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An Army intelligence sergeant who accused fellow soldiers in Samarra, Iraq, of abusing detainees in 2003 was in turn accused by his commander of being delusional and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation in Germany, despite a military psychiatrist's initial judgment that the man was stable, according to internal Army records released yesterday. The soldier had angered his commander by urging the unit's redeployment from the military base to prevent what the soldier feared would be the death of one or more detainees under interrogation, according to the documents. He told his commander three members of the counterintelligence team had...

VATICAN CITY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Pope John Paul, still convalescing after 10 days in hospital, told the world's sick on Friday that their suffering was "precious", but did not deliver his message in person at a special service for sick people. The 84-year-old Pontiff returned to the Vatican on Thursday evening after doctors decided he had recovered from an acute breathing crisis brought on by a bout of influenza. But Vatican officials are taking no risks with his frail health and the Pope missed Friday's commemorative Mass, held to mark the day the Roman Catholic Church dedicates each year...

FIRST: What do we expect?Bush received a lot of hostility from critics for his inaugural speech that had dozens of instances of "freedom" and "liberty" (30 to 17, IIRC). Will he use this same template for this speech, or pick a new path? I think he will go a new route, considering how the first speech was received by some (and considering that one usually doesn't make the same speech twice, the point is to set up the situation of the second speech by what you say in the first). CATEGORY ONE: Pick a word and take a drink every...

Ever since he was 12, Daniel Romano has cut a noticeable figure around Middle Village, a working class part of Queens. Mr. Romano, 20, who calls himself a Satanist, stands out, with his blue-tinted bouffant hairdo, his black clothing and fingernails, and the prominent crucifix, worn upside down. Mr. Romano has long been teased for dressing like a "gothic kid" or simply a "goth," in a community with small homes, neat lawns and populated with many Roman Catholics. But in recent weeks, two local teenagers began fixating on Mr. Romano, calling him names including "Satan worshiper," "baby sacrificer" and "hooker...

PITTSBURGH -- The new issue of the New Yorker magazine contains a detailed profile of Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry. One comment getting attention in the article is a claim that Heinz Kerry called her detractors "scumbags" during an interview last April with Channel 4 Action News anchor Sally Wiggin. A check of that tape shows that while Heinz Kerry did use the word, it came in the context of discussing what her son Chris called the "noble art of public service." "I believe there is a nobility in public service. I believe every...

Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry will be the guest at 7:29 am eastern. Senator Kerry has a lot of convincing to do, beginning with the I-Man.. whose support has waned in recent weeks. Despite several polls to the contrary, both campaigns acknowledge a 5-6 point lead for President Bush. Many analysts say it's a result of a post convention bump, and the GOP's ability to make the focus of the election national security and Kerry's record. The challenge for the Senator is to now put the emphasis back on domestic issues while separating the War in Iraq from the War...

You all know what the Tet Offensive was and why it was so important, in Vietnam and in America. The NLF and the NVA lost around 35,000 men killed, 60,000 wounded and 6,000 POWs for no military success. The US and ARVN dead totalled around 3,900 (1,100 US). But this was not the conflict as the US public saw it. US media reports of the battles shocked both the American public and its politicians. Apparently the depth of the US reaction surprised even the North Vietnamese leadership.With the election upcoming, the Iraqi resistance would be absolutely stupid not to make...

"Everybody told me, 'God, if you're coming to Canonsburg, you've got to find time to go to Toy's, and he'll take care of you,'" Mr. Kerry said, dropping the name of a restaurant his motorcade had passed on the way in. "I understand it's my kind of place, because you don't have to - you know, when they give you the menu, I'm always struggling: Ah, what do you want? "He just gives you what he's got, right?" Mr. Kerry added, continuing steadily off a gangplank of his own making: "And you don't have to worry, it's whatever he's cooked...

What do you want to hear at the Republican Convention, from George W. Bush or any other speaker?

In the next few days, we will all bear witness to a very special and very rare event: the mating ritual of the Domesticated Northwestern-American Kerry. This is the third and possibly final time this Kerry will mate in his lifetime--you do not want to miss this, because you might not get another chance. Professional observers are treating this event with the proper reverence. What do we know about the Kerry from previous mating rituals? The Kerry values one thing above all else in his mates: financial security. If history is a valid guide, the Kerry will choose a mate...

