Free Republic

WASHINGTON — California's senior senator indicated Wednesday that she believes Rep. Gary Condit's political career is finished. She accused him of lying to her about his affair with Chandra Levy and said there is nothing "(Condit) can do to regain his credibility." The scorching criticism of Condit by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a fellow Democrat and one of California's most influential public figures, shed light on the political difficulty Condit faces amid questions about his conduct since Levy disappeared three months ago. In her first public statement about the northern California congressman, Feinstein said Condit lied to her when she questioned ...

It was nice while it lasted, this six-month spell of normalcy in national politics. Politicians have been debating the issues instead of which crimes are impeachable and which are not, which pardons were undeserved and which pardons were really undeserved, and which New Yorker is most representative of Arkansas - Bill, Hillary or Buddy. After the X-rated Clinton Years, boredom had never been more welcome. It was as if the pink flamingos had been taken off a Florida lawn, the sequins off Dolly Parton's cowgirl costume, the fins off a '50s Cadillac ... . There are times when less is ...

Click the link to read the full article text. You will not believe some of the things you are reading.

The following masterpiece by Freerepublic's one-and-only Registered was inspired by a letter sent to the editors of California's Modesto Bee newspaper by James Grondalski. Mr. Registered, kudos for an incredible work of art.

Not With My Tithe, You Don't When conservative Christians learned their churches were funding Washington liberals, they didn't take it lying down. By Matt Kaufman When you drop your offering in the collection plate on Sunday, do you expect that you're helping to silence school prayer, oppose government aid to abstinence programs and fight the "religious right?" Bob Fischer didn't. So when he discovered the truth, he decided to do something about it. In 1997, the Rapid City, S.D., businessman learned that his church body-the North American Baptist Conference-was donating a portion of parishioners' giving to the Baptist Joint Committee ...

Blacks have already been the first victims of the campaign to get reparations for slavery. The longer this futile campaign goes on, the more additional blacks will be victimized. How have blacks been victimized thus far? Some have been asked to supply identifying information, so that they can get their individual shares of the reparations. Those who complied and supplied this information have since discovered that it was being used to steal their identities and saddle them with debts run up by con men. The most important thing to keep in mind about reparations is that it is never going ...

Have you heard the one about Pat Buchanan? He goes into a bar, orders a beer, and starts grousing about all the foreigners flooding the country. "We've got to do something about these damn immigrants," he says to the bartender. The guy gives him a skeptical look and responds: "Por que?" Buchanan's opinion of immigration hasn't changed a bit. "We need the United States of America Americanized," he thundered at last weekend's convention of the Reform Party, which used the opportunity to demand a 10-year moratorium on immigration. What has changed is that nobody's listening. Bashing immigrants used to be ...

Twenty years ago, Wednesday, MTV was born with video broadcast of the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.” As a member of that first MTV Generation, I loved watching videos of artists MTV rocketed to stardom: Van Halen, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, and The GoGos. My friends and I were mesmerized by the vivid colors, cool clothes, and unique hairstyles—eye candy to go with the songs we heard on the radio. We knew what it meant to say, “I want my MTV.” But, this week, I won’t be celebrating with Kid Rock, Eminem, Britney, and MTV’s other creations. MTV’s two ...

MIDI - TELL LAURA I LOVE HER Lewinsky went on a shopping trip Try size 20…that’s our tip Trouble would find her And there would be some flying fur Toensing had showed up on the scene Monica thought she had been mean “About my mom you told a lie Perhaps it’s time that you should die” The bovine’s attacking…it looks like she’s cracking She screamed “You’re a scalawag…I’ll hit you with my shopping bag" Victoria played it cool, indeed Her advice we all should heed Do not try to save a buck And choose a counsel who doesn’t suck ...

Two headlines tell the tale: 1) "Clinton Eager for Public Role," and 2) "In Harlem, a Hero's Welcome for New Neighbor Clinton." Bill Clinton wants to return to the swim. He has opened an office in his second-choice location - in New York's Harlem, prompting a Brooklyn lawyer to remark, "There goes the neighborhood." Clinton kept about 2,000 people waiting for 90 minutes in the sun before deigning to show up for the official opening of his office. Nearby, a guy in a hat labeled "The Hugmaster" led a group of youngsters in chanting, "More hugging/Less mugging/More hugging/Less drugging." Another ...

