Free Republic

Don't Ruin Economy Over Tiny Temp Rise February 11, 2007 BY MARK STEYN Sun-Times Columnist Our Thought For The Week comes from the Boston Globe's Ellen Goodman: "I would like to say we're at a point where global warming is impossible to deny. Let's just say that global warming deniers are now on a par with Holocaust deniers, though one denies the past and the other denies the present and future." That would be yours truly: the climate holocaust denier. I wrote last week about "global warming," or "cooling," or "climate change," or (the latest term) "climate disruption" -- for...

"Some experts blast latest climate report" WASHINGTON - "Later this week in Paris, climate scientists will issue a dire forecast for the planet that warns of slowly rising sea levels and higher temperatures. But that may be the sugarcoated version." "Early and changeable drafts of their upcoming authoritative report on climate change foresee smaller sea level rises than were projected in 2001 in the last report. Many top U.S. scientists reject these rosier numbers."

The seas have been rising for 18,000 years, but the pace has quickened. At the Golden Gate Bridge, the Pacific Ocean crept seven inches higher during the past century, as global warming melted glaciers and expanded ocean waters. Californians are taking notice. In one of the first efforts of its kind in the state, officials are starting to address the threats rising seas pose to the Bay Area. One of the first steps was to compile maps that show what would happen if the sea level rose three feet -- the upper limit for what might occur by 2100, according...

The American left never, under any circumstances, engages in anything that can be called McCarthyite tactics. They leave that to the far right, unbalanced, vicious, and desperate. The left, on the side of reason, decency, and fair play, has never had any need for that kind of thing. So I guess we'll have to call it something else. Last Sunday, The New York Times featured a review of American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America, in which author Chris Hedges makes the argument that millions of Americans are about to fall on their fellow citizens and punish them...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Economists agree: It's time to shut off electronic devices, put up tray tables and return your seat to an upright position. And some say it might not be a bad idea to put your head down between your legs. The economy is coming in for a landing. Optimists say it will be the much sought after "soft landing" when the economy slows but doesn't skid into recession. But some economists now are forecasting a bumpy landing, or even worse.

Can Wall Street withstand weak housing? Some experts say real estate slump may spell trouble for equities ANALYSIS By Peter Coy BusinessWeek Online Updated: 1:28 p.m. PT Sept 19, 2006 If your nest egg is made of 2-by-4s and you're watching the real estate slowdown with a mixture of fear and nausea, then this article is for you. The question: If real estate tanks, will stocks follow? Or will the market ignore housing? Or maybe — just maybe — will a decline in housing trigger a rise in stocks? It's something you really ought to think about if you're trying...

Mortgage Salesmen Whose Tricks Fund Lavish Lifestyle THOUSANDS of hard-up families are being ripped off by ruthless mortgage brokers who've been dubbed the Ferrari Kings because of their lavish lifestyle. Homebuyers have been shafted by as much as £5,000 by firms exploiting their poor credit rating. Hundreds of firms selling so-called sub-prime loans are being probed by the Financial Services Authority. They earned their name in the industry as so many of them own high-powered Italian sports cars. The salesmen prey on vulnerable families with less-than-perfect credit ratings - those who can't (or fear they can't) get a home loan...

August 10, 2006 "He betrayed this country! He played on our fears,” so shouted former Vice President and failed Presidential candidate Al Gore in a 2004 speech before Tennessee Democrats, eliciting a roaring approval from his audience. "This policy of fear will not win the war on terror,” wrote Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on September 7, 2006. Reid also accused the Bush administration of using "fear, fear, fear and more fear as a national-security policy,” adding, "We need to do more than frighten the American people.” "They exploit the politics of fear,” Whined Senator Ted Kennedy (D.Ma.) in...

Shepard Smith just referred to the current situation in the Middle East as a set of dominoes. He also implied America can't respond because we are "spread out" all over the globe. He is about as frantic as any woman I've ever seen. He used the image of an "ink blotter" being knocked over by Iran...Look, I like FNC, and I watch them because their reporters are pretty good--but the fearmongering by SS is a bit over the top. Maybe I'm just gettin' too old to be fretting about it, and I certainly don't want to make light of the...

The End of the World By Daren Bakst May 26, 2006 This week’s “Daily Journal” guest columnist is Daren Bakst, Legal and Regulatory Policy Analyst for the John Locke Foundation. The world is about to end. It may even end the day after tomorrow. There will be tidal waves, earthquakes, and burning temperatures (or freezing temperatures, one or the other). I know how to stop this from happening, though. If you believed me, and you thought I could stop the end from happening, you’d let me do what I wanted in order to prevent it. I could raise your taxes,...

