Free Republic

Attorney General hailed by conservative crowd Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli was awarded the Defender of the Constitution award Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington D.C. Presenting the award, David Keene, President of the National Rifle Associate said Cuccinelli is a champion of conservative values and his view that he is “healthily suspicious of government in all circumstances” embodies the movement to cheers from the large conservative crowd. “The first duty I am obliged to pursue is the defense of the U.S. and Virginia Constitution,” Cuccinelli said. He said many politicians just said the oath so...

america needs a hero

Dialing the right wrong number may have saved the life of a Cuyahoga Falls woman. Loretta Smith, 70, said a complete stranger many states away came to her rescue Saturday when she fell ill. Around 4 p.m., Smith said, her right arm went dead. Soon the whole right side of her body wouldn't respond. And then she fell to the floor. "I couldn't move," she said. When she tried to stretch out, her left leg hit a table near her bed and knocked the telephone onto the floor.

"Yea, Tho I Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Will Fear No Evil... For Thou Art With Me.”Psalm 23:4 ”Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting Him.” (Psalm 91:1-2)

Music video by Mariah Carey performing Hero. YouTube view counts pre-VEVO: 385,815. (C) 1993 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

Mike Colalillo, the last Medal of Honor recipient in Minnesota, has died. He was 86. Colalillo died Friday at a Duluth nursing home, the Dougherty Funeral Home confirmed Monday. He received the nation's highest military honor for bravery in combat for killing or wounding 25 Germans and helping a seriously wounded comrade to safety during a fierce firefight near Untergriesheim, Germany, on April 7, 1945, toward the end of World War II. Forty-six Minnesotans, including Colalillo, have received the Medal of Honor, according to the Minnesota Military Museum at Camp Ripley in Little Falls. According to the Medal of Honor...

"Yea, Tho I Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Will Fear No Evil... For Thou Art With Me."Psalm 23:4

Jim Hardie doesn't really see himself as much of a hero. "I really don't feel like I have any more value than anybody else,” he said. He's a family man with an eight-year run in the Marine Corps. But for the last two years he’s been riding the bus in search of a job. Last week after a full day of searching, Jim sat across from three guys he felt were being disrespectful to everyone on the bus. But instead of turning the other way, he looked at them and said "Given the nature of what we've gone through with...

Thank You, With Love, For the Gift of Liberty!

Prince Harry became embroiled in a real-life crime drama when he came to the rescue of one of his best friends after he was mugged on a London street. According to police records, the Prince was on the phone to Thomas van Straubenzee at the exact moment a robber took his friend’s BlackBerry mobile. Harry heard the scuffle taking place and immediately drove to the scene with his protection officer. Fearing 28-year-old Mr van Straubenzee had been hurt, the Prince circled the streets of Battersea, South-West London, looking for him. When he could not find his friend, he drove to...

With Dakota Meyer standing at attention in his dress uniform, sweat glistening on his forehead under the television lights, President Barack Obama extolled the former Marine corporal for the “extraordinary actions” that had earned him the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor. SNIP But an exhaustive assessment by a McClatchy correspondent who was embedded with the unit and survived the ambush found that the Marines’ official accounts of Meyer’s deeds....

U.S. Honors Belgian Nurse for Valor in World War II BRUSSELS (AP) — A Belgian nurse who saved the lives of hundreds of American soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge at the end of World War II was given an American award for valor on Monday. The nurse, Augusta Chiwy, who is 93, received the Civilian Award for Humanitarian Service medal from the American ambassador, Howard Gutman, in a ceremony at the military museum in Brussels. “She helped, she helped and she helped,” Mr. Gutman said. He explained the long delay — 67 years — in presenting the award...

Cuccinelli IS the Conservative Mood By Richard A. Viguerie | 12/12/11 Ken Cuccinelli wants to be Virginia’s next governor. People in his position tend to make nice and kowtow to the hierarchy in their political party. If – yes, if – they have strong principles, they tend to suppress them when principle conflicts with party bosses. At Newt Gingrich’s request, I recently convened a meeting between Newt and uncommitted leaders of the conservative movement, much along the lines of meetings convened by others between conservative leaders and other candidates such as Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum.

