Free Republic

Diplomacy may be the art of lying for one's country, but Mexican diplomacy requires taking that art to virtuosic heights. Mexican officials here and abroad are involved in a massive and almost daily interference in American sovereignty. The millions of illegal Mexican immigrants in this country are here thanks in part to Mexico's efforts to get them into the U.S. in violation of American law and to normalize their status once here in violation of the popular will. Mexican consulates are engineering a backdoor amnesty for their illegal migrants and trying to discredit American immigration enforcement – activities clearly beyond...

UK policy invited attacks - Iran Ayatollah Kashani attacked the West's war on terror Iran has condemned the bomb attacks in London as inhumane, and offered its condolences to the victims. But one of the country's top clerics, Ayatollah Mohammed Emami-Kashani, said they were the direct result of the UK's support for US and Israeli policies. The ayatollah called al-Qaeda an "illegitimate child" of the West. The Friday prayer leader said it was divine justice that a group which had nothing to do with Islam had now conspired against its backers. The BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran says Iran's view...

Bin Laden: U.S. can avert attacks 11:40 AM CDT on Saturday, October 30, 2004 Associated Press CAIRO, Egypt - Osama bin Laden changed his usual sharply militant rhetoric to address Americans in a more conciliatory tone -- though one tinged with threat -- in his new video, dropped off at the Pakistan offices of Al-Jazeera television days ahead of the U.S. presidential election. Osama bin Laden speaks in this image made from an undated video broadcast on Friday. While the message was directed to Americans, the video aired Friday had something to encourage al-Qaeda supporters around the world: the image...

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2004 – A certain amount of lawlessness has always been a part of life in Fallujah, Defense Department officials said recently. While U.S. Marines stand ready inside the city, anti-coalition forces continue to attack in defiance of a ceasefire agreement. The city is a hotbed of anti- coalition activity, and has been since the U.S. troops entered the area in April last year. But Fallujah's reputation for violence didn't start when the coalition rolled into town. It has always had the taste of what Americans would call the Wild West. While Iraq is laced with antiquities, Fallujah...

If they turn off the tube, could their lives improve? 01:20 PM CDT on Saturday, April 17, 2004 By STEVE BLOW / The Dallas Morning News A job in journalism takes you into a lot of different homes. And I mean from mansions to shacks. One thing I noticed almost from the very start – the poorer the home, the more prevalent the television. By that, I partly mean the television set itself. I was surprised to go into tiny, ramshackle homes and find an enormous, big-screen television wedged into the living room. But more than that, I noticed that...

Lawmakers bitter after standoff 05/18/2003 By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News WASHINGTON – Renegade Texas Democrats returned from their self-imposed exile in Oklahoma late last week. But in the halls of Congress, the redistricting showdown has left resentments that could undermine the state's clout. Veteran lawmakers say the Texas delegation – 17 Democrats and 15 Republicans in the House – has long been known for pulling together on issues vital to the state, from NASA to highway funding. For now, many members are barely on speaking terms. A monthly delegation breakfast that rotates among House offices drew...

Redistricting uproar leads to strategic retreat 05/18/2003 Speaker misjudges role This week House Speaker Craddick stated several times that he wasn't going to negotiate with the Democrats. Would someone inform him that it IS in fact his job to negotiate? It is a major part of his job to work both sides of the aisle, to assist in reaching consensus on issues. For him to say it isn't his job to negotiate is patently wrong. J. Martinez, Irving That old adage Re: "Democrats disappear – Angry over redistricting, state reps deny quorum," Tuesday news story. I must confess some surprise...