Free Republic

ROCKLIN, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger distanced himself Tuesday from a measure that would limit the use of union dues for political purposes, just one day after his chief strategist said the governor was considering campaigning for its passage. The Legislature's Democratic majority considers the dues initiative the most threatening of the Republican-backed measures that could be put before voters in a possible special election this fall because it would effectively dry up a major source of their campaign money. The governor has until mid-June to decide whether to call the election but has said he would rather work out...

I am as pleased as anyone with Condoleezza Rice’s initial performance as Secretary of State. She’s a smart, articulate, passionate defender of America and George W. Bush’s foreign policy vision. But all the excited talk about “Condi for President” is wildly premature, and even dangerous to the conservative cause. For all her virtues and strengths, and she has many, Rice simply is not presidential material. This is not a criticism. Plenty of highly accomplished, successful people are not made out to be President. Rice is an outstanding cabinet official and a shining star in the Republican firmament. But she lacks...

A former member of Greenpeace who became disillusioned with what he saw as bad eco-science urged a United Nations climate change conference to "save the world" by ignoring global warming. "Climate change is a huge thing, but there is very little that we can do about it," Bjorn Lomborg told CNSNews.com following a speech in Buenos Aires on Monday.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 - Hearing arguments on whether two journalists should be jailed for refusing to name their confidential sources to a grand jury, a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in Washington seemed on Wednesday to reject their main argument, which is based on the First Amendment. Only one judge, David S. Tatel, appeared to leave the door open for the possibility that journalists called before grand juries might have some legal protection, though not under the First Amendment. But the proposed protection that Judge Tatel sketched out in a series of questions might not be of any...

WASHINGTON - Justice Antonin Scalia (news - web sites) said Friday his colleagues on the Supreme Court will probably go on referring to foreign court decisions in their rulings on U.S. law but that doesn't make it right. Scalia generally opposes a greater role and influence for international law in American courts. While that view made him an unusual choice to speak to the American Society of International Law, Scalia said he welcomes the opportunity to engage his critics. "It is my view that modern foreign legal material can never be relevant to any interpretation of, that is to say,...

<p>SAN FRANCISCO - Passage of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's $15 billion bond on the March ballot won't resolve an unwillingness in Sacramento to make politically unpopular decisions needed to balance the state budget, investors and rating agency officials agreed Thursday.</p> <p>At the second annual California Municipal Finance conference in San Francisco, state Controller Steve Westly and state Finance Director Donna Arduin said the bond measure is the only practical short-term solution to the state's budget crisis.</p>

or a White House that would particularly like to see President Bush prevail in California in the 2004 election, the recall move that is threatening to topple Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, would seem, at first glance, like a gift. But as a nervous White House contemplated the successes, so far, of the effort to oust Mr. Davis, it was hardly clear that the recall effort would provide the advantage Mr. Bush was seeking in the solidly Democratic state. Some Republicans argued that the installation of a Republican governor in California would give Mr. Bush the organizational and fund-raising foundation...

Unless the ghosts of Uday and Qusay Hussein walk hand-in-hand through Baghdad, many Iraqis will refuse to believe they are dead. On the streets of the capital, the release of macabre photographs of the two corpses was greeted with deep scepticism. After suffering decades of propaganda under Saddam Hussein, many people refuse to believe anything they learn from any news media. Instead, they believe reliable information comes only from word of mouth, passed on from friends and relatives. This provides fertile ground for the wildfire spread of rumour and conspiracy theory. Less than 48 hours after the deaths of the...

amazon.com has just posted my new review of Bjorn Lomborg's book "The Skeptical Environmentalist." (I submitted it 11 days ago, but they just posted it today.) At the end of my review on their website it asks "Was this review helpful to you?" Please go to the website and vote on my review. Thank you! Here is my review: Doomsayers are afraid that you might actually read this book June 8, 2002 Reviewer: grundle2600 Since Bjorn Lomborg's book "The Skeptical Environmentalist" was published in the United States last year, a lot of people have been very critical of Lomborg and...

The article is too long to post here. http://www.reason.com/0205/fe.rb.green.shtml

<p>PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -- A two-week federal trial to determine how far the government can go to protect children from pornography on library computers ended on Thursday with judges openly concerned about whether the latest online smut law from Congress infringes on free-speech rights.</p>