Free Republic

(Washington, D.C.): So much for a rigorous review of the policy and other failures that contributed to the U.S. intelligence community's inability to detect and prevent the deadly attacks of September 11th. No sooner had members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committee's decided that these problems required a comprehensive review -- a review that would almost certainly implicate CIA Director George Tenet for his role in implementing defective policies, if not in every case initiating them -- than they turned over its conduct to one of Mr. Tenet's most trusted subordinates: L. Britt Snider. This personnel decision sets the ...

There are few human characteristics more repugnant than the tendency to succumb to mob rule. Sadly, no matter how technologically advanced a society may be or civilized its people have convinced themselves that they are, the capacity to cast off reason and act with mindless abandon is never far from the surface. Though we try to assure ourselves that this is symptomatic of lesser cultures, Americans frequently demonstrate groupthink of one variety or other. Some need only be given the opportunity to gather in support of a supposed cause to enable them to unleash directionless violence. Others may use ...

Congress Shows Its Arrogance—Again by Colonel Dan - 02.15.02 "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." ~ 1st Amendment, Constitution of the United States ~ Congress has once again shown America its true nature is characterized by a flagrant and arrogant contempt for the Constitution, their sacred oath of office and the people they are morally obligated to serve. There is no ...

DAVID S. BRODER Did the Democrats create a monster? It was a famous victory. The campaign-finance bill passed the House and Senate and likely will become law with President Bush's signature. The bill has one great virtue. It will end the ugly and indefensible practice of federal elected officials extorting six-figure contributions to their political parties from corporations, unions and wealthy individuals. It is clear and definitive about doing that, and it will be effective. Beyond that, the consequences of the bill, which the Senate approved last year and the House passed yesterday, are probably not what supporters have been ...

Under democracy, one party always devotes its chief efforts to trying to prove that the other is unfit to rule – and both…are right. — H.L. Mencken A man asks a woman if she would go to bed with a stranger for one million dollars. The woman thinks about it briefly, then says ‘yes.´ When the man then asks if she´ll go to bed with him for $20, she indignantly replies, ‘Absolutely not! What do you take me for?´ The man responds, ‘Lady, we´ve already determined what you are…we´re just haggling over the price!´ That´s a very old joke…but the ...

Okay, so the Campaign Finance Reform Bill passed the U.S. House early Friday morning. This flagrant affront to free speech and the Constitution is on its way to a conference committee for synchronization with the senate version which is just as bad. A Bush veto has been rumored, but don’t count on it. From his perspective, it may be less politically damaging to let the courts strike it down. Such court action may come too late to save the November elections. The changes to campaign finance law would establish an elite class of rulers in America: The Incumbents. Dethroning an ...

Friday, February 15, 2002 Adar 3, 5762 Israel Time: 17:45 (GMT+2) The obvious conclusion The proportion of Jews living in Israel and the territories is today 53 percent, but it will be between 43 to 48 percent in 2020. This forecast is included in an extensive study published this week by Professor Sergio DellaPergola, chairperson of the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The conclusion to be drawn from this forecast is clear to anyone who wants to live in Israel as a democratic state with a Jewish majority - an end must be put ...

It's an old truism that invincibility is fleeting. Every new wonder weapon enjoys its time in the sun before somebody figures out how to defeat it. The Israelis were reminded of this yesterday when Palestinians deployed a new mine which punctured the armor of a previously invulnerable tank and killed three. Read the rest here.

<p>Is there any truth to the rumor that one of the federal reforms likely to flow from the Enron scandal is that Congress will make daylight savings time permanent? Seriously, how can you not love a transcendental event like Enron? We may never know precisely what was wrong here, but who cares anymore? "Enron," along with "Kenneth Lay" and "Jeffrey Skilling" have by now turned into the sort of trans-human mutants that provide plots for the "X-Files." Enron's become whatever you want it to be, or need it to be.</p>

<p>The abrupt birth of Israel led to mass displacement of the Arab population in the area. Many Arabs were forced into refugee camps in Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Jordan. To this day, both Arabs and Jews claim the area known as Israel which includes the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, which borders Jordan, and Jerusalem as their rightful homeland....</p>

Big Brothers National ID Card By Jon Christian Ryter (bio) Other Articles by Jon Christian Ryter NOTE: When I wrote Whatever Happened To America? I included a chapter in that book dealing with the planned creation of an Internal Passport in the United States by the Clinton White House. The deep research for that book began in July,1996. On January 17, 1997 I interviewed Allen Kay, the press secretary for Congressman Lamar Smith [R-TX] by telephone to rebut or confirm the substance found in a White House protocol dated November 11, 1993 that was in my possession. In that ...