Federal Housing Agency and Residents File Complaints Saying the Program Is Biased Against Hispanics Federal housing officials said yesterday that they are investigating whether a two-year-old program to combat crowded housing in Manassas is unfairly targeting Hispanic families in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development filed a complaint Tuesday alleging a pattern of discrimination. Yesterday, a group of Manassas residents and civil rights advocates filed 11 more complaints, saying that the city has selectively enforced its overcrowding rules and other ordinances against Hispanic residents in what amounts to a systematic campaign of...

Pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV and it’s there: the news about avian flu. It can be alarming sometimes, often confusing. And nearly everyone has the same question: Could it happen here? In 1996, a new and particularly deadly strain of avian flu was found in a goose in China. It was found a year later in Hong Kong and six people died from the virus. They were the first known human cases.

The area's home prices have a 60-percent chance of dropping, one of many factors making San Diego the riskiest real estate market in the nation, according to a quarterly report put out by a California mortgage insurer.The report, put out by the Bay Area insurance company PMI Group, is well-respected by experts, who said it usually gives an accurate picture of the state of the nation's 50 largest home-buying markets. However, they stressed that the report is merely the latest in a long line of analyses that point to something the industry already knows: The nation's housing market is cooling,...

Federal Reserve officials felt a 14th straight increase in interest rates last month put borrowing costs near where they needed to be, but agreed they could not rule out more hikes, given inflation risks. "Although the stance of policy seemed close to where it needed to be given the current outlook, some further policy firming might be needed to keep inflation pressures contained and the risks to price stability and sustainable economic growth roughly in balance," minutes from the Fed's January 31 policy-setting meeting released on Tuesday said. The minutes said some officials believed "somewhat" higher than desired readings on...

Is Virginia the Next South Dakota? Dear xxxxxx, Can you believe it? South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds (R) has just signed into law a ban that criminalizes abortion in the state of South Dakota! Americans across the nation are outraged by this severe attack on women's health and safety. So let's do something about it. Write Governor Rounds a personal note to let him know EXACTLY how you feel about this dangerous abortion ban. We'll even send a copy of your message to your governor to help make sure Virginia doesn't become the next South Dakota. Make no mistake —...

This is not a good sign for stocks, is it? ..."It was a terrible auction," summed up one trader at a U.S. primary dealer. "The bid-to-cover stank, the indirect bid was bad -- I would be surprised if the market manages to rally from here." ... Worse yet, indirect bidders bought a meager $2.96 billion or 21.1 percent of the deal, compared with last year's average 38.13 percent. That left dealers holding the bag with $10.72 billion or 76.6 percent. Signs of a tightening labor market had taken an early toll on Treasuries, with jobless claims receding to levels consistent...

Here's Hillary Clinton going bananas over school vouchers, via FNC's Hannity and Colmes: Download and watch the video (Windows Media file). Hillary screeches that providing inner-city and poor students with more choice in education will lead to a a "school of the Church of the White Supremacist " and a "School of the Jihad." Transcript: CLINTON: Suppose that you were meeting today to decide who got the vouchers. First parent comes and says 'I want to send my daughter to St. Peter's Roman Catholic School' and you say 'Great, wonderful school, here's your voucher. Next parent who comes says, 'I...

In a remarkably even-handed article, Margaret Bunting points Guardian readers to the emerging debate on human enhancement, and the forthcoming pamphlet on “Better Humans" from the British thinktank Demos. To the real enthusiasts - they call themselves transhumanists - humanity is on the point of being liberated from its biology. In their advocacy of our “technological rights”, they believe that human beings are on the brink of a huge leap in development, leaving behind the sick, quarrelsome, weak, fallible creatures we have been up to now. We will be, as their slogan goes, “better than well”. This is the prospect...

Trust overcame fear in the Canadian electorate last week. The negative attack-type campaign by Paul Martin’s Liberals, fomenting hatred and fear about Stephen Harper and his Conservatives, kept the Conservatives from a majority but the 124 seats they did achieve should provide stable government for several years. In the next election, the Liberals will not be able to use the politics of fear with any success since their false predictions about abortion and other social issues will not again be believed. A few illustrations: On Dec. 3, 2005 in the Toronto Star, Martin predicted, “We would see him (Harper) and...

The Federalist Society has sent a letter to ABC Nightline where they demand that ABC News investigate the producer, reporter, and anchor in their report on Jan 23rd, 2006 where they accuse Supreme Court Justice Antione Scalia of violating judicial ethics laws in attending a Federalist Society CLE Course instead of watching Chief Justice Robert's swearing in ceremony. Here is the Letter from The Federalist Society: Mr. David Westin President ABC News 7 West 66th Street New York, NY 10023 Dear Mr. Westin: I write to express my deep disappointment and concern about a January 23rd report aired on ABC's...

