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Ultimatum to Hizbollah over rocket attacks By Alan Philps in Jerusalem THE Israeli military has vowed to continue air raids on Lebanon if the Hizbollah guerrilla group does not stop rocket attacks across the border. Israeli aircraft bombed Lebanese power stations and bridges in retaliatory attacks until the early hours of yesterday, killing nine civilians and blacking out Beirut, the capital. In the heaviest fighting between the two nations in three years, Lebanese guerrilla rockets exploded in northern Israel, killing two municipal workers. Israelis remained in underground bomb shelters. The streets of the main border town, Kiryat Shemonah, were deserted. ...

WASHINGTON -- The F.B.I. is proposing to create a division devoted solely to rooting out spies, part of a Government-wide review of counterintelligence following suspicions that China tried for two decades to steal nuclear secrets, Government officials said Friday. After the cold war and the breakup of the Soviet Union, American intelligence agencies increasingly focused on fighting terrorism, believing that espionage would become less of a threat. As a result, counterintelligence efforts dwindled, according to experts inside and outside the Government. At the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for instance, the national security division added counterterrorism operations to its traditional emphasis ...

Medal of Honor THORSNESS, LEO K. Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel (then Maj.), U.S. Air Force, 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Place and date: Over North Vietnam, 19 April 1967. Entered service at: Walnut Grove, Minn. Born: 14 February 1932, Walnut Grove, Minn. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. As pilot of an F-105 aircraft, Lt. Col. Thorsness was on a surface-to-air missile suppression mission over North Vietnam. Lt. Col. Thorsness and his wingman attacked and silenced a surface-to-air missile site with air-to-ground missiles, and then ...

I would like to know why when a cross is burned, it is considered a "Hate Crime", but we are going to allow the flag to be burned. If we do allow the flag to be burned, why not treat it as a "Hate Crime" just like a burning cross? I mean, when the flag gets burned, it absolutely infuriates a lot of people and scares them also. Right? I just ask this because a friend happen to bring this up and I thought it made some sense.

The House Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs will be holding hearings on H.R.2245 - The Federalism Act of 1999 - on June 30. In reading this legislation, I was reminded of Clinton's Executive Order 13083 on Federalism. The complete text of the bill follows. I'm hoping for some help with interpretation. The part that bothers me most is in red.    Sandy  HR 2245 IH 106th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2245 To ensure the liberties of the people by promoting federalism, to protect the reserved powers of the States, to impose accountability for Federal ...

For Editorial and Discussion use only: Democrats Split On Medicare Reform Gephardt Holding Meetings About White House Plan By Ethan Wallison Senior House Democrats are strongly resisting a White House blueprint for Medicare reform amid fears of further party erosion among seniors and concern that the plan could draw Democrats into a costly battle over entitlement policy before next year's elections, according to leadership sources. An abundance of red flags raised after initial White House briefings has led Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) to convene a series of meetings in recent weeks aimed at finding where there may be avenues ...

Ann of a thousand lays Ten modest proposals to help Ann Coulter get a date. Editor's Note:Clinton-hating pinup girl, talk-radio poobah, George magazine columnist and possible congressional candidate Ann Coulter recently lamented that she was having trouble getting dates in the nation's capital -- a situation rendered even more poignant by a recent report in Glamour that "One in four D.C. dudes expects to do the nasty on date No. 1, the highest percentage of any city surveyed." Herewith, as part of Salon's attempt to promote national reconciliation and sexual healing, we offer some tips for Ms. Coulter. - ...

Spurs Win NBA Title - beat Knicks 78 - 77. Cardinals Picher Jose Jimenez gets season's first Major League No-Hitter - Cards beat Arizona Diamonbacks 1 - 0.

*ARSENAL* Necessity is the mother of invention, and the need to counter North Vietnam's SAMs brought forth the Wild Weasel. By John D. Cugini Throughout the long and truculent history of warfare, new threats have given birth to new weapons systems, new tactics, or new countermeasures. A classic case in point was the introduction of Wild Weasels--aircraft modified to carry special electronics and missiles dedicated to detecting and destroying radar-controlled surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and anti-aircraft artillery (triple A). As the United States initiated airstrikes into the heart of North Vietnam on March 2, 1964, sophisticated American jets were being ...

