Free Republic

ACLU Criticizes Court Ruling On Gun Search Judges OK Police Inquiries About Guns Posted: 9:03 a.m. CDT September 7, 2001 OKLAHOMA CITY -- An appeals court ruling allowing police to ask stopped motorists if they have a loaded gun is winning praise from prosecutors and police and criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union. Ruling in a case from Muldrow, Okla., the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided 5-4 Wednesday that officers can ask that question even if they don't suspect weapons are in the vehicle. "How many of these things have to happen before we realize we're living ...

Sunday September 9, 2:51 AM Troops go in as 50 die in Nigerian Christian-Muslim clashes LAGOS, Sept 8 (AFP) - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday deployed troops in the central city of Jos to halt Christian-Muslim clashes which left at least 50 dead and homes and buildings burning. The clashes, which erupted Friday after Muslim prayers, continued late Saturday in pockets of Jos, as an overnight curfew was re-imposed, army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Ayo Olaniyan told AFP. "There are pockets of fighting going on. The situation is considerably improved but there is still fighting going on," Olaniyan, spokesman for the ...

Oversupply may be sold for millions at net loss Oversupply may be sold for millions at net loss By Ed Mendel STAFF WRITER September 8, 2001 SACRAMENTO -- A new forecast shows the state has acquired enough electricity that it expects to receive $500 million from the sale of surplus power by the end of next year, although much of that power will be sold at a loss. Critics fear the state, while struggling to rein in runaway power prices, signed dozens of overpriced contracts that may force California to pay above-market prices for electricity for the rest of ...

Texas Attorney General John Cornyn has decided to seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Phil Gramm, according to sources close to Cornyn. Cornyn, a former Texas Supreme Court justice, plans to announce his candidacy Wednesday. Spokesman Ted Delisi confirmed Friday that Cornyn will make an announcement that day, but he declined to say what it would be. Another GOP source said Friday that Cornyn has canceled a Tuesday event planned to raise money for the re-election campaign he began long before Gramm made his surprise announcement. Cornyn's anticipated move means Austin Mayor ...

<p>A judge will determine in the next couple of weeks if Battle Creek City Commissioners can padlock a woman's home. Calhoun County Circuit Judge Conrad Sindt said he should complete his written opinion next week or the week after on a challenge to the city's padlock ordinance, which allows city officials to force a resident out of his or her home for repeated drug violations.</p>

The National Enquirer: CONDIT LOVE LETTERS: Enquirer has obtained copies of letters froma Condit mistress to a friend about their affair. The mistress' name is being kept anonymous. Some details in the letters include that she too, was told not to carry ID. The FBI has copies of the letters. The friend who gave the letters to the FBI and the Enquirer was leaned on by a Ceres police officer to not contact the FBI. Star Magazine: CHANDRA'S BODY IN CAVE: This article says that the Levy family believes Condit was up to no good when he called Anne Marie ...

FORT COLLINS -- She walks across campus as most Colorado State University students do, hurrying to classes or to her job as a tutor, with a blue book bag slung over her shoulder. But this 23-year-old economics major totes more than books. She's packing a hidden .38-caliber pistol, which she says she won't hesitate to use in light of a series of sexual assaults that began in May. At 5-foot-3 and 113 pounds, the college senior said Friday that a handgun is her only means of protecting herself. She spoke out during a news conference with the Rocky Mountain ...

Uncle Sam Goes Red in Belarus by Daniel McAdams Most Americans, if told that several million of their tax dollars were being sent half way around the world to throw an election in favor of a senior member of the Soviet Communist Party, would go ballistic. At the least they might wonder whether Bill Clinton and his left-wing ideologues were somehow still running foreign policy in Washington. The strange truth is that President Bush's ambassador in the former Soviet Republic of Belarus, Michael Kozak, is doing his level best to do just that. He has set out to make sure ...

North Idaho group plans relief fund for farmers Organizers seeks donations By MIKE McLEAN Coeur d'Alene PressStaff writer COEUR d'ALENE -- A local group is joining in an effort to aid Oregon farmers whose water supply has been shut off by the federal government. The group will head to the Klamath Basin in southwest Oregon on Sept. 28. About 1,500 farmers there have been unable to raise crops since spring because the water they would use for irrigation is being used for fish protected under the Endangered Species Act. A federal judge ruled the needs of endangered coho salmon in ...

Diana WalkerDay 1: July 19, 2001, 2:55 p.m. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York waits in the President's Room of the Capitol for a meeting with Senators Harry Reid of Nevada and James M. Jeffords of Vermont, fellow members of the Environment and Public Works Committee. &nbsp;&nbsp;Day 1: July 19, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;Day 2: July 28, 2001 Full Coverage The Recent Clippings of Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush Introduction: In the BalanceThe First Lady Who'd Prefer to Be Mrs.BushIn Destiny's Child, Only One Girl Can Sing LeadThe Alternate Reality of the Prettiest GirlFull ContentsForumHow Do Men and Women in Positions ...

