a forced entry at an address for which they had a search warrant. Two were shot just as they crossed the threshold, Esserman said from Rhode Island Hospital, where the police were gathering in droves in a show of respect for their injured colleagues.

Referring to a report in The Times yesterday, which suggested that Iran has been working on testing a key final component of a nuclear bomb, a senior US official said: “Now that work may have been done on a trigger mechanism, this certainly gives urgency, in the absence of any meaningful response from Tehran . . . in terms of additional pressure on sanctions.” Revelations that Iran has been working secretly on a trigger for a nuclear bomb urgently underscore the case for tough new sanctions against Tehran, the Obama Administration said. The official added: “The revelations that work has...

Monday, December 14, 2009 A Tale of Two Walls By Joseph Farah Egypt is building a huge metal wall along its border with the Gaza Strip to cut down on smuggling and penetration by terrorists. When it is finished in 18 months, the super-strength steel wall that cannot be cut or melted will be about seven miles long and extend 60 feet below the ground to inhibit tunnel-digging. It is said to be impenetrable – however, no one doubts that smugglers and terrorists won't try to burrow beneath it. But it is a deterrent – a big deterrent. Interestingly, I...

The city’s Department of Education plans to offer a contract renewal to a school bus company that was identified in a federal investigation as having paid bribes to school bus inspectors. Logan Bus Company was one of nine companies identified in the investigation as having paid bribes in exchange for favorable treatment, which in some cases included overlooking safety violations and falsifying records that allowed the companies to overcharge the city. The city takes measures to exclude companies from city contracting that have defrauded it. But the bus companies were not charged with any crimes, and prosecutors have described the...

Sarah Palin is such a cold-eyed skeptic about the Copenhagen summit on climate change that it's no surprise she would call on President Obama not to attend. After all, Obama might join other leaders in acknowledging that warming is a "global challenge." He might entertain "opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." He might even explore ways to "participate in carbon-trading markets." Oh, wait. Those quotes aren't from some smug Euro-socialist manifesto. They're from an administrative order Palin signed in September 2007, as governor of Alaska, establishing a "sub-Cabinet" of top state officials to develop a strategy for dealing with climate...

During an interview with Bloomberg's Al Hunt, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint said he would find it troublesome if the country elected an openly gay president. "It would be bothersome to me personally because I consider it immoral," DeMint said during the interview. When the issue of gay marriage came up, DeMint did not hold back from denouncing the notion. "Marriage is a religious institution. The federal government has no business redefining what it is. Governments should not be in the business of promoting a behavior that's proven to be destructive to our society." These comments are not surprising coming...

Walkout heightens failure fears for climate marathon2009-12-14 COPENHAGEN (AFP) - Negotiators worked through the night Tuesday to prevent a UN climate summit from ending in catastrophic failure after developing nations staged a five-hour walkout and China accused the West of trickery. As the White House said Barack Obama wants a deal that imposes "meaningful steps" to combat global warming, ministers admitted they had to start making giant strides before 120 heads of state arrived for the summit's climax Friday. But their hopes were hit when Africa led a boycott by developing nations of working groups, only returning after securing guarantees...

The letter extols Giovanni DeMaio’s "love and understanding," his efforts to raise money for a young girl with cancer, his propensity for treating others "as he treats his own children." The gushing note was one of more than 90 written on behalf of DeMaio, a reputed organized crime associate facing sentencing for possessing a trove of illegal weapons. What caught the attention of federal prosecutors, however, was the name signed at the bottom: John Pinzone, police chief in the Bergen County community of Fairview. Odder still, prosecutors say: Pinzone didn’t mention he was dating DeMaio’s daughter. That omission drew an...

Have you read the headlines the past few months? Obama has proposed trillions of dollars in new taxes, and trillions of dollars of irresponsible, unsustainable big government spending. With no way to pay for it all…except to wipe out small businessmen and women, and wipe out the upper middle class…and enslave our children and grandchildren with a mountain of debt and heavy taxes for a lifetime. It is, plainly and simply, the VERY definition of Socialism. Let’s say it out loud- Obama is a Socialist. If liberals and the biased liberal media won’t face facts…I’m going to put the facts...

It’s official folks, with the Democrats steamrolling over the GOP filibuster intended to stop another TRILLION in wasteful spending yesterday, Republicans in congress have been handed their hat once again. Do you republicans not know that you are completely irrelevant? Or do you just not have the spine to take a real stand? Democrats are making asses out of all of you! This is NOT a game! The future of freedom and liberty hang in the balance and most Americans know it! How did you miss it? Republican congressional votes have NO meaning today... Congressional Republicans MUST WALK OUT immediately!...