A friend sent me this. I've never heard of this guy before, and I had no idea this song existed. Never seen it on FR, as far as I can recall. You might want to look at this. It's a song about those who fly home our soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Warning: Kleenex may be required.Angel Flight

Congress should ready market-based replacement for Obamacare As one of a number of attorneys general challenging the federal health care law, I am cautiously optimistic that the Supreme Court will strike down the law and its requirement that every citizen buy government-approved health insurance. Congress clearly has the power to regulate commerce, but using that power to force individuals into commerce goes too far. If the federal government crosses that line, it will have unlimited power to order citizens to buy virtually anything in the name of the “public good.” That is why I have said that Virginia’s lawsuit against...

*snip* Sometimes when Rhonda hugged Hero she would softly pet her face and coo, “Justin, are you in there?” It was Rhonda’s gentle way of remembering their son and his last living connection to Hero. At one point, Hero wandered off and took a stroll in the backyard. All of a sudden, the clouds broke and a light began to solidify in a beam directly down on Hero — a kind of vertical halo.

PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday said homosexuals and lesbians will be punished severely for their behaviour which is inconsistent with African and Christian values. He made the remarks at the launch of the Tongogara Community Share Ownership Tru-st at Unki Mine. Zimbabweans told Copac during the outreach programme that they want homosexuality outlawed. Said the President: "Do not get tempted into that (homosexuality). You are young people. Mukaenda ikoko we will punish you severely." He took a swipe at recent utterances by British Prime Minister David Cameron that London will not aid countries that do not respect gay rights. Mr Cameron said...

"Leadership is about submission to duty-  not elevation to power" Ever met an actual hero before? Here's your chance... You might remember a news story that began a couple years back, re. the 'stubborn' old man who defied his homeowners association, refusing to take down the 21-foot flagpole and full-size US flag he'd recently erected on his property. A little bit of background might help you understand his point: the man in question was born Van T. Barfoot -a Choctaw Indian, actually- in Edinburg, Mississippi on June 15, 1919.  Twenty-five years later, a world away near Carano, Italy, the lanky, 6'4", Van T....

ASTORIA, Ore. -- A Coast Guardsman was being honored as a hero Monday for his efforts in saving a woman from drowning in the Columbia River in September. Petty Officer 2nd Class Leon Doniphan, a cook aboard Cutter Alert in Astoria, had just finished his shift on Sept. 10 and was heading on to the pier when he noticed some commotion on the river's edge. It turned out, a young girl about 11- or 12-years-old, who had been swimming around the pilings under the dock, got caught in the river's current. Moments later, it was apparent she was about to...

Today is a special day for my dad Dan. He is a veteran of the Korean War. He fought in the battle at Chosin Reservoir. He has won a purple heart and bronze star. He is the most amazing man to his seven kids and wife of 58 years.

The bizarre rant from Illinois congressman Joe Walsh came after he was grilled during an informal surgery in a bar about the lack of regulation which ultimately allowed banks to bet against their own customers. Cutting off the man, the father-of-five yelled: 'I am tired of hearing that c**p. Don't blame the banks... that p***** me off.'

"Yea, Tho I Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Will Fear No Evil... For Thou Art With Me."Psalm 23:4 "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting Him." (Psalm 91:1-2)

A tabby cat who was at the side of superstitious young crews flying on experimental bomb tests above the Atlantic in the Second World War is to be honoured for bravery. Pyro was kept inside the flight jackets of crew members while flying at altitudes of 20,000ft and even flew on the legendary 'bouncing bomb' tests. ... But his owner noticed the cat was miserable when left alone so began carrying him in his flying jacket. He said Pyro earned his wings one winter's day in early 1943 when, at 20,000ft, ice covered the plane his father was flying in....

Click below for the Ken Cuccinelli speech at this year's Value Voter Summit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-fBVtFv8No

AG Cuccinelli responds to EPA in court, underscoring agency's improper conduct in greenhouse gases ruling ~ Brief filed on behalf of Texas, Virginia, 13 other states ~ RICHMOND, VA (October 18, 2011)--Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II announced today that his office has filed a response to the Environmental Protection Agency in his appeal of the agency's 2009 ruling that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are pollutants dangerous to human health. The reply brief was filed Monday in the District of Columbia Circuit Court on behalf of Virginia, Texas, and 13 other states. The brief argues the EPA...

