Free Republic

Pakistan: Anti-Fundamentalist Measures Have Little Bite 24 June 2002 Summary Sandwiched between U.S. demands and dangers within his own country, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is announcing bold initiatives to counter fundamentalism but is falling short in their execution. If Musharraf is skimping on political actions, it may not bode well for his cooperation against extremist elements in Pakistan. Analysis Pakistan's Supreme Court June 24 reversed its own ruling in 1999 that ordered the government to cease charging interest on bank transactions on the grounds that such a practice was un-Islamic. The reversal came just six days ahead of a deadline...

June 24, 2002 04:00 PM SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Several blond hairs resembling those of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam were found on the bed sheets of a San Diego man accused of kidnapping and killing her, a police forensic expert testified on Monday. Tanya DuLaney, taking the witness stand in the trial of 50-year-old engineer David Westerfield, said more hair possibly belonging to the girl was found in lint from his dryer, along with 18 dog hairs similar to that of the van Dam family dog. DuLaney said three blond hairs were found on bed sheets in the master bedroom...

Why do so many people hate Martha Stewart? How does a home-decorating and entertaining expert with a sweet, wholesome public persona come to be portrayed as a major cultural villain? Consider the past week's media frenzy over charges that Stewart engaged in "insider trading." The reaction in the press and by members of Congress — who have launched an investigation — is far out of proportion to the actual evidence or the alleged crime. Nor can this case explain the eagerness with which snide columnists and catty morning talk-show hosts contemplate the prospect of seeing Martha in prison — joking,...

<p>FULLERTON -- A mom and dad decided Sunday to stop their 21-year-old daughter from seeing her married boyfriend by tying her to a bed with 30-pound chains, police said.</p> <p>Guadalupe and David Mata admitted to locking their daughter with two "giant gate locks" to prevent her from going out, said Fullerton Police Lt. Danny Becerra.</p>

Taliban Proposes Labeling Hindus in Afghanistan By Leela Jacinto May 22 — The Taliban, one of the world's most isolated and controversial regimes, is considering a proposal to make Hindus wear identity labels to separate them from the majority Muslim population in Afghanistan. The hard-line regime, which enforces its own strict interpretation of Islam, has already faced harsh criticism and international isolation for its treatment of women and, more recently, for its destruction of two giant Buddha statues dating back to the 5th century. A Taliban Foreign Ministry official told ABCNEWS.com the regime was considering a new policy that would...

At a recent seminar on Islam at the University of Toronto, a woman shrouded in black spoke with a Canadian accent through the most all-encompassing yashmak I have ever seen, the opening for her eyes as narrow as a mail slot. The fact that she looked like a visitor from an ancient desert kingdom gave extra emphasis to her cool acceptance of random Palestinian killing. She introduced her views with the correct academic reference. "I'm coming from a Chomskyan perspective here," she announced, peeking out. She meant Noam Chomsky, the professor who finds an excuse for any atrocity against Israel....

The latest suicide bomb attacks in Jerusalem are just another consequence of the Israeli occupation of Arab lands. This was the standard line of all Arab countries -- including the so-called moderate states. Suicide bombers now enjoy such a degree of legitimacy in the Arab world that each attack is accepted as a military operation rather than a barbaric act of a deranged individual supported by a sinister web of extremists. This shocking fact is representative of not only Israel's problems with its neighbours, but also of the West's increasingly difficult relationship with the Arab world, both of which are...

As shots rang out, some citizens tried to step in 2002-06-24 by Noel S. Brady Journal Reporter NEWCASTLE -- Dozens of witnesses looked on in horror as a screaming, naked man shot a fallen Newcastle police officer repeatedly in the head and back. A few got involved. Tammy Porter was in Newcastle from her home in Richland, visiting friends last weekend. Shortly before Saturday's fatal shooting of officer Richard Herzog in Newcastle, she and Chris Maddocks wrapped up a fun day at Seattle's Fremont Summer Solstice Parade, where it's normal to see naked men on bicycles streaking through crowds. ``I...

Deputy suspended over illicit gun 6/22/2002 An Orleans County sheriff's deputy was suspended from her job after she was accused of having an unregistered weapon, authorities said Friday. Amy Christ, 31, was charged by State Police with a misdemeanor count of criminal possession of a weapon. A member of the Sheriff's Department since 1997, she was suspended with pay. According to authorities, Christ had filed a domestic violence complaint against her husband, after which both were ordered to surrender all the weapons in their home. It turned out one of the weapons - which reportedly belongs to Christ's brother -...

Lobsterman and biologist team up to concoct perfect bait Monday, June 24, 2002, 5:52 AM Email story to a friend HACOCK (AP) -- A lobsterman on Sullivan Bay is working with a marine biologist to perfect the recipe for lobster bait. They've come up with a promising formula that doesn't stink like traditional bait made from herring. One soy-based bait they concocted last year yielded a significantly better catch rate than herring. But the company that supplied an ingredient in the recipe is no longer participating in the study, which being conducted by marine biologist Juan Carlos Rodriguez Souza...

