Free Republic

What do local Christians think of the claim made by Mordechai Vanunu on his release from prison that he had been badly treated in jail because of his conversion to Christianity? Said one local evangelical Christian, "I'd hate to compare with Pollard, but lots of spies are held in solitary confinement." The evangelical, who asked to remain anonymous, added his impression that the scenario of Vanunu's widely publicized journey immediately after his release to a reception and communion at St. George's Cathedral in eastern Jerusalem suggested more a political than a religious agenda. "If it was a serious conversion, he...

Hezbollah slams Paris for decision to take “al-Manar” off the air Movement's deputy general secretary, Sheik Naim Kassam, says, “The case has proven that France is still an imperialist nation”. NRG Maariv Hezbollah's flag. In response to France’s decision to take the Hezbollah affiliated television station “al-Manar” off the air in the republic, the Lebanese terror organization’s deputy general secretary, Sheik Naim Kassam, slammed Paris and said, “The case has proven that France is still an imperialist nation”. According to Kassam, “If France thinks that it can block “al-Manar”, it is deeply mistaken. It is no more than a tool...

UNITED NATIONS -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan won a standing ovation from the U.N. General Assembly, a rare public display of support in response to recent calls for his resignation from several U.S. lawmakers. U.S. deputy ambassador Patrick Kennedy joined fellow diplomats as they rose to their feet Wednesday, despite President Bush's refusal to support the U.N. chief pending the results of an investigation into alleged corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq.[snip]"In 15 years I've spent at the United Nations, this is the second time that the General Assembly had a standing ovation for a leader," he said. The...

An Indonesian court has submitted a request for presidential clemency for two men sentenced to death for the Bali nightclub bombings two years ago. The two Islamic militants did not ask for clemency, but such a request is automatic under Indonesian law in cases where a death sentence is involved. The two convicted men, Imam Samudra and Amrozi, had key roles in the October 2002 blasts, which killed 202 people, most of them foreigners. Authorities have blamed the bombings on Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional terror group linked to the al-Qaida network.

Acknowledging that he could face a court martial and possible imprisonment, a Navy petty officer yesterday said he will refuse to board his transport ship when it departs for the Persian Gulf this morning because he wants to make a public stand against the Iraq war. "I'm going to throw my ID in the water and say that I'm no longer part of the military," I want to make a statement, and I want it to be heard." Petty Officer Third Class Pablo Paredes, 23,a weapons-control technician from the Bronx, N.Y., said he joined the Navy in 2000 and has...

"To hold a pen is to be at war." -- Voltaire If Abraham Lincoln were president today, CBS and the New York Times might be boarded up, with Michael Moore, Ted Kennedy, Al Gore, and even John Kerry rotting in jail. I'm not saying that would be a good thing. The point is simply that the line between treason and free speech in America has moved a considerable distance in the last 142 years. In 1862, Lincoln suspended habeas corpus on his own authority as a way of dealing with the Peace Democrats, better known as copperheads. The copperheads were...

WASHINGTON — The son of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan used his father's worldwide connections to wheel and deal with heads of state — at U.N. gatherings — on behalf of a controversial Swiss company that won a lucrative oil-for-food program contract, The Post has learned. The intense lobbying by Annan's 29-year old son, Kojo, was disclosed in a raft of internal company documents — including Kojo Annan's expense reports — that the company recently turned over to congressional committees under a subpoena. The memos provide the most revealing look to date at the business conflicts that are now at...

A top PA official has reiterated the end-goal of the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel: a Palestinian state instead of Israel. In a seeming re-affirmation of the PLO's 1974 "destroy Israel" program, commonly known as the Phased Plan, Fatah co-founder Farouk Kadumi termed the struggle for a two-state solution just a “stage” on the road to “only one [state].” Kadumi spoke on Nov. 29th with Iran’s Al-Aram television station. When the interviewer asked Kadumi, “What is the future of Palestine?” the PLO leader answered: “At this stage there will be two states. Many years from now there will...

Translation from Hebrew to English by me Mohamed El-Masry, a professor at a Canadian university and the president of the Canadian Islamic Congress will not be punished for his words against Israel, the university has said. El-Masry said during a TV program that every Israeli over the age of 18 is a legitimate target for terror. Prof and president of Islamic congress won't be disciplined: university http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/11/17/718908-cp.html WATERLOO, Ont. (CP) - A University of Waterloo professor who is also the president of the Canadian Islamic Congress won't be disciplined for controversial comments he made about Israelis, the university announced Wednesday....

Telegraph hates everything I stand for, says GallowayBy Caroline Davies (Filed: 17/11/2004) The Telegraph's handling of documents purporting to show that the Iraqi regime had funded George Galloway's political campaigning was influenced by the newspaper's hatred of him, the MP said yesterday. On the second day of his libel action, the 50-year-old member for Glasgow Kelvin claimed that the Telegraph "hated" him because "I stand for everything they don't". In a furious outburst Mr Galloway accused James Price, QC, counsel for the Telegraph of calling him anti-Semitic when it was put to him that "responsible journalists" could take the view...

Pop quiz: Who’s responsible for the attacks of 9-11? If you said the United States, you’re well qualified to teach American students about the defining historical event of their lives. That, at least, is the conclusion reached by Dickinson College. This September, in a bid to resolve the lingering dilemma over how best to broach with students the subject of the attacks, and terrorism generally, the Carlisle, Pa-based college sponsored a contest. Together with the Smithsonian Institution, the college invited educators across the country to submit lesson plans proposing creative ways to teach the subject of September 11. The four...

Pariah Against A Prophet By Marc Miyake, Amritas.Com Many conservatives regard Chomsky as a linguist who falters out of his field. Unfortunately, they are giving Chomsky too much credit. Chomsky's linguistics are as warped as his politics. As someone with a PhD in linguistics, I think I am qualified to judge his professional credentials. Prior to Chomsky, linguists engaged in a lot of data collection to understand the diversity of human language. I'm vehemently anti-PC, but in this case, I think the word 'diversity' is justified. There's a lot out there, and someone's got to catalog it. However, Chomsky...

Special Dispatch Series - No. 812 November 8, 2004 No.812 Arab Liberals Petition the U.N. to Establish an International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Terrorists    On October 24, 2004, the liberal Arab websites www.elaph.com and www.metransparent.com published a manifesto written by Arab liberals, in which they petition the U.N. to establish an international tribunal which would prosecute terrorists, as well as people and institutions, primarily religious clerics, that incite terrorism.(1) The idea to petition the U.N. with this request was raised by the Jordanian writer and researcher Dr. Shaker Al-Nabulsi in early September 2004, in response to the...

Unfortunately, it appears that when Elizabeth Edwards speaks some people actually listen. This sad fact might be innocuous enough if the aspiring Second Lady were trading parenting or dieting tips. But instead semi-reformed former Deaniacs and Kucinich Kids seem to have latched onto Edwards' recent promise to a worried supporter that post-election riots will not wrack the nation -- so long as the Kerry-Edwards ticket walks away with it. The suggestion, of course, is that there indeed will be riots if John F. Kerry's boyhood dreams of ascending to his rightful position as ruler of the universe are squashed by...

Osama bin Laden boasted that the invasion of Iraq has bogged down the United States in a hopeless war that advances al Qaeda's recruitment goals and bin Laden's aim of bankrupting the U.S. economy, according to a translation of the full text of the terrorist leader's remarks on a videotape that surfaced last week.