Free Republic

In her highly contested bid to win the Democratic party nomination for president of the USA, Hillary Clinton has announced her support for a stimulus package to be initiated as soon as she takes office. Details of the plan have not been entirely released, although a preliminary outline has been discussed in focus groups. "I have listened to the people of America," Mrs. Clinton said, "and I have heard about your struggles and hardships, and I plan to do something about it." The general outline of the plan is for a stimulus package to be sent to most American households....

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. refiners may be forced to deepen gasoline production cuts at a time of year they normally maximize output as bulging stockpiles, lackluster demand and record-high oil prices carve into profit margins. The outlook for lower fuel production comes even as retail prices climb to new peaks heading into summer vacation season -- a factor that could lead some refiners to remain discreet about cuts to avoid a political backlash, analysts said. "If everybody cuts too much and then all of a sudden we have some tightness ahead of Memorial Day, then you'll have a lot...

I thought Barack Obama's speech was strong, thoughtful and important. Rather beautifully, it was a speech to think to, not clap to. It was clear that's what he wanted, and this is rare. It seemed to me as honest a speech as one in his position could give within the limits imposed by politics. As such it was a contribution. We'll see if it was a success. The blowhard guild, proud member since 2000, praised it, and, in the biggest compliment, cable news shows came out of the speech not with jokes or jaded insiderism, but with thought. They started...

Xinhua news Xinhua News reported today that foreign Nations are voice support for their actions in Tibet. WOW, I had to go find out who these peace loving nations where. Well here is the list of supporters. Russian, Belarus and Vietnam. These ivory bastions of peace and human rights have given their support to China. Well no kidding. Last I read these three countries were some of the worst in human rights and democracy.

Hydroxyl radicals, nature's atmospheric scrubbers, are produced by nitrogen pollution too. Some types of air pollution might be doing a good turn by creating extra doses of atmospheric cleaner, according to new research. A lab study has shown how nitrogen oxides, a largely agricultural pollutant, can help to make hydroxyl radicals — the natural cleaner-upper of our dirty atmosphere. But in doing so they can also produce more ozone, the major component of smog. The work should help to improve models of atmospheric chemistry, and suggest better ways to control air pollution in big cities. The hydroxyl radical is a...

I just started receiving this notice when attempting to dl a torrent. "Error:You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '' at line 1" I have no idea what this means nor why it should suddenly appear. Things have always worked very well.Win XP Pro, SP2 any other questions needed please let know. Help is appreciated. Thanks.

Russia targets UK interests with 'spy' arrests By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow Last Updated: 2:08am GMT 21/03/2008

Police 'shot at Tibet protesters' Picture published by Tibetan monks in Dharamsala, allegedly showing a crowd gathered around the bodies of demonstrators said to have been killed during a protest in Aba on 16/3/08 Chinese police opened fire and wounded four protesters "in self-defence" last Sunday in a Tibetan area of Sichuan province, the Xinhua news agency says. It is the first time China has admitted injuring anyone since anti-Chinese protests in Tibet began last week. Xinhua said police opened fire in Aba county - the same place that Tibetan activists said eight people were killed during protests near Kirti...

Kosovo PM admitted atrocities, prosecutor March 20, 2008 SERBIANNA UN personnel feared for their lives in Kosovo while some of the judges presiding over the Hague Tribunal for former Yugoslavia were in fear from Kosovo Albanians that have committed atrocities against Serbs and that is why very few cases of Kosovo Albanian war criminals have been prosecuted, writes Carla Del Ponte, former Chief Prosecutor of the UN Tribunal, in her new book. "I am sure that some of the top UNMIK and even KFOR officials feared for their lives and the lives of their missions’ members," says Del Ponte. Del...

This is the strangest weather radar map I have ever seen: green circles around St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Des Moines, and a couple others--clear in the middle, green doughnut of precip all around. Yes, I am logged in. A moose bit my sister, but it was years ago. My beeber has never been stuned. These circles are strange. Can someone get a screen capture for the thread, please, as a favor?

As the race and religion debate continues to swirl around him, Senator Barack Obama is having trouble keeping his story straight. His close relationship with his self-described spiritual advisor, Jeremiah Wright, has become a lightning rod for criticism and condemnation by people across the political spectrum. His association with the David Duke of the black religious community is causing Obama to attempt to excuse the inexcusable and justify the unjustifiable while contradicting himself in the process. On My Faith and My Church “The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally...

