Free Republic

6/26/2009 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFNS) -- It took the tenacity of a daughter, the insistence of a politician and the presence of 27th Special Operations Wing members here June 21 to properly recognize a World War II Soldier who sacrificed his leg in combat. In a Father's Day ceremony in Portales, N.M., Col. Stephen Clark, the 27th SOW commander, presented Herman Wallace a Bronze Star in recognition of his service during World War II. Col. Mark LaRose, the 27th Special Operations Maintenance Group commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Hector Baez, the 27th Special Operations Mission Support Group...

We’re not suggesting that the formerly missing Governor of South Carolina specifically ditched his family and security detail to go hiking on Naked Hiking Day. It’s just that one of the days he hit the trail also happened to be the aforementioned holiday. [Editor’s note: This paragraph was changed to make clear that the governor’s timing was a coincidence.] Until late yesterday, no one would say publicly where he was. Poof. He just disappeared. The story started to resemble a John Grisham novel. A southern conservative governor and very vocal critic of a popular liberal president eluded his security detail...

The smiling, ethnically diverse family featured on the cover of Toronto's latest edition of its summer Fun Guide was digitally altered to make the photo more "inclusive," which city officials say is in keeping with a policy to reflect diversity. A spokesman for the department that publishes the guide listing recreation activities confirmed the publication was doctored to insert the face of a different father. "He superimposed the African-Canadian person onto the family cluster in the original photo. It was two photographs and one head was superimposed over the original family photo," said John Gosgnach, communications director for the...

In an interview with President Obama on Friday, CBS’s Harry Smith asked the "father-in-chief" about growing up without his own father: "In this fatherless world, where did you learn to love?" [audio available here] The first part of the interview, which aired on Father’s Day on CBS’s Sunday Morning, focused on Obama’s role as "First Dad" as Smith declared: "Maybe it was on election night when we first realized not only would there be a new president but also a new first family. A family with young children...Along with the role of commander-in-chief and leader of the free world, Barack...

Following is an e-mail which was sent to whitehouse e-mail list on Sunday. From: First Lady Michelle Obama Happy Father's Day, "I’m writing to share a special video of Barack talking about fatherhood, but first I want to share some thoughts of my own." Video is at the site: http://whitehouse.gov/blog/responsible-Fatherhood ==== personal note: My disgust at the arrogrance kept me from watching it

On his first Father’s Day in the White House, Barack Obama exalted the role of surrogate dads: “We also honor those surrogate fathers who raise, mentor, or care for someone else’s child. Thousands of young children benefit from the influence of great men, and we salute their willingness to give and continue giving.” Ann Dunham married Barack Obama’s father, the focus of his “autobiography.” Barack Senior abandoned the family before the child was two years old. Dad was not exactly father of the year. He is described as a “drunk and a bigot,” who was a cruel man, prone to...

The reader might be warned that reading this San Francisco Chronicle Father's Day piece serves as a most perfect emetic. In fact, it's a wonder that writer Jennifer Weiss could type with all those stars in her eyes. Her Father's Day adulation of Obama is so over-the-top that Obama suddenly becomes the "father of our country," and is determined to have "super-dad status." The most offensive part of this piece is, of course, the aforementioned assigning to Obama of the role of "father of our country." There is only one father of our country and that is George Washington, war...

With Father’s Day almost upon us, expect a host of media stories on men and family life. Some will do a good job of capturing the changes and continuities associated with fatherhood in contemporary America. But other reporters and writers will generalize from their own unrepresentative networks of friends and family members, try to baptize the latest family trend, or assume that our society is heading ceaselessly in a progressive direction. So be on the lookout this week for stories, op-eds, and essays that include these five myths on contemporary fatherhood and family life. 1. THE ‘MR. MOM’ SURGE Open...

Dad, Happy Fathers day. I referred to you as Dad because I remember once you said that you would like to be called Dad, but yet I never did. So Dad, on this fathers day I want to give you a list of all the things that I am thankful for, in your being a father over me. So in no particular order here we go. First off, I don’t particularly remember this but Brandie explained to me that you once made us a swing out of a milk carton, and swung us on it, and Brandie really enjoyed that....

