Free Republic

LAS VEGAS -- NBA All-Star Weekend in Vegas was an unmitigated failure, and any thoughts of taking the extravaganza to New Orleans in 2008 are total lunacy.

The mayor at his side, longtime Largo City Manager Steve Stanton disclosed to the St. Petersburg Times on Wednesday he is undergoing hormone therapy and counseling in preparation for a sex-change operation. Through the process, which could take well over a year, Stanton plans to remain as the chief executive of this city of 76,000. He has the support of Mayor Pat Gerard, who was elected last March. “He’s a dedicated city manager and puts his job first,” she said. Stanton, 48, said he eventually will change his name to Susan, the name his late mother would have given him...

http://www.nbc10.com/news/9850095/detail.html?rss=phi&psp=newsDog

PARKLAND, Wash. -- The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is searching for five people who allegedly attacked a uniformed National Guardsmen walking along 138th Street in Parkland Tuesday afternoon. The soldier was walking to a convenience store when a sport utility vehicle pulled up alongside him and the driver asked if he was in the military and if he had been in any action. The driver then got out of the vehicle, displayed a gun and shouted insults at the victim. Four other suspects exited the vehicle and knocked the soldier down, punching and kicking him. “And during the assault the...

Amid the president's plummeting approval ratings, grim headlines about Iraq, and the Jack Abramoff and Duke Cunningham scandals, some Republican strategists in Florida have found solace heading into the biggest election cycle in more than 10 years. Gov. Jeb Bush's popularity insulates the state from the president's problems, they assure themselves. The Florida Legislature's recently passed gift ban and lobbyist disclosure law helps diminish the stench of Republican scandal wafting out of Washington. Florida's economy is stronger than other states, they note, and Florida Democrats are hapless and darn near destitute. Time to take off the rose-tinted glasses. Crazy as...

Hundreds of people filled Tampa's courthouse square Sunday to mark the third anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, as thousands did the same throughout the country. "After three years, it's a failure," said protestor Mabili Ajani. "It's a clear and utter failure." That belief was shared by many of the anti-war protesters, and some sounded off about how to get out of Iraq. "We're going to have to clean the mess up," said Michael White. "Somebody's going to have to. We need to get our children out of harm's way. Strategic withdrawal is where it's at." The...

Tim Wise, a prominent anti-racist activist, writer, and director of the new Association for White Anti-Racist Education (AWARE), will be speaking at Stetson University on Thursday October 20th at 7:00 PM. The speech will take place in the Stetson Room of the Carlton Union Building. Wise is the author of two newly released books; "White Like Me : Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son", and "Affirmative Action: Racial Preference In Black And White." He also writes columns, which can be found on his website, www.timwise.org. Here are some of the "highlights": My Life as A Resident Alien (June 13,...

Eli Pariser of Moveon.org will appear at the Stover Theatre on the campus of Stetson University in Deland, FL. The speech/discussion will be held on Monday October 20 at 7:00 PM.

My latest discussion in my college Honors class.

On Monday, we had a discussion on whether the events of September 11 qualified as a national tragedy from the viewpoint of philosophy, and if it was, whether it was a tragedy from a Greek or a Shakespearian standpoint. Thanks for your responses in advance. I will link this discussion to the class discussion board for my classmates to view.