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Thousands of schools could be forced to close for weeks on end to stem the spread of swine flu, scientists say. ...the Government’s Chief Medical Officer said that “several million” Britons would fall ill with the H1N1 virus. Sir Liam Donaldson predicted a “huge surge” of cases when children go back to school in the autumn. Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College, London, who advises the Government and the WHO, said that widespread illness could lead to schools closing for several weeks, and extensive disruption to businesses and the wider economy... ...Professor Ferguson said that the pandemic could mean...

I hate to say I told you so, but "I told you so!" Chavez is mear childs play compared to Obama. H.J.RES.5 : Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President. Committees: House Judiciary Latest Major Action: 2/9/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

Koh recently said "modern right-protecting democracy" according to answers.com. "Right" can be defined as -In accordance with fact, reason, or truth. -Fitting, proper, or appropriate. -Most favorable, desirable, or convenient. With this definition, it seems that the right can be anything as long as it is most favorable, desirable, or convenient. Maybe, this isn't what the founding father meant. I think the explicit definition is required.. almost bordering the legalism. can someone define what the "right" is and de-construct the "modern right-protecting democracy"? Thank you

To be followed by Civil War II.... H. J. Res. 5: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.

Why are twenty-first-century women reclaiming a derogatory term? In 1980, Rabbi Jacob Rader Marcus, an octogenarian scholar of Jewish history, decided to title his new book about Jewish women in America “The American Jewess.” His publisher, Ktav, told him that was out of the question because the term “Jewess” was, well, offensive. Marcus, more concerned with historical truth than political correctness, didn’t really care. He compromised on the title, calling his study The American Jewish Woman: 1654–1980, but refused to remove the term from his text. “Many Jews today deem it a ‘dirty word’ and avoid it," he writes in...

BARQUISIMETO, Venezuela - Hugo Chavez's ex-wife said Thursday she is proposing a constitutional amendment to shorten presidential terms, saying the president has been in office long enough. Marisabel Rodriguez said she believes terms should be reduced from six to four years, and allow presidents only one opportunity for re-election. "Four years and re-election ... it gives you enough time," said Rodriguez. "This can be done through an amendment." Her comments came four days after voters narrowly rejected the president's 69 proposed changes to Venezuela's Constitution, including reforms that would have let him run for re-election indefinitely. Chavez and Rodriguez divorced...

Many FReepers still consider term limits a remedy to problems that plague our nation. I am located in California where term limits is now the law for all non-federal elective offices. The effort was primarily aimed at removing one person from state politics, Willie Brown, then Speaker of the Assembly. My personal assessment is that term limits has ushered in an era of progressive-liberalism from both the Democratic and Republican parties never imagined. It has also tossed many very capable conservatives from office. I wonder how others assess term limits now. Using California as the example, how many FReepers would...

While arguing that economic sanctions against Teheran still have a chance of bearing fruit, a top strategic expert predicted on Tuesday that the Bush administration could conduct a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities toward the end of its term in office. "I, for one, don't exclude the possibility that the US will act," Shai Feldman, currently director of the Crown Center for Middle East studies at Brandeis University, told an editorial meeting of The Jerusalem Post. "My feeling, though, is that if it will act, it will act in the last months of the administration, mostly because I think...

Take steps to get finances in shape Trim expenses this year so you can put more into savings, retirement funds By Gail MarksJarvis Posted January 14, 2007 Just what you need--a few more New Year's resolutions. Yet, if you've already given up on the promise you made to get into shape, perhaps you can try to make your finances a little healthier. And if you are still at it on your workouts or weight-loss program, keep in mind that getting the basics right on your finances can be a lot like losing weight--the hardest part is getting started. When you...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's new term has cases on abortion, the environment and racial diversity in schools, some of the country's most contentious social issues for a court primed to shift sharply to the right by President George W. Bush's conservative appointees. The nation's highest court, with Bush's two appointees, could decide to limit or overturn recent precedents upholding abortion rights for women and programs to foster a racially diverse student body, legal experts said. "The term is going to be a bellwether on the shift in the court's ideology. The court is revisiting a series of...

