Free Republic

Before people start calling the Confederacy a bunch of slave owning rednecks who were trying to overthrow the US govt., maybe a little history lesson is in order. First of all, the South had no intention of overthrowing ANY govt., they left the US legally, because of excessive tariffs, and the attack on Ft. Sumpter only happened because US soldiers refused to leave CSA property, and were thrown out, quite properly. As for slavery, the war was fought over one thing....MONEY. slavery never entered into the equation until 1863, when the ass lincoln used the emancipation proclamation (which was a totally worthless document, since it freed slaves in a foreign country which lincoln had no power over) to try to coerce negroes into revolting in the south, causing more problems in the CSA, which didn't happen.

Houston lowered their speed limit because of air pollution concerns. :)

I'm sorry, but it was a good reversal. According to the RULES, they had no choice but to overrule the call on the field. His hand WAS coming forward, so, incomplete pass, end of story. By the way, I'm no fan of the Pats, or the Raiders, but the right call was made, the Pats took advantage of their opportunities, and they won, fair and square. It was an awesome game and the best team won. :)

Slavery was legal in BOTH the North and the South at the time of the War of Northern Agression, and the Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves from the SOUTH. At the time of the war, less than 5% of the Southern population owned a slave. The war was over states rights, not slavery. One last thing, "hyphenated" Americans make me ill, if you need a hyphen, America doesn't need you. Being an American is enough, and if certain groups/individuals don't think so, then they have issues. :)

This might be a stupid question, but I'm curious about something. What is the difference between the GOP and the Democrats? The Democrats want big government, and want the rich people to pay for it, and the GOP wants big government, and they want everyone to pay for it. Either way, we get big govt, and we all get screwed.

I've been a Republican since I was old enough to vote, but no more. I don't like Democrats, but I do give them credit for one thing, they're HONEST about what they want. They want to rule our lives, take our money, and give us an "allowance" based on what they think we deserve.

I've listened to the GOP in recent years, and all they talk about is making govt smaller, giving power back to the states, and cutting taxes. Well, it hasn't happened. Since President Bush was elected, govt has grown quite a bit, he even added a new department to the federal government. Giving power back to the states is fine with the GOP, as long as states do what the GOP wants them to do. If a state decides that physician-assisted suicide should be legal, the GOP steps in and stops them. The GOP has helped to cut taxes some, but at the same time, they are spending money faster than they ever have before. They want big govt, just like the Dems, but they want a different form of big government, and that's not Constitutional, and I'm done being an accessory.

I'm not a Republican anymore, and not a Democrat, and I'm not a Libertarian. From now on I'm a Constitutionalist, and maybe I'm the only one, and if so, so be it. For right now, no party believes as I do about my Constitution, and until I find one that does, I'll keep my powder dry, and keep speaking my mind. Never again will I waste my vote on a Republican or a Democrat, cause they're basically the same animal. If that means the Democrats win the Presidency and more seats in Congress, then fine, it may even work out better for all of us in the long run. I figure that if the dems get control of both houses, and the White House, then a revolution will happen that much sooner, and I'm all for that. Sometimes ya just gotta throw in the towel, and start over again, and I believe we, as a country, have reached that point.

America is the best country on Earth, but it's getting worse all the time, because all our elected officials care about are getting reelected, their friends, and their party. Somehow they forgot that there are many millions of honest hardworking people in the heartland who just wanna be free, be left alone, and to take home the money they earn so they can raise their families.

So until the revolution, I'll be here cleaning my guns...

Donating to a local church is a very good idea. I don't understand why people donate to national/international agencies when there are people in need in every city in the nation. Personally, I don't donate to ANY cause, cause I figure we all have problems, and I take care of mine, so others should take care of theirs, BUT, if I were to give, I know I'd find a local charity to give to, because it would help people in my area, and maybe, in a small way, improve the lives of everyone in my city. When it comes to national charities, the money tends to end up at the top of the food chain, and not at the bottom where it should go. Call me uncaring, I don't care, but I take care of my own before I start trying to save the planet. :)

Personally, I'd like to see the Honorable Mr. Staubach run for office. He's a good man, and I believe he'd do great things for the best state in the Union. He's also very good when the pressure is on.

I'm a Southerner, and I'm not a bit ashamed of slavery that existed in the past. Slavery was legal, and although the South fought to keep slavery legal, the REAL fight was over the North FORCING their will on the Southern states, which was a very valid reason for having a war. At the height of slavery, less than 5% of people in the South owned slaves, so that whole "slavery" thing has been blown way out of proportion. IMHO, all Southern states had the legal right to secede from the Union, and if the North would have let them do that peacefully, the war never would've happened. The war, which wasn't technically a "civil war," was in fact, the Norths fault. The BATTLE ended at Appomattox, but the war goes on, with the Northern States wanting more federal control, and more social programs, and the Southern States, continuing to fight for state RIGHTS, and for personal freedom and responsibility. The Confederate flag is a VERY proud symbol, and I fly it often. The Confederate flag shows us what true freedom really means, the freedom to think for onesself. :)

For what it's worth, when I was in the Navy, we passed alongside a dutch "warship" and I was flabbergasted when I saw several of their crew, at the aft end of the ship, sitting in lawn chairs, drinking beer and mixed drinks. I knew at that moment, that I was in the wrong navy. :)

While I agree that everyone who is even remotely connected with the terrorist acts needs to die, and horribly if possible, I can't help but think of all the innocent people in Afghanistan, and in the middle east, who don't have anything to do with the attacks, and they shouldn't be hurt. It's not wrong to hate the U.S., and hell, we aren't innocent of a lot of things in this world, so I believe we need to find out who did what, why, who backed them, and have a few strategic hits on them, just to let everyone know that we don't take things like that lightly, then move on and try to protect ourselves in the future. What has happened has happened, and it was long overdue. While it makes me sick, I'm not shocked. Being the only superpower left has its disadvantages....... Kevin