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Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who promised not to sign any bills until lawmakers reach a budget deal, reversed his position today and signed a bill for a statewide bullet train system that he strongly supports. The governor also wants to make exceptions for three other proposals that he has been promoting: budget reform; changing the state lottery to allow California to borrow against future ticket sales; and a bond proposal for water infrastructure. The high-speed rail legislation will replace a $10 billion bond measure on the November ballot with a revised version of the proposal that makes the bullet...

No excuse for violence against women Wilfred Langmaid DAYS BETWEEN Published Friday February 22nd, 2008 Appeared on page C10 You deserve so much more than this. So don't tell me why he's never been good to you. Don't tell me why he's never been there for you. And I'll tell you that why is simply not good enough. - Good Enough by Sarah McLachlan In the early 1990s, very shortly after my ordination as a priest, I attended a seminar with a group of Anglican clergy. That day, I was told more than one in 8 women was a victim...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a quick-trigger, guns-a-blazing action hero in Hollywood, is being blasted by firearms groups as a Second Amendment wimp in the Capitol. Schwarzenegger's signing of bills to require microstamping of semiautomatic pistols and to ban lead bullets in condor country has prompted gun groups to paint him as one of the state's most anti-gun Republican governors. "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger might as well change his last name to Kennedy because he is acting just like radical, anti-gun U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, his uncle-in-law," read a recent statement by Gun Owners of California, a nonprofit advocacy group. "We don't believe...

Listen to this audio file at LiveLeak. This guy is emblematic of the US Department of State. I've lurked at FreeRepublic for years, but when I heard this, I blew a gasket and registered. I looked at the Dept of State website for his email address, but could not find it. However, his phone is: 202-647-1318.

Chafee quietly quits the GOP 01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, September 16, 2007 By Bruce Landis Journal Staff Writer PROVIDENCE — Lincoln D. Chafee, who lost his Senate seat in the wave of anti-Republican sentiment in last November’s election, said yesterday that he has left the party. Chafee said he disaffiliated with the party he had helped lead, and his father had led before him, because the national Republican Party has gone too far away from his stance on too many critical issues, from war to economics to the environment. “It’s not my party any more,” he said. Chafee’s departure...

Kucinich's diet Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) offered an explanation for why he chooses a vegan diet today during the LiveStrong presidential candidates forum on cancer. He explained he has dropped 25 pounds since taking on a no-meat diet. He said his food choices give him tons of energy to use on the campaign trail, and, apparently, in his personal life. "I'm 60, my wife's 29. You draw your own conclusions," he said, adding as the MSNBC camera panned to wife Elizabeth: "Diet helps." Moderator Lance Armstrong complained, "This has really deteriorated," but then joined in the fun: "I would just...

Behold GodTube.com, the place where sex, humor and warm spiritual inclusiveness go to die The Internets, they're just so chock-full of gul-dang liberals, aren't they? This is, after all, the big conservative lament. It's like you can't hit your Gizmodo or your Fleshbot or your Savage Love without running smack into some well-read, free-thinking pseudo-hipster gleefully expounding on the joys of anal sex or a recent hilarious Jon Stewart/"Daily Show" riff or offering up a link to some dark, brilliant Polish anti-war animation. Horrible! Or maybe it's a hot sex blogger slapping Fox News for being such an obvious bastion...

By San Francisco O'Sullivan report (mp3) - Download 449k audio clip Listen to O'Sullivan report (mp3) audio clip United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday, and the two called for stepped-up global action on climate change. Mike O'Sullivan reports from San Francisco, the U.N. official praised the West Coast governor for his state's aggressive role in tackling the issue. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has made climate change a priority at the United Nations. He had flattering words for Governor Schwarzenegger, who has set ambitious goals to reduce his state's greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global...

Welcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a FRink.Will we hear… Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic! Call the show: 1-877-381-3811

Just had to get that off my chest!

Duke lacrosse players owe woman apology Tuesday, April 17, 2007 3:32 AM I respond to the Associated Press article in Thursday's Dispatch, "All charges dropped against players," regarding the Duke lacrosse rape case. As a 24-year-old white, male college student, I am appalled that a case so pregnant with issues of race, gender, income disparity and prejudice has been swept under the rug. Even if these young men did not rape this young woman, they still acted in a racist, misogynist manner that should not be condoned in any society. It is disheartening to think that these young men are...

