Free Republic

Ross Douthat, 29, a senior editor and conservative blogger for The Atlantic magazine, has been hired by The New York Times to write a regular column online and then fill the weekly Op-ed slot occupied by William Kristol during 2008. A New York Times spokeswoman confirmed the hiring to E&P this afternoon. Andrew Rosenthal, editorial page editor, asked by E&P's Joe Strupp why Douthat had been picked, cited his youth, Republican politics, "iconoclast" leanings and intelligence. He also said that he had interviewed several applicants after reading widely the work of many conservatives (see separate story). Rosenthal had sent around...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2008 – Unofficial reports indicate that Russian troops began to withdraw from the Georgian town of Gori last evening, a senior Defense Department spokesman said here today. “We’re going to have to see whether or not that is the beginning of a true withdrawal,” Bryan Whitman said, or “some sort of token effort.” Meanwhile, deliveries of U.S. humanitarian supplies to Georgia continue, Whitman said. About 264 tons of supplies have been air-delivered to Georgia so far, he said. Whitman also told reporters that Russian troops in Georgia took some U.S. military Humvee vehicles. He said he didn’t...

A man accused of selling a MARTA token to a passenger having trouble with a token machine must stand trial on the criminal charge. Judge Stephanie Davis decided Tuesday that Donald Pirone's case should be bound over to state court for trial. Pirone could face a year in jail. An officer spotted Pirone selling the token on Nov. 30 inside the West End subway station. Following a 1992 state law that prohibits passengers from selling tokens, the officer handcuffed Pirone and gave him a citation. Pirone says he was trying to help a fellow passenger. He says he did not...

I remember reading several months ago about some drug they developed from a tree or plant in africa. When people take it they go through this introspective journey and meet with some sort of spiritual being that sets them straight...? No I dont buy it but a "friend" wanted to read it. Thanks

(CNSNews.com) - The president of the College Democrats of America is facing criticism from Indian-Americans for "despicable" comments he made about a Louisiana Republican gubernatorial candidate of Indian descent. In an e-mail Tuesday, College Democrats President Ashley Bell, a law student at Louisiana State University, informed students of the upcoming governor's election between Democrat Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco and former Bush administration official Bobby Jindal, who was born a Hindu. "On Saturday -- we nominated Kathleen Blanco the Lt. Governor to be our nominee to take on Bush's personal 'Do Boy' Bobby Jindal," Bell wrote. "Jindal is Arab American and...

Cannabis poses a greater threat to health than tobacco, lung experts have warned. The warning comes on the day that Home Secretary David Blunkett is due to make a Commons statement about the future of government drug policy. Many young people are simply not aware that smoking cannabis may put them at increased risk of respiratory cancers and infections . Dame Helena Shovelton: The Home Affairs Select Committee has recommended that cannabis is downgraded from a class B drug to class C. This would mean that possession would lead to a caution, rather than arrest. The British Lung Foundation is...