Free Republic

Huma Abedin — Hillary Clinton’s longtime aide and the wife of all-but-declared New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner — spent her final months at the State Department working as a part-time consultant with the agency who at the same time was allowed to represent outside clients, POLITICO has confirmed. Abedin, a fixture at the Clintons’ side for at least 15 years — from Iowa to Indonesia — shifted to her new role after maternity leave in the early summer of 2012, according to a source familiar with the arrangement. The new status made her a “special government employee,” which was...

This cartoon published in The Sunday Times (subscription-only) would be offensive at the best of times. That it has appeared on Holocaust Memorial Day is doubly so.Penned by Gerald Scarfe (the cartoonist behind Pink Floyd’s The Wall), the caption reads: “Israeli Elections… Will Cementing Peace Continue?�A hideous looking PM Benjamin Netanyahu caricature builds a wall cemented with blood, crushing Palestinians including women and children.Israel’s security barrier (of which the vast majority is a fence and not a wall) is meant to protect Israeli civilians against Palestinian terrorism. In any case, the imagery of this cartoon amounts to a blood libel...

Barack Obama promised his administration set a new standard in transparency: I will also hold myself as president to a new standard of openness .... Let me say it as simply as I can: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency. Obama even issued a memo My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government. He declared his to...

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 18, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) - Critics of CNN moderator Candy Crowley’s performance in the second presidential debate Tuesday night claim that it is part of a larger pattern that sees Democrats consistently receiving more time to speak, being interrupted less often, and being asked fewer probing questions than their Republican challengers.Republicans have cried foul after Crowley wrongly corrected Mitt Romney’s statement that Barack Obama did not refer to the assault on the Libyan embassy as an act of terrorism. A transcript indicates Obama did use the term “act of terror� the day after the attack, but in reference...

The Progressive Corp. insurance group is defending itself against an onslaught of negative publicity after it tried to avoid paying $75,000 to the family of a client killed in a car crash and sought to blame the wreck on her.

The election of a Sudanese warlord accused of genocide to the United Nations Human Rights Council is now virtually guaranteed, since he has the full backing of the world body's African delegation. The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Omar Al-Bashir -- its first ever for a sitting head of state -- for crimes against humanity he allegedly committed in Darfur. Yet, his regime is set to take its place on the panel, in the latest bizarre appointment to make a mockery of the UN's human rights credibility, according to critics. It's like putting “Jack the Ripper in...

This is the first I’ve heard of this, but if true, it’s troubling because it’s one more reason that experience in business really doesn’t translate to governance. Right Across the Atlantic is reporting that Romney went on a trip while governing Massachusetts, paid by Pfizer, the pharmaceutical giant, that ultimately looked like a sort of crony capitalism deal, but Romney side-stepped it by going on vacation so that his Lt. Governor would sign the bill, relieving him of any ethics investigation worries. In fact, the whole manner of the episode is troubling, and you should check out the article in...

The year-and-a-half-old ABC “scoop”, in which Newt Gingrich’s ex boasts her one interview could end her one time hubby’s political career, is more about the contemporary media than it is about a presidential candidate. The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz said a mouthful when he posited that Marianne Gingrich does not say anything in the new interview that she hasn’t said in the past.The Esquire already ran with the same story in September 2010, if anyone cares. Notice how quickly the story of another election-year smear has morphed over to WHEN ABC will air it.

It seems esteemed NASA astronomer turned climatologist turned paid activist Dr. James Hansen of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) has not been reporting some income that he is required by law to do. How long will NASA continue to look the other way? Chris Horner explains. – AnthonyA Summary of James E. Hansen’s NASA Ethics FileBy Christopher HornerNASA records released to resolve litigation filed by the American Tradition Institute reveal that Dr. James E. Hansen, an astronomer, received approximately $1.6 million in outside, direct cash income in the past five years for work related to — and, according...

"...Washington, Oct.25 (UPI)- The Obama administration is mulling whether an anthrax vaccine meant to protect against bioterrorism attack should be tested on U.S. children, officials say..."

The White House has named Jesse Lee to a new position within its communications department titled Director of Progressive Media & Online Response. According to The Huffington Post, Lee will essentially be responsible for building up Obama’s online presence as he prepares for his reelection bid, and squashing any negative stories: The post is a new one for this White House. Rapid response has usually been outsourced to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), if not done on an ad-hoc basis by administration officials. And it signals that the White House will be adopting a more aggressive defense of the president and...

