Free Republic

A brief history to put my questions in context. My parents are Catholic, I was baptized Catholic. In my mid-20's I met and married a Greek Orthodox man. In the process, I converted to Greek Orthodox(old calendar), so we could have a religious wedding (otherwise there would have been no wedding believe me). Anyway fast-forward 10 years later and we got divorced. He obtained a religious divorce as well so he could remarry, which he eventually did. I have also since remarried (a non-Catholic in a civil ceremony only). Now what I'm wanting to know is where I now stand...

Millions of seniors stand to lose their private employer-based drug coverage or find that their existing drug coverage is significantly scaled back from what it is today. That is the likely result if provisions in major Medicare legislation recently approved by both houses of Congress (S. 1 and H.R. 1) to provide all Medicare beneficiaries with a new Medicare prescription drug benefit are approved in their current form. A House-Senate conference committee is now attempting to reconcile the differences between the two massive bills. Rather than reconciling two profoundly flawed bills, however, the conferees should go back to the drawing...

Football Legend Accuses Jesse Jackson of Wasting NASCAR's Money By Marc Morano CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer July 16, 2003 (CNSNews.com) - Reggie White, one of the National Football League's greatest defensive players of all time, has accused Jesse Jackson of taking "a quarter of million dollars from NASCAR and not do[ing] anything with it. "It's really disappointing to me that Jesse and his organization would take a quarter of a million dollars from NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) and not do anything with it to try to get black drivers into the sport," White said in an...

Two versions of the trailer, low-res and hi-res.

I didn't see this posted, and wasn't sure if everyone interested was aware there is a trailer online. There is low-res and a high-res version.

In this world no person, no party can guarantee anything, but what we can do and what we shall do is to deserve victory, and victory will be ours. The good Lord raised this mighty Republic to be a home for the brave and to flourish as the land of the free-not to stagnate in the swampland of collectivism, not to cringe before the bully of communism. Now, my fellow Americans, the tide has been running against freedom. Our people have followed false prophets. We must, and we shall, return to proven ways-- not because they are old, but because...

A 2001 Colonial Williamsburg Foundation study revealed that a quarter of American teenagers didn't know what Independence Day is supposed to celebrate. These same teens didn't know who fought in the Civil War, and couldn't even name the three branches of their government. Rather than confront the actual problem, let's imagine some of the stupefying excuses we are likely to hear regarding this study: Maybe questions about American history are "culturally biased?" Perhaps the test didn't factor in the importance of self-esteem? Perchance, the concept of asking student's questions and expecting them to recite the answers isn't progressive? Why can't...

<p>Growing up in Detroit, Ben Carson was labeled early as a bad student with an anger problem. He believed that he was stupid and that being poor and black doomed him. During one fight as a young teenager, only a belt buckle kept the knife he was wielding from slicing into another kid's belly. But then he turned his life around. "Every hurdle we jump strengthens us and prepares us for the next one," he says.</p>

Russia will soon launch a mock nuclear attack against the U.S. and Britain during military exercises over the next week. Moscow's Nezavisimaya Gazeta reports that Russia's strategic bombers and nuclear submarines "will deliver hypothetical nuclear strikes on the U.S. and Britain, while locating and destroying aircraft-carrier groups of the U.S. Navy." The massive air, sea and land maneuvers are being conducted in the wake of America's stunning victory over Iraq, a longtime client state of Russia. The paper said the exercises are taking place because "Russian military leaders have learned a lesson from the Iraq war, and intend to show...

<p>A march Saturday to protest the Greenville County Council's opposition to a Martin Luther King holiday will mark "the first steps to returning the national focus to the unfinished business in the South," the Rev. Jesse Jackson said Monday. The Greenville-born civil rights leader also said he will begin seeking an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would mandate "high quality public education for all children."</p>

<p>NORTH SPARTANBURG — Marine Pvt. Nolen Ryan Hutchings' short life was vividly recalled at his funeral Saturday, and some said he seemed to have matured beyond his years.</p> <p>Hutchings, 20, of Boiling Springs, died in Operation Iraqi Freedom last month.</p>

Breaking, no details

The first Tomahawk missile to be fired into Iraq is launched from USS BUNKER HILL (CG 52) at 0525 on March 20, 2003. HILL is currently forward deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of ongoing operations against Iraq. (U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class (AW) Richard Moore) (Released) Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division in firing positions during an enemy approach on their position at objective RAMA, in Southern Iraq on March 24, 2003. (DoD photo by Sgt. Igor Paustovski, U.S.Army) (Released) An A-10 Thunderbolt crew chief from the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing inspects the cockpit...

Many Iraqi citizens have taken to the streets in recent days to celebrate their freedom from dictator Saddam Hussein. But that joy could turn to sorrow, anti-war protesters warn, when the Iraqis begin to see their country adopt western cultural values. Stephanie Schaudel, co-coordinator for Voices in the Wilderness, an anti-war group in Chicago, said the "richness of culture" in Iraq is going to be subjected to Americanization by U.S. corporations during the post-war rebuilding of the war-torn nation. The result, she indicated, would be difficult for Iraqis to swallow. "Some people would think that seeing a KFC (formerly Kentucky...

San Francisco, CA - On April 12th, The Global Security Institute will honor Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi with the 2003 Alan Cranston Peace Award for her critical role in promoting nuclear disarmament, international peace, human rights, and gender equity. Please join actors Pierce Brosnan and Peter Coyote, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala, and special guests in honoring Congresswoman Pelosi. In a time of human awakening, historic uncertainty, international crisis and threats to our cherished democracy we offer you a chance to celebrate and support the dedication of those working for peace and disarmament around the world. The Gala...

SREBRENICA, Bosnia-Hercegovina (AFP) - More than 600 victims of the infamous Srebrenica massacre were finally laid to rest, almost eight years after Europe's worst atrocity since World War II, with many relatives making a painful trip back to the town. Over 10,000 people, including many of the bereaved as well as overseas officials, helped re-bury 600 Muslim men and boys, removed from mass graves, at a memorial cemetery in Potocari, just outside Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia. More than 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys are believed to have been slain in Srebrenica after Serbs overran the enclave on July 11,...

breaking, SAM

What We're Fighting For Preamble | What Are American Values? | What about God? | A Just War? | Conclusion | Original Signatories | Endnotes | Preamble AT TIMES it becomes necessary for a nation to defend itself through force of arms. Because war is a grave matter, involving the sacrifice and taking of precious human life, conscience demands that those who would wage the war state clearly the moral reasoning behind their actions, in order to make plain to one another, and to the world community, the principles they are defending. We affirm five fundamental truths that pertain to...

Group Says It Will Keep Up Fight If Holiday Swap Is Approved GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The leaders of the Greenville County NAACP said Friday that they will not accept a compromise proposal on establishing a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in the county. A committee appointed by County Council recommended two plans Wednesday, one that would add a new King holiday for workers and one that would replace an existing holiday with a King observance. On Friday, Greenville National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Paul Guy, flanked by the chapter's executive committee, said that his group will...

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- WYFF News 4 is teaming up with the American Red Cross to help keep our men and women overseas in touch with their families. "Operation Phone Home" will distribute long-distance phone cards to U.S. military units stationed in the middle east. A $20 donation will buy one international phone card and contribute to Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services. Because the phone cards are specially designed for use in satellite telephones made available to troops at overseas bases, donations of regular phone cards cannot be accepted -- Operation Phone Home is taking cash contributions only. People who...