Stiff Right Jab &#8211; Bush's 'America First' Foreign Policy Steve Montgomery &amp; Steve FarrellFriday, Sept. 7, 2001 There´s good news, and not so good news. First the good news. When it comes to foreign policy, unlike his predecessor, William Jefferson Clinton, President George W. Bush stands up like a man and declares America first. That is good news and amen. For speaking like a man on that issue, and for that matter an American man, Mr. Bush has deservedly received hallelujah praise from the conservative right, and hellfire and damnation from the malevolent left. Now for the bad news. Bush´s ...

TOKYO (AP) -- Brawls in popular nightspots. Shootouts in the swank Ginza shopping area. Underworld headquarters riddled with bullets. As police work to contain a power struggle within one of Japan's richest underworld syndicates, an unusual wave of high-profile gangland violence has gripped Tokyo. Police refuse to discuss details, other than to confirm the number and locations of shootings. But experts say it underscores a larger concern -- how a decade of crackdowns and economic hard times have made Japan's ``yakuza'' underworld increasingly volatile, and violent. ``These are desperate times for gangs,'' said Atsushi Mizoguchi, an expert on Japan's underworld. ...

Riordan cancer a political liability? Some say it accents the age issue; others say it could raise sympathy.By Laura MecoyBee Los Angeles Bureau(Published Sept. 8, 2001) LOS ANGELES -- Former Mayor Richard Riordan's revelation that he secretly underwent treatment for prostate cancer could trigger more questions about whether the 71-year-old Republican is too old to serve as governor, political analysts said Friday. "For those who care about the age question, this doesn't ease their concerns," said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, University of Southern California political analyst. Riordan, who is seriously considering a campaign for governor, on Thursday publicly disclosed for the ...

By Eric Thayer Signal Staff Writer A little more than a week has passed since the Aug. 31 shooting in Stevenson Ranch, in which a Santa Clarita Sheriff’s deputy and the man who allegedly shot him were killed. As time passes, more details have emerged about the life of James Allen Beck, who agents from the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were to serve with a search warrant for weapons violations and charges of impersonating a law enforcement official. Officials say Beck killed a Santa Clarita Sheriff’s deputy who was assisting other officers in the shootout. Beck was ...

While aides of Rep. Gary Condit say he has not decided to retire, others are evaluating the costs and benefits of such a move. Amid conflicting reports Friday about Condit's future, the balance sheet comparing retirement vs. resignation vs. running again is filling out. Several news organizations, including Fox and MSNBC, cited anonymous sources Friday saying that Condit had decided not to seek re-election. These reports claimed a formal announcement could be made in about a week. Condit's office, though, released a statement dismissing the reports. "Media reports stating that Congressman Condit has reached a decision regarding his 2002 campaign ...

WASHINGTON — The White House has begun telling lawmakers that by the administration's own estimates, the Social Security surplus could be tapped by as much as $12 billion to $15 billion next year unless spending is curbed dramatically, Fox News has learned. GOP lawmakers say Office of Management and Budget director Mitch Daniels showed Republican leaders charts Friday based on what Congress is on track to spend. Daniels also said this year's spending could dip into the Social Security surplus by as much as $10 billion. This year's spending, however, is directed by ex-president Clinton's budget. Another prominent Republican is ...

Top Five Technological Achievements by Canadians By Michaela Pereira and Russ Pitts September 7, 2001 When you think of Canada, you probably think of Canadian bacon, hockey, and Mounties. But Canadians have made a fair share of technological advancements, some of which we take for granted in our everyday lives. Here are the top five (plus one) technological advances by Canadians. The list will surprise you. Honorable mention: Basketball by Dr. James Naismith Bet you didn't know that Naismith was from Canada. Naismith was the athletic director at a private school in Massachusetts. He need a game for his boys ...

Politicians are _still_ publicly talking about that mythical Social Security Trust Fund and the imaginary "lock box." Unfortunately, the media sycophants interviewing these politicians allow them to get away with this double-talk. There is no "trust fund" because all of the Social Security tax goes immediately to the general fund and gets spent. If it were not, the federal budget would be running far in the red. The only way that condition may be stopped is for Congress to do it's job properly and demonstrate some fiscal responsibility. That is, the federal government must take the lead of industry ...

Mexico Plans U.S.-Style Freedom of Information Measures By Mark Stevenson Associated Press Writer Published: Sep 8, 2001 MEXICO CITY (AP) - As the world congratulates their nation on finally achieving full democracy, Mexicans are realizing how many rights they are still missing. Citizens here have no right to demand government information, Congress has few investigative powers, there is little consumer information, and factories don't report the pollutants they emit. But in some of the most ambitious reforms since peasants threw out the large landowners during the 1910 Revolution, Mexico's newly independent Congress is looking to adopt U.S.-style practices that could ...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Following months of increasing interest in immigration and a three-day state visit by Mexican President Vicente Fox, Democrats asked on Saturday that Americans set aside their fears of change and loosen regulations on immigration. Rep. Ed Pastor of Arizona used the Democrats' weekly radio address to emphasize the party's support of a revamped immigration policy in response to the nation's changing needs. ``Attracting ambitious workers from all over the globe is a sign of our national strength, not a weakness,'' he said. The focus of the issue should be redirected ``to take advantage of, rather than fear, ...