Free Republic

Imagine a record label where the heads of preeminent brass (classical), jazz, and blues labels collaborated with Beezwax Records, LLC to issue one release per year in their respective genres. Imagine a record label whose A&R vetting was guided in part by a select group of visually impaired, eclectic audiophiles tilting toward the same. Imagine a record label that limits its market exclusively to a set of prequalified subscribers who eagerly await their next Beezwax Record, and when they get it it has their name on it. Imagine a record label that dovetails seamlessly with the manufacturers of physical...

Beezwax Records was established in 1997 as a sole proprietorship dedicated to the recording and distribution of brass, jazz, and blues music. Their home base is Elkhart, Indiana, where more brass instruments have been manufactured than anywhere else in the world. When the first Beezwax Record came out on October 31, 1997, it was in CD form. It was also date stamped, serialized, embossed, personalized, and registered into a database as a way to honor the passion that exists between artist and audience. The same holds true for the tens of thousands of CDs that were shipped since that day....

"I, [public sevant or common citizen] do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter." This is the text for the oath of office that any citizen of the United States must take before holding public office. It is also assumed...

+ + + In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. + + + Where to start when it comes to this fallen world and its inability clearly to make use of words? To define things and keep the definitions straight? To call a thing simply what it is and leave it at that? The first time a question mark was ever used as punctuation in Sacred Scripture, it was the devil speaking, “Did God say?” And because Eve entertained that doubt and acted upon it, you now live in a world where...

There is a meme circulating from the left asserting that Donald J. Trump is autographing bibles. Maybe you've seen it. The text reads as follows: "When the man who embodies all 7 deadly sins-lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride-is signing bibles it means that it is time to reevaluate your religion" The image is tripartite, with Trump's autograph overlayed on the cover of a bible on the two left thirds, and Trump looking downward and an object much smaller than a bible. Maybe there is a FReeper who can locate and post an image, but for now I...

WEST WARWICK, R.I. — Monday [Today] marks the 20th anniversary of The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island, that killed 100 people. It is the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in American history. Among the mourners who gathered Monday at Station Fire Memorial Park, which honors all of those lost in the disaster, was Stephen Sweet, a firefighter in Quincy, Massachusetts. His cousin, Shawn Sweet, died in the disaster. "I come down every year and play the (bagpipes)," he said. "The message is, 'Don't forget.' Never forget these people or forget what happened." The fire, which broke out on Feb....

1-7: CHILDHOOD - the age of accidents, griefs, wants, sensibilities 8-14: ADOLESCENCE - the age of hopes, improvidence, curiosity, impatience 15-21: PUBERTY - the age of triumphs, desires, self-love, independence, and vanity 22-28: YOUTH - the age of pleasure, love, sensuality, inconstancy, enthusiasm 29-35: MANHOOD - the age of enjoyments, ambition, and the play of the passions 36-42: MIDDLE AGE - the age of consistency, desire of fortune and of glory 43-49: MATURE AGE - the age of possessions, the reign of wisdom, reason, and love of property 50-56: DECLINE OF LIFE - the age of reflection, love of tranquility,...

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The St. Joseph County GOP launched a devastating commercial about a potential criminal investigation into the St. Joseph County Clerk’s handling of absentee ballots. The ad, which aired during the Notre Dame V. BYU football game on Saturday, comes after several REAL News Michiana investigations uncovered potential illegal activity regarding the Democrat Clerk and her office and subsequent inquiries by the Indiana State Police. “No one wanted to believe it was true. No one thought it could happen. But it appears, it did.” A voice says during the ad before showing security footage of Democrat Clerk,...

My heart is heavy. My older brother fell asleep suddenly in the LORD yesterday morning. We are awaiting word on cause of death. He was found could and unresponsive in his chosen place of rest. The oldest of four siblings, he left his remaining three siblings in mourning, together with a wife and three children, and two fabulous Aussies whom he cherished. Nicknamed "Clyde" but known as Cboldt to all y'all, he blazed a trail three years ahead of me, excelling in engineering and law. Later in life we would spend hours talking about everything from theology to science and...

Today is the Commemoration of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession. Below is a copy of Dr. Benjamin Mayes’ sermon from chapel this morning, which focused on the confession, laying out the history of its presentation on June 25, 1530: ------- “Beware lest anyone take you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Col. 2:8). Dearly beloved: Today’s text is a warning. It is possible to be deceived, and you must take care that this does not happen. If you are deceived...

Featuring Theodore Roosevelt, Cleopatra, Thomas Aquinas, and Thomas Paine. While speaking to my Father-in-Law this afternoon he mentioned this program in passing, so I decided to look it up. Now that I have watched the first episode of the first season, I cannot help but think there are some FReepers who would greatly enjoy not only the content but also the concept. It is said that the writers attempted to make use of the historic figures' own words as much as possible. I cannot imagine today's entertainment industry taking such an interest in the ideas discussed here, but can certainly...