The latest point of emphasis in the global warming movement is that cattle farming endangers the planet by producing too much methane. So now, steaks and hamburgers are classified as instruments of destruction, along with large vehicles, lawn mowers, and charcoal grills. It can't be much longer before cowboy movies, cigars and hockey are held to be enemies of the earth as well. This has got to be the most blatant assault on guyhood since ABC moved Coach to the same night as Roseanne, and turned Hayden Fox into Phil Donahue. It's a wonder that liberals don't cut to the...

March 05, 2007 An Open Letter To The ACU And CPAC Sponsors Note: This letter will appear simultaneously on a number of conservative blogs this morning. It has been scheduled in advance for that purpose. My personal remarks will appear below. _____________________________________________ Conservatism treats humans as they are, as moral creatures possessing rational minds and capable of discerning right from wrong. There comes a time when we must speak out in the defense of the conservative movement, and make a stand for political civility. This is one of those times. Ann Coulter used to serve the movement well. She was...

Six years after Donald Rumsfeld agreed to a second tour of duty as secretary of defense, to rebuild the military, Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker told Congress his Army "will break" if not relieved of the present burdens. Colin Powell says the Army is "almost broken." This week, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there is a significant risk that the United States today may be unable to respond quickly and fully to another crisis should it arise. Howls erupted across the spectrum for more billions for more men for the Army and Marine Corps....

Dentist to Affluent Sues Lidle Estate By SAMUEL MAULL NEW YORK (AP) - A dentist to the rich and famous has filed a $7 million lawsuit against the estate of late New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, claiming his home was destroyed when the ballplayer's small airplane crashed into his apartment building. Dr. Lawrence Rosenthal says in court papers that after Lidle's Cirrus SR-20 aircraft crashed into the Manhattan building where he lived with his wife and teenage son, they had to vacate their 43rd-floor apartment. Rosenthal, whose patients include Donald Trump, Bruce Springsteen and Catherine Zeta-Jones, said his apartment...

Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger has aligned himself with Democrats in calling on the Bush administration to set a clear timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. Speaking on CBS’s "Face the Nation,” on Sunday, the California governor said Americans won’t support a war that involves an open-ended commitment and threatens to become a Vietnam-like quagmire. "We should let the Iraqis know that we are here until this time, and then we’re going to draw back,” Schwarzenegger said. "We’re going to draw our troops out of Iraq. I think a timeline is absolutely important because I think that the people in America...

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned to the national spotlight on Valentine's Day to tell U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that he misses her verbal attacks. "It had been days since she had given me any attention. How are you, Condoleezza?" Chavez asked in a speech Wednesday to pensioners in the capital of Caracas. It was Chavez's first response to Rice's testimony last week to a U.S. congressional committee that the Venezuelan leader was "destroying his own country" economically and politically — an apparent reference to a centralization of power in Venezuela and moves to nationalize key...

"This is a true story.....Check out this photo from our mess hall at the US Embassy yesterday morning. Sen. Kerry found himself all alone while he was over here. He cancelled his press conference because no one came, he worked out alone in the gym w/o any soldiers even going up to say hi or ask for an autograph (I was one of those who was in the gym at the same time), and he found himself eating breakfast with only a couple of folks who are obviously not troops. What is amazing is Bill O'Reilly came to visit with...

Democrat Phil Angelides blamed his struggling campaign for governor on a "record amount of negative ads" put out by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in an interview Monday with The Chronicle editorial board. Angelides, who trails in most polls by double digits, said Schwarzenegger and his supporters have spent more than $60 million since June to misinform California voters about his record and policies. "You have the largest amount of special interest money pouring into Arnold Schwarzenegger's accounts -- all to tear me down," said Angelides, a two-term state treasurer. "We are the underdog in this race." With just three weeks...

EXCLUSIVE: THE TERMIMOTOR Arnie dumps gas-guzzling Hummers as California sues carmarkers over pollution By Ryan Parry, Us Correspondent ARNOLD Schwarzenegger has dumped his £500,000 fleet of Hummers as California sues the world's largest carmakers over pollution. The Californian governor sold eight of the four-ton, 110mph army-style trucks - which do only 10 miles to the gallon - to prove his commitment to helping the fight against global warning. Schwarzenegger used to call the monster vehicles "incredibly precise and forceful machines". But the Terminator star has had a change of heart since swapping the silver screen for a career in politics....

