Free Republic

It stands to reason that if governments, or their pals in business, don't fix things up, lawyers will enter the void and sue the pants off anyone they can get their hands on. We see it all the time with litigation against cigarette manufacturers, the miners and purveyors of asbestos, and the pushers of fatty foodstuffs ("cheeseburger litigation"). Over time law cases affecting these industries have transferred wads of shareholders' money to lawyers; some has even trickled down to unfortunate consumers. So it's only a matter of time before a global warming litigation industry builds up a decent head of...

"...It should come as no surprise to find Wall Street urging us to go green. There's money to be made – tax-funded profits squeezed out of guilt-ridden consumers and PR-hungry business..." NOT CONTENT with abolishing the economic cycle, the world's central bankers and finance ministers – led by Gordon Brown and ordained by Pope Al Gore the First – now plan a 'New World Order' to fight global warming. A wealth of tax-funded humbug is certain to follow. So it comes as no surprise to find Wall Street and the City of London urging us all to "go green" as...

Not one single day goes by in New Zealand now without a reference somewhere to global warming, and New Zealand’s requirement to comply with the Kyoto protocol. But few people realise that Kyoto was the brainchild of a corrupt multinational energy company, looking to make a buck out of the green movement. KEN RING explains Amidst the talk about the benefits that Kyoto Protocol is sup-posed to promote, it is perhaps forgotten especially amongst the greenies how Kyoto was born in the corridors of very big business. The name Enron has all but faded from our news pages since the...

he city of Seattle will pay $1 million to WTO protesters who were arrested in Westlake Park seven years ago and will clear their records, in a settlement announced today. The money will cover the plaintiffs' legal fees, with the rest divided among 160 protesters, who will get roughly $3,000 to $10,000 per person, said Mike Withey, their attorney. ... The $1 million will come from the city's insurer, not taxpayers, Withey said. The city has already paid $800,000 to settle multiple claims involving police misconduct during the WTO protests. ...

From seMissourian.com: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Hundreds of opponents of embryonic stem-cell research crammed the Capitol halls Wednesday urging a statewide election on whether to overturn a voter-approved constitutional protection for such research.

VINITA, Okla. -- J.D. Baldridge, 73, has official government documents showing him to be a descendant of a full-blood Cherokee. He has memories of a youth spent among Cherokee neighbors and kin, at tribal stomp dances and hog fries. He holds on to a fair amount of Cherokee vocabulary. " Salali," Baldridge says, his face creasing into a smile at the word. "Squirrel stew. Oh, that was good." What Baldridge, a retired Oklahoma county sheriff, also has is at least one black ancestor, a former slave of a Cherokee family. That could get Baldridge cast out of the tribe, along...

Gardasil isn't exactly an anti-cancer vaccine, but it comes close. It protects girls and women against four sexually transmitted strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), two of which cause about 70 percent of all cervical cancer. It is also extremely controversial, though the nature of the controversy has changed radically since the treatment was invented. This time last year the issue was whether it would be allowed at all, a matter settled in June when the Food and Drug Administration approved it. Today the question is whether the shots should be required. Nearly half the states have been considering measures...

WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) is asking whether he can take money from donors who want him to be president, then give it back later. The Federal Election Commission said Wednesday that it will look into the novel question. Obama is indicating that he wants to at least keep the option of using the public financing system for his presidential campaign if he becomes the Democratic nominee. To do so, the Illinois senator could not spend any money from contributors for political purposes, but instead use federal funding that is expected to total about $85...

BALTIMORE, Maryland (Reuters) -- A bird flu pandemic remains a threat that the U.S. health care system must take seriously despite less frequent media coverage and the absence so far of human cases in the United States, experts warned. John Bartlett, an infectious disease expert at John Hopkins University, said the decentralized U.S. health system will make it more difficult to get ready for a possible human pandemic of H5N1 avian virus -- or anything else. He disagreed with the suggestion that the bird flu threat has been overstated by the media. (snip) "And it continues to be just as...

