Free Republic

Special to the Independent from the Journal of New Ulm MANKATO - In a telephone conference call with up to 1,000 constituents, Rep. Tim Walz and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius tackled questions about the health care reform legislation in Washington. Listeners were on listen-only status unless they signaled their wish to ask a question. Questions were prescreened by the moderator, Walz's Communications Director Meredith Salsbery. There were no raised voices, though some questions were contentious. Walz will be holding a regular town hall meeting at 6 p.m.. Thursday at Mankato East High School. Walz and Sebelius opened...

While on the phone with my Congress critter's office this am, I was specifically asked to contact as many representatives, even from my state, to express my opinions. I found this link for FR. It links to all states and territories, as far as I can tell.

AFSCME is passing out info in State office buildings to call state legislators and SEIU, AFSCME, and Obama's the rest of OBama's Acorn crew are running commercials for higher taxes

Who would have thought 55 days into this administration we would be asking the question, what did he know and when did he know it? Word that a provision in the stimulus bill gave the green light for AIG to hand out bonuses using taxpayer money sent the media bloodhounds hot on the trail of whoever is the culprit. For a time, it looked like Senate Banking chairman Chris Dodd would take the fall, but after 24 hours of twisting in the wind, Dodd said the change that exempted past agreements to pay bonuses was made at the request of...

[Audio of phone call in article] he President must have strayed too far from his trusty teleprompter again. Because we all know how precise he is with his use of language. So let’s pause to consider once more how the media enablers rolled over to let the Eloquent One get away with requesting a do-over on his answer to the NY Times reporter’s question, “Are you a socialist?” Imagine if the hapless George W. Bush had called back the NY Times to change an answer. And then just offered more buck-passing in explanation. Oh, the humanity! But we voted for...

If you've seen the yellow bags on your door knob, you probably know this is the day Boy Scouts collect food for the hungry. Their goal - 500,000 items. But behind one door knob, a local Cub Scout troop solicited a pretty special donor, former president George W. Bush. For 10,000 local kids, scouting for food is door to door, and it's neighbor to neighbor. But for the boys of Troop 19, their newest neighbor is guarded by the police and the Secret Service. Getting the former president's canned goods is no simple matter. "You had to do a bit...

NEW YORK, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), together with other community groups, today met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Gracie Mansion to express their concerns about the mayor's "uncritical" support for Israel's recent attacks on Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians.

Call ALL the Offices of Spector,Collins and Snowe. Here are all 21 numbers.

I was just surfing through the garbage and came across this post on DUmmies UNderock. They are fuming at Diane's possible no vote on porkulus and listed numbers to call. I called all and got through to actual human beings (except for the 1st number). FREEP SURGE!!! Call call call!!! I must admit, the gals I spoke with were very nice and polite. This is the post I got the numbers from.... Parker CA (670 posts) Fri Feb-06-09 02:21 PM Response to Reply #6 13. Just called her DC office and got through after 6 attempts. Let the person on...

This is something you will want to have and use! I still remember when AT&T charged me $1.50 to get a phone number from information! My compliments to Google! Just leave it up to Google to come up with something like this!

Legislation (SB 12) that would mandate, as early as 2010, bullet serialization -- the process by which each individual round of ammunition is identified and marked with a laser-engraved serial number -- was introduced, December 11th, by Senator Ronald Ramsey, Sr. in the Georgia State Senate. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association of the firearms and ammunition industry, has made clear that serializing ammunition on a mass production basis is not feasible from a practical standpoint and any legislation mandating such action could rightfully be considered a de facto ban on ammunition. NSSF is encouraging all sportsmen,...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2008 – Wounded warriors who call into the Marine Wounded Warrior Call Center near Quantico, Va., find truth in the motto, “once a Marine, always a Marine.” That’s because their calls are answered by people like Alfredo Soto, who fondly remembers the camaraderie he experienced during his service in the Marine Corps. “We were always being told to look out for and take care of your buddy,” Soto, 36, said. He is one of several veterans and military family members who work the phones at the call center in Dumfries, Va. “I know I’m out of...

Authorities to Hold News Conference on Fate of Boy Whose Grandfather Has Been Tied to Mexican Drug RingNevada officials have deactivated an Amber Alert for kidnapped 6-year-old Cole Puffinburger. They gave no reason for the cancellation. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced a news conference to be held at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT). Puffinburger was kidnapped Wednesday morning from his Las Vegas home. His grandfather, Clemens Tinnemeyer, 51, was arrested by the FBI on Friday as a "person of interest" in the case. He was taken into custody in Riverside, Calif., and is being held at the...