(While filming "Bosnian Holiday",a film about the hunt for Karadzic), actor Richard Gere becomes ill from the smell of cevapi Sarajevo - Actor Richard Gere, who is a Buddhist and a vegeterian, became ill from the smell of cevapi [trans. note: small grilled sausages, a traditional dish] in the Sarajevo quarter of Bascarsija. The hospitable restaurant operators were forced to close their shops during filmining in Bascarsija because of Gere, even though they made an effort and brought him the very best cevapi to be had, writes the Sarajevo press. The famous Hollywood star is in Sarajevo filming "Holiday in...

Samuel Colt invented the revolver in 1836 in Hartford, Conn., and now he's remembered by the saying: "Abe Lincoln may have freed all men, but Colt made them equal." Today, we have a new equalizer, the Internet. You might say: "God made all writers, but the Web made them equal." No matter if you are an obscure writer at a small newspaper in suburban Chicago. In the cyberworld, if you have a good column, sometimes you can attract almost as much attention as a writer at one of the big papers. Consequently, I get a pretty good amount of reader...

I f you live in plano area be aware of the Fina at parker and alma.

Aw shoot, they're cute The NRA's flyer at gigantic weapons fest screams: 'Acres of guns! Bring the family!' Among the thousands of guns at NRA firearm sale, Emily Carlson, 4, jumps from her stroller to point out her favorite. MILWAUKEE - The flyer for the 135th annual gathering of the National Rifle Association said to "bring your whole family" to see "acres of the latest guns." And a man behind the registration desk at the exhibition hall on Friday guaranteed this was no exaggeration. "You won't believe it!" he said.  He was right, for to enter the cavernous Midwest...

An open letter to William P. Leahy, SJ, president of Boston College. I am writing to resign my post as an adjunct professor of English at Boston College. I am doing so -- after five years at BC, and with tremendous regret -- as a direct result of your decision to invite Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to be the commencement speaker at this year's graduation. Many members of the faculty and student body already have voiced their objection to the invitation, arguing that Rice's actions as secretary of state are inconsistent with the broader humanistic values of the university...

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER hasn't just abandoned his campaign promise to fight the special interests that dominate Sacramento politics. He has thrown it from his favorite Hummer and driven over it. His craven surrender to the tyrannical prison guards union is so complete that his aides have been subverting the authority of the state corrections chief by consulting union officials on her choices for warden positions and other jobs. And that, according to one insider, is the explanation for the resignation Wednesday of Jeanne S. Woodford, acting secretary of the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Woodford quit just two months...

Stern weighed in yesterday with the confession that he had a nose job nine years ago — right after the filming of his movie, "Private Parts" — and liposuction not long after to suck out the waddle of fat under his chin. He explained that, while he'd always hated his nose, doctor after doctor told him not to touch it. Finally, he said, one sketched out a simple fix that would pare away his speed bump, so he decided to have the surgery.

REPORT: SCHWARZENEGGER STITCHED UP AFTER VEHICLE MISHAP

Yaa, you repukes are not doing so well, huh? Imagine, you repukes control the presidency, both houses of Congress, and appointed 7 of the 9 Supreme Court justices. Yet the Supreme Court thre out sodomy laws in all 50 states and recognized the right of government to seize land for any reason. And you couldn't pass your Social Security changes could you? Sorry, that was your last shot. Come November, we're going to start seeing more Democratic faces in the House. It's the end for you guys. You guys are celebrating when Bush's numbers go *up* to 45%. Then Faux...

Bush’s giant Right Wing Noise Machine (RWNM) loves to preach about the Bush economic miracle. In fact, the RWNM’s current thinking is Bush doesn’t spend enough time talking about his economic triumphs. If only he did, then everyone would fall in line and believe in the great Bush economic miracle. There is one problem with this argument: it’s a lie. Any way you look at the Bush economy, it comes up short. Today, I want to compare Bush’s job creation record with other economic recoveries. As usual, Bush comes up way short. The national Bureau of Economic Research has identified...

