Free Republic

A knife-wielding burglar got a shock when he attacked a pensioner in his home - a couple of right hooks to the face. Gregory McCalium had not realised that 72-year-old victim Frank Corti was a retired boxer. This police mugshot of 23-year-old McCalium, taken soon after he was arrested at Mr Corti's home, shows the facial injuries the OAP inflicted as he made a citizen's arrest. Today, McCalium is beginning a four-and-a-half year prison sentence after a judge told him he 'got what he deserved.' A court heard how Mr Corti - who served with the Royal Engineers in North...

Foreign policy expert and author Michael Ledeen tells Newsmax that President Barack Obama "hasn't done anything" to help the Iranian people as resistance to the country's repressive regime continues. Ledeen also says that the talks Obama seeks with the current regime will go nowhere, charges that Iranians "have been killing Americans all over the world," and warns that, as soon as the Islamic Republic acquires a nuclear weapon, it will "test" it on Israel. But he also believes the regime is unlikely to survive. Israel certainly will attack Iran if the West fails to stop the ayatollahs from completing a...

As Ford looks to reinvent itself with smaller, energy efficient vehicles they are faced with the stark reality that as of late May their Ford F-150 series continues to outsell the Toyota Camry. Let that sink in for a moment. The best-selling truck in the U.S. still outsells the best-selling car, according to a report by the American Institute for Economic Research. New car sales have generally declined through the 1990's to the present, while truck sales rose precipitously from the 70s until just a few years ago. Annual car and truck sales are now virtually even. President Obama last...

South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, armed with his new book, Saving Freedom, and a Toby Keith-like song, is hitting the nation on a bus wrapped in patriotic colors to pitch his claim that the administration and congressional Democrats are pushing the nation into socialism. "We've got to stop the slide to socialism," he tells Whispers. "Freedom is dissolving. We don't even teach what it is anymore." Republican DeMint is a leading conservative in Washington, an outspoken critic of the recent wave of government bailouts and growing deficits. And his new book aims to highlight his concerns and ways to return...

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Republican Norm Coleman has conceded to Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota's contested Senate race, ending a nearly eight-month recount and court fight. Coleman conceded at a news conference in St. Paul, a few hours after a unanimous Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Tuesday the former "Saturday Night Live" comedian and liberal commentator should be certified the winner..............

A 49-year-old man from Pflugerville is the first person in Travis County to die of swine flu and the 14th known death in Texas, health authorities said Monday.

DETROIT – Detroit police say at least seven teenagers have been shot near a high school and two are in critical condition. Detroit Police spokesman Rod Liggons tells WXYZ-TV the victims were shot Tuesday afternoon at a bus stop by gunmen who emerged from a green minivan. Detroit Public Schools Police Chief Roderick Grimes says at least five students attending classes at Cody High School were shot. He says two are in critical condition...

I want to start a defense contracting company. I have expertise in education and training, in addition, I am a former US Marine and a former magazine editor. I want to help the armed forces produce high quality curriculums for both officers and enlisted. I have a few questions about going about this. A) Do I need security clearance just to place a bid to do contract work with the military? B) Some companies check out your finances to get a picture of your competence as a potential business manager. I know that they check your finances for the security...

The California Citizens Compensation Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to cut state legislators' monthly car allowances, fringe benefits and their per diem allowance by 18 percent. ... The 18 percent cuts in benefits, per diem and cars also apply to constitutional officers of the state. The action follows and earlier vote to cut lawmakers' and state elected officials pay by 18 percent effective Dec. 1, 2010.

Scandinavia of today has, to a great deal, abandonded Socialism. Yes, Nordic taxes still lead the world, but so do Nordic companies. In several fields. Not only in the domain of cheap furniture and safe cars. Today, (Finnish) Nokia and (Swedish) Ericsson might well decide our common IT future to a larger degree than IBM and Microsoft do. Perhaps, Capitalism is a force so strong it could even survive European Socialism. I'm an optimist regarding my corner of the Eart. I feel the vast majority of the Scandinavians are beginning to realize companies like Lego, Electrolux and ABB buy us...

