Free Republic

Is an L.A. Times columnist leaving comments on the Internet under assumed “sock puppet” identities — identities which he pretends is someone other than himself? Read on and judge for yourself. As for me, I’ve made up my mind, and the answer is “yes.” In an early post on his L.A. Times-sponsored Golden State blog, Times columnist Michael Hiltzik was criticized by a couple of commenters calling themselves “Chad” and “Booker.” These commenters left juvenile comments mocking Hiltzik for explaining blogs to his readers. A commenter named “Mikekoshi” rose to Hiltzik’s defense, scolding the commenters for criticizing Hiltzik’s column:

For weeks, French university students rioted over a set of labor law changes that were to make it legally possible to fire some workers under the age of 26. Nearly one in four young French workers cannot currently find any job — and the government understood that lowering the risk in hiring untested, younger employees would result in more being hired in the first place. Far from celebrating this reform, French students reacted by attacking police, destroying storefronts, and burning cars. The demonstrations metastasized into a general strike, which predictably, became a platform for catch-all left-wing protests against capitalism, America,...

Has this happened to anyone else? Sometimes I send emails to complain to MSMs regarding some of their slanted articles or websites such as CAIR. Recently, over the past two days, I have started receiving emails with unreadable characters in the subj line and text, yet a perfectly readable URL. I have received them at 12:50 pm and 12:03 pm. I decided to click on the URL yesterday to see what it was, and the URL was not anything you'd suspect and up pops some Asians pictures, untitled in full nude sexual activities. Now, I know this didn't happen because...

Bridgeview used car salesman Muhammad Salah recalls being beaten, housed in a "refrigerator cell" and threatened with rape by Israeli soldiers until he admitted to bankrolling overseas terrorists, according to a new filing in U.S. District Court. In an odd twist, the interrogation was witnessed by embattled New York Times reporter Judith Miller, and defense attorneys suggested Monday the best way for the U.S. government to prove its case -- and prove Salah wasn't abused -- is to call the controversial journalist to the witness stand. "We think the government is going to call her," said Chicago defense attorney Michael...

Times Deletes 'Road Map' Reference In an item yesterday, I described how the New York Times -- in a seeming reversal of its longstanding policy -- had cited dismantling terrorist groups as a Palestinian obligation under the Road Map for Peace. The Times usually dismisses this crucial responsibility, which the Pals haven't even attempted to carry out, as an Israeli or American "demand." Well, guess what? The Times deleted from the print edition the reference to the Road Map that had appeared in an early version of the story, by Times reporter Greg Myres, that it posted on the web...

An excellent critical view of Louisiana scandels and goings on...

Sept. 20, 2005 — The NOAA Fisheries Service and the Marine Life Aquarium of Gulfport, Miss., working with a number of other partners, rescued the last four of the eight trained bottlenose dolphins that were swept out of an aquarium tank torn apart by the storm surge of Hurricane Katrina on August 29. Normally held in captivity, the dolphins don't have the necessary skills to survive on their own. They have survived various injuries and predators and have stayed together since the storm. (Click NOAA image for larger view of first eight dolphins to be rescued that were washed out...

Eight U.S. companies have filed applications with the federal government to lease land in Colorado for oil-shale development, a sign that oil producers again are ready to gamble some 23 years after the last boom went bust. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the arm of the Interior Department that manages federal lands, has received 10 drilling applications, including three from Shell and one each from Exxon Mobil and Chevron. The companies want to develop technologies to extract oil from shale on 160-acre federal tracts in Rio Blanco County in northwestern Colorado.

So, the weather machine has been activated again! And as you can tell it is once more aimed at the same target. No, the poor and down-trodden cannot run. They cannot hide. When they were moved to Houston, it just wasn't far enough. It called for another round. The plan was brilliant! Since the first attack was unsuccessful, and it was a distinct possibility, the plan called for initiating the first wave early enough in the season to be able to spawn another attack without being obvious. Where will the victims try and scurry off to the next time? Rove...

"Who Makes How Much" Music 50 Cent $50 million Rapper, hyphenate Diddy $36 million Rapper, superhyphenate The Strokes $835,000 Rockers, Room on Fire (570,000 copies sold at roughly $1.50 per album) Wynton Marsalis $796,012 Artistic director, Jazz at Lincoln Center John Lennon $21 million Deceased singer-songwriter Frank Sinatra $5 million Deceased singer-songwriter ...

WASHINGTON — The United States has an oil reserve at least three times that of Saudi Arabia locked in oil-shale deposits beneath federal land in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, according to a study released yesterday.

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Following President Bush's announcement today that former Presidents Bush and Clinton will lead a nationwide fundraising effort to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Wal- Mart President and CEO Lee Scott contacted President Clinton and the White House and committed $15 million from Wal-Mart to jump-start the effort.