Free Republic

EPIC joined with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation on November 18 in a court challenge to block new rules that would enable the FBI to dictate the design of the nation's communication infrastructure. The challenged rules would allow the Bureau to track the physical locations of cellular phone users and monitor Internet traffic. In petitions to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the Ninth Circuit, the groups say that the rules -- contained in a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision issued in August (see EPIC Alert 6.13) -- could ...

The Electronic Privacy Information Center asked a federal court on December 3 to order the release of controversial documents concerning potential government surveillance of American citizens. EPIC's lawsuit seeks the public disclosure of internal National Security Agency (NSA) documents discussing the legality of the Agency's intelligence activities. NSA refused to provide the documents to the House Intelligence Committee earlier this year, resulting in an unusual public reprimand of the secretive spy agency. Rep. Porter J. Goss, chairman of the oversight panel, wrote in a committee report in May that NSA's rationale for withholding the legal memoranda was "unpersuasive and dubious." ...

The reporter from Atlanta wanted to know what the problem was between Arizona Sen. John McCain and The Arizona Republic. He said McCain's campaign people told him not to talk to reporters in Arizona, not if he wanted to get to know the real McCain. Instead, the writer from Georgia was advised to speak with reporters in Washington, D.C. "Why would the McCain folks say that?" he asked me. Because they're smart, I told him. Just about any member of the Washington press corps will be able to reel off three things about Sen. McCain: 1) He's a war hero, ...

In the latest sign of its drive to military power, China is close to fielding a revolutionary new antiaircraft early warning defense system. U.S. intelligence analysts are very worried by the new technology because it can defeat current Air Force tactics for overcoming enemy air defenses and detect U.S. Stealth aircraft, including the F-117 bomber, and even, they fear, the futuristic F- 22 fighter. The Chinese advance has so alarmed the defense community that top military and industry experts have been called to a secret meeting later this month to discuss the strategic implications. "Everyone is wondering about the ...

Dec. 7 — The first family is fretting that its millennium bash might be a bust. A well-placed Washington insider says the Clintons are worried that their much ballyhooed New Year’s party at the Lincoln Memorial will suffer from poor attendance. THE EVENT WILL be hosted by Will Smith and will feature a short film by Steven Spielberg. Other celebs expected include Tricia Yearwood, Jessye Norman, Robert Duvall and Kathleen Battle. Tom Jones and Aretha Franklin, who were scheduled to be in a now-cancelled big-ticket event in New York City, are said to be talking to the Clintons about ...

Asia Society Panel to Suggest Improvements in Education Asia Society Panel to Suggest Improvements in Standards, Lessons, Teacher Knowledge, Textbooks and Technology Despite news stories about China that have dominated the headlines in the past year, most adults and college-bound students can't correctly identify Mao Zedong as the first leader of the Peoples' Republic of China, two new public opinion surveys to be released show. Americans also say they lack essential knowledge of Asia given the region's growing significance to the U.S. economy and culture, the polls indicate. They also express concern about the treatment afforded Asia in schools. To ...

Stamper resignation catches city by surprise by J. Martin McOmber, Steve Miletich and Mike Carter Seattle Times staff reporters Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper's decision to resign has caught city officials by surprise and caused some to speculate that Stamper is taking a fall for Seattle Mayor Paul Schell. Schell denied that this morning, saying he and Stamper together must shoulder the responsibility for the rioting that erupted during last week's World Trade Organization conference. Still, Schell said, Stamper's departure is for the best. Schell said he told Stamper he had full confidence in him during a meeting Sunday. But ...

However, those seeking clemency this season, ranging from Peltier to Patricia Hearst Shaw, might be unsettled by one fact: Clinton, despite Republican critics' penchant for calling him soft on crime, has granted far fewer requests for clemency than any recent chief executive. According to statistics compiled by Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Clinton has granted only 2.7 percent of the requests he has acted on. By comparison, President George Bush granted 4.2 percent; Ronald Reagan, 12.6 percent; Jimmy Carter, 21.6 percent; Gerald Ford, 31.2 percent; and Richard Nixon, 26.2 percent. http://chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/article/0,2669,SAV-9912060183,FF.html

Though shocked by bizarre shootings in schools, few Americans have noticed how many shooters were among the 6 million kids now on psychotropic drugs.Just three weeks after Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on their April 20 killing spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., President Clinton hosted a White House conference on youth violence. The president declared it a strategy session to seek "the best ideas from people who can really make a difference: parents and young people, teachers and religious leaders, law enforcement, gun manufacturers, representatives of the entertainment industry and those of us here in government." ...