VERNON – It's easy to understand why Leonis Malburg would rather not live here. But for more than 50 years, Malburg has been helping run this dreary municipal oddity, and he has been mayor since 1974. Vernon, about five miles south of downtown Los Angeles, touts itself as “Exclusively Industrial,” and has fewer than 100 residents. Its 5.2 square miles are wall-to-wall with warehouses, meatpacking plants and asphalt. Trucks rumble through the streets. There are no parks – even patches of grass are scarce. An estimated 44,000 people work here every day but return to homes outside city limits when...

Imported models took all 13 spots on the U.S. insurance industry's list of safest vehicles this year, mainly because of a new requirement that all cars and SUV's on the list have systems to keep them stable in an emergency. "The research is so compelling that electronic stability control could help prevent many crashes from happening in the first place," an institute spokesman said. Winners for 2007 models included the Audi A6 in the large car category; the Audi A-4, Saab 9-3 and Subaru Legacy (with optional stability control) for mid-size cars; Hyundai Entourage and Kia Sedona minivans; Mercedes M-class...

The controversy over President Bush's nomination of current Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Janet T. Neff for the Federal Western District Court is currently driven by Kansas Republican Senator Sam Brownback's concern over Judge Neff's attending a gay wedding in 2002. However, the fine print in the news lightly touches on the fact that Judge Neff is a liberal Democrat, and that her pending appointment is a trade-off. Judge Janet Neff and her husband and Labor Attorney David A. Neff are both Democrats. In fact David A. Neff contributed $1,750 to Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow's (D) campaign. Is it any...

The National Democratic Party has spent $50,000 promoting a nominal Republican write-in candidate to succeed former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a move the more prominent GOP campaign called a "desperate" effort to split the write-in vote. The mailout on behalf of write-in candidate Don Richardson describes positions potentially appealing to conservatives who, according to a recent Chronicle-11 News poll, make up at least 55 percent of the district's population. "Don Richardson supports President Bush's Patriot Act," the mailer says. "Do you?" It also says he would put troops on the border to stop illegal immigration, allow law enforcement officials...

For those who do not know the "older definition" of the term 'Chicken Hawk,' it was at one time the term for homosexuals who had a penchant for young, (underage) boys. I received a flyer in the mail today from an organization called Vote Kids (votekids.org) that attacks Rick Santorum as being anti children. On a cursory investigation of this organization, I found more questions than answers. The flyer is typical of many this season (frankly from both sides) full of misstatements and distortions. It accuses Santorum and Bush of being "Weapons of Mass Destruction" and harming children. I went...

Those of us who argue that a system of free enterprise is far superior to one of control by government regulators are always tagged by our foes as lackeys of the rich, the powerful and big corporations. It is true that I often defend wealthy corporations against those who want to loot them. Yet I hold no illusions that corporate leaders are somehow on "our" side when it comes to issues of freedom and property rights. "[I]t's always been true that business is not a friend of a free market," argues Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman. "I have given a...

ROME, Italy (AFP) - Italian authorities seized a container full of weapons, including Kalashnikov assault rifles and plastic explosives bound for the United States from Saudi Arabia in May, press reports said yesterday.

AUSTIN — Chanting "Try Rove for treason," Cindy Sheehan and more than 50 other war protesters ambushed a reception before President Bush's top adviser Karl Rove spoke at a fundraiser at a hotel Saturday. One woman was arrested during a scuffle with police after Sheehan and the anti-war demonstrators rushed toward the closed doors and kept chanting loudly after the guests went into the dinner. Rove was speaking at an Associated Republicans of Texas dinner, where ticket prices started at $200 per person. He was not in the Renaissance Hotel lobby during the reception. "I want him arrested. He planned...

MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) has had one hell of a run. Their success rate is the envy of the activist community; their lobbying for tougher laws and public awareness is largely responsible (or so they will tell you) for reducing alcohol-related traffic deaths since 1982 by a whopping 37 percent. Okay, they give a little credit to the maturation of baby boomers, safer vehicles, airbags and mandatory seatbelt laws. They have captured every flag they initially set out to capture. They got prison sentences for repeat DUI offenders. Flying in the face of the Constitution, they pressured the government...