Fidel Castro says Obama's smile can't be trustedMon Dec 14, 2009 7:31pm EST HAVANA (Reuters) - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro warned on Monday that President Barack Obama's "kindly smile" could not be trusted, saying Washington was plotting against leftist Latin American governments including Venezuela's. Castro, 83, who ran Cuba for nearly 50 years before poor health led him to hand the presidency to his younger brother Raul last year, initially welcomed Obama's election but has been increasingly critical. In a letter read by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at a gathering of leftist leaders in Havana, Castro said the United...

DOE sends a “litigation hold notice” regarding CRU to employees – asking to “preserve documents” 12-14-2009 It appears bigger things are brewing related to CRU’s Climategate. WUWT commenter J.C. writes in comments: I work at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. I’ve been following the Climategate scandal since its inception. The first time many of my coworkers had heard of the situation was when I asked them about it. Well, well, well. Look what was waiting in every single email Inbox on Monday morning: ______________________________________________ “December 14, 2009 DOE Litigation Hold Notice DOE-SR has received a “Litigation Hold...

Often after a heinous murder or a police shooting in Philadelphia, the suspect is found to have a lengthy criminal record or an outstanding warrant for another crime. That prompts many to ask: "Why wasn't this creep in jail?" A four-part series that begins in The Inquirer today answers that question. It details a criminal justice system practically built to perpetuate crime, rather than stop it. Thugs go on committing crimes until they escalate into murder. Police may do a good job of capturing suspects, but after that comes the revolving door. Various breakdowns in the legal system enable thousands...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has turned away a new challenge to a 2005 law that gives gun manufacturers immunity from lawsuits by shooting victims. The justices on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Hector Adames Jr. to revive his lawsuit against the Beretta U.S.A. Corp. over the accidental shooting death of his 13-year-old son. The justices on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Hector Adames Jr. to revive his lawsuit against the Beretta U.S.A. Corp. over the accidental shooting death of his 13-year-old son. The Illinois Supreme Court threw out the lawsuit, citing the federal 2005 Protection...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Critics heaped scorn on Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday over a secret prison program that allowed hundreds of inmates — some violent offenders — to be released early, including some who only spent 11 days behind bars. An Associated Press report released Sunday showed that more than 850 inmates — including repeat drunk drivers, drug users and even people convicted of battery and weapons violations — were released early under the program since September. This happened because the Corrections Department abandoned a policy that all prisoners serve at least 61 days and gave inmates months of...

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (WSAZ) -- In one of the worst cases of elder abuse ever seen in our region, a daughter is now behind bars and her father is finally getting food and water. Larry Looney got very little food and maybe a cup of water a day, and photos we received just skim the surface of the horror story. Last Friday, Portmsouth Police arrested and jailed Ashley Looney on multiple elder abuse charges. Detectives say for about a year, she imprisoned her helpless, mentally ill father in a Scioto Trail home. Police say shocked witnesses first discovered and took pictures....

The newspaper GP is currently running a story on violent leftists and how they go unpunished in Sweden: "Violent Leftists Go Free Smashed cars, broken windows and violent abuse. The police do nothing when confronted with the extreme-left's organized violent campaigns against their political opponents. In today's GP we can reveal that leftist extremists are guilty of at least 180 attacks on political opponents in the course of 3 years. The statistics of violent leftist attacks in western Sweden the last three years are based on information from the webpages of Afa [sometimes referred to by libelblogger Charles Johnson of...

The entire Democratic Senate caucus is headed to the White House on Tuesday afternoon to talk health care with President Obama, just as the administration urges Majority Leader Harry Reid to cut a deal with Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is emerging as the skunk at the party for supporters of the massive package to create a new entitlement. Lieberman opposes a proposal that would expand Medicare for people between the age of 55-64. Lieberman has also said he would oppose a government-run insurance option and on Sunday said that Senate leaders need to scale back the bill, removing both provisions...

His last day will be December 21st, 2009. Dot Earth can be viewed here. I can’t say I’m surprised. About a month ago, I had an email exchange with Andy on this subject, where he shared with me that he might leave. While I often disagree with Andy’s postings, I will say that he has been extraordinarily civil to me and also to Steve McIntyre, compared to some others in the same business of writing about climate (you know who you are). He has never not responded to an email I’ve sent him.

