Free Republic

In Unexpected Visit, Obama Wins Cheers of Troops There are quite a few reasons to knock this as bias. The New York Times never seemed to think it was worthy of prominent announcement that The Demon Bush was warmly received by troops being the most obvious. Another obvious bit of bias is the claim that Obama "won" the cheers of troops. Did he? In what manner? By what action? It seems more likely that Obama didn't "win" anything from the troops, rather that the troops had, as patriotic Americans and sworn defenders of the Constitution, given the commander in chief...

The last couple of days I've been seeing nearly constant interruptions of service, and quite a few slowdowns. I haven't changed anything here on my end. Of course, if it keeps up, I'll call customer service. I'm just wondering if I'm the only one seeing this.

LAKEPORT, Calif. — The pear growers here in Lake County waited decades for a crop of shapely fruit like the one that adorned their orchards last month. Pears rotted on the ground of Nick Ivicevich’s orchard. He lost about 1.8 million pounds of them. Lake County lacked fruit pickers for this year’s harvest. “I felt like I went to heaven,” said Nick Ivicevich, recalling the perfection of his most abundant crop in 45 years of tending trees. Now harvest time has passed and tons of pears have ripened to mush on their branches, while the ground of Mr. Ivicevich’s orchard...

The midterm election looms, and once again efforts begin afresh to increase voter participation. It has become standard wisdom in American politics that voter turnout is synonymous with good citizenship...--snip--Simply put, liberals have a big baby problem: They're not having enough of them, they haven't for a long time, and their pool of potential new voters is suffering as a result.

Air University Graduation May 25, 2006 Remarks by General Charles G. Boyd, USAF (Ret.) It was some 29 years ago that I sat where you are now sitting, and waited as patiently as possible for the graduation speaker to finish so that I could get on with my move from Prattville, and my post Air War College life. My expectations were low, and my hope—singular—and fervent—was that the speaker would keep it --- mercifully short. I have no reason to believe your hopes and aspirations are different than mine on that long ago day. But, since your commandant has not...

April 10, 2006: The U.S. Navy wants to save money by building its amphibious ships to merchant ship standards. This is something Europeans are already doing with some of their smaller warships. The thinking is that these ships, when hit by an anti-ship missile, are not going to be any better protected by the more expensive (double welds on seams, etc) techniques usually used for warships. The navy already has pre-positioning ships, built to merchant ship standards, that would enter war zones along with amphibious ships. This "convergence" building strategy would allow for greater economy in procuring materials and parts,...

In a letter to President Bush Wednesday, Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman John Murtha renewed his call for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and warned that the United States was "in danger of breaking our military."

She then began yelling that "she had a baby named Jesus, she was impregnated by her uncle and President Bush was behind it all," charging papers said. She then attempted to take off her shirt and started to throw items at other passengers, the documents said. The pilot diverted the plane to Salt Lake City International Airport. During the landing, she allegedly ran toward the cockpit and was stopped by flight attendants, with whom she got into another scuffle. She eventually was subdued by other passengers, the documents said. As she was departing the plane, she allegedly tried to flee...

BUENOS AIRES -- Oil-rich Venezuela, having recently helped Argentina to pay off its debt to the International Monetary Fund, is floating the idea of a new "Bank of the South" that would offer no-strings loans in competition to the U.S.-backed IMF. The scheme would be the latest in a series of moves in which Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has used his country's oil revenues to expand his influence and leftist philosophy through South America. Argentina last week repaid $9.6 billion to the IMF -- a 184-nation institution with its headquarters in Washington -- clearing away the staggering debt it incurred...

