Free Republic

My waking thought on Christmas Day was that George Orwell's vision of Big Brother was no longer a hypothetical possibility but an actual near-term threat. That realization was synthesized from two news events, one here and one in Britain. In Britain, the government recently decided to deploy global positioning system (GPS) technology to track every vehicle in the U.K. every minute of the day. Just as GPS sensors are mandated for use in every cell phone in the near future in the United States (for our safety, of course), Britain will mandate the use of a GPS sensor in every...

Most mothers would love the idea of a teenage son who enjoys debating and reading, rather chasing girls and staying out late with friends. But one idealistic 16-year old has invented a new way for recalcitrant children to worry their mothers to distraction after he went to Baghdad alone in the name of cutting-edge journalism. Armed with only an Arabic phrase book and some cash, Farris Hassan can count himself lucky to be alive after a series of adventures involving desert taxis and frantic phone calls. Hassan, a 16-year-old from Florida, hopped on a flight without his parent's permission and...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi security forces caught the most wanted man in the country last year, but released him because they didn't know who he was, the Iraqi deputy minister of interior said Thursday. Hussain Kamal confirmed that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- the al Qaeda in Iraq leader who has a $25 million bounty on his head -- was in custody at some point last year, but he wouldn't provide further details. A U.S. official couldn't confirm the report, but said he wouldn't dismiss it. "It is plausible," he said.

The Christian Defense Coalition Director says in many cases "national security" has become more important than protecting the First Amendment and civil liberties. Coalition especially concerned about the Patriot Act defining terrorism as "... .to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion." Those definitions are so broad it is an open invitation for the government to harass and attack any groups who use public demonstrations or peaceful civil disobedience to "influence" government policy. Organization cites the improper use of the federal RICO laws against non-violent pro-life activists as a clear example of how the Patriot Act could...

A "trophy" video appearing to show security guards in Baghdad randomly shooting Iraqi civilians has sparked two investigations after it was posted on the internet, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal. The video has sparked concern that private security companies, which are not subject to any form of regulation either in Britain or in Iraq, could be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent Iraqis. The video, which first appeared on a website that has been linked unofficially to Aegis Defence Services, contained four separate clips, in which security guards open fire with automatic rifles at civilian cars. All of...

War is hell. But it’s worse when the Marines bring out their new urban combat weapon, the SMAW-NE. Which may be why they’re not talking about it, much. This is a version of the standard USMC Shoulder Mounted Assault Weapon but with a new warhead. Described as NE - "Novel Explosive"- it is a thermobaric mixture which ignites the air, producing a shockwave of unparalleled destructive power, especially against buildings. A post-action report from Iraq describes the effect of the new weapon: "One unit disintegrated a large one-storey masonry type building with one round from 100 meters. They were extremely...

As the Senate prepared to vote Thursday to abolish the writ of habeas corpus, Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jon Kyl were railing about lawyers like me. Filing lawsuits on behalf of the terrorists at Guantanamo Bay. Terrorists! Kyl must have said the word 30 times. As I listened, I wished the senators could meet my client Adel. Adel is innocent. I don't mean he claims to be. I mean the military says so. It held a secret tribunal and ruled that he is not al Qaeda, not Taliban, not a terrorist. The whole thing was a mistake: The Pentagon paid...

(IsraelNN.com) A secondary school teacher in Saudi Arabia was charged with "dubious ideology, mocking religion, saying the Jews were right, discussing the Gospel and preventing students from leaving class to wash for prayer," according to the Saudi newspaper Al-Madina. The teacher, Mohammed Al-Harbi, was sentenced to 40 months in jail and 750 lashes for his "crimes". He was denounced by colleagues and students at his school. The Saudi authorities and Arab newspapers are presenting it as a case of the teacher "mocking religion" and receiving the appropriate penalty.

COMMENTARY Bill O'Reilly vs. The People's Republic of San Francisco By Jim Kouri Nov 13, 2005 The bad boy of cable news, Bill O'Reilly, touched a raw nerve when he angrily told his substantial audience that as a result of their latest anti-American legislation, San Francisco deserved to be struck by rabid terrorists. O'Reilly's anger was on display on national television for all to see after residents of  San Francisco passed two ballot initiatives: one prohibited military recruiters from visiting schools, while the other banned citizen ownership of handguns. What really got the goat of the popular host of Fox...

Actor Bruce Willis wanted to serve his country as far back as the Gulf War. His friends laughed at him, telling him he was too old. Undaunted, Willis looked into himself – only to find out they were right. He was too old. So the star of "Die Hard," "The Sixth Sense," "Hostage" and dozens of other movies, did the next best thing. He traveled to Iraq with his band, the Accelerators, to entertain troops with the USO. He is also planning to join returning troops at Fort Lewis in Washington state Nov. 5. "The idea of serving my country...

