Free Republic

When Juan Penton took the witness stand this week, he described himself as a Hialeah carpenter who made wooden cigar boxes stamped ''made in Cuba'' to sell as novelty gifts. But on Friday, a dozen Miami federal jurors found him guilty of selling $3,000 worth of counterfeit cigars in those imitation boxes. They concluded he was essentially copying famous Cuban cigar trademarks such as Montecristo, which are registered in the United States by its largest cigar producer. The David-and-Goliath legal tale pitted Penton not only against the U.S. government but also the giant cigar company that funded part of the...

Pentagon vetoes new task force to take control of Baghdad By Rupert Cornwell in Washington 02 April 2003 The parallel internal war in Washington over Iraq flared again yesterday when the Pentagon vetoed a list of senior officials proposed by the State Department to help to run the country once Saddam Hussein has been overthrown. The proposed team is understood to have included several present and former high-level diplomats, including ambassadors to Arab states, who would have joined what amounts to a cabinet under the retired General Jay Garner, named by the Pentagon to head an interim administration. But Donald...