Free Republic

The appointment of a well-respected ex-Navy lawyer to oversee war-crime trials is being seen in military legal circles as a sign the Obama administration might reverse its decision to bring Khalid Shaikh Mohammed to New York for a civilian trial. At the same time, a pending speedy-trial ruling in a second terror case in New York could give Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. an escape route through which he could switch the trial of Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) from federal court back to a military system set up by former President George W. Bush and Congress.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Gerri Bostic lost all her material possessions 25 years ago when police dropped a bomb on her block, killing five children and six adult members of the militant group MOVE and incinerating 61 row homes.

Bird influenza viruses have a variety of strategies to cross the species barrier and spreadThe 2009 H1N1 influenza virus used a new strategy to cross from birds into humans, a warning that it has more than one trick up its sleeve to jump the species barrier and become virulent. In a report in this week's early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, researchers show that the H1N1, or swine flu, virus adopted a new mutation in one of its genes distinct from the mutations found in previous flu viruses, including...

United Van Lines, LLC has released its annual migration study on where it takes its clients to and from among the 48 contiguous states. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has tested their data against actual census data going back to 1977 and found the two to be very highly correlated. This makes UVL data something of a leading migration indicator. According to UVL, a staggering 67.8 percent of its Michigan client traffic was outbound in 2007. That rate is an all-time record high, eclipsing the previous 1981 record of 66.9 percent during a year the Great Lake State suffered...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2008 – A group in Massachusetts is offering wounded servicemembers tools to help them transition into civilian life. “(We are) giving our wounded heroes a second chance at the opportunity to become marketable for the 21st century work force through education and training,” said Michelle Saunders, director of Veterans Moving Forward. As a part of the Veteran Hospice Homestead, Veterans Moving Forward is engaging community colleges and educational facilities around the country to create solutions to help alleviate the financial burdens of wounded veterans and their families, Saunders said. The Veteran Hospice Homestead provides medical, psychological...

I mentioned over the weekend that there was a revolt in the SF Bay Area brewing against the Code Pinkos who defaced a military recruiting center in Berkeley. Melanie Morgan has set the date and issued a call to arms: We will rally to support our troops and denounce efforts by Code Pink and others to ‘chase’ the military out of Northern California. We make our stand at the Marine Recruiting Center in Berkeley which has just been defaced by anti-war protestors. Code Pink has a rally planned to denounce the miltiary on Wednesday, October 17th. We are calling on...

I want to say when I first saw the post scouting for locations for this event, I thought in my haste, that it was a local Chicago Freeper chapter that was meeting to support our troops. I was heartened for the locale was my suggestion but more importantly after the debacle in Congress and what they do to our wonderful men and women in the military, I was proud to partake in honoring them. I chose Niles,Il. because it befitted what Move Across America had requested and the fact it is a Memorial to our fallen veterans. It is...

LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today issued the following statement on Volkswagen’s presence in Michigan: “We are grateful that so many Volkswagen jobs are staying in Michigan. By choosing to continue their automotive and technology related functions here they will be retaining 600 of their employees in Michigan. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with Volkswagen in the years to come.” Granholm met with Stefan Jacoby, incoming President and CEO of Volkswagen of America last evening. In conversations and a formal letter to the Governor, Jacoby said Michigan is and will remain an important global center for...

LOS ANGELES - Immigration advocates are struggling to frame images of this week's clash between police and protesters in a way that promotes their cause, with some activists considering using the event to attract supporters. Some advocates believe the police action against mostly peaceful demonstrators could add urgency to efforts to create a path to citizenship for the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. But others worry the reform movement could be blamed for the melee and that immigrants will be afraid to participate in future demonstrations. "These kinds of situations, if they are framed properly, can be a powerful...

Adapt, Move or Die: Prehistoric Climate Change by Joe Palca The skeleton of a prehistoric elephant found on a beach in England raises questions about ancient changes in global climate. Scientists estimate that the elephant was 10 tons — twice the size of today's African elephants. Sam Brown, Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service The prehistoric elephant bones were found protruding from the cliffs at West Runton after a winter storm. Geologists analyze the layers of sediment in the cliffs for clues about the ancient climate. “We're entering a new phase, and it certainly seems to me that this is now...

Move to speed up pay-as-you-drive By David Millward, Transport Correspondent (Filed: 07/08/2006) The country's first pay-as-you-drive road pricing scheme could be in operation within four years after the Transport Secretary urged Cabinet colleagues to find room for a Bill in the next parliamentary session. Douglas Alexander's pitch for a legislative slot is the strongest signal yet that a major overhaul of the way in which motorists are taxed will become a reality. Without the necessary powers, the 2010 deadline for a pilot study set by Alistair Darling, Mr Alexander's predecessor, could slip. The Department for Transport has been looking for...

