Free Republic

Family plans to sue city over fatal 'no-knock' raid By Hector Gutierrez Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer The family of a Mexican immigrant killed in a September drug raid that came up empty has notified the city of Denver they plan to sue the city and the police department. Meanwhile, District Judge Robert Hyatt on Wednesday ordered a special prosecutor to investigate the circumstances surrounding the search warrant for the "no-knock" raid that lead to the shooting. Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter said he asked for a special prosecutor because one of his deputy district attorneys reviewed the ...

President Clinton voiced "grave concern" yesterday over the growing Chinese missile threat to Taiwan, including construction of two short-range bases near the island. "China is modernizing its military in a lot of ways, but our policy on China is crystal clear. We believe there is one China," Mr. Clinton said when asked about a report on the missile bases in yesterday's editions of The Washington Times. The dispute between the mainland and Taiwan "has to be resolved through cross-strait dialogue," the president said. "And we oppose and would view with grave concern any kind of violent action." Defense officials ...

A year ago, David Schippers was preparing his final argument to a House Judiciary Committee considering articles of impeachment against President Clinton. His tone would be angry, even a little snide, he now admits, the work of a prosecutor sure of the president's guilt. Yesterday, in a speech and interview at Ashland University, Schippers looked back on his experiences as chief investigative counsel on the impeachment probe. His tone was wistful and even a bit peeved, the work of a prosecutor who still can't believe his target got away. "The system as developed by the framers of the Constitution worked ...

Webb: Threat of suit may shift gun-control balance By Michael Romano Denver Rocky Mountain News Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- The federal government's threat to sue gun manufacturers will "level the playing field" in a struggle against an obstinate Congress and the National Rifle Association, Mayor Wellington Webb said Wednesday. Webb, an outspoken advocate of gun-control restrictions, said he welcomed the decision by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to prepare a class-action lawsuit on behalf of more than 3,000 local public housing authorities, including 63 in Colorado. The threatened legal assault is seen as a way to force ...

The FBI is warning us, through its Project Megiddo report, that right-wing Christians are dangerous terrorists prone to incite violence in the weeks ahead. This warning is more than slanderous, bigoted and inciteful. It needs to be understood in context. That context is that the FBI has set up a system of self-fulfilling prophecies that permits the government to scapegoat groups of people who are enticed into committing illegal acts or conspiring about them by agents provocateur. Whether the groups are organized militia outfits, Christian Identity, the White Aryan Resistance movement or some other misfit, would-be "terrorists," the tentacles ...

The Times & Free Press on Thursday, December 9, 1999 BlueCross Upset About TennCare Verification By BOB GARY JR. Staff Writer The revelation that TennCare enrollment never has been verified may well have moved the program's workhorse closer to bolting. "This is yet another disturbing piece of information we'll have to consider as we study our continued participation," Ron Harr, a BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee vice president, said Wednesday. "It goes to the statement of our concern we've been reiterating: this program is no longer an insurable risk." Chattanooga-based BlueCross covers half of the 1.3 million Tennesseans on TennCare, the ...

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Republican presidential hopeful Steve Forbes had to dodge a small group of abortion rights protesters Tuesday before he could pitch his proposed Social Security overhaul to a group of receptive senior citizens. The group of about 15 protesters, some of whom carried signs saying "Keep abortion safe and legal," forced Forbes to delay his appearance at the Arizona Traditions community center. He also used the building's rear entrance to avoid them. But Forbes, who opposes abortion, explained his views on the issue in answering a question at the forum that was submitted in writing by one of ...

On December 6, 1999, in a rally protesting Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s program dealing with the homeless, Reverend Al Sharpton sharply criticized a member of the Human Resources Administration: "If Jason Turner had come into the barn that night," Sharpton said, "he would have said to the baby Jesus: 'You have been born to two unwedded parents. They don't have an address. They don't have a job. We have to take you in custody and arrest your parents.'"1 For a man reportedly well versed in Biblical studies, this is a sad testament, indeed. For those not familiar with the Biblical ...

Russian President Boris Yeltsin warned US President Bill Clinton not to interfere over Chechnya, pointing out that Russia still possessed nuclear weapons. 'It seems Mr Clinton has forgotten Russia is a great power that possesses a nuclear arsenal. We aren't afraid at all of Clinton's anti-Russian position,' Yeltsin said yesterday after an informal summit with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.        Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion. 'I want to tell President Clinton that he alone cannot dictate how the world should live, work and play. It is us ...

Dec. 8, 1999, 9:58PM Bush will seek federal aid if nominated By JOHN C. HENRY Copyright 1999 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Karl Rove, chief political strategist for George W. Bush, confirmed Wednesday that the Republican presidential front-runner plans to seek federal financial help for his general election campaign if he wins the GOP nomination. Bush's fund-raising prowess -- which has netted his campaign a record $70 million in nine months -- has enabled him to forgo federal matching funds through the 2000 Republican convention this summer and avoid spending restraints during the primaries. The fall campaign season ...