SolveClimateNews.com blessed us with an article telling how Google "has brought together a team of 21 climate researchers to improve the way the science of global warming is communicated using new media". This, no doubt in response to widespread reports of a Gallup poll showing ever-decreasing concern by the public about global warming, which must also explain why the GOP-controlled US House is moving forward with actions to thwart greenhouse gas regulations. Ignorance run amok, thus Google's experts are here to save the day. If only that were the case. The enormous irony here is the very service Google itself...

The Democrats are trying to change the Senate rules so that they can ram through their agenda when their majority shrinks next week from 59 to 53 seats. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been scheming behind closed doors to use his slim majority to vote on January 5 for the most drastic rules changes since 1975. "Democrats lost the election. Their power has been weakened significantly. So they are trying to do a Washington-insider tactic to try to grab power, even though the voters told them very clearly in the election that they didn't like them, and didn't...

U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin addresses the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 30, 2010. (Photo by Penny Starr/CNSNews.com) (CNSNews.com) – The U.S. Surgeon-General’s report that even a single cigarette can harm a person’s health is unscientific and potentially unethical, a cigar and pipe trade group says.According to the report released on Dec. 9 by Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, “there is no risk-free level of exposure to tobacco smoke.” In announcing the report, Benjamin said exposure to tobacco smoke – even occasional smoking or secondhand smoke – “causes immediate damage to your body that can...

(CNSNews.com) – A Fairfax County high school last month told teachers to let cheating students retake tests so they wouldn’t receive zeros, the Washington Post reported. In a Nov. 5 e-mail to teachers, West Potomac High School Principal Cliff Hardison said cheating should "result in a disciplinary consequence separate from an academic consequence." This is the same Fairfax County high school that asked teachers to mostly banish F's from report cards, the newspaper said. According to the Washington Post, Hardison – responding to complaints from parents and teachers – later reverted to the old policy of giving zeroes to cheaters,...

Voted for budget-busting stimulus spending. Voted for the bailouts. Voted for Cap-and-Trade. Voted to ban ANWR and offshore drilling. Voted for Cash-for-Clunkers and tax increases while earning an “F” rating from Second Amendment supporters. Even voted to allow the courts to remove “God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. No, we’re not talking about the voting record of John Kerry or Nancy Pelosi. That sterling resume belongs to Congressman Mike Castle, who, after getting embarrassed by Christine O’Donnell in Tuesday’s U.S. Senate primary in Delaware, will be out of work in January.

The nomination of Judge Robert Chatigny to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals displays the lunacy of leftist elitist judicial nominees. Obama's stocking the federal courts with completely depraved judges. Judge Chatigny can expect plenty of skepticism about his suitability, given his handling of a case involving Michael Ross, a Connecticut serial killer who raped and murdered at least eight women and girls. The facts are summarized in this article in the American Spectator. Chatigny found that the sexual sadism of Ross -- known as the Roadside Strangler -- was a mitigating factor in his case. He went so far...

When it come to passing Healthcare that’s exactly what the president and Speaker of the House are saying! The Democrat controlled Congress is about to perform the most unethical act ever in the history of Congress and they blame you the American people. Nobody in the House even wants to vote for this bill. (see article) In what is the most important legislative fight in easily the last 50 to 60 years Democrats are contemplating changing the rules in the middle of the fight. And as everyone knows that’s wrong! Congressman David Dyer House Rules Republican ranking member explains in...

NEW YORK – The New York Times is looking into the work of one its reporters following accusations that he plagiarized from The Wall Street Journal and other sources. The paper published an editor's note online Sunday and in papers Monday that said reporter Zachery Kouwe "appears to have improperly appropriated wording and passages published by other news organizations." The Times said Journal editors pointed out similarities between a Journal story from Feb. 5 and Times pieces later that day and on Feb. 6. The Times said a search found other similar examples taken from media outlets like Reuters and...

Not that this will come as any great shock, but Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), the lone Democrat holdout against the current iteration of healthcare reform, announced Saturday he will vote for the bill. Also unsurprising: much like Mary "Louisiana Purchase" Landrieu (D-La.) before him, Nelson sold his vote and his very soul for some financial benefits to his state. As Politico reported moments ago: Sen. Mary Landrieu got the "Louisiana Purchase." Sen. Ben Nelson got the federal government to pick up most his state's future Medicaid tab -- forever. As part of the deal to win Nelson's support, the federal...

On Morning Joe today, Joe Scarborough nailed the Washington press corps for its sycophantish performance at the White House Correspondents Association dinner this past Saturday night: “like a bunch of teenage girls waiting for a Bay City Rollers concert, waiting to scream at the top of their [lungs].” Mika Brzezinski, agreeing with Joe, lifted the veil on the goings-on behind the scenes, describing an enraptured TV production crew scrambling to get the most flattering shots of the prez and First Lady. View video here.

