Free Republic

<p>Any lingering possibility that Saddam Hussein would hold power in two years virtually vanished with Bob Woodward's story in last weekend's Washington Post that President Bush ordered the CIA to escalate covert activities to topple the Iraqi dictator.</p> <p>As well as any policy imperative, the president's political manhood is at stake. Having drawn the line in the sand, he can ill afford to run for reelection with Saddam still a threat. The issue now is how and when he'll be overthrown and with what ramifications.</p>

Back in the 80s, Nancy Reagan championed a “War on Drugs” campaign that featured as its slogan “Just Say NO!” From what I could determine, the only people who took the slogan seriously, who imagined it would do anything to stem the use of drugs, were the drug warriors themselves. Everyone else pretty much laughed at or ignored it. But Nancy was right. She was just right about the wrong thing. The real target of her “Just Say NO!’ campaign should have been the Federal government itself. There are two ways a government can control its citizens—by using guns or...

<p>The Internal Revenue Service is bringing back its controversial practice of randomly auditing individual tax returns in an effort to crack down on what it says is a growing wave of tax scams.</p> <p>The move is an about-face for the IRS, which did its last batch of random audits in 1988 and was slapped down by Congress when it tried to resume them in the mid-1990s. Legislators pilloried the agency for its aggressive tactics in conducting such audits, in which thousands of Americans were forced to defend every line in their tax returns.</p>

+++JORDAN TIMES 19 June '02: "Cherie Blair 'sorry' over comments on Palestinian bombers " [IMRA: Not mentioned on BBC TV.] QUOTES FROM TEXT: "The prime minister's wife earlier had said: 'As long as young people feel they have got no hope but to blow themselves up, you are never going to make progress' " " `She did not and never would she ever condone suicide bombers or say they had no choice.' " " `what Cherie was saying, as everyone who has looked at this problem knows is the case,' " ========================================================= FULL TEXT: LONDON (AFP) - Cherie Blair, wife...

TOMPAINE.com Gagging On 'Deep Throat' Anonymous Sources Are Back. And That's A Problem.Richard Blow is the author of American Son: A Portrait of John F. Kennedy, Jr. Watergate’s 30th anniversary prompted a new round of the increasingly tiresome game, Who was Deep Throat? On Salon.com, John Dean took about eight guesses and expected people to pay to read them. Making the chat show rounds, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein grinned and mewled like cheshire cats when asked the inevitable. It’s too bad that no one posed another, more timely question about Deep Throat: How did this anonymous super-source influence post-Watergate...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Malaysia's prime minister, a prominent Muslim moderate, warned today that supporters of Israel could be targets of terrorist attacks anywhere in the world if there is no solution to the Middle East conflict. Mahathir Mohamad also said that the defeat of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan had done little to eliminate the wider threat of terrorism. In a wide-ranging speech, Mahathir told the annual congress of his ruling party that harsh methods used by Israel in occupying Palestinian lands had led to terror in retaliation. "We fear that anybody from among those who support Israel will be...

JERUSALEM A Palestinian terrorist group's chilling declaration of war on buses long a symbol of Israeli grit struck fear in the hearts of many Israelis. The surreal and now hauntingly familiar sight of a shattered city bus lying on its side, the top and roof peeled away and body bags lined up nearby, underscores the vulnerability of a well-established transit system. Hamas, one of whose member carried out a bus bombing that claimed 19 victims this week, announced in a leaflet Wednesday that dozens more suicide bombers are waiting to attack civilians in a "war on the buses." Tuesday's attack...

WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain has been an irritant to fellow Republicans, leading the fight for campaign finance reform, criticizing them for pork-barrel spending and unsuccessfully challenging George Bush in a hard-fought 2000 White House campaign. Now the Arizona senator's at it again, but this time he's also making the Democrats nervous. He's teaming up with Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., on an issue that both parties fear might be too hot and time-consuming to handle only a few months before the midterm congressional election: Gun control. McCain wants to require criminal background checks on all firearms transactions at the 4,500...

IN a brutual incident of killing that reveals the practical influence of Islam, a Moroccan, Ibrahim Aderdour, murdered three generations of his wife's British Christian family in North London because she refused to bring up their daughter as a Muslim. According to a report carried by The Times, London, Ibrahim Aderdour, an illegal immigrant who was earlier sheltered by the Trant family a few years back, stabbed to death his 16-month old daughter, Amina, his estranged wife, Sophie, 32, and her parents at their family home in Islington, North London on October 12, 1995. A British court has given...

