Free Republic

When Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore refused a federal court order to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from that state’s Supreme Court building, he became the central figure in a firestorm of criticism from the left. But his liberal critics weren’t alone. Conservatives also chided Moore, contending that his defiance of the order undermined the “rule of law” in America. Throughout history, the law has served several functions. In a free and morally upright society, it provides a framework within which the people can safely live their lives and pursue their dreams. In a dictatorship, however, it devolves...

As an owner/operator of a state-licensed board and care home for the elderly, I can tell you that contrary to what state insurance commissioner John Garamendi is telling the press, we have been hard-hit, once again, with double-digit increases in the cost of workers' compensation ["Rates for workers' comp are dropping," News, Jan. 19]. I have been in business more than 10 years and have never once had a claim. My rates have gone from under 6 percent to more than 23 percent of payroll. And since 2003, when Garamendi claims business owners have seen average cuts totaling 13.9 percent...

SANFORD, Fla. - Eleven people directed to the wrong courtroom in the Seminole County Courthouse were arrested and jailed when they didn't appear before the proper judge, who was in an adjoining courtroom less than 100 feet away. The six men and five women spent eight hours Friday in a Seminole County Jail cell before everything was straightened out. "I'm hungry, I'm tired and I'm disgusted," said Frantarshia Coleman, after she was released from jail. "This is ridiculous. This is disgusting." Coleman, 33, of Orlando was in court on a ticket for not having her registration and proof of insurance....

As an American, I have always been inspired by the fact that my country welcomes those who seek refuge. And as long as our government officials maintain our borders and ensure that those coming from other countries are screened in order to protect those who legally live here, the concept of welcoming immigrants is a noble one. However, something has gone awry. Indeed, illegal immigration into the U.S. has become an immense problem and a clear and present danger. Documented illegal immigration has more than doubled in the last decade. It has grown, by conservative counts, from 3.5 million in...

A pair of baby-faced Whitman boys, busted on a public street for illegal skateboarding, were arrested, booked and shackled before being hauled into a Brockton juvenile court to face charges, the children's irate parents said yesterday. ``It's absurd,'' mother Stephanie Saltzman said. ``My son is 12 years old and all he was doing is skateboarding. I mean, you gotta be kidding me.'' Saltzman's son, Josh, and 14-year-old neighbor, Ryan Maxwell, were arrested Aug. 3 when a Whitman police officer caught them skateboading on South Avenue. A town bylaw prohibits using skateboards or other devices to ``coast or slide'' along public...

<p>April 21, 2004 -- I 'M seriously considering suing the Justice Department, specifically the Eastern and Southern districts of New York, for restraint of trade. In a nutshell, they have ended the careers of a lot of old mobsters with a promise they will pass on in a clean, controlled environment - the slam.</p>

Twenty-three years ago, Eva Tinoco left everything she had and most everyone she knew for the sake of her children. Neither fear nor immigration laws were on her mind when she left her little Mexican village bound for the United States, she said. After entering the country illegally in 1981, she and her six children were among the 2.7 million immigrants who became lawful residents under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. The law was supposed to be the solution to growing concerns about illegal immigration. It proposed a two-pronged approach: First, legalizing immigrants who were already in...

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) said Wednesday he was "troubled" by gay weddings in San Francisco and by legal decisions in Massachusetts that could clear the way for same-sex marriage. But he declined to say whether he is any closer to backing a constitutional ban on such vows. "I have watched carefully what's happening in San Francisco, where licenses were being issued, even though the law states otherwise," Bush said. "I have consistently stated that I'll support law to protect marriage between a man and a woman. Obviously these events are influencing my decision." "I am watching...

California Appeals Court - Recall should be blocked!!!

It's rare to hear a politician say his goal is to get a crowd of more than 500 people worked up. But Jim Coletta said he wasn't a politician on Wednesday night. He said he was, and is, a civic activist. The Collier County commissioner and other county officials are enraged by the new flood maps proposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They say the maps aren't based on historical data and are inaccurate, such as incorrect names for city roads and streets. It's rare to hear a politician say his goal is to get a crowd of more...