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says New York City's schools can't close for Muslim holidays. The City Council is considering a non-binding resolution on Tuesday asking the Education Department to observe Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The city has the nation's largest school system. A 2008 study by Columbia University's Teachers College estimates at least 10 percent of its 1.1 million students are Muslim.

Get your hot, fresh Web browser from Firefox today. Firefox 3.5, the latest version of the competitor to Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, was released today. Developed by open-source company Mozilla in Mountain View, Calif., Firefox has revitalized competition among Web browsers since the first version came out in 2004.

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The Dutch Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the war crimes conviction of a businessman for selling chemicals to Saddam Hussein that his regime in Iraq turned into poison gas and unleashed on Kurds and Iranians. ... In May 2007 a Hague appeals court upheld Van Anraat's 2005 conviction for complicity in war crimes and increased his sentence from 15 to 17 years. ... Presiding Judge Leo van Dorst said that from the mid-1980s Van Anraat was Iraq's sole supplier of a chemical called TDG, or thiodiglycol, for its mustard gas production program. "The suspect knew ... the TDG he was...

Last week, a team of eight cyclists completed the coast-to-coast bike marathon called the Race Across America in record time. It was quite an achievement under any circumstances, but what made it extraordinary was something all eight of them had in common: Type 1 diabetes. Type 1, sometimes called juvenile diabetes, poses special challenges for athletes. A person with Type 1 can’t produce insulin and must take regular injections to control blood sugar. But exercise can also lead to precipitous, even deadly, drops in blood sugar. (Type 2 diabetes, by far the more common form of the disease, typically develops...

In tribulations, God enriches His beloved souls with the greatest graces. Behold Saint John in his chains comes to the knowledge of the works of Jesus Christ: "When John had heard in prison the works of Christ." Great indeed are the advantages of tribulations. The Lord sends them to us, not because He wished our misfortune, but because He desires our welfare. Hence, when they come upon us, we must embrace them with thanksgiving, and must not only resign ourselves to the divine will, but must also rejoice that God treats us as He treated His Son Jesus Christ, Whose...

Election Update: Districts to Watch… There are many critical races in the Virginia elections this year and EV PAC has been watching all 100 House of Delegates races, to keep our finger on the pulse of this year’s elections. This is already a huge year for GLBT politics, as the national news has shown, and you can help lend your support to our crucial electoral work here in Virginia by donating a special gift of $25 or more. As it gets closer to Election Day, we’ll be sending you information on a few select districts we think are worthy of...

Fears about inflation and hyperinflation could create another economic downturn, bigger than the one the world went through, Hugh Hendry, chief investment officer at hedge fund Eclectica, told CNBC Tuesday. The stock markets are due for a correction after having risen dramatically this year, but this is not likely to come in the summer and another rally is possible, Hendry, who said he was remaining risk-adverse this year, told "Squawk Box Europe." "We have a huge intellectual conviction… that this is a more profound downturn that we're experiencing and markets will be under pressure," Hendry said. "People get more get...

Controversy is growing over a new energy bill now on it's way to the U.S. Senate, after being approved by the House. It's a Democratic bill, with some Republican support, including that of 45th District Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack. The legislation was approved in the House on Friday. Only eight republicans supported it . Valley resident Christopher Cerillo said he voted for Bono Mack twice, but can't believe she voted yes on an energy bill that is aimed to limit pollution. "I'm just really disappointed as well as other Republicans that she didn't back up the values we stand for,"...

Through an exchange of diplomatic notes, the United States and Venezuela have agreed to return ambassadors to their respective posts in Washington and Caracas, ending a dispute that disrupted relations between our 2 nations last fall. President Barack Obama is committed to improving U.S. ties with all nations in the Americas. Although there may be differences between us, our countries have many commonalities. Restoring the 2 diplomats is an important step that will help improve bilateral communication The agreement restores the high level of diplomatic representation that existed before last September, when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expelled U.S. Ambassador Patrick...