MIAMI - Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and a former business partner sought a second delay in starting their federal prison sentences for fraud involving the purchase of a gambling fleet. The request, filed jointly by prosecutors and defense attorneys, said that Abramoff is continuing to cooperate in a Washington corruption investigation, and Adam Kidan is providing information about the murder of former SunCruz Casinos owner Konstantinos Boulis. U.S. District Judge Paul Huck was to consider the request, which seeks a 90-day delay, on Thursday afternoon. Abramoff and Kidan are currently scheduled to surrender Oct. 2 to serve prison sentences of...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A software developer running for governor and the U.S. Senate felt so strongly that voters should have "None of the Above" as a choice that he made it his middle name. The State Election Commission voted 5-0 to nix the middle name from the ballot. Now, David "None of the Above" Gatchell is challenging the commission in court to get the words on the Nov. 7 ballot. "I feel so strongly about this and I knew that it should be my name," he said. "That's who I am." Gatchell, 58, ran as an independent in the 2002...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Prosecutors urged a judge Wednesday to send a former rock-band manager to prison for 10 years for setting off the pyrotechnics that caused a nightclub fire that killed 100 people. "The devastation wrought by the conduct of the defendant is unparalleled in our state's history," prosecutor Randall White said, choking up at times. He added: "The suffering is endless, and the extent and depth of the pain is bottomless." Daniel Biechele's attorney, Thomas Briody, argued that his client deserves mercy — in the form of community service, with no prison time — and feels immense sorrow for...

Dig finds long-term use at Hell's Half AcreSite was home to Indians at least 1,200 years ago By The Associated Press CASPER, Wyo. -- A preliminary report on an archaeological dig says Hell's Half Acre, west of Casper, was home to prehistoric American Indians at least 1,200 years ago, and perhaps as long as 8,000 years ago. John Albanese, chairman of the Natrona County Historic Preservation Society, told Natrona County commissioners on Thursday that archaeological evidence shows Indians were hunting bison at Hell's Half Acre between 1,200 and 3,000 years ago, and that some evidence appeared to be much older....

Safe Haven For Abandoned Babies: Causing More Harm Than Good?By Jesse Hyde April 2004 Tim Jaccard looked at the dead baby curled in the toilet bowl and cursed God. The Nassau County paramedic was supposed to be on his way home to comfort his stepdaughter. She had called him at work, crying because she could not get pregnant. Minutes after he hung up, the call came to respond to the women's restroom in the lobby of the First District Court in Hempstead, Long Island. "My daughter can't get pregnant and somebody throws their baby away," he remembered thinking in the...

Editor's note: The Supreme Court announced Feb. 17 that it would again hear arguments in the free-speech case of a whistleblower, apparently so that Justice Samuel Alito can break a tie. That case is Garcetti v. Ceballos. WASHINGTON — New Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. was sworn in Jan. 31, giving him five months to serve during the Court’s current term. But during that period, Alito will likely have only one chance to show his First Amendment stripes. That chance will be in an important one, and it begins Feb. 28, when the Court hears a trio of First...

Ballance to hold another fundraiser before prison term starts Dec 26, 2005 : 3:37 pm ET RALEIGH, N.C. -- Former Rep. Frank Ballance is holding one last fundraiser before he begins serving a four-year prison term at the end of this week. Ballance, a Democrat from Warrenton who represented the First District of North Carolina, resigned in June 2004 for health reasons before completing his first term. He was sentenced to prison in October after pleading guilty to funneling tax dollars into his foundation and using $100,000 for himself and his family. He will be honored Wednesday at the Roanoke...

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - The former boss of a city-run job training school who gave a no-show job to a woman he had sex with was sentenced to nearly two years in prison for his role in bilking thousands of dollars from the agency. Gerald Phillips, a 51-year-old former police commissioner in Springfield, was convicted in March of being the ringleader of a conspiracy that bled a total of $50,000 from the Massachusetts Career Development Institute. Three others have also been convicted in the scam. U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor ordered Phillips to serve 21 months in prison, pay a...

A government of the people, by the people, for the people ... of power The judicial branch of our government has come in for increasing criticism in recent years and it seemed to peak in the Terri Schiavo incident. Unfortunately, the concern of the people over the actions of the judicial have somewhat masked the concern of the people over the actions of the legislative branch, the Congress. Abe Lincoln's famous saying that Americans like to quote does not totally stand up as to how Congress actually performs. When it comes to Congress, or even to state legislatures, you have...