Click Below to sign the petitionhttp://www.callbackcongress.com/

I don't know if it was ever pointed out here that this measure passed 63-5, with 32 Senators choosing not to vote, including both McCain and Obama. Click through if you don't know how your Senator voted.

COLORADO SPRINGS — A court hearing was delayed at the last-minute for the woman considered a "person of interest" in the phone call that sparked the massive raid on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch. Rozita Swinton, 33, was scheduled to appear in an El Paso County courtroom on Friday for a pre-trial hearing on a misdemeanor charge of making a false report to police. The hearing was postponed at the request of her defense attorney. "He asked for a continuance due to the amount of discovery in this case," said prosecutor Frederick Stein. "I did not object to...

Malicious Legislation Watch Climate Security Act is about NeitherOnly US Senators would have the overbearing arrogance--think Al Gore--to think that they can vote to change climate. But the Senate votes tomorrow on a piece of Buffoonery called the Climate Security Act. Maybe the Senators attach a rider outlawing tornadoes and floods, while they're at it. Tomorrow's Senate vote, which will cost every American THOUSANDS of dollars more--while accomplishing NOTHING. Instead of filing this under "Legislative Mischief", this bill needs to go into the "Malicious Legislation" file. The Climate Security Act will affect neither climate nor security. It will, however, affect...

PARIS - President Bush has finally set a target date for reining in U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases but the plan is falling flat in the international arena, where critics have long accused him of not moving quickly enough on tackling global warming. "Losership instead of leadership," Germany's environment minister said Thursday of Bush's new strategy. A major disappointment, South Africa said. Too little and too late, a Chinese official added. Bush's speech Wednesday, in which he said the United States must stop the growth of its emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases by 2025, dominated U.S.-sponsored climate...

IT'S ONLY MY OPINION-Hillary Clinton and the 3 a.m. callStanley P. Gershbein 04/10/2008 Many years ago I was called as a witness to a lawsuit in which I was involved. I was asked a question by the opposing attorney and completely surprised - no. SHOCKED is a better word. I totally shocked him with my response. He attempted to stop me in the middle of my reply. I then looked up at the judge and said "Your honor. I'm not finished." "I'll allow it. I'm curious myself to hear what you have to say." I went on for another few...

Mailings Fool Seniors Into Accepting Pitches; States Launch ChargesOlder Americans around the country are getting duped by a seemingly innocuous tactic that can expose them to hard-sell pitches from the insurance industry. The technique is centered on a marketing tool called the lead card, and it became popular after the federal government created its Do Not Call Registry in 2003 to shield consumers from unwanted solicitors. Sent through the mail, the lead card invites the recipient to mail off an enclosed reply for free information about, say, estate planning. "It's a huge loophole," says Pam Dixon, executive director of the...

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2007 – On June 17, most fathers will awake to smiles, hugs and maybe even another tie for their collection. For more than 150,000 American fathers, sons and daughters serving in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, their Father's Day will be much different. To help bridge the gap between the front lines and the home front, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service actively partners with the American public on not just Father's Day, but every day troops are far from home, AAFES officials said. Available to the public since April 2004, “Help Our Troops...

First, there were letters; what's now referred to as "snail mail." Next, email came along. Now, some military families are "catching the wave" of wireless communication via satellite. It's a costly way to communicate unless you pool your resources. Thanks to satellite time purchased by Sgt. Brad Frey, he's able to talk to and see his wife Andrea and their two young boys from his computer in Afghanistan. Andrea logged onto the computer and set up a satellite feed while News 4 was there. She said to him, "We can see you." Sgt. Frey and seven of his friends; other...

Governments should tax plasma screen televisions because of the large amount of energy they consume, according to a leading expert on climate change. Professor Paul Ekins, who studies the economics of climate change, said taxing plasma screens would reflect their "greater climate change burden". This would encourage development and take-up of more energy efficient diode screens, Professor Ekins said. He said government could label energy hungry appliances as a first step. Plasma televisions, which are 50% bigger than their cathode-ray tube equivalents, consume about four times more energy, according to the government-funded Energy Saving Trust.

