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~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Happy Valentine's Day! Here's some lovely roses for everyone! And chocolate for all! 110 million roses, the majority red, will be sold and delivered within a three-day time period. About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year. That's the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas. More than 50 percent of cards are sold the week of the holiday, with the largest and most elaborate Valentine cards sold 48 hours before February 14. Conversation Hearts: In 1866, candy manufacturer NECCO made the first "Conversation Hearts" — then called "Motto Hearts."...

I have no idea what you did but the site is loading MUCH faster than it has for awhile. Clicking on Latest Posts or to an article is much faster than it has been for a long while. After seeing several posts over time mentioning the slow performance, I wanted to be sure to give you kudos for whatever tweaks you did. Cheers, knewshound

For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~ Mike Colalillo Info from here.             Michael "Mike" Colalillo (December 2, 1925 – December 30, 2011) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. Colalillo joined the Army from Duluth, Minnesota in February 1944, and by April 7, 1945 was serving as a private first...

        AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS An Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence to be ever in view, and which would be true and appropriate in all times and in all situations. They presented him with the words: ”And this, too, shall pass away.” ~ Abraham Lincoln 30 September 1859 HAPPY 203rd BIRTHDAY, PRESIDENT LINCOLN    

   ~ Canteen Music Dedication ~ ~ Support The Artists ~   Support the artists you hear throughout the Canteen! Click on the links below! Keep the music going! ArtistDirect l  Internet Radio l  AOL Music l  Sonique (Lycos) l  Real Radio Live365 l  971TheRiver  l  GotRadio  l  Wherehouse  l  Target  l Shoutcast AFRTS l  VH1 l XM Radio l  BET l  audiophile l  Virgin Radio l  Soma (Alternative) Acaza l AudioRealm l VH1 l  Yahoo! Launch Music l  Radio Disney l  Live-Radio Net ITunes l Amazon l Salsa Radio l MTV l CMT l Ticketmaster l Billboard l...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ SAFETY FLARES A U.S. Marine Corps CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter discharges flares during a routine flight operation in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Jan. 5, 2012. The CH-53D crew, assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363, uses flares to ensure the safety of the crew onboard and safeguarding the aircraft while in flight during poor visibility weather. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Robert R. Carrasco Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have...

    At the FReeper Canteen! C'mon and take a break ! Walk on over to the water cooler and lets chat. Post your thoughts, opinions, news of the day, rantings, ravings, pontificates, hypothesis, hyperboles, your soap box cause, your mantra, your baggage, your garbage, your blogging, your secrets, whatever you feel would make talk around the water cooler real interesting! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.       Costello: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America . Abbott:...

~ Freeper Canteen ~ Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Today We Want You To Take.... The Mountain Test Click here and take the quiz! To share your results, click "Get HTML", then copy and paste the code into a "Reply" box. Have fun! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

As many of you know, and as many of you don't know, this Freepathon is to raise money for the current quarter, not one down the road. We need to get this one over with and now. November brings the most important election in our lifetime. FR must be up and running and healthy if we are going to make a difference. If you have donated in the past, please donate again. If you give something every quarter, try to give something every month. If you are a monthly donor, give dollar-a-day a shot, if you can. John needs some...

<p>The Naval Station Newport (NAVSTA Newport) is a United States Navy base located in the towns of Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island. NS Newport is home to the Naval War College. It once was the homeport for Cruiser Destroyer Force Atlantic, and now maintains inactive ships at its pier facilities, along with the United States Coast Guard.</p>

HEADS UP CPAC 2012 - Occupiers and Unions to Protest There Keep your powder dry at CPAC this week and be ready. From past experience, when the anarchists know there will be push back, they change their plans. In Oakland this past week the cowardly occupiers “occupied” places where they knew the police were not going to be around. Of course the police finally caught up to them and arrested 400. If anyone has a good contact with the Metro police, you might give them a heads up. And let the Marriott and Omni hotels know that they may have...

