Free Republic

Japan has unveiled its biggest warship since World War II, a huge flat-top helicopter carrier.

The U.S. Army is refusing to suspend contracts with dozens of companies and individuals tied to Al Qaeda and other extremist groups out of concern for their "due process rights," despite repeated pleas from the chief watchdog for Afghanistan reconstruction. In a scathing passage of his latest report to Congress, Special Inspector General John Sopko said his office has urged the Army to suspend or debar 43 contractors over concerns about ties to the Afghanistan insurgency, "including supporters of the Taliban, the Haqqani network and al Qaeda." Sopko wrote that the Army "rejected" every single case. "The Army Suspension and...

The U.S. Army soldier charged with providing troves of government documents to the whistleblowing website Wikileaks was found not guilty Tuesday of aiding the enemy, the top charge in his 22-count indictment, which could have carried a life sentence. [snip] Manning was convicted of 5 espionage counts

Hitler Finds Out Scott Walker Won in Wisconsin

Another Democrat has seen the writing on the wall and decided to jump ship rather than face the electoral firing squad in November. This time, it is Arkansas Congressman Marion Berry, who openly admits that Election 2010 is going to be an outright "bloodbath" for Democrats...

An outbreak of a mysterious respiratory illness has killed 16 elderly people at a nursing home in Canada. Officials said the disease was contained at the centre in Toronto and was not a general public health risk. Testing is continuing to uncover the cause of the outbreak. Acute respiratory syndrome Sars, avian flu and influenza have been ruled out. But officials have acknowledged that it may never be possible to determine the exact type of virus or bacterium. More than 80 people have suffered the symptoms of the disease since the outbreak began last week at the Seven Oaks Home...

BEIJING — A new line of condoms is grabbing headlines in China even as its sparks a debate about trademark law and promotion campaigns. The products' brand names: "Clinton" and "Lewinsky." The condoms are sold in boxes of 12, with the brand named after former President Bill Clinton priced at $3.70 and that of former White House intern Monica Lewinsky at $2.25. Guangzhou Haojian Bioscience Co. said it registered both trademarks and is pricing the brands differently to reflect the higher quality of the Clinton line. "We chose the name because we think Clinton is a symbol of success and...

A Tennessee prison inmate and his wife were found Wednesday night at a Columbus motel, NBC 4 reported. The pair were captured at the Best Value Inn, located off Sinclair Avenue, NBC 4 reported. Jennifer Hyatte and her husband, George, were taken into custody at about 10 p.m., NBC 4 reported.

Firefighters are responding to what may have been an explosion and a fire at BPs Texas City refinery this afternoon. BP spokesman Hugh Depland said fire engines are responding to an incident at the plant and were believed to be putting out a fire. Television coverage of the incident at 6:30 p.m. shows flames at the plant and fire crews pouring water on the blaze. Depland did not know where the incident occurred at the plant, which is one of the largest oil refineries in the country. An explosion at the plant on March 23 killed 15 people and injured...

America's socialists advocate that we adopt a universal healthcare system like our northern neighbor Canada. Before we buy into complete socialization of our healthcare system, we might check out the Canadian Supreme Court's June 9th ruling in Chaoulli v. Quebec (Attorney General). It turns out that in order to prop up government-delivered medical care, Quebec and other Canadian provinces have outlawed private health insurance. By a 4 to 3 decision, Canada's high court struck down Quebec's law that prohibits private medical insurance. With all of the leftist hype extolling the "virtues" of Canada's universal healthcare system, you might wonder why...