This week, more than two months after President Bush nominated him, the Senate will finally vote on Judge Samuel Alito’s elevation to the Supreme Court. In a final, all-too-typical move, the vote was put off a week at the behest of Alito’s opponents. Why? Nobody seriously expects another week to make a difference. With a few exceptions, senators probably knew how they were going to vote before the hearings. So, why put off the vote? The most likely answer has nothing to do with Judge Alito or even the Supreme Court. Instead, it’s about what the former Speaker of the...

For a media columnist facing a deadline and a slow news week, Abraham Foxman is truly a gift that keeps on giving. The national director of the Anti-Defamation League can barely open his mouth without inviting incredulity and ridicule from anyone not currently on the ADL’s payroll (and probably many who are). Foxman’s latest foray into the absurd came earlier this month when, in a speech at the ADL’s national conference in New York, he drew an apocalyptic picture of conservative Christians laying waste to the citadels of American democracy and urged organized Jewry to come together to man the...

Rich countries produce most of the world's greenhouse gases, but it is the health of people in poor countries that suffers the most from global warming, a new study suggests. The World Health Organization estimates warming and precipitation changes due to climate change already claim 150,000 lives every year. Dr. Jonathan Patz, a professor of environmental studies and population health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, used WHO data to review how global warming is no longer an environmental problem, but also a threat to public health. Diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue and cholera are all sensitive to climate....

OSLO (Reuters) - Warmer, wetter weather brought on by global warming could increase outbreaks of the plague, which has killed millions down the ages and wiped out one third of Europe's population in the 14th century, academics said. Migratory birds spreading avian flu from Asia today could also carry the plague bacteria westward from their source in Central Asia, Nils Stenseth, head of a three-day conference on the plague and how it spreads, told Reuters on Monday. "Wetter, warmer weather conditions mean there are likely to be more of the bacteria around than normal and the chance of it spreading...

Some years ago, long after a co-worker had left the Ministry of Truth, a number of us learned that, during this person's tenure among us, the individual frequently was armed and dangerous in the workplace. If there is such a thing as a retroactive, post-traumatic, primal scream/crawling into a fetal position/whimpering with delayed fear syndrome -- the idea that many of us once worked alongside not only a complete crazy nut job, but a complete crazy nut job with a GUN certainly qualifies. Or, put another way, if you ever needed a reason to install the mother of all panic...

Larry Schweiger, President of the National Wildlife Federation, has e-mailed supporters that Sarah James, spokesperson for the Gwich'in tribe of native Alaskans, is in Washington to tell Congress the "truth" about proposed oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and will stay there until Congress votes. Gwich'in objections to drilling have been the centerpiece of environmentalist opposition for years. It's a compelling story. A poor Alaskan native tribe, calling itself "the Caribou people," fights desperately to save the Porcupine Caribou herd, which roams the region, providing the tribe's sustenance. But that is not the whole story; it is...

       Hillary wasn't done giving us her mad moments in her Aspen Ideas Festival speech (and don't think Mad wouldn't have a field day with the concept of an Ideas Festival, either). Later in her remarks, she delivered this eye-popping economic analysis for the Colorado audience: "Ours will be the last generation to rely so exclusively on fossil fuels." She added that the "ups and downs of the global oil market cost the U.S. economy $7 trillion last year . . . almost enough to pay off our entire national debt." Seven trillion dollars? That would surprise most...

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's trade surplus for June swelled five-fold from a year earlier as exports grew much faster than imports, offering more ammunition for foreign critics who argue that Beijing should let the yuan rise in value. The June surplus grew to $9.68 billion, exceeding forecasts of $8.0 billion and towering above the $1.8 billion surplus recorded for June 2004.

The ACLU needs your help to defend our most basic freedoms! The Bush Administration is rolling back our rights in the name of homeland security . . . extremists on the Christian Right have the ear of the White House . . . and the federal judiciary is increasingly hostile to civil liberties. The need has never been greater for freedom-loving people to join the ACLU and take a stand against the growing threats to our most cherished Constitutional liberties. Check the box below to become a card-carrying member of the ACLU. Or, if you're already a member, please consider...

It seems the L.A. Weekly wants to seek out and destroy Christianity itself instead of any particular sect thereof. I can say this because the newspaper has admitted as much in a recent column (go here). More on that later. This June 10 column has identified Christians as “Christers,” the kitschy new hate word created by anti-religionists in the U.S.A. to describe their foe: you and me. The Weekly uses this pseudo word some 16 times in the Op Ed even going so far as to make it appear as if the word was used in a Wall Street Journal...

