Free Republic

A man was sentenced to two years in federal prison last week for attempting to export at least $150,000 worth of wild succulents that he poached from native habitats in Northern California state parks, the United States Justice Department said, SFGate.com reported. On Oct. 11, 2018, Byungsu Kim, 46, and co-defendants Youngin Back, 47, and Bong Jun Kim, 46, traveled by car from Los Angeles International Airport to Crescent City, Calif., with plans to harvest wild plants and smuggle them to South Korea, the department said in a statement Jan. 20. Throughout October 2018, they pulled plants from the ground...

A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water, first appearing during the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene epochs, and became widely distributed in part due to the movement of tectonic plates. The San Pedro Martir mangrove forest was once on the shores of a vast ocean where the temperature was much warmer, but is now situated more than 170 kilometres inland due to climatic changes in sea levels. The forest offers a snapshot of the ancient past, allowing scientists to understand how environments adapted to changing sea levels as the global climate changed... In...

Today in chapel, we confessed to plants. Together, we held our grief, joy, regret, hope, guilt and sorrow in prayer; offering them to the beings who sustain us but whose gift we too often fail to honor. What do you confess to the plants in your life?

The teeming trillions of bacteria in the digestive tracts of mice have been shown to affect the animals' brain development and behaviour.Mice bred in sterile environments without these "gut flora" were seen to be more adventurous and less anxious than mice with normal gut flora. The research adds weight to the idea that gut bacteria are a critical part of the overall development of mammals.

A rare Hawaii vine has been added to the endangered species list, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday. It's the second species to be classified as endangered by the Obama administration. The first was the reticulated flatwoods salamander, an amphibian native to south Georgia, north Florida and coastal South Carolina. It was put on the list last month. The Hawaii plant is found only in the wet forests on the island of Molokai, 2,300 to 4,200 feet above sea level. The green vine's loosely spreading branches often tangle in a large mass. The vine doesn't have a common...

Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-abortion Kansas lawmaker charged with one count of battery for attacking a pro-life advocate at a campaign rally for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has pleaded guilty. Rep. Vaughn Flora, a Democrat, was accused of attacking Troy Newman at the rally while Newman poked fun at Sebelius over the issue of abortion. During the September 9 rally, Newman dressed up in a cockroach outfit and donned a Sebelius mask and pretended to be her campaign mascot.Newman's actions, which he regarded as political satire, were meant to highlight Sebelius' veto of a measure that would have provided for...

“A Distant Thunder” A Jonathan Flora Film Jonathan Flora Interview By Michael Westfall The American Worker November 1, 2005 A Distant Thunder is a soon to be released controversial 35-minute featurette. It is an independent film that was written and directed by respected Hollywood Filmmaker, Jonathan Flora and produced by the talented Kip Perry. Flora,wanted to use his expertise to create this film for a higher purpose. He succeeded. The story evolves around a supernatural setting. It uses a courtroom as the arena in which to focus on the many terrible human costs related to the partial birth abortion procedure....

Sometimes pulling the plug on the TV just isn't enough. I checked the emergency FReep kit in the back of the vehicle (somehow overlooking my flag), hung a hot pink flip flop dedicated to J F'n K on the tailgate and headed for town. The screamin' demons were in the middle of the block in front of the Federal Building on Main St. so I took up residence on the corner at the stoplight where it was easier for motorists to read the signs. Holding two signs back to back, they read: "TO OUR HEROES - ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE,...

<p>Members of the Richmond Conservative Forum met in front of the Siegel Center at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. yesterday evening to protest the taxpayer funded appearance of Hans Blix and to support President George W. Bush, our Troops and the Mission they have been deployed to accomplish. FReepers in attendance were Alpheus, GottaLuvAkitas1, tva, GeorgeW23225, helmut113 and Flora McDonald.</p>

All FReepers, Lurkers, Protest Warriors and Patriots are invited to join us in giving former U.N. Weapons Inspector Hans Blix the welcome he deserves when he speaks at VCU’s Siegel Center on Thursday, April 22, 2004 at 7:30 p.m. Inspector Gadget is promoting his new book, “Disarming Iraq”, which coincidentally will be on sale at the VCU bookstore that very same day. His appearance is funded by a grant from the NEH (National Endowment for Humanities). That’s right, our tax dollars are going to this man who called his American detractors in Washington bastards. And then there is the...

