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Counterterrorism efforts got a major boost last week when an American district court found three Muslim organizations and one individual, mostly based in the Chicago area, guilty of funding Hamas and fined them an astonishing US$156 million.The four were found liable for their roles in the murder of an American teenager, David Boim, on May 13, 1996, when he was shot by Hamas operatives as he waited for a bus near Jerusalem. This case is important in itself, providing some measure of justice and relief for the Boim family. Beyond that, it helps fight terrorism in four ways.First, it validates...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

Washington, D.C. homeowners shouldn’t expect to lock and load anytime soon as an effort to repeal a nearly 30-year ban on handgun ownership (search) in the district has hit a snag despite Republican gains in the U.S. Senate that might draw more gun-friendly lawmakers to Capitol Hill. "It still has an improved chance," said Dan Whiting, spokesman for Republican Sen. Larry Craig (search) of Idaho, who had co-sponsored legislation to repeal the gun ban and had hoped to attach the measure to the 2005 D.C appropriations bill. But opponents of the gun ban say D.C. residents are wary of turning...

---snip---Anyway, the military tribunal was all set to try Hamdan when U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson  ruled the Bush administration had no right to declare the man an enemy combatant. Robertson went on to say Hamdan should be classified a prisoner of war and given Geneva Convention protectionsRobertson ruled this despite these facts: Hamdan was not fighting for any country, Hamdan wore no uniform on the battlefield, Hamdan was a member of at least one terrorist group, possibly two.Judge Robertson also ruled that the Geneva Convention  protections supersede any presidential order or designation by military tribunal. In effect, the...

Dozens sick from unknown chemical in DC office building

The poll of 600 likely Republican voters in St. Clair County Michigan’s State Representative District 81 countywide found Alloway leading Pavlov by 12 points, 48 percent to 40 percent in a three-way race with Yale Republican Steve Pray Nader included in the ballot test.

Revisiting Redistricting By William Raspberry Monday, May 24, 2004; Page A23 A lot of people in Illinois didn't like what was happening in their state 135 years ago. Political discourse was becoming more contentious as the electorate became more polarized, north and south. Worse, many thousands of Illinois residents, though fully enfranchised in theory, in fact had little say about who went to Springfield to represent them. These were the voters -- generally Republicans in and around Chicago and Democrats downstate -- who, unable to muster a plurality, could only watch as candidates inimical to their interests were elected. So...

(PA-15th. Congressional District) As Toomey battles Specter and everyone watches. Toomey's open congressional slot is up for grabs. State Senator Charlie Dent, was suppose to be a shoe in. But his prior lead in the polls has evaporated. Running against a candidate that is similar to Toomey. Dent has found himself in a tight battle in the Lehigh Valley. Dr. Joe Pascuzzo, has found a large following of Toomey supporters along the way. Many of them do not like Dent's liberal conservative tactics or views. Since Dent's lead in the race has slipped, Dent has started running negative campaign ads...

A primary defeat two years ago won’t keep Cynthia McKinney out of politics. The former U.S. Congresswoman appears to be making another run for the 4th District, despite a loss in 2002 to Denise Majette. While neither McKinney nor her campaign manager were available to confirm the campaign this week, the McKinney camp has a new Web site up for 2004. At www.cynthiaforcongress.com, the Atlanta woman’s biography describes McKinney as “the voice for the voiceless.” It attributes her loss to Majette to Republican crossover voting. “We have launched this campaign because we have a vision that America can be better...

The staffer said, Well, we can’t take the risk that he’s known to be seeing an expert on lying. Ekman rather liked Clinton, and wanted Clinton’s ‘trademark expression,’ to have been no more than a meaningless facial tic.

Foreward Bruce Cobbeldick, (R) attended a Cleveland Press Club Luncheon in January, whereby the topic was changing Clevelanders' dialogue from negative to positive. And if you listen to my opponents, who have harped on their hatred for Kucinich, you'll see the difference between their campaign and Cobbeldick's approach to dealing with Dennis. "This race is too important for simply finger-pointing and assigning blame," says Cobbeldick, age 40. "There is nothing productive about being upset with Kucinich and rants that either mock him or point the finger at him for our troubles and woes. Far better for a true leader to...

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release SLUG: Herman Fails To Show Foresight On Syria TAG: Hey Herman, How Can Our Citizens Feel Secure About Syria? POC: Bruce Cobbeldick, Bay Village, OH (440) 668-0887 Bay Village, OH - - Bruce Cobbeldick has done more than simply be the first Republican Candidate to begin his campaign against Kucinich. He's done his homework! Cobbeldick, 40, a former Marine Corps sergeant sees his candidacy as addressing critical foreign policy issues germane to Syria, this nation's next real threat. With Herman's failing to weigh in on the Syrian issue, Cobbeldick questions the breadth and depth of...

www.brucecobbeldickforcongress.com Press Release (Art Available, Actual Petition Available Also) SLUG: "Herman Finds Cobbeldick Well Qualified to Perform Duties as Congressman" POC: Mike Pierce 440.835.0178 dtd. 18 Jan 2004 Bay Village, OH - - Ed Herman, who received the Republican nomination for the March 2nd Primary stated in writing that in his opinion, Cobbeldick, the #2 seated Candidate, is well qualified to perform the duties of the office of Congressman for the 10th District. "I appreciate Ed's opinion. When Ed came to me, I could not say the same, as I felt that his lack of Foreign Policy and skinny Domestic...

