Free Republic

I'm glad for all of those FREEPERs that worked to get this on the ballot and it's great just for helping in next election. Now you have a lot of activists and you have created a data base of fed up Californians. You had no choice because doing something rather than nothing is far better. But I see two flies in the ointment based on what we all know of RAT Party. Just a hunch, what do the rest of you think. I see them doing two things PLAN A is they will sign up no DEM by the deadline,...

Net activists are pressing the UK Government to explain what has happened to thousands of public responses that expressed doubts about the merits of ID cards. The responses were passed on by groups such as Stand and Privacy International when the government was seeking public comment on its ID card proposals. The groups have been dismayed by bullish official announcements on ID cards and fear that all dissenting views are being ignored. In response the Home Office said it would take all views into account and was still scrutinising responses. Lost responses From the 31 July 2002 to 31 January...

The law of unintended consequences is raising a terrible possibility in Iraq. The dying but defiant government has reached into its seemingly limitless bag of violent tricks and come out with suicide bombers. It was long known that President Saddam Hussein rewarded the murderous suicides of Palestinians in Israel. It was long rumoured that Iraq was running a school to train young men and women to become suicide bombers. One of the most dangerous possibilities of our day is that the Iraq war may make suicide bombers appear legitimate to many unthinking people. There should be nothing but condemnation of...

Davis crafted A fresh take on an old philosophical riddle, courtesy of state leaders in Sacramento: If a tax goes up, but no one votes to raise it, can anyone be held accountable? Gov. Gray Davis is hoping the answer is no. Desperate to fill his 11-figure budget deficit, the governor has long been itching to triple the state car tax, but didn't want to take the political heat for socking the average California family to the tune of an additional $124 a year -- and a lot more for families owning more than one car or newer models. For...

Have you ever hated someone for getting in your way to achieve your life's goal? Really despised him? You've tried to get him to see things your way, to embrace your goal, to see the potential benefits (to you), but he stubbornly refuses and continues his own way. And his "way" is what blocks your progress. So what can you do? Actually, if you are a moral relativist, your list of options is endless. Moral relativism rejects the centuries-old notion of moral standards that determine right and wrong; it allows any amount of trickery you can think of, and hatred...

Washington masks deficits using accounting tricks Tue Jul 16, 5:02 PM ET Lost in all of the political posturing over a worsening federal deficit and spreading corporate scandals is one ugly fact: The accounting tricks used by U.S. companies are nothing compared with Washington's bookkeeping circus. Congress and the White House, under both parties, have long played games to exaggerate income, disguise liabilities and cover up troublesome budget realities. As with corporate accounting tricks, the tactics allow lawmakers to hide true financial situations, and their own irresponsible behavior, from ''shareholders.'' Except in this case, they're the taxpayers who foot the...

Today: June 06, 2002 at 10:05:26 PDT Guantanamo Detainees Innocence Cited WASHINGTON- An attorney representing the families of 70 detainees at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base said that maybe some of the captured men were rescue workers or Taliban sympathizers, but very few fought U.S. forces in Afghanistan. At a news conference Thursday, Najeeb Al-Nauimi said the men's families and other witnesses have confirmed their innocence. Nauimi also said the U.S. government has done little to investigate which detainees might not be enemies. "Some of these young men were hiding out with Taliban because they wanted a way to safely...

In ancient Greece, oracles divined the will of the gods through examinations of animal entrails, celestial phenomena and the changing shapes of flames of fire. Highly skilled oracles knew how to frame their questions, and how then to shade interpretations, to provide directions that conformed to the leader's ambitions. Commands from the gods were passed on in story form, which was more entertaining, and also fixed them more firmly in the minds of the listeners. Oracles were not above using the consultations to further their own personal ambitions and to increase their authority.The institution of divination, and deferrence to oracles,...