Free Republic

She's revered as a trail-blazing feminist and author Alice Walker touched the lives of a generation of women. A champion of women's rights, she has always argued that motherhood is a form of servitude. But one woman didn't buy in to Alice's beliefs - her daughter, Rebecca, 38. Here the writer describes what it was like to grow up as the daughter of a cultural icon, and why she feels so blessed to be the sort of woman 64-year-old Alice despises - a mother.

p>For the first time in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s history, a married Roman Catholic priest with children will be serving the faithful in southeastern Wisconsin. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan asked his priests and deacons this week which of them would be willing to accept the man - a former Lutheran minister - as an associate pastor at their parish. The priest and his wife, who have juvenile and adult sons, are moving from the Diocese of Venice, Fla. She has accepted a job here. Although no married priest has served here, about 100 married priests have been ordained in the...

Plane hole 'not due to corrosion' Engineers have begun inspecting the damaged plane in Manila Qantas boss Geoff Dixon has denied corrosion caused a hole in the body of the plane that was forced to make an emergency landing in Manila.Safety engineers have begun examining the plane to establish the cause. More than 360 people were on board the flight when it was forced to land. They have since arrived back in Australia. Possible causes include corrosion or accidental external damage but Mr Dixon said preliminary checks showed corrosion was not the problem. The Qantas chief executive said he...

The John McCain and Barack Obama campaigns continued their back-and-forth today over Obama's cancelled visit to wounded soldiers in Germany. Obama said he did not want to bring presidential politics to hospital bedsides, and his campaign said the Pentagon also was concerned about a campaign visit. But military officials said he could have visited as a senator without campaign officials, as he did in Iraq, and Republicans have been piling on incessantly. This afternoon, McCain's campaign issued a statement from retired Lt. Colonel Joe Repya, a 30-year veteran of Vietnam and the Persian Gulf wars. "The most solemn duty of...

Are global warming alarmists encouraging children to commit suicide because their carbon footprints supposedly are harming the planet?It certainly appears so in a children's game concocted by the state-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Science Department, available online. 'Pigs' Should Die YoungThe game is called Planet Slayer. Using it, children can calculate their carbon footprint--how much impact their carbon emissions allegedly have on global warming. The purpose for doing so, children were told in a version of the game that was online in early June, is so they can "find out what age you should die at so you don't use more...

This is just me "talking". I am thinking that U.S. Senator Harry Reid - the anti-polygamy champion who wasted tons of our tax money on a congressional hearing on this matter last week - should go after John Edwards for polygamy!! Dirty Harry should further have all of John Edwards' children rounded up and dumped in foster homes. John Edwards is obviously - according to Harry Reid's high standards - a filthy polygamist. Harry Reid insulted the FLDS community by accusing them of high crime of polygamy. Reid is obsessed with polygamy. Polygamy polygamy polygamy. He even became a panelist...

It took animal rescuers, neighbors and a concerned pet owner 15 days — and one trip to the psych ward — to save a 7-year-old kitty that was trapped in a narrow shaft in a Carroll Gardens apartment building. The part-Persian, part-American short-haired cat — named Rumi in honor of the famed Middle Eastern poet — owes it all to Chris Muth, the man who actually ended up in a mental hospital during the ordeal. He has the “bizarre delusion [that he] was trying to ‘save’ a cat of his friend,” medical records show. This story was bizarre, but the...

A CRISIS meeting of Pakistan's new coalition Government has been warned that it could lose control of the North West Frontier Province, which is believed to hold most of its nuclear arsenal. The warning came yesterday from the coalition leader, who, although he is part of the new Government, is regarded as having the closest links to al-Qa'ida and Taliban militants sweeping through the region. Maulana Fazlur Rehman bluntly told his colleagues: "The North West Frontier province is breaking away from Pakistan. That is what is happening. That is the reality." This came just days before new Prime Minister Yousuf...

Excerpt - On Thursday afternoon, several hours after I’d gotten my final “Steve’s health is a private matter” — and much to my amazement — Mr. Jobs called me. “This is Steve Jobs,” he began. “You think I’m an arrogant [expletive] who thinks he’s above the law, and I think you’re a slime bucket who gets most of his facts wrong.” After that rather arresting opening, he went on to say that he would give me some details about his recent health problems, but only if I would agree to keep them off the record. I tried to argue him...

