Free Republic

Joseph Frederick, a student rebel halfway through his senior year of high school, tried the patience of his principal when he displayed a drug-referenced sign reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" at a public parade in Juneau, Alaska, in 2002

The story of this nation has been collectively written by the immigrant pen. Titled “The American Dream,” this wildly successful and popular tale is about to gain a new author. Yet instead of simply writing the next verse, this wave of immigrant authors seems intent on starting a new book. There is no longer satisfaction with building for the future; an entitlement culture has grown. This contemporary tale is to be authored by illegal immigrants, but the pen, paper, and publishing are paid for by the American taxpayer. Not offended yet? Soon. When reading this piece, remember that the term...

Snowman shirt gets cold reception in school York Suburban bans item, citing drug culture link HEIDI BERNHARD-BUBB The York Dispatch Unlike Frosty, the snowman on one of this year's most popular T-shirts has nothing to do with Christmas. In fact, Mix Unit, a Connecticut-based retailer that sells the shirt, warns: "This snowman is definitely not for children." York Suburban school officials agree. The shirt, which features a simple drawing of a snowman with a threatening grimace, has been banned from York Suburban Middle School because administrators say it is symbolic of drug culture. The image was popularized last summer by...

For those of you interested in late 60s-early 70s-era rock, I just watched the "Cream" Reunion Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Wow. Can those guys still play. Ginger Baker is 60 or older. Jack Bruce nearly died of, I think, a kidney disease. While some of the tunes may have lacked their electricity (no pun intended) of 30 years ago, it was a joy to hear "White Room," "Born Under a Bad Sign," "Badge," "Toad," and, of course, "Sunshine of Your Love." If you didn't already know it, Eric Clapton is simply one of the three or four greatest...

At 14, Justine Maxwell discovered Montrose and threw herself headlong into its unconventional, artistic underground. Though she came from the very representation of suburbia -- a two-story house in the Champions West subdivision with two parents, older siblings and pets -- and grew up with every creature comfort imaginable, a stint at summer camp changed everything. There, Maxwell met some street-savvy girls who showed her how to ride the bus and introduced her to the Montrose way of life. Everything about the famously eclectic neighborhood appealed to her -- the street kids who answered to no one, the wild hair...

Police Raid 'Head Shop' Thanks To New Law Prosecutor Says He Will Run Shops Out Of County POSTED: 10:29 p.m. CDT May 7, 2003 UPDATED: 10:52 p.m. CDT May 7, 2003 BELTON, Mo. -- Cass County prosecutor Chris Koster is cracking down on so-called "head shops" in his jurisdiction thanks to a new provision in a state law. Head shops are stores that sell types of pipes often used to smoke drugs, KMBC's Martin Augustine reported. Until recently, head shop owners had legal protection because it was assumed that tobacco could also be smoked in those pipes. But now,...