A prayer for all the Father's on Freerepublic! A Father's Day Prayer Our Father in heaven, You are the one who knows how absolutely special fathers are. You made them that way. How else can a man work so hard, give so much, and love unconditionally, without your strength... So first, Lord, thank You for fathers, for daddies. For big, strong men with tender hearts, with hands that are calloused and rough, yet so soft and gentle when hearts need mending. Lord, help children to delight this day in being with their dads, even if it must be only by...

... as they finish 18 holes at the Fort Belvoir Golf Club together on Father's Day, Sunday, June 21, 2009.

Sen. John McCain started Father's Day on "Fox News Sunday," but he said he'll spend the rest of the day on the phone, chatting with his seven kids. The Arizona Republican said fathers need to give their kids "support, understanding -- and sometimes that support has to be a little tough love." He said that he often felt pressured to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both Navy men, and said that parents should give their children choices. "I hope that I'm a good father," McCain said.

The girder comes out from the glacier of Mount Ararat, at an altitude of 4200 meters. It's visible to the naked eye and the Alpine guide Claudio Schranz of Macugnaga has no more doubts: it's a piece of the Noah's Ark. He saw and photographed it at a distance of five meters. It's the morning of December, 2nd, Schranz is an Alpinist and he's 51 years old, he has hundredths of expeditions in all the world to his credits.

For FATHER'S Day.. These always gets to me... "In The Living Years" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDA0Hecw1k "That's my Job" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7XK_zNq930

“Behind every great woman, you will find her dad.” According to an article by Joanne Richard in the Edmonton Sun, that’s the kind of extraordinary power that a father has over his daughter. Dr. Mary Jo Rapini, a psychotherapist and author, declares that the way a dad treats his little girl determines how she will feel about herself as a woman. If fathers admire their daughter’s achievements, character, and looks, says Dr. Rapini, that girl will become a confident and self-assured person who will choose a husband who treats her the same way. In fact, Dr. Rapini echoes the old...

Quick - - what do you know about the country of Kenya? That’s the country with the world’s greatest GDP, low inflation and stable employment - - right? Well, no. In 2008, the United States had the greatest GDP of any individual country in the world (it came in second behind the 27 nations of the European Union), whereas Kenya produced the world’s 82nd largest GDP. Kenya endured an annual inflation rate of 9.7% in 2008 (current inflation figures for Kenya are unavailable), while the United States recently posted an inflation rate of .1%. And while the United States is...

Bottles of beer will be given to fathers who attend church, in an alternative "blessing" for Father's Day. A senior bishop has backed the move, which is part of a Church of England initiative to put a Christian emphasis on the annual celebration of fatherhood. Concerns over the lack of men attending services year-round has led clergy to offer a range of incentives today, including free beer, bacon rolls and chocolate bars. It is the first time that the Church has attempted to treat Fathers' Day in the same way as Mothering Sunday, which has traditionally formed part of its...

There is little question that in most families the mother is the central unifying person emblematic of unconditional love that can be tough love when necessary. Recent research, however, suggests that fathers are more important in the lives of children than had been previously understood. It is still unclear how much this reflects the fact that, although many single parents are successful in that challenging role, children raised in intact two-parent homes enjoy certain tangible advantages, or that fathers bring certain essential characteristics to family life. Some research indicates that fathers are more likely to engage in vigorous physical play,...

When does a boy become a man? The answer goes far beyond biology and chronological age...

The ideal father is hardworking, fun-loving, a good provider, understanding, wise, sometimes stern and, above all, inspiring. Yet a century ago, the popular image of the father was less radiant. Groucho Marx observed that in those days, there were many hymns to motherhood, but "nobody ever wrote any song about fathers. Father was the town schlemiel in almost every place."

On this Father's Day, the American public should proudly note that our president takes his personal role as father (and spouse) as seriously as he does his job as father of the country. The nation has become better acquainted with President Obama in his first five months of office, and we've learned that his value to our society goes far beyond his vision for ending the economic crisis, his passion for reducing our dependence on foreign oil and his efforts to woo foreign leaders. He also has spent hours wooing some key decision-makers closer to home, namely Sasha, Malia and...

