Free Republic

Does the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech and of the press protect any sound that comes out of a person's mouth and any words he puts on paper? No, it doesn't. Several kinds of expression have long been understood as falling outside constitutional protection. Libel is one. Invasion of privacy is another. Obscenity yet another. And then there are the finer points, such as "fighting words" and "shouting "fire' in a crowded theater." Those last two categories pose some interesting problems. Take tobacco ads, for example. Considering the health risks of smoking, are such ads the equivalent ...

MOSCOW, Jun 28, 1999 -- (Agence France Presse) MOSCOW, June 28 (AFP) - Russia continued the build-up of its contingent of the international peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR) on Monday, dispatching more military supplies and troops to the troubled Serbian province. The first of three giant Il-76 transport planes took off at 8:15 a.m. (0415 GMT) from the Ryazan airbase some 300 kilometres (180 miles) southeast of Moscow packed with food, technical equipment and military supplies. Sixteen paratroopers were also on board the aircraft, the commercial NTV television station reported. A second aircraft later took off from the same ...

In response to a request on the "What do Freepers Do" threads, I’ve accumulated key phrases from the various posters pertaining to occupations and education achievements. This may help Freepers and Lurkers get to know each other a little better perhaps… I was going to try to sort them out by occupation … but gave up due to the volume of posts!!! My apologies if I’ve overlooked any or misstated anything. (It was prepared in a hurry.) Please note your corrections, edits and additions. Housewife/homemaker - alisasny, debo21, Spectre's wife, RightField, small voice in the wilderness, RightOnlinesWife, SDR, astonished, ...

BENTON, Arkansas - Paula Jones was ticketed early Sunday for having a suspended driver's license after she was pulled over for a burned out tail light, state police said. Jones was driving on Interstate 30 in Saline County near Benton when a trooper stopped her about 1:15 a.m., police said. At the side of the highway, the trooper ran her California license and learned it was suspended, state police spokesman Bill Sadler said. The National Crime Information Computer check said the suspension was for failure to appear on a misdemeanor charge out of Long Beach, Calif. Sadler said Arkansas authorities ...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. HAVE REPUBLICANS collectively fallen into a swoon for George W. Bush? Have they bet the farm on someone who is untested in national politics and almost utterly unknown to the American electorate? Yep, as they say out there where his middle initial is pronounced "dubbayuh." Whether the gamble will pay off eventually remains to be seen. But it is not difficult to understand the secret of George W.'s appeal. In the first place, in contrast to most of the other contenders for the Republican nomination, George W. Bush is a ...

The recent pro-gun control hysteria generated by the Colorado school shootings (and by propaganda from our liberal ruling classes, who miss no pretext for renewing their dream of disarming the population and thus rendering the state omnipotent), highlights a feature of our society which has been criticized a number of times by now - the insistence by so many people that we must live in a risk-free world, presumably to be guaranteed by the government. We see it all the time - every time you turn on the TV there is some meddlesome do-gooder on there earnestly instructing you ...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Webster Hubbell plans to plead guilty Wednesday to a felony charge that he attempted to cover up his and Hillary Rodham Clinton's role in a fraudulent Arkansas land deal, legal sources said today. Hubbell, the first lady's former law partner, also will plead guilty to a misdemeanor tax charge as part of the agreement, sources said. Hubbell had been scheduled to go on trial Aug. 9, and prosecutors had listed Mrs. Clinton as a potential witness. Under the agreement, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr will recommend that Hubbell receive no jail time. Starr also will seek dismissal ...

For information and discussion only. Not for commercial use. DEFENDING AMERICAN CITIZENS is our government’s highest duty. This sacred duty is fulfilled by protecting Americans at home, and also by safeguarding U.S. citizens abroad. One of the primary threats to our citizens is terrorism, particularly in the battle-scarred Middle East. Terrorism is a principal weapon of those seeking to threaten the United States and all for which our country stands. Terrorism will continue to be a weapon unless we make clear to the world that we will not tolerate it. We have remained silent far too long, especially in ...

YOU SEE THEM ALL OVER THE PLACE around here in Washington's poshest restaurants, enjoying hefty expense account lunches, popping into the plastic surgeon's office for a quick peel or a facelift, huddling together at upmarket functions discussing in animated whispers the latest phone call to Austin's Governor's mansion. They are the permanent Republican faces, and they've been pacing the floor for 7 long years, waiting diligently for the return of the White House. Some are working as lobbyists, others are writing books, and all are biding their time, as they wait hopefully for a phone call from "Dubbya." They show ...

Census Will Not Use Sampling Supreme Court Roundup (Part III) Monday, June 28, 1999 Notable Decisions Indicate Conservative Shift A New Federalism In a trio of cases, the Supreme Court substantially shifted the balance of power from the federal government to the states, ruling that individuals could not sue states for violating rights guaranteed by federal laws. The justices split along ideological lines, with the same five justices -- all appointed by Presidents Reagan or Bush -- comprising the majority in each case. In Alden vs. Maine, the court ruled that state employees cannot sue for the payment of overtime ...