London, July 26 (Xinhua) The US needs the help of overseas partners to solve its domestic problems, US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said here Saturday. “The reason that I thought this trip was important as I am convinced that many issues we face at home are not going to be solved as effectively unless we have strong partners abroad,” he told a news conference. Commenting on his meeting with British Prime Minister Gorden Brown, Obama said, “We share the same language and the same belief and Britain and the US have gone through the world wars together and share...

This is absolutely a must-see VIDEO from a Penn & Teller BULLSHIT! show. Penn & Teller beautifully expose what a complete bunch of idiots these Global Warming Alarmists are. I found out about this show from a terrific BLOG at NewsBusters. Also be sure to check out the videos for PART 2 and PART 3. The FUnniest parts are how the dopes were easily conned into signing petitions to ban DiHydrogen Monoxide (water) and various clips of the spokesperson for the Rainforest Action Network, Kate, whose comments make you seriously wonder how she can talk and breath at the...

Safety concerns were raised as long ago as February about the Qantas aircraft that had to make an emergency landing after a 9ft hole opened up in its fuselage at 29,000 feet, it has emerged.

The fallen span of the southbound lane on the Grand Canal Bridge in Taji, northwest of Baghdad, floats in the water underneath the bridge. The damage was caused by a vehicle-born improvised explosive device which was detonated on August 14, 2007. Photo by Pfc. Lyndsey Dransfield, 2nd Stryker Brigade 25th Infantry Division. CAMP TAJI — Engineers with 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,� 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, journeyed to the Grand Canal Bridge in Taji Qada, northwest of Baghdad, July 22, to monitor repair progress. The bridge, which spans a portion of the Grand Canal and is...

BASRAH — “I feel blessed to be working on this important project,” said Ryan Hartwig, construction representative with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Basrah Children’s Hospital Office “Each time we go, we see more progress. I can look at the place now and actually visualize patients using this facility,” he continued. “It’s just very satisfying being part of this effort that will no doubt save or change the lives of so many Iraqi children.” Several key partners are involved in the project including Project Hope (a non-government organization), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Iraqi Ministry of...

Engineers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad, as well as Civil Affairs Soldiers with 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, visited a water pump station in Adhamiyah July 23, to determine its viability to meet the peoples’ needs. Photo by Sgt. Zachary Mott, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — More than two-thirds of the Earth is made up of water. But for the residents of northern Baghdad, water is one of the most precious resources – and an often scarce resource. While the ancient Tigris River flows a few miles away, many farmers in the...

Dr. Dhea Mijwal Shami Maadahidi, 38, a surgeon and manager of the Rutbah General Hospital in Rubah, Iraq, checks the mouth of a child during a cooperative medical engagement in Akashat, Iraq, July 23, 2008. The Baghdad native was one of three medical specialists working with Coalition forces to provide the town with health care. During the event, surgeons and corpsmen were assisted by Iraqi doctors to treat sicknesses ranging from measles to the flu. Photo by Cpl. Ryan Tomlinson, Regimental Combat Team-5, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs. AKASHAT — Navy surgeons and corpsmen with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion,...

There is a point at which one’s contempt for the environmentalists and their allies is irredeemable. There is no longer the usual excuse that’s there’s room for argument or discussion regarding global warming. Having been labeled “deniers” for years, the sense that the end of this hoax is in sight brings no desire to forgive and forget. Recently, Dr. Roy Spencer, an atmospheric scientist who formerly worked for NASA, testified before a Senate committee. Free now to speak without the impediments of bureaucratic oversight, Dr. Spencer told the committee, “I am pleased to deliver good news from the front lines...

The theory is that by providing sanctuary to those who've entered the U.S. illegally and not notifying federal authorities, the police get cooperation and intelligence from the illegal alien community in fighting crime. Never mind that certain crimes would never happen if the illegals committing them weren't here in the first place. How many crimes would be prevented if those who shouldn't be in this country had their immigration status checked in encounters with police, and those found to be illegal were sent home? We know of at least one. Edwin Ramos, now 21, is being held on three counts...

The Senate gave final approval to a housing bill to help struggling homeowners and support struggling mortgage giants Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) Saturday.

Heading home from an overseas trip aimed at strengthening his foreign policy credentials, Sen. Barack Obama said Saturday he's not counting on an immediate political boost and thinks it's just as likely he'll experience a short-term dip in polls simply because he's been out of the country for nine days."The reason that I thought this trip was important was I am convinced that many of the issues that we face at home are not going to be solved as effectively unless we have strong partners abroad," Obama said, speaking outside 10 Downing Street after his private meeting with Prime Minister...

