Free Republic

Ames residents object to phallic snowmen A number of snowmen were erected throughout Ames after the recent snowfall, and some of those have caused a bit of a stir. Ames police received complaints about an anatomically correct snowman at 2621 Knapp St. and a very large phallic snow sculpture at 507 Welch Ave. Similar sculptures appeared throughout Ames, particularly around Campustown. Sgt. Mike Johns of the Ames Police Department said since the sculptures were generally done on private property, he was not aware of any laws that were being broken. "We generally talk to the property owner about being responsible," ...

<p>Tracey Roberts was home with her three children, ages 1, 3 and 11, when two men entered the home, according to the Sac County Sheriff's Department. Roberts' husband, Mike Roberts, was reportedly out of town on business.</p> <p>The two intruders assaulted Roberts before she got away from them and grabbed a gun, authorities said. Roberts fired several times and fatally wounded Dustin Wehde, 20, of Early, according to the sheriff's office. It wasn't clear who owned the gun. Preliminary results from the state medical examiner show that Wehde died of multiple gunshot wounds.</p>

Just wanted to share a good dad moment I had today. Apparently my 4 year old was flipping through the channels while I was doing a little plumbing work today. Out of the corner of my ear, I heard something about the Planeteers. I immediately rushed to the TV, determined that it was really Captain Planet and the Planeteers, and switched the channel. My son was POed, but hey, tough love is tough, right? Captain Planet, if you are unaware, is some of Ted Turner's socialist tree hugging crapola that uses cartoons to push an agenda saying all corporations are ...

Tax increase possible, Gephardt says By KATHY A. BOLTEN Register Staff Writer 07/22/2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt hinted Saturday that tax increases will be on the horizon if Democrats gain control of the U.S. House in next year's elections. The Congressional Budget Office will issue a report this month predicting that budget deficits are going to appear in about six months, said Gephardt, a Missouri Democrat who campaigned for Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Ia., at Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo. An effort to raid Medicare and Social Security funds will likely be made if a deficit occurs, he said. ...

A Des Moines man was jailed after restraining his 10-year-old while the mother washed the boy's mouth out with soap. Police alleged that Michael McLaren, 39, of 1401 E. 22nd St. left bruises on his son Andrew during a disciplinary session Sunday evening. Jenice Carpenter, who reportedly washed her son's mouth out with soap during the same incident, was not charged. Michael McLaren, who spent eight hours in jail over the incident, declined comment Tuesday. A police report said, "Father admitted inflicting injuries, but stated (the) child has a violent temper and resists discipline." Staff members at Phillips School reported ...

Then McVeigh went on to discuss the ethics of vegetarianism. “Truth is, I understand your cause — I’ve seen slaughter houses myself — but I still believe in reasonable taking and eating of game (as an outdoorsman and hunter),” he wrote. “My one main problem with the ‘veg’ movement is this (besides the fact I’m a libertarian): Where do you draw the line and what standard is used to define that line?” McVeigh questions whether “grubs/worms/etc.” suffer.