<p>A strange and wonderful thing has happened as liberals have watched Republicans tighten their grip on the U.S. House of Representatives: They have suddenly discovered the threat to competitive elections posed by "gerrymandering," or the process of politicized Congressional redistricting. And they're right.</p>

<p>After the 1980 census, Democratic Rep. Phil Burton of California manipulated the state's political map to give his party five new congressional seats. He jokingly told his friends it was his contribution to modern art.</p> <p>The maneuver also made him the father of modern partisan gerrymandering. Since then, as Congress has become evenly and bitterly divided, the redrawing of districts to benefit one political party has reached new intensity, spawning fights from Pennsylvania to Florida to Michigan. Other brawls, involving such issues as how often a state may redistrict, have occurred in Texas and Colorado.</p>

Robert Byrd, maybe? According to a rumor going around DC right now, the Washington Post is tomorrow going to reveal an internal Democratic Party e-mail with a crude, racist caricature of California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown. Justice Brown happens to be a black woman, and apparently this e-mail has her with an absurdly large "afro" style haircut (she doesn't have one), and makes a few disparaging racial remarks about her and, for some reason, Dr. Condoleezza Rice. This staff e-mail (I'm assuming a Senator would not send such an e-mail) comes during Senate confirmation hearings for Justice Brown...

MILWAUKEE, WI (Talon News) -- According to a number of Republican insiders and a prominent Milwaukee radio talk show host, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Diane Sykes is going to be President Bush's nominee for a vacant seat on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Mark Belling, Milwaukee's top talk show host and a regular fill-in for Rush Limbaugh's national radio show, revealed on his Monday afternoon talk show that his sources in the Republican Party confirmed the selection of Sykes. Sykes was one of four finalists recommended by the Federal Nominating Commission of the State Bar of...

Just and urgent reminder that there is an election in Broward County Florida on March 11, 2003. With one stealth homosexual lawyer (trantalis) running for the Fort Lauderdale city commision, and other smaller cities having their commisions up for election it is VERY urgent that Freepers make sure their voices are heard. Broward County has been the butt of jokes and still has many democrat party controlled problems. This is an off election and the politicians COUNT ON low turnout! so VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!!!!!

Buried in the president's budget this week was enough money to dramatically transform educational opportunity for children in the nation's capital, one of the worst school systems in the country. As part of his continuing program to leave no child behind, President Bush has proposed a modest $756 million to promote school choice programs in the District of Columbia and several other cities. But the proposal faces tough opposition from Democrats beholden to teacher unions, who see school vouchers as a mortal threat. Nowhere could there be a starker contrast between what's good for kids and what's in the...

Travis, Reeves face off in 81st Assembly District Scandals, taxes are issues The Capital Times November 1, 2002 Email this story to a friend Printer-friendly format Republican James Reeves is challenging longtime Democratic Rep. Dave Travis, D-Madison, in the 81st Assembly District. Both candidates live in north Madison, which is part of a district that includes the villages of Waunakee and Black Earth and the towns of Westport, Springfield and Berry and part of the town of Black Earth. Travis, 54, was first elected to the Assembly in 1978 and is a former majority leader. He says he has the...

I have been involved in a disagreement with the Alameda Unified School District concerning their support of teachers tying up students and duct-taping them to the floor. I am asking for your help. First, here's the latest status. The Alameda Board of Education voted to dismiss the appeal to the complaint because of the following: no one else complained. the pedagogical style was sound. it was not unsafe. students need to have an emotional response in order to learn. to deny teachers this style is stepping on academic freedom. they didn't mention anything about the traumatized child. they didn't mention...

<p>A California Democrat introduced a bill Thursday that would make sharing of copyrighted files illegal, and would indemnify copyright holders from taking whatever actions they chose to prevent the sharing of those files.</p> <p>The effect, if approved by Congress and signed into law, would be to virtually outlaw file-sharing as is commonly known. The bill was authored by and introduced by Rep. Howard L. Berman, a California Democrat representing the 26th Congressional District, which includes North Hollywood. Berman is the ranking member of the Congressional Committee on the Judiciary's subcommittee on courts, the Internet, and intellectual property.</p>

<p>LAST WEEK, Acting Governor Jane Swift, Mayor Thomas Menino, House Speaker Thomas Finneran, and Senate President Thomas Birmingham introduced legislation to create the Millennium Greenway Trust, a public entity that would own the Central Artery corridor, to be known as the Rose Kennedy Greenway.</p>

SARASOTA -- Republican congressional candidate Chester Flake dropped out of the 13th District race Wednesday because of a paperwork error that he says was engineered by his opponent, Katherine Harris. Flake, 27, a computer consultant who has never held elected office, was on his way to the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections office Wednesday morning to deliver a stack of 2,400 petition signatures when he ran into a friend. Seeing the pile of petitions, Flake's friend asked him if he'd also remembered to turn in his "alternative method affidavit," required for candidates who seek to get on the ballot by...

June 6, 2002 Nine for November:True Tossups Will Be Hard to Find This Year In a year when fewer than five dozen House seats are "in play," fewer than a dozen of them can really be categorized as tossups. With all 435 House seats on the ballot this year, I count a mere nine as true tossups, contests where both sides have an equal chance of victory. I'm not counting admittedly competitive races such as Rep. Bob Riley's (R) open 3rd district seat in Alabama, where the Republicans have a slight edge, or California's open 18th district, where the Democrats...

"I am running as a Green because I can no longer say that I am a Democrat," reads a handbill that Schade is distributing. "While the Democratic Party was once the party of working people, women, minorities, the en-vironment, civil rights, social jus-tice, etc., it is no longer." [SNIP] Because of redistricting, Democrat Dana Dembrow-who has been viewed by many as the most progressive delegate in District 20-will no longer represent Takoma Park. Delegate John Hurson of Bethesda (Dem., previously of District 18), has been redist-ricted into District 20. Democratic Dele-gates Peter Franchot and Sheila Hixson remain in District 20....