Dropping Everything KONA NATIVE FINISHES THIRD TOUR OF IRAQ IN AIR DELIVERY PLATOON (Freeper Note: Kona is a town on the West coast of the Big island of Hawaii.)BY KIM EATON WEST HAWAII TODAY Lorrin Bush and two of his four daughters Kayla, left, and Malia. KIM EATON | WEST HAWAII TODAY Lorrin K. Bush is no stranger to Iraq. Over the last two years, he's seen more of the barren country than he has of his wife and four daughters. A gunnery sergeant with the Marine Corps, the 35-year-old Kailua-Kona native leads a group of 12 men and women...

A schoolboy who murdered a pizza shop worker by stabbing him through the heart in a row over a special offer has been given a life sentence. Hakeem Johnson, 14, of Highbury, north London, attacked Noor Kasimi, 32, at the Twin Star shop when he was refused a £1 pizza after the offer had ended. Old Bailey Judge Gerald Gordon named Johnson on Friday, in an attempt to deter others from carrying knives. He ordered Johnson stay in custody for at least eight-and-a-half years. Johnson, who was 13 at the time of the murder, had been excluded from Homerton College...

http://netwmd.com/articles/article890.html After a first term marked by schizophrenic Iran policy initiatives, the Bush White House will soon develop a coordinated policy to promote peaceful regime change in Iran. The Bush administration is heartened by the apparent success of the Iraqi election and believes that Iranians are ready to exert their democratic rights. Bush policy is motivated by the grave and growing threat from the Islamic Republic's nuclear weapons program, and the realization that neither Iran nor the European Union are sincere in preventing Iran's acquisition of nuclear weaponry. The Islamic Republic's potential threat to American security emanates from Tehran's determination...

Last week, George W. Bush took the oath of office and began his second term. With 150,000 troops still in Iraq, Iran developing nuclear weapons and new leadership in the Palestinian Authority, the Middle East will continue to dominate White House attention.To what extent will Bush's second term be different from his first? For better or worse, not much.Pundits who keep a scorecard of second-term appointments forget three factors: First, this president remains firm in his views. When he speaks about freedom, liberty and democracy, he is sincere. Second, the rank-and-file of not only the CIA, but also of the...

Bush Turns Attention to Daunting 2nd Term 2 hours, 18 minutes ago By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent WASHINGTON - President Bush turned from inaugural pageantry to a daunting second-term agenda Friday while his administration scrambled to explain his newly declared goal of ending tyranny around the world. The president's expansive pledge, the major theme of his inaugural address, raised questions about whether Bush intended to apply new standards to allies or partners that are not ideal democracies, or aren't democracies at all. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, China and other countries fit that description. Bush "made clear it was not...

PORTLAND, Maine -- Erasing any potential doubts, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe told a Maine Public Radio call-in program that she intends to seek a third term in 2006. "I am running for re-election," Snowe said Monday. "It's sort of early to announce all that, but people have asked me so I obviously want to make sure that people know that I do intend to run for re-election."

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

On November 2, G.W. Bush assured himself eight years in office, on the heels of his predecessor's eight-year presidency. How common are back-to-back two-term presidencies? Not very. Besides the present day, it has happened in only two other time periods in American history. Each time, there were in fact three consecutive multi-term presidencies (FDR had 12 years). The first period was 1801-1825; the second was 1933-1961. Number Name From To Party Years 3 Thomas Jefferson 1801 1809 Democratic-Republican 8 4 James Madison 1809 1817 Democratic-Republican 8 5 James Monroe 1817 1825 Democratic-Republican 8 32 Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1933 1945 Democrat...

CHARGE!President Bush's 2nd term is charging ahead... with rapid changes This is an email-able, copyright-ready graphic you can use in emails, on blogs, in flyers, on posters... anything that's noncommercial.

The Republican FDR By Ralph R. Reiland Published 11/15/2004 12:08:05 AM During a campaign stop in West Palm Beach, President George W. Bush wasted no words in explaining his vision of an ownership society: "No one ever washes a rental car. When you own something, you care about it." And so, the theory behind the "ownership society," whether we're talking about health care, tax cuts or Social Security, is quite simple. When it comes to retirement planning, it says we'll care more, and therefore be more efficient, if we own our own retirement accounts and are in charge of moving...

