Free Republic

MCLEAN, Virginia (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Tuesday vowed the United States would keep relentless pressure on al Qaeda and ensure extremist networks, which he called a "principle" threat, do not find safe havens overseas. "We know that al Qaeda and its extremist allies threaten us from different corners of the globe -- from Pakistan but also from East Africa and Southeast Asia; from Europe and the Gulf," Obama said in a visit to the National Counterterrorism Center. "And that's why we're applying focused and relentless pressure on al Qaeda," he said, citing intelligence-sharing, disruption of terrorism financing, and...

Salon has laid off eight six editorial staffers—or 20% of its editorial staff—so that, in the words of CEO Richard Gingras, it can become "more of a true Web publication." Welcome to the internet, Salon! In a statement to Gawker, Gingras confirmed that three editors, one writer, one photo editor, and one producer were laid off last week. The only name we've heard thus far is culture editor Joy Press; let us know if you have any other intelligence. UPDATE: Here's the complete list: Jeanne Carstensen, managing editor Kevin Berger, features editor Katharine Mieszkowski, senior writer Joy Press, culture editor...

The driver who led the California Highway Patrol on a three-county chase this morning was licensed, had no warrants and drove the speed limit. She is also a 63-year-old Los Angeles woman who didn't know that the emergency lights and sirens behind her signaled she was supposed to pull over. Soon Ja Lee received a misdemeanor ticket for failing to pull over for law enforcement during the hour-long chase from Cabazon to West Covina, said CHP Officer Edmund Zorrilla. "I've seen it happen before. It's usually with the elderly, they just weren't paying attention, they had their music on or...

A smuggling suspect in a stolen car with illegal migrants led Chula Vista officers on a 100 mph pursuit Thursday night before crashing in Otay Mesa, Chula Vista police said. Four men were arrested. A Chula Vista officer saw a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix speeding along Olympic Parkway and tried to stop the driver about 10:15 p.m., Lt. Scott Arsenault said. The driver allegedly sped onto southbound Interstate 805, turned east on state Route 905 and lost control trying to turn south on Otay Mesa Road. The car went off the road and the driver and one passenger ran into...

Men trying to escape Anaheim police flee to Mexico, but are shot crossing the border. The Orange County Register ANAHEIM – Two men trying to escape Anaheim police were shot by Mexican federal officers early Friday morning after a high-speed chase that stretched from Anaheim to the Mexican border. The chase began just after midnight Friday when an Anaheim police officer tried to pull over a black car near Beach and Ball boulevards, Anaheim police Sgt. Steve Peña said. The driver sped off and lost the officer. Another officer found the car and chased it onto the southbound San Diego...

The California Highway Patrol is weaning itself off its fleet of now-discontinued Chevrolet Camaro pursuit cars, switching to new Porsche 987 Boxsters. As a spokesman for the CHP bizarrely put it, “The Camaros were at the end of their useful life, and were never able to be used fully given that CHP officers are prohibited from wearing mullets while on duty.” (Apparently, droll humor isn’t unlearned during baton-fighting exersizes.) An initial order for 200 Porsche Boxsters will be fulfilled by the end of 2005(6), with the majority of units being placed in service in high-enforcement areas, like Irwindale. (PS: Check...

An alleged hit-and-run driver who police say struck a 20-year-old man was chased down and beaten by the victim’s older brother Thursday night in South Waco. Michael Campbell, 26, was in front of his house in the 3000 block of Mildred Street as his younger brother and two friends were walking home about 9:25 p.m., Waco Police Department spokesman Steve Anderson said. As they got closer to home, Michael Campbell saw a Chevrolet Cavalier driven by 20-year-old Arturo Martinez speeding down the road. The two friends jumped over a parked car to get out of the Cavalier’s way, Anderson said....

had a gun to his head earlier, tossed gun.. may be connected to fatal shooting last night in Torrance

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2006 – Victory in the war on terror will require not only the defeat of terrorists overseas, but also the spread of liberty and freedom around the world, President Bush said here today. "The freedom agenda is a powerful part of our country's desire to lay the foundation for peace, and it's making a difference," Bush said at a meeting with the National Governors Association. The U.S. must stay on the offensive against terrorists and keep them on the run, Bush said, and to that end he thanked the governors for their support of the National Guard....

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. - Eager to get his driver's license, a 7-year-old boy put on his seat belt and remembered to use his turn signal as he took his parents' pickup truck out for a spin, leading police on a slow pursuit around town. Officers initially thought they were chasing a drunken driver Monday night. "He was weaving and all over the road. He couldn't stay in his lane," officer Josh Laverette said. Instead, when the truck finally stopped in front of a home after the seven-mile escapade, they found a second-grader, barely 4 feet tall, behind the wheel. The house...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - An erratic, slow-speed police pursuit near some of Hollywood's most famous landmarks captivated hundreds of tourists, many of whom snapped photos as the scene unfolded. The chase began shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday on Interstate 405 when police identified the female driver as a possible suspect on drug charges and tried to pull her over, said Officer Kristi Sandoval, a police spokeswoman. The driver fled north and was eventually cornered by at least a dozen squad cars in Hollywood about an hour later, Sandoval said. As bewildered tourists looked on, the woman began making erratic, slow-speed...

LAPD chasing stolen vehicle kidnap suspect live.

I-10 closed after pursuit that started in Ventura County ended in Alhambra

CHP pursuit of kidnap suspect broadcast live nationwide.

