Free Republic

4072 Year of the Rooster  

Secretary of State Says U.N. Action Looms if European Leaders Don't Hold Tehran to Nuclear Deal BRUSSELS, Feb. 9 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that Iran must live up to international obligations aimed at curbing the spread of nuclear weapons "or next steps are in the offing." In a press conference at NATO headquarters, Rice appeared to back away from earlier remarks that were seen as a slight rebuke to the three European powers -- France, Germany and Britain -- that are now negotiating with Iran on its nuclear program. "I believe that everyone is telling the...

Iraqi insurgents resume deadly attacksTONY EASTLEY: In Iraq insurgents have returned to their grizzly trade, killing more than two dozen people, including two US Marines. In the deadliest attack insurgents ambushed a bus and killed 12 Iraqi army recruits. It ended the relative calm that existed during the election last weekend. Election officials meanwhile have released the first results of Sunday's historic election, but have cautioned against attempting to extrapolate nationwide totals from the small numbers. The ABC's Middle East Correspondent, Mark Willacy, is in the Iraqi capital,  Baghdad. Mark Willacy, we've heard reports about the high voter turnout, but...

The search for $180,000 in missing nickels ended in the back yard of a Miami-Dade County house today. A joint task force including the DEA, FBI (news - web sites), Immigration and Customs Enforcement and detectives from the Miami-Dade County Police Department, found the nickels buried in the back yard of a home in an area near Miami known as the Redlands. Law enforcement officials searched the home this morning and found nothing. They searched a smaller house behind the main residence and reportedly found 88 plants believed to be marijuana. When agents went over the back yard with metal...

There are currently many mechanical locking devices on the market to prevent guns from being fired. Also "smart gun" technology is emerging that manufacturer claim will provide fool proof safety.      Trigger lockThis lock is located between the back of the trigger and the trigger guard, and is secured by a padlock. In will work on any gun. Barrel locksThe rod lock is a metal rod that extends down the barrel of the gun, preventing bullets from entering the firing chamber. It will work on selected guns. The cable lock also extends down the barrel preventing the gun...

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, IDENTIFY YOUR FAVORITE demoRAT (including the little one)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is having trouble finding a new national intelligence director amid doubts about the job's practical authority over all U.S. espionage operations, officials and intelligence experts said on Tuesday. Six weeks after President Bush (news - web sites) signed the intelligence reform bill into law, a former CIA (news - web sites) director who served under the president's father said he had been offered the position but turned it down. Robert Gates, currently president of Texas A&M University, announced his decision in a statement this week to quell media speculation about his candidacy. "I was...

Microsoft's highly anticipated search engine debuted today, with the software giant officially entering the fray in a market that gets more competitive by the day. Offered through the company's MSN Internet portal, the service is available in 25 markets and 10 languages, and promises to deliver more-relevant results, instant answers to specific questions, and a collection of tools that give Web surfers more control in targeting and refining searches. Building on Vast Resources In revving up the engine after years of testing, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) also has unveiled a redesigned MSN home page with search tools placed in...

Supporters of President Bush's judicial nominees have hired the same media firm used by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth for their efforts to defend the next nominee for any upcoming Supreme Court vacancy.     The aggressive media style of Creative Response Concepts (CRC) will be met by a "war room" already set up by the liberal People For the American Way (PFAW) on the other side, indicating that the next Supreme Court fight is likely to be one of the nastiest in history.     "There is nothing more important -- if and when it happens -- than a Supreme Court...

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on. At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon." In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics: 1. For no reason...

HUGE WIN FOR W AND FREEDOM HISTORIC IRAQI ELECTIONS   CONTENDERS   BIG LOSS FOR THE BLUES AND NAYSAYERS  

Tax-Exempt Hospitals' Practices Challenged46 Lawsuits Allege That Uninsured Pay the Most TUPELO, Miss. -- When Tim Gardner was born at the hospital here 53 years ago, it was just "one little building on the hill" in a town best known as Elvis Presley's birthplace. From those humble beginnings, North Mississippi Medical Center has grown into the largest non-metropolitan hospital in the country, a booming enterprise with a complex of glass and marble buildings and 40 satellite clinics stretching into Alabama and Tennessee. The company, incorporated in Delaware, has nearly $300 million in the bank and "exceptional profitability," according to one...

She released a book entitled It's My Party, Too: Taking Back the Republican Party... And Bringing the Country Together Again in which she criticizes the policies of the Bush administration and its electoral strategy which she views as divisive. It has been suggested that this may be a prelude to a candidacy for president in 2008 as a moderate Republican. She's been going around several talk shows including Hannity & Colmes criticizing the President Bush. This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," Jan. 27, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST:  Our next guest thinks...

Laser Pointer Abuse Threatens Air Safety To astronomers, the new breed of hand-held laser pointer is a way to write in the sky, its two-mile-long beam allowing them to trace constellations and point out individual stars. To a lost hiker, the laser is a lifeline to a search and rescue team overhead. To a "Star Wars" fan, it is a prop for playing a lightsaber-wielding Jedi knight. But to a pilot in a darkened cockpit, the pointer's bright green beam could be something very different -- a disorienting and even blinding blast of color. "It's kind of like a...

RACIST SENATORS OF THE 109th Congress Akaka (D-HI), Nay141 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-6361 E-mail: senator@akaka.senate.gov Bayh (D-IN), Nay 4463 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5623 Web Form: bayh.senate.gov/WebMail1.htm Boxer (D-CA), Nay112 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3553 Web Form: boxer.senate.gov/contact Byrd (D-WV), Nay311 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3954 Web Form: byrd.senate.gov/byrd_email.html Dayton (D-MN), Nay346 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3244 Web Form: dayton.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm   Durbin (D-IL), Nay 346 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3244 Web Form: dayton.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm Harkin...