Free Republic

Stockton, CA: Former US congressman Pete McCloskey, who is again a candidate in the US Congressional Dist 11, April 7 reached out to hundreds of Muslim voters in Stockton with the primary purpose to register unregistered Muslim voters. He was speaking at a meeting organized by Mr. K. Saif at AMA’s behest. Others, including Maad Abu-Ghazalah, a two-time former candidate for US Congress, and local activist K. Saif, were also there to urge the Muslim community to register to vote, and exercise the power of their vote for those candidates who support civil liberty and human rights for everyone. Mr....

Mass graves planned if bird flu pandemic reaches Britain By Adam Stones (Filed: 02/04/2006) Mass burials are being considered by the Home Office as part of contingency plans for a possible avian flu pandemic. A "prudent worst case" assessment suggested that 320,000 could die in Britain if the H5N1 virus mutated into a form contagious between humans, according to a confidential report. The paper - said to have been discussed by a Cabinet committee - said that the huge number of deaths would lead to delays of up to 17 weeks in burying or cremating victims. It warned that the...

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2006 – Sectarian violence that erupted after the Feb. 22 bombing of a mosque in Samarra, Iraq, could have led to civil war. But Iraqis stayed united and are working to build a united government, President Bush said here today. When violence broke out, the Iraqi army didn't break apart into sectarian divisions, and religious and political leaders stood up to the violence and committed themselves to progress, Bush said at a White House news conference. The efforts of the Iraqis, along with continued coalition support, are what kept the country out of civil war, he said....

Mars orbiter reaches Red Planet It will take six months for the MRO to attain its final orbit Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has survived a critical phase in its mission by parking itself in an elliptical orbit around the Red Planet. News of its success followed a tense period of radio silence while the spacecraft passed behind Mars. Over the next six months, the probe will steadily reduce the size of its orbit until it reaches an optimal position to start scientific studies. MRO will examine the Martian surface and atmosphere in unprecedented detail. At 2124 GMT (1334 PST),...

/7/2006 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFPN) -- After only 15 years in commission, the C-17 Globemaster III fleet will reach its 1 millionth flying hour this month -- the equivalent of one aircraft flying every minute of every day for more than 114 years without stopping. A crew of U.S. and British Royal Air Force members will fly a representative mission March 19 to help commemorate the milestone. No one in Air Mobility Command or at Boeing anticipated reaching this milestone so soon. According to AMC's Tanker Airlift Control Center, the C-17 has flown 59 percent, or about...

ABOARD HNLMS AMSTERDAM – The Dutch fast combat support ship, HNLMS Amsterdam (A 836), reached the “half term” day of its deployment as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, Feb. 18. The task force conducts maritime security operations (MSO) in and around the approximately 2.4-million-square miles that make up the North Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, parts of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. MSO deny international terrorists use of...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Nov. 10, 2005) – Just in time for Veterans Day, the Army launched a new Army Outreach Web site this week designed to help it better connect with the public -– and vice versa. The new Web site (www.army.mil/outreach) is the latest tool to help achieve Army Outreach’s overall goals of building and sustaining relationships of trust between Soldiers and Americans, said Col. Garrie Dornan, director of the Army Outreach Division, a part of Public Affairs. He said the site conncets Soldiers with the American public to continue telling the Soldier story. “The American public understands...

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Home loan lender Ameriquest Mortgage Co. has agreed to pay as much as $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleges it cheated thousands of borrowers in four states, including California, a newspaper reported Tuesday. In a related matter, the Orange County-based company also was questioned by attorneys general and regulators in 25 states about its lending practices, including how loan terms are verbally described to borrowers, the Los Angeles Times said. Ameriquest, which lends to people with spotty credit and modest incomes, has been dogged by consumer complaints and lawsuits in about 20 states...

SACRAMENTO - A private nonprofit corporation organized by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to help support his political interests has spent close to $500,000 so far this year without disclosing who donated the money or exactly how it was spent. Records filed with the state show the California Recovery Team received nearly $250,000 in support between July and October from one of Schwarzenegger's own political action committees to pay for public rallies and phone banks aimed at urging voters to contact lawmakers on budget issues. But although Schwarzenegger has said one of his main goals is more open government, the report doesn't...

WASHINGTON - The Senate's Republican tax writers struck on agreement Wednesday on a dividend tax cut, ensuring that a scaled-back version of President Bush (news - web sites)'s call to eliminate such taxes entirely for shareholders will win support in the Senate Finance Committee. The proposal combines elements favored by GOP moderates and conservatives. Shareholders would not pay taxes on the first $500 of dividend income. Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa said that covers the 86 percent of taxpayers who receive dividend income. Shareholders with more than $500 in dividend income will get an additional percentage tax-free. For roughly five...