A commercial produced by an organization fighting for the freedom of Iran that depicts a nuclear terror attack in America – the kind many experts believe is possible should Tehran get the bomb – will run in 20 markets across the country this month. Titled "An Atomic 9-11: When Evil is Appeased," the spot, sponsored by the Iran Freedom Foundation, is based on a scenario described in the new WND Books release "Atomic Iran: How the Terrorist Regime Bought the Bomb and American Politicians," by Jerome R. Corsi, co-author of the best-selling "Unfit for Command." Corsi believes an atomic 9-11...

COLUMBIA -- A bogus letter circulating in South Carolina, purporting to be from the NAACP, threatens the arrest of voters who have outstanding parking tickets or failed to pay child support. The NAACP said Friday the letter is a scare tactic and called for an investigation. "I'm outraged," said Jill Miller, director of the Charleston County Board of Election and Voter Registration. "This is so bogus." The Rev. Joe Darby, vice president of the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he received the one-page letter -- which had a Columbia postmark with no...

BE AWARE!!! There is an e-mail in mass circulation that informs the reader that the Voters Rights Act expires in 2007 and upon expiration BLACKS WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO VOTE! Watch for this and inform people that the 15th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees ALL people the right to vote regardless of race. Also tell them there's no reason Bush wouldn't renew the Voters Rights Act, which BTW was renewed by Regan in 1982. ACT NOW TO COUNTER THIS HORRIBLE LIE!!!

LOS ANGELES, CA – The liars at MTV are using the airwaves to brainwash America’s youth. As a result, the California College Republicans (CCR) scheduled a protest of MTV to confront MTV/Rock the Vote for using the draft to scare young voters. We now see why they chose the fear factor: to elect the Democrat nominee for President to office. MTV/Rock the Vote called CCR Chairman Michael P. Davidson to deny any association with Rock the Vote’s draft scare tactics. When asked who the person calling was, they would not give a name. The number from which they called (212-846-2609)...

GEORGE BUSH WILL SET FIRE TO YOUR HOUSE.... [Jonah Goldberg] Shoot your dog, eat your best cold fried chicken, jam your Xerox machine, grope your wife, give nukes to the Crips and the Bloods, raise taxes on the poor to 110%, give Margaret Cho a two hour nightly "comedy" special, replace vegetables with sand on all high school cafeteria menus and require that all women be handcuffed to their basement radiators until they breed the requisite 3 Aryan children this countries needs. If minority women can't churn out the good stuff, they stay handcuffed. And -- oh yeah -- he'll...

The final weeks of the presidential race have brought an outbreak of fear. Both President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry are airing television ads, the gist of which is that if you vote for the other guy you're going to go broke and everyone's going to die. Kerry's turn to fear is understandable. His campaign has little else to offer other than to play on America's lingering fear of Iraq turning into a quagmire like Vietnam. But the fact that Bush has turned to fear is disappointing. After September 11, 2001, Bush captured the hearts of the American...

CNN) -- With two weeks to go until Americans go to the polls, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry concentrated their efforts on the campaign trail Tuesday in the showdown states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Bush addressed an enthusiastic crowd in St. Petersburg, Florida, Tuesday morning, repeating his catchphrase, "he can run, but he cannot hide," in reference to his opponent's record in the Senate. It was the first of three Bush events in the state. (CNN.com's Candidates Tracker) "As proven by his record and a series of contradictions in this campaign, my opponent will say anything he thinks...

Kerry Falsely Claims Bush Plans To Cut Social Security Benefits It's not Bush's plan, and it wouldn't cut benefits. Summary A Kerry ad claims "Bush has a plan to cut Social Security benefits by 30 to 45 percent." That's false. Bush has proposed no such plan, and the proposal Kerry refers to would only slow down the growth of benefits, and only for future retirees. It was one of three possible "reform models" detailed by a bipartisan commission in 2001. The ad also says nothing about what Kerry would do to address the troubled state of Social Security finances. Unless...

Today brings word that the race in FL has become a dead heat, with several commentators noting that Kerry's ad blitz is scaring seniors away from Bush. Kerry has begun a campaign of lies regarding Social Security, frightening seniors with the story that Bush has told private supporters he will begin dismantling Social Security in January, to replace it with a "private system" that will benefit his supporters' investments. The ads reportedly also claim that existing SS payments will be cut as much as 45% by next year. Unfortunately, FL voters seem to be buying the lie. Fox reports the...