Some kids will be surprising their fathers with breakfast in bed this weekend, while others will present a gift inscribed with the phrase, "world's best dad." Some men, though, will only be reminded of the heartache from losing the opportunity to become fathers. They are the third victims of abortion. The story of a man abandoning a woman after getting her pregnant has become the stereotypical image of pro-abortion activists and some pro-lifers. The male shirker is central to the abortion storyline and often is used to rationalize taking the life of a baby.

Father's Day, which falls this year on Sunday, June 21, annually honors committed human dads. But seahorse fathers (above, a newborn hitches a ride on dad's tail) might just blow those proud papas out of the water. Seahorses are a type of fish in which the males actually get "pregnant." The female seahorse deposits her eggs in the male's specialized pouch, and the male carries up to 2,000 babies during its 10- to 25-day pregnancy. "They're fascinatingmales have more or less become females, [almost] transgendered," said Mark Pagel, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Reading in the U.K. "They're...

What would Father's Day—and every other day—be like without fathers? Maybe not so bad, according to experts on the Mosuo culture of the Chinese Himalaya. The women of this matrilineal society shun marriage and raise their kids in homes with their entire extended families—but no dads. By most accounts, children seem to do just fine under the arrangement. "They are a society that we know hasn't had marriage for a thousand years, and they've been able to raise kids successfully," said Stephanie Coontz, family studies professor at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. No Fathers: It Makes Genetic Sense?...

Father’s Day weekend for the Obama girls included a ride in the presidential motorcade to get frozen custard from The Dairy Godmother on Saturday afternoon. Twelve dark vehicles wound thru small side streets to the Del Ray section of Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington. Liz Davis, owner of the frozen custard shop, said she had about 4 minutes of “lag time” between knowing she would have “a visitor” and the President walking in with his daughters. Although the flavor of the day was posted as butter pecan, the President ordered a small cup of vanilla frozen custard with hot...

Father’s Day invites us to ask a very important question — what does it mean to call God “Father?”Most of the great religions of the world believe in one God and teach the gist of the ten commandments.But that the supreme Being is not just “King of the Universe” or “Master” but “Father,” that he desires us to have a close, familiar relationship with Him — these ideas you don’t find anywhere outside the teaching of Jesus.To call God “Father” does not mean to say, of course, that he is an old man with a white beard. Only the second...

This Father’s Day sets up a special call to greatness for Catholic men, as it falls the day before the feasts of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher. The first was a model family man, the other a passionate pastor. Both died for the Catholic faith, demonstrating the devotion all Christian fathers must give their families (See Ephesians 5:25). Fathers of nuclear families and spiritual families can learn much from these two English martyrs. “St. Thomas More taught his children, by both word and action, that we’re all called to be God’s good servant first,” says Father Roger Landry, pastor...

          WHAT MAKES A DAD! God took the strength of a mountain, The majesty of a tree, The warmth of a summer sun, The calm of a quiet sea, The generous soul of nature, The comforting arm of night, The wisdom of the ages, The power of the eagle's flight, The joy of a morning in spring, The faith of a mustard seed, The patience of eternity, The depth of a family need, Then God combined these qualities, When there was nothing more to add, He knew His masterpiece was complete, And so, He called...

ATLANTA (AP) -- Eric Mongerson's kids couldn't meet his partner of two years, much less join the couple for ice cream. His friends couldn't cheer on the children at concerts or Little League games. The divorced dad spent thousands of dollars fighting an unusual ban imposed by a county judge in 2007 that kept the three minors from having any contact with his gay friends or partners.

BITTER William Ireland is taking revenge on the dad he says abandoned him as a child - by auctioning his ashes on eBay. William, 50, claims he was six when dad Ken left his mum and broke contact to start a new life. He later tracked him down. The bidding for his ashes starts at 99p. William said: "I spent a lot of childhood pining for dad. 'Abandoned family' ... Ken 'Abandoned family' ... Ken Caters News Agency "When I found him we started seeing each other then he died in 2006. I found out his estate was going to...

