Free Republic

Editor's note: Readers may be interested in two related stories: "Invested in Terrorism" and "BBC: U.S. Damned if it does and damned if it doesn't". -ALJ Douglas Farah uncovered the story of al-Qaeda's involvement in West Africa's diamond smuggling while reporting on Africa for the Washington Post, which he described in Blood from Stones: The Secret Financial Network of Terror (New York: Broadway, 2004). Mr. Farah, now a consultant, freelance writer on terror finance and national security matters, and a senior fellow at the Consortium for the Study of Intelligence, addressed the Middle East Forum in New York City on...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Angering environmentalists and consumer groups, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sided Friday with his business allies and announced his support for Proposition 64 and his opposition to Proposition 72. Meanwhile, state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi endorsed Proposition 72, calling it "an important step" toward providing health insurance for all Californians. Proposition 64 would limit use of the state's Unfair Competition Law to sue businesses for practices that would allegedly give them an unfair advantage over their competitors or defraud consumers. Supporters, which include a long list of major corporations, say it would prevent law firms from filing "shakedown lawsuits"...

A November ballot measure that would greatly expand Indian casino gambling received a boost Thursday from two taxpayer advocacy groups -- and opponents promptly countered with a taxpayer group of their own. At a Sacramento hotel news conference, leaders of the taxpayer groups said they were backing Proposition 70 because it would provide revenues for the cash-strapped state without digging to deeply into the tribes' pockets. "We think it's a good deal, a fair deal, all around," said Lewis Uhler, president of the National Tax-Limitation Committee. "The core principle of Proposition 70 is that gaming tribes will contribute to the...

News Home - Help Forget the Experts; Consider the Crowd Sun, Aug 22, 2004 By Samuel FromartzWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump gets a lot of mileage by lifting his hand, pointing his finger and uttering the words "You're fired!" on his reality TV show, "The Apprentice."The disgraced competitor leaves the boardroom and takes an elevator to the street, no longer in the running for an executive spot in Trump's empire.But does The Donald know best?According to "The Wisdom of Crowds," the answer would be no.In the Doubleday book, author James Surowiecki, a columnist for New Yorker magazine, argues that...

Police infiltrating protest groups BY DARYL KHAN AND ROCCO PARASCANDOLA STAFF WRITERS August 11, 2004 The Police Department has been watching protest groups that have used unlawful tactics in the past in hopes of controlling disruptive activities at the Republican National Convention, police sources say. Officers masquerading as corporate-bashing Bush haters have been attending rallies and meetings to learn the groups' tactics and plans for the upcoming convention, which begins Aug. 30, the sources say. "Our guys got in there without them knowing it," one source said. "It helps us keep track of what they're doing." Police have, in the...

NEW YORK (AFP) - An Arab-American organization and a group opposed to war and racism filed suit charging they were unconstitutionally denied a permit to hold a protest in Central Park during the upcoming Republican National Convention. Attorneys for the National Council of Arab Americans (NCA) and ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), filed suit in US District Court in Manhattan accusing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York Police Department and others of violating their right to a permit for the park's Great Lawn. The groups want to hold a civil rights rally on Central Park's Great...

LOS ANGELES - Immigrant rights groups demanded Thursday that a local Spanish-language TV station cancel a "Fear Factor" type reality show that offers winners immigration counsel, alleging the show takes advantage of those desperate for a green card and a life in the United States. The show features immigrants who compete in contests that have included gulping down live tequila worms, fending off vicious attack dogs and jumping between two speeding 18-wheelers. The groups say Liberman Broadcasting's "Gana la Verde" or "Win the Green," shown on stations in Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston and Dallas, gives a false impression of...

WASHINGTON - Three campaign finance watchdog groups filed a complaint Tuesday accusing a group of Vietnam veterans of violating the campaign finance law by airing an ad that challenges Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry (news - web sites)'s military record. Democracy 21, the Center for Responsive Politics and the Campaign Legal Center argue that the ad by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth violates a federal ban on the use of unlimited donations, often referred to as "soft money," to influence federal elections. In the ad, the group accuses Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, of lying about his war record and...

Groups: MBTA's Search Policy Violates Rights Officials To Search Bags, Packages On Subway POSTED: 11:15 am EDT June 28, 2004 BOSTON -- Civil rights groups said Monday that the MBTA's proposed searches of bags and packages on subway and commuter trains would be unconstitutional, and urged riders to not give their consent. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority wants to begin random searches next month, an anti-terrorism measure it plans to have in place before the July 26-29 Democratic National Convention. The civil rights groups said they'll file a lawsuit to stop the T from instituting the policy -- which would...

City, DNC protest groups nearing deal for permits By Jack Meyers Thursday, June 24, 2004 City officials appear to have reached tentative agreements with groups planning protests at next month's Democratic National Convention that will allow permits to be issued for demonstrations. Carol Rose, head of the American Civil Liberties Union's Massachusetts office, said she and a representative of the National Lawyers Guild made progress in recent meetings with city officials. As a result, ``the city sent a letter saying permits are going to be issued this week'' for some organizations who have applied for demonstration permits, Rose said. Merita...