<p>Oreo cookies should be banned from sale to children in California, according to a lawsuit filed by a San Francisco attorney who claims that trans fat -- the stuff that makes the chocolate cookies crisp and their filling creamy -- is so dangerous children shouldn't eat it.</p>

Has the world's response to severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) been a hysterical over-reaction? No, it has been worse. It has been a grave under-reaction. The unavoidable conclusion is that the world is not ready to cope with outbreaks of diseases that pass easily from one person to another especially when, as with Sars, there is limited treatment and no vaccine.How easy it is to control an infectious disease depends on how the disease is transmitted, how hard it is to catch, whether apparently healthy individuals can spread infection and whether the disease organism has a "reservoir" in another species....

  Proposed Tax and Fee Increases By Subject   Aircraft     AB 0694 (Levine) Use Tax Increase on Vehicles, Vessels and Aircraft: Eliminate Non-Tax Presumption for 90-Day Out of State Use.Seeks to impose a use tax on all vehicles, airplanes or boats purchased by California residents (by repealing the three months out-of-state use presumption). For other than California residents, a plane, boat or vehicle would be subject to use tax on an out-of-state purchase if it is subject to registration or property tax within 12 months or is used in this state more than one-half time during the first...

The following link will take you to episode #20 and links to 1-19: #20 - Childish Behavior at the President's Historic Speech #21 - Why Cops and Firemen Hate Hillary NOTE: the survival of our Republic is threatened by two things -- fundamentalist Islamic terrorists and Hillary Rodham Clinton. President Bush is leading the fight against the terrorists. It is up to those of us who know the real Hillary Clinton to lead the fight against her. We must shine the light of truth on this dangerous woman so that all Americans may know the real Hillary. #22 in the...

Senators deal, put tax increase on ballot HARRY ESTEVE SALEM -- Spurred by a desire to quit and go home, Senate leaders brokered a deal Tuesday night that could bring the Oregon Legislature's record-setting fifth special session to an end. The Senate voted 18-10 to send a proposed three-year income tax increase to a statewide vote in January. The House and the Senate were pushing late Tuesday toward adjournment, possibly by early today. "I think we have good momentum to close out this chapter," said House Majority Leader Karen Minnis, R-Wood Village. The linchpin of the deal was the temporary...

Ombudsman Carlos J. Lopez Nieves lashed out at the commonwealth and San Juan police forces Thurday for allegedly detaining undocumented aliens here and then handing them over to federal authorities for deportation. "This is undue intervention of the Puerto Rico Police Department in immigration issues," Lopez Nieves said, adding that the local police don't have the jurisdiction to detain foreigners for immigration violations. He also said that the San Juan police were also detaining foreigners, an action he said local police "here or in any state of the union" lack the authority to undertake. Police Superintendent Miguel Pereira denied the...

An Army battalion will soon join firefighters from severalstates who are converging on Oregon to battle wildfires raging in vast stretches of brush and timber. Ten Oregon crews that were fighting fires in other Western states will be returning home by the weekend joined by firefighters from eight other states, fire officials said late Wednesday. And on July 29, 650 Army soldiers from a base in Kansas will be arriving in Oregon, officials said....(snip) For complete article click here

July 4, 2002 Fireworks take back seat A helicopter approaches the fire, which had grown to more than 200 acres by Wednesday at sunset.Jim Grant/Tahoe Tribune By Greg Crofton, Jeff Munson, Tahoe Daily Tribune A wildfire burning out of control east of Heavenly Ski resort has consumed more than 200 acres and several hundred Upper Kingsbury Grade residents have been evacuated, officials said. The fire began around 12:40 p.m. just east of Heavenly Gondola Towers 11 and 12. A couple traveling down the gondola reported smoke to the resort. As of 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, 420 firefighters, eight air tankers, seven...

<p>Has Sen. John McCain become so petty that he now feels he should freeze the entire federal government just to get his own way?</p> <p>So it would seem.</p> <p>The petulant Arizona senator and former presidential candidate seems unable to declare victory and move on.</p>

Rancher Wins Fight for Rightsby Wayne Hage Rancher Wayne Hage's decade-long struggle for his property rights resulted in a significant victory this year in the United States Court of Federal Claims. On January 29, 2002, the United States Court of Federal Claims handed down a decision promising to have a widespread impact on the debate over western lands and property rights in general. It also has much to do with government accountability and the federal land management agencies that, under the color of law, have been carrying out a campaign of unlawful actions to harass ranchers and drive them...