Free Republic

The U.S. Financial System Is Effectively Insolvent Nouriel Roubini 03.05.09, 12:01 AM ET For those who argue that the rate of growth of economic activity is turning positive--that economies are contracting but at a slower rate than in the fourth quarter of 2008--the latest data don't confirm this relative optimism. In 2008's fourth quarter, gross domestic product fell by about 6% in the U.S., 6% in the euro zone, 8% in Germany, 12% in Japan, 16% in Singapore and 20% in South Korea. So things are even more awful in Europe and Asia than in the U.S. There is, in...

March 4, 2009, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin selected Anchorage Superior Court Judge Morgan Christen to the Alaska Supreme Court. Christen is the 20th justice appointed to the Court. “Alaska’s Supreme Court bears the awesome responsibility of ensuring that our court system administers justice in firm accordance with the principles laid down in our state Constitution,” said Governor Palin. “I have every confidence that Judge Christen has the experience, intellect, wisdom and character to be an outstanding Supreme Court justice.” Christen, 47, was born in Chehalis, Washington. After attending colleges in England, Switzerland, and the People’s Republic of China,...

Defame: to damage the reputation, character, or good name of by slander or libel. The United Nations, a number of American and European politicians, public and private educators, and elements inside the American and Western mainstream press would likely best serve the civilized world by familiarizing themselves with this definition and stop applying the term to where it does not fit. While jihadists wage their “holy war” around the world, innocent lives, non-Muslim and Muslim, continue to be lost or damaged. Sometimes it’s tough to spot these “brave mujahadeen” in a crowd, other times it isn't. They’re the ones who...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0902/090227la.htm ICE agents seek information on bogus law enforcement badges LOS ANGELES - Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are seeking information from people who may have received in the mail what appear to be, genuine law enforcement badges and credentials, from a group calling themselves the "International Police Commission (IPC)." These fraudulent police credentials and badges imply that those who use them are police officers with United Nations and Interpol authorities, according to ICE investigators. The fake items, manufactured in the Philippines, have been mailed out to targeted individuals...

March 3, 2009 Note: The following text is a quote: http://denver.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/2009/powderthreat030309.htm ARAPAHOE COUNTY INMATE SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR MAILING THREATENING LETTER WITH WHITE POWDER DENVER - Marc Harold Ramsey, age 40, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Wiley Y. Daniel to serve 30 months in federal prison for mailing a threatening communication. Following his term of incarceration, Chief Judge Daniel ordered Ramsey to serve an additional 3 years of supervised release. Ramsey must also pay a $100 special assessment, which goes to a general victims of crime fund. Ramsey, who is in custody, was remanded. Marc...

In this program I interview California christian conservative activist, Alfonzo Rachel. Next I interview Dr. Jamie Glazov, editor of Front Page Magazine and author of the book "United In Hate". We invite you to listen and comment on the show.

Newsflash: Wonderboy Treasury Secretary is in over his head They said he was uniquely qualified. A wunderkind. The Man with the Plan. Too big to fail. Now we learn from the on-the-ball MSM that tax cheat Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is flailing about and in over his head. Who’s shocked?For five weeks, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has battled the worst economic crisis in generations with no key deputies in place. That’s made for a rocky debut for the man President Barack Obama put in charge of addressing the financial crisis. With an awkward first television appearance, a bank rescue plan...

German engineering companies’ export orders in January were 47 per cent down on a year earlier, offering the first indication of how Europe’s largest economy performed at the start of this year. Overall industrial machinery orders were 42 per cent lower than in January 2008, said VDMA, the industry association. Domestic orders were 31 per cent lower, but foreign orders fell 47 per cent. The sharp fall illustrates the link between Germany’s heavily export-dependent economy and the slowdown in emerging economies, including eastern Europe, as well as traditional markets. Along with Japan, Germany has been one of the large economies...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://baltimore.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel09/ba030309.htm ILLEGAL ALIEN SENTENCED FOR RACKETEERING CONSPIRACY Sought to Pay Bribes to Government Officials to Obtain Green Cards Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis sentenced Mohammad Akhtar, age 52, today to 33 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for racketeering conspiracy related to a scheme to bribe officials with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to illegally obtain green cards and the Maryland Comptroller's Office to receive abatement of state taxes, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Akhtar is a...

WASHINGTON -- Can Americans face the truth about the Bush administration’s abuse of power? I believe so, but clearly President Barack Obama and some Democratic lawmakers think they can’t. Or possibly they don’t want to be bogged down in a search which could be viewed as vindictive against the former regime. Too bad. Obama -- a former constitutional law professor -- has ruled out a look backward, claiming that any review of possible illegalities by Bush and his coterie would lead to "politics that have made Washington dysfunctional." Picking up on the last Bush mantra that we should move "forward,"...

WEDNESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists report that a common germ-killing compound prevented transmission of an HIV-like virus in five female monkeys, an encouraging sign that it might also work in humans. The research is still in its early stages. However, the researchers said the compound could eventually make its way into sexual lubricants that women could use to avoid infection with the virus that causes AIDS. "It's a promising lead that we're on to something that's a different way to approach the problem of prevention," said study co-author Dr. Ashley T. Haase, head of the Department of Microbiology...

Dear Fellow Republican, With a successful Special Election Win of Eric Ulrich in the Queens 32 district, the Republican Party in New York City is showing hopeful signs that we can build on our core principles one race at a time. In order to do that, though, we will need to field candidates on the local level and for citywide office this year. We will only take a step backwards if we, as a Party, throw our support behind the Mayor and allow him to run on the Republican line. in 2001 and 2005, the mayor fought and won his...

ASTANA, March 4 (RIA Novosti) - Kazakhstan has signed a contract with Russia on the purchase of S-300 air defense missile systems, the Kazakh defense minister said on Wednesday. "We have recently signed a contract with Russia and are buying S-300 systems," Danial Akhmetov said. Last month, Kazakhstan announced plans to equip 10 battalions with S-300 air defense missile systems bought from Russia, with deliveries to begin in 2009. The latest version of the S-300 family is the S-300PMU2 Favorit, which has a range of up to 195 kilometers (about 120 miles) and can intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at...

Obama Lied; the Economy Died I am trying to capture the spirit of bipartisanship as practiced by the Democratic Party over the past eight years. Thus, I have chosen as my lead this proposition: Obama lied; the economy died.Obviously, I am borrowing this from the Democratic theme of 2003-08: "Bush lied, people died." There are, of course, two differences between the slogans. Most importantly, I chose to separate the two clauses with a semicolon rather than a comma because the rule of grammar is that a semicolon (rather than a comma) should be used between closely related independent clauses...

Warm, succinct suggestions on making the prayer of the heart come alive from Moscow pastor Fr. Artemy Vladimirov. We very much pity those Orthodox Christians who think that the best rest for their exhausted soul is to watch television news. This isn’t a bad thing, perhaps, but it’s a dead thing. You may spend all of the earthly time you have been allotted with such distractions, but you will never be at peace. If you want to calm your mind and ease your heart, try calling instead on the most holy name of Jesus Christ, without haste and with only...

Somebody once posted some links to the Austrian school of economics - theory of wage and price. I have searched on Google and have not found the same links. If you have any, please post them.

March 4, 2009 Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/March/09-crm-189.html Colombian Paramilitary Leader Extradited to the United States to Face U.S. Drug Charges WASHINGTON – Miguel Angel Mejia-Munera, a/k/a "El Mellizo," was extradited today from Colombia to the United States to face narcotics trafficking charges, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division and Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). According to the indictment, Miguel Angel Mejia-Munera, together with his twin brother Victor, led a major Colombian narcotics trafficking organization known as "the Twins" or "Los Mellizos" Organization. Victor...

Moderate senators from Barack Obama's Democratic Party are forming a bloc to argue against his high spending plans to revive the economy, as the administration is increasingly forced on the defensive. As senior members of his economic team have been grilled by Congressional committees about the $3.6 trillion (£2.5 trillion) budget unveiled last week, a meeting of 14 Democrats was convened by Evan Bayh, senator for Indiana, to discuss how the president be might reined in. "I do think that before we raise revenue, we first should look to see if there are ways we can cut back on spending,"...

NYPD being sued by cop who saw demon and wants his gun back BY Jose Martinez DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Monday, March 2nd 2009, 9:49 PM An evangelist cop who saw a demon at 1 Police Plaza and acted "godlike" is suing the NYPD to get his gun back.Lt. Dominic Maglione contends police brass discriminated against his religious beliefs by putting him on desk duty at Brooklyn's 90th Precinct stationhouse and stripping him of his badge and gun after a psychotic episode in April 2006. "[The NYPD's] wrongful confiscation of [Maglione's] badge and gun have compromised [his] ability to do...

Note: The following text is a quote: https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=98056 YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report Warden Message: Cairo Security Incidents CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS Middle East / N. Africa - Egypt 2 Mar 2009 Printer Friendly Email Article RELATED REPORTS 23 Feb 2009 CAIRO EXPLOSIONS 23 Feb 2009 WARDEN MESSAGE: CAIRO EXPLOSIONS 30 Jan 2009 EGYPT'S DOMESTIC SECURITY ISSUES 14 Jan 2009 WARDEN MESSAGE: EGYPT PROTESTS ANTICIPATED JANUARY 15 28 Dec 2008 WARDEN MESSAGE: EGYPT PROTESTS REGARDING GAZA U.S. Embassy Cairo released the following Warden Message on March 2: Over the past two weeks there has...