Free Republic

A former Catholic priest convicted in federal court of defrauding two local churches of hundreds of thousands of dollars was due back in court today on 13 more charges. However, he was not brought to Louisa County from federal prison in North Carolina today, so another court date must be set. Rodney L. Rodis, 51, was sentenced in February to five years in federal prison for diverting for personal use money donated to the two county parishes he headed. Last month, a Louisa grand jury reinstated 13 theft counts against him. County authorities initially charged Rodis with 13 felony embezzlement...

CHINESE President Hu Jintao has defended China's slow political reforms overnight, at the end of a US tour, as hundreds of protestors tried to drown out his speech at Yale University. Mr Hu has been dogged by the Falun gong movement and human rights protesters throughout his four days in the United States. More than 200 protestors, mainly from Falun gong, pounded drums and shouted into bullhorns the auditorium where Mr Hu spoke at the prestigious university. "Falun Dafa is good!" the protestors screamed. Other protestors demanded the release of dissidents including a jailed New York Times researcher, Zhao Yan....

In the thirty years since Roe v.Wade ushered in a new paradigm in the legal understanding of the right to choose abortion, there has been little about the issue that has not been said—and said time and time again. Supporters of choice have argued that it is important to recognize women as autonomous persons with the moral capacity and moral right to decide whether a pregnancy will be aborted or brought to term. We have enhanced our core argument with references to broader values such as religious freedom, opposition to government intervention in our personal lives and the right to...