GOP Leader Blasts Media Bias in House Floor Speech @ 3:20 pm by Michael O'Brien An alleged liberal bias by journalists covering recent scandals was enough "breaking news" to House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who took to the floor of the House yesterday to complain. "The national media spells scandal without the 'D,'" Smith alleged during one-minute speeches by members on the House floor Monday. "Two weeks ago the Governor of Illinois was removed from office," he added. "All three television networks ran full reports on the story the same night and again the following morning. Not...

Post-election Obama and ACORN ACORN enthusiastically endorsed candidate Obama in the 2008 presidential race. A fundamentally unethical group, ACORN aims at more than community organizing: it proposes social engineering. Even Fannie Mae is involved. ACORN made headlines during the past presidential campaign, not just for candidate Barack Obama’s past work with the organization, but also for revelations that it was implicated in voter fraud and embezzlement. The situation was serious enough – and public enough – that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ charity, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, decided “to end CCHD funding of ACORN organizations because...

After serving four years in the state House of Representatives, state Sen. Jane Orie, R-40th, of Allegheny County, was elected to the Senate in 2001. She rapidly made a name for herself as a reformer and now has the distinction of serving in a leadership position as majority whip for the Republican Caucus. Ms. Orie has taken on issues in the commonwealth, including health care, prescription drug coverage, taxes, schools safety and crime victims’ rights. More than anything else, Ms. Orie’s stated passion for reform and fair play stems from her days as state deputy attorney general and assistant district...

As Hillary Clinton came under increasing scrutiny for her story about facing sniper fire in Bosnia, one question that arose was whether she has engaged in a pattern of lying. The now-retired general counsel and chief of staff of the House Judiciary Committee, who supervised Hillary when she worked on the Watergate investigation, says Hillary’s history of lies and unethical behavior goes back farther – and goes much deeper – than anyone realizes. Jerry Zeifman, a lifelong Democrat, supervised the work of 27-year-old Hillary Rodham on the committee. Hillary got a job working on the investigation at the behest of...

Here is how I have viewed politics the past couple decades: Politicians and their political parties cannot legally dip directly into the federal treasury to extract money to fund their campaigns and pay the hefty salaries of their campaign staff members, consultants, strategists, speech writers, poll takers, plus travel expenses, phones, mail, office supplies, signs, bumper stickers, campaign buttons, and whatever else strikes their fancy. There is an alternative legal means the politicians employ. They must first find a way of getting treasury money out of government and into the hands of special interests that will share a small portion...

Human embryonic stem cells have been used to regrow the heart muscles of rats that had survived lab-induced heart attacks, scientists from the University of Washington and a private biotechnology company reported today. Because the rebuilt heart muscle halted the progression of heart failure, the findings offer encouragement that treatments based on embryonic stem cells someday might be used to help people who suffer heart attacks, a leading cause of death in the U.S, said Chuck Murry, a UW researcher and an author of the study. Unlike many tissues in the body, heart muscle cells don't regenerate. So when heart...

I recieved the following email yesterday afternoon and I am steaming mad. The video chain Blockbuster video has been aggressively advertising thier alternative to the growing success of Netflix. I was pressured by the folks who work at the video stored for months to join Blockbuster Unlimited. They touted the ability to rent movies online just like Netflix but with the added bonus of being able to take a movie back into any store and exchange it free for another title, along with being able to also just rent from the store. This sounded like a great deal and sold...

When the Democrats took over the House of Representatives, one of first statements out of the mouth of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (and other Democrats) was that this new Congress would be the “most ethical ever.” Now, it seems that they are changing their tune in their zeal to keep their pet pork projects away from the eyes of the American people. As noted in the Washington Times, Democrat leaders in the House are reversing the work of Republicans regarding what is known as “earmark reform.” The 2006 legislation would: allow lawmakers to vote on individual earmarks, specific funding requests...

Since he left office in 2001, former president Bill Clinton has been paid by $3.3 million by InfoUSA, an Omaha, Nebraska company that has been identified as a key provider of specially designed databases that have been sold to criminals who use the detailed information to defraud the unsuspecting elderly. The consulting fees to the former president were only part of the largess InfoUSA showered on the former president. Vinod Gupta, the CEO of InfoUSA, lent the Clintons the company's jet which took them to places like Switzerland, Hawaii, Jamaica and Mexico. The jet service was worth a staggering $900,000....

