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What interpretation of Islam influ enced Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan? As often before, the trail leads to the official sect of Saudi Arabia -- known as Wahhabism to most of us of who denounce it. Confronting the role of radical Islam here is not Islamophobic, but common sense -- and the first response moderate Muslims themselves will have. Hasan, though born in America, refused to have his picture taken with women -- an attitude distinct to fundamentalist radicalism among Muslims. The Prophet Mohammed cautioned his followers that when they go to live in non-Muslim lands they must accept the laws...

BALTIMORE -- Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon is about to put her political future in the hands of a jury. Dixon goes on trial Monday on theft charges. She's accused of hitting up her wealthy developer pals to donate thousands of dollars' worth of gift cards to needy families. Prosecutors say she used those gift cards for her personal shopping instead.

The answer to the big question surrounding Nancy Pelosi’s scheduling of the ObamaCare vote this weekend has been answered. She didn’t schedule it for Saturday because she had the votes — and now Steny Hoyer has admitted as much this morning: A House leader says Democrats haven’t yet lined up enough votes to pass their health care overhaul bill. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland says the vote that House Democrats had scheduled for Saturday could slip to Sunday or early next week. Hoyer acknowledged to reporters Friday that Democratic leaders don’t yet have the 218 votes needed to pass...

He prayed every day at the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring, a devout Muslim who, despite asking to be discharged from the U.S. Army, was on the eve of his first deployment to war. Yesterday, authorities said Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, a 39-year-old Arlington-born psychiatrist, shot and killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Tex. -snip- Hasan steered clear of female colleagues, co-workers said. Despite his devout religious practices, he listed himself in Army records as having no religious preference. A longtime Walter Reed colleague who referred patients to psychiatrists said co-workers avoided sending service members to Hasan because of...

WASHINGTON - If Democratic leaders manage to push a massive health care overhaul through the House of Representatives this weekend, they'll have to do it without one of Maryland's Democratic congressmen. Freshman Rep. Frank Kratovil, facing one of the toughest re-election fights in the country next year, announced Friday that he opposes the measure. His stance could complicate efforts by Democratic leaders to secure approval of the legislation this weekend.

While roaming the grounds of the US Capitol yesterday, Kristinn Taylor obtained a list of possible democrat defectors of the now infamous “Healthcare” bill. Kristinn was asked to post this list of wobbly democrats on FreeRepublic in an effort to mobilize our forces and overwhelm these members with phone calls and e-mails asking them to vote NO on the socialization of our healthcare. We also learned that Nancy Pelosi had just scheduled the vote for tomorrow; Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 6:00 PM. For all those who were unable to answer the call to surround the Capitol yesterday, here is...

Sidebar Mods, the Quakers have a sign openly saying this is them in the last posted pic. So hopefully you won’t remove this thread. Yep, even though the GREAT PUMPKIN couldn’t personally be on the corner (must have been resting up for the evening,s Halloween), he sent us a personal message, held by Cindy_True_Supporter (BELOW) And the Legionnaires were also there, all in their Legion jackets (BELOW). Pictured are (L-R): Janet (Adopted Legionnaire), Dave, Cindy_True_Supporter, Halsey, Carl, Glenn and [Mrs] T. And then there were the rest of us. BELOW LEFT: Cindy_True_Supporter and Fraxinus. BELOW RIGHT: Lurker Bill BELOW: And...

The Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring was empty Thursday night, but inside, the phone didn't stop ringing. Members of the mosque where Maj. Nidal M. Hasan had been a regular attendee and members of the media wanted to know about the place where the suspect in the shootings at Fort Hood, Tex., had prayed seven days a week, often in his Army fatigues. Arshad Qureshi, chairman of the center's board of trustees, said he tried to answer every call to convey the message that the center stands for peace. "We want to show there is a tiny portion of...

The suspect, a Virginia Tech graduate and one-time Vinton resident, was shot but survived at Fort Hood, Texas. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of shooting 12 people to death and wounding 31 others at Fort Hood, Texas, on Thursday, was the son of Roanoke merchants and restaurateurs, lived in Vinton and graduated from Virginia Tech. Hasan was born in Arlington to Palestinian immigrants from near Jerusalem who later settled in Vinton. Neighbors on Vinton's Ramada Road remembered him as a "studious" boy who went by "Michael." While his brother Eyad -- "Eddie" -- would play football with...

