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From my (forever) upcoming book: The Power to Destroy. In FY 2008, the U.S. Congress pushed through $17.2 billion in pork attached to 12 appropriations bills. There were many moments to cherish but we will consider just one here--certainly not the biggest earmark but one of the most interesting. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), a nineteen term representative, asked for and got $1,950,000 for a library and archives at the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at The City College of New York. In other words Congressman Rangel received $1.95 million dollars of my money and yours to finance a...

While most kindergartners are thrilled by an action-packed afternoon of finger-painting and clay sculpture, an Arkansas 5-year-old is shooting for something a little more dangerous. Tre Merritt was in a stand with his grandfather when a black bear came from a thicket at the side of the road, Little Rock news station KATV-TV reported. From about 50 yards away, Tre shot the bear with his youth rifle. The boy’s grandfather, Mike Merritt, told KATV-TV that Tre’s 10th great-grandfather was Davy Crockett, a legendary outdoorsman who killed a bear at just 3 years old, according to folklore.

A 5-year-old Arkansas County boy killed a black bear Sunday weighing more than 400 pounds. Tre Merritt, a descendant of Davy Crockett, was hunting with his grandfather Mike Merritt when a black bear happened upon their stand. "His 10th great-grandfather was Davy Crockett," Mike Merritt said. "And Davy supposedly killed him a bear when he was three. And Tre is five and really killed a bear. I really doubt if Davy killed one when he was three." Mike Merritt was in the stand at the time but said Tre did it all by himself. "He came in about 40 to...

AUSTIN — Just two months before he perished defending the Alamo, Davy Crockett described to his daughter and son-in-law the land he treasured enough to die for its independence. "I must say as to what I have seen of Texas it is the garden spot of the world," the famed frontiersman and former congressman from Tennessee wrote. "The best land and the best prospect for health. ..."The Texas Historical Commission announced Tuesday it bought the letter, which is believed to be the last that Crockett penned before he and about 200 other Alamo defenders were killed by Mexican forces led...

One day in the House of Representatives, a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in its support. The Speaker was just about to put the question when Mr. Crockett arose: "Mr. Speaker - I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the suffering of the living, if suffering there be, as any man in this house, but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of the living...

The frontier TV series "Daniel Boone" was big in its day, but that was more than 40 years ago. No matter. The show's first two seasons, which come out Tuesday on DVD, are among the top 10 sellers for this week's releases at Amazon. Fess Parker, who starred as the famous historical figure, knows why the 1964-70 series remains popular. "The show has lots of adventure and deals with groundbreaking themes that still attract audiences," said the actor, now 82. "The writing and acting was always superb, and when you do a show that good, it always resonates with old...

An old story who's time has come to be repeated. We need far more men of Davy Crockett's character in Washington today. Too bad we don't have any. CROCKETT was then the lion of Washington. I was a great admirer of his character, and, having several friends who were intimate with him, I found no difficulty in making his acquaintance. I was fascinated with him, and he seemed to take a fancy to me. I was one day in the lobby of the House of Representatives when a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow...

The old Klepper house, also known as the old stone house, was built in 1792 for Col. George Gillispie, who with his son Capt. Thomas Gillispie were members of the Overmountain Men that turned the tide of the American Revolution at King's Mountain, S.C., in 1780. Tony Duncan photo.LIMESTONE - They called it the old Klepper house in Limestone. As memories of the family faded and the house began to be obscured by brush and trees growing up around it, it was known as the old stone house. It is one of three stone houses built in Washington County...

As our President finally engages the Democrats on their desire to cut and run in Iraq, much of George W. Bush's philosophy can be found in the words of another plain spoken American hero...Davy Crockett.. I've excerpted a few of his finest quotes for your enjoyment. It'd be wonderful if VP Cheney trotted out a few of these this morning, as he lays the heavy lumber to the spineless Democrats in Cingress..