Full title: STATEMENT OF FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE NEWT GINGRICH BEFORE THE HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT Some key excerpts: In this testimony, there are five themes that I urge this subcommittee to keep in the forefront of its thinking about intelligence reform. 1. America's Global Responsibilities Are Far More Complex Today than during the Cold War 2. The Challenges to American National Security Are Far More Difficult Today than during the Cold War 3. The Intelligence Community is Grotesquely Under Sourced for the Level of Achievement that Political Leaders Claim They Want 4. Today's...

The FBI's counterterrorism unit has launched a broad investigation of US-based theft rings after discovering some vehicles used in deadly car bombings in Iraq, including attacks that killed US troops and Iraqi civilians, were probably stolen in the United States, according to senior US Government officials. The FBI's deputy assistant director for counterterrorism, Inspector John Lewis, said the investigation did not prove the vehicles were stolen specifically for car bombings in the Middle East, but there was evidence they were smuggled out of the US by organised criminal networks that included terrorists and insurgents. Cracking the car-theft rings and tracing...

The White House found itself at the centre of another public relations disaster yesterday after a Pentagon official was seen coaching a group of handpicked US troops before a live teleconference with President George Bush. In a cringingly wooden exchange the group of soldiers stationed in Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit told the president exactly what he wanted to hear - that Iraqis were eager to vote on a new constitution this weekend and the country's fledgling security forces were ready to meet the challenge. But before Mr Bush entered the room Alison Barber, a senior defence department official,...

Rifle ready, Cpl. Joe Johnson nimbly stepped around mounds of trash and pools of raw sewage, handing out strawberry Twizzlers to scabby, barefoot children. Cpl. Joseph Johnson on patrol near Husseiniya, Iraq.photo by Louie Favorite/AJCIt saddens Johnson to think this desperate poverty and filth were the last things his son saw before he was killed last year. For more than a year, Johnson fought to follow in his son’s footsteps to Iraq. There was a sense of soldierly duty, but what most drew him here was his desire for vengeance. “I can shoot an insurgent and not lose a bit...

Subscription required thus no excerpt Canadian special forces soldiers in southern Afghanistan have killed Taliban and Al-Qa'ida rebels over dozens of operations in recent months as they work secretly in small units, military sources say. The modest contingent of troops from Joint Task Force 2 is an integral part of coalition efforts to stem the tide of insurgency that has risen since campaigning began for tomorrow's elections. JTF2 commandos have joined counterparts from the United States and some British Commonwealth countries, such as Australia, in fighting that has claimed more than 1,200 lives in six months, defence sources say. Authorities...

A man listed on the Department of Homeland Security's terrorist watch list is accused of stabbing his common-law wife Monday, fleeing the scene with their 10-month-old baby and later slitting the baby's throat before cutting his own throat. The baby girl was listed in critical condition Monday night at Mission Hospitals, said a hospital spokesman. Her father, Mohammed Al-Hilo, 22, was listed in serious condition. No condition report on victim Batrina Lynn McKinney was available Monday night from Pardee Hospital. Al-Hilo is an Iraqi alien listed on the Terror Watch List, Henderson County Sheriff's Department Detective Walt Harper said. His...

The America Supports You FREEDOM WALK is a walk of remembrance and support. Remembrance of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon, Twin Towers, and Flight 93 over Pennsylvania, and support of the many American men and women in uniform, past and present, who protect our freedom. Q2: When is the America Supports You FREEDOM WALK being held? A2: The America Supports You FREEDOM WALK is being held on September 11, 2005, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Pentagon South parking lot and is free and open to anyone who registers.http://www.asyfreedomwalk.com/about.html

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: John in San Diego, you're next. Welcome to the program. Nice to have you with us. CALLER: Thank you for taking my call. RUSH: Yeah. CALLER: I believe that Cindy Sheehan is bringing up one important point, though. RUSH: What's that? CALLER: If this is a valiant and noble cause, why don't we have [sic] any senators sons or House of Representatives sons volunteering to go over there? Why isn't the president's daughters doing something for the war effort, if this is such a valiant effort? And that's the primary purpose that she has made this...

Dubai - An al-Qaeda linked-group has launched what it calls a media jihad, or holy war, to "terrorise" United States-led forces in Iraq and their families by bombarding them with e-mails and by posting gruesome photos online. The group, calling itself the "Brigade of Media Jihad", called on its militants to "post terrifying pictures on the internet in order to terrorise the enemy", said a statement on an Islamist website whose authenticity could not be verified. "Our objective is to undermine the morale of our enemies, dash their hopes and dreams and reveal the truth of what is happening in...