Copyright 2002 Little Rock Newspapers, Inc. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette June 21, 2002, Friday SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A1 LENGTH: 1792 words HEADLINE: Widow sees 3 deadlines pass, wants guns ATF took in raid BYLINE: CATHY FRYE, ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE BODY: It appears federal authorities haven't followed the law in their efforts to keep seven guns from the widow of a man killed in an ATF-organized raid. Thus far, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and U.S. prosecutors have missed at least three deadlines mandated by federal law concerning seized property. This failure to act in a timely fashion leaves Tammy Wilson,...

Hillary Clinton will definitely seek, and in all likelihood win, the 2004 Democrat nomination for the presidency. You can take that one to the bank. Analysis of the political tea leaves, as well as several careful, and hopefully astute, personal observations, can lead to no other conclusion.

Ann Coulter: Left Is 'out to Destroy the Country' Phil Brennan Tuesday, June 25, 2002 Last week, Washington Post columnist Lloyd Grove wrote a cynical piece about Ann Coulter's new book, "Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right." He opined that Miss Coulter, whom he called "a human Uzi," had "lumped" his fellow Post columnist Howard Kurtz with "liberal" journalists who – the author notes – regularly distort conservative utterances, which are "paraphrased, unfairly excerpted, summarized or ... invented out of whole cloth." Grove quoted Kurtz as saying that "Coulter is apparently still angry about his reporting last fall on...

Suspect in Deputy Shooting Had Prior Record 06/24/2002 Associated Press Authorities say the man arrested in the shooting death of a King County Sheriff's deputy has a history of assaulting officers. King County Sheriff's officials today say the man was released June eleventh from the Washington state prison system. Two local TV stations reported that the man served five months for assaulting a Bellevue police officer and also has prior drug, firearms, malicious mischief and resisting arrest convictions. A roadside memorial is growing where the deputy was shot. (KING5.com Photo) The man is being held at King County Jail....

Question: What is the rulling on, when a Muslim say "We believe we are all children of Allah" Basing it on the weak Hadeeth (All creations are sustained by Allah). Please provide details of the ruling. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The hadeeth mentioned was narrated by al-Bazzaar and Abu Ya’la from Anas, and says, “All of mankind are the dependents of Allaah, and the most beloved of them to Allaah are those who are most helpful to their dependents.” This is a very weak (da’eef jiddan) hadeeth as al-Albaani said in Da’eef al-Jaami’, hadeeth no. 2946. Any Muslim who...

Oh, they're lax and disloyal, And resisting the regal, And they're bashing your royals, You wanna make it illegal. They bring division and schism, And faction and chasm, They got a registered rhythm, As they lazamataz 'em. Just too tough to denounce 'em? You've had enough of debating. You want a quick way to trounce 'em? Well here's the end of your waiting… Just find a foe to hush With your big broad brush,       Impatient painters at your easels. Don't try to think too hard, Just play your new trump card,       Just say "the Axis of Whining Weasels!" There's...

WASHINGTON –– The FBI is visiting libraries nationwide and checking the reading records of people it suspects of having ties to terrorists or plotting an attack, library officials say. The FBI effort, authorized by the antiterrorism law enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks, is the first broad government check of library records since the 1970s when prosecutors reined in the practice for fear of abuses. The Justice Department and FBI declined to comment Monday, except to note that such searches are now legal under the Patriot Act that President Bush signed last October. Libraries across the nation were reluctant to...

ANATOMY OF A CRIME   The term "act of terrorism" is probably not comprehensive enough to fully describe what happened in the USA on the morning of September 11th. The number of human victims and the extent of the disaster, form a tragedy exceeding all other terrorism incidents, and similar only to major strikes during a war.   The anatomy of terror Terrorism has risen to a major international problem during the last 3 decades. In that period we have witnessed many evolutions in the terrorist incidents concerning the profile of the acts, the means employed and the goals as...

The Israeli Police Monday disclosed that the suspected killer of Lod policeman, who was shot dead in March, had been handed over by the Jordanian authorities. Suspect Rubin Abu Zayad was arrested in Jordan, carrying a forged Belgian passport, and handed over to Israel last week. The Israeli media refrained from publishing any details of how Abu Zayad reached Jordan. The Israeli policeman was shot to death allegedly by Abu Zayad when he stopped his car in Lod for a check on March 3. Police had placed a high priority on tracking down Abu Zayad.

The following is taken directly from "Chesterton's Mail Bag" and was printed in the current edition of Gilbert! (5/02); it has a bearing on the massive spending increases imposed on the taxpayers by Congress and our President. Since the reply portion of the letter was written in the early 1900's and has specific references to England, I will simply change them to America(n). You understand that Chesterton was NOT a Libertarian, although he seems to advocate a third party. Chesterton was, instead, for a Government which recognized 'the common man' as its mainstay and which acted to protect 'the common...