WASHINGTON – Hey, kids, don't try this at home. Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk on Friday took a brief ride at the White House as part of a Father's Day celebration.

Obama for Father's Day: Stay Home, US Dads By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 19, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Growing up without a father left a painful hole in his heart, President Barack Obama told a lawnful of boys at the White House Friday in a remarkably personal Father's Day weekend message. He implored fathers everywhere -- and the kids when they're a bit older -- to stay home and stay involved in the lives of their own children. ''This isn't an obligation,'' said the father of two in a message to millions of wayward dads. ''This is a privilege to...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Growing up without a father left a hole in his heart, President Barack Obama told boys at the White House Friday in a remarkably personal Father's Day weekend message. He implored fathers everywhere—and the kids when they're older—to be involved in the lives of their own children. "This isn't an obligation," said the father of two in a message to millions of wayward dads. "This is a privilege to be a father." Obama spent hours on Friday with teenagers, young men, community mentors and everyday dads in hopes of launching what he called a national conversation on...

At Elective Decisions, we salute all fathers everywhere on Father’s Day. However, we’d like to know just who your favorite Founding Father is, realizing that it was their efforts that helped bring about this great nation. So just who is your favorite Founding Father?

It's a big week for Man Food. In anticipation of Father's Day, the current supermarket sales lean toward the decidedly carnivorous – steaks, ribs, various wursts. Because it is my cherished goal in life to be of service to humanity, I undertook production of what may be the Man Food's reigning apotheosis – the oft-discussed Bacon Explosion. The Bacon Explosion swept the Internet like a tidal wave earlier this year, after a couple of Kansas City barbecue bloggers (and shrewd online marketeers) produced their version and unveiled it to the world. It is widely regarded as the most accessed recipe...

<p>Each year, as Father’s Day approaches, a local gun store and shooting range, with two convenient locations, runs half- and full-page ads urging Florida families to give Dad a gun for Father’s Day.</p> <p>My guess is some of you have never realized, or even contemplated, what a perfect keepsake a gun would make for dear ol’ Dad: When you care enough to give the very best, why not make it an assault weapon?</p>

As the father of two young girls who have shown such poise, humor, and patience in the unconventional life into which they have been thrust, I mark this Father's Day—our first in the White House—with a deep sense of gratitude. I observe this Father's Day not just as a father grateful to be present in my daughters' lives but also as a son who grew up without a father in my own life. My father left my family when I was 2 years old, and I knew him mainly from the letters he wrote and the stories my family told....

Father’s Day 2009: “An End to Buffoonish Fathers” Ah, Father’s Day is upon us. I can’t think of a better time for dads and men to remember how to be dads and men. Flip on the tube any time during the day and you’ll see fathers portrayed as hapless buffoons – saved from themselves by their wives and all-knowing children. The real life of the modern dad isn’t much prettier. To be sure, the state of the American male is in a shambles – though I’m not fully sure how we got here. I remember the ‘60s. The women’s movement...

Sonoma. Wine country. 80 degrees. Race #16 plays out on a road course. It's anybody's race, come along for the ride but try and stay out of the gravel pits. Thanks to our Armed Forces members, past and present. Oh. Did I forget Dad? HaPPY Father's Day!

WASHINGTON -- Last Sunday, Sen. John McCain met in Washington with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. After their closed-door session, the two men took questions from waiting reporters. The following day, Sen. Barack Obama told reporters that he, too, had found time for a conversation with Zebari. The way in which the two events apparently took place and how they were reported reflect the profound differences between McCain and Obama. The McCain-Zebari Father's Day meeting at the candidate's presidential campaign headquarters in Virginia showed that the two men know and respect each other, share a common perspective on success in...

Thousands of primary pupils were prevented from making Father's Day cards at school for fear of embarrassing classmates who live with single mothers and lesbians. The politically correct policy was quietly adopted at schools "in the interests of sensitivity" over the growing number of lone-parent and same-sex households.