MANCHESTER, Conn. -- This mistake was carved in stone, after a war monument in Manchester had 'Afghanistan' misspelled. It was missing an 'H." A new monument is being carved and is scheduled to be dedicated on Veterans Day on Nov. 11. An owner of Manchester Monument Company said that he will replace the stone for free even though his company didn't provide the monument. He said that he misspelled the word in a rough draft of the stone he sketched, but said he's not taking responsibility for the error because his company did not get the contract. The company that...

It was reported in the Washington Post on Monday that the civil liberties board, whose main goal is to make sure individual rights are not trampled upon during our so-called "War on Terror," has yet to meet and is under-funded by the Bush administration. Created by Congress last year, the board consists of five members nominated by the president to act as an independent watchdog against potential abuses of the Patriot Act. President Bush took six months to appoint five members to the panel as reported in the Washington Post. In his proposed budget for fiscal year 2006, he allocated...

Today I propose we the American people (Freepers) start voting with our remotes. Allow me to explain. We are at war with an enemy that seeks our total destruction. In order to defeat this enemy, we the American people must reach a common bond with a common purpose and that being total Victory. While this war may last decades, we cannot loose unless we do not stay united. However, if we are divided from internal struggles, there is a chance our civilization will be destroyed and replaced with a Muslim culture. The most dangerous internal struggle I see today is...

Feds snort at Post's coke tale Federal drug agents are discrediting a New York Post front-page story that Osama Bin Laden tried to buy tons of Colombian cocaine to spike with poison and resell to Americans. In a blaring story Tuesday headlined "Bin Laden Coke Plot," Post reporter Dan Mangan claimed the Drug Enforcement Administration was investigating the scheme. But that was news to DEA officials. "The New York Post has refused to inform DEA of the basis of its allegations or share the document upon which the reporting is based," DEA spokesman Garrison Courtney said in a statement. "However,...

MANILA (AP) - About 500 Muslim rebels have withdrawn from two Mindanao strongholds to let government forces launch an offensive against another Muslim group -- the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf, a rebel spokesman said Sunday. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas, nearly 300 of whom were armed, withdrew from Talayan and Guindolongan Thursday to allow the jungle offensive to go ahead and avoid accidental clashes with government troops, rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said. The guerrillas plan to return to their camps Monday unless the military asks for an extension, Kabalu said.

Police admitted on Saturday they had shot dead the wrong man in a tragic error as they combed London for four men after attempted bomb attacks on the capital's transport system. Plainclothes police chased the man onto an underground train on Friday after he ignored warnings to stop, shooting him five times in the head because they feared he was carrying a bomb and was going to detonate it. "We are now satisfied that he was not connected with the incidents of Thursday 21st July 2005," police said on Saturday. "For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is...

A band of 10 al-Qaeda thugs scaled a wall,overpowered guards, and murdered a respected peace activist in front of his wife. AQ, according to reports, has enjoyed a huge resurgence here,and is engaged in kidnapping,murder,and the hijacking of food shipments. Click link for details.

(Washington, D.C.) This morning, the world learned of multiple terrorist attacks that have killed dozens of men and women in London and wounded hundreds more. National Libertarian Party Executive Director Joe Seehusen issued the following statement: "Today is not a day for politics or posturing. Instead we should focus our thoughts and prayers on the victims and their families. As the people of the United Kingdom mourned our losses on September 11th, we do the same for them today. Our hearts go out both to those who have lost loved ones today and to all of the victims who remain."...

MULTAN: Two servants of a feudal lord threw acid on a 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old younger brother at Chak No 63/EB (Luddan) after the youngsters rejected their sexual advances. Police refused to register a case against the men initially. Fauzia and Kashif were washing their clothes near a tube well owned by a local feudal, when two of his servants, Muhammad Aslam and Muhammad Nawaz, approached them and made suggestive remarks. The children berated the men, who retaliated by throwing acid on them. The children, along with their counsel Munir Ahmed Ghauri, went to Civil Judge and Local Magistrate...