THERE was irritation in the Army over the starring role played by the Marines in Afghanistan, even though it is hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean. "Does it bother anyone else that the Marines are the first regular forces in landlocked Afghanistan?" the Washington Post quoted Captain Robert Krumm in a story in December. "We get to watch the Marines perform Army missions because they can do them better." Major Donald Vandergriff, one of the Army's brightest thinkers, thinks the Army is in danger of "becoming irrelevant" because the Army hasn't moved fast enough to make Army combat ...

Society benefits from marriage Joseph Perkins SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE February 15, 2002 Perkins can be reached via e-mail at joseph.perkins@uniontrib.com. "There is nothing more admirable than two people who see eye-to-eye keeping house as man and wife, confounding their enemies, and delighting their friends." ? Homer, 8th century BC They had been together for years, Jerry Thatcher and Patti Monahan. It wasn't that they were uncertain about the depth of their feelings for each other. It wasn't that they weren't committed to spending the rest of their lives together. It's just that they thought it best not to wed. They ...

It was a famous victory. The campaign finance bill now has passed both the House and Senate and likely will become law with President Bush's signature. The bill has one great virtue. It will end the ugly and indefensible practice of federal elected officials extorting six-figure contributions to their political parties from corporations, unions and wealthy individuals. It is clear and definitive about doing that, and it will be effective. Beyond that, the consequences of the bill the Senate approved last year and the House passed early Thursday morning are probably not what supporters have been led to believe. The ...

February 15, 2002 NEW ESCALATION IN ISRAEL ISRAELI TANK BLOWN UP WITH TACTICS AMERICANS TAUGHT OSAMA BIN LADEN! and More News DESTRUCTION OF A MAIN BATTLE TANK IS A MAJOR BLOW TO IMAGE OF INVINCIBILITY PALESTINIAN NEW ROCKET ATTACK TACTIC CATCHES ISRAEL OFF-GUARD GAZA STRIP MAP SHOWS LOCATION OF NEW FIGHTING PALESTINIAN ROCKET: POTENT NEW THREAT CRACKING? U.S. READY TO ATTACK IRAQ ALONE IF NECESSARY U.S. MAY NOT ATTACK IRAQ UNTIL A SUITABLE LEADER IS FOUND TO REPLACE SADDAM DOBSON, FALWELL THREATEN TO NATIONAL BROADCASTERS IF NEW PRESIDENT TRIES TO DISTANCE ITSELF FROM "FAR RIGHT" ASHCROFT UNDER FIRE FROM MUSLIM ...

Reich and socially accepted bigotry By Willy Stern WILLIAMSTOWN I WENT up to Cambridge in the fall of 1990 to attend the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. A short time later, Harvard awarded me a Masters in Public Administration. My very own MPA. A complete waste of time. I'm embarrassed I went. There is one good aspect to the degree: Say it fast, and people may think you're saying "MBA." Still, I signed up for a public policy course. It was taught by the professor who, at the time, was among the most popular of Kennedy ...

Posted: Thursday 12:37 PM It is ironic that the United States, which places less emphasis on international sports than any other large nation, probably most connects patriotism to sports. Of course, the sincere demonstration of national feeling has been outsized throughout our culture since Sept. 11th. Nevertheless, we often overdo our expressions of American pride at sporting events. Sometimes this is merely too much of a nice thing. Other times it verges, almost tactlessly, on the kind of chauvinism that irks other peoples. The Super Bowl, for example, proved that while patriotism may be the last refuge of a ...

THE fat kid in the band wants to play quarterback. He won't lift weights or run wind sprints, and he shies away from contact. But he thinks he should call the plays. Our European allies are annoyed that we are not accepting more of the advice they offer so freely, and irritated because we would like for them to contribute something besides advice to the defense of Western civilization. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization exists primarily for the defense of Europe. But it's the United States that does the heavy lifting. We devote roughly twice as much of our ...

THE (NOW) SILENT MAJORITY 2/15/02 A number of years ago the term "silent majority" was used by hard core Clinton haters in an attempt to bring hope for the future. The silent majority did not exist the way they envisioned it. Now however, the term takes on new meaning. A true silent majority may soon exist if Campaign Finance "Reform" (CFR) becomes law. This bill would silence the majority of Americans. Special Interest Groups (SIG) have long been demonized; but really, what are they? If you care deeply about an issue, be it environmental, working conditions, retirement benefits, guns or ...

WASHINGTON — At 9:15 Wednesday morning, one hour before the House debate on a historic campaign-finance overhaul, the White House issued a few short words that doomed the House GOP leadership's painstaking effort to defeat the legislation. Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters at an off-camera briefing that the proposal would, "in the president's opinion, improve the system." Advocates of the Shays-Meehan reform legislation made hundreds of copies from an Internet report of the remarks. "It spread like a prairie fire," one Republican aide said. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., who had hosted White House lobbyists at a 9 a.m. ...