Just caught a snippet on CNN with Aaron Brown with a report by Bruce Morton on Second Term Presidents. The Left-Wing media is now starting the drumbeat that since a number of recent second term Presidents starting with Eisenhower and the U2 incident all the way to Clinton and Impeachment that Bush will have some sort of scandal in his second term. That Presidents in second terms always fall far short of their ambitions. The bottom line was that Liberals have nothing to fear from Bush as nothing of any consequence will be accomplished and/or scandal of some kind will...

"We are convinced that President Bush has won reelection with at least 286 electoral college votes," White House Chief of Staff Andy Card announced at 5:40 a.m. EST Wednesday. This is an email-able, copyright-ready graphic you can use in emails, on blogs, in flyers, on posters... anything that's noncommercial.

Mon Nov 1, 1:11 PM ET Along with a Wisconsin 'cheesehead' cowboy hat, a young woman wears a shirt showing her support for the Republican Party during a rally for President George W. Bush (news - web sites) in Milwaukee, November 1, 2004. Bush and Democratic nominee John Kerry (news - web sites) are making a final push through a handful of crucial swing states today in a last-ditch hunt for the votes that could break open a deadlocked White House race. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

WASHINGTON - If Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) is elected, his presidency is likely to bring a sharp shift in White House direction — along with pragmatic backpedaling on some of his boldest campaign promises. From his ambitious health-care proposal to his pledges to add 40,000 troops to the military and 10 million jobs to the economy, Kerry has a multitude of multi-pointed plans, and he talks optimistically about making them reality. Corporate tax loopholes? Gone "in a nanosecond," says Kerry. The Bush administration's new overtime regulations? Reversed on Day One, says running mate John Edwards (news -...

Frank J. Gaffney is founder and president of the Center for Security Policy in Washington, DC. He earned his AM in international studies from John's Hopkins University. A former deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security policy, Mr. Gaffney's articles have appeared in Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, New Republic, Newsday, New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. He is a contributing editor to National Review Online. Mr. Gaffney addressed the Middle East Forum in Philadelphia on September 22, 2004. The threat of terror is the most direct challenge to the stability of...

Lawyer: Malvo To Drop Appeals, Admit Guilt Attorney Says Teenage Sniper Ready To Accept Life Term POSTED: 5:26 pm EDT September 24, 2004 McLEAN, Va. -- A lawyer for teenage sniper Lee Malvo said he plans to admit guilt in one of the Washington-area sniper slayings. He also said Malvo will drop all of his appeals of his convictions in another of the shootings. Attorney Michael Arif said Malvo realizes "he's not going anywhere" and that he is ready to accept a lifetime in prison. A plea hearing is set for next month. Malvo is charged with capital murder in...

Ah, the travails of a tiny country caught at the crossroads of greater powers. Sound familiar? Lithuania? Armenia? Israel? There have been so many holocausts that we could easily pick one out of a hat and discuss it. But because of recent developments in Damascus and Beirut, we’ll discuss Lebanon today. In a move I found quite surprising, the U.N. Security Council voted Friday in, support for a free and fair electoral process in Lebanon's upcoming presidential election, conducted according to Lebanese constitutional rules devised without foreign interference or influence. The new U.N. resolution also called for, the restoration of...

Winnie escapes serving jail term Winnie Mandela is still hugely popular The former wife of ex-president Nelson Mandela has won an appeal against a five-year custodial jail sentence. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela had been convicted in April 2003 of theft and fraud in connection with bank loans she obtained for ANC workers. But a South African judge overturned her theft conviction and cut and then suspended in full her jail sentence. "The crimes were not committed for personal gain," Pretoria High Court Judge Eberhard Bertelsmann declared. 'Difficult role' An icon of the anti-apartheid movement, the former president of the African National Congress...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A tearful U.S. soldier was sentenced to a year in jail Wednesday after pleading guilty to abusing Iraqi detainees in a scandal threatening to undermine President Bush's re-election chances. Military policeman Jeremy Sivits, who apologized to Iraqis at the first court martial of soldiers accused of abuses which sparked worldwide outrage, was also expelled from the army. It was not enough for Iraqis protesting outside Abu Ghraib prison, scene of the scandal that came to light when pictures were published of naked and terrified Iraqi inmates being abused and sexually humiliated. "It's a kangaroo court, set up...

