Free Republic

RICHLAND, Wash. — Sarah Palin takes a Thanksgiving break from her book tour to spend time with family members in Washington, starting with a 5K run to benefit the Red Cross.

Global stock markets tumbled Thursday on mounting anxiety over a debt default request by Dubai and tighter lending conditions in China, analysts said. London lost 1.86 percent to 5,264.97 points in late morning trade but was suspended at about 1030 GMT owing to a technical issue. The London Stock Exchange said it was investigating the "root cause" of the problem and would update investors when it had further information.

A former British policeman is using his Scotland Yard training to help the Birthers, a group of conspiracy theorists, in trying to unseat President Barack Obama. Neil Sankey, who has almost 20 years experience serving in Special Branch and the Bomb Squad, is now devoting his energies to proving that Mr Obama is not a natural born US citizen.

A clear majority of Americans see China as an economic threat, a poll has shown, as Barack Obama sought to bolster relations on his first trip to Beijing and Shanghai as president. More than 70 percent of those questioned in the CNN poll said they considered the Asian giant to be an economic threat, while only 28 percent disagreed with the notion.

Democrats Work On Multibillion-Dollar Jobs Package Lawmakers say they're moving fast to get a job-creation bill to Obama by January. It's unclear how much of the effort would be funded with deficit spending. Peter Nicholas November 26, 2009 Reporting from Washington - Troubled by the rising jobless rate, President Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress are assembling a new jobs package that would devote billions of dollars to projects meant to put people back on payrolls in 2010 and keep them working. Discussions over the scale of the bill are fluid, but lawmakers said the intent was to move...

The new cross-Government strategy aimed at tackling violence against women will only be effective if issues that most affect ethnic minority women are properly addressed. "The big problem we have is honour violence crime. If you asked said what is the biggest problem that women as a whole or particular women have at present, I would say the biggest problem is faced by women from ethnic minorities who are subject to routine violence. "The big problem is for particular women in particular ethnic communities. It would be better to say that and focus on that." Holly Dustin, manager of the...

The University of East Anglia has released statements from Prof Trevor Davies, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Prof Phil Jones, head of the Climatic Research Unit, and from CRU. Statement from Professor Trevor Davies, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research The publication of a selection of the emails and data stolen from the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) has led to some questioning of the climate science research published by CRU and others. There is nothing in the stolen material which indicates that peer-reviewed publications by CRU, and others, on the nature of global warming and related climate change are not of the highest-quality of scientific investigation...

Freelance journalist and photogrpaher, Linda May Kallestein, has produced a short documentary, The Cut, aimed at raising awareness of the sufferin to women caused by female genital mutilation. The Cut is a 12 minute documentary about Mary (fourteen years old) and Alice (early twenties) from Kenya. Both are affected by the traditional rite of passage into womanhood: genital cutting. Mary and her community are preparing for her ceremonial cutting. Alice is studying to be a social worker to work against female genital mutilation. As the first in her community to refuse the practice, she has paid a high price for...

Child AbuseWatch Protests Pete Townshend as NFL Super Bowl entertainment Child AbuseWatch, the national child abuse prevention organization, today published an open letter to the National Football League and CBS. In the correspondence they asked the NFL to drop Pete Townshend from the Super Bowl half time entertainment line-up. The reason? Pete Townshend’s record as a sexual offender on the British Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR). Townshend was on the UK register for five years from 2003 – 2008 for accessing and admitting to using his credit card to pay for viewing child pornography. He was caught during a...

When the Obama Administration proclaimed victory on October 1st by announcing that a break-through had been reached in Geneva and that Iran had committed to shipping 2,600 pounds of fuel to Russia, expert Iran watchers were appropriately cynical. Bolton cautioned, yet again, that the Iranians had used some of the same diplomatic nuances they had been using for years to successfully buy more time to continue enriching uranium and fake cooperation with the international community. Usually, the Europeans were the first to take the bait but this time the Obama Administration got hooked first. Bolton, however, was the first to...

