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HARTFORD, Conn. - Two men with long rap sheets were on parole when they broke into a doctor’s home, strangled his wife and killed the couple’s two daughters in a fire they set to cover their tracks, authorities said... Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, of Cheshire, and Steven Hayes, 44, of Winsted...arraigned Tuesday on charges of assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, arson, larceny and risk of injury to children. Bail was set at $15 million each, which Judge Christina G. Dunnell said was warranted because of the men’s criminal histories. State officials are re-examining their policies after learning two convicted burglars...

A Free Republic poster writes that he's a regular reader who enjoys our views on a variety of issues. He writes that he's enjoyed our posts in which we use our skills as lawyers to weigh in on legal issues. He draws our attention to the cease-and-desist letter from an attorney representing the DNC to Free Republic. He asks whether the letter's threat of of a defamation claim is bona bide or not. In my view, the letter is sheer thuggery that recalls the same maneuever made on behalf of John Kerry in the 2004 campaign. He writes that the...

On the 7th of February, 2006, Coretta Scott King was memorialized at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, eight days after her death from complications of a stroke at the age of 78. Among the thousands of people in attendance were President George W. Bush and his First Lady, Laura. Former Presidents George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton were also there, as well as former First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Rosalynn Carter.

Some years ago -- at least 10, I think -- two of our diocesan priests told me that they are homosexual. They came in separately and, as far as I know, neither of them was aware of the other’s visit. I do recall that each said his decision to come out to me was prompted, at least in part, by something I had written in “Along the Way.” In that particular column, I had referred to a priest from another diocese who told me he had finally told his parents that he was gay. He was elated that his...

John Kerry raised about $5 million for his campaign at a couple of events in Los Angeles on Thursday night, the second of which featured performances by Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Billy Crystal and Willie Nelson. Amongst those who contributed in order to attend: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Jamie Foxx, Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro. Crystal "joked" about President Bush, according to multiple media accounts, "I realize that 9/11 is also his SAT scores." The New York Times touted how "the much-heralded highlight was the Barbra Streisand-Neil Diamond reunion duet, 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers,' which they had not performed...

<p>San Jose became the first city in California to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, although the decision only applies to municipal workers.</p> <p>The city council defied objections from conservatives and voted 8-1 Tuesday to pass a motion that could provide more comprehensive health and retirement benefits to partners and family members of gay and lesbian city workers who get married in San Francisco or other cities that allow same-sex marriages.</p>

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle's mayor said Sunday the city will begin recognizing the marriages of gay employees who tie the knot elsewhere, although it will not conduct its own same-sex weddings. Mayor Greg Nickels was to sign an executive order Monday giving same-sex spouses of city employees all the benefits of heterosexual spouses, including health insurance. He also planned to send a proposal to the City Council to protect the rights of same-sex married couples in Seattle. "The basic message is one of fairness, and that is that people who are willing to make a commitment to one another, who...

Last week, every Yale undergraduate received an e-mail heralding "Sex Week: A Celebration and Exploration of Sex and Sexuality at Yale University." Imagine a modest student's reaction to "Grandmother of Masturbation" Betty Dodson's impending lecture on the topic, "One Woman's Illustrated Sexual Revolution." Yale sophomore David O'Leary, upon returning from five o'clock mass, found in his inbox the promise of a "Porn Party! sponsored by Wicked Pictures with porn star Devinn Lane." According to event organizer and Yale senior Eric Rubenstein, Sex Week was supposed to open discussion about issues of love, intimacy, and romance, and was timed to coincide...

A two-day workshop that will mix "children" from ages 14-22 will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 13-14, at Simmons College, Boston. Does GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Educational Network) check the birth certificates of those who attend this session which is designed for molestation of teenagers? Of course not. It undoubtedly will include 12- and 13-year-olds as well, plus some at 25, 26 or older. This is the lifeblood of homosexuality. It is men in their twenties molesting the 13-year-olds. Once entrapped, the vulnerable boy finds it extremely difficult to get out of the lifestyle and in a...