United States House of Representatives, 110th Congress, 1st SessionFind Your Representative by ZIP;Write Your Representative;Representatives by Name;.Representatives by State

Call for jihad as Ethiopian troops go into Somalia By Mike Pflanz in Nairobi (Filed: 10/10/2006) Radical Muslims controlling much of southern Somalia yesterday declared jihad, or holy war, on Ethiopia after accusing its troops of capturing a town taken by the fundamentalists last month. The 750 Ethiopians were among forces loyal to the Somalia's weak, transitional president, Abdullahi Yusuf. They seized Buur Hakaba without firing a shot early yesterday. The Islamic Courts Union responded by stepping up their long-running threats to wage war with Ethiopia, which stands accused of sending thousands of troops into Somalia to defend Mr Yusuf's...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Sept. 13, 2006 -- Staff Sgt. Mike Myers experienced one of the most frightening events of his life in Afghanistan, while the birth of his child was taking place simultaneously more than 7,000 miles away. Army Staff Sgt. Mike Myers explains what happened to him on a recent mission as he sits in the driver's seat of a Humvee he was operating when it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. The attack came Sept. 6 at almost the same time his son was being born in the U.S. Myers is a security forces member deployed...

Howard call to Australian Muslims Mr Howard has been criticised for singling out Muslims Australian Prime Minister John Howard has called on moderate Muslims to be more critical of terrorism. In comments to mark the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US, Mr Howard said: "No decent genuine Muslim would support terrorism." He also said Muslims must fully accept that Israel had a right to exist. Islamic leaders in Australia have reacted angrily to the comments, saying Mr Howard should not single out Muslims for criticism. "Instead of constantly singling out Muslim people, he should be trying...

Sarkozy woos young with call for new French 'revolution' By Henry Samuel in Paris (Filed: 04/09/2006) Nicolas Sarkozy, the French Right's brightest hope to succeed Jacques Chirac next year, kicked off his unofficial presidential campaign yesterday with a rousing speech to thousands of young party faithful. The interior minister and head of the ruling UMP party outlined a series of detailed proposals to "reinvent the Republic" and "create a new French model" in an address timed to coincide with la rentrée, the nationwide return to work after a lengthy summer break. Mr Sarkozy's rally cry, which closed the UMP's youth...

The Arab world's silence has left the last word to those we call extremists While Israel receives unanimous western support, this crisis is dragging the region ever faster into the abyss Alain Gresh Tuesday August 22, 2006 The Guardian (UK) Killers slaughter dozens of civilians in Iraq every day just because they are Sunni Muslims. Suicide attacks are increasingly common in Afghanistan, where they used to be unknown. On the Gaza Strip, 1.5 million Palestinians are caught in a trap, hemmed in by the Israeli offensive and the decision by the US and the EU to freeze all direct aid....

look further down!!

Israel rejects UN aid truce call> Many have been forced from their homes, but others remain trapped Israel has rejected a United Nations call for a three-day truce in southern Lebanon, as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in Israel. The UN says children, the elderly and disabled people are trapped and supplies are short. But an Israeli spokesman said there was no need for a truce as a humanitarian corridor to the area had been opened. Israeli missiles landed near the main Lebanese border crossing into Syria on Saturday, witnesses and officials said. In a separate incident, two...

Hamas call to fight Israelis as 21 die By Patrick Bishop in Beit Lahiya (Filed: 07/07/2006) A Palestinian minister called on his security forces to take up arms last night after Israeli tanks re-occupied a tract of northern Gaza, provoking the fiercest clashes since an Israeli soldier was seized 11 days ago. Israeli troops killed at least 21 Palestinians as the air force launched missile strikes and tanks took up position among the Palestinian homes. One soldier was killed. Saeed Seyam declared a state of emergency Saeed Seyam, the Palestinian interior minister and a member of the governing Hamas Party,...

CLEBURNE, Texas: A rail worker who lost his legs when a train ran over him used a mobile phone to report that he was trapped and had been "cut in two". Truman Duncan, 36, was in a critical condition yesterday after the accident on Sunday at the Gunderson Southwest rail yard in Cleburne. In a tape of the 911 call, Duncan tells the operator: "I need 911 ... I think I'm cut in two." The operator asks: "Someone got run over?" Duncan replies: "It was me. I guess I'm going into shock. Hurry up, ma'am, because I'm about to pass...