By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer WASHINGTON - The Army revealed on Monday a redesigned combat uniform with a digital camouflage pattern that looks strikingly different from soldiers' current battle dress uniforms. It marks the first major change in the Army uniform since 1981, said Brig. Gen. James R. Moran, who modeled the uniform for reporters at the Pentagon. He said recruits will be issued the redesigned uniform starting October 2005, and the entire Army will be outfitted by December 2007. The uniform is being produced in a single, universal pattern to replace the two camouflage versions in current use:...

Quite a few FReepers have attacked John Kerry for visiting Reagan's coffin and paying his respects to the man. I think this is wrong. If he hadn't paid his respects, the same people would be throwing a fit. John Kerry did not wait in line: Neither did other dignitaries (aka "important people who are not celebrities"). Neither did Arnold Schwarzenegger. Do you think George W. Bush should wait in line? Please. That's pathetic. John Kerry is, by virtue of being the presidential candidate for a major political party, more important than the rest of us. Just like George W. Bush...

By IAN FAIRCLOUGH / Valley Bureau GREENWOOD - The young woman chosen Princess Greenwood for this year's Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival says she has been unceremoniously dumped by the village as its representative because of false accusations. Renee Hann, 21, was selected March 19 to represent Greenwood at the festival's Queen Annapolisa competition but says allegations that she is living with her boyfriend cost her the title. Ms. Hann said she was called to a meeting Friday at which members of the Princess Greenwood committee, including village commission chairman Al Belliveau, gave her the choice of resigning or being...

The Jeff Seemann for Congress campaign recently learned of the controversy brewing regarding www.dailykos.comBlogs like Daily Kos are some of the best byproducts of the country we live in....a country that cherishes its' right to speak freely. Weblogs and other independent forms of expression are extremely important today because they allow for everyone’s voice to be heard. We were saddened to hear that three [now four--xm] advertisers pulled their ads on the site because of the remarks posted on the blog. The comments may be controversial, but they are just as relevant. The ability to allow comments like those read...

BUT ... AS LONG AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION There have only been 27 amendments to our Constitution.  The last basically said that the congress couldn't raise its own pay without an intervening election.  Now there was a Constitutional amendment that recognized the essential truth about today's breed of politicians.  Our founding fathers didn't put that in the original because they couldn't think in terms of elected officials staging raids on the taxpayers funds to the extent that they do today.The American people have shown that they don't want to trivialize our Constitution with an endless succession of...

I used to have an underline under my name, after all of my posts. Now, it's gone.I'm not going to take this. It's rightfully mine.And all of you, you lost your underlines, too. Aren't you all as angry as I am?

As President of the United States, I will make affirmative action the watch word of the administration... If the Supreme Court goes in the other direction, if the Supreme Court goes in a direction of failing to understand this nation has such a distance to go on matters of affirmative action, then what I will do as President of the United States is to write a series of executive orders that will enshrine affirmative in housing, in education, in every area of our economy..."--Dennis Kucinich"When I'm president, we'll do executive orders to overcome any wrong thing the Supreme Court does...

Abortion, 'gay rights,' paganism, more – all FREEBrand new 'Soul of America' package a gift to new subscribers

ABILENE, Texas (AP) - The man hailed as a hero for rescuing four children from a burning building over the weekend has been named as a suspect in the arson because of "discrepancies" in his story, authorities said Thursday. Kris Leija, 22, is one of several people whom authorities said they are questioning about Sunday's blaze at an apartment complex. Investigators ruled arson was the cause after finding a small amount of accelerant in a trailer near where the fire apparently started. The kind of hydrocarbon accelerant - gasoline, for example, is a common one - is being determined by...

This is the last question from the press conference:Reporter: Ms. Pelosi, in this very room, your predecesor, Mr. Gephardt, told us (and probably on other occasions) that he, I don't know if he used the word 'regretted,' but he would have changed his vote back in 1991, on the Persian Gulf resolution. And you've been very thoughtful here today, but, looking at those pictures from Baghdad of yesterday, was there not a moment where you though, you know what, it's been worth it, I mean these people are celebrating, apparently spontaneously was there any, any thought in your mind that...