Something good might come from Bill Clinton's "homecoming" to Harlem if it focuses our attention on what taxpayers pay to subsidize all of our former presidents. Congress began helping out ex-presidents in 1958 because Harry Truman was a relatively poor man and because it was thought proper to help ease the transition of former presidents back into private life. Prior to that, no formal federal pension or any other benefit was paid to ex-presidents. Like most other government programs, the relative pittance ($25,000 annual pension) paid to Truman has grown to a $2.5 million entitlement for our five living ex-presidents. ...

(09:00) McCain to work for Israeli POWs JTA - Republican Sen. John McCain, a former POW himself, agreed to be a member of an international committee working to free three Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hizbullah last October. According to the World Jewish Congress, which is organizing the effort, the Arizona senator may travel to Syria and Lebanon on behalf of the soldiers, who are believed to be prisoners in Lebanon. "Given his personal stature and his position here in the United States, I think [McCain] can open doors ... which would be closed to others,'' WJC Executive Director Elan Steinberg ...

The answer to this ofen bewildering (and ball-wilting) question can be found in my own country of Canada. When someone hits the top level there, they tend to become more than a little mouthy, as a result of them acquiring new friends. Since the rest of us do not share in these friendships, we have to take it, especially since another privilege of the newly privileged is going deaf to all but what they wanteth to hear. So the average Canadian becomes polite, ostensibly. Inside, we tend to seethe. Until that fine day when the lordly one slips up, and ...

IAMI, Aug. 1 — Katherine Harris, the Florida secretary of state, today turned over four computer hard drives used to draft correspondence during the presidential race for an inspection by news organizations to determine if any records were destroyed during the election stalemate in Florida last November. The computers were turned over only after a consultant that Ms. Harris hired conducted closed-door tests on the hard drives a day earlier. Ms. Harris said the consultant, William Morgan, had been retained to determine whether any information had been removed from the computers. Ms. Harris has not made Mr. Morgan available ...

After a police officer shot Carlo Giuliani in the head, Time magazine published a requiem of sorts -- explaining that the 23-year-old Italian protester pretty much got what he deserved. Even Time gets it right, occasionally...

ASHINGTON, Aug. 1 — President Bush pressured Congress today to settle differences in House and Senate education bills and send legislation to him as quickly as possible, saying the state of many urban schools was a "great and continuing scandal" that cried out for rapid action. "Rarely in American history have we faced a problem so serious and destructive on which change has come so slowly," Mr. Bush said in a speech here to the National Urban League, a predominantly black group. He asserted that such change was almost within reach and urged Congress to go the remaining distance ...

DISPOSABLE I found an old can of beer in my car and I pulled over to throw it out and it hit me. We live in a disposable society. Think about it. Everything we consume we throw away. Products, people and ideas are all disposable. It reminded me of a story a friend of mine told me. He lived in Japan and he would scrounge around an island the Japanese would leave alone. It was an island where TV’s and other consumer products went to die. The locals wouldn’t dare go to the island but the westerners went there in ...

No Way Out But Through the Jews A Review of Paul Gottfried's The Conservative Movement by Alex Linder Executive summary: The Jews have taken over the American right, and they have the money and media access to shut out any contenders. Meaning: Unless you build a movement that explicitly forbids Jewish participation and focuses on Jews as the political enemy, you are destined to be coopted or crushed. Or at least rendered impotent, like the Old Right, and left broke and fuming on the sidelines. Caveat: The Internet isn't accounted for in Gottfried's calculus. ...the review In his 1993 book ...

ASHINGTON, Aug. 1 — At least $5.5 billion in emergency aid for farmers was put in jeopardy today when Republicans in the Senate filibustered a farm bill because they said it provided too much money to farmers. The Senate bill calls for $7.5 billion in subsidies, $2 billion more than a similar measure passed by the House. The White House has said President Bush will veto the measure unless it is reduced by $2 billion. And lawmakers from New England threatened to oppose the bill if it did not include an extension of the New England dairy compact, a ...

NSA gives contractor $2 billion in work Administrative, security, phone systems put in deal By Laura Sullivan Sun Staff Originally published August 1, 2001 The National Security Agency awarded a $2 billion contract to outsource its basic technological infrastructure yesterday to Eagle Alliance, a new team led by Computer Sciences Corp., a California-based technology consulting firm. At least 700 to regain work The contract, which is valued at $2 billion if all options are exercised, would span up to 10 years. The group is expected to hire more than 700 agency employees who will be removed from the agency ...