The Republican presidential hopefuls slug it out in a second debate, reports Ben Macintyre THE intellectual credentials of presidential contender George W. Bush have been brought into question again during his second public debate, after he claimed to be reading a heavyweight book about foreign affairs, but then failed to provide any specific details about what was in it. Last week Mr Bush, the Texas Governor and favourite to win the Republican nomination, replied to a question about his reading habits by declaring that he was reading a biography of Dean Acheson, the United States Secretary of State from 1949 ...

Former US defence secretary Casper Weinberger has warned China may be preparing to assume control of the Panama Canal, a development he said would imperil US security. Accusing the Clinton administration of complacency, Mr Weinberger said it would not be logical for China to ''pass up a chance to acquire a major foothold in one of the world's three major choke points - especially if it can be done with little cost or risk''. China had already established a beachhead in Panama through Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Whampoa, which signed a lease arrangement two years ago for the control of ...

The FBI reported recently that serious crime fell by 10 percent during the first half of 1999, extending the nationwide drop in crime to 7 1/2 years. This is good news, to be sure, but the FBI's national figures tell only part of the story. In some jurisdictions, crime has dropped dramatically, while in others it has gone down only slightly, or even risen. And in some cases, stark differences in crime rates exist between jurisdictions that are nearly identical in every other way. A perfect example is found in comparing Montgomery and Fairfax counties in the Washington suburbs. While ...

After reading on Free Republic that Fox News had changed their web site, I checked it out and sure enough it was gone (thanks freepers for being ahead of the curve.) When I went to the "new" page the easy access news wires were gone, replaced with a trickel of edited news stories their editors "think" are important. I then went to their comments page: HTTP://foxnews.com/comments.sml and sent the following, others may want to do the same. To Whom It May Concern: My family and I have been reading your web site for several years. I regularly used the news ...

1) Homelessness. CBS blamed "the booming economy." ABC blamed Rudy Giuliani, crusading against his crackdown with a one-sided story tilted four-to-one soundbite-wise against protecting citizens. 2) CBS's Lesley Stahl on Hillary: "She's so smart. Virtually every time I've seen her perform, she has knocked my socks off." Plus, Stahl claimed Hillary showed "dignity and grace" during Lewinsky. 3) ABC and CBS stuck to Clinton's foreign policy comments at his press conference. Of the broadcast evening shows only NBC's David Bloom showed Clinton again disparaging others: "The mistake I made was self-inflicted and the misconduct of others was not." 4) ...

After reading on Free Republic that Fox News had changed their web site, I checked it out and sure enough it was gone (thanks freepers for being ahead of the curve.) When I went to the "new" page the easy access news wires were gone, replaced with a trickel of edited news stories their editors "think" are important. I then went to their comments page: HTTP://foxnews.com/comments.sml and sent the following, others may want to do the same. To Whom It May Concern: My family and I have been reading your web site for several years. I regularly used the news ...

After reading on Free Republic that Fox News had changed their web site, I checked it out and sure enough it was gone (thanks freepers for being ahead of the curve.) When I went to the "new" page the easy access news wires were gone, replaced with a trickel of edited news stories their editors "think" are important. I then went to their comments page: HTTP://foxnews.com/comments.sml and sent the following, others may want to do the same. To Whom It May Concern: My family and I have been reading your web site for several years. I regularly used the news ...

Two reports on Kosovo's intercommunal vendettas create a historical record while memories are fresh. They also illustrate how much easier it is to document atrocities than to prevent them. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe compiled the reports from interviews with Albanians, Serbs, and Gypsies from Kosovo. One report recounts the cycle of violence that led to war last March, when Serbia's ruler, Slobodan Milosevic, expelled nearly the entire Albanian population of Kosovo and was forced to surrender after Serbia's bridges, roads, and factories were smashed by NATO bombers. The report elaborates on what the world already ...

British Agency Accused of "Involuntary Euthanasia" LONDON, England (CNS) -- A British charity Monday called for a government inquiry into claims that health officials are practicing "involuntary euthanasia" on elderly patients in an attempt to free up beds in overcrowded hospitals. Age Concern accused the National Health Service (NHS) of "ageism" and called on the Labor government to keep a pre-election promise to tackle the problem of neglect of older patients. It was reacting to allegations Monday by a senior medical consultant that elderly patients were being denied appropriate care in NHS hospitals, and that an outspoken policy of "involuntary ...

OTTAWA - In a final, bitter blow for the country's tainted-blood victims, their long-anticipated initial compensation cheques now are threatened by a fight among lawyers. The federal government, which months ago had publicly vowed a battle over a $52.5 million legal bill filed by victims' lawyers, has forced an adjournment of a final court hearing set for Toronto today. After spoiling for a brawl, the government now says it's not ready to step into the ring. ``We haven't had enough time to go through the documentation to determine fair legal fees,'' said justice department lawyer François Daigle. Lawyers for the ...