Free Republic

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade we didn't buy a ruby. Instead, the Center for Reproductive Rights asked Mehcad Brooks of the USA Network's "Necessary Roughness" and HBO's "True Blood" to prepare a special video message just for you. To learn more and to sign the Bill of Reproductive Rights visit DrawTheLine.org.

It's a two part question: How was 2012? Do you expect 2013 to be different?

.Born in Kentucky in 1920, Helen Thomas is a former U.S. journalist known for her coverage of presidents. She was the first female member of the National Press Club and first female UPI White House bureau chief, gaining a reputation for asking irreverent questions during presidential press conferences. Thomas covered Nixon's trip to China, and famously signed off with, "Thank you, Mr. President."

NEW YORK CITY -- A 12-year-old boy harassed by school bullies about his intelligence, his height and his deceased father killed himself in the New York City apartment he shared with his mother, according to relatives and those who knew him, NBCNewYork.com reported. "I want to remember him as a happy kid," his anguished sister told NBC 4 New York on Thursday. Joel Morales, of East Harlem, moved to a different school after enduring incessant taunting for months, but the bullying persisted, the fifth-grader’s family said. Advertise | AdChoices Kids chased Morales, threw sticks and pipes at him and teased...

Local child molester slain in L.A. prison An inmate serving a life sentence stemming from the sexual assault of a child in Oceanside was killed Tuesday in his prison cell in Los Angeles County. Francisco Javier Aguilar, 36, was found dead in his cell at the California State Prison in Lancaster after 1 a.m., authorities said. He had a cable wrapped around his neck, The Los Angeles Times reported. The cause of death has not been released. An autopsy was set for Thursday, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. Aguilar’s cellmate, Aaron Alvarez, 42, has been arrested in...

Here is a very simple and real explaination of how you can return to your former happy state and deal with the insanity of a socialist takeover of our once free nation. And a very effective mental exercise to get you onto that yellow brick road now!

UNHAPPY MUSLIMS ! The Muslims are not happy! They're not happy in Gaza . They're not happy in Egypt . They're not happy in Libya . They're not happy in Morocco . They're not happy in Iran . They're not happy in Iraq . They're not happy in Yemen . They're not happy in Afghanistan . They're not happy in Pakistan . They're not happy in Syria . They're not happy in Lebanon . So, where are they happy? They're happy in Australia. They're happy in England. They're happy in France. They're happy in Italy. They're happy in Germany. They're...

He's always got a smile on his face and now he's certainly got something to grin about after he was named Britain's Happiest Dog. Alfie, the nine-month-old Cockapoo from Bristol, won over the judges with his broad grin and furiously wagging tale. He beat dozens of other dogs to win the competition, which was organised by Penguin Books. ...

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Police in Idaho Falls said on Tuesday they have told a 34-year-old man to stop wearing a bunny suit in public after residents complained that he has been frightening children. Police warned Idaho Falls resident William Falkingham after a woman said she saw him dressed in the costume, peeking at her young son from behind a tree and pointing his finger like a gun, according to a police report. An investigation of the sighting led officers to question other neighbors, "who expressed that they were greatly disturbed by Falkingham and his bunny suit," the report said....

Animated to inspire faith in our creator, His Son Jesus and His Word! Hebrews 4: 12 Good News Version For the word of God is alive and active. It is sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where the soul and spirit meet, to where the joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of men’s hearts. Video voices are from o7jimmy and his grandchildren!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIKINI: 65 Years In The Life Of The Two-PieceSimone Foxman | Jul. 5, 2011, 5:31 PM From ridicule to ubiquity, the bikini has come a long way over the past 65 years. It was on this date in 1946 that French fashion designer Louis Réard hired a nude dancer to sport his two-piece creation after the runway models he approached refused to wear it. But despite provoking controversy -- centering around everything from morality to skin cancer to liposuction -- it is clear that the teenie weenie suit is here to stay. Click here to see the most...

This thread is in gratitude for all you veterans who put your lives at risk to fight the forces of darkness working through unwitting dupes all over the world. Colonel Monaco has put together the patriot outreach site and their Be Still exercise is simply a miracle in helping to save the lives of so many soldiers. It has actually been used in civilian version for about 50 years and now it is taking off like wildfire in the military; because it works! And no charge for you all! God bless.

Animated to inspire faith in our creator and His Son Jesus!