WASHINGTON - Eager for an edge in the dead-even presidential race with just two weeks left, Sen. John F. Kerry [related, bio] yesterday charged President Bush [related, bio] is plotting a ``January surprise'' to privatize Social Security and slash retiree benefits. ``The president told his biggest and wealthiest donors about his `big January surprise,' '' the Democratic nominee told a church crowd in Ohio. ``He's to come out strong, in his words, to fight for his plans to privatize Social Security.'' The Bush camp vehemently denied any such plans - and accused the Bay State senator of resorting to fear-mongering...

Kerry Charges Bush Would Slash Benefits Candidate: John F. Kerry Images: President Bush raising his hand at swearing-in, with a blown-up Social Security card superimposed against a black backdrop Time: 30 seconds Audio: The truth is coming out. George Bush has finally admitted that he intends to privatize Social Security in a second term. "I’m going to come out strong after my swearing in," Bush said, "with . . . privatizing of Social Security." First, George Bush threatens Social Security with record deficits of over $400 billion. Now, Bush has a plan that cuts Social Security benefits by 30 to...

EDITORIAL OBSERVERImagining America if George Bush Chose the Supreme CourtBy ADAM COHENPublished: October 18, 2004 bortion might be a crime in most states. Gay people could be thrown in prison for having sex in their homes. States might be free to become mini-theocracies, endorsing Christianity and using tax money to help spread the gospel. The Constitution might no longer protect inmates from being brutalized by prison guards. Family and medical leave and environmental protections could disappear.It hardly sounds like a winning platform, and of course President Bush isn't openly espousing these positions. But he did say in his last campaign...

Recently, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held its fourth hearing this year into voting in the 2004 presidential election. To date, much of the testimony has focused on claims — by liberal activists — that Republicans plan to "steal" the November presidential election by stripping African-Americans of their constitutional right to vote. Such claims were previously regarded as the stuff of urban legend. But they have been given new life by Democratic politicians, including Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois, who has brazenly referred to Republicans as "voter terrorists," and former President Jimmy Carter, who has claimed Florida election...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - If re-elected, President Bush (news - web sites) plans a "big January surprise" and will move quickly to allow some private Social Security (news - web sites) accounts that will reduce benefits for retirees and swell the U.S. deficit, Democratic Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) said on Sunday.

Just ran a report from FL. Kerry is saturating the state with TV ads "quoting" Bush as saying he plans to cut Social Security benefits by 35% while he privatizes it. This is being run in conjunction with a NY Times hit piece making the same claim. When Fox tracked-down the Times writer, he said that, well, he'd been told about the SS cuts "by a private Bush donor," and since there were "no other reporters there," they'd have to take this reporter's word for it. "KERRY: HE'LL SAY ANYTHING TO GET ELECTED" This is what we're up against, folks....

Of Racism and Fear – The Modern Democratic Party By William Lee October 14, 2004 The 2004 presidential election is just weeks away and the Democrat Party is using a campaign strategy of racism and fear. Sadly, this is not something new, nor should it be surprising. We all remember the racism by geographical location implied in the James Byrd ads of 2000. Exploiting racially motivated murder for political gain was not beyond the pale for these propagandists back then, so why should we expect anything less this time around. The tactics are shameful. These tactics include radio ads that...

The Associated Press today reported on an official Kerry campaign/ Democratic National Committee election guide that instructs Democrats to make up charges of voter intimidation even if no signs or evidence of voter intimidation actually exist. This document proves the Kerry Campaign and the DNC are more interested in scaring minority voters than in working to reach out to them on Election Day, even if it means completely making things up. And late today we received reports that Americas Coming Together (ACT)-a group working to get John Kerry elected-is distributing flyers in Missouri featuring an old photo of a civil...

Dear Voter, We just received an outrageous letter from the Chairman of the Republican Party, demanding that we stop talking about the issue of the military draft. He said that the draft issue is just an “urban myth” and Rock the Vote’s effort is being conducted with “reckless disregard for the truth.” The truth is that we still haven’t received acceptable answers from the candidates to real questions affecting our lives. The possibility of a draft is not a hoax. It’s a real issue that deserves real answers. An attempt to silence us by any politician—Democrat, Republican, Whatever—is unacceptable. This...

Kerry raised the draft issue in an interview in The Des Moines Register published Friday. "With George Bush the plan for Iraq is more of the same and the great potential of a draft. Because if we go it alone, I don't know how you do it with the current overextension" of the military, Kerry said. Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt dismissed Kerry's comments as "fear mongering" and suggested the Massachusetts senator was spreading "false Internet rumors."