  Prepare Now for the Coming Y2K Lockdown by Christine Crandell Y2K fever is building and the Y2K FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) factor is alive and well. Is the sky really falling? What some see as problems for enterprise software vendors are actually blessings in disguise. Sure, ent

  Overreacting to Y2K Could Cause More Harm by Amara D. Angelica With just six months to go until Y2K, this is not a time to be blasé. A poll of top Y2K professionals just conducted by CIO magazine, in conjunction with Information Systems Audit and Control Association and Dr. Ed Yardeni’s Y2K Center, showed that only 8 percent of the organizations surveyed (most with at least 1,000 employees) had completed their Y2K work and almost half were behind schedule. "We’re not doing as well as [White House Y2K czar John] Koskinen would like us to believe," says Soquel-based Y2K ...

Census Will Not Use Sampling Supreme Court Roundup (Part II) Monday, June 28, 1999 Notable Decisions Indicate Conservative Shift The Census Bureau's proposal to conduct approximately 10 percent of the 2000 census by statistical sampling is illegal, the Supreme Court ruled in U.S. Department of Commerce vs. U.S. House of Representatives. Although the court did not rule on the proposal's constitutionality, it found that any type of sampling for apportionment purposes is a violation of the 1976 Census Act. Critics of sampling have that sampling's inherent vagueness is used to promote narrow political interests.Other justices in the 5-4 decision, however, ...

Charter's union is a first The West Oak Lane School's newly formed union raises questions about hiring flexibility. A Philadelphia charter school -- where about a third of the teaching staff is being forced out -- has become the first in the state to see its educators form a union, labor officials said last week. A majority of the teachers at the West Oak Lane Charter School, the brainchild of State Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Phila.), voted to do so in February several months after becoming concerned about job security, lack of supplies and working conditions, said Jared Freedman, staff ...

Bringing home Y2K preparations By Erich LueningStaff Writer, CNET News.com June 28, 1999, 4:00 a.m. PT Although most experts expect the Year 2000 technology problem to have a small impact on the home, the federal government and consumer groups want consumers to prepare for some home-based dilemmas related to the technology glitch. According to information the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA) has received from its members, most consumer electronics products will not encounter problems with the Year 2000 date change. However, those products using calendar year data may be affected, resulting in anything from failed security systems to inaccurate wrist ...

Supreme Court Roundup Monday, June 28, 1999 Notable Decisions Indicate Conservative Shift Since the barrier-breaking rulings of the liberal-leaning Supreme Court of the 1960s, the court has become decidedly more conservative. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas are considered the most conservative voices on the bench, while GOP appointee David H. Souter and President Clinton appointees Stephen G. Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are the relatively liberal justices. The swing votes on the court are Reagan nominees Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy, who tend to side with the conservatives. The most dramatic rulings ...

Y2K domino effect worries firms By Barnaby J. Feder New York Times News Service       Donald Rose, the head of Intel Corp.'s global drive to prevent year 2000 computer problems from derailing microchip production, is focused these days on 500 critical suppliers of materials and basic services like power and telephones.       About half are ready for the date change, Rose says. Intel is busy dispatching training, testing and auditing help to the others — many of them abroad — in the hope they will catch up. But hope is a high-risk business strategy, so Intel ...

By The Associated Press PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) -- After two weeks of watching displaced ethnic Albanians flood home on their own, the first refugees returned today to Kosovo in a U.N.-organized bus convoy. Remaining Serbs observed a bitter anniversary, meanwhile, at a revered medieval battle site. Under an agreement signed by NATO and the Kosovo Liberation Army on June 21, the rebels face a midnight deadline to establish secure weapons storage sites and vacate fighting positions. ``Today is the key day -- by midnight tonight we expect to have the KLA into those designated assembly areas,'' said NATO's supreme commander ...

Go here to vote... http://www.msnbc.com/news/default.asp If the hoped-for budget surpluses do materialize over the next 15 years, how should most of the money be used? * 2407 responses Give taxpayers their money back in the form of tax cuts. 50% Strengthen the solvency of Social Security and Medicare. 33% Spend it on education and health programs that benefit children. 9% Build up U.S. military strength. 8%

By The Associated Press PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) -- After two weeks of watching displaced ethnic Albanians flood home on their own, the first refugees returned today to Kosovo in a U.N.-organized bus convoy. Remaining Serbs observed a bitter anniversary, meanwhile, at a revered medieval battle site. Under an agreement signed by NATO and the Kosovo Liberation Army on June 21, the rebels face a midnight deadline to establish secure weapons storage sites and vacate fighting positions. ``Today is the key day -- by midnight tonight we expect to have the KLA into those designated assembly areas,'' said NATO's supreme commander ...