Maybe he was just looking for a good pair of pants. A high-speed police chase ended in the children's clothing department of the Unicity Wal-Mart with a male suspect in handcuffs, a T-shirt, a G-string and little else. The suspected car thief's physique got failing marks from cashiers who saw the man dash into the store about 11:40 a.m. "I saw his ass and it wasn't cute," said a woman named Vicki who did not want to give her last name. Stolen pickup "He should have done some bodybuilding or something. If they are going to give some excitement at...

My maternal grandfather was a farmer and would proudly take his vegetables and produce into town to sell at the farmers' market. He was often successful in getting a respectable return on his sweat equity, which would allow him to support his family and plan for the next growing season. Even though my grandfather was the grandson of slaves, he was able to own his small farm, own his crops and own the modest return as the fruits of his labor. Our Founding Fathers envisioned a society that valued and rewarded ownership and individual achievement. Ownership is as much an...

Like on KCAL 9 LAPD witnessed drive by shooting, pursuing suspect to Mission Viejo.....

The frontier of the American Empire is in the mind of every man and every woman in every country, who wants a better life, here, on this earth. The best among them look to our nation as proof that it is possible. America is taking over the countries of the world from the inside, one mind at a time.

"The creation of the United States of America is the central event of the past four hundred years." Thus does Walter A. McDougall of the University of Pennsylvania begin the first volume of his acclaimed new American history, Freedom Just Around the Corner (HarperCollins).Not surprisingly, this central event has evoked a wide range of opinions. Tens of millions of immigrants have voted with their feet to slough off prior allegiances and join the boisterous experiment that makes "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" its official goal.The result has been an astounding success. "We dominate every field of human endeavor...

Cipel Says He'll Return to US in Pursuit of 'Justice' Julie Stahl Jerusalem Bureau Chief Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Dogged by media and accused of extortion, Golan Cipel, the Israeli man at the center of a sex scandal involving New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey, has returned home to Israel -- to gather his strength, he said. In an interview with a local newspaper published on Wednesday, Cipel continued to insist on his innocence, amid allegations that he may have tried to blackmail Gov. McGreevey. But he did not address the allegations directly. Local papers quoted various people, including Israeli government...

<p>At the heart of it, there's only one thing to say: Seven Iredell County teens are dead.Of course I drive to Statesville and keep my eyes and ears open. And, yes, I pick up some information. But it's not information that satisfies. The information we want, you and I, I wasn't able to get.</p>

Police: Chase followed policy 7 teens die in wreck speeding on U.S. 21 ERICA BESHEARS, ROBERT MOORE & KATHRYN WELLIN Top row: Antoinette Griffin, 13; Antonio Miller, 13; David Summers, 14 Second row: Dominique Hurtt, 15, Quentin Reed, 18 Not pictured: John Lindsey Meyers Jr., 15 (DRIVER); Erica Stevenson, 15 A 15-year-old boy at the wheel of a stolen car lost control and crashed as he sped from a police officer early Monday, killing himself and six other Statesville teenagers in the car, authorities said. Troutman police Officer Keith Bills tried to stop the northbound white 2001 Dodge Intrepid just...

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Police pulled over a man on a bar stool - after a slow speed pursuit on one of Reno's busier streets. It started Monday when an officer saw a man riding the motorized bar stool at 35 mph. He was being followed closely by a woman in a Mustang. Both driver and rider were pulled over. The woman told police she had been on the phone with a dispatcher reporting the bar stool stolen. The owner of the bar stool confirmed that the stool, powered by a small engine, had been taken three weeks earlier. Jarrett...

The Palestinian terrorist, who wounded two and killed one in yesterday's terror attack in Tel Aviv, was stopped by a 30-year old lawyer who shot him in the legs. The terror attack took place on Tel Aviv's seaside promenade at around 1:30am, police spokesperson Gil Kleiman told The Jerusalem Post. One of the victims, a man, died in hospital, and a woman was in critical condition, Magen David Adom emergency medical rescue workers said. The terrorist, who was from East Jerusalem, stabbed the security guard at the Tel Aviv restaurant Tarabin after taking a few steps inside, shouting "Allahu Akhbar,"...

<p>In politics and business, professions teeming with ambitious people, Rep. Darrell Issa stands out for his pursuit of wealth and influence.</p> <p>Hard-working, opportunistic and unafraid to make enemies, Issa seized control of a small car-alarm company and built it into a multimillion-dollar business. Then, with his estimated $250 million fortune behind him, the Republican from San Diego County set his sights on politics.</p>

The popularity of television broadcasts of live high-speed car chases has led to a dramatic rise in criminals trying to out-race pursuing officers, according to Los Angeles police. They said they have documented cases of offenders waving to helicopters filming the pursuit and attempting spectacular manoeuvres in the hope of appearing on one of the seven Los Angeles television channels which show such chases live. "They are trying to get their 15 minutes of fame," said David Doan, deputy chief of police in the city, who is heading an investigation into the reasons for a rise in chases. After taking...

Iran's nuclear pursuit By Aluf Benn The forthcoming war to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction has diverted international attention from Iran, which is actively pursuing nuclear arms. Russia has elected to honor the nuclear deals it signed with the Iranian regime, rebuffing calls from the United States and Israel to shut down the technological pipeline. The Putin government has tightened up relations with the Bush administration, and in many areas has toed the American line. Only on the Iranian file are the Russians adamant about retaining freedom of action. In recent conversations with the U.S. administration,...