You know, I do appreciate the purported goals of Move America Forward, but sometimes I have to wonder whether Michael Moore is running the show, just to make a conservative outfit look inept. First and foremost, when your name -- AND your logo -- say MoveAmericaForward dot org, you do NOT have a voiceover that refers to your organization as MoveAmericaForward dot COM. It'd be like George W. Bush all of a sudden referring to himself as George H. W. Bush or something similarly ridiculous. But you know, even as stupid as that is (and as stupid as it implies...

WASHINGTON, July 24, 2006 – As demand for evacuation drops, Defense Department units will deliver more humanitarian assistance to beleaguered Lebanon, a senior defense official said today. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said DoD has evacuated 11,913 American citizens from Lebanon since the operation began July 16. He said officials anticipate evacuating another 1,200 from Lebanon today, but that demand for evacuation seems to have peaked. The operation is not over, Whitman said, "but we are coming close to completing the assisted departure operations. We are going to be shifting our emphasis to a humanitarian effort." He said two ships --...

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                         June 19, 2006 Contact: Robert Dixon (916) 441- 6197B L O G S H O C K E R ! Daily Kos Embraces Pro-Troop “Move America Forward” (SAN FRANCISCO) – Liberal blogger Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, founder of the popular left-of-center blog, DailyKos.com, has just returned from his first annual “YearlyKos” convention by embracing a surprising mantra: that of the nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization, Move America Forward (website: http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org). In a posting headlined “Move America Forward” the blogger “Kos”...

I'm thinking of the Carolina mountains as my next place to live. Would you consider Asheville, with its art deco feel as the place to live or would you go for Greenville with its more settled ambience? I've lived in California on the coast all my life and I'd like to try something different. Low cost of living, affordable housing, a safe place to live and having that view outside the window without the price tag. I know Colorado is expensive because every one goes there but no one seems to know the Blue Ridge Mountains are just as stunning....

While we were busy collecting more signatures on our "Censure Jimmy Carter" petitions from tens of thousands of Americans, some of the former president's supporters were responding in a rather hateful way. Just as those in the "Blame America First" crowd have profanely denounced our troops, our military, our Commander in Chief and carried signs saying "We Support Our Troops... When They Shoot Their Officers," they now have verbally attacked and made death threats against the staff and family members of the Censure Carter Committee. As I type this message our staff is assembling the emails and voice mails to...

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born Dutch politician known for her outspoken criticism of Islam, plans to leave parliament and move to the United States after admitting she lied to win asylum in the Netherlands. Hirsi Ali, 36, sought asylum in the Netherlands in 1992, claiming to be escaping from an arranged marriage. She gained Dutch citizenship in 1997 and was elected to parliament in 2003. A storm erupted about her asylum application last week after a Dutch television documentary interviewed members of her family about her background. They said she had not been forced into an arranged...

Minneapolis-St. Paul is a "cosmopolitan gem," according to a new ranking by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. Granted, "the winter weather isn't for wusses," Kiplinger's June issue reports, but the seven-county Twin Cities area has so many good things to brag about: cost of living and housing, quality health care, low crime rate, education, quality of life, cultural amenities, the economy and transportation. St. Paul doesn't get short shrift either in the write-up: The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra are mentioned, among other pluses. Minneapolis is described as "progressive and hip, with a Midwestern sensibility."...

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich., April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- An historic FBI Town Hall Meeting with Arab and Muslim Americans will be televised nationwide on May 15th at 8pm ET / 9pm PT on Bridges TV. Bridges TV is available as a free channel on Wow Cable & Internet and GlobeCast Satellite. However, Comcast Cable, the nation's largest cable provider, charges customers an extra $180 a year to watch Bridges TV. "We are deeply saddened by such excessive overpricing by Comcast Cable. There is an urgent need for better coverage of Arab and Muslim American issues in the media. Offering Bridges TV...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Mar 5, 2006) -- Issues Marines face on a daily basis, which can lessen their quality of life and hinder their mission, include downed power generators, lights not turning on, mud bogs created by standing water and gear or personnel needing transportation. The Forerunners can turn to five talented, multi-tasking Marines with the logistics section of Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, to solve these and other miscellaneous problems and tasks as they spring up. "We are responsible for the maintenance of five barracks, six hangars, the base ordnance building...