For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~ LTG Gerald (Jerry) Boykin Info from here.             Lieutenant General William G. Boykin (retired) was the United States Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. He has played a role in almost every recent major American military operation, serving in Grenada, Somalia, and Iraq. He is currently an author and teaches at Hampden-Sydney College, Virginia. William G. "Jerry" Boykin was born in...

As many of you know, and as many of you don't know, this Freepathon is to raise money for the current quarter, not one down the road. We need to get this one over with and now. November brings the most important election in our lifetime. FR must be up and running and healthy if we are going to make a difference. If you have donated in the past, please donate again. If you give something every quarter, try to give something every month. If you are a monthly donor, give dollar-a-day a shot, if you can. John needs some...

        THE WOMAN WITH THE ROSE John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful...

   ***** ~ Canteen Music Dedication ~ ***** ~ Support The Artists ~   Support the artists you hear throughout the Canteen! Click on the links below! Keep the music going! ArtistDirect l  Internet Radio l  AOL Music l  Sonique (Lycos) l  Real Radio Live365 l  971TheRiver  l  GotRadio  l  Wherehouse  l  Target  l Shoutcast AFRTS l  VH1 l XM Radio l  BET l  audiophile l  Virgin Radio l  Soma (Alternative) Acaza l AudioRealm l VH1 l  Yahoo! Launch Music l  Radio Disney l  Live-Radio Net ITunes l Amazon l Salsa Radio l MTV l CMT l Ticketmaster l...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ TODDLER'S TOY A Marine gives a football to a baby during the Fiesta Bowl Parade in Phoenix, Dec. 31, 2011. Marines walked in the parade, handing out footballs and information about the Semper Fidelis All American Bowl, which features the nation’s top 100 senior football players. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Chelsea Flowers Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. NIGHT FLIGHT U.S. sailors conduct a hot refueling...

The ostensible purpose of gun control legislation is to reduce firearm deaths and injuries. The restriction of access to firearms will make criminals unable to use guns to shoot people. Gun control laws will also reduce the number of accidental shootings. Those are the desired effects, at least in theory. It is important, however, for conscientious policymakers to consider not only the stated goals of gun control regulations, but the actual results that they produce. What would be the effect of depriving ordinary, law-abiding citizens from keeping arms for self-defense? One result seems certain: the law-abiding would be at a...

    At the FReeper Canteen! C'mon and take a break ! Walk on over to the water cooler and lets chat. Post your thoughts, opinions, news of the day, rantings, ravings, pontificates, hypothesis, hyperboles, your soap box cause, your mantra, your baggage, your garbage, your blogging, your secrets, whatever you feel would make talk around the water cooler real interesting! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.       Mrs. Donovan was walking down O'Connell Street in Dublin when she met up...

~ Freeper Canteen ~ Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Today We Want To Know.... What Ice Cream Topping Are You? Click here and take the quiz! To share your results, click "Get HTML", then copy and paste the code into a "Reply" box. Have fun! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

Two weeks worth of AARs in this report. Last week got away from me. WEEK 313, JANUARY 21,2012God looked down upon us this Saturday. The night before a little over an inch of snow fell. Streets were predicted to be icy and as the morning wore on, an icy cold rain was to continue. But as I said, God was pleased with our support of the troops and the rain basically stopped. The roads were just wet and the shopping center had shoveled the corner. With the anticipated rain, we only put up the flanking flags. Plus with the snow...

Updated Full Primary/Caucus Calendar Jan 3 Iowa (caucus) 28 Delegates 28 Unbound - Allocation at State Convention Jan 10 New Hampshire (primary) 12 Delegates 12 Bound - Proportional with 10% threshold Jan 21 South Carolina (primary) 25 Delegates 25 Bound - Winner-take-all per statewide vote Jan 31 Florida (primary) 50 Delegates 50 Bound - winner-take-all per statewide vote Feb 4 Nevada (caucus) 28 Delegates 28 Bound - Allocated on results of primary Feb 4-11 Maine (caucus) 24 Delegates 24 Unbound - Convention elects delegates Feb 7 Colorado (caucus) 36 Delegates 36 Unbound - Allocated at State Convention Minnesota (caucus) 40...