The military psychiatrist accused of gunning down 12 people in Texas lived most of his life in the D.C. area where he was considered a caring Muslim by friends -- but he had recently made disturbing statements about suicide attacks. U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, earned a degree from Virginia Tech, completed a residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and attended prayer services nearly every day in Silver Spring for several years. He was described as a caring person by a local Muslim leader, but those who got to know him after he was transferred to Fort...

LIVE THREAD!! Post comments and pics here. See you all down there. Look for the tall U.S./yellow "Don't Tread On ME" flag

At 9, Madieu Williams immigrated to Prince George's County from Sierra Leone, one of the poorest nations on Earth. The move gave his family a sense of perspective. His mother told him over and over that if he ever found himself in a position to make a difference, he should do it. At 28, Williams finds himself in a relatively prosperous position: He plays free safety for the Minnesota Vikings. And Wednesday, he made a difference. In a morning news conference, the University of Maryland announced the creation of the Madieu Williams Center for Global Health Initiatives. The former U-Md....

I've written recently about how courts in New Jersey and Illinois have concluded that the Second Amendment poses no obstacle to local governments enacting stringent anti-gun laws. Now a Maryland appeals court has followed suit. A three-judge panel ruled last Thursday that the Second Amendment does not interfere with a Maryland law that generally restricts state residents from carrying handguns. That's not much of a surprise. What is remarkable is that Judge Albert Matricciani went out of his way to write that even if the Second Amendment applied to state laws, Maryland's statute would be perfectly constitutional in the wake...

In court papers filed Tuesday, Muhammad's attorneys say the execution should be put off while the court considers whether his trial lawyer was ineffective.

A power outage at Metro's headquarters has led to massive problems systemwide, allowing people to ride some buses for free and shutting down WMATA's Web site, call center and e-mail alert system. Metro said it experienced a power outage at about 2:45 a.m. that took down the data center responsible for communication functions. Besides the Customer Call Center not being able to make or receive calls, Metro said the following problems have developed: Some Metrobus fareboxes are not functioning and if that is the case, customers are being allowed to ride without paying a fare. The NextBus system is not...

CLARKSVILLE, Md. (AP) - Be sure to wash up, Maryland doctors and nurses. You're being watched. State officials said Tuesday they're creating teams of staff members at hospitals around the state to secretly monitor their colleagues' hand-washing habits as part of a first-of-its-kind program. The monitors will contribute to asystemwide report on hand-washing, using $100,000 in federal stimulus money.

New York beef manufacturer Fairbanks Farms has issued a voluntary recall of a little more than half a million pounds of ground beef. The recall, which affects states from Maine to North Carolina -- Maryland included -- comes after one person died in New Hampshire and people were sickened in other states after eating beef thought to be contaminated by the bacteria E.coli. The products, which include ground beef, meatloaf and meatball mix, carry sell-by dates from Sept. 19-28 and were sold under such brands as Trader Joe's Butcher Shop Fine Quality Meats, Giant Meatloaf & Meatball Mix and BJ's...

    ~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland Naval Air Station Patuxent River, also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States Naval Air Station located in St. Mary's County on Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and serves a center for test and evaluation and systems acquisition relating to Naval Aviation. Commissioned on 1 April 1943 on land largely acquired through eminent domain, the air station grew rapidly in response to World War II. The base became a...

Bachmann asks for patriots to call Congress and meet up with her at the Capitol next Thursday at High Noon. Time to mobilize! Stop Socialized Medicine Now!!! It's the 11th hour....Let's pay Nancy Pelosi a House Call... and tell her what she can do with the "Pelosi Health Care Plan"

Week 233 (Oct 2) Week 232 (Sep 25) [Mr] Trooprally Me and Fraxinus Cindy-True-Supporter RonGKirby Week 233 (Oct 2)   Week 232 (Sep 25) CTS and Dennis from Families United [Mrs]texaschip Sep 25: A woman pulled over and asked Dennis does he think "we", meaning herself and her ilk, don’t support the troops. Cindy suggested she pull into the parking lot to talk. So she did and they talked for about 30 minutes. She had an Obama sticker on her car window. Said she graduated from Howard University. She said we don’t read enough to see how good Obama...