SISTERS, Ore. -- Tara O'Keeffe said even the manliest of men needs a good moisturizer. That's why the Oregon woman has created a moisturizer for the "working man" who frequents home-improvement stores. O'Keeffe's Working Hands is oil-free, hypoallergenic, unscented and sold in cans that look like car wax containers. She now sells 500,000 cans of the lotion annually in the United States. It's packaged in a fluorescent lime-green canister with tangerine print, a rubber grip and a holographic lid. The can is shaped like a hockey puck. The product has no fragrance and fits right into a tool chest. O'keefe...

Why does anybody support George w Bush as President? He is clearly the worst President I have ever seen -- a complete disaster. And before you say anything, I have been a registered Republican for 25 years.

Lies of omission about 9/11 -- stoking fears of terrorism THEY WANT YOU TO BE AFRAID The following post was censored by freerepublic.com shortly after it was posted on their "public" forum on 9/11/04. That forum is designed to appear as though it is a community forum open to all, but this post only received three responses before it and its replies were deleted, and a repeat posting at 4 am PST on 9/20/04 didn't stay online for 5 minutes! Someone is apparently watching closely over the content of the freerepublic.com forums and censoring them 24/7 (though they might have...

SAN ANTONIO) -- Saying the "idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong," Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean predicted today that the Democratic Party will come together on a proposal to withdraw National Guard and Reserve troops immediately, and all US forces within two years. Dean made his comments in an interview on WOAI Radio in San Antonio. "I've seen this before in my life. This is the same situation we had in Vietnam. Everybody then kept saying, 'just another year, just stay the course, we'll have a victory.' Well,...

Joseph Wilson, Valerie Plame's husband, will address the National Press Club on Oct. 31 -- Halloween -- it was announced on Wednesday. The luncheon will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m., with Wilson's address starting just after 1 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. (You need advance reservations.) Wilson's appearance on Monday suggests he expects indictments to come -- or something to happen in the White House leak case -- by Friday. The Washington Post on Tuesday described Wilson as a man of "flamboyant style and a love for the camera lens." The report noted that he propelled the leak involving...

NOW --- LET'S TALK A BIT ABOUT GUN CONTROL I mentioned this above .. but let's bring it up again. Gun control. For decades the left has been eager to disarm the American people. Democrats and liberals have been dedicated to the idea that only government should have guns, that the people should totally and completely put their right of self defense to government. How would you like to have been one of the people in New Orleans who sat out the storm in their house, only to now find to now find predatory looters trying to come through the...

ANOTHER AMERICA-HATER HEARD FROM (Friday, 6:30 pm, EDT) Randall Robinson wrote a book entitled "The Debt – What America Owes Blacks." That cracks the door on Robinson's entitlement mentality. Now the door has been thrown wide open by Robinson's contribution to the leftist Huffington Post on the Internet. Read what Randall Robinson has to say here. Then come back to read my response. Robinson is angry about the delayed response to the tragic situation in New Orleans. We all are, but Robinson goes too far. He calls America a "monstrous fraud." Even though I might be able to understand his...

The word is just getting out, a representative of Code PINK Women For PEacewill be on Alan Colmes radio show tonite in the midnight hour. Who's got the info on Colme's show? What's the call in number? What station? If you know yours, give call letters, frequency and City/State please...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger frequently attacks legislators as spending addicts. He won his office largely by criticizing former Democratic Gov. Gray Davis for leading the state into the fiscal basement. And he is pushing Proposition 76, which includes restrictions that he says are necessary to rein in government spending. But the Republican governor also has found that slicing and dicing government spending in California is no easy task. Each of his first two budgets increased the size of state government, the more recent one boosting spending from the state's main bank account by nearly 13 percent. In the $117.3 billion budget...

Queen Guitarist Brian May Asks For Reasoning Why Terrorists Hate West Douglas Maher All Headline News Staff Reporter July 12,2005 12:04 PM EST London,UK (AHN)-Brian May,the guitarist for the legendary rock group Queen has made a comment regarding the recent terrorist attacks in London. "I sense there is a mood of quiet resolve among the people I speak to. We are feeling that we must not go any further down the road of escalation...this is old stuff, but I personally feel that in the wake of 9/11 an opportunity was missed...to seek understanding rather than revenge." May told Launch Radio...