Call to put whites back in charge of 'unhealthy' Aborigines By Mark Chipperfield in Sydney (Filed: 22/06/2006) A senior minister yesterday recommended installing white administrators in some of Australia's more troubled Aboriginal communities, re-igniting argument about a problem that has divided the country for decades. Tony Abbott, the health minister, said the 500,000-strong indigenous population was falling so far behind the mainstream community that only a return to the "paternalistic" government policies of the 1950s would save them. "Paternalism based on competence rather than race is unavoidable if these places are to be well run," he said. Mr Abbott's speech...

WASHINGTON — Police labor officials, angry over a federal grand jury's refusal to indict Rep. Cynthia McKinney for assaulting a police officer, said Monday they want the House ethics committee to review her conduct. And they said the grand jury's decision last week sent the message that "it's okay to hit a police officer." "We hope that members of Congress will review her actions in light of their rules within their own ethics committee," Andrew Maybo, chairman of the U.S. Capitol Police Labor Committee, told reporters Monday at a news conference in Washington.

Hamas defies Abbas call to moderate anti-Israeli strategy By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem (Filed: 06/06/2006) The Hamas-led Palestinian government looked certain last night to defy the moderate leader Mahmoud Abbas and reject his demand to soften its stance towards Israel. With no sign of Hamas meeting a midnight deadline to back the so-called Prisoners' Accord, a proposal recognising the right of Israel to exist within pre-1967 borders, the stage was set for a referendum, which Mr Abbas had promised to hold in 30 days if his plan was rebuffed. Tension between armed factions from Fatah and Hamas is expected to...

Afghans call for trial of US troops after crash By Peter Foster (Filed: 01/06/2006) American soldiers responsible for a fatal road accident that sparked a day of riots in Kabul, should be handed over for trial, Afghanistan's parliament voted yesterday. The motion puts further pressure on the US forces, international troops and aid agencies working in the country. Five people died in the accident on Monday, which prompted an outpouring of anti-foreign feelings. Another 20 people died and 160 were wounded in the riots that targeted the foreign presence, including an office of Oxfam. A European Union compound had to...

Hamas rejects Abbas call for peace talks with Israel By Harry de Quetteville in Ramallah (Filed: 28/05/2006) Hamas, the radical Islamic group that won January's election, yesterday rejected a deadline issued by the Palestinians' moderate president, Mahmoud Abbas, to choose between violence or peace talks with Israel. At the same time, a Hamas militia involved in factional clashes with Palestinian police in Gaza that have left 10 dead, was sent back onto the streets, only a day after it was withdrawn. Mahmoud Abbas: Deadline Its return seems to signal the end of a short-lived effort to defuse tensions between Hamas,...

Cattle's Call of the Wild: Domestication may hold complex genetic tale Bruce Bower A new investigation of DNA that was obtained from modern cattle and from fossils of their ancient, wild ancestors puts scientists on the horns of a domestication dilemma. The new data challenge the mainstream idea, based on earlier genetic and archaeological evidence, that herding and farming groups in southeastern Turkey or adjacent Near Eastern regions domesticated cattle perhaps 11,000 years ago. According to that view, these groups then introduced the animals throughout Europe, so current European cattle breeds would trace their ancestry directly back to early Near...

Hevron Issues Call to Public: Come to Fight Injustice! 23:04 May 06, '06 / 8 Iyar 5766 by Ezra HaLevi The Hevron Jewish community is calling upon the public to come to the city to protest the government's intention to forcibly remove residents from a building prior to a court hearing on the matter. Hevron's Beit Shapira has been isolated by the police and the forced eviction of its Jewish residents will probably begin Sunday morning, community members say. They are calling upon loyalist of the Land of Israel and Jewish property rights to make their way to Hevron. Mid-day...

FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Army News Service, May 2, 2006) – The 2006 U.S. Army Soldier Show will unveil “Reveille: Answering the Call” during a three-performance weekend May 5 through 7 at Wallace Theater. “The entire idea came from the new Army motto: Call to Duty,” said Soldier Show director Victor Hurtado. “For our civilian audience, it may illustrate why people join. For our military audience, it might remind them why – what their initial reasons were and why they continue to serve.” The bottom line, however, remains the same: “Entertainment for the Soldier, by the Soldier,” the working motto of...