Walter Reed, Week 236, 10/23/09, and Week 237, 10/30/09, Twas’ the Night Before: The US Marine Marathon and Halloween FRONT GATE NOTES October 23, 2009, the Feisty Few Standing Tall Weddings, Support the Troops events, illness and birthdays took their toll on this breezy cool evening, but the feisty few stood tall on the four corners all evening. Drivers were honking their support all evening. One driver even rolled down his window and gave an unsolicited donation. (It will be used to support the troops). Right around 9pm two new big buses arrived with soldiers.: One from the NNMC (National...

The mayor of Frederick, Md., says a controversial Halloween display featuring three faceless dummies hanging from a willow tree will remain at a city park, despite complaints from the NAACP. Guy Djoken, president of Frederick County's NAACP chapter, has called on Mayor Jeff Holtzinger to order parks officials to remove the display, which he calls "disturbing." "Something should be done right away," Djoken told FoxNews.com. "When you look from a distance, it doesn't look good. We should just remove it."

Michelle Bachmann has asked that as many as possible meet with her on Thursday to chase down congressmen and look them in the eye and tell them NO on the health care bill. It would really be great if lots and lots of people answered her call.

Note: The following text is a quote: MS-13 Gunman Sentenced 80 Years for Attempted Murder ALEXANDRIA, VA—Dennis L. Gil Bernardez, 33, of Landover, Md., the gunman in an MS-13 shooting, was sentenced to 80 years in prison today for attempting to murder rival gang members on Oct. 6, 2008, at a park near homes in Reston, Va. His accomplice, Jose M. Aguilar Orantes, 18, of Reston, Va., who provided the firearm, was sentenced to 55 years in prison for his role in the attempted murders. A third member, Carlos B. Guzman Cruz, 25, of Richmond, Va., was sentenced to 144...

Three dummies hang from a willow tree in Baker Park as part of the City of Frederick Parks and Recreation Department's Halloween program. Guy Djoken, president of the local NAACP, said from a distance the dummies look like dead bodies. He is trying to get the city to remove them. "A dead man hanging in a tree, that takes us back to a dark day we don't want to go back to," Djoken said Thursday. "Whoever did this needs some sensitivity training."

Greenbelt, a city that prides itself on its heritage as a New Deal-era social experiment, is finding its commitment to inclusiveness tested as two black candidates contend for seats on its all-white City Council in Tuesday's elections. Until this year, only two blacks had ever run for the council and none had been elected, even though blacks account for nearly half the 21,000 residents of the 6-square-mile city just outside the Capital Beltway, according to the most recent census estimates. Asians and Hispanics make up 20 percent. The disparity has caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union and...

Climate Change finally made it to the Olney area, especially Week 197. WEEK 197, Oct. 17,2009Week 197’s roll call in Olney of 9 Patriots includes Legionnaires Glenn (USMC, WWII), Dave (Army, WWII) and friend, Janet, Halsey (USMC, Korea), Carl (Army, Vietnam Era), Lurker Bill, Cindy_True_Supporter, [Mrs] Trooprally and myself. Pictures this week are by [Mrs] T. Moonbats: 1, and she left early. But we couldn’t blame her. Weather dropped into the 40s with rain on Friday and the rain and cold continued into Saturday. Dave had to stay in the car while Janet gave her time on the corner. Carl...

Towson Conservatives hosted a special guest speaker on Wednesday who is running for a seat in U.S. Congress. Charles County Republican party chair Charles Lollar is challenging House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for the 5th congressional district representative of Maryland in the 2010 congressional election. He spoke to audience members Wednesday night concerning his intentions of running and his views on the current state of the country. He said he decided to run on Oct. 7. “I spoke to them about the economic condition of our country and the direction that our country is going into,” Lollar said. “I really...

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The mastermind of the 2002 Washington, DC-area sniper attacks will die by lethal injection next month, Virginia officials said Tuesday. John Allen Muhammad declined to choose between lethal injection and electrocution, so under state law the method defaults to lethal injection, Virginia Department of Corrections spokesman Larry Traylor said. Muhammad is scheduled to be executed Nov. 10 for the October 2002 slaying of Dean Harold Meyers at a Manassas gas station during a string of shootings. The three-week killing spree in October 2002 left 10 dead in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad will die by lethal injection when he is executed next month, Virginia officials said Tuesday. Muhammad declined to choose between lethal injection and electrocution, so under state law the method defaults to lethal injection, Virginia Department of Corrections spokesman Larry Traylor said. Muhammad is scheduled to be executed Nov. 10 for the October 2002 slaying of Dean Harold Meyers at a Manassas gas station during a string of shootings.