The New York Times September 24, 2001 Monday Late Edition - Final SECTION: Section A; Column 1; Editorial Desk; Pg. 30 LENGTH: 545 words HEADLINE: Finances of Terror Organizing the hijacking of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon took significant sums of money. [snip] Washington and its allies must also disable the financial networks used by terrorists. [snip] Much more is needed, including stricter regulations, the recruitment of specialized investigators and greater cooperation with foreign banking authorities. There must also must be closer coordination among America's law enforcement, national security and financial regulatory agencies....

Wife of former PA chairman met in Tunis with Abbas, both agree to strengthen relations Suha Arafat, the widow of former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, has made up with the current chairman, Mahmoud Abbas. The two bridged their divisions on Thursday when Abbas met Suha during his visit in Tunis, and the two agreed to strengthen relations. Abbas and Suha Arafat cut ties when Arafat was lying at Paris hospital. Suha mobilized the Arab press and claimed that Abbas and other Palestinian leaders were attempting to replace Arafat while he was still alive. The declaration was highly embarrassing to the...

Many North Texans are complaining about a controversial program during in which state officials arrest people inside bars in order to crack down on public intoxication. The program began years ago, but during the most recent legislative session, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission asked for and received more money to ramp up the operation. As a result, the TABC hired 100 agents to travel from bar to bar looking for drunk people who could pose a danger in an agent's opinion. TABC officials said the program is proactive policing to cut back on drunken driving, but those arrested said it...

A day after a foiled attack against Saudi Arabia's vital oil infrastructure, an Al Qaeda branch warned in an Internet statement Saturday that there would be more suicide bombings. "There are more like them who are racing toward martyrdom and eager to fight the enemies of God," the posting said. ADVERTISEMENT A successful strike on the Abqaiq complex, near Saudi Arabia's Persian Gulf coast, would be devastating. Nearly two-thirds of the country's oil flows through the facility for processing before export. Friday's attack, which was repelled by Saudi security services, demonstrated the country's success in putting tough security around the...

In Port Deal, Clinton Ships Passing in the Night? Thursday, February 23, 2006 @ 6:03:24 PM It appears that a number of people are already profiting from the sale of some operations management of U.S. ports. But it ain't the port guys. Already, it has been established that former Sen. Bob Dole is, well, on the port dole. No surprise, then, that former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is also apparently drawing a check (someone should ask her just when she began drawing a check on this deal, as it appears it was some time ago, according to some Senate...

WASHINGTON - Weeks before one of its companies sought U.S. approval for its ports deal, the United Arab Emirates contributed $100 million to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, officials confirmed Thursday. The Bush administration said the money it received from the United Arab Emirates was nearly four times as much as it received from all other countries combined. Other countries, including some in the Middle East, also pledged large contributions but have not yet sent the money. The White House said the $100 million for storm victims demonstrates the close relationship between the two governments now caught in a firestorm...

THE White House sought to distance itself today from the US administration's approval of an Arab company's takeover of operations at major US ports, a day after President George W. Bush vowed to veto any legislation to block the deal. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president was not aware of the pending deal until it was approved and had become public but then checked with cabinet secretaries to make sure they stood by their approval of the plan by state-controlled Dubai Ports World to manage six ports. Mr Bush held a rare news conference on Air Force One...

The local San Diego FOX-6 Channel has just broken the story tonight that the San Diego Chapter of "Kind Hearts" Charity has also had it's finances frozen for having links to terrorist organizations. Two of the 9/11 hijackers were living and taking flying lessons here in San Diego.