Should a temporary majority of 50.7 percent have control over the entire United States government? Should 49.3 percent of Americans have no influence over the nation's trajectory for the next generation?

MIDI - DANCE OF THE SUGAR PLUM FAIRY Ronnie Reagan surely doesn't have, doesn't have, doesn't have His great father's brains In his tutu, Hitchens tore him up, tore him, tore him up Ronnie was in pain He just couldn't seem make a point, make a point, make a point It was all in vain What a sissy...Ron's a sissy...little girly...little girly man (cute little tippy toe music) Chris abused him and he wiped the floor, wiped the floor, wiped the floor With the little punk When it comes to terror, Ronnie is, Ronnie is, Ronnie is Really full...

The husband of San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said Monday that he was recanting his accusation that Hayes-White had struck him on the head with a glass, according to police and the chief's attorney. Sean White had called 911 Sunday evening to accuse his wife of hitting him, police spokesman Sgt. Neville Gittens said. Investigators said a pint glass was involved and that the incident happened at the couple's home near Stonestown mall. The couple, who have three children, are in the midst of a separation, police said. White showed no obvious signs of an injury when officers arrived...

With all the wailing over the cost of the November special election, it's interesting to note that counties still haven't been reimbursed the $44 million it cost for the last special election -- the recall that brought Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to power in the first place. Oddly enough, it was the Democrats -- the ones complaining the loudest about the special election price tag -- who put the brakes on paying back the counties last time. Stiffing the counties, from the looks of things, was payback for not playing ball with the Democrats. Here's the story. A bill that would...

DEBARY -- Volusia County Council member Bill Long confirmed Thursday that he was beaten in his home earlier in the week by a close friend he would not identify. Long, who lives alone, refused to offer details on the incident Thursday and even asked deputies who responded to the 911 call at his house early Monday not to file a report, leaving a shroud of mystery around the incident. "County Council member or not, what takes place in the privacy of my own home is my own business," Long said Thursday.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is California's most famous personality and counts on that to persuade voters to enact three measures that would shift the balance of power in the Capitol - but as he called a special election Monday, he was at least partially upstaged by the acquittal of another famous Californian, Michael Jackson, on child molestation charges. Many television stations elevated the Jackson verdict over Schwarzenegger's three-minute speech in which he declared that "our broken state government will be modernized and revitalized" either through his initiatives or compromises with the Democrat-controlled Legislature, the latter being, however, an infinitesimal possibility. Schwarzenegger aides...

Senator George V. Voinovich, the only Republican to speak out on the Senate floor against the president's nomination of John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations, brought an unusual show of emotion to his case. Mr. Voinovich choked up. "I wanted my colleagues to think about this. That's why I got emotional," he said in an hourlong interview at his home here on Friday, when he grew teary-eyed three more times over other subjects. "My emotions are a little bit closer to the surface than maybe they should be," he said. Coming the same week that Ohio's other...

(CNSNews.com) - The thought that John Bolton might be confirmed as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations brought one Republican senator to the brink of tears on Wednesday. Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) choked up on the Senate floor, as he urged his colleagues to vote against Bolton's nomination on Thursday: ''I'm afraid that when we go to the [Senate] well, that too many of my colleagues -- (voice breaking) -- that too many of my colleagues are not going to understand that this appointment is very, very important to our country," Voinovich said. "At a strategic time, when we...

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger moved quickly Wednesday to apologize for suggesting that California's border with Mexico should be closed in an effort to solve the nation's illegal immigration problem. Schwarzenegger said he misspoke in comments to newspaper editors and publishers Tuesday, intending to say the border should be secured. The governor blamed the error on his sometimes flawed use of English - his second language. "Yesterday was a total screw-up in the words I used," the governor said at a press conference. "Because instead of closing, I meant securing. I think maybe my English, I need to go back...

This is just too good. Larry Elder was just talking about John Kerry and his whining claims of voter irregularities that cost him the election. After all, he just had to turn around 60,000 votes in Ohio and we would have a first lady telling people to shove it from the White House. One of Kerry's claims is that messages were being given to DemocRAT voters that Republicans vote on Tuesday and RATS on Wednesday. Well, John, it was not a dirty trick. The info was satire and published in . . . . . . . . . ....