ST. PAUL - The son of a Minnesota state senator was killed in Iraq when his helicopter was shot down, officials said. It was the second tour in Iraq for Chief Warrant Officer Matt Lourey, 41, who flew helicopters with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division — though his mother, Sen. Becky Lourey, and other relatives opposed the war and had tried to talk him out of it. ADVERTISEMENT "He didn't want to die, but nonetheless he signed up for military service and he understood what that meant," said his brother, Tony Lourey. Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, a brigadier general...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Everyone agrees that Ligaya Lagman (search) is a Gold Star mother, part of the long line of mournful women whose sons or daughters gave their lives for their country. Her 27-year-old son, Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Lagman (search), was killed last year in Afghanistan, but American Gold Star Mothers Inc., has rejected Lagman, a Filipino, for membership because — though a permanent resident and a taxpayer — she is not a U.S. citizen. http://www.goldstarmoms.com/

To day judge R. Paris ruled in the court case against Ayaan Hirsi Ali that she did not acted unlawfully when she talked about the Islam and Mohammed. A group of Muslims had started the trial to forbid her of speaking about the Islam, Mohammed and to forbid the sequel of submission. The judge said he has no indication that Hirsi Ali did grieve the Islamic people on purpose: "[Hirsi Ali] chooses in her struggle against women suppression an maltreatment consciously for a method that stimulates debate about Islam reform" But amazingly the judge also warned Hirsi Ali to be...

On Tuesday, May 10, 2005, America became a true police state. Your U.S. senators voted -- unanimously, with no discussion, and without even reading the bill -- to create a national ID card. The Real ID Act blackmails state governments into turning their drivers licenses into a draconian tool of the federal homeland security apparatus. If states refuse, their citizens lose such "privileges" as being allowed to board an airplane, enter a federal building, or apply for social security. President Bush is expected to sign the bill eagerly on Thursday. In three years -- by May 2008 -- this Stalin-style...

SEATTLE – While most Parent Teacher Student Association meetings might center on finding funding for better math books or the best way to chaperon a school dance, a recent meeting here at Garfield High School grappled with something much larger - the war in Iraq. The school is perhaps one of the first in the nation to debate and vote against military recruiting on high school campuses - a topic already simmering at the college level. In fact, the Supreme Court recently agreed to decide whether the federal government can withhold funds from colleges that bar military recruiters. High schools...

COLUMBUS, Ga. -- A high school student was suspended for 10 days for refusing to end a mobile phone call with his mother, a soldier serving in Iraq, school officials said. The 10-day suspension was issued because Kevin Francois was "defiant and disorderly" and was imposed in lieu of an arrest, Spencer High School assistant principal Alfred Parham said. The confrontation Wednesday began after the 17-year-old junior got a call at lunchtime from his mother, Sgt. 1st Class Monique Bates, who left in January for a one-year tour with the 203rd Forward Support Battalion. Mobile phones are allowed on campus...

ANKARA -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Wednesday urged Turkey to fully implement the democracy reforms that it adopted to achieve European Union norms and called for more freedoms for Christian communities in this Muslim-majority country. Schroeder, a staunch supporter of Turkey's EU membership bid, assured Ankara that the bloc was determined to open accession talks with Turkey on schedule on October 3. "The dynamics of reform should continue," Schroeder told reporters after talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish capital. "The constitutional and other legal amendments should be put into practice." Referring to concerns that...

A memo leaked to Narco News by some brave soul within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offers a revealing insight into the so-called war on terrorism. In short, the memo seems to show that for at least one federal law-enforcement agency, investigating terrorism is not unlike the childhood game of “Duck, Duck, Goose.” The memo, issued on March 28 by a high-ranking official with DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), essentially orders supervisors in the field to sanitize terrorism-related case files maintained in a major law-enforcement computer system called TECS. All told, TECS contains about 12,000 terrorism-related...

<p>I forgot to duck. By the time most of us read this I will be on my way to Germany for treatment. The doctors have decided that I'm too severely injured to continue my job. I don't know when I be back stateside but I will let you know.</p>

<p>For years, a citizen who wanted to know the name and phone number of a Pentagon official could buy a copy of the Defense Department directory at a government printing office. But since 2001, the directory has been stamped ''For Official Use Only," meaning the public may not have access to such basic information about the vast military bureaucracy.</p>

Pakistani killed for desecrating Koran A man in a small village in western Pakistan was shot and killed after a local cleric declared him an infidel for desecrating the Koran. Ashiq Nabi, who had been on the run since Monday after being accused of blasphemy, was shot Wednesday after begging for his life and then climbing a tree to escape an angry mob of about 400 villagers, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported. Ashiq, who lived in a village about 18 miles outside Peshawar, allegedly had desecrated the Koran Monday during an argument with his wife. After his uncle complained, police...

