Free Republic

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) torpedoed a Republican-sponsored bill on Wednesday that would automatically detain illegal aliens charged with violent crimes. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) had tried to force a floor vote on the bill, which would allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain any illegal charged with a violent crime in an effort to prevent liberal prosecutors from releasing them back into the population after arrest, giving them the chance to go out and commit other crimes, Fox News reported.

Speaking to Congress Wednesday, a woman born alive during an abortion reminded lawmakers that abortion actually does kill human life, because she would not be alive today had things gone as planned in 1977. 38-year-old Gianna Jessen entered the world under horrifying circumstances when she miraculously survived a saline abortion – the kind where the baby burns alive from a caustic chemical before being suffocated to death – when her mother was seven months pregnant. "Instead of dying, after 18 hours of being burned in my mother’s womb, I was delivered alive in an abortion clinic in Los Angeles on...

<p>The two workers, whose names weren't immediately released, died at the scene after they were hit by an eastbound train, sources close to the investigation said.</p>

The NATO Summit will be held on May 20th -21st in Chicago and the Illinois DOT is requesting everybody to avert the city areas and mainly the downtown and the South Loop during the Summit week. Some limitations are also going to be placed on excessive and overweight shipments. From May 18th -22nd excessive and overweight shipment would not be allowed on the expressway and ramps. [Read More....]

Lars Vilks, the Swedish cartoonist who drew Mohammed as a dog, was recently told that a scheduled lecture on free speech, to be held at Jönköping Högskolan, would be canceled due to "security concerns." This, of course, is a common evasion, intended to protect the brittle sensibilities of Muslim students while supposedly standing four square behind the right of free speech. Alas, the administrators in Jönköping had a point. During a lecture in Uppsala today Vilks was attacked by a pack of feral fundamentalists, one of whom managed to headbutt the artist and break his glasses. Police intervened and waged...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld talked about the nature of terrorism as part of Radio Day at the Pentagon today, the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Sept. 11, 2001, was the greatest loss of American life from a single attack in U.S. history, he said. The death toll that day was nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. But the purpose of terrorism isn’t to kill, but to terrorize, Rumsfeld told Charlie Brennan of St. Louis’ KMOX. Fear causes people to alter their behavior, the secretary said. “As free...

WASHINGTON, August 3, 2006 – A U.S. medical evacuation helicopter carrying an injured Afghan child came under attack with small-arms fire Aug. 1 in Afghanistan’s Zabul province, U.S. military officials said. The incident happened just days after media reports indicated Taliban leaders were urging followers to target U.S. and coalition medical personnel and clergy, officials said. Army Col. Michael Rose, Task Force Falcon and 10th Combat Aviation Brigade commander, called the attack a senseless and cowardly act. “This crew risked their lives to save this little girl, and the Taliban response to that was to try to shoot down an...

BRISTOW, Okla. - Serving on the jury in an indecent-exposure trial unfolding in this conservative Oklahoma town has been a giggle-inducing experience. Former Judge Donald D. Thompson, a veteran of 23 years on the bench, is on trial on charges he used a penis pump on himself in the courtroom while sitting in judgment of others. The white-handled sexual device sits before the jury box for hours at a time. Occasionally an attorney picks it up and squeezes the handle, demonstrating the "sh-sh" sound of air rushing through the contraption's plastic tubing. The jurors sometimes exchange awkward looks and break...

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2006 – Coalition forces killed one terrorist and detained 16 others as the result of two separate raids conducted across Iraq today. One terrorist was killed and five were detained in a sweep in southern Baghdad. Intelligence uncovered by the death of al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi led coalition forces to the insurgents' lair, officials said. The coalition troops searched several buildings during the raid. Several women and children were present but none were harmed during the operation. The other raid was conducted east of Ramadi and yielded 11 terrorist captives. Two enemy weapons caches...

Anti-terrorist police found £30,000 in a suitcase during raid By John Steele, Crime Correspondent (Filed: 16/06/2006) Police are investigating a large sum of cash - understood to be at least £30,000 - that was discovered in the house raided by anti-terrorist officers in east London two weeks ago. The family of the two brothers caught up in the raid said last night that the money was mostly rent income kept in a suitcase because of Islamic objections to banks. Abul Kahar and Abul Koyair, who were arrested in the raid, were released without charge last week and have not faced...

Police Find Pipe Bombs During Home Search Friday June 2, 2006 3:16 AM NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities said they found pipe bombs and a jar containing the potentially deadly poison ricin while searching a home in suburban Nashville. The ricin was found sealed in a baby food jar in a shed at the home of William Matthews, according to a joint statement Thursday from Nashville police, the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and health officials. Officials said the jar was sealed and they do not believe the neighborhood was threatened. Authorities first searched the shed Wednesday after...

