Free Republic

Judge threatens fine to enforce '91 ruling By Onell R. Soto UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER May 4, 2006 NELVIN CEPEDA / Union-Tribune The cross was dedicated in 1954 as a war memorial. A federal judge moved to end a 17-year legal saga yesterday by ordering the city of San Diego to remove the Mount Soledad cross from city property within 90 days or be fined $5,000 a day. “It is now time, and perhaps long overdue, for this Court to enforce its initial permanent injunction forbidding the presence of the Mount Soledad Cross on City property,” U.S. District Judge Gordon Thompson...

China’s economic boom has dazzled investors and captivated the world. But beyond the new high-rises and churning factories lie rampant corruption, vast waste, and an elite with little interest in making things better. Forget political reform. China’s future will be decay, not democracy.

Hamas, Like Fatah, Wants All of 'Palestine' By Patrick Goodenough CNSNews.com International Editor January 27, 2006 (CNSNews.com) - A Hamas leader said late Thursday that the terrorist group's victory in the Palestinian legislative elections would "complete the liberation of other parts of Palestine." Ismail Haniyeh, addressing a victory press conference, did not elaborate, but his pledge echoes the covenant adopted by Hamas at its founding in 1988. "The day that enemies usurp part of Muslim land, jihad becomes the individual duty of every Muslim," reads article 15 of the Hamas Charter. "In face of the Jews' usurpation of Palestine, it...

The Region: What the nationalists sowed, the Islamists reaped Barry Rubin, THE JERUSALEM POST Jan. 29, 2006 The landslide victory of the Islamist Hamas in the January 25 Palestinian elections marks the collapse of the Palestinian national movement. Before talking about what Hamas will do now, it is important to assess what went wrong for the long-dominant Fatah organization, which has led for almost 40 years. Short-term analyses point to the incompetence and corruption of Fatah in running the Palestinian Authority as the reason for the movement's downfall. But that is only part of the story. The underlying factor is...

The Myth of a Moderate Hamas By Barry Rubin January 24, 2006 A few months ago I was invited by an embassy to meet a visiting delegation to discuss European policies toward Hamas and Hizballah. "Before I decide," I asked, "tell me what you think about this issue." "Oh," replied the diplomat, "we've already decided to deal with them." "If you already have made up your minds," I answered, "why should I come to talk about it?" Now, as the Financial Times says in a January 18 article, the European Union is preparing to do business with Hamas despite the...

Studies Find Abortions Have Long-Term Adverse Effects By Louise Valentine Epoch Times New York Staff Jan 15, 2006 (Jyn Meyer) Three recent studies have shown that abortion has adverse effects on the would-be mothers' mental and spiritual health, to such an extent that some are advocating giving up this way of solving the problem of unwanted pregnancy, while others, not wanting to give up their right to choose, are advocating more counseling. A recent five-year study released from the University of Oslo shows that the negative psychological effects following abortions last much longer than those who had miscarriages. The study...