<p>The Phoenix Suns are embroiled in a battle between a conservative religious group and some Valley churches over anti-gay-marriage literature that accompanied invitations to "Church Night" at a March basketball game.</p> <p>The Suns dropped the Center for Arizona Policy as its "Church Night" sponsor for the March 19 game after several Valley clergy members complained about invitation packages sent by the Suns and the center.</p>

To All: Gay marriage, or civil unions, as some call it, are a hot issue right now. I'd like to ask FReepers for their $.02 on something regarding this. Gay marriage is overwhelmingly opposed by most of the country. What I want to know, is what valid (i.e. Constitutionally acceptable) basis there can be for opposition to it. Here's an example of what I mean. Some folks will say they oppose gay marriage because it violates their moral and/or religious standards. That's fine with me; it's a free country, and it's their right to feel that way. However, from my...

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - An Anglican bishop in British Columbia has closed a church that won't support same-sex unions. Church officials say the Holy Cross Church in Abbotsford, B.C., brought the closure upon itself. Ronald Harrison, executive archdeacon of the Diocese of New Westminster, told the National Post that by declaring itself "independent" the church lost its funding from the archdiocese and eventually had to be closed. Despite the timing of the closure, the church's congregation intends to celebrate mass on Christmas Day. "Can you imagine abandoning my people at this point and not serving them communion on Christmas Day?" said...

Exposing the facts of homosexuality Posted: December 13, 20031:00 a.m. Eastern By Dr. Brian J. Kopp © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com In the recent pro-life victory on partial-birth abortion, graphic images illustrating its barbaric reality were arguably one of the decisive factors in its ban. Ultrasound views of the fetus juxtaposed with images of mutilated and discarded aborted babies are involuntarily burned into subconscious memory, changing hearts and minds. Christian activists see the lengths to which pro-abortion groups and the mainstream media go to censor this harsh reality from the view of the public; both sides know that when the average citizen witnesses the...

Fallen AngelUnder the Reverend Michael Piazza, the world's largest gay and lesbian church soared, only to tumble into divisiveness and anger BY J.D. SPARKS ––––––––People flocked by the hundreds to Cathedral of Hope to hear the sermons of senior pastor Michael Piazza. –––––––– Preparation for Sunday-morning services at the Cathedral of Hope resembles backstage on opening night of a Broadway production. The halls bustle with activity as volunteer coordinators and staff tick off their to-do lists. Everything must be perfect, from preparing urns of coffee to ushering in latecomers to ordering multimedia presentations that flash headlines, film clips and still...

How legalizing gay marriage undermines society's morals By Alan Charles Raul WASHINGTON - The promotion of gay marriage is not the most devastating aspect of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's recent decision. The more destructive impact of the decision for society is the court's insidious denial of morality itself as a rational basis for legislation. This observation is not hyperbole or a mere rhetorical characterization of the Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health decision. The Massachusetts justices actually quoted two opinions of the US Supreme Court (the recent anti-anti-sodomy ruling in Lawrence vs. Texas and an older anti-antiabortion ruling, Planned...

Mass. Supreme Court rules that illegal for state to deny marriage license to gay couples.

November 16, 2003FRANK RICHAngels, Reagan and AIDS in America onight is the night when Americans might have tuned into Part 1 of "The Reagans" on CBS. But the joke is on the whiners who forced the mini-series off the air. Just three weeks from tonight, HBO will present the first three-hour installment of Mike Nichols's film version of Tony Kushner's "Angels in America," starring Al Pacino and Meryl Streep. (Part 2 is a week later.) This epic is, among other things, a searing indictment of how the Reagan administration's long silence stoked the plague of AIDS in the 1980's....

<p>From a demographic perspective, there are already many similarities between the two groups, an analysis of 2000 Census data has found.</p> <p>The most recent Census, for the first time, includes a complete set of responses from those who described themselves as partners of someone of the same gender.</p>

<p>NEW YORK (AP) ? With two key meetings ahead that could determine whether the Episcopal Church splits over homosexuality, the denomination's leader defended his support yesterday for an openly practicing homosexual bishop.</p> <p>Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold said in an interview with the Associated Press that he voted at last month's General Convention to confirm Bishop-elect V. Gene Robinson because Episcopalians in New Hampshire had overwhelmingly chosen him in their local election and had the right to make that choice.</p>