It was a beautiful, if chilly, morning here in Richmond, Va. as four, perennial peaceniks approached the corner of Boulevard and Broad. We thought that at least twenty or thirty would show up. Maybe 9:00 a.m. was too early. They walked in single file, the leader carrying a sign that said "BUILD PEACE". It's certainly hard to argue with "BUILD PEACE". Look how diligently Americans are building peace in Afghanistan and Iraq. Literally building schools, hospitals, water systems, pipelines, roads, electrical systems and distribution systems. All necessary not just to live but to prosper in peace. They are building peace...

Wow! What a great time we had Saturday night! The Democrats held their Jefferson Jackson Fundraiser at the Greater Richmond Convention Center with several Presidential Candidates in attendance. As Bush-bashing promised to be a central theme of the evening, three of us from the newly-formed Richmond Conservative Forum and Free Republic decided to counter them on the sidewalk. In attendance were Al, RCF's president, helmut 113 and Flora McDonald. We stood across the street from the convention center so as not to interfere with the Democrat activities but close enough to be seen. Al was resplendent in a black suit...

Greetings from balmy Powhatan! The weather is just too good to be true for Virginia in August and is perfect for FReeping leftists. CRITICAL BIKE MASS, MONROE PARK, FRIDAY, JULY 25TH. I went to this event as an observer to assess it for future FReeps. The purpose of the bike ride is to raise the public's awareness of the benefits of riding bicycles by riding in a mass and slowing traffic. They started an hour late. From where I sat (on a very hard stone bench on the Cathedral steps) it looked like several of them were making a series...

I am pleased to report that only three Women in Black showed up this morning at 9:00 AM to disgrace the streets of Richmond. They did remember to bring their black banner this week, however, which helped distinguish them from trees and telephone poles. As usual, they walked in silence and quickly crossed the street. I stayed an hour and then packed up the signs, said Hi to Habib's helper and headed across the River. One of the reasons I continue to show up on Saturdays is the WIB'S propaganda. I find it insulting to our men and women in...

Richmond was blessed with beautiful, balmy weather this morning. This time, I parked on the street and hung flags and signs all over the FReepmobile. It really stood out. Hopefully all that packing tape won't ruin the paint job as Mr. McDonald loves that truck almost as much as he loves the dog. The WIB's finally made their way down the sidewalk. Something must have happened. There were only seven of them, there was no banner or sign to identify them or their cause and they looked extremely unhappy. It was like a scene out of the "Night of the...

Driving down Boulevard to Broad, I caught a glimpse of some action at the abortion mill across the street from the starting point of the WIB (Women in Black) march and was tempted to stop and lend a hand but continued on. I parked the FReepmobile in the Subway parking lot next to the sidewalk on Broad St., hung a flag and poster on the side and took up my position on the corner. At 9 AM there wasn't a lot of traffic at first but the weather was fine and for once the wind wasn't blowing hard. After handing...

The sepulcher Women In Black are once again meeting and marching on Saturdays. They begin at 9:00 AM in front of the Va. Museum at Boulevard and Grove, traipse down Boulevard to Broad St. where they cross Boulevard and process back to the Museum. Inspired by other FReepers across America and especially by our brave, young Troops in harm's way who are courageous, unselfish and indescribably honourable to lay down their lives for us and for all citizens of the world, it is a privilege to show support for our Military and their mission. FREEP LOCATION: Corner of Broad St....

Imagine you are standing in a sweltering hot subway car next to a man who badly needs to take some Gas-X. The people around you begin to crowd closer and closer, morphing into hormone deprived menopausal women with Turret’s Syndrome. Satan pops up and says, “Welcome to the ride from hell” and sucks the light and oxygen out of the car. That is what it was like standing on the curb across the street from the Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond yesterday. Our Vice President gave a speech at a $1,000 a plate Republican Fundraiser. The Left responded with a...

The last scheduled Women in Black protest was Saturday at 1 pm, May 24th. Having been unable to accompany them on their marches for several weeks now, I was eager to arrive at the Museum of Fine Arts with my new sign: FREEDOM IS NOT FREE, THANK YOU VETERANS! It is 30" x 40" with a silhouette of a soldier saluting 4 aircraft with the American flag in the background. (I think it is called the missing man formation.) The WIB's had already started down the Boulevard when I got there. After a little huffing & puffing I got within...

I spent Mother’s Day in Norfolk, VA with my daughter, Florette, Freeping the Mothers for Peace event at Lafayette Park. We stood at the corner entrance to the Park, Florette holding two signs, back to back, in honor of her younger brother, stationed in Kings Bay, GA. Her signs said “HOME OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE” and “EVIL TRIUMPHS WHEN GOOD MEN DO NOTHING”. I held two signs, back to back, thanking our heroes, our troops. The attendance at the “Peace” event was sparse. Florette estimated 75 which agreed with the police estimate. Well into the event, two...