As Jewish families all over the country and the world come together to celebrate the festival of lights – the miracle of one day’s worth of oil lasting for eight – we are reminded that this holiday is also about the miracle of taking a stand against impossible odds, surviving existential threats, and staying true to one’s values and beliefs through it all. More than two thousand years after the Maccabees rebelled against their oppressors and reconsecrated their Holy Temple, the Jewish people continue to face threats to their existence, and they continue to persevere and overcome great odds....

This is the full 8-minute video of "Happy Days Are Here Again" from the Glenn Beck radio show on November 3rd, the day after the election. It is so funny that I'm still watching it!

Banning Happy Meals: Good idea for Phila. area?By Peter Mucha Inquirer Staff Writer Posted on Thu, Nov. 4, 2010 It's all about the children. Gotta protect them ... from Happy Meals. At least in San Francisco. The Board of Supervisors there is basically telling fast food restaurants, no fair using toys to sell cheeseburgers and fries to girls and boys. Hello Kitty makes kids fat? Megamind controls their minds? A first-of-its-kind ordinance plans to ban, starting at the end of 2011, free playthings being included with meals loaded with calories, sugar and fat. "We're part of a movement that is...

Pundits will debate whether the crowd at Glenn Beck's Saturday rally in Washington was the largest in recent political history, but it was certainly among the most impressive. Mr. Beck is a television host and radio broadcaster with a checkered past and a penchant for incendiary remarks. But if he's judged by the quality of people of all colors that he attracted to the Lincoln Memorial, his stock can't help but rise. One would not be able to find a more polite crowd at a political convention, certainly not at a professional sporting event, probably not even at an opera....

A ban on singing “Happy Birthday” lasted all of four days at Chesterfield Elementary School in Missouri after angry parents bombarded the school with complaints. “Singing is not permitted due to the sensitivity of all student beliefs,” wrote Principal Jodi Davidson in a letter to parents dated August 13. On August 23 Davidson sent another letter reversing the policy noting that students “are permitted and encouraged to sing the happy birthday song in the classroom.” However, students will not be permitted to sing the traditional song in the cafeteria and all birthday treats must be individually

Inspirational animation of a Galapagos tortoise going home! The video’s short and cut instrumental is the hymn, “Lord I’m Coming Home“ by William J Kirkpatrick!

Holland, Michigan was named happiest place in America. This was really interesting. Watch the video and see why.

Polls reveal that 96% of Americans celebrate Christmas. How is it “inclusive” to exclude this vast majority? And 90% believe it is the birthday of Jesus. How is it “tolerant” not to tolerate expression of this widely held belief? Liberals claim that our Founders were deists or agnostics who wrote the Constitution to prevent any influence of religion on our public life. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"It can't be wrong when it feels so right." When Christian singer Debbie Boone crossed over onto the pop music charts in 1977 with "You Light Up My Life", it was these lyrics that made Christians really sit up and take notice. Does "feeling so right" really mean something must be right? Happiness. We all want it. In fact, we demand it. Now. On our terms. We're just claiming what is ours by right, because the Bible promises it ... doesn't it? After all, "happy is that people, whose God is the LORD."....

It's a spine-chilling discovery - hundreds of expertly-butchered human bones that suggest cannibalism was rife among early man.What's even more shocking is that the victims may have been HAPPY to be eaten ...The birds are singing and the forest floor is dappled with sunlight. You can hear the sound of a babbling stream, running into the great river not far off to the east. Sharp ears might hear the drumming of a woodpecker or, high above, the cry of a sparrowhawk.

A survey called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index reveals which states are happiest. The index includes questions about six types of well-being, including overall evaluation of their lives, emotional health, physical health, healthy behaviors (such as whether a person smokes or exercises), and job satisfaction.

Representative Thaddeus McCotter, a fourth-term Republican from Livonia MI, has introduced the HAPPY Act—the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years Act. It is HR 3501, and it was introduced on July 31. You could look it up. The HAPPY Act would allow taxpayers to deduct up to $3,500-a-year in pet care expenses, including vet care.

Your local police may soon be packing flying surveillance bots. At the AlwaysOn Stanford Summit, Aeryon Labs President Dave Kroetsch gave a compelling pitch on his company, which makes a two-pound robot helicopter that has enough on-board intelligence and stability control to allow it to be flown by people who just point to locations on a Google Map-based interface.

General Motors opened the doors to a battery research and development plant in Michigan on Monday, a facility the company says will accelerate its move to electric vehicles.