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2006 – On May 29, Americans will pause together to remember servicemembers from wars past and present who have given the ultimate sacrifice while defending the nation. The National Moment of Remembrance takes place for one minute each year on Memorial Day, starting at 3 p.m., local time. "The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday," according to a news release from the White House Commission on Remembrance. "The moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather, it is an act of...

It’s Prom season, when many parents worry about drinking and driving. But one school is taking a proactive approach to keep its students safe. Elkhart Central High School recently started giving random alcohol breath tests to prom-goers. Roughly, 10-20% of the students will be given the tests, for prom next week, as they drive up to the event. The school says in two years that they have done it, no students have tested positive. “I feel that kids need to be aware that this is going on, so that there’s no drunk driving on prom night,” senior Sarah Fischer told...

BAGHDAD, May 4, 2006 – Coalition officials here today showed the "outtakes" of terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's latest anti-coalition screed, and it became quickly apparent why they ended on the cutting-room floor, so to speak. In one, Zarqawi -- the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq -- has trouble trying to operate an automatic weapon. An associate has to show him how to do it. Later in the same shot, an associate takes the weapon from Zarqawi by the barrel and burns his hand. In another, the feared terrorist is shown in a black uniform and bright blue "tenny pumps."...

WILMINGTON, N.Y. - Swedish snowboarder Jonatan Johansson died Sunday after falling during a snowboardcross run down Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks. The 26-year-old Turin Olympics competitor lost control on one of his jumps during training for an International Ski Federation World Cup competition, according to U.S. Ski and Snowboarding Association spokesman Tom Kelly. A state police report said Johansson tried to correct himself but landed hard. An autopsy found the cause of death to be multiple internal injuries. Officials said Johansson landed within the course boundaries and was wearing a helmet. Olympic Regional Development Authority spokesman Sandy Caligiore said he...

CHICAGO - Some members of a Lutheran parish on Chicago's far South Side said they are outraged police arrested the Rev. Jimmy McCants in the middle of his sermon. McCants, 54, has been the focus of a dispute between rival factions at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. The church's board of directors told police the board fired McCants on Christmas Eve, and a woman affiliated with the church signed a complaint against him for trespassing on church property, said Chicago Police spokeswoman Monique Bond. But a Lutheran Church official said the board fired McCants without going through the proper steps to...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2006 – Faith Jarvis, of Winston-Salem, N.C., traveled to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, in Tempe, Ariz., to try to do her bit to support the United Service Organizations, a charity that has supported America's servicemembers for generations. She did help the USO, but Jarvis left with her own prize -- a diamond ring and a surprise reunion with her boyfriend-turned-fiancé, Army 1st Lt. Raymond Vera, a California National Guardsman with the 49th Military Police Brigade who has been serving in Iraq. Jarvis attempted to throw a football through a target 15 yards away. If she made it,...

CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Dec. 28, 2005) -- December is a month of celebration for multiple faiths, making the holiday season an extra busy time for chaplains in Iraq. Between Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the Islamic Hajj, Navy Capt. Vince Arnold, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) group chaplain, knows the importance of providing for all service members, regardless of religious preferences. “This time of a year the three main religious groups being Judaism, Christianity and Islam, trace back their genealogy to one person: Abraham,” The Newport, N.C. native said. “It’s interesting that we are in Iraq during this season because this...

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Dec. 22, 2005 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld hinted at an announcement on troops levels in Iraq during a flight here today. The secretary said there has not been an official U.S. government announcement, but said one will be forthcoming soon. "It's possibly the worst-kept secret in Baghdad," said a senior defense official. News reports have said that there will be a two-brigade cut in the number of troops needed in Iraq. Senior defense officials said the increasing size and capabilities of Iraqi forces are primarily responsible for the possible cut. Iraqi soldiers and police handled...

Bulgarian contingent duty in Multinational Division Central South came to an end Dec. 17. Multi-National Force - Iraq CAMP ECHO, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2005 — Bulgarian contingent duty in Multinational Division Central South (MNDCS) came to an end Dec. 17. During the farewell ceremony, MNDCS Commanding General Maj. Gen. Piotr Czerwinski thanked Bulgarian soldiers for their outstanding duty in MNDCS. "I would like to thank you personally and all Bulgarian soldiers who served so far in Iraq," said Czerwinski. "Your commitment has always been contributing to the success of the Multinational Division." During the ceremony, Bulgarian soldiers were awarded by...