Would you sign up for a discount with your power company in exchange for surrendering control of your thermostat? What if it means that, one day, your auto insurance company will know that you regularly arrive home on weekends at 2:15 a.m., just after the bars close? Welcome to the complex world of the Smart Grid, which may very well pit environmental concerns against thorny privacy issues. If you think such debates are purely philosophical, you’re behind the times.

Crackdowns on illegal immigrants and other law enforcement efforts are driving gangs out of Northern Virginia and into Maryland and the District, a report released Monday concluded. "Many gang members from Northern Virginia are moving or driving to Prince George's and other Maryland counties, into the District of Columbia or further south and west into Virginia to avoid dealing with police departments that are unrelenting in their efforts to keep gangs under control," authorities wrote in the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force report. The report said the task force's success is the result of Virginia law enforcement's use of...

Oct 21, 2009 — Plants are not as stationary as one might think. Parts of them, like seeds, can travel for miles. One good example is the maple seed. Its little helicopter seeds can catch an updraft and fly a long distance from the tree. Now, engineers at University of Maryland have imitated its physics and designed a radio-controlled mono-copter that can sustain stable flight for hours...

KENSINGTON, Md. - Public parks are usually the places where children go to have fun. But the town of Kensington just passed a new rule that bans kids over five years old from playgrounds during the daytime...The girls at Kensington's Brookewood School are banned from using a public park right across the street for recess. "I don't think it's really fair because we're part of the community too and we want to play in the park," said Jill Collins, a fifth-grade student. The town council unanimously passed a resolution this week saying only caretakers with children five years old and...

It recently came to light that individuals employed by ACORN have been apparent accomplices with regard to the conduct of alleged criminal activities. Surprisingly, it was the investigative ingenuity of ordinary citizens who brought this information to the attention of the public. As a Member of Congress, these relevations are of interest to me in that ACORN is the beneficiary of substantial federal funding. As the former Attorney General of my state of California, this story is of great concern to me for an entirely different reason. Ironically, it is those who revealed the alleged illegal acts, rather than the...

Health Reform: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says it's constitutional to mandate insurance coverage. Congress, he insists, has "broad authority" to make us buy things to provide for the "general welfare." Democrats' Alice In Wonderland interpretation of what they consider to be a "living Constitution," where words mean what they say they mean based on political considerations, gets more bizarre by the minute. (snip) We've been down this road before. In 1994, Hillary Clinton's secretive health care task force was trying to nationalize health care. "A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of...

Was our oldest ancestor a proton-powered rock? --snip-- The picture painted by Russell and Martin is striking indeed. The last common ancestor of all life was not a free-living cell at all, but a porous rock riddled with bubbly iron-sulphur membranes that catalysed primordial biochemical reactions...

Excerpt: Charles Lollar, a conservative Republican from Charles County, announced this week his candidacy for the District 5 congressional seat held by House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D). “We’re going to speak the truth. We’re going to speak about what matters. There are people hurting out there,” Lollar told about 80 supporters gathered Wednesday at the American Legion banquet hall in Greenbelt, where he announced his run that was expected after he set up an exploratory committee several months ago. Lollar, 38, a Newburg resident and regional general manager for Cintas uniform company, is the first official challenger to...

Hoyer Says Constitution’s ‘General Welfare’ Clause Empowers Congress to Order Americans to Buy Health Insurance Wednesday, October 21, 2009 By Matt Cover (CNSNews.com) – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said that the individual health insurance mandates included in every health reform bill, which require Americans to have insurance, were “like paying taxes.” He added that Congress has “broad authority” to force Americans to purchase other things as well, so long as it was trying to promote “the general welfare.” The Congressional Budget Office, however, has stated in the past that a mandate forcing Americans to buy health insurance would...

Washington D.C. had the highest percentage rise in unemployment in September, with the jobless rate jumping from 11.1 percent to 11.4 percent, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported moments ago in its monthly state-by-state jobless report. New York experienced the most jobs lost in the month, but D.C. had the highest percentage loss relative to population. D.C. lost 10,000 jobs from August to September, the Bureau said. The national unemployment rate is 9.8 percent. In Maryland, the unemployment rate is 7.2 percent, up from 4.6 this time last year. In Virginia, the rate is 6.7 percent, up from...