BEIJING — China's stimulus spending has fueled massive overexpansion in industrial capacity that could drive a surge in low-priced exports amid weak global demand, possibly igniting a protectionist backlash abroad, a European business group warned Thursday. Economists and business groups have warned that Beijing's 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus could lead to overinvestment. It is pumping money into the economy mostly through building airports and other public works projects, which has driven expansion at steel mills and other construction-related industries. China faces similar problems in aluminum, cement, plastics, refining and production of wind power equipment, the group said. In...

We should all be very thankful today. Our long, national nightmare is over. Global warming has finally been proven to be a hoax. A sham. An elaborate scheme concocted by snake oil salesmen to line their pockets and acquire more power. The entire house of cards came crashing down in this week.

For Americans, the flag is one of the most sacred symbols of our government, representing freedom, democracy, and all of the things that we hold most dear about our country. Over the years, however, various laws designed to protect the U.S. flag have been invalidated by the courts. In a 1989 Supreme Court decision, Texas v. Johnson, the court struck down the 1968 federal Flag Protection Act, citing concerns about free speech. Congress quickly passed a new Flag Protection Act, but it too was struck down by the Supreme Court in a 1990 Supreme Court decision, U.S. v. Eichman. I...

LONDON (Reuters) - Investors welcomed new China and U.S. climate targets 10 days before a U.N. summit but an Australian carbon vote delay hinted at wider difficulties to cement a global deal. Traders in a $126 billion carbon market want tight climate targets to boost demand for emissions permits, and energy companies want to know the full future costs -- including from carbon -- of burning fossil fuels as they plan new power plants. "It increases the chances of getting a better, collaborative agreement in Copenhagen, which would in turn create a larger low-carbon marketplace," said James Cameron, vice-chairman of...

<p>No link for this as I just heard this being reported on FOX News. It appears that some liberal lawmakers, Charlie Rangel, David Obey and a couple of others may be proposing a "War Tax" on the wealthiest of Americans to pay for any upcoming troop surge in Afghanistan.</p>

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. debt that is topping $12 trillion is raising fresh questions about the cost of President Barack Obama's proposed healthcare overhaul, but those concerns are unlikely to sink the legislation. The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan scorekeeper of federal spending, put the first 10-year cost of the Senate healthcare bill at $849 billion and said it would reduce budget deficits by $130 billion over that period. Republican critics of the overhaul, a top domestic priority for Obama, say those numbers reflect timing gimmicks that skew the bill's costs and that the price tag will be closer...

Two Million Muslims Prepare to Stone Devil At Haj By REUTERS November 26, 2009 MUZDALIFA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Some two million Muslims headed to Muzdalifa on Thursday after spending the day at the plain of Arafat to prepare to cast stones at the devil in the most dangerous part of the annual haj pilgrimage. Bright weather greeted the pilgrims after heavy rain hit the nearby city of Jeddah, gateway to Mecca, on Wednesday. Some 77 people were killed, none of them pilgrims, most of whom were swept away by currents and drowned, state television said. At Muzdalifa, the pilgrims...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Secret Service says it's looking into its own security procedures after determining that two people crashed Tuesday night's state dinner at the White House. Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan says that President Barack Obama was never in any danger. Donovan says the party crashers went through the same security screening as the 300-plus people actually invited to the dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Obama administration said late Wednesday it is still reviewing its policy on a treaty banning anti-personnel landmines, clarifying a previous statement indicating it would not sign the deal. "The administration is committed to a comprehensive review of its landmine policy. That review is still on-going," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in a statement on Wednesday. "The review is going to take some time, given that it is the first review of our policy conducted since 2003," Kelly added.

WASHINGTON (AP) - On his first Thanksgiving in the White House, President Barack Obama has telephoned 10 U.S. servicemen and women stationed in war zones to thank them for their service. The White House says Obama called two service members each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Marines and the Coast Guard. The service members are stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Arabian Gulf.

Climate change scandal deepens as BBC expert claims he was sent 'cover-up' emails a month before they went publicBy Carol Driver Last updated at 10:10 PM on 25th November 2009 The controversy surrounding the global warming scandal today deepened after a BBC correspondent admitted he was sent the leaked emails more than a month before they were made public. Paul Hudson, weather presenter and climate change expert, claims the documents allegedly sent between some of the world's leading scientists are of a direct result of an article he wrote. In his BBC blog two days ago, Hudson said: 'I was...