Prayers requested during week of 6/16/02 Prayers for EggsAckley's mother and familyPraise report--Update on NatureGirl's father-in-lawPrayers for VaBthang4's stepfather GaryPrayer request for JoePrayers for JohnnyGage's sister-in-law AngelaPrayer request for gwmoore's fatherPrayers for the wife of a friend Prayers requested during week of 6/09/02 Continued prayers for Betsy and for LeeMcCoy and familyPrayer request for Megan who lost her brother last summerPrayers for best friend during lossContinued prayers for Elizabeth SmartPrayers for AKA Elena with health problemsPrayer request for MotleyGirl70's best friend and family during lossPrayers requested for Elizabeth Smart still missingPrayer request for 8 year old with rare diseasePrayers for...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, June 20 — A car bomb explosion killed a British banker in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on Thursday, witnesses and officials said. The official Saudi Press Agency quoted a police official as saying the victim, Simon John Veness, worked at Al Bank Al Saudi Al Fransi. Veness was alone. THE OFFICIAL QUOTED by Saudi Press Agency said it was suspected that an explosive device was planted in the banker’s four-wheel drive vehicle. An investigation was under way. In London, the Foreign Office said the explosion happened in the street outside a residential compound. “A person died...

Whenever a massacre occurs in Israel, Palestinian spokesmen rush out to say: "Yes, this is terrible, but this is what happens when you have a people with no hope for an end to the occupation." Apologists in the West invariably echo this exculpation/explanation. Of all the mendacity that pollutes Middle Eastern discourse, this one is the worst. It assumes that the listener is not only stupid but amnestic. Two years ago at the Camp David summit, in the presence of the president of the United States, the Palestinians were offered an end to the occupation--a total end, a final end--by...

<p>Ten Commandments lawn signs are flying off the shelves in a show of support for keeping a Ten Commandments monument in a city park, a religious leader said.</p> <p>David Twite, executive director of Crossfire Ministries, a non-denominational youth ministry, has been handing out the signs for nearly two weeks. He said Wednesday he can't keep up with demand.</p>

Osama bin Laden's al Qaida and other terrorist groups are reaping vast profits from the illegal sale of diamonds acquired from mines in impoverished African nations, and sold through a vast – but covert – international network, according to German sources. Diamonds, gold, and even uranium, extracted from the impoverished nations of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Congo, and Angola in central and west African nations, are being exploited by questionable financial interests, some of whom have links to terrorist groups, resulting in many millions of dollars flowing into terrorist hands. The financing of al-Qaida, as well as other terrorist groups,...

A new catch phrase, "Sustainable Development", has crept into discussions of the most fundamental right Americans have, the right to own property. It is essential to all other liberties and our economy. It is protected by the US Constitution. That protection is about to be lost if "The Community Character Act" is passed. "The Community Character Act" is a homeowner's association on steroids. It sustains nothing and takes from every American their birthright of freedom. What is Sustainable Development? Imagine an America in which a single, specific ruling principle is created to decide proper societal conduct for every citizen....

Two things in life are inevitable, the saying goes: death and taxes. But should they be so closely related that the death of a loved one is a taxable event? Yet that's exactly what liberals, led by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), seem to believe. By a vote of 55-44 the Senate voted last week to kill the latest attempt to make the death tax repeal permanent. But only because Senator Daschle insisted on a parliamentary maneuver that required 60 votes instead of 51. For the record, the $1.35 billion Bush tax-cut package approved by Congress last year...

Violence in the workplace by Melanie (First name only for security of the military member) Health Promotion Officer Imagine the following situation: A newly hired employee overhears two coworkers talking about their supervisor, Bill. One employee yells, “I’m sick and tired of Bill bossing me around. Let’s see what a tough guy he is right before I blow his brains out.” If you were that recently hired employee, would you know how to recognize the approaching violence and respond appropriately to the situation? An awareness of the motivation and risk factors for violence, the common targets of violence, and appropriate...

At a council meeting Monday, Michael McTighe said private development of the city-owned Shore Cultural Centre into combined living and working quarters for professionals would draw "young yuppies, white people that the city wants to bring in here." The remark, captured on cable television, elicited groans. He drew reprimands from several audience members, all white, including a woman who called on the 24-year-old councilman to mature or resign. Council President Ed Gudenas interrupted to tell McTighe he owed some apologies. Mayor Paul Oyaski said the comment was "inappropriate and should be retracted." Still, McTighe said he did not know he...

A project of the American Family Association          TV Project06/20/02 Ford Does It Again! Company promotes child exploitation, adult/child sex Dear OneMillionDads.com member:A few weeks ago we encouraged you to email Ford Motor Company about their sponsorship of the program Will & Grace. Ford responded by saying they were happy to help sponsor award winning programs such as Will & Grace. Ford went on to say they value the diversity of their customers and employees including their sexual orientation.Evidently, Ford meant what they said. Recently Ford helped sponsor Will & Grace again. This time around Ford was pleased...

Christian who questioned lecture complains to EEOC Last Updated: June 18, 2002 Michael Curtiss headed to a Tuesday lecture in his family practice residency program in Wausau a few months ago, expecting to hear the usual discussion of some aspect of medicine. Instead, he sat surprised as two Muslim first-year residents gave a presentation on Islam. Quotable I don't think faith has any place being in a public university - Michael Curtiss, former medical resident The residents offered prayers, talked about the five pillars of Islam, defended its treatment of women and spoke to allay fears that the U.S. government...