The survey found that extreme Islamist ideology has a profound influence on a significant minority of Muslims on campuses across the country. The findings will concern police chiefs, the security services and ministers, who are struggling with radicalisation among Muslim communities. The YouGov poll was conducted for the Right-wing think tank, the Centre for Social Cohesion, at 12 universities, including Imperial College and Kings College London. It also found: * 40 per cent support the introduction of sharia into British law for Muslims * a third back the notion of a worldwide Islamic caliphate (state) based on sharia law *...

In 2003, Showtime's Penn & Teller program with a name not appropriate above the fold -- unless, of course, you're a member of the Netroots! -- marvelously exposed what's behind the global warming and environmental hysteria in America today. The videos have just come available on YouTube. In part one (embedded right), the comedy team accurately depicted environmentalists as political and social activists who use green rhetoric to "cloak agendas that actually have more to do with anti-corporatism, anti-globalization, anti-business, and very little to do with science and ecology." Exactly. Parts two and three are embedded below the fold with...

Property assessments questioned By Tabatha Hunter Staff Writer // tabathah@nwanews.com Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/64125/ BENTONVILLE — Benton County Assessor Bill Moutray met with local legislators Friday morning to discuss the property assessments his office recently sent out to Benton County property owners. Many of the assessments showed dramatic increases in value despite a sluggish economy, increasing foreclosures and $ 4-a-gallon gasoline. “ I believe personally that these assessments are wrong, and I want to know what we can do to fix it, ” said state Sen. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette. “ It is not right, and it...

Highlights The spot price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil increased from $122 per barrel on June 4 to $145 per barrel on July 3. Global supply uncertainties, combined with significant demand growth in China, the Middle East, and Latin America are expected to continue to pressure oil markets. WTI prices, which averaged $72 per barrel in 2007, are projected to average $127 per barrel in 2008 and $133 per barrel in 2009. Regular-grade gasoline is expected to average $3.84 per gallon in 2008, more than $1 per gallon above the 2007 average price. The U.S. average regular-grade gasoline...

Last week, radio talk-show host Michael Savage talked about autism: I’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don’t have a father around to tell them, `Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.” I’m not an impartial observer here. My six-year-old son has high-functioning autism. He is exactly the...

Birds and power companies adapt to climate change; scientists downgrade its role in hurricane formationSo it looks like it's not all gloom and doom after all. A few recent studies have managed to find the slim silver lining of climate change. Below, a look at the three small positive outcomes of global warming. Ice Power The melting glacier is the poster boy of global warming, but Nordic countries might be able to use all that extra water flow to boost their hydroelectric industry. “It’s not surprising that the warming effects of climate change can be beneficial for a cold country...

McCain Campaign on Barack Obama's Cancelled Troop VisitsContact: Press Office, 703-650-5550; www.JohnMcCain.com ARLINGTON, Va., July 26 /Standard Newswire/ -- Today, retired Lt. Colonel Joe Repya issued the following statement on Barack Obama's cancelled visit to Ramstein and Landstuhl:"The most solemn duty of a commander in chief is to fulfill his responsibility to the men and women who serve this country in uniform. Barack Obama had scheduled a visit with wounded American troops who have served with honor and distinction in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he broke that commitment, instead flitting from one European capital to the next....

The New York Times is miffed. They aren't happy that there has been a dearth of news photos showing dead American soldiers in the war in Iraq. The Times is lamenting that there have been "4,000 U.S. Combat Deaths, and Just a Handful of Images," so more carnage and death is their druthers. Well, more American dead, anyway. They aren't interested in the dead of the enemy, to be sure. Using the story of photog Zoriah Miller who had his embed status removed when he publicized photos of dead U.S. Marines after a suicide bombing, the Times reveals their pique...

Heritage Lecture #1094 Delivered June 27, 2008The Heritage Foundation founded the Index of Economic Freedom in 1995 as a way for countries to measure progress and compare themselves in what we believe is an essential ingredient of prosperity— namely, economic freedom. The Index is now in its 14th edition, and it is co-published with the Wall Street Journal.[1]Over the years, it has been interesting to see how competitive some countries have become regarding their own scores in the Index. In fact, sometimes gov­ernments actually try to persuade us to give them a better score. We steadfastly refuse to be lobbied...

Today, retired Lt. Colonel Joe Repya issued the following statement on Barack Obama’s cancelled visit to Ramstein and Landstuhl: “The most solemn duty of a commander in chief is to fulfill his responsibility to the men and women who serve this country in uniform. Barack Obama had scheduled a visit with wounded American troops who have served with honor and distinction in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he broke that commitment, instead flitting from one European capital to the next. Several explanations were offered, none was convincing and each was at odds with the statements of American military...