It is amazing how visual the Gospel of the Passion is. “Look!” you are told, again and again. “Behold the Lamb of God.” “Behold the Man.” “Behold your King.” “Like this,” St. John will describe, as though you could actually see some gesture he is making while he preaches. No one has ever seen God at any time, but now the Incarnate Son, who resides in the bosom of the Father, He reveals God to us. For the Word of God, who is God, by whom all things are made — He has become Flesh. In Him God tabernacles among...

The sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not spared from death because of any merit or worthiness or innocence of their own, but for the sake of the Lamb that was sacrificed in their stead. The blood of that Lamb covered them from death, it shielded them from the Angel of Death. And the flesh of that Lamb fed them for the journey out of bondage into freedom. All of this on account of divine and holy Love, the grace and mercy of the Lord their God. And that is already to speak of Christ Jesus. It’s all about...

Sharp Doughnuts Hoffa Meats Amputee Mowing Service Bendover Soap Company Pubescent Shampoo Thunderfart Baked Beans Brown's Underwear Libel Publishing Co. Monica's Dress Shop B*tch Queen Kennels Botch Tape Pinprick Prophylactics Porky's Kosher Deli Amalgamated Dithering Skunk Perfume Earhart Airlines Warpmaster Lumber Big Tex Lingerie Invisible, Inc. Berger Security, Inc. Bambi Shotguns Fudge Packing Co. Titanic Pools Dead Tree Paper Co. Capone Bat Co. Dullsworth Books Face Stapler Co. High Jeans Bucky Toothbrushes Fulldrop Piano Co. Berger Safes Trusty Stools Mattress Ammonia Co. Pebble Marshmallows Penthouse Screws Moore's Yogurt Helen Thomas Makeup Waterman's Roofing Co.

This past Saturday I submitted an editorial to the South Bend Tribune that pertains to election integrity. I cannot post the editorial here because it is pending publication and would not be put into print if I were to publish it here. A phone call from one of their editors this afternoon sought clarification regarding an assertion I made in the editorial, namely that there were irregularities in the 2020 elections. I used the word, "shenanigans." To my surprise, the editor demanded that I provide a "credible source" for my assertion. Apparently, the raft of affidavits available for any interested...

The State of Indiana can no longer afford to have the civically ignorant elect the civically ignorant. It is time for every Indiana resident and candidate for public office to demonstrate a basic knowledge of civics before they run for public office or vote. Just as every driver is required to have a basic knowledge and competence in driving before they are allowed to drive on public roads, voters should be required to demonstrate a basic knowledge and competence in honoring and supporting the constitutional republic in which they participate. To this end, the undersigned request legislation to require the...

Like the sinking of the Titanic, the assassination of John F. Kennedy has been a subject of fascination for me over the years. I remember perusing Mom and Dad's copy of the Warren Commision Report with great interest. I remember, earlier than that, repeatedly combing through the National Geographic issue shortly after the assassination and developing a crush on Caroline Kennedy who would have been about my age at that time. In Jr. High School I wrote a short paper based on Mark Lane's assertion of a second assassin or more and conspiracies surrounding the event. The presentation given here...

The Kleven family is suing under the Child Wrongful Death Act. A minivan driven by Brooke Kleven slid off an icy University Drive in Mishawaka on Dec. 31, 2019, sinking into a retention pond. 4-year-old James and 2-year-old Natalie Kleven both died. Brooke and her 3-month-old son Hendrik miraculously survived. Three St Joseph County 911 dispatchers resigned in the wake of the crash. An investigation showed "multiple mistakes" were made handling the call, including locating the pond, mistakenly muting the phone, and how the call was dispatched-- first as an accident, not as a "vehicle in the water." The lawsuit...

[Defiance, Ohio] Sixty hours of work today had nearly cleared the Baltimore & Ohio and the Wabash tracks at the junction in the west yards here of debris from 26 cars smashed and piled up in a $300,000 freight train wreck, caused by a stalled automobile worth $300. C.T. Williams, B&O division superintendent, said at noon today that the main east bound track would be back in service by 4 o’clock this afternoon but that some time will elapse before the west bound main track, requiring materials from railroad shops, is restored. Three railroad cranes, the city’s power shovel, and...

Dear Elected Officials of [City, State], Since you took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitutions both of [State of Residence] and of the United States, I and others are genuinely interested to know your answers to the following questions, as these will help us to be informed of your attitudes and qualifications for the offices you hold: 1.) What is meant by “the pursuit of happiness” as expressed by our founding fathers? 2.) What is the difference between a “right” and a “privilege?” 3.) In applying for and attaining to public office, were you ever officially questioned as...