Free Republic

LOS ANGELES - If not for scheming teen Andrew Van De Camp on ABC's megahit Desperate Housewives and Dr. Kerry Weaver on the long-running ER on NBC, the only regular gay or lesbian character on a returning broadcast network show this fall would be a closeted accountant named Oscar on NBC's The Office.

More and more Palestinian civilians turning to human rights organizations with complaints of growing violence of IDF soldiers at checkpoints in territories after war in Lebanon. 'I felt that all pressure from war is released in meeting with them,' told taxi driver who claimed he needed to be hospitalized after he was hit by soldiers In the past few days, more and more Palestinian testimonies have amassed that claim that IDF soldiers humiliated them at checkpoints in Judea and Samaria. The same Palestinians say that the soldiers are taking the frustration created by the war in Lebanon out on them....

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The British government is considering a system of passenger profiling that includes checks on travelers' ethnic or religious background, according to media reports. The planned system of tougher airport checks would create a new offense of "traveling whilst Asian," according to one of Britain's most senior Muslim police officers. Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Ali Dizaei said intelligence could be used to examine travel history, how a ticket is purchased and frequency of travel, but added: "It becomes hugely problematic when it's based on ethnicity, religion and country of origin. I don't think there's a stereotypical image...

President Bush was widely criticized by Muslim leaders Thursday for saying that the breakup of an alleged plot to blow up airliners over the Atlantic Ocean was a triumph in the "war against Islamic fascists." Muslims, already resentful of the scrutiny they have been under since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said the politically charged phrase unfairly connected one of the world's great religions with Nazism and totalitarianism --- and fueled hostility against Islam and Muslims in America. They said it also contradicted Bush's earlier statements that Islam was a religion of peace. "There's nothing Islamic about fascism," said...

The slightly rolling hills about five miles east of Troy is where Robert Fleming tills the Blackland soils day after day, providing a living off the land for his wife and children. Wistfully looking over a field of six-inch high corn on April 5, Fleming agonized over the realization that the first section of the Trans-Texas Corridor may plow smack through his property. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the first leg of the toll road would flank Interstate 35 to the east from Dallas to San Antonio and would then follow I-35 to Laredo instead of Brownsville,...

Public hearings could begin as early as May around the state on plans for the controversial Trans Texas Corridor project.Work is underway on a 4,000-page draft environmental impact statement that will identify a 10-mile-wide route for the superhighway.Once the draft is completed, hearings will be scheduled.“We want to do this right. It takes time to conduct a thorough analysis,” said Michael Behrens, executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation.“It’s hard to predict the timing of things but we hope to have the draft statement available for public review within the next 3 to 6 weeks.”The principal study area is...

It's decision time for Texas once again, as we choose those who will lead our state. For farmers and ranchers, these decisions take on great importance because of our relatively small numbers in comparison with the general population. Despite this obvious fact, Farm Bureau and agriculture have remained very effective in the legislative process. One reason is AGFUND. We support our friends. Farm Bureau and agriculture stand behind those elected officials who understand our industry and support it in Austin and Washington. In Farm Bureau, political endorsements are made according to a carefully planned, grassroots driven system. The recommendations of...