Free Republic

A conference of Christian church leaders on the "threat" of Islam to New Zealand is being condemned as a "conference of bigots" by senior New Zealand Muslims.The organiser of the Mosque and Miracles conferences, national director of Middle East Christian Outreach Murray Dillner, said the conference would address the threat posed by Islam to New Zealand society – a threat he likened to the terrorist attacks in the United States of September 11, 2001. "It's an underlying threat, but it's like the twin towers – they imploded. Islam does the same thing to a society – it makes it...

DALLAS (Reuters) - A major U.S. association of evangelical Christians has condemned torture by the U.S. military and reaffirmed its commitment to environmental activism, positions that highlight broader splits in a movement associated with conservative causes. "United States law and military doctrine has banned the resort to torture or cruel and degrading treatment. Tragically, documented cases of torture and inhumane and cruel behavior have occurred at various sites in the war on terror," the National Association of Evangelicals said in a statement. "Current law opens procedural loopholes for more to continue," said the statement endorsed by the association's board of...

WASHINGTON - Democrats blistered President Bush's war policy Tuesday night, challenging him to redeem the nation's credibility — and his own — with an immediate shift toward a diplomatic end to the bloody conflict in Iraq. "The president took us into this war recklessly," the Democrats' chosen messenger, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, said in response to Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday evening. "We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable — and predicted — disarray that has followed." Webb, a Vietnam veteran who was Navy secretary during Republican President Reagan's administration, called for a...

he problem of Muslim radicalization has been on the agenda of all nations since 9/11. But Canada faces a unique dilemma because the doctrine of multiculturalism is seen as intrinsic to our national identity. The recent disruption of an alleged homegrown Islamist terror plot has caused many Canadians to ask: How can multiculturalism -- which preaches tolerance above all else -- be squared with a militant, intolerant creed that demonizes non-believers? This week, the National Post presents a week-long series of articles examining this question. In today's second instalment, Gordon Nickel examines the claim that Islam is inherently a 'religion...

At the dawn of the atomic age, scientists began work on what might have been the nastiest weapon ever conceived.Those who came of age during the era of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl are probably too young to remember the happy days when "our friend the atom" promised electricity too cheap to meter and cars that would run forever without a fill-up. With atom-powered subs like the Nautilus cruising under the polar icecap in the mid-1950s, could anyone doubt that atom-powered rocketships, airplanes, and even automobiles would be far behind? A funny thing happened to that dream on its way...

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison slams a fan to the turf after he ran onto the field during the fourth quarter of the Steelers' 41-0 NFL win over the Cleveland Browns Saturday, Dec. 24, 2005, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has long been rumored as desperately seeking the democratic nomination for president in 2008. And while many political observers fully expect the power hungry former First Lady to hit the campaign trail within only a few months of being re-elected as a US Senator in 2006, US News & World report claims to have a confirmation of sorts. From USNews.Com's Washington Whispers: Hillary's in… You don't have to take it from us about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton 's desire to run for president. Her brothers, Hugh and Tony Rodham, say it's true. Friends...

Cheney scores: "You're not credible on Iraq because of the enormous inconsistencies that John Kerry and you have cited time after time after time." "Whatever the political pressures of the moment requires, that's where you're at. But you've not been consistent and there's no indication at all that John Kerry has the conviction to successfully carry through on the war on terror." "So they [Kerry, Edwards], in effect, decided they would cast an anti-war vote and they voted against the troops. Now if they couldn't stand up to the pressures that Howard Dean represented, how can we expect them...

Democratic Party dismay has been mounting since Kerry ____ (fill in the blank with your favorite of any of a dozen things). Stoked by a constant barrage of well documented inconvenient facts coming out about Kerry's background and the ever-increasing popularity of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, the heated arguments between the Kerry campaign and the DNC leadership increase. Add in, too, the rousing success of the GOP convention and it appears we can stick a fork in the Democratic Party now because that goose is just about fully cooked. Another good barometer, of course, is the mania displayed...

Attention: Members, Staff, Press Viewing of Robert Greenwald’s New Documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism Dear Colleague: Please join us in viewing the new Robert Greenwald documentary film, Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism, on Wednesday, July 21, at 6:30PM in HC-5. The film was co-sponsored by the Center for American Progress and MoveOn.org. At 6:00PM there will be a Q&A session with Mr. Greenwald, John Podesta from American Progress, Clara Frenk, a former Fox News employee, and Members of Congress. At 6:30, there will be a screening of Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism. The media have been...

Mayor: Don't like it? Go GOPBrothers & sisters are 'in charge'By RON GOLDWYNgoldwyr@phillynews.comAN UNREPENTENT Mayor Street wants to update the NAACP convention with some hot old news:In Philadelphia, the brothers and sisters are still in charge.Street, in welcoming remarks yesterday to the 8,000-delegate gathering at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, recalled how he "got myself in trouble" in 2002."I said in the city of Philadelphia the brothers and sisters are in charge," he declared. "They never let me forget it."Street apologized at the time. But yesterday he brought delegates to their feet roaring approval when he said he "will never apologize"...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Google Inc. hails its new e-mail service as a breakthrough in online communication, but consumer watchdogs are attacking it as a creepy invasion of privacy that threatens to set a troubling precedent. Although Google's free "Gmail" service isn't even available yet, critics already are pressuring the popular search engine maker to drop its plans to electronically scan e-mail content so it can distribute relevant ads alongside incoming messages. Privacy activists worry that Gmail will comb through e-mail more intensively than the filters widely used to weed out potential viruses and spam. Gmail opponents also want Google...

<p>WASHINGTON — Democratic congressional leaders criticized President Bush's policies on the economy and the war on terrorism on Friday in a "pre-buttal" to Tuesday's State of the Union (search) address, the president's annual opportunity to assess the nation's progress and propose new ideas.</p>