Free Republic

AN Australian port could be attacked or a ferry hijacked by terrorists to transport weapons of mass destruction, because of gaps in the maritime border security net. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has found a lack of awareness from states and the federal Government about the specific threats posed from the sea. "A determined and expert terrorist is still likely to have little difficulty in entering Australia by sea, and will probably only be defeated by advance intelligence of his movements," the institute says in a report titled Future unknown: the terrorist threat to Australian maritime security. "We have high...

Wed 13 Apr 2005 9:47am (UK) Naval Security Reviewed over Ship Intruder By Ben Mitchell, PA A review of security at a major UK naval base has been carried out after an alleged intruder was found on board a visiting US aircraft carrier, the Royal Navy said today. The alleged trespasser was discovered on board the USS Harry S Truman, anchored off Stokes Bay, Gosport, Hants, on Saturday night during a week-long visit to Portsmouth Naval Base. A navy spokesman said the man had allegedly passed through both Royal Navy security and US Navy security to get on board passenger...

SAN FRANCISCO - Golden Gate Bridge officials Thursday moved closer to building a barrier to prevent people from jumping off the famous suspension bridge, where about 1,300 people have killed themselves since the landmark opened in 1937. Officials voted to develop a plan and explore funding for the suicide barrier after hearing emotional testimony from friends and family of people who jumped off the iconic bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County. The decision by a committee of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District still must be approved by the district's board of directors when it meets March...

Jerusalem city engineers will take down the hill jutting out from the Western Wall, replacing it with a bridge. Archaeologists expect to find treasures, such as a tall gate from the Second Temple. The Jerusalem Municipality has decided to take down the hill that leads up from the Western Wall (Kotel) entrance to the Temple Mount, for fear that it might otherwise collapse. The walkway up the hill leads to the Mughrabim Gate, which is currently the only entrance for Jews to the Temple Mount. The city plans to replace the hill with a bridge that will lead into the...

I have a 30 plus year experience of working within and around litigators...I would guess that I have worked with over 100 attorneys and on and with about 40 cases... When I needed an attorney for a case of pure retaliatory abuse that denied me medical care that I had both earned and paid for, I studied the resumes and reputations of attorneys throughout Texas. David Van Os had and has the highest rating and reputation for ethics of any attorney in Texas. And after dealing with him, I would certainly confirm that he has been the most principled and...

Excerpt from the chapter on the Dayton peace accords..... "So there we were. We'd been holed up at Dayton for far to long. I kept explaining to the both of them that all we had to do was reach some sort of understanding and we could go home. But they wouldn't budge. I decided to let them cool off for a bit. I pulled out a box of cigars and offered one to each of them. I tell you I've never seen two enemies agree so quickly. They swore that they'd become the best of friends just grabbed their...

Recently discovered that Wesley Clark had a twin brother. His twin also suffered from delusions of grandeur.

London's Last Ancient City Gate Set to Return Wed July 9, 2003 11:19 AM ET By F. Brinley Bruton LONDON (Reuters) - The last of the City of London's ancient perimeter gates is to return to the capital after more than a century in ignominious exile. Temple Bar -- an elaborate stone archway complete with spikes for traitors' heads -- will become a feature of a new development near St Paul's Cathedral, just half a mile from its original site. "It was a very important landmark that simply got lost," said John Ansell, administrator of Temple Bar Trust, set up...

Mr. President, it gives me a warm feeling inside to know it's your birthday. Knowing what good friends you were with Shwartz, leading contributor in '96, a Loral executive who liked being on camera. Remember that kool company that contributed so much to you? The corporation that Bush Sr. had put on probation for getting fast and loose with US missile technology secrets? The corporation that benefitted most when you transferred State authority to Ron Brown's Commerce authority.... the authority to decide what technology we can give to rogue states like China? Oh it warms my heart. And you haven't...