Barack Obama's recent call for responsible fatherhood is welcome, overdue -- and misleadingly incomplete. That America's fathers need to embrace their most important role is no secret. Activist fathers have been trying to make the same claim for decades, without much success. Not all fathers are trying to be good dads, it goes without saying. But neither are all absent by choice, as Obama's message implied. His plea to fathers came on Father's Day, a time we usually reserve for praising good men. Noting the plague of fatherless homes, he called on fathers who have abandoned their responsibilities to act...

Barack Obama's gave a carefully calculated political speech on Father's Day calling attention to the problem of children growing up without a father.  In one important respect, Obama was absolutely right:  Far too many children are being raised without the attention, discipline and care of a father in the home.  But in another equally important respect, Obama took the easy, fast and safe path in his speech. The problem of children being born into fatherless homes is, perhaps, the defining social problem of our times.  The starkest possible contrast with the fatherless children of America decried by Obama, was tacitly drawn...

Honoring Thy FathersBRADFORD WILCOXFor millions of children across the U.S., this Sunday will not be a cause for celebration. Because of dramatic increases in divorce and nonmarital childbearing, about 28% of our nation's children -- more than 20 million kids -- now live in a household without their father, up from 10 million kids (14%) in 1970, according to a recent Census Bureau report. Moreover, because most of these boys and girls see their dads infrequently (once a month or less), Father's Day will offer cold comfort to many of these children.Our nation's epidemic of fatherlessness is just the most...

RUSH: Since we're talking about Obama, he went out there and he did a Father's Day speech. It was the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, Sunday morning. Don't you love all these Democrat politicians that go deliver sermons in churches? They're making a big deal out of Obama's speech, as if nobody's ever said these things before. We have a montage here of the Drive-Bys, we have Jake Tapper, we got John Roberts, Kiran Chetry, and Robin Roberts, Jeff Glor all going nuts here over Obama's speech. We've got sound bites of Obama's speech coming up. TAPPER: It was...

For fathers, it's "the best of times and the worst of times." So says the National Fatherhood Initiative of Gaithersburg, Md., echoing the opening lines of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." Today, many dads are more engaged than ever in their children's lives. They put bread on the table, as their grandfathers did, but they also diaper the baby, coach soccer and help with birthday parties. At the same time, father absence has hit record levels. About 25 million children -- roughly one in three -- are not living with their biological fathers, according to the U.S. Census...

Two weeks after breaking with his long-time church after pastors there made inflammatory and anti-American sermons, Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama went to a new church on Sunday to discuss fatherhood. Obama, accompanied by his wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia, took part in Father's Day services near their house at the Apostolic Church of God -- a large, predominantly black church in the South Side of Chicago. This was Obama's first time attending a church service since he announced last month that he had quit Trinity United Church of Christ, which he had attended for 16 years,...

Barack Obama asks fathers to take responsibility By Alex Spillius in Washington Last Updated: 12:51AM BST 16/06/2008 Senator Barack Obama has called on black American men to accept their responsibilities as fathers and to stop "acting like boys instead of men". Barack Obama speaking at the Apostolic Church of God In a Father's Day speech at a black church in his home city of Chicago, the Democratic presidential nominee listed the disadvantages faced by single parent families in the community, and urged men to realise that their responsibility as a father does not end at conception. "If we are honest...

HAVANA (CBS4) ― Eight years after a headline making international custody fight which ended with his return to his father in Cuba, Elian Gonzalez has joined Cuba's Young Communist Union. In an article in Cuba's communist youth newspaper, Juventud Rebelde, the 14-year old Gonzalez said he would never let ex-President Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro down. He joined more than 18-thousand others who joined the group on Saturday. In 2000, Gonzalez' mother was killed when a boat carrying them to the U.S. capsized in the Florida Straits. Elian, who was 6 years old at the time..........."

In the days before global positioning systems, Mapquest, and Google Earth, men were stereotyped as reluctant to ask for directions. You know the scene: a couple is driving somewhere and, unable to find their destination, the wife turns to her husband and says, "Honey, maybe we should stop and ask for directions." The husband, dismayed that his wife would dare challenge his sense of direction, stubbornly says, "I know where I'm going!" This would go on and on until they eventually found the place or fell so far behind schedule that they would have no choice but to stop at...