Bush Will Reform Social Security in 2nd Term April 16, 2004 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Rhett in Jacksonville, Florida. I'm glad you called. It's Open Line Friday. Hello. CALLER: Hey, Rush, actually I had a question: When looking at -- you know, I know Bush has been very busy with the war and everything, but when it comes to if he gets reelected, my question is, "Is he going to have more of a priority on Social Security reform?" Because, I mean, I'm 21-years-old working my way through college and I'm trying to invest, and I see my Social Security dollars...

Clark camp backs off abortion statementBy GIL BLISS Sunday News Correspondent MILFORD — Pancakes and politics helped warm the frigid air yesterday morning as retired four-star Gen. Wesley Clark spoke to an adoring packed house at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post. Outside the breakfast, Clark responded to criticism in an editorial last week in The Union Leader about the abortion rights issue that came following a midweek meeting with editorial staff. In that meeting, Clark said he would not appoint a pro-life federal judge and that the government should not impinge on a woman’s decision to have an abortion,...

<p>NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A Chinese-born American citizen who was given a five-year prison term in China for obtaining state secrets and giving bribes is back in the United States after being detained for more than three years.</p> <p>Fong Fuming emerged from the arrival gate at Newark's airport at about 10:30 p.m. Monday, accompanied by his family and Rep. William J. Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., as well as a state department officer who had accompanied him from Beijing.</p>

MOSCOW, June 5 - President Vladimir Putin, enjoying seemingly unassailable popularity, assured Russians on Thursday that he would respect a constitutional two-term limit that would force him to retire within five years. In a wide-ranging exchange with teenagers at his country retreat, he said post-Soviet Russia would see no return to Stalin-style personality cults and blamed bureaucracy and corruption for inhibiting the growth of democracy. ... ''Two terms are enough,'' Putin said during two hours of chat, excerpts of which were shown on prime-time television news. ''It's a question of whether we need a five-year or a four-year term. But...

They say that all bad things come in threes, and Bill Clinton may soon set out to prove that this rule also applies to presidential terms. The former president and megalomaniacal political lab experiment gone horribly awry is determined to find a way to liquify himself in order to seep through all the cracks in the system. Now he's saying that we as a nation might want to rethink that pesky little 22nd Amendment, which bars anyone from being president for more than two four-year terms. Clinton said that this change wouldn't affect him, but be "for future generations." (Pause...

Holden calls special session Vetoes health budget provisions, more vetoes may be coming By BOB WATSON News Tribune Missouri lawmakers will return to Jefferson City for a special session, but Gov. Bob Holden doesn't know the date yet. He didn't say what specifically would be in the call, because he's decided so far to veto only one of the 18 budget bills lawmakers approved 10 days ago. Flanked by parents and some children who receive services from the Health and Mental Health departments, Holden this morning said he would veto the budget bill that funds those two departments. "We're not...

"Term Limits--To Reduce Congressional Crime" Posted by Doc Farmer Saturday, May 10, 2003 Years ago, there used to be a concept known as ''Jobs for Life.'' It was where a person would be hired at the age of 18, and work at the same firm for 40 or 50 years before either retiring or dropping dead at the office. It was job security. And it didn't matter how badly you did your job, you'd have to practically burn down the building to get fired--that, or say the wrong thing at the office Christmas party. But that was long, long ago....

Senators are assigned to a "Class", either I, II, III, which determines their dates of term of service (and hence their re-election schedule). Mel Carnahan was in Class I - terms of service expire in 2001, 2007, etc. Upon his death, his office was inherited by his wife which triggered the special election this year. Did Jean Carnahan also inherit/maintain this senate class for this Missouri senate seat? All other senators elected this year are in Class II - terms of service expire in 2003, 2009, etc.

WASHINGTON: After a recent meeting, US Secretary of State Colin Powell was kidding around with the secretaries in the national security adviser’s White House office, complaining that their pretzel jar was empty. Then he said: “Okay, that’s enough. I’ve got to get back to work now —and by the way, I’m not resigning.” The staff “all took a slight, shallow breath and then broke up,” a senior administration official recalled. But the question of Secretary Powell’s tenure is no laughing matter in Washington these days. A string of internal policy differences and defeats — most recently on West Asia and...