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Vespers (Evening Prayer) O God, come to my aid.O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.) Psalm 109(110) The Messiah, king and priest The Lord has said to my lord: "Sit at my right hand while I make your enemies into your footstool". From Sion the Lord will give you a sceptre, and you will rule in the midst of your foes....

Dear Reader:   On Sept. 28, I sent you an announcement of the paperback edition of Militant Islam Reaches America and I mentioned that it has new materials. Please find below one of these, the book's epilogue: "World War IV?"   Daniel Pipes Epilogue: World War IV? Daniel Pipes Militant Islam Reaches AmericaPaperback edition, W.W. Norton, 2003. Is the "war on terror" really World War IV? That's what the American strategist Eliot Cohen argues[1] and the term is apt.[2] It captures two points: that the cold war was in fact World War III and that the war on terror is...

APTOS — State Sen. Bruce McPherson warned of dark budget clouds continuing to loom in Sacramento, stemming from the late fix put on the current year’s budget. The Santa Cruz Republican, speaking to more than 100 people at an Aptos Chamber of Commerce breakfast Thursday, said some bonds used to fill the budget gap face a court test. One plan that would have used $2 billion worth of bonds to pay for pension obligations was rejected by the courts, which ruled that bond measures needed to go to a public vote. Another plan to sell $10.7 billion in deficit bonds...

After Arnold Schwarzenegger obliterated his opponents in the recall like he has so many action-movie adversaries, most Democrats at least paid lip service to the idea of cooperating with the new governor. Most, but not all. Bob Brownstein, the brains behind much of the local labor establishment's political agenda, says he has already lined up $30,000 to recall Schwarzenegger, and ``I think I can get to $50,000, no problem.'' Ideally, the ex-chief of staff to former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer says, the recall would go on the presidential ballot in November 2004. All of this depends, he adds, on...

It was something of a stretch to believe Arnold Schwarzenegger, the coup-elect governor of Cahl-ee-fornia, was an admirer of Adolf Hitler. Really now, Californians may be certifiably insane, but they're not nuts enough to turn out a stumblebum for an Oberfuehrer with abs of steel. On the other hand, it would make more sense for Schwarzenegger to be a fan of Hitler's cinematic propagandist, the late filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl. Couldn't the ``smoke and mirrors, shadows and lights'' illusionary march to Sacramento be described as a triumph of the shill? Let's face it. Tuesday night's election results were more predictable than...

<p>A few days before the election, a friend asked who I wanted to be governor. "Anyone but Arnold," I answered.</p> <p>"Why? What's wrong with Arnold?" he wanted to know. "Is it his politics or his proposals? Or is it his personality?"</p>

Time magazine columnist Joe Klein said Sunday that groping allegations against Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger should be taken seriously, while the women who accused ex-President Clinton of groping and far worse were "lunatics." Klein made the bizarre claim on NBC's "Chris Matthews Show" during a heated exchange with columnist Peggy Noonan. Responding to Noonan's observation that Schwarzenegger's political bid wasn't derailed by the last-minute allegations because Democrats had already dismissed far worse claims by Clinton accusers like Juanita Broaddrick, Klein said, "[Clinton] was charged with those things by lunatics." When Noonan reminded Klein that Broaddrick had accused Clinton of a...

Qureia gives Arafat final ultimatum By Eric Silver in Jerusalem 13 October 2003 Ahmed Qureia, the Palestinian Prime Minister, told Yasser Arafat yesterday that he will resign in another three weeks if the men fail to resolve a dispute over control of Palestinian security services. He would be the second Prime Minister to throw in the towel within two months - his predecessor, Abu Mazen, lost a power struggle with the President. Mr Qureia, who has a reputation as a more skilled political operator, tried to avoid a clash, but Mr Arafat is still refusing to take a back seat....

Playoffs, here we come!

LONDON, Oct. 2 — As is so often the case, the trickiest part came when he had to explain himself to his family. "I got kind of a lukewarm response," said the masked Englishman who calls himself Angle-Grinder Man and who has been trawling London for four months dressed in a homemade superhero outfit, complete with gold lamé underpants and cape, removing the security boots from people's illegally parked cars. "Any parent who gets a phone call from his son saying, `Oh, you might see me in the newspaper; I'm a superhero wheel clamp vigilante' — it might take them...