A weird campaign cycle gets even weirder - three State Department contract employees have been caught nosing around in Barack Obama's passport file. Two were fired, one was disciplined. The first breach was on January 9; the inspector general is launching an investigation. ~snip~ A little while back, the Hillary campaign — specifically Lee Feinstein, the campaign's national security director, asked a question: As voters evaluate you as a potential Commander-in-Chief, do you think it's legitimate for people to be concerned that you have traveled to only one NATO country, on a brief stopover trip in 2005, and have never...

When Congress passed the Patriot Act in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, law-enforcement agencies hailed it as a powerful tool to help track down the confederates of Osama bin Laden. No one expected it would end up helping to snag the likes of Eliot Spitzer. The odd connection between the antiterror law and Spitzer's trysts with call girls illustrates how laws enacted for one purpose often end up being used very differently once they're on the books. The Patriot Act gave the FBI new powers to snoop on suspected terrorists. In the fine print were provisions that gave the...

It’s amazing what happens when people start working together toward a common goal. Friday night, 14 March, Free Republic, Gathering of Eagles (GOE), Eagles Up, Nam Knights, Band of Mothers, Protest Warrior, Patriot Guard Riders, A Soldier’s Wish List, Move America Forward, and concerned individuals got together at the intersection of Georgia and Elder in DC NW to show unified support of the men and women who wear military uniforms in service to our country. This intersection is the location of the main entrance of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC). It is this intersection that greets the men and...

Troop Support Rally Ok folks, this is the call to arms. It doesn't matter where you live, Northern California, the Western States, east coast, where ever - tell everyone you know, forward this email, call them, whatever - get the word out. It doesn't matter if you ride a bike or drive a cage. This is a call to arms for all veterans, all patriots, and all that truly respect the military. Please forward this email to every veteran you know, every organization you know, every post you know. Assume you are the only one that has received this email...

The student unrest in Paris and London 40 years ago filled our writer with revulsion. The protesters enjoyed enviable freedom and had no idea how lucky they were. In 1968 I was living the good life with my first wife and first baby in our first house on the swell of my first play and was beginning to be noted by my peers as someone who was politically dubious. It was to be some years before a well known left-wing director, asked to typify a “Royal Court play”, replied that it was a play not written by Tom Stoppard, but...

CanSecWest's Pwn2Own contest returnsTired of all the knee-jerk banter from fanboys about whose operating system is the most secure? So are the organizers of the CanSecWest security conference, which will be held in Vancouver later this month. And with a contest awarding as much as $25,000 worth of prizes, they're likely to breathe fresh life into a stale debate. This year's Pwn2Own competition will place three brand-new, fully patched laptops side by side: a Fujitsu U810 running Vista Ultimate, a Vaio VGN-TZ37Cn running Ubuntu 7.10 and a MacBook Air running Leopard. The first person to remotely run code on each...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Senator Barack Obama on Thursday blamed the fragile economy on “careless and incompetent execution” of the Iraq war, imploring voters in this swing state to consider the trickle-down economic consequences of the war as they choose a successor to President Bush. “When you’re spending over $50 to fill up your car because the price of oil is four times what it was before Iraq, you’re paying a price for this war,” Mr. Obama said to an audience at the University of Charleston. “When Iraq is costing each household about $100 a month, you’re paying a price for...

My (Imminent) Reception into the Roman Catholic Church Several weeks ago, I learned through a mutual friend that Frank Beckwith was intending to return to the Roman Catholic Church. At the same time, Frank learned that I myself have been moving in the direction of Rome for the last several years. I am very pleased to be able to announce that I intend to be received into the Church on May 26th, at St. Louis King of France parish in Austin.  My own story is quite different from Frank’s, although our reasons for entering the Church of Rome are strikingly...

MIDDLEBOROUGH -- Police this afternoon arrested the mother of a 7-year-old boy whose genitals were allegedly burned with cigarettes. Michelle Henry, 30, was handcuffed as police searched her apartment on Archer Court. She has been charged with reckless endangerment and assault and battery on a child causing serious bodily injury.