WASHINGTON -- Eager to head off Rudolph Giuliani's recent gains in the polls, conservative activists this week strengthened their attacks, with some promising to step up their efforts on the Internet, talk radio and "below-the-radar" to discredit him going forward. They are taking direct aim at one of Giuliani's strongest selling points, at least to some backers -- that he is the Republicans' best hope of stopping Hillary Rodham Clinton. These critics argue that his nomination would prompt a conservative third-party candidate to join the race and split the GOP vote, clearing the way for Clinton's election. "There's no way...

What does it mean when a national leader consistently displays a cynical and negative view of his fellow citizens' ethical instincts? There are four possibilities, three of which reflect badly on him. It may be that his opinion of human nature is so low because his own ethical instincts are warped, and he assumes that everyone else has the same values as he does. It could be that he holds others, particularly his adversaries, in low regard, according them neither respect nor a fair chance to prove that their ethical instincts are every bit as admirable as his own. Perhaps...

Leadership: Harry Reid has blown off President Ford's funeral because it would be "hard to cancel" his meetings with South America's leaders or put off his junket to Inca ruins. How's that for class? Reid's visit to a tourist site in Peru, instead of presenting himself as the next Senate Majority Leader at a rare state funeral, shows how little respect he has for Gerald Ford, a good man whose presidency was marked by his willingness to put duty to country first in an effort to heal a wounded nation. Not so Reid, who put his own agenda above the...

(Vanity) FReepers- I need the name of several great books on how to sue your attorney. Basically,this whole ordeal has been going on for 4 1/2 years and my attorney has just continued to negate his fudiciary responsibilty in so many ways and left me with no choice. My dealings with him are regarding the selling of some companies and some real estate holdings. He and the accountant who did the valuations are a little too close for comfort and now my valuations have been held hostage (even though the accountant has been paid in full over a YEAR AGO!!...

----- Original Message ----- From: Peter Tira - McClatchy Corporate To: CHACHI Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 12:36 PM Subject: RE: There are pro-Castro folk inside The Herald As the new owners of The Miami Herald, we want to join in the apologies that have been extended for mistakes and missteps there, and to ask you to give us the time and opportunity to show what our ownership will mean. The McClatchy Company is proud of almost 150 years of newspaper history and its long record of respectful community journalism. We want to assure you that we intend to bring...

The Fitzpatrick Plame investigation has spurred the New York Times into examining how their reporters conduct themselves. Apparently, the Gray Lady wants her staff to act more like terrorists and drug dealers. Reporters are being told to delete emails, destroy notes, and use disposable cell phones in order to stymie future investigations.

Oregon Health & Science University will be the first, and maybe only, hospital to give a risky experimental stem-cell transplant to children dying of a rare nerve-destroying disease. In the coming months, as many as six children with Batten disease will travel to OHSU for injections of neural stem cells, primitive cells that can form new brain and nerve cells. The stem cells are taken from human fetuses, with their mothers' agreement, and processed and purified by a California company, StemCells Inc. At OHSU, a surgeon will inject the stem cells into eight areas of each child's brain. The theory...

AR Wildlife Officers Demoted For Illegal Hunting E-mail This Article Printable Version The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says two Arkansas wildlife officers have been demoted for illegal hunting turkeys without a license in Tennessee. Game and Fish Director Scott Henderson said that Major Jerry D."Chuck" Woodson, assistant chief of enforcement for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and Wade Spence were demoted. Spence, a six-year game and fish veteran, was named Wildlife Officer of the Year in 2003 by the National Wild Turkey Federation. The illegal hunting reportedly happened in April, but it wasn't reported until July 12th. Woodson...

WINNIPEG - The Liberal leadership race lost its veneer of civility Saturday as the 11 contenders locked horns over Afghanistan and campaign financing and began sharpening their attacks on the perceived front-runner, Michael Ignatieff. Toronto MP Joe Volpe, struggling to recover from a kiddie campaign donation controversy, heralded the more aggressive tone at a news conference just hours before the first official all-candidates' debate. He announced that he will disclose all donations to his campaign in future as they are received and challenged his rivals to do the same or "bow out of the race." Volpe cast himself as the...

In this war freedom should come first not after! In New Hampshire the Motto is Live free or Die! I don't need Bush spying on law abiding americans and taking our freedoms. Anyone who surrenders a square inch of freedom to the government in the name of saftey is a traitor and should be treated like one! Let the Bush Fashists all drop dead! Filthy Commys! LET FREEDOM RING!

The disciplinary arm of the N.C. State Bar dropped charges of felonious misconduct against two former Union County prosecutors Friday because of a 1999 clerical error at the state Supreme Court. The State Bar had charged Kenneth Honeycutt and Scott Brewer with lying, cheating and withholding evidence in a 1996 death penalty case. The ruling Friday marks the second time that Honeycutt and Brewer won on procedural grounds before the bar's Disciplinary Hearing Commission, which sits as judge and jury in disciplinary cases. . . . Prosecutors around the state are concerned that the case is damaging their reputation and...