France has distanced itself from two former ambassadors facing corruption charges TWO former French ambassadors have admitted earning hundreds of thousands of dollars from the sale of oil that Iraq had assigned to them under the United Nations Oil-for-Food programme. The disclosure tarnished France’s moral stand against the invasion of Iraq, and its Foreign Ministry scrambled to distance itself from the alleged illicit activities of Serge Boidevaix, a former director of the ministry, and of Jean-Bernard Mérimée, a former French Ambassador to the UN. Both are facing corruption charges. Jean-Baptiste Mattei, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said: “There is no...

There is no link between sugar and obesity because health problems linked to weight gain are caused by increased consumption of calories and a lack of exercise, a U.S. sugar industry group said Wednesday. "Every major, comprehensive review of the total body of scientific literature continues to exonerate sugars intake as the causative factor in any lifestyle disease, including obesity," Andrew Briscoe, president and chief executive of the Sugar Association, said at the annual meeting of the main U.S. industry group American Sugar Alliance. The Sugar Association promotes the consumption of sugar as a part of a healthy diet and...

Democratic leaders back Dean, don't want 'wimp' By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent Sat Jun 11, 2:56 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic National Committee leaders embraced feisty party boss Howard Dean on Saturday and urged him to keep fighting despite a flap over his blunt comments on Republicans. After a meeting of the DNC's 40-member executive committee at a downtown hotel, members said Dean was doing exactly what they elected him to do -- build the party in all states and aggressively challenge Republicans. "I hope Governor Dean will remember that he didn't get elected to be a wimp," said...

"We misled you. And we plan to keep on misleading you." That's essentially what the Centers for Disease Control announced this week. The agency said Tuesday that it has greatly over-exaggerated the number of lives lost each year to obesity. After years of putting the figure somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000, the agency now says the number is just under 26,000, meaning the government has been telling us obesity is fourteen times the threat it actually is, leading policymakers at all levels of governance to prescribe all matter of intrusive, expensive, choice-restrictive public policies aimed at addressing it. A Lexis...

DISCOVERTHENETWORK.ORG is David Horowitz's newest website, dedicated to exposing the interconnected web of left-wing activists, organizations, journalists, and financiers that wage political warfare against the United States and her founding ideals. This ever-growing database features encyclopedic profiles of the personalities, agendas, words, deeds, and ultimate goals of the Left. DiscoverTheNetwork has profiled and will continue to a wide-ranging number of left-wing extremists, from feminists to Islamists, from academics to agitators, and from environmental extremists to terrorist sympathizers. When one wishes to look up, say, Ward Churchill, one can search his name at DiscoverTheNetwork and find an in-depth account of his radicalism, as well as links and a diagram showing his connection...

[India News]: Bangalore, Jan 21 : American evangelist Benny Hinn Friday evening began his much-awaited "Festival of Blessings" prayer meeting here, which saw a shutdown call and incidents of stone throwing by protesting Hindu activists earlier in the day. About 8,000-10,000 policemen have been deployed in and around the sprawling venue to regulate crowds. Organisers of the show, being held at the Jakkur airstrip on the outskirts of the city, said earlier that about 400,000 people had already gathered for the event from all parts of the country, especially south India. A few hundred also came from abroad. Speaking to...

BEIJING - The United Nations must show it is tough enough to ensure the security of its members so that individual countries do not take measures into their own hands, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday. Speaking to Chinese university students in Beijing, Annan said fighting terrorism was best achieved through cooperation and information-sharing between states, not the use of force. “Indeed, the first purpose of the United Nations, laid down in Article 1 of the Charter, is ’to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace’,” Annan said. “We must show that...

YOO-HOO! followthemoney.org. . . OVER HERE! The Left's Fatally Flawed "Animal Farm" Mentality(Why America Must NEVER AGAIN Elect a Democrat President) WHY JOHN KERRY IS DANGEROUS FOR AMERICA by Mia T, 6.04.04   (viewing movie requires Flash Player 7, available HERE) NEW! compleatjohnkerry.blogspot.com NEW! unfitforcommand.blogspot.comjohnkerryisdangerousforamerica.blogspot.com The Bush Doctine is built on two pillars, one -- that the United States must maintain its absolute military superiority in every part of the world, and second -- that the United States has the right for preemptive action. Now, both these propositions, taken on their own, are quite valid propositions, but if you put...