"There's clearly nothing more important in the country for Congress to deal with ... than the price of gas at the pump," said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.). The minority leader said his party would continue to hold up business on the Senate floor until Democrats allowed them to offer a series of amendments on expanded offshore drilling, oil-shale development, nuclear power and other energy alternatives. Republicans have been trying to use a swell of public support for increased petroleum production -- including areas currently closed on the Outer Continental Shelf -- to break Democrats' opposition to lifting a decades-old...

Mick Jagger, the snake-hipped, rubber-lipped frontman of the Rolling Stones, celebrates his 65th birthday Saturday but shows no signs of slowing down, despite officially becoming an old age pensioner. At an age when most British men are retiring from work and claiming state pensions, Jagger is dating a woman some 25 years his junior -- stylist L'Wren Scott -- counting his millions after the Stones' record-grossing "Bigger Bang" tour and branching out into film production. His behaviour may not be as hellraising as that of fellow Stone Ronnie Wood, who last week entered rehab to receive treatment for alcohol abuse...

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." ... Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love...

A doctor who bound a 14-year-old girl with washing line and raped her has been jailed for 12 years. The terrified girl hid in a wardrobe after calling 999 following her ordeal, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday. Mohammad Sajjad was led weeping to the cells after a judge told him his “deep remorse” was just self-pity. Sajjad, a qualified doctor who was granted asylum in the UK, had been employed as a learning disabilities healthcare assistant in the Bradford area. The court heard he three times tied the girl’s hands tightly with red washing line and bound her feet before...

A 10-mile area over downtown Denver will be a no-go area for pilots during the Democratic National Convention, and a larger area will have limited access that essentially will shut down many small aviation businesses during the event. The U.S. Secret Service and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on July 2 issued the final flight guidelines for the Aug. 25-28 convention at the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field at Mile High. No flights below 18,000 feet will be allowed within 10 miles of the facilities between 4-9 p.m., when the core business of the convention takes place. The no-fly area shrinks...

Oil was selling for $123 a barrel on May 7, and that's where it closed this week. Sounds like a calm and rational market, except for the fact that just last week it was going for $145. Which price was right, $123, $145, or something else? Before you let anybody give you an answer to that question, try to get them to comment first on the following two facts. (1) According to the Energy Information Administration, China consumed 7.6 million barrels of petroleum each day of 2007, which is 860,000 barrels/day more than in 2005. (2) EIA also reports that...

Homosexual clubs encourage teens to sexually identify themselves at an early age -- something an organization called Parents and Friends of ExGays & Gays considers dangerous. Parents and Friends of ExGays & Gays (PFOX) provides support for parents and friends of former homosexuals, also referred to as ex-"gays." Spokeswoman Regina Griggs believes schools should not be party to the homosexual propaganda campaign. "Children should never be told to identify themselves as heterosexual, gay, bi-sexual, transgender," Griggs contends. "Kids change as they mature and they go through puberty. Lots of questions that need answers come up." Research shows that individuals often go through periods of gender...

LOOK OVER THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FOLLOWING TWO HOUSES AND SEE IF YOU CAN TELL WHICH BELONGS TO AN ENVIRONMENTALIST. HOUSE # 1: A 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house all heated by gas. In ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average American household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2,400.00 per month. In natural gas alone (which last time we checked was a fossil fuel), this property consumes more than...

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Iran now possesses 6,000 centrifuges for enriching uranium - nearly twice the number of only a few months ago. He has claimed the West has accepted the increase. Iran is under UN sanctions, with the demand that it suspend the enrichment programme, which the West fears may be used for nuclear bombs His announcement is likely to be met with a degree of scepticism by the outside world. The Iranian president has often exaggerated the programme, as a deliberate challenge to the world powers who are trying to restrict Iran's ability to enrich uranium. This...

Sixteen bombs hit India's Ahmedabad, 18 killed AHMEDABAD, India (Reuters) - At least 16 small bombs exploded in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on Saturday, killing at least 18 people and wounding 110, a day after another set of blasts in the country's IT hub, officials said. On Friday, eight bombs exploded in quick succession in the southern information technology city of Bangalore, killing at least one person and wounding six others. Saturday's blasts were in Ahmedabad's crowded old city dominated by its Muslim community. One was in a metal tiffin box, used to carry food, another apparently left on...