For Editorial and Discussion use only: Friday June 25 8:03 AM ET For Congress, The Proof Is In The Pudding For Congress, The Proof Is In The Pudding WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Will the House give the Senate its just desserts?Forget flag burning, gun control and the fight over displaying the Ten Commandments in school. The real battle between the House and the Senate involves rice pudding.It all started when Sen. Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican whose usual vice is chocolate, tried the rice pudding served in the House Members' Dining Room -- and came back for more.He serves on a ...

Fri Jan 1 12:03:50 1999 Moscow Proposal to Tax Sex Industry MOSCOW -- The Interfax news agency reports Liberal Democratic Party of Russia leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky is proposing that "sex prompts all human actions," and that the fiscally strapped Russian government would be better off to tax the sex industry. Zhirinovsky, speaking at the launching of his book "ABC of Sex", says public officials accept bribes because they want "to meet a nice girl, to see beauty." The book is co-authored with Vladimir Yurovitsky. Zhirinovsky argues that sexual frustration triggers alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide. The scandal involving U.S. ...

Aides See a New Rift as Gore Criticizes Clinton's Conduct ASHINGTON -- President Clinton is angered and hurt by Vice President Gore's conspicuous efforts to distance himself from Clinton's behavior in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, according to presidential aides and advisers. They say the vice president's words have created a friction that never before existed between the two men. Reports of public support masking private anger. "This is the most tense their relationship has ever been," one close Clinton adviser said this week. "The president is very upset," this adviser said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "To the people ...

The San Antonio Spurs just defeated the New York Knicks to win the NBA title. Sorry New Yorker's, you are 0-2 against Texas teams this year. First it was the Dallas Stars taking the Stanley Cup in the NHL. Now the Spurs win the NBA title. Could the World Series be next? The Texas Rangers are leading the AL West and Houston Astros are leading the NL Central. Oh my could we have an all Texas World Series this year. Bring it on baby!

I ask every Serb: 'Was it worth it?' By Robert Fisk in Novi Sad Vesna's boyfriend was due home from the Yugoslav army in two days and she sat drinking her coffee like a woman reprieved. The Danube - not blue but black with oil - slid past us a few hundred metres away, its bridges broken-backed in the water. "The night war was declared, Branko received his call-up papers," Vesna recalled. "It was such a shock. A real war was going to happen. I drove him to his barracks across the Danube and we kissed goodbye behind the cemetery. ...

Another New York team looses on their own home turf, while a Texas team takes home another pro championship title. Final score: San Antonio 78, New York 77.

Another New York team looses on their own home turf, while a Texas team takes home another pro championship title. Final score: San Antonio 78, New York 77.

TURKS IN A TIZZY The poor Turks: no matter what they do, no matter how deep and low they salaam to the West, no matter how eagerly they try to make themselves useful, they just can't get no respect. For decades, the military junta that really runs the country has been doing the bidding of the West. Turkey was a de facto American military outpost all through the Cold War, and the post-Soviet era has seen this relationship grow even closer. The Turks have even gone so far as to enter into a military alliance with Israel in their bid ...

For Editorial and Discussion use only: Clinton Could Veto Nuclear Waste Bill-Official Reuters [OL] Friday, June 25, 1999 7:22PM By Patrick Connole WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Clinton likely would veto compromise legislation on nuclear waste storage pending in the Senate because it would cut out the Environmental Protection Agency from setting radiation regulations, a Department of Energy official said Friday. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week approved a bipartisan bill aimed at ending years of wrangling between the federal government and nuclear utilities by having the DOE assume control of radioactive spent fuel at reactor sites. About ...

Clinton Says Misspoke On China Spying Scandal Reuters [OL] Friday, June 25, 1999 6:02PM WASHINGTON (Reuters) via NewsEdge Corporation - President Clinton said Friday he misspoke earlier this year when he said no security breaches occurred at U.S. nuclear research laboratories during his administration. A congressional report last month said China had acquired U.S. secrets about seven nuclear weapons and the neutron bomb through 20 years of espionage. China has denied it stole U.S. nuclear secrets. ``First of all, there has been a 20-year problem with lax security at the labs,'' Clinton said at a press briefing. ``And what I ...

Nuisance Law 6/25/99 A Syracuse market is padlocked by police who say it's a neighborhood nuisance, but the owner says he's making an honest living. The city of Syracuse, faced with growing problems in its neighborhoods, adopted a nuisance law. That means it can take action against houses or businesses that attract crime. The target on Friday was a grocery store where the owner, in tears, insists he's an honest businessman. The locks will remain on the Boss Market building for at least sixty days under that city law. What this all comes down to is a question of responsibility. ...