[RAMBLINGS]I am getting a little tired of seeing low poll numbers, spats over supreme court nominees, overspending, the size of government, and just about everything else that makes washington politics as usual. Either the republicans need to step up and take charge or we need to replace even them with people who wish to restore constitutional integrity. I have written a vanity speech, a call to action so to speak, and I have posted it at www.markbureau.us and would like to share it. Here goes.... In his farewell address, President George Washington heeded a warning about party affiliation when he...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

CROCKETT was then the lion of Washington. I was a great admirer of his character, and, having several friends who were intimate with him, I found no difficulty in making his acquaintance. I was fascinated with him, and he seemed to take a fancy to me. I was one day in the lobby of the House of Representatives when a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in its support — rather, as I thought, because it afforded the speakers a fine opportunity for...

El Camino Real to become historic trail By The Associated Press Overcoming private property concerns, Congress has passed legislation that would designate El Camino Real de los Tejas, which stretches from the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas, to Natchitoches, La., as a National Historic Trail. El Camino Real was a corridor of trails used by settlers, immigrants, Indians and the military. The trail is a combination of routes totaling almost 2,600 miles. It also served as a path for such Texas heroes as Davy Crockett and Sam Houston, who fought for Texas independence from Mexico. "This legislation grants the...

A Humbling Lesson: Congressman Davy Crockett Learns About Limited Government   In the following, excerpted from the book The Life of Colonel David Crockett (1884) compiled by Edward S. Ellis, the famous American frontiersman, war hero, and congressman from Tennessee relates how he learned -- from one of his own backwoods constituents -- the vital importance of heeding the Constitution and the dangers of disregarding its restraints. Crockett was then the lion of Washington. I was a great admirer of his character, and, having several friends who were intimate with him, I found no difficulty in making his acquaintance. I was...

"The Alamo": Defining Heroism Down Rather than depict them as alabaster saints, we wanted to show them as complete human beings. --Stephen Hardin, historical advisor, “The Alamo” In 1960, American icon John Wayne starred as Davy Crockett in “The Alamo”, a heroic, if sanitized portrayal of the infamous siege where some 200 Americans held off Mexican General Santa Anna’s army of several thousand for 13 days before being wiped out to a man. Nearly 45 years later, a new unwashed “Alamo” is upon us, brought to us by Disney, and starring American anti-hero Billy Bob Thornton as the larger-than-life frontiersman....

<p>The king of the wild frontier was also a champion of limited government.</p> <p>The new Disney film "The Alamo" has revived interest in Davy Crockett, the frontiersman-turned-celebrity who then entered politics and thus became an early American version of Arnold Schwarzenegger before he died fighting Santa Anna's legions in 1836.</p>

Okay, FRiend, just sit yourself down and listen to the way Davy Crockett (1835 or early 1836) got himself and his Tennessee volunteers into Texas on the way to the Alamo.You see, at that time there were no super highways and bridges, so the way you got over the rivers was by ferry. Also at that time the Red River was considered to be the Texas border. But there were a family/group of thugs, highway robbers and murderers that lived in Miller County (now Texarkana) who had heard that the Crockett party would be coming their way. This group of...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

Davy Crockett: U.S. congressman, legend in his own time, venerated hero of the Alamo who lost his life after Mexican troops overran the now fabled fort. His final words? "I'm a screamer." That's according to Walt Disney Studios, whose new film, "The Alamo," premieres in San Antonio next Saturday. The real shocker might be what comes next: the execution of Crockett by Mexican soldiers, a movie scene that's sure to be seen as sacrilege by rabid Alamophiles who like to imagine the myth-shrouded "Lion of the West" going down fighting. Noted Alamo author Frank Thompson has seen people come to...

Wearing a coat and tie on a frame once synonymous with a buckskin jacket and coonskin cap, actor Fess Parker still looks larger than life. The Texas-born actor was at the Alamo on Friday to donate a 180-year-old long rifle in tribute to the late Walt Disney and others who made him famous as television's Davy Crockett. It was given to him by the National Rifle Association in Philadelphia in 1955 in a gesture that commemorated an 1834 presentation of a rifle to Crockett by a group known as "The Young Men of Philadelphia." The group's members were with the...

January 18, 2004, 7:30 A.M. PST on Face the Nation, CBS-TV – I have been hard on Bob Schieffer before. The reason is always the same. It is the same reason this time. There he sat in Iowa, talking to Senator John Edwards, who clams to be surging because his positive message reflects his small town connection with the “people.”...(snip) The reason the White House and congress is in Republican hands today, and the reason the former Democrat registration majority of 51% has shrunk to 31% is that in the past ten years a gigantic town hall has been created...