The judge overseeing the bruising child-support fight between Ron Perelman and Patricia Duff will go to his scorecard today -- ruling on how much money it takes to raise a 5-year-old billionairess. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Franklin Weissberg's decision could mean a lot of green for Duff, who's seeking a total of $24 million in child support, and a lot of white for Perelman -- he's told pals he'll marry fiancée Ellen Barkin after the contentious case. Duff is seeking an average $4,700 a day in support to provide a "a reasonably luxurious lifestyle" for Caleigh, her daughter with the ...

Alas, the most excellent Conservative Book Club (CBC) seems determined to place dead last in the race to establish an internet presence. So I have no web address to direct folks to. On the other hand, every month CBC offers up a great selection of titles for the education and edication of its members! Since my government school experience only taught anti-conservative propaganda and the news media only allows a smattering of conservative columnists, and nothing longer or meetier than a single article, the CBC has been my primary route to educating myself in serious, coherent conservatism. To the extent ...

A Brilliant Piece of Work. The "Hillary Divorce Story" (Or The Magic Bullet Trial Balloon ) is just the most competent piece of press handling I have seen in a long time. Carville and the gang are to be congratulated. Although I guess it is a bit easier when the press is on your team and you break the story in a tabloid owned by a friend. But still, it is a brilliant piece of coordination. These professional slicksters pulled the coup off just at the moment needed to revive the Hillary campaign, which looked like it was on ...

Keyes wins again, for what vote.com is worth.

There has always been a fine line between making news and creating it. The latter has become synonymous with the Department Of Propaganda at the White House. This media disinformation center has evolved from the one man finger pointing tactics of Sid "Vicious" Blumenthal, to a complex filled with a plethora of formulas, polls and focus groups. Once satisfied with their internet media darling, Salon Magazine, James Carville figured out that this just wasn't enough. While the usual main stream TV and print media were already in their back pockets, he soon realized that they were losing the war ...

Hillary, where are you? The likely Senate candidate has not stepped foot on Staten Island yet December 6, 1999 By TERENCE J. KIVLAN ADVANCE WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Never mind Godot. Where's Hillary? After watching her campaign train chug through upstate and suburban areas and make multiple stops in the city's other four boroughs over the last several months, Staten Island voters are still waiting for unannounced Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton to show up in their precincts. Backers of her likely Republican opponent, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, can scarcely contain their glee at Mrs. Clinton's apparent snubbing of their borough, ...

Lawyers Now Have Control of Nation Once Ruled by Law In the early days of this country, most of the people in Congress were ordinary citizens--businessmen, farmers, teachers, shopkeepers and the like. Today, most of the people in Congress are lawyers ... career politicians. This is not an improvement. Before I explain why, let me hasten to say that there are some lawyers who are wonderful people. However, they are the exceptions to the general rule. As a group, lawyers run America. As legislators, they make the laws; as judges, they interpret the laws, and as public administrators and private ...

Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper is planning to resign and says he takes full responsibility for the police handling of the violent protests that disrupted last week's World Trade Organization meeting, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said in its Internet edition that Stamper sent a letter to Mayor Paul Schell on Monday announcing his decision to step down at the end of March after six years as chief. The paper reported that Schell accepted the resignation. Stamper said in an interview with the newspaper that he would stay on through March so he could help investigators sort ...

I just finished reading the latest version of Dowd's perimenopausal, neo-feminist claptrap, "Maladroit du Seigneur."   After perusing the relevant sections of both The Constitution and The Federalist Papers, I concede that being a lousy lover isn't grounds for impeaching a president (although it is still an open question as to whether global knowledge of same isn't).   Interestingly though, the bimbo eruptions themselves may provide such grounds.   Federalist No. 76, in which Hamilton describes the president as someone who "will have fewer personal attachments to gratify than a body of men," tacitly rejects the notion of a ...

CNN Commentator Suggests Alan Keyes Be Dropped from Debates After He Wins AGAIN Back in October I wrote, following the first presidential debate, that the best kept secret in the Republican Party was Alan Keyes. Last night on CNN the presidential candidates had another go at it and CNN had a public poll that was an in depth, eight question evaluation of the six candidates following the debate. And, again, while the pundits were pontificating about the race now being between George W. Bush and John McCain the people were selecting Alan Keyes as the most inspiring, the most ...

INHOFE SAYS VIEQUES DECISION WILL HARM READINESS Denounces Abandonment of Integrated Live-Fire Training; Says President Puts Politics Above National Security WASHINGTON–U.S. Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, today denounced the decision to prevent the military from resuming vital live-fire training exercises on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. “This is an unacceptable compromise that places the lives of American troops at increased risk,” Inhofe said. “The success or failure of our military forces depends on the training and preparation they receive. The halt of live-fire training at the Vieques range will greatly ...