    ~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), the Army's oldest active proving ground, is one of the world's foremost research, development, testing, and training facilities for military weapons and equipment. It is bounded by the Susquehanna and Gunpowder Rivers, the Chesapeake Bay, and the AMTRAK Railroad. The Installation occupies more than 72,500 acres in Harford County. Notable for its convergence of talents and abilities, APG encompasses more than 60 different tenant activities representing every facet of technology. Aberdeen Proving Ground is home to 9 major commands and supports 70 tenants,...

on Fox right now . . . started at 8 central. Good discussion going on.

  Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~John G. Burkhalter  Story from this website.             Rev. John G. Burkhalter, was a Baptist minister and highly-decorated chaplain who served in World War II and the Korean War. He was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy at Omaha Beach. Burkhalter was born in Thomasville, Georgia on July...

Folks, we need to be on our knees, NOW, praying for Newt Gingrich and for our country. I don't want this to be political.....Newt was not my first choice, but after seeing what the press did to Sarah, then Mr. Cain, and what they're now trying to do to Newt, with of course the BLESSING of Romney....well, we need to stop this NOW. We can ALL agree that NONE of us wants O'Bama back in office, that is a given. I have children...lots of YOU have children. I have grandkids, lots of YOU have grandkids. I do NOT want them...

        REFLECTIONS ON GROWING OLD(ER) Someone once said that we are now living in the age of age. In fact, there are more old people alive today than at any time in history. Faced with the fact that you will someday be, if you are not already, in the category of the aged, the old, or the elderly, how do you, or will you, look upon the final chapter of your book of life? Some look at age philosophically, like Jack Benny, who said: "Age is a matter of mind; if you don't mind, it doesn't...

   ***** ~ Canteen Music Dedication ~ ***** ~ Support The Artists ~   Support the artists you hear throughout the Canteen! Click on the links below! Keep the music going! ArtistDirect l  Internet Radio l  AOL Music l  Sonique (Lycos) l  Real Radio Live365 l  971TheRiver  l  GotRadio  l  Wherehouse  l  Target  l Shoutcast AFRTS l  VH1 l XM Radio l  BET l  audiophile l  Virgin Radio l  Soma (Alternative) Acaza l AudioRealm l VH1 l  Yahoo! Launch Music l  Radio Disney l  Live-Radio Net ITunes l Amazon l Salsa Radio l MTV l CMT l Ticketmaster l...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ HOLIDAY HEALERS U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert Russell and U.S. Air Force Capts. Michael Madsen and Leslee Kane provide emergency medical treatment for an Afghan police member on Forward Operating Base Smart in Afghanistan, Dec. 25, 2011. Russell is the platoon sergeant, and Madsen and Kane are doctors assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul. U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Belena Marquez Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served...

~Favorite Life Song's~ Frank Sinatra - That's Life That's life, that's what people say. You're riding high in April, Shot down in May. But I know I'm gonna change their tune, When I'm right back on top in June. That's life, funny as it seems. Some people get their kicks, Steppin' on dreams But I just can't let it get me down, Cause this big old world keeps spinnin' around. I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, A poet, a pawn and a king. I've been up and down and over and out But I know one thing:...

~ Freeper Canteen ~ Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Today We Want You To Take.... The Horn Test Click here and take the quiz! To share your results, click "Get HTML", then copy and paste the code into a "Reply" box. Have fun! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

    ~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Pine Bluff Arsenal, ArkansasThe Pine Bluff Arsenal (PBA) is a United States Army installation located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. PBA is one of the six Army installations in the United States which stores chemical weapons. PBA supplies specialized production, storage, maintenance and distribution of readiness products, and delivers technical services to the Armed Forces and Homeland Security. PBA also designs, manufactures and refurbishes smoke, riot control, and incendiary munitions, as well as chemical/biological defense operations items. It serves as a technology center for illuminating and infrared munitions and is also the...

  Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~George E. "Bud" Day Story from this website.             George Everett "Bud" Day (born February 24, 1925) is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and Command Pilot who served during the Vietnam War. He is often cited as being the most decorated U.S. service member since General Douglas MacArthur,...

        PULLED IN TWO DIRECTIONS Our Daily BreadJuly 29, 1998 "To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ... I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ. (Philippians 1:21,23) As Christians, we are pulled in two directions. We all want to go to heaven, but this life also holds great appeal. We are like the youngster in Sunday school who listened intently while the teacher told about the beauties of heaven. She concluded by saying, "Raise your hand if you want to go to heaven."...

   ***** ~ Canteen Music Dedication ~ ***** ~ Support The Artists ~   Support the artists you hear throughout the Canteen! Click on the links below! Keep the music going! ArtistDirect l  Internet Radio l  AOL Music l  Sonique (Lycos) l  Real Radio Live365 l  971TheRiver  l  GotRadio  l  Wherehouse  l  Target  l Shoutcast AFRTS l  VH1 l XM Radio l  BET l  audiophile l  Virgin Radio l  Soma (Alternative) Acaza l AudioRealm l VH1 l  Yahoo! Launch Music l  Radio Disney l  Live-Radio Net ITunes l Amazon l Salsa Radio l MTV l CMT l Ticketmaster l...

I'm officially endorsing Newt Gingrich for president today. Was going to wait until after Florida, but see no reason to delay. We need Newt to win in South Carolina and Florida to stop any possible momentum building up for the establishment big government, statist, abortionist RINO!!

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ SANTA'S HELPER U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mike Morris, dressed as Santa Claus, pushes a pallet of fuel onto a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft before a mission in Southwest Asia, Dec. 23, 2011. Morris is flight loadmaster assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, deployed from Charleston Air Force Base, SC. The unit airdropped 40 pallets of fuel to remote forward operating bases in Afghanistan. The fuel will be used for generators, heaters and vehicles. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon Canteen Mission Statement Showing...

    At the FReeper Canteen! C'mon and take a break ! Walk on over to the water cooler and lets chat. Post your thoughts, opinions, news of the day, rantings, ravings, pontificates, hypothesis, hyperboles, your soap box cause, your mantra, your baggage, your garbage, your blogging, your secrets, whatever you feel would make talk around the water cooler real interesting! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.       Mrs. Donovan was walking down O'Connell Street in Dublin when she met up...

~ Freeper Canteen ~ Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Today We Want You To Take.... The Mitten Test Click here and take the quiz! To share your results, click "Get HTML", then copy and paste the code into a "Reply" box. Have fun! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

I had to laugh when I opened the photobucket file for this week. [Mrs] T said that she didn’t take a lot of pictures. But only FIVE - it just made me laugh. Part of the reason was that the camera got so cold so quick that the batteries lost their umph. The other reason was [Mrs] T’s trigger finger also got real cold even though she was layered with foot and hand warmers. How cold was it? 25 degrees with a moderate wind. Do I hear violins from some of you in North Dakota? I bet you do not...

    ~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Fort Bliss, Texas and New Mexico Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of approximately 1,700 square miles, it is the second largest such installation in the Army behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range, and the largest TRADOC installation.Fort Bliss is home to the 1st Armored Division, which returned to US soil in 2011, after 40 years in Germany. The division is supported by the 15th Sustainment Brigade. In addition to 1st AD, the installation is also...

  Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~ Clyde E. Lassen Info from here.             CDR Clyde Everett Lassen (1942 - 1994) As the UH-2 Seasprite helicopter hovered over the water, its crew listened intently on their earphones for a message from the coastline.  Some where beyond the pitch-dark horizon were two naval aviators whose plane...