Sorry for the vanity, but this is the second time in recent memory I have thought of this story and wanted to look it up. Ive searched the internet in vain. I think it was presented as a true story, but could simply be a fable. It was about a Congressman or Senator in the very early days of the country. He was walking his district asking for reelection votes. He stopped and talked to a farmer who said he liked the Congressman, but would not vote for him again because of the Congressman's vote on one specific bill. The...

Second Thoughts By: William W. Lawrence 11/18/2003 Off The Internet: Edward Ellis, an American frontiersman, war hero and congressman from Tennessee, wrote a book in 1884 called, The Life of Colonel David Crockett. He told how it was that Congressman Davy Crockett learned the importance of heeding the Constitution and the dangers of disregarding its restraints. One day the House of Representatives took up a bill to appropriate money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in support of the bill. Crockett arose just as the bill was about to...

Associated PressAlamo visitors check out the restored 1834 portrait of Davy Crockett. SAN ANTONIO - Davy Crockett has returned to the Alamo, but visitors to the shrine of Texas independence say the frontiersman's oil-and-canvas version appeared kinder and gentler than his rough frontier image. The restored 1834 painting of Crockett has not hung in the Alamo since 1977. Observers during an informal morning ceremony Tuesday said they were surprised to see Crockett's delicate looks. Crockett was likely 47 when he sat for the portrait by artist John Gadsby Chapman two years before the Tennessee statesman's death at the famous...

Congressional Record --- Extension of Remarks Proceedings and Debates of the 102nd Congress, First Session Material in Extension of Remarks was not spoken by a Member on the floor. In the House of Representatives Wednesday, May 1, 1991 A CONSTITUTIONAL LESSON FROM DAVY CROCKETT Mr. Speaker, recently, a friend of mine, Dr. John Shea, who is a world renown otolaryngologist from Memphis, TN, brought to my attention a reproduction of a little story that I had not heard or seen in some time. The story was told on the House floor by Davy Crockett who was then serving as a...

<p>The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.</p> <p>We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families.</p> <p>In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.</p>

Heroes. Every nation, in every time, seems to need them. Some heroes who often were regarded harshly in their lifetime – e.g., George Washington – gained luster in later years. Others, hailed in their day, have fared less well with the passage of time. Cases in point: William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, whom history reviles for his part in stripping our western plains of bison. U.S. Grant betrayed a weakness for whiskey, Charles A. Lindbergh for the appeal of Naziism. One hero whose halo remained fairly fixed has been Davy Crockett, the 19th century frontiersman who's revered among 189 brave...

SOCKDOLAGER As a basis for my belief in the lack of Constitutionality of federal welfare programs, I use the following story about Davy Crockett when he was a member of the House of Representatives. Being a Texan, I have a great deal of respect for anyone who fought at the Alamo! Take care and God bless, HowardP A Tale of Davy Crockett -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A "sockdolager" is a knock-down blow. This is a newspaper reporter's captivating story of his unforgettable encounter with the old "Bear Hunter" from Tennessee. From The Life of Colonel David Crockett, by Edward S. Ellis (Philadelphia: Porter...

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood...

Disney remembers a different 'Alamo' Posted: February 26, 20031:00 a.m. Eastern © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com Given Hollywood's current anti-war, ant-military, anti-thinking stances, I suppose it was only a matter of time before it came for Davey Crockett. But who would have imagined it was Disney that would lead the charge against the legend? What would Walt say? Monday's Los Angeles Times carried a front-page story on "The Alamo," Disney's in-production blockbuster scheduled for release this Christmas. The key paragraphs: "'We're making sure all viewpoints are expressed,' said Disney Studios Chairman Richard Cook. 'You have to stay away from the stereotypes and not make...

I just heard Roger say the "new" Disney Company, (one which Walt would not have had anything to do with) is planning on making a movie called "The Alamo" designed to destroy the memory and image of all the heros who fell in battleTurning them into drunks and "white men" slave owners, the new picture is supposed to undo all the good Walt did with Fess Parker in the 50'sObviously now controled by the dark side, and destined to run the company into bankrupcy, this movie will harm Disney in a way the Bomb damaged HeroshimaYou'd think they would have...