4/21/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Imagine being pinned down by enemy forces, with no relief in sight. Now, imagine picking up a phone and calling your friendly local fighter pilot, flying overhead only miles away, for help. With the new Fighter Aircraft Communication Enhancement, or FACE, pod, ground units in combat are now able to do just that. Fielded for the first time in late 2004, the FACE pod is a solution to communication problems often experienced by aircraft in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan. Used effectively in several theaters, the FACE pod allows ground units to communicate with...

Hamas in call to end suicide bombings Conal Urquhart in Gaza City Sunday April 9, 2006 The Observer (UK) Hamas is to abandon its use of suicide bombers, who have killed almost 300 Israelis, in any future confrontations with Israel, its activists have told The Observer. The Islamic group, which leads the Palestinian Authority, says, however, that it may resort to other forms of violence if there is no progress towards Palestinian statehood. Yihiyeh Musa, a Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said Hamas had moved into a 'new era' which did not require suicide attacks. 'The suicide bombings...

Pelosi to Call for Special Envoy to Sudan Friday March 17, 2006 3:01 AM By ERICA WERNER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is calling for the appointment of a U.S. special envoy to Sudan, where a three-year rebellion in the Darfur region has left an estimated 180,000 people dead and displaced 2 million more. ``This special envoy would signal that bringing peace and stability to Sudan is a priority for the United States,'' Pelosi, D-Calif., said in prepared text of a speech to be delivered Friday at the Center for National Policy. ``To do...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-- (March 10, 2006) -- More than 65 percent of the approximate 27,000 Marines who deployed with II Marine Expeditionary Force, in support of the Global War on Terrorism, have completed the redeployment process. As Marines return to their families and loved ones, so does their mail. Care packages intended for use in the Iraqi deserts have been routed back to the rear in anticipation of the recipient’s relocation. “Our mail room in H-24 is about to blow up,” said II Marine Headquarters Group company first sergeant, Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Kapla. “It’s important that every...

/8/2006 - LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- An Air Force doctor is helping thousands of people in developing countries as a results of a chance encounter with Texas reservists at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, eight years ago. Lt. Col. (Dr.) Josef Schmid was in the regular Air Force working in the Rhein-Main clinic when a team of reservists from Lackland's 433rd Airlift Wing showed up for two weeks of annual tour training. “I didn’t even know they were reservists until someone said something," said Doctor Schmid, now assigned to the 433rd Medical Squadron here. After leaving active duty,...

3/7/2006 - KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFPN) -- After the devastation from Hurricane Katrina left the base and the surrounding area in dire straits, the community desperately needed help to recover. Airmen here have answered that call. “We were in crisis mode right after the hurricane trying to make sure people had the bare minimum to survive,” said Maj. Teresa Roberts, director of the family support center. Since Hurricane Katrina, the center has logged more than 38,000 volunteer hours supporting all facets of the rebuilding effort. They are still handling about 10 requests per week with assisting in clearing...

Hamas spurns al-Qaeda's war call Khaled Meshaal says he won't take his cue from al-Qaeda Hamas has dismissed a message by al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri urging the Palestinian militant group never to make peace with Israel. Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal said the movement had "its own vision" and did not need Al Qaeda's advice. He was responding to a video statement in which Zawahiri called on Hamas - which won last month's Palestinian election - to continue to fight Israel. Mr Meshaal was speaking after talks with Russian officials in Moscow. Hamas is seeking international legitimacy, as it...

Blair brushes off Iran's call for troop withdrawal By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor (Filed: 18/02/2006) Tony Blair dismissed Iran's call for Britain to withdraw its troops from Iraq yesterday as a tactic designed to divert attention from the international campaign to curb Teheran's nuclear programme. The Iranian foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, demanded the pull-out of British forces around Basra, saying their presence was causing turmoil both in Iraq and southern Iran. The Prime Minister meets Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin "Iran demands the immediate withdrawal of British forces from Basra," Mr Mottaki said during a visit to Lebanon. "We...

Washington Prism – Babak Yektafar It was strange watching Brian Lamb, the founder of C-SPAN, on TV at a party in mid-town Tehran last month. Stranger yet, was the number of people at that party who were familiar with him, and his call-in show, Washington Journal. After talking to a few people at that party, and later on at another gathering, I came to realize that Brian Lamb, the pride of Lafayette, Indiana, actually has a small and rather cultish following in Iran. C-SPAN is carried via World Net satellite network, which among other programs, carries programming by the US...