<p>Many paper trails related to the financing of militant Islam and terrorism still lead to Saudi Arabia, despite significant regulatory improvements. A recent study sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations outlines the strides the Saudi government has made in this area, along with the remaining shortcomings.</p>

In a previous press release, Anti-CAIR (ACAIR), documented the relationship between the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington DCUnited States and Canada. based organization that claims to protect the civil rights of Muslims in the As part of a continuing investigation into the sources of CAIR’s funding, we have come across Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, the first, and present, president of the IDB.  Why is Dr. Ali noteworthy?  Dr. Ali served as Secretary General of the Muslim World League, (MWL), from 1993 to 1995.  He was charged with “restructuring the MWL.”     ...

Government Funding and Abortion Income Help Planned Parenthood Make a Killing, According to Organization's Annual Report 12/17/03 1:05:00 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: Joe Giganti of American Life League, 703-928-9695 or jgiganti@all.org WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- "It's an outrage that our government has subsidized an abortion performing organization such as Planned Parenthood to the tune of more than $3 billion over the past four decades," said Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League's STOPP International. "Planned Parenthood's just-released 2002-2003 Annual Report shows that 33 percent of its income came from government grants and contracts totaling...

Q: What Ties Philanthropy to Politics? A: Marriage and Money The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an environmental activist group which seeks to influence legislation and support political candidates who favor its positions on the environment. On January 24 LCV endorsed John Kerry for the presidency. While it’s hardly a surprise that the liberal LCV would endorse Senator Kerry, the early timing of the endorsement raises certain questions. In 2000, the LCV waited until April to endorse Vice President Gore, a candidate whose advocacy for LCV’s positions on environmental issues is much stronger than Kerry’s. Why did LCV jump...

"For where your treasure (money) is, there will your heart (interests) be also." Luke 12:34 Who funds homosexual & lesbian groups? Corporations and foundations supporting gay/lesbian issues* Last in Oct. 2000. An inside look at the programs & initiatives of homosexual advocacy. (Notice the focus of many programs is on youth, even children -- promoting pro-homosexual curricula and counseling in even elementary schools.) compiled by Diane Dew from public records, annual reports, and publications of The Foundation Center About SIECUS (Sexuality Information & Education Council of the U.S.) GRANTOR CONTACT INFO, MISC. DONOR INFO. GRANT RECIPIENT, AMOUNT & DIRECTIVE ABC,...

Now you can follow advocacy group spending in the 2004 elections! An innovative Web-based tool unveiled today by the Center for Responsive Politics allows voters to research advocacy groups spending millions of dollars to influence the 2004 elections and to report the activities of these groups in their communities. With the 2004 presidential and congressional races in full swing, special interest groups across the political spectrum will be airing ads, mailing flyers and operating phone banks designed to support or oppose the election of a candidate. Inconsistent reporting requirements will make identifying and tracking these groups difficult. To assist voters...

WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) -- In a legal strategy similar to how state attorneys general successfully pursued tobacco companies, a class action lawsuit has been filed to recover "billions of dollars in ill-gotten profits" from alcohol makers that falsely denied their ads targeted underage drinkers. The suit accuses brewers Coors Brewing Co. and Heineken; distilled spirits makers Mark Anthony Brands (maker of Mike's Hard Lemonade), Bacardi USA, Bacardi Group, Brown-Forman, Diageo and Kobrand (maker of Alize cognac); and the Beer Institute of a "long-running, sophisticated and deceptive scheme ... to market alcoholic beverages to children and other underage consumers." Absent from suit...

