Iraq: Families prepare to fight: "Om Hussein, who was reluctant to give her full name, and her Shiite family are preparing for war. They've stocked up on food. They bought a Kalashnikov rifle and a second car -- so that there is space for all 13 members of their extended family should they need to flee in a hurry. 'We are afraid of what will happen in the coming days,' she says. 'Maybe there will be a monthlong curfew, or maybe fighting in the streets will force my family to stay in the house for days at a time.' In the past week, President Bush has tried to assure Americans that Iraq has stepped back from the brink of civil war. 'Iraqis have shown the world they want a future of freedom and peace,' he told the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on Monday. Few Iraqis, however, share Bush's view that the crisis has been averted. They are readying themselves for the worst, fleeing likely flash points, stockpiling weapons and basic foodstuffs, barricading their neighborhoods, and drawing lines in the sand delineating Sunni and Shiite territory."


SC: Self-defense law would recognize citizens' rights: "Sen. Hugh Leatherman of Florence is a strong believer in the rights of everyday citizens. That's why he said he's proposing a bill in the state Senate that would make self-defense laws in South Carolina a little less strict. Sen. Brad Hutto, an attorney in Orangeburg, said laws in South Carolina require a person who is being attacked to retreat, or run away, if at all possible, before using any type of deadly force on the attacker. Under Leatherman's bill, the requirement to retreat would be deleted and deadly force could immediately be exerted on the attacker to prevent bodily injury to or death of the victim."


AL: Home invasion ends in shoot-out : "A home invasion ended with a shoot-out. William Tony Gross' home on Benton Lane in Arab was broken into early Thursday morning while Gross was at home. But the 62-year-old didn't let the intruder just walk away with his belongings. He got a gun. In the end, though, Gross was shot in the stomach with a small caliber rifle. The suspect fled the scene. People who live in the area say they don't blame Gross for fighting for his property."