BERLIN (Reuters) - Allies of the United States must follow its lead and boost their troop levels in Afghanistan, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday. President Barack Obama is expected to announce on Tuesday that he will send an additional 30,000 troops to help stabilize Afghanistan. The New York Times reported on Thursday that Obama was also seeking about 10,000 additional troops from NATO allies, but was unlikely to get more than half that number. "I think it's of utmost importance that an American announcement of an increased troop number in Afghanistan is followed by additional troop contributions...

Borders, which has around 45 Borders and Books Etc stores across the UK, lodged a notice of intent to appoint administrators on Monday following the reported collapse of takeover negotiations. The company is not taking orders on its website and has launched "closing down sales" at some stores. Borders has struggled with "severe" cash flow pressure this year as sales falls accelerated, said administrators. Stock levels were also hit as several of the company's suppliers stopped or reduced its credit limits, while a number of credit insurers have also reduced their cover for the firm. Joint administrator Phil Duffy said:...

One woman has not forgotten September 11th, 2001. Debra Burlingame, sister of Chic Burlingame, pilot of AA Flight 77 that was crashed into the Pentagon, wants the world to know she is not happy with President Obama’s and AG Eric Holder’s decision to try the 9-11 terrorists, including KSM, in Federal Court in New York. She’s has formed the 9-11 “Never Forget” coalition, and making arrangements for a nationwide protest on December 5th. The Coalition formed to fight the decision of President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to try the 9/11 co-conspirators in New York City’s federal court,...

Gen. Odierno on what's being done for U.S. troops celebrating Thanksgiving in Iraq.

In today's Los Angeles Times (Medicine section) Francis W. Adams writes not of gun shot wounds but of his seeing the traumas of police officers who have shot suspects. Wounds I began to see (print edition, An NYPD surgeon learns the random nature of wounds online edition today) plays on the emotionalism of his own experience as if it might resonate with others and somehow soothe. Or ban guns. Does it? Dr. Adams described the police shooting of a robbery suspect as ‘..inflicted by another human being.' Dr. Adams begins with a story about a suspect shot by police. Reporting...

The Swiss are to decide this weekend whether to ban minarets on mosques, in what is in effect the first direct vote in a European country on Islam and the practices of Muslims. "The minaret has got nothing to do with religion. It's a symbol of political power, a prelude to the introduction of sharia law," argued Ulrich Schlüer, of the rightwing Swiss People's party, an architect of the campaign. UN experts and human rights activists condemned the campaign as overtly racist. The rightwing anti-immigrant lobby has led the campaign, but it has been joined by some secularist leftists and...

This was found in the 9/11 pager texts; http://911.wikileaks.org/files/messages_2001_09_11-10_30_2001_09_11-10_34.html 2001-09-11 10:31:03 Skytel [005344000] A ALPHA UD REPORTS ANONYMOUS CALL TO JOC REPORTING ANGEL IS TARGET JOC = Joint Operations Command = Pentagon Angel = Air Force One This call would explain why Bush was diverted to Barksdale AFB and away from Washington.

A new poll shows 68 percent of Republicans in Iowa hold a favorable view of Sarah Palin. That is only two percent lower than 2008 Iowa Caucus winner Mike Huckabee. The Des Moines Register poll proves that Palin would be the decisive factor in the 2012 Caucus, if she runs.

PASCO — Sarah Palin is excited to be in the Tri-Cities. Moments after arriving by private jet Wednesday evening from Orlando, Fla., she told reporters, "It's kind of surreal. But it's really good to be back in the Tri-Cities to reconnect with the roots." The former Alaska governor's last visit with family here was about a year ago, she said during an impromptu news conference as she held her son Trig and her daughter Piper stood next to her.

At this time, it is a rumor -- unconfirmed -- and suspect at that, but word of a Tiger Woods affair is spreading quickly on the Web this morning. One of the primary sites fueling the speculation is Media Take Out, which calls it an "explosive rumor," though carefully notes "allegedly cheating" in the headline. Media Take Out writes, "MediaTakeOut.com just got its hands on this week's National Enquirer and it is EXPLOSIVE!!! According to them, Tiger Woods is CHEATING with a woman named Rachel Uchitel." The rumor has since found its way to various blogs, Web sites and tweets...