Taliban militants made their deepest incursion into Pakistan this week, seizing control of areas that are a short drive from the capital city. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/04/24/nuclear.pakistan/?iref=mpstoryview

This is my first posting and I aplogize that it is a vanity. But every morning I get up at 5:30 and check into what is happening on FR. My wife appears at about 6:30 and asks what's going on. After a few minutes of me railing, she always asks if there are any "fluffy bunny" stories. Normally, I would consider a perp getting shot, a fluffy bunny story, she is looking for something different. Stories about baby pink elephants are good. Srories about an old WW2 vet getting his H/S diploma are good. So could the FR team help...

The link between spirituality and happiness is pretty well-established for teens and adults. More spirituality brings more happiness. Now a study has reached into the younger set, finding the same link in "tweens" and in kids in middle childhood. Specifically, the study shows that children who feel that their lives have meaning and value and who develop deep, quality relationships — both measures of spirituality, the researchers claim — are happier. Personal aspects of spirituality (meaning and value in one's own life) and communal aspects (quality and depth of inter-personal relationships) were both strong predictors of children's happiness, said study...

MOSCOW, October 31 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Foreign Ministry denied on Friday claims by the U.S. defense secretary that large amounts of Russian nuclear weapons had been stolen or misplaced. Speaking in Washington on Tuesday at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Robert Gates expressed concern that some Russian nuclear weapons from the former Soviet arsenal may not be fully accounted for. "I have fairly high confidence that no strategic or modern tactical nuclear weapons have leaked beyond Russian borders," Gates said. "What worries me are the tens of thousands of old nuclear mines, nuclear artillery shells and so on,...

Below is the list, in alphabetical order, of companies scoring a perfect 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign's 2009 Corporate Equality Index, with policies beneficial toward homosexuals: 3M Co. AAA Northern California, Nevada and Uta Abercrombie & Fitch Accenture Ltd. Aetna Agilent Technologies Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld Alaska Airlines Alcatel-Lucent Allianz Life Insurance Co. of North America Allstate Corp.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2008 – Two Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers are the logistics staff officers for their respective brigade combat teams. While they serve their country in different locations, they have worked together as a team during the last 10 years. Army Majs. Dennis and Lesley Ortiz are reunited at Victory Base Complex in Baghdad on April 30, 2008. The Ortizes were married May 29, 1999, and have a 14-month old son, Dennis Jr., who stays with Lesley's mother while the military couple is deployed. Photo courtesy of Army Maj. Dennis Ortiz, Multinational Division Baghdad  (Click...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2008 – Letters a Minnesota couple has received thanking them for musical instruments they’ve sent to deployed troops show that just a simple note can change the atmosphere in the desert. Steve and Barb Baker, founders of Operation Happy Note, pose with a guitar that members of the 3rd Infantry Division signed and sent them after learning about Steve's wish to go to Iraq and hand out guitars. Operation Happy Note supplies deployed servicemembers with musical instruments. Photo courtesy of Operation Happy Note  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “The purpose of these … instruments is...

Envy surrounds no country on Earth like the state of Israel, and with good reason: by objective measures, Israel is the happiest nation on Earth at the 60th anniversary of its founding. It is one of the wealthiest, freest and best-educated; and it enjoys a higher life expectancy than Germany or the Netherlands. But most remarkable is that Israelis appear to love life and hate death more than any other nation. If history is made not by rational design but by the demands of the human heart, as I argued last week , the light heart of the Israelis in...

Why are conservatives happier than liberals?FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty: Conservatives are happier than liberals. A study published in the journal “Psychological Science” says it’s because conservatives are better at rationalizing inequalities. Regardless of someone’s income, marital status or church attendance, people with right-wing ideologies report greater satisfaction with their lives than those with left-wing beliefs. Researchers found that conservatives also score highest when it comes to the ability to justify inequalities. For example, a conservative might support the idea of a meritocracy – that if you work hard and perform well, you’ll move up the economic ladder… and if you...

Older People Are Happy: Life Begins At 40 And 50 And 60 ScienceDaily (Feb. 18, 2008) — Growing old is a happier experience than many of us imagine - that’s according to the findings of a study conducted at Queen’s University, Belfast, on behalf of the Changing Ageing Partnership (CAP). The study, which was conducted by Dr John Garry from Queen’s University, looked at young people’s attitudes to happiness in old age and how these attitudes affect their current health-related behaviour. Dr Garry said: “We have all heard the saying ‘life begins at forty’. But it seems that many people,...

