Free Republic

The television reporters covering the fires have been effusive about the capacities of the converted DC-10 airliner that has been dropping fire retardant on the fires in the vicinity of Lake Arrowhead, and the enthusiasm is warranted. Sometimes called the Tanker 910, and sometimes the 10 Tanker Air Carrier, the plane can carry 12,000 gallons of fire retardant or water in tanks attached under its belly. That's 10 times as much liquid as the other available California air tankers, and four times the capacity of the largest-available tankers operated by the federal government. It can create a fire line three-quarters...

I don't know if this has been brought to anyone's attention yet, but in a quick search of the authenticated Reuters photographs attributed to Adnan Hajj, I found the following two. One is from July 24 of a bombed out area in Beirut, with a clearly identifiable building in a prominent part of the shot. The second is of the exact same area, same buildings, same condition, with a woman walking past "a building flattened during an overnight Israeli air raid on Beirut's suburbs August 5, 2006." JOHN adds: Another example of the same phenomenon--not an identical photo, but two...

In a startling report revealing a tale of transatlantic espionage not witnessed since the glory days of 007, the London-based Financial Times recently detailed how Britain, supposedly America’s closest European ally, has been leading a multi-year European undercover ('back-door') effort within the United States to undermine U.S. climate change policy. While this is not surprising, it does smack of interference with another nation's policies. It also happens to confirm prior ITSSD research, readily accessible on its website.

Tone what down, Mr. Bush? Who are you talking to? To conservatives? I think he is. And I think Laura Ingraham, thinks he is, too. And, proud of God Knows What, he slighted the conservatives who are suppose to sit around and watch their hair turn white as year after year after year after year betrayal, and now having given so much to put the Republicans and the Bush family BACK in power, who believed the oath Bush gave to church leaders, to conservative leaders, in back door meetings, when lots of money exchanged hands, and money from common people...

PARIS. March 18 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Russia's support for the idea of China's territorial integrity. "The Soviet Union and Russia have always been in favor of China's territorial integrity. We have not changed our position and think that China has a right to fully restore its territorial integrity. We understand the Chinese authorities' efforts to resolve this problem," Putin told a press conference in Paris on Friday. "We assume this problem will be resolved by peaceful methods," Putin said.

Will the world fall for it?

Financial gimmicks don't fix a state budget, and often cost the state more in the long run. That's true of borrowing money to pay the state's pension obligations, which got Gray Davis into trouble and is now embarrassing Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Pacific Legal Foundation this month filed a lawsuit challenging the governor's plan to sell $929 million in bonds to cover the state's pension costs this year. A similar lawsuit last year derailed Davis' plans to borrow $2 billion to meet pension obligations. The lawsuit isn't frivolous. The state Constitution prohibits the government from borrowing more than $300,000 without voters'...

The US military says marines in Fallujah have shot and killed an insurgent who engaged them as he was faking being dead, a week after footage of a marine killing an apparently unarmed and wounded Iraqi caused a stir in the region. "Marines from the 1st Marine Division shot and killed an insurgent who while faking dead opened fire on the marines who were conducting a security and clearing patrol through the streets," a military statement said. Military sources had said that the rules of engagement were looser during the operation launched in Fallujah, for fear that rebels would be...

More “Liberal Patriotism” from John Kerry By: Christopher G. Adamo In light of John Kerry’s hypersensitivity towards any questioning of his “patriotism,” it is noteworthy that in the last few days, he has presented yet another example of his completely warped definition of the concept. In an earlier time, it would have been universally understood that efforts to discourage America’s allies from supporting such a worthy cause as the war on terror, were blatantly unpatriotic. Yet that is precisely what Kerry has done. Among the most memorable statements of President Bush’s September 20 2001 address to the joint session of...

We just won a reversal of the denial of parole to my friend and client Kathy Boudin. NYSupreme Court Justice Benza just faxed his opinion to my co-counsel Len Weinglass. He orders a new hearing for failure of the parole board to consider the sentencing court's opinions and recommendations as contained in the sentencing minutes. Kathy's now been in prison over 21 years on a 20 to life sentence. At the sentencing the judge said he expected that Kathy would be granted parole after 20 years. The DA said that whether Kathy would be released after 20 years would depend...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Four US soldiers serving in Iraq have been charged with abuse of Iraqi prisoners of war and are awaiting a decision on whether they will face a court-martial, a defense official said. The charges mark the first time US personnel have been formally accused of mistreating Iraqi prisoners since the beginning of the US-led invasion of Iraq on March 20. The names of the soldiers have not been released, but they are reported to belong to a military police unit that helped guard prisoners at Camp Bucca, in southern Iraq, last May. "They have been charged with...

<p>The chairwoman of the California Coastal Commission pulled out of a bitter political fight for leadership of the panel Wednesday, saying Gov. Gray Davis had worked for her ouster in favor of members who are more friendly to coastal development.</p>