World powers are demanding that Iran immediately mothball a uranium enrichment site it hid for years, heightening fears it is planning to build atom bombs, in a resolution to be voted on by U.N. nuclear watchdog governors.

“I don’t think it will be offensive at all when he’s convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him.” - Barack Obama When questioned later on being judge, jury and executioner, he clarified, “What I said was, people will not be offended if that’s the outcome. I’m not pre-judging, I’m not going to be in that courtroom, that’s the job of prosecutors, the judge and the jury. What I’m absolutely clear about is that I have complete confidence in the American people and our legal traditions and the prosecutors, the tough prosecutors from New York who specialize in...

In wake of 4 recent bomb attacks, al Qaeda in Iraq appears to be gaining newfound resurgence, as well as a shift in strategy. Any goal of undermining January elections may be moot, as they may have already been derailed, regardless of what al Qaeda does. Foreign powers appear to still be exercising influence and interference with the democratization process of Iraq: What was once a foreign-led terrorist organization is now a mostly Iraqi network of small, roving cells that continue to rely on the flow of fighters and weapons smuggled through the Syrian border, albeit at a slower rate,...

"Millions of families have seen jobs and careers vanish in the midst of this recession," House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana says in the weekly GOP radio-Internet address, timed this time for Thanksgiving. After trashing Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package, which he said has failed utterly given the national unemployment rate has risen to a "heartbreaking" 10.2 percent, he ridicules the president's plans for a jobs summit next Thursday. And he says the proposed health care overhaul -- especially a government-run public insurance option -- would make the situation worse. Pence, however, does not offer any specific...

ST. LOUIS COUNTY • Six people arrested in August outside a raucous town hall meeting in south St. Louis County have been charged with misdemeanor ordinance violations. The six, including a Post-Dispatch reporter, had attended a demonstration outside an Aug. 6 forum called by U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, at Bernard Middle School in Mehlville to discuss health care reform. The charges were filed Tuesday by the St. Louis County counselor’s office, which prosecutes misdemeanor ordinance violations in unincorporated areas. All are to appear in court Jan. 21. The maximum penalty upon conviction would be one year in jail...

BEIJING (Reuters) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc's demand for rock-bottom prices from suppliers in China means some of these companies are forcing their employees to work in sweatshop-like conditions, a new report said on Wednesday. China Labour Watch said Wal-Mart, which also operates more than 250 stores in China, is failing to pick up on such abuses when it carries out audits of certain suppliers, calling into doubt pledges to source ethically. "As the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart leverages its massive product orders to purchase goods at low prices, and workers suffer the financial burden," China Labour Watch, a New York-based...

Beginning Jan. 1, you might need a passport. New Mexico is on a collision course with the federal government over a controversial federal ID law. State officials and at least one congressman are scrambling to avoid what could be massive disruption to airline travel. As things stand now, New Mexicans won't be able to use their state-issued driver's licenses to gain airport security clearance starting Jan. 1, 2010. Instead, a passport will have to be presented to board an airplane, a top state official confirmed. …………. New Mexico is one 36 states that don't meet requirements of the federal Real...

I received this from friend who is former Goldman Sachs partner. Good read. BN ________________________________ FYI, For those of you who can stomach this, here you go. Here are some personal insights from an attendee (not me) at ULI Meeting in San Francisco November 2009 ===================== "This week I attended the Urban Land fall conference. ULI is the top real estate industry group in the world. All the most senior people in the industry. 1. Not one expert was willing to predict what things will look like in 3 years other than they think it will be better 2. One...

