Free Republic

They were gone but not forgotten. A day after Mayor Carty Finkbeiner ordered 200 Marine Corps Reservists out of downtown Toledo, residents here and elsewhere expressed disappointment, disbelief, and even outrage. His last-minute call Friday resulted in the unit canceling its planned training exercises and returning to Grand Rapids, Mich. And by yesterday afternoon, the mayor's reaction had become a national news story picked up by Internet blogs along with the popular Web site, The Drudge Report. Media phone lines and e-mail boxes kept busy as keyboard-tapping critics sounded their opinions on what some have billed the "Carty vs. Marines"...

Jay Grodner, the Chicago lawyer who keyed a Marine's car in anger because the car had military plates and a Marine insignia, finally got his day in court last week. Grodner pleaded guilty in a Chicago courtroom packed with former Marines. Some had Marine pins on their coats, or baseball jackets with the Marine insignia. They didn't yellor call him names. They came to support Marine Sgt. Michael McNulty, whose car Grodner defaced in December, but who couldn't attend because he's preparing for his second tour in Iraq. Grodner was late to court for the second time in the case....

This is the first part of a four part series. The following is the first part of a four-part series. The author wishes to express that this article in no way reflects the feelings and thoughts of her brother. It is written from a family member’s perspective and is mean to be understood in that way.I know why I chose Columbia: the campus is magnificent, the education is top-tier, and my peers are intelligent. I could look at a stranger, tell him or her that I went to Columbia, and hear the predictable, “Wow, you must be smart.” When my...

A sweeping review of research studies of aspartame says there is no evidence that the non-nutritive sweetener causes cancer, neurological damage or other health problems in humans Looking at more than 500 reports, including toxicological, clinical and epidemiological studies dating from 1970’s preclinical work to the latest studies on the high-intensity sweetener, along with use levels and regulations data, an international expert panel from 10 universities and medical schools evaluated the safety of aspartame for people of all ages and with a variety of health conditions. Their study is published in the September issue of Critical Reviews in Toxicology. “There...

A STATEMENT FROM SCOTT THOMAS BEAUCHAMP: As we've noted in this space, some have questioned details that appeared in the Diarist "Shock Troops," published under the pseudonym Scott Thomas. According to Major Kirk Luedeke, a public affairs officer at Forward Operating Base Falcon, a formal military investigation has also been launched into the incidents described in the piece. Although the article was rigorously edited and fact-checked before it was published, we have decided to go back and, to the extent possible, re-report every detail. This process takes considerable time, as the primary subjects are on another continent, with intermittent access...

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC news anchor and co-host of the news channels recent coverage of the Democrat and Republican presidential debates, said in a speech Thursday "the people who are defending us" against the threat of terrorist attack are misguided or overzealous or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder". Olbermann drew nervous laughter for his remarks mocking law enforcement officials. Olbermann was speaking at the annual AAN Awards luncheon hosted by the Association of Alternative Weeklies in Manhattan. Olbermann received an award named for the late Molly Ivins. This is the second time in three days that Olbermann has mocked efforts of...

On Sept. 11, 2001, Frank Rizzo – then an eighth-grader – decided he wanted to fight for his country. Frank, from Geistown Borough, and four of his classmates from Bishop McCort High School will receive military training upon graduation. “On 9/11, our country went under attack,” Frank said. “I wanted to be proactive and serve for our country.” Frank and Shannon Yingling of Upper Yoder Township have been appointed to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Shannon spent time at the academy this past summer and said she left feeling motivated and determined. “No other school I looked at even...

Chip Ganassi and Juan Montoya will be reunited in 2007 but it won't be in open wheel racing. In one of the most shocking career changes in recent memory, Montoya is leaving Formula 1 to drive for Ganassi in NASCAR's Nextel Cup series. SPEEDtv.com has learned that Montoya will be named to drive the No. 41 car in a press conference this morning at Chicago. Despite seven wins during the past six years, the 30-year-old Colombian found himself in F1 limbo because his contract with McLaren is not being renewed and no other good F1 seats were open. The 1999...

OTTAWA -- Let's start from this simple premise: Sidney Crosby cannot possibly be as good as people expect him to be. How could he? If NASA and IBM joined forces and took the heart of Maurice "Rocket" Richard, the hockey mind of Wayne Gretzky, the leadership qualities of Mark Messier and Mike Bossy's shot and created their own super-player, such a creation would still fail to meet the expectations heaped on the slender shoulders of the 17-year-old Canadian. "You wish him well," one respected agent said. "But he's been built up into an icon before he's scored an NHL goal."...

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers had another run-in with a cameraman Monday when he turned himself in on misdemeanor assault charges stemming from an earlier tirade against two cameramen. The three-time All-Star, who is appealing a 20-game suspension and $50,000 fine, was released after posting $1,500 bond. Rogers jawed at a cameraman for Dallas-Fort Worth television station WFAA as he was booked into the county jail. Just as with the incident that led to the charges, the exchange was caught on tape. WFAA reported on its Web site Monday that photographer Mike Zukerman was videotaping the procedure...