Anyway, Martha-Ann Alito sniffles and steps out of the hearing room after her husband, Samuel Alito, has been interrogated by Democrats, and the next thing you know, the "Today" show is asking: "DEMOCRATS GONE TOO FAR?" So here's the new Republican script: The Democrats are bullies

WASHINGTON — Liberal groups pledged Thursday to expand their uphill campaign against Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr., saying this week's hearings provided fuel for a sustained lobbying effort against his confirmation. Although opposition to John G. Roberts Jr., President Bush's choice as chief justice, had largely fizzled by the end of his testimony in September, the reverse appears to have happened with Alito, who completed his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. "There is going to be a significant effort to defeat this nomination inside Washington — but more importantly, outside Washington," said Ralph G. Neas,...

WASHINGTON -- The British government, in sharp disagreement with the United States' ultimate position, believed that post-invasion Iraq should be run by a Sunni-led government and not one controlled by the majority Shias. One of the so-called Downing Street documents, secret internal British memos stirring controversy on both sides of the Atlantic, drafted March 8, 2002, recommended two possibilities for a post-Saddam Hussein government -- one run by a benevolent "Sunni military strongman," and the second, which it clearly preferred, for a "representative, broadly democratic government ... Sunni-led but within a federal structure." The election process dictated by the United...

The scorching-hot SIMPSON sisters are ready to rule the silver screen this summer -- as both JESSICA and ASHLEE are making their movie debuts in lead roles in the very same month -- August. Jessica, as most of the universe knows, will be running around in skimpy cutoffs in the 'Dukes of Hazzard,' out August 5, while Ashlee is a bit more covered up in 'Undiscovered,' out August 26. "It's cool because Jessica and I are doing our first big roles at the exact same time," Ashlee explained. "We call each other and make sure everything is going cool on...

On Father's Day, Craig Corrie sought justice for his daughter. Not the American brand of eye-for-an-eye justice, he said, but one inspired by the South African anti-apartheid leader Rev. Desmond Tutu. Last night at the Friends Service Committee meeting hall in Seattle's University District, Corrie stood before about 50 people who'd come to hear more about the cause his daughter Rachel Corrie died for in March 2003. Rachel Corrie, 23, had been acting as a human shield to prevent the Israeli army from knocking down the home of a Palestinian family in the Gaza Strip when she was run over...

1. Who pays for what? There are no hard-and-fast rules today about who is responsible for footing the bill, but usually the family of the felon pays for the getaway limo before the wedding, the cancellation announcements, the defense lawyer, the court rehearsal dinner and the bail bond. The groom pays for his boutonniere as well as the bride's electronic monitoring bracelet. snip---

The runaway bride's story has captured the nation's attention. While extreme, it seems that she strikes a chord in all of us -- how do we distinguish between natural pre-wedding jitters and a nuptial change of heart? Whether the runaway bride's cold feet were in response to the looming pressure of a 600-person wedding extravaganza, or a deeper concern about the marriage itself, remains to be seen. Her forgiving fiance has given back the ring, but it's going to take more than a diamond to make this couple last forever. snip----

GAINESVILLE - Runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks' phony report to police that she was sexually assaulted won't be an additional factor for a Georgia prosecutor considering criminal charges. If she lied, she lied, he says. Responding to reports from police in Albuquerque, N.M., that Wilbanks said she was sexually assaulted in addition to being kidnapped - allegations she later recanted - Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said Friday that he is examining evidence for one charge, providing false statements to a government agency. Porter is gathering tapes and reports from five law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, as he decides...

May 6, 2005 -- Bolting bride Jennifer Wilbanks was chaste away — by her fiancé's insistence on abstinence, friends of the sex-deprived couple claim. "She told people the fact that she and [husband-to-be John Mason] were not having sex was upsetting," a friend of Wilbanks' told People magazine, which hits newsstands today. Mason was once a "wild" guy who "dated a lot," his running pal Ted King said. But he became a born-again virgin — eschewing premarital sex — five years ago after pledging himself to his Baptist faith, friends said. snip------

Somebody put the runaway bride up at match.com. I kind of wish I'd thought of it first. It's a hoot. Probably getting alot of laughs down in the Duluth area online looking for dating prospects.

So it begins.