Russian oligarchs and bigwigs who buoyed, then fled, the local art market, are gingerly stepping back in. But rather than embracing the latest contemporary artists, they're chasing the collections of an earlier elite class—before the Revolution. London's chief auction houses Sotheby's and Christie's International plan to sell at least $36 million worth of Russian art, including a rediscovered trove of Fabergé cigarette cases owned by the younger son of Czar Alexander II. The series of sales, called Russia Week, begins Monday. Like many collecting categories, the Russian art market was gutted by the recession, but price levels for top artists...

crucial exchange begins with this question from Revkin (quoting verbatim): "I'm going to blog on this as it relates to the value of the peer review process and not on the merits of the mcintyre et al attacks." ...Jones of East Anglia writes to Mann: "I can't see either of these papers being in the next IPCC report. Kevin and I will keep them out somehow--even if we have to redefine what the peer-review literature is!" ...it hardly needs to be said that peer review is a sham if papers that present alternative hypotheses are not even allowed into the...

(CNSNews.com) – The House health-care reform plan unveiled last week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) would do more than regulate insurance companies – it would even regulate vending machines. The bill, which is posted online, would require that vending machine operators either create new machines that allow the customer to view nutrition facts or post nutritional information for each product near “each article of food or the selection button.

A black Friday Best Buy ad is getting blasted this Thanksgiving. It includes a nod to the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated this weekend. That has angered some customers, who point out that Best Buy stopped using "Merry Christmas" in its ads in 2006 and replaced it with "Happy Holidays." Best Buy is trying to curb any controversy saying that this year’s ads will feature several different holidays, including Christmas.

Max Borders: Joining me is Thomas P.M. Barnett, author of the new book, Blueprint for Action. It's a follow-up to the phenomenally successful The Pentagon's New Map. Welcome, Tom. Thomas Barnett: Thanks for having me. Borders: Before getting into the details of your new book, Blueprint for Action, would you mind going over the "Core-Gap" thesis, the foundation for your first book? Barnett: The first book really began out of work I was doing for the Office of Secretary of Defense, helping them think about the international security environment, post 9/11. And my charge was to come up with a...

Scientific progress depends on accurate and complete data. It also relies on replication. The past couple of days have uncovered some shocking revelations about the baloney practices that pass as sound science about climate change. It was announced Thursday afternoon that computer hackers had obtained 160 megabytes of e-mails from the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in England. Those e-mails involved communication among many scientific researchers and policy advocates with similar ideological positions all across the world. Those purported authorities were brazenly discussing the destruction and hiding of data that did not support global-warming...

Pro-Darwin consensus doesn't rule out intelligent design --snip-- (CNN) -- While we officially celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" on November 24, celebrations of Darwin's legacy have actually been building in intensity for several years. Darwin is not just an important 19th century scientific thinker. Increasingly, he is a cultural icon. Darwin is the subject of adulation that teeters on the edge of hero worship, expressed in everything from scholarly seminars and lecture series to best-selling new atheist tracts like those by Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. The atheists claim that...

A German couple who tried to teach their children Christian values at home has been fined by a Kassel court for refusing to send them to school. The couple from the Hessian village of Archfeld bei Herleshausen has seven children between the ages of two and 17, who they told the court they had hoped to “give the Bible their unlimited trust” through lessons at home. Rosemarie (43) and Jürgen D. (48) were sentenced on Wednesday to pay a daily €1 fine for 60 days for defying the country's compulsory school attendance. The ruling was a lenient judgement compared to...

Democrat Senator from North Dakota, Kent Conrad, while defending the Obama Administration's decision to try al Qaeda terrorists in civilian courts, said: "If people don't believe in our system, maybe they ought to go somewhere else." Really Senator Conrad? Would you like to retract that statement? I am a Gold-Star Father, meaning my son Sergeant Eddie Jeffers was killed in Iraq. I am opposed to terrorists being tried in civilian courts. Did I mention that I am a 22 year Army veteran? Is it okay with you if invoke my free speech rights?

Helen Thomas is thankful this Thanksgiving for having the first what? Video Straight Ahead...

The 87-year-old Kenyan grandmother of President Obama – once described by the Associated Press as a "Christian" – is making the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, the Hajj, according to news reports. The annual Islamic tradition was noted by the president, who issued a special statement today as Sarah Obama was reported to be a guest of the Saudi Arabian king. "Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to all those performing Hajj this year, and to Muslims in America and around the world who are celebrating Eid al-Adha. The rituals of Hajj and Eid al-Adha...