        TITLES AND POWER Now I see why powerful people often wear sunglasses....the spotlight blinds them to reality. They suffer from a delusion that power means something. They suffer from the misconception that titles make a difference. They are under the impression that earthly authority will make a heavenly difference. Can I prove my point? Take this quiz: * Name the ten wealthiest people in the world. * Name the last ten Heisman trophy winners. * Name the last ten winners of the Miss America contest. * Name eight people who have won the Nobel or...

   ***** ~ Canteen Music Dedication ~ *****~ Support The Artists ~   Support the artists you hear throughout the Canteen! Click on the links below! Keep the music going! ArtistDirect l  Internet Radio l  AOL Music l  Sonique (Lycos) l  Real Radio Live365 l  971TheRiver  l  GotRadio  l  Wherehouse  l  Target  l Shoutcast AFRTS l  VH1 l XM Radio l  BET l  audiophile l  Virgin Radio l  Soma (Alternative) Acaza l AudioRealm l VH1 l  Yahoo! Launch Music l  Radio Disney l  Live-Radio Net ITunes l Amazon l Salsa Radio l MTV l CMT l Ticketmaster l Billboard...

The DC Chapter brought in the New Year with Olney’s 6 Year Anniversary in Support of Our Troops.The 8 patriots this week include Legionnaires Glenn (USMC - WWII), Halsey (USMC - Korea), Lurker Jim (Army - Vietnam Vet), Cindy_True_Supporter, Fraxinus, iMacMan, [Mrs] T and myself. BELOW: And for our special occasion, we brought the MOAB out. iMacMan and I are putting it together. We were told NO donuts or hot chocolate until it is up. Weather was nice out today, at least at the start. While setting up I had my jacket off. After a while the wind picked up...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering FReeper tongue-tied ~ LDO LCDR "tongue-tied" USN, Retired 1980 - 07/01/10 Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Eternal Father Strong To Save - click RIP tongue-tied....December 1959 - January 2012 USS John C Stennis (CVN 74) His last ship...then on to Iraq, Afghanistan, and NAS Fallon, NV NAS Lemoore, CA Fighting Redcocks USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) tongue-tied and Allegra, Baghdad, 2006 In Kuwait From helicopter school in Ukraine Please remember that...

The Post & Email has just learned that Lt. Col. Stefan Cook, about whose illness we reported yesterday, has passed away at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, FL at approximately 2:30 p.m. today of pancreatic cancer. Cook, then a Major in the U.S. Army Reserves, had challenged Obama’s constitutional eligibility to serve as president in July 2009 through Atty. Orly Taitz. After Taitz filed the lawsuit in Georgia, Cook’s orders to deploy to Afghanistan were rescinded by the Army, a move which Taitz had hailed as a victory. At the time the lawsuit was filed, Maj....

Stefan Cook, Roaddog 727 on FR, in terminally I'll in the Tampa VA. His story is long and distinguished, but here is the synopsis Stefan is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve. He was called to active duty in 2009. He was worried about the legality of an order from a POTUS who might not be legally elected because of citizenship questions. He had legal concerns that he could be accused of war crimes if an order to take military action was held to be invalid because it emanated from an improper authority Stefan sued, and rather than proving...

    At the FReeper Canteen! C'mon and take a break ! Walk on over to the water cooler and lets chat. Post your thoughts, opinions, news of the day, rantings, ravings, pontificates, hypothesis, hyperboles, your soap box cause, your mantra, your baggage, your garbage, your blogging, your secrets, whatever you feel would make talk around the water cooler real interesting! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.       The Pennsylvania State Police pulled a car over on I-79 about 30 miles...

~ Freeper Canteen ~ Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Today We Want To Know.... What Type of Beer Are You? Click here and take the quiz! To share your results, click "Get HTML", then copy and paste the code into a "Reply" box. Have fun! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

~ Freeper Canteen ~ Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Today We Want To Know.... What Type of Beer Are You? Click here and take the quiz! To share your results, click "Get HTML", then copy and paste the code into a "Reply" box. Have fun! Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.