I like to laugh and what I think is funny is not funny to everyone but check this video out and let me know if you had a good laugh. Revski

For those of you who are Prager fans......Here is the rendition of his Happiness Hour Theme Song (Apples and Bananas by the Lawrence Welk Orchestra) with words written by Alan Miller. It is a lot of fun!

Other countries need to follow Bhutan's lead in promoting Gross National Happiness as a gauge of national wellbeing, a World Bank official told the Himalayan nation's state newspaper. Bhutan's former king Jigme Singye Wangchuck is famed for suggesting soon after he came to the throne in 1972 that Gross National Happiness was more important than Gross National Product in measuring national wealth and it has become the isolated kingdom's guiding development philosophy. "Bhutan has been translating this philosophy (of Gross National Happiness) into action on the ground, it has been practising what other countries need to do," Bhutan's Kuensel newspaper...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Democratic 2008 White House frontrunner Hillary Clinton says she is happy she stuck out it out with her husband, the 42nd president, through "challenges" in their marriage. Clinton said in an interview with the November issue of Essence magazine, that Bill Clinton is "so romantic" and recently brought her home a wooden giraffe from a trip to Africa. "I know the truth of my life and of my marriage, my relationship and partnership, my deep abiding friendship with my husband," Clinton said, according to excerpts of the interview on the magazine's website. "Now obviously, we've had challenges...

Combat Cooks Keep Marines Energized, Happy Food Service specialists make sure everyone at Observation Post Falcons and other outposts have hot chow in their bellies. By Lance Cpl. Ray Lewis 1st Marine Division OBSERVATION POST FALCONS, Iraq, Sept. 29, 2006 -- If the Marines can’t come to the mess hall, then the mess hall will have to come to the Marines.Food service specialists assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment set up a field-food facility so Marines can have a daily hot meal here.“If Marines don’t get a good meal, they don’t have the energy to complete their tasks,”...

FORT HUACHUCA — Darien Enyart was but a babe when his father held him just before he said farewell about a year ago. Wednesday morning, Sgt. James Enyart once again held Darien, who has turned from a wiggling infant to a walking, albeit with tentative steps, child. It was early in the morning when the 40th Signal Battalion noncommissioned officer marched into the Barnes Field House gymnasium with 93 other soldiers of Companies C and B of the 11th Signal Brigade battalion. Waiting in the crowd was his son, held by wife Danica. The boy was held aloft by his...

16th of June DEFEATING DEPRESSION PART 1 “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad” Proverbs 12:25 Depression- from Webster’s New Unabridged Dictionary Low spirits, gloominess, dejection, sadness, a decrease in force, or activity, or amount, a decrease in functional activity. An emotional condition either normal or pathological characterized by discouragement, a feeling of inadequacy, the act of humbling abasement as a depression of pride. Abasement, reduction, sinking, fall, humiliation, dejection, melancholy. Major Depression Facts Major depression is the No.1 psychological disorder in the western world.(1) It is growing in all age groups,...

Today's news revealed that while the Minutemen patrol the border, the US Border Patrol are patrolling the Minutemen, and revealing their positions to the Mexican government. As noted in the Daily Bulletin article by Sara Carter "A US Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed the notification process, describing it as a standard procedure meant to reassure the Mexican government that migrants' rights are being observed." To repeat: instead of spending taxpayer time and money patrolling the border, our federal government is spending the time and money TO REASSURE THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT that MIGRANTS' RIGHTS ARE BEING OBSERVED. Somehow I doubt...

Did you know that God actually commands us to be joyful? Joy is not an option for a Christian, but must be a part of your daily life if you are to walk with God and grow spiritually. We are not only to rejoice when things are going well, but we are to rejoice at all times, even when things are going badly for us. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  )4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. (Philippians...

The Pew Research Center recently updated a question about happiness that the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago has been asking since 1972. In every asking of the question, ROLL CALL reports, Republicans have been happier than Democrats.

Do You Want Your Kids to be Happy? February 28th, 2006 Last week the Pew Research Center released a poll indicating that Republicans are happier people than Democrats. I have often observed this phenomenon, so it was of particular interest to me. If you are thinking it’s because we currently occupy the White House, you would be wrong. The Center states Republicans have been the happiest people, even when a Democrat is in the White House. Could it be that we conservatives have a more positive world view? How about a more positive national view? A more positive view of...