Most recent news of suicide bombings’ tragic harvest that shows Iraq as number 1, Pakistan number 2 and Afghanistan number 3 (In the number of attacks, Afghans are a little ahead but in number deaths Pakistan is second to Iraq): A region that once stifled renaissance is now on the verge of silencing its second chance of enlightenment. Will these lands ever come out of ignominy? Pakistan, after Iraq and Afghanistan, has become both a target and a staging ground for terrorism. Pakistan has become as blood-soaked and as dangerous as Iraq. The bombing of Jirga, funeral procession and prayer...

Today was the funeral for Army Cpl. Matthew Phillips. Phillips, 27, was just weeks from completing his 15-month tour when he and eight other soldiers were killed in a July 13 attack. They died during a three-hour battle with Taliban militants at a remote base in Afghanistan’s Kunar province. People started lining the road to his funeral at about noon. By the time his procession was passing, escorted by police and Patriot riders, there was a large crowd on both side of the road as far as I could see. I remember seeing an older lady in a car right...

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ― Their colorful shops line the streets, catering to their own culture and drawing in ours. Beginning in 1993, Somali people began arriving in Minnesota from refugee camps in Kenya. By that time, Somalia's political chaos had led to the killing or starvation of many of its people. For refugees, Minneapolis offered a place to start a new life, a new business, or a new family. "Many things attracted Somalis to Minnesota to stay. Good health cover and good education," said Huda Farah. Farah works on refugee resettlement with the Minnesota Department of Health. It's through her work...

Health and safety killjoys tell war veterans they are too old to hoist the Union Flag over town hall Last updated at 02:38am on 26.07.08      Up in arms: Veterans John Ireland (right) and Keith Hutchins in front of the town hall In their younger days, they risked death and injury to fight for their country against the Nazis and other enemies.  But, now, war veterans who want to fly the Union Flag proudly above their town hall are being defeated by a barrage of health and safety rules.  Royal British Legion members had scented victory after fighting...

At a morning press conference after a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London, Barack Obama got caught up in the web of lies his campaign has spun about the cancellation of his planned visit to wounded troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany on Friday.Obama stated: "We had scheduled to go, we had no problem at all in leaving, we always leave press and staff off -- that is why we left it off the schedule."Not true, Washington Post reported this morning: When Obama arrived in Germany on Thursday, a printed schedule said he would fly...

School Budget Cuts Derail English Language Program By Dean Gray and Jackie Devereaux Coachella Valley, CA – An important English reading fluency program is threatened to end due to severe budget cuts to this year’s school budget. The Valley Partnership, is at the end of a three-year program, funded by an annual grant of $329,000. Without the matching funds the program is at risk and over 20 people lose their paid volunteer positions. Fundraising efforts are still trying to raise $55,000 by August 3rd to meet the target start-up date. The sponsors are asking for donations by philanthropists and charitable...

The Supreme Court ended its term this year by making a mistake in one of its most controversial cases--the case in which it held unconstitutional a Louisiana law authorizing capital punishment for the rape of a child under 12 years of age.

In a move widely seen as the Silicon Valley behemoth's answer to Wikipedia, this week Google opened Knol, its own user-generated encyclopedia, to the public. Unlike Wikipedia, people who write entries on Google's encyclopedia are identified and could even earn a profit from their articles with ads. The more times the article is viewed, the more an author can get paid. Google, of course, gets a cut of the profits. "The key principle behind Knol is authorship. Every knol will have an author (or group of authors) who put their name behind their content," the company wrote on its blog...

Anyone perusing the media in recent days might have gotten the vague impression that someone named Barack Obama has been on some kind of foreign trip somewhere. Funny how that information somehow seeped through despite all the other competing stories about the presumptive Democratic candidate for president visiting Iraq and Afghanistan. And there were other distracting stories about a freshman senator from Illinois meeting with Israeli and Palestinian politicians. And a former state senator, also coincidentally from Illinois, speaking to a large crowd of Germans in Berlin for some reason. And then an African American lawyer from Chicago had a...

Early in July, OK! magazine featured a cover story about Jamie Lynn Spears and her new baby, Maddie. Newsweek reported that the magazine paid $1 million for the rights to publish photographs of the baby and mother. The young mom, now 17, is shown on the magazine's cover declaring, "Being a mom is the best feeling in the world." A good number of parents were understandably outraged.   This week, Newsweek is out with an article that questions how Hollywood is presenting teenage motherhood. The magazine reports that teen moms and their babies have become "a hot plot device lately."...