Free Republic

Not so fast. The race has narrowed in #AZ considerably. 130,000 votes separate the candidates, with hundreds of thousands of votes yet to be counted, from all over the state. I'll say it again: Let's count the votes, and let the people decide rather than making declarations.

An Iraqi MP and United Nations relief workers today dismissed claims by the U.S. and the UK that the humanitarian crisis on Mount Sinjar was all but over. Yazidi MP Vian Dakhil claims some 70-80,000 refugees are still stranded on the mountain despite assertions from American and British leaders that they number only in their low thousands. President Barack Obama yesterday said the ten-day siege by the Islamic State had been 'broken' by missile strikes and humanitarian aid drops, allowing tens of thousands of Yazidis to escape. Downing Street also said the situation had improved so much that further aid...

aturday, Feb. 13 NBC 2-6 p.m. — Men's Speed Skating-5000 Gold Medal Final (LIVE); Ski Jumping-Individual K-90 Gold Medal Final; Women's Biathlon-7.5km Sprint Gold Medal Final. 8-11:30 p.m. — Men's Short Track-1500 Competition, Semifinals and Gold Medal Final (LIVE); Women's Freestyle Skiing-Moguls Competition and Gold Medal Final (LIVE); Men's Alpine Skiing-Downhill Gold Medal Final. Midnight-1 a.m. — Men's Luge-Singles Competition; Women's Short Track-3000 Relay Semifinals and 500 Competition; Medals Plaza-Award Ceremonies. 1-4:30 a.m. — Primetime Replay. CNBC 3-5:30 p.m. — Women's Ice Hockey-Sweden vs. Switzerland (LIVE). 8-10:30 p.m. — Women's Ice Hockey-Canada vs. Slovakia (LIVE). MSNBC 3-5:30 a.m. — Women's...

The war of words between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republican legislative leaders escalated again Wednesday, as the frustrated governor once again called for immediate action to address the state’s budget crisis. Schwarzenegger lashed out at lawmakers for their inaction, while legislators said the governor was disengaged and posturing for the cameras. The governor voiced his frustration at the Legislature’s failure to act. “If that’s not a shameful performance, I don’t know what is,” Schwarzenegger said, speaking of the Legislature’s inability to reach an agreement. “The Legislature is acting as if we have $30 billion in surplus.” Senate Republican leader Dave...

Although the sub-prime mortgage meltdown has been years in the making, unmistakable signs of trouble emerged last year when the housing market first started to dip. Nevertheless, a new report found that sub-prime mortgages issued in the first half of 2007 defaulted at even faster rates than those issued in 2005 and 2006, when risky lending practices were still in vogue. That's because lenders didn't tighten the criteria used to gauge a borrower's ability to make his or her payments. The report by investment banker FBR Investment Management is the best evidence yet of the flaw that eventually shook the...

Strange happenings on Finneran Lane today ! A silly goose got scammed.

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2006 – No good can come of speculation surrounding a Nov. 19 incident in Haditha, Iraq, in which 24 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, were killed in the aftermath of a roadside bomb attack, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today. Marine Gen. Peter Pace also stressed that investigations into alleged misconduct by U.S. Marines in the incident are not yet complete. Appearing on CNN's "American Morning" for what was to have been an interview focusing on the nation's Memorial Day observance today, Pace told Miles O'Brien that two investigations are still in...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2006 – Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England called on what he called some of the best minds in the country today to help come up with new solutions to the threat improvised explosive devices pose to U.S. troops. Speaking to some 600 leaders from industry, academia, the national laboratories and all branches of the military at a two-day industry conference focused on the IED threat, England challenged participants to find better ways to counter what has become terrorists' weapon of choice in Iraq and, more recently, Afghanistan. "We owe it to the troops," he told the group....

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2005 – As Iraq progresses militarily and democratically, citizens there are stepping forward to inform indigenous and coalition forces of terrorist operations and covert weapons caches, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported today. Iraqi citizens sometimes even are apprehending suspected terrorists themselves, officials noted. For example, on Dec. 17, a group of Iraqi citizens near Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, captured two suspected terrorists who were observed digging up a weapons cache. The citizens reportedly subdued the suspects and called the Kirkuk Joint Coordination Center, which then relayed the information to a nearby patrol. The combined Iraqi and U.S....

America was fighting the war against terrorism long before 9/11 and will continue to do so for many years to come, with Fort Huachuca playing a critical role. Lt. Gen. John Kimmons, deputy chief of staff G-2, United States Army, made these remarks as guest speaker at the Military Intelligence Corps Association luncheon. There are many challenges facing this country, he told the audience at the fort’s Thunder Mountain Activity Centre, none more so than extremist insurgency groups. And it is an issue America has been dealing with for three to four decades, long before Sept. 11, 2001, he added....

Attack used FEMA site to take offline over 5 million other sites in official act of "cyber terrorism": Millions of websites were recently brought down due to a security breach of FEMA’s DMAT servers, according to a source where the servers were initially compromised. Victims including multitudes of e-commerce and government sites. No one knows yet truly how deep the breach went. DMAT is the Disaster Medical Assistance Team for the United States Public Health Service and is the medical wing of the NDMS (National Disaster Medical System), which serves the Department of Defense, Department of veterans Affairs, the Department...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 November 3 The International Space Station Expands Again Credit: STS-112 Shuttle Crew, NASA Explanation: The developing International Space Station (ISS) has changed its appearance yet again. Last month the Space Shuttle Atlantis visited the ISS and installed the third of eleven pieces that will compose the Integrated Truss Structure. The new S-1 Truss is visible on the right, below the extended solar panels across the top. The...

A leading Roman Catholic priest has spoken out against terrorists who persecute ordinary people in Northern Ireland with "bullets and iron bars" and the politicians who fail to challenge them.This position is not only factually correct, but also very brave. He should be complimented - Ivan Mgr Denis Faul, parish priest of Carrickmore, Co Tyrone, has been criticised by the IRA and Government ministers for his forthright views on the Troubles and those he held responsible for prolonging them. In a letter to The Telegraph today, he praises Danny McBrearty, the bus driver injured in a suspected IRA punishment attack...