Free Republic

CARACAS, Venezuela - Opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are demanding further investigation of what they call gross irregularities in the voter registry, pointing to a western state where 1,921 people by the name of Gonzalez are listed with an identical birthday. The electoral council, which is independent but faces accusations that it is pro-government, insists the lists are sound, and plans to release an external audit Tuesday as it prepares for December presidential elections. The case of the many Gonzalezes in Zulia state was reported by Roberto Ansuini, an opposition-aligned researcher and former member of the National Electoral Council...

Neoconservatives Want the US to be the world's unchallenged superpower Share unwavering support for Israel Support American unilateral action Support preemptive strikes to remove perceived threats to US security Promote the development of an American empire Equate American power with the potential for world peace Seek to democratize the Arab world Push regime change in states deemed threats to the US or its allies Historical neoconservative: President Teddy Roosevelt Modern neoconservative: President Ronald Reagan Isolationists Are wary of US involvement in the United Nations Oppose international law, alliances, and agreements Believe the US should not act as a global cop...

Murtha's Anti-War Stance Overshadows Abscam Past By Randy Hall and Marc Morano CNSNews.com Staff January 13, 2006 Read Article About Murtha's military record (CNSNews.com) - Members of the press have given extensive and glowing coverage to Rep. John Murtha's criticism of the war in Iraq, but have overlooked a number of other controversies the Pennsylvania Democrat has experienced over the past 25 years. This includes his reported role as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the Abscam bribery scandal of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Murtha has denied any wrongdoing, but Cybercast News Service has learned that one of Murtha's former...

Alamo-Girl used to have a super Newcomers Welcome Desk and Information Center. I've been on extended leave from FR. Is there still a place where newbies can go to get oriented, pick up some lingo, learn etiquette, get questions answered without getting flamed, etc.? My sister just registered, so I'm trying to help her out. Thanks!

SEOUL, South Korea - While South Korea's most famous scientist was resigning Friday in disgrace after his university said he faked stem cell research, one of his greatest purported breakthroughs was romping in the snow. Snuppy, an Afghan hound that researcher Hwang Woo-suk said he cloned, was shown in photographs by South Korean media being led by a handler on a leash through the grounds of Seoul National University's animal hospital, where the dog is now kept. "Lonely Snuppy after professor Hwang leaves," Yonhap news agency wrote in one photo caption. Hwang unveiled Snuppy — named for Seoul National University...

SIERRA VISTA — The Herald/Review’s online opinion poll recently became a pawn between right- and left-wing political organizations. On Sunday, the newspaper was alerted by a woman in Los Angeles to the fact that the Herald/Review’s poll was being “freeped.” “Freeping” is the act of directing the members to influence an online poll, according to Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia. The term is derived from a Fresno-Calif.-based Web site, www.FreeRepublic.com. It was founded in 1996 by Jim Robinson as a vehicle of protests against President Clinton. A voicemail was left for Robinson at his Fresno office, but had not been returned by...

UNITED NATIONS - U.S. Ambassador John Bolton accused Syria on Tuesday of "delaying and obstructing" an investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister and demanded that Damascus allow six Syrian officials to be questioned. Bolton said a resolution adopted by the U.N. Security Council on Oct. 31 was very clear in demanding "full and immediate Syrian cooperation" with the investigation led by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis. It warned Syria of possible "further action" if it refuses to cooperate with the probe, which has been extended until Dec. 15. "We support Mehlis' investigative efforts, and we're not going to...

I am doing some heavy duty waterproofing work in my basement as I prepare to possibly sell my home. I need to pull up some thin indoor/outdoor type carpet from the concrete floor that it is glued to. What is the best way to do this - preferably without destroying the carpet? Is there something I can put on it to loosen the glue? Any experts out there?

with the onset of the internet the abundance of information, it is unbelievable that a hazy and different picture of the past that challenges all our cultures and belief is being unveild while the world continues relentlessly into chaos and extremism. there just to many fights for the common man in every daylife. the question of our past present and futures needs to be discussed openly with open minds.

First vanity after more about 2 years. One question: When it comes to dealing with a very difficult civilization; in terms of the values we hold most dear as a civilization with a Judeo-Christian tradition. Should we not ask ourselves, when we feel mildly threatened - "What would God do?"

Just wondering what an originalist is from the most recent poll. I honestly have never heard the term and would like to know what it means. Thanks fellow FReepers.

SPOKANE -- A federal judge will decide if a U.S. Customs and Border Protection employee who has undergone a sex change suffered discrimination at the hands of co-workers. A six-day trial concluded yesterday. Tracy Nichole Sturchio, formerly known as Ronald Sturchio, sued the Department of Homeland Security. The non-jury trial was heard by U.S. District Judge Robert Whaley, who will rule in the near future. Sturchio, 56, told The Associated Press yesterday it was difficult to relive the torment of the past few years during the trial. "I had to sit on the stand and admit it tore me apart...

What do you guys think; does the president drink tap water or bottled water? One of my professors brought it up today, and we all decided bottled.

Just a quick question...I've noticed several articles on FR with the keyword "CARY." The articles seem to cover a very diverse range of topics. What does CARY mean? Is it an acronym? Curious.....

Don't hit me (too hard...) -- but I need freepers knowledge of whether I can use some photos of musicians that are posted on the Official Band sites and other sites of the music bands and groups? For my own web site, I mean.

html//:www.nothingishere.com

A student brought the President's wife to tears when she asked how the government can expel Jews from Gaza, when the weapons that Israel gave the terrorists at Oslo already cost so many lives. When a student asked the President of the State of Israel, attending a conference at a college in Ariel, how the government can expel Jews from their homes in Gaza, after the failure of Oslo and four and a half years of war with the Palestinian Authority, the President’s wife broke out into tears. The student, Batya Gutman, from Bet El, approached the microphone suddenly, after...

Hallo eveybody! I've a question for you! Last summer I bought a calendar in NY (actually I bought it on the top of the Empire State Building...). Now, I've read on it that the 21st of February it's the "President's day". What a strange celebration! We don't have it in Italy. What do you do in America and what kind of celebration is it? Tell me more, so I can join you!... Because... I ADORE YOUR PRESIDENT! :-)

I think that it has been well established that "conservatives" or whatever it is they call themselves these days (e.g., storm troopers) in matters concerning politics value little more than the state's power in which they imagine themselves to participate and the supposed glory that war and domestic national securitism brings to them. Now strictly speaking this is a delusion, because their only access to power lies in the accidental agreement of their opinions with those of the managers of the state. This access will evaporate as soon as the state does something that displeases our conservatives. It is always...

Critics Question No-Bias Finding By CBS Panel If there is one line in the 224-page report on CBS News that has set critics aflame, it is that there is no "basis" for concluding that Dan Rather and his colleagues had a "political bias" in pursuing their badly botched story about President Bush's National Guard service. What, they say? No evidence? "In any fair-minded assessment of how CBS performed and why they so badly butchered their own standards, that has to be part of the explanation," said former New York Times reporter Steve Roberts, now a professor at George Washington...