As the saying goes, "Follow the Money!" ; )

The Terri Jello Brigade Will Continue To March Forward Until Terri Receives Therapy For Oral Feeding.Question of the day: Why oh why wouldn't the government allow Terri to receive communion yesterday? Answer: It would prove she can swallow!!!!! They'd have to stop the murder by decree, and declare the death of the greatest growth industries ( spell that s-c-a-m ) by the two evil sisters - religion and government!!! Could you do without food and water for six days? DAY 6 THE STATE OF FLORIDA, U.S.A. IS EXECUTING TERRI SCHINDLER-SHIAVROBY STARVATION (See http://terrisfight.org ) At 2 P.M. on October 15,...

Join the Terri Jello Brigade Today!!! Could you do without food and water for five days? DAY 5 THE STATE OF FLORIDA, U.S.A. IS EXECUTING TERRI SCHINDLER-SHIAVROBY STARVATION (See http://terrisfight.org ) At 2 P.M. on October 15, the State of Florida surgically removed the feeding tube from a conscious and otherwise alert human being. Her name is Terri Schiavo. Her unfaithful husband, acting as her legal 'guardian' demanded and received a court directive to end Terri's life through the intentional deprivation of food and water - staving her to death. The entire establishment structure in Florida from the governor to...

Join the Terri Jello Brigade Today!!! Could you do without food and water for four days? DAY 4 THE STATE OF FLORIDA, U.S.A. IS EXECUTING TERRI SCHINDLER-SHIAVROBY STARVATION (See http://terrisfight.org ) At 2 P.M. on October 15, the State of Florida surgically removed the feeding tube from a conscious and otherwise alert human being. Her name is Terri Schiavo. Her unfaithful husband, acting as her legal 'guardian' demanded and received a court directive to end Terri's life through the intentional deprivation of food and water - staving her to death. The entire establishment structure in Florida from the governor to...

Join the Terri Jello Brigade Today!!! Could you do without food and water for three days? DAY 3 THE STATE OF FLORIDA, U.S.A. IS EXECUTING TERRI SCHINDLER-SHIAVRO BY STARVATION (See http://terrisfight.org) At 2 P.M. on October 15, the State of Florida surgically removed the feeding tube from a conscious and otherwise alert human being. Her name is Terri Schiavo. Her unfaithful husband, acting as her legal 'guardian' demanded and received a court directive to end Terri's life through the intentional deprivation of food and water - staving her to death. The entire establishment structure in Florida from the governor to...

Baylor University player Patrick Dennehy was slain after he decided to expose improprieties in the school's basketball program, says a lawsuit filed here Friday by his biological father. Athletic department officials and university officials not associated directly with the athletic program would not listen to his concerns, the suit said. "Patrick determined it would be up to him to expose the improprieties ... to stop what was going on," said the state district court suit filed by Patrick Dennehy Sr., 44, of Seattle. "Shortly after making that decision, Patrick became the target of violent threats against his person and soon...

Leftist Sugar DaddiesBy J. Gordon LambFrontPageMagazine.com | February 24, 2003 Nazi Minister Of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels once remarked, "The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly...it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over." It’s a lesson the Left has learned well and taken to heart. There are certain tenets among the Left that are taken as Gospel among it’s adherents. The “fact” of global warming, that the United States is “racist” nation and, of course, Senator Hillary Clinton’s theory of a "vast right-wing conspiracy."...

Mr. Hariri Goes to WashingtonFrom the May 12, 2003 issue: The prime minister's prime real estate.by Richard W. Carlson 05/12/2003, Volume 008, Issue 34 ACCORDING TO the Washington Post, a fellow you've probably never heard of named Rafik Hariri wants to build a $25 million house in Washington, D.C., a Kennedy Center-scale monument better suited to the banks of the Tigris River. Why did Hariri pay $13 million for the property on Foxhall Road back in 1987? Why does he want to pay $25 million or more to build a 103,667 square-foot house on it now? The answer, self-evidently, is...

Operation Iraqi Freedom Link to the previous thread Good Morning. This is the Daily Thread of Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - LIVE THREAD. It is designed for general conversation about the events of the day. In depth discussion of events should be left to individual threads - but links to the threads or other articles is highly encouraged. This allows us to stay abreast of the situation in general, while also providing a means of obtaining specific information.