Free Republic

Second Coast Guard Member Asks For Transfer From Westport November 11, 2004 By Bryan Johnson The Samoan woman is claiming racial discrimination; others say it's part of a larger problem there. WESTPORT - For the second time in 13 months, a member of the Coast Guard has asked for a transfer from the Grays Harbor Coast Guard station at Westport. This time, it's a Samoan woman, who is claiming racial discrimination. She says she fears for the safety of her family. Thirteen months ago, an African-American Coast Guardsman also cited racial prejudice in requesting a transfer from the Grays Harbor...

      NewStandard Home Iraq in Crisis Civil Liberties & Security U.S. Business & Economy News ArticleHouse About to Strip More Civil Liberties in Name of Anti-terrorismby Madeleine Baran (bio) Oct 6 - Civil liberties and immigrant rights advocates say House Republicans are using legislation based on the 9/11 Commission's recommendations as cover to implement a series of troubling, un-related reforms condoning torture, limiting immigration and increasing surveillance of both non-citizens and citizens.The House will vote on the 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act this week. Opponents say the Republican leadership rushed the legislation to the floor without much time...

It's Time To Rethink and Reform Drug Laws Thoughtful conservatives such as William F. Buckley are joining the call for sweeping reforms, including legalization, taxation and regulated sale of marijuana. America's war on drugs is now in its 90th year. Federal law first restricted access to cocaine, heroin and related drugs in 1914. Marijuana was outlawed in 1937. Now, after nine decades of largely futile and often counterproductive efforts at drug prohibition, the time has come to reevaluate and reform America's drug laws. All wars have casualties, and this one is no exception. According to a recent report from the...

<p>MIAMI (AP) - Ricky Williams has told the Miami Dolphins that he's retiring after just five years in the NFL, The Miami Herald reported on its Web site Sunday.</p> <p>Williams said he was overjoyed by his decision.</p> <p>"You can't understand how free I feel," Williams told the Herald in a cell phone interview Saturday before boarding a plane in Hawaii and heading to Asia to begin several months of travel.</p>

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Ever since prescription painkillers such as OxyContin became the drugs of choice among dealers and addicts in Appalachia, the days of small-town pharmacists dispensing medicines from behind an ordinary counter have become a quaint memory.Now, many pharmacies have turned into virtual fortresses. Some now have bars over the windows. The most sought-after drugs are stored in vaults. The pharmacists often work behind safety glass, and some have even armed themselves. Surveillance cameras and alarm systems monitor every spot.Pharmaceutical companies have also adopted practices from the banking industry, delivering prescription pills in armored trucks protected by armed...

Doctor Who Recommended Medical Pot Gets Restraining Order vs. Ashcroft A federal judge awarded a West Slope doctor who recommends medical marijuana a temporary restraining order against Attorney General John Ashcroft. Mollie Fry, whose clinic in Cool was raided by federal agents three years ago, will appear in a San Francisco court next week to hear whether a judge will make the order permanent. "I feel beaten and I'm asking him to stop beating me," Fry said. The temporary restraining order, approved by U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup, elated Fry. "We need to continue to struggle against those who...

Police state, ho!by John Whitehead6/28/04 With each passing day, America is inching further down a slippery slope toward a police state. Soon, we’ll have picked up so much momentum that there will be no turning back. Incredibly, not too many people appear concerned. Bombarded by media images and a mind-numbing entertainment culture, people seem to be so distracted that they do not even realize that our civil liberties are slowly and stealthily eroding away. Yet the signs of a police state are everywhere. They have infiltrated all aspects of our lives, from the mundane to the downright oppressive. We were...

THE average cannabis joint is no stronger than it was 25 years ago, say EU experts. They have analysed official data from across the EU and concluded there have been no significant changes in cannabis potency. Levels of the drug's active ingredient - D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - has remained virtually constant. Cannabis resin (hashish) produced overseas comprised about 70 per cent of the UK market, with the rest being marijuana, around half of which was imported. On the typical British joint, the report said: "The absence of any decline in the amount of herbal cannabis or resin used may suggest there...

In recent days administration officials have warned the nation about possible terrorist attacks, subjecting us once again to color-coded threat charts and puzzling admonitions to go about our lives as usual. The message is clear: grave danger surrounds us, but ordinary citizens should do nothing and trust the government take care of it. But the obvious lesson of September 11th is that government cannot protect us. Even with trillions of tax dollars spent on “defense,” hijacked planes flew unchallenged over our skies and attacked national symbols of business and government. Yet now we’re told to put even more faith into...

Conservative icon Rush Limbaugh has confirmed the rumors -- he's addicted to prescription pain medication. It's obvious that he has broken our nation's drug laws. Which poses an interesting dilemma for his fellow conservatives. According to Rush and other conservative drug warriors, "Drug users ought to be convicted and sent up" as Rush himself put it. *Sent up, as in sent to prison. *So here's the conservative dilemma: Should Rush, a self-admitted "drug user," be "convicted and sent up"? *If they say yes, they're advocating silencing the most powerful and influential conservative voice in America -- imprisoning a man they...