Note: The following text is a quote: Maryland Scientist Charged with Attempted Espionage WASHINGTON—A Maryland scientist who once worked in varying capacities for the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been arrested for attempted espionage, David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Channing D. Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director for the FBI’s Washington Field Office, announced today. A criminal complaint unsealed today in the District of Columbia charges Stewart David Nozette, 52, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, with attempted espionage for...

A Marine sergeant charged with faking battle injuries to get freebies intended for wounded warriors will plead guilty, a Marine Corps spokeswoman said Monday. Sgt. David W. Budwah, 34, of Springhill, La., will enter the plea at a court-martial hearing Wednesday at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., 1st Lt. Joy Crabaugh wrote in an e-mail.

Police: Jewelry store owner's actions 'commendable' Daily Record/Sunday News Updated: 10/17/2009 02:05:26 PM EDT Two people attempting to rob a Shrewsbury jewelry store Friday night were chased away when the store owner fired a shot at one of them, according to Southern Regional Police. Chief James Childs said this morning that police will be looking at what Alexander's Jewelry owner Ken Zampier did, but said, "I think what he did was commendable," and described Zampier's actions as "sort of heroic." Police said Friday night that Zampier may have hit one of the people attempting to rob the store. The (Baltimore)...

The U.S. may soon get its first nuclear reactor in more than 30 years. UniStar Nuclear Energy — a joint venture between Baltimore-based Constellation Energy and the EDF Group — has proposed a new reactor for southern Maryland capable of generating 1,600 megawatts and powering 1.3 million homes twenty-four hours a day. To put this in context, the largest wind power installation in the world, the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in Texas, generates 735 megawatts — but only when it’s windy. Nuclear, by comparison, is massive. Having cleared the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the New York Public Service...

A 10th person in Maryland has died of swine flu, state health officials said Tuesday. The person, an adult from Western Maryland, had underlying health problems. As with other deaths related to the H1N1 virus, officials would not release further details.

Definition of PEEWEE FOOTBALL - Best Watch In The World!!More in a minute. WEEK 195, Oct. 03,2009While the Trooprally’s were in NC visiting their son and his family, a group of 6 Patriots held down the corner in Olney. Roll call includes Legionnaires Bob (WWII), Jack (Coast Guard, Korea), Lurker Bill and FReepers Cindy_True_Supporter and FraxinusPictures for Week 195 are by Lurker Bill. BELOW LEFT: Construction continues around Cindy_True_Supporter and Fraxinus. As construction continues, we are figuring how to best put up our flags and banners. BELOW RIGHT: Bob and Jack help hold down the corner. BELOW: Charlie is back...

Pro-choice groups are battling a proposed new hospital in northern Montgomery County because of Catholic restrictions on abortion and contraceptives.Both Holy Cross, a Catholic hospital in Silver Spring, and Adventist HealthCare of Takoma Park have submitted bids to Maryland to build hospitals in upper Montgomery County, one of the fastest-growing areas in the region.Holy Cross wants to build a 93-bed hospital on the Montgomery College campus in Germantown, whileAdventist wants to build a 100-bed in Clarksburg. The Maryland Health Care Commission is expected to pick between the competing proposals in the spring.A coalition of women's group, including Planned Parenthood and...

"Leaders of the Maryland NAACP, worried that a Baltimore mayor's criminal conviction could result in the appointment of a white or Republican leader who may not fully represent the majority black and Democratic city, are asking state lawmakers to strip the governor of authority to permanently fill the office. The request, made in a resolution adopted at a state meeting of the civil rights group last weekend, marks the first time a mainstream organization has raised questions about succession should Baltimore Mayor Dixon be convicted of any of the nine charges she faces. Dixon has been indicted for theft and...

Just heard on WMAL that Chris Plante is returning to the WMAL lineup in his old spot...he will return to WMAL next Monday!

Chevy Chase Village (Maryland) is looking to spend $30,000 raised by speed cameras to buy 12 Tasers for its police force. Village Police Chief Roy Gordon said Tasers were an important public safety tool that would give his officers a less deadly option than a firearm. "Anytime we can put a tool in the hands of a police officer that's going to be less than lethal force, why not?" Gordon said. But Montgomery County Councilman Phil Andrews, a longtime supporter of speed cameras, said the money raised by the machines ought to be spent on fixing the problems they were...