By now many of you have seen the offensive tv sitcom "Whoopi". Despite our emails to NBC to protest their continued airing of this offensive program, it remains on the air. The next step is to contact the show's advertisers. Their contact info is on my website. Please let them know how you feel, here is my letter:

On the Right Sideby George V. Caylor"As Easy as ABC "The world, including America, will listen to anything, promote anything, and endure anything – no matter how ludicrous, harmful or perverted. Anything but Christianity, that is. The rules are as easy as ABC: Anything BUT Christianity.This was brought home to me once again last week. Our house guest Michele Malkin of the Washington Post wrote: "Six months ago, Jack Moody tried to send his son, Daniel, a care package containing a Bible study and other Christian religious materials. Daniel is a 21-year-old Army National Guardsman serving in the Middle East....

Texas Redistricting - Senate set to vote and pass new map Excerpt from THIS THREAD: AUSTIN - The Texas House approved a sweeping government reorganization measure Sunday, acquiescing to Senate terms for giving final approval to a congressional redistricting map. The House approved the measure by a 79-35 vote, then adjourned the third special session. Final passage of the Republican-backed redistricting map now rests with the Senate. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst previously said the Senate would not approve the map until the House passed the unrelated bill intended to reorganize state government. "I'm personally ready to call their bluff...

TOKYO - With the Nikkei stock average currently flirting with 11,000, up about 45 percent from its post-bubble 13-year low of 7,607.88 in April, it is starting to appear that a run on US dollar assets could well be causing the rise in Japanese stock markets. The yen has surged through the psychological barrier of 110:US$1, creating a sense of crisis as the run on dollar assets gains momentum. Japanese authorities are cautious about intervening heavily before Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reaches an understanding on the currency in his meeting with US President George W Bush on October 17-18 in...

I want to know if there is a need for a 12-step thread on Free Republic, every day (like Word for the Day)? Many people, myself included, were emboldened by Rush Limbaugh's public confession of addiction. I myself admitted that I am a recovering cocaine addict with almost one year of sobriety (Thank G-d and Narcotics Anonymous for that). There are many others who I feel might benefit from such an ongoing, daily thread.I'd be willing to host it daily, like RikaStrom hosts Word-For-The-Day. It would necessarily be located in General Interest (chat). Some days when I was rather busy,...

MOSCOW -(Dow Jones)- Russian Energy Minister Igor Yusufov said Friday that the government won't play an active role in shifting the denomination of oil contracts from U.S. dollars to euros. "It's a decision that will ultimately be made between the buyer and the seller," Yusufov told reporters at a briefing. "I don't see anything negative in going into a euro-based system." Yusufov's statement comes one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) said that pricing of oil contracts in euros was "possible". Yusufov said that he saw a possible deal between Russia's largest oil company YukosSibneft, a...

Authorities To Close Muslim School in Bonn The 14 million euro school is the focus of terror investigations. After the King Fahd Academy in Bonn, Germany, came under investigation for alleged ties to the terrorist network al Qaeda, the regional commissioner has threatened to shut down the Saudi Arabian sponsored school. After a documentary aired on German public television a week ago, interest in the activities at the Arab-language King Fahd Academy in Bonn was heightened. According to the show "Panorama," the school had come under investigation for allegedly harboring ties to the terrorist network al Qaeda and other fundamental...

The re-birth of the masculine politician By Nikki Clark My rebuttal to Frida Ghitis, “The end of the Sensitive Politition”, Pittsburg Post Gazette October 12, 2003. Let me begin with this, Frida your are a moron. As a woman, I thank god that the era of the so-called “Sensitive Man” is over and in fact prayed for it. With the current crop of Democrat Presidential want-to-be’s, from John Kerry the French looking Vietnam veteran with the long horse face to the baby face John Edwards, let’s not forget Dennis Kacinich who must have been born with one ovary and no...

German Debt Reaches New Record High What's a few more euros here or there, when the debt is already so high? Finance Minister Hans Eichel has admitted that this year's debt could be drastically higher than expected – close to 42 billion euros. That’s more than double earlier forecasts and could lead to serious consequences. Germany’s finance minister was in the hot seat again this weekend. The man who took office promising to balance the budget now finds himself struggling to explain why the country’s deficit continues to rise. On Saturday Hans Eichel admitted borrowing for 2003 could amount to...

France Backs School Ban on Islamic Veils By Associated Press October 12, 2003, 3:17 AM EDT PARIS -- The government and its main opposition joined Saturday in supporting school officials who expelled two sisters for refusing to remove traditional Islamic headscarves in class. Administrators at the girls' high school, in Aubervilliers outside Paris, said the headscarves were ostentatious symbols of religion. Lila Levy, 16, and her sister Alma, 18, were expelled Friday for violating regulations aimed at keeping public schools secular. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy backed the decision, saying "these rules must be respected by everyone." "Our Muslim compatriots know...