Bush’s giant Right Wing Noise Machine (RWNM) loves to preach about the Bush economic miracle. In fact, the RWNM’s current thinking is Bush doesn’t spend enough time talking about his economic triumphs. If only he did, then everyone would fall in line and believe in the great Bush economic miracle. There is one problem with this argument: it’s a lie. Any way you look at the Bush economy, it comes up short. Today, I want to compare Bush’s job creation record with other economic recoveries. As usual, Bush comes up way short. The national Bureau of Economic Research has identified...

A federal judge in Chicago accused Leakgate Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald of prosecutorial misconduct earlier this year and launched an investigation into what he said a misuse of grand jury materials - before Fitzgerald had the probe shut down by a higher court. In January 2005, U.S. District Judge James F. Holderman accused Fitzgerald's U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago of turning grand jury materials over to a plaintiff's lawyer in a hospital-fraud case, the Associated Press reported at the time. In addition to threatening to hold one of Fitzgerald's prosecutors in criminal contempt of court, Judge Holderman ordered a misconduct...

Schumer Wasted No Time In Attacking And Fundraising Off Of Judge Alito:Schumer: "[I]t's Sad That The President Felt He Had To Pick A Nominee Likely To Divide America Instead Of Choosing A Nominee In The Mold Of Sandra Day O'Connor, Who Would Unify Us." (Sen. Charles Schumer, Press Conference, 10/31/05) Schumer: "[T]he President Seems To Want To Hunker Down In His Bunker And Is More Concerned About Smoothing The Ruffled Feathers Of The Extreme Wing Of His Party Than About Governing All Of America And Changing History For The Better. This Controversial Nominee ... Will Get Very Careful Scrutiny From...

Jonathan Turley was on Hannity's Fox News show tonight. Hannity was asking him about the whole Plame case, and Fitzgerald. Turley, a prof. at GWU and a practicing atty., mentioned how Fitzgerald has faced allegations over tactics he has used in previous prosecutions. Tactics that, if some reports are accurate, match the ones he is using in the current case. Turley claims that Fitzgerald has been known for working a case, finding early that no law was broken, and keeping the case going and trapping folks in the "lies/perjury/obstruction" bit. Seems like Turley is trying to lead that Fitzgerald may...

WASHINGTON- The government's effort to develop a new vaccine against anthrax has raised red flags among critics over plans to eventually test an experimental version on children.Robert Bock, a spokesman for the Nat'l. Inst. of Child Health and Human Development, said the new anthrax vaccine would not be tested on 100 first-and-second-graders until it is first tested safely on adults. That is under way now, he said."If that study is successful, there will probably be a protocol to test the anthrax vaccine in children," Bock said.While federal rules govern how children can be used in medical research, Barbara Loe...

As I am an Arizona resident, John McCain is my Senator. When I call his office in Phoenix to express my disappointment in McCain’s latest vote (against the Bush tax cuts; against drilling in ANWR; against the repeal of the estate tax, etc.), I find that his staffers are often embarrassed to confirm that he indeed voted the way he did. But when I make the same call to his D.C. office, the staffers there are actually belligerent in their defense of these wayward votes by the “maverick” Republican. The Beltway indeed represents a different constituency for our elected officials....

Growing up, I knew that I wanted to work in the medical field. The reasoning for my choice sounded like the response of a beauty pageant contestant -- I wanted to help people. Trite as that sounds, that really was my reason. I graduated from nursing school 23 years ago and have only worked in the nursing profession since that time. I have always been proud to be a nurse - even when some in my family said that I was "too smart" to be "just" a nurse. Nursing has never been just a job that has a great deal...

NASHVILLE - While allegations of misconduct against Sen. John Ford have grown more serious, complaints of ethical violations by other legislators are taking some new twists. A former girlfriend of Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Williams, R-Maryville, provided a sworn affidavit to a Nashville television station accusing him of using campaign funds for personal expenses. Williams says there was no impropriety. A Clarksville man, meanwhile, filed a sworn complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee charging that "every member of the Tennessee state Senate in 2003 and 2004" has violated ethical standards. Barry Schmittou also has filed a sworn complaint against...

You and your fascist co-horts will all be sorry when the Bush* administration is charged with stealing this election. His administration and this website is nothing more then propaganda for a fascist regime. We are watching you, and we will be there when you slip up and your face down on the ground because you slipped on your own Nazi style propaganda. John Kerry won this election and you know it! Everyone knows it!