<p>Most Americans would universally agree with Jefferson's definition of a patriot. In addition, most actually think of themselves as patriotic, although, frequently, the form of action patriotism takes is quite different from one U.S. citizen to another.</p> <p>With support for the occupation in Iraq at an all-time low, many Democrats are asking, "Why isn't John Kerry 20 points ahead of Bush in the polls, instead of in a dead heat?" The two-party system may not meaningfully express the wide range of political aspirations of the people. Disenchantment is widespread. There are as many conservatives disappointed by and angry about President Bush's policies on deficits, outsourcing of jobs and the huge expansion of the federal government as there are progressives annoyed by Kerry's support of the war in Iraq and his ambivalence about same-sex marriage.</p>

WASHINGTON - Federal officials Thursday rejected new limits for political groups pouring millions into ads and voter drives in the presidential election, and Republicans predicted the decision would prompt a surge in big donations for their side. Several Democratic groups have already begun spending large donations on efforts critical of President Bush (news - web sites) or supportive of Democratic candidate John Kerry (news - web sites). Republicans had asked the Federal Election Commission (news - web sites) to stop the activities under the campaign law that broadly banned from federal elections the big checks known as "soft money." But...

Pro-Kerry Groups Argue Vs. New FEC Limits Friday April 16, 2004 2:16 AM By SHARON THEIMER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Lawyers for groups whose activities in support of Democrat John Kerry have been challenged by President Bush's re-election campaign told election officials Thursday that their spending is legal. The Federal Election Commission is considering whether nonparty groups should be able to continue using soft money - corporate, union and unlimited donations - in congressional and presidential elections. A new campaign law broadly bans the use of soft money in federal elections, and the FEC is considering how far...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Google Inc. hails its new e-mail service as a breakthrough in online communication, but consumer watchdogs are attacking it as a creepy invasion of privacy that threatens to set a troubling precedent. Although Google's free "Gmail" service isn't even available yet, critics already are pressuring the popular search engine maker to drop its plans to electronically scan e-mail content so it can distribute relevant ads alongside incoming messages. Privacy activists worry that Gmail will comb through e-mail more intensively than the filters widely used to weed out potential viruses and spam. Gmail opponents also want Google...

UNITED NATIONS - Typically, only heads of state and titans of industry get an audience on the 38th floor of the marble-and-glass tower housing the United Nations (news - web sites). So when the president of a California nonprofit corporation with an unwieldy name — the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers — met Friday with Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites), it signaled the group's importance in a computer-driven world. ICANN (news - web sites) oversees the Domain Name System — such as ".com," ".net" and ".org" — that allows computers to find each other in cyberspace....

<p>As protectors of the public purse, California's leading anti-tax groups are doing something they wouldn't normally be expected to do - supporting Proposition 57, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's $15 billion "economic recovery" bond.</p> <p>Organizations like the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the California Taxpayers' Association typically dread bonds. Those they do endorse, they say, have to be dedicated to capital investments such as education or highways.</p>

<p>SACRAMENTO (AP) - In the bruising, contact sport of campaign fund-raising it appears everyone loves Claudia Alvarez, the 34-year-old Santa Ana City Council member seeking an Orange County state Assembly seat.</p> <p>While Alvarez does her own-fundraising, groups of corporate and business interests, dentists and senior citizens have also spent an extra $604,392 - the most in any statewide legislative race - to help her beat opponent Tom Umberg on Tuesday and become the Democrats' November candidate.</p>

Has your FreeRepublic post been dissiminated in a newsgroup for "educational" discussion? I just did a search for my FR login name on groups.google.com. I didn't realize how often our discussions are being cut up and released in newsgroups. One guy (below) in particular distributes a lot of them. Might be interesting to search on your FR login at http://groups.google.com Jai Maharaj http://www.mantra.com/jai Om Shanti Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of this post may not have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent the...

Major liberal donors are demonstrating their willingness to fund a new shadow Democratic Party, according to reports filed Friday by a network of nominally independent organizations committed to defeating President Bush in November. At the same time, momentum to bar their activities gained new strength. On Thursday, the legal staff of the Federal Election Commission proposed regulations that could choke off the groups' plans, with backing from an alliance of Republican Party leaders and campaign-watchdog groups. The reports filed Friday with the Internal Revenue Service and the FEC showed millions of dollars flowing from unions, wealthy individuals, environmental groups and...

The destructive liberal agenda has created a plentiful harvest of problems. We see daily examples of what their ideas are doing to destroy America. We've reached the cliff in American society. We have to choose between jumping to our deaths and saving ourselves. Many of us would like to do more to stop their socialist anti-American agenda, but aren't sure where to start. There are so many important issues out there that it's difficult to make gains in any them. Solving that problem is the purpose of this thread. We should join together with like-minded individuals to battle the problems...