Weekend vandalism at the UC Berkeley chancellor's home has complicated a philosophical battle over the best way to protest student-fee hikes and budget cuts. UC police arrested eight people Friday night after demonstrators broke windows and other property at the campus home of Chancellor Robert Birgeneau while he and his wife were inside. At least six of those people are expected to be charged with multiple felonies for what Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called "terrorism." The incident has further roiled an already uneasy campus that has been hit by budget cuts and tuition hikes this year. The arrests were the latest...

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - California, the largest borrower among U.S. states, may see its debt interest costs nearly double to over $10 billion in 2020, the state treasurer reported on Monday. Financials General fund debt service on outstanding bonds, authorized but unissued bonds and proposed water bonds is set to peak in fiscal 2020 at $10.45 billion, compared with a current level around $6 billion, and stay near that level through fiscal 2028, Treasurer Bill Lockyer said in a presentation for the state legislature. Crippled by the housing downturn and high unemployment, California has been one of the worst-hit...

TEAYS VALLEY W.Va. -- With two weeks left till Christmas, it seems the Grinch has struck a church in Putnam County, stealing something very special from an 87-year old member. Otis Wells discovered someone stole his 1967 Gibson acoustic guitar, a gift he received 42 years ago. "It's just a part of me. I don't make music or hardly even sing without my guitar." Somehow, someone pulled the amplifier plug from the Gibson stored at the Teays Valley Nazarene Church where he plays on the "praise team," along with a Charleston police officer. "The musician in me just wants him...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Plans from Wells Fargo & Co and Citigroup to repay taxpayer funds will put the U.S. government on track to reduce its bailout investments in banks by more than 75 percent, while earning a healthy profit for the U.S., U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Monday. "With the recent announcements on repayments, we are now on track to reduce TARP bank investments by more than 75 percent, while earning a healthy profit on that commitment," Geithner said in a statement after Wells Fargo announced it will repay the $25 billion it received from the government under...

Drivers with a heavy foot could soon face heavy fines across Georgia. When the new 'Super Speeders' law takes effect January 1, 2010, motorists caught driving over 75 mph or more on 2 lane roads, and 85 mph or more on any multiple lane roads in the state, will get slapped with a $200 state-issued fine, in addition to local fines.Georgia state patrol trooper Jim Lewis says he thinks the new fines will deter some speeders, but not all. He says he responds to high-speed crashes regularly, and knows the dangers. "Speeding on narrow roads, you're not only putting yourself...

Canada condemned on Monday a series of elaborate hoax emails and a fake website story that claimed the country would cut emissions of greenhouse gases by a much greater amount than previously announced. Officials said they believed environmental activists were responsible for the hoax... Canada is under heavy fire from green campaigners... The initial email, purporting to come from the federal environment ministry, said Canada would set binding emissions reductions targets of 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and at least 80 percent by 2050. It also announced Canada would give billions of dollars to African countries for emissions-reduction...

A 36-year-old Boston man wanted on 13 warrants -- one of them for drug trafficking -- tried to keep police from finding him by mutilating his fingers to conceal his prints. Francis Viliar told State Police over the weekend that he paid someone $400 to cut his fingers vertically, from the fingertip to the knuckle joint, so his prints would be unreadable, said David Procopio, spokesman for the State Police. Viliar was arrested Friday night after State Police pulled him over for speeding in Brockton. When he gave them a driver's license that appeared to be fake, he was arrested...

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“A 538-yr tree-ring chronology and reconstruction of June temperatures were developed from living and dead Larix dahurica trees. The samples were obtained near the lower Lena River in northern Siberia. Dendrochronological techniques were used to estimate the ages of establishment and mortality of Larix dahurica on the presently treeless uplands and to determine the establishment dates of living trees in the lowlands. ………………………………… It was during the 19th century that the uplands lost much of their tree and soil cover. Recruitment of trees occurred in the lowlands during the 20th century, but trees have not been able to recolonize the...

Right away, parents accused her of bruising an infant's brain. Her insurance company paid the medical bill, the parents' lawyer said. This year, police said she hit four children at her Just For Kids day care center. But the cases were weak, and prosecutors dropped them. Once again, Sampson-Monroe can legally care for children. So can thousands of other Floridians with criminal pasts. Since 1985, the Department of Children and Families has cleared 5,803 people to work with kids despite serious records. Their ranks include former cocaine users, prostitutes, spouse abusers, burglars and, in rare instances, kidnappers and killers.

<p>Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz said Monday that state revenue collections for November were $708 million, or $13.5 million less than estimated. The general fund was undercollected by $8.1 million.</p> <p>Though still negative, Goetz said franchise and excise taxes combined for November were $42 million, which is $11.6 million above the budgeted estimate of $30.7 million.</p>