In the fight against terrorism, few stones are left unturned. Every day, patient data from a handful of emergency rooms is sent to the Indiana State Department of Health to be crunched and analyzed. An epidemiologist watches intently for upward trends in rashes, fevers and unexplained deaths. Or a sudden surge in over-the-counter drug sales. The practice -- called syndromic surveillance -- broke onto the public health scene immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and later anthrax deaths. The surveillance method is widely viewed as a tool to detect a possible bioterrorism attack. Computers allow the instant sharing...

Spanish Muslims issue fatwa against Al-Qaeda's Osama Bin LadenI'm not sure the details and what I really think, but with Richard Clarke being here on campus last night and other happenings on campus we should realize that the Iraq war has reduced terrorism. Here's why: 1) If the Iraq war was a distraction from terrorism, it would have been a distraction without invasion with no time frame for it to end. There were intermittent bombings, inspection fiascos, oil-for-food, illegal oil and weapons smuggling, firing on coalition aircraft and so on. The entire time, supposedly 500,000 Iraqi children died a year...

A teenage girl and two young men in Iran have been sentenced to lashes for having sex. The court dismissed the girl's claim that we was raped. It said she had sex of her own free will, the official Iran Daily newspaper reported. The girl was sentenced to 100 lashes because her accusations of rape and kidnap could have landed her partners a death penalty, the Tehran judge said. Sex outside marriage is illegal in Iran and capital punishment can be imposed. The young men in the case were sentenced to 30 and 40 lashes each. Rights violations The Iran...

Please take the time to watch this video, we must remember those on September 11, 2001. We can never forget, and we can not let those who wish us to forget to let us forget. Please, take 15 minutes from freeping, this is bookmarked on my home page, Thank you FReepers. Indy.Never Forget. If you let it run past the video, there are many good quotes after.

A former security prisoner released in January 2004 in the deal struck with Hizbullah to secure the return of the bodies of three soldiers and businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum was one of two gunmen shot and killed by soldiers last Tuesday night while attempting an attack at Har Bracha, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Atsem Mansour, 29, a Fatah Tanzim member from the Balata refugee camp was imprisoned in Israel between October 2001 and January 2004 for his involvement in terrorism. He was one of 462 security prisoners released in exchange for Tannenbaum and the bodies of Staff-Sgts. Benny Avraham, Adi...

MANILA (AFP) - Nearly one thousand American and Filipino soldiers on Sunday began joint military exercises aimed at improving cooperation against terrorist and other attacks. The two-week exercises are to be held in military camps in Luzon. Some 300 US troops and 650 Filipino soldiers are taking part. The maneuvers are aimed at improving joint planning and enhancing capabilities "against armed attacks, including threats from terrorist groups, as well as readiness to respond to natural disasters," the US embassy said. The Philippines is a US ally in its global war on terrorism, and small numbers of US military advisers have...

American soldiers traumatised by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are to be offered the drug ecstasy to help free them of flashbacks and recurring nightmares. The US food and drug administration has given the go-ahead for the soldiers to be included in an experiment to see if MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, can treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Scientists behind the trial in South Carolina think the feelings of emotional closeness reported by those taking the drug could help the soldiers talk about their experiences to therapists. Several victims of rape and sexual abuse with post-traumatic stress disorder, for whom...

19 January 2005: The Slinky betrayed us. I should have known. I never trusted him. He was an unstable character, always going back and forth, back and forth, never showing a shred of backbone. "Come, senor, I know the way to the insurgents' headquarters," he rasped. The fact that he was an Arab toy speaking with a stereotypical Spanish accent should have tipped me off. But hindsight is always 20/20. Literally. I can turn my head 360 degrees I only knew my men by their code names, but even in that short space of time we shared a bond...

McALLEN — An undisclosed number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have voluntarily been in Iraq since at least August teaching members of the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement how to secure the frontierlands, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said Monday. Just as American soldiers have been given the task of readying an Iraqi militia to keep the peace in what some would refer to as a day-old democracy, CBP officers have also been busy schooling Iraqi border police on how to keep terrorists and arms out of the country. At least 1,600 Iraqis have been trained...

"You are a bad Belgian and you have signed your own death warrant." That was the message to factory owner Rik Remmery when he opened his mail one morning just before Christmas. For ex-policeman Rik it was only the start of an angry and chilling tirade of threatening post. Further letters put a 250,000 euro ($326,000; £173,000) price on his head and a final package contained a bullet. By now the letters were coming to his family home as well as his factory. "December," another letter read "will be a nightmare." The death threats against Rik were caused by one...

<p>A good friend called me a few hours ago terribly upset. Her two sons, both United States Marines, were in Washington DC last night (Saturday) with their dates. They went to the Hawk and Dove, which is a Capitol Hill watering hole.</p>