You could almost hear the incredulous victory shouts from Pyrmont HQ blowing all the way south of the border through Melbourne's wintry streets. Somehow, Channel Ten had outmanoeuvred and, more crucially, outbid its heavyweight commercial rivals and nailed the story of the year: an exclusive interview with the man now commonly known as the Freed Iraq Hostage Douglas Wood. The promos started rolling through Big Brother's live nominations on Monday night, which was unnervingly apt given we had all become bit players in this bloke's life, tuning in day after day to find out whether it was time for Douglas...

Ireland, the land of saints, scholars and scribes, still nurtures a guilt complex for banning and exiling its greatest literary names. Joyce, Beckett, Wilde and Shaw all fled its mean-spirited ways. So for the last 35 years, the world's smallest cultural superpower has consoled itself with a unique act of generosity: writers, artists and composers are spared from paying tax. But Celtic Tiger Ireland is now being accused of reverting to its old philistine ways as the government consults in secret on whether to scrap the scheme. Detractors claim that tax-avoiding British writers are taking advantage, and that an elite...

I have Republican friends. Really, I do. They may not be the "drop by anytime" sort of friends, but we can definitely have lunch without a fistfight. The Republicans I call friends are straight shooters. Most are fiscally conservative, favor a limited government and beefed-up military, and oppose government social programs. Most times, we debate, disagree, then move on to more agreeable topics. With straight shooters, there are always agreeable topics. Former Sen. John Danforth seems like a fire-from-the-hip sort of guy. His recent comments about his party's intervention in the Terri Schiavo case, and its opposition to stem cell...

PARIS, Feb. 6 — Since the start of the second Palestinian uprising more than four years ago, many children have died in the gunfire. But it is the harrowing image of a terrified 12-year-old boy, shielded in vain by his father, that carries the iconic power of a battle flag. Far from Gaza's street battles, in France, the scene is a picture worth a thousand arguments. Here, debate seethes about whether the televised footage of Muhammad al-Dura was genuine, misinterpreted or — as an American academic put it — artfully staged "Pallywood" theater. Battle photographs have long been potent media...

Sean O'Hair's bizarre journey to the promised land of professional golf may have a feel-good ending, but the rest of the story is anything but. The Boothwyn resident and member at Concord Country Club earned his Tour Card with a stirring performance in early December at the PGA's grueling 108-hole Qualifying Tournament. At 22, O'Hair is now fully exempt for the 2005 PGA Tour and is eligible to compete for millions in purses along with icons Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh. "When you work for something for so long and it all of the sudden happens, it's not...

Jill Mitchell didn't let a little thing like being eight months pregnant stop her from standing in line for hours to get free tickets to see the leader of the free world. Mitchell, 29, of Southmont said she is not a political junkie but views President Bush's visit to Johnstown tomorrow afternoon as an historic event. "I saw we could get tickets, so I had a day off of work and decided to come down," said Mitchell, as she looked down Main Street toward the entrance of the Cambria County Republican Committee headquarters, 636 Main St. "This is an opportunity...

Iraq scores 4 goals against medalist favorite Portugal to shock the soccer world.

Emblazoned on the backs of their royal blue and white trim tops, the members of Iraq's boxing team bear a message for the world: Iraq is Back. After a 12-year hiatus from the Olympics -- years marked by war and the brutal treatment of its athletes -- Iraq indeed is back in the Games. Led by its revitalized men's football squad, the modest seven-sport, 25-member Iraqi team arrived in Athens on Monday. "Lifting the Iraqi flag over the skies of Athens will be a great defining moment for our country," Ahmed al-Samarrai, the head of Iraq's Olympic Committee told the...

CLEARWATER - Jordan Hunkin wants to be a Marine so desperately that he skipped his high school graduation this month to get an early start at boot camp. His recruiter had to pull some strings to make it happen. The slight 17-year-old wants to go straight into the infantry, qualify for Special Operations and become a sniper. And if he is needed in Iraq, bring it on. ``I want to do my part,'' said Hunkin, who showed up at the recruiting office with his father on his birthday, the first day he could legally enlist. ``I think it's our responsibility...

The blog Professor Bainbridge pointed out that Chris Matthews, while "interviewing one of the ubiquitous anti-Bush 9-11 widows, "misrepresented" what was said. Referring to this exchange: BEN-VENISTE: Isn't it a fact, Dr. Rice, that the August 6th PDB warned against possible attacks in this country? And I ask you whether you recall the title of that PDB? RICE: I believe the title was, "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States." Now, the... BEN-VENISTE: Thank you. RICE: No, Mr. Ben-Veniste... BEN-VENISTE: I will get into the... RICE: I would like to finish my point here. BEN-VENISTE: I didn't know...