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today traveled to New York City and honored the memory of Richard Rescorla with the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Department's highest honor, for his heroic actions on September 11, 2001. "Since the 9/11 attacks, we have seen exceptional models of resilience all around us," said Secretary Napolitano. "By honoring Richard Rescorla with the Distinguished Public Service medal, we remember his heroism and commitment to the preparedness of the thousands of employees under his watch." On September 11, 2011, Richard Rescorla was Second Vice President for Security at Morgan...

Chalk up Tennessee Republican Rep. Phil Roe’s Tuesday morning actions to heroism: Roe saved a man’s life with CPR after he flatlined in the Charlotte, North Carolina airport. Roe, an obstetrician before he first ran for public office, was walking through the Charlotte terminal with South Carolina Republican Rep. Mick Mulvaney at about 7:15 a.m. when someone yelled out, “Is anybody here a doctor? There’s a gentleman who just collapsed!” Mulvaney told The Daily Caller that Roe rushed to the mans’ side and began CPR immediately. “He literally had just collapsed and Phil ran over there and I believe there...

Had to post this upbeat rescue story. Good Samaritans saved a life!

After several requests for help from his ambushed unit were denied, Dakota Meyer took matters into his own hands, to try and save his trapped comrades in Afghanistan. His efforts earned him the Medal of Honor. CBS' David Martin reports. VIDEO

He's been called a "prophet" for being so ready for the attacks, "the Man Who Predicted 9/11" in a History Channel special, and a true American hero by countless others. As tragic as the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, was, the sky-blue day still held unexpected miracles, and Richard "Rick" Rescorla was at the center of one of the greatest -- the evacuation of financial-services behemoth Morgan Stanley. Rescorla , a 62-year-old retired and decorated U.S. Army colonel, had focused on security at the World Trade Center for years. Prior to the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993,...

The cousin of a British-born hero of 9/11, who died in the Twin Towers, has spoken of his continuing sadness and pride at what his relative did that day. Rick Rescorla, who was head of security for banking firm Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, is credited with saving 2,700 people ten years ago by making sure they left the World Trade Centre's South Tower before it collapsed. The 62-year-old Cornishman, who became a US citizen in the 1960s and was decorated during service in the Vietnam War, foresaw the terrorist attacks, with his warnings featuring in a Channel 4 documentary in...

ESPN interviewed those who knew and loved Welles Crowther, known among the heroes of 9/11 as (MUST see video) “the man in the red bandana:” Welles was 24-years-old on September 11, 2001. As mentioned by ESPN, Crowther played D-1 Lacrosse at Boston College, graduating in 1999 to then move on to New York City and work as an equities trader at Sandler, O’Neill and Partners on the 104th floor of the South Tower. A volunteer firefighter, Welles gave a call to his mom after the first plane hit to let her know he was ok at 9:12 a.m. He would...

Release No. 09-02-11Sept. 6, 2011WASHINGTON (AFRNS) -- The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced Sept. 1 that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Air Force Maj. Thomas E. Reitmann of Red Wing, Minn., will be buried Sept. 8 in Arlington National Cemetery. In 1965, Reitmann was assigned to the 334th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed out of Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., to Takhli Air Base, Thailand. On Dec 1, 1965, he was flying a strike mission as the No....

THE remains of notorious bushranger Ned Kelly have been found at the former Melbourne prison, Pentridge. An exhaustive 20-month search through historical and genetic records has unearthed one of the most colourful chapters in Australian history, and a man who Attorney-General Robert Clark this morning called "one of the most controversial characters" in our national identity. A DNA sample from Kelly's sister's great grandson, Leigh Oliver, confirmed the remains were those of the bushranger. Doctors and scientists at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine identified the body. Kelly's remains have long been rumoured to be at Pentridge. Attorney General Robert...

California Capital Airshow coming up Sept. 11th-12th...  Some highlights from last year's event: There are only seven Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft that remain in flying condition out of over 10,000 produced... five of them made this show. This gentleman is Col Bill Harris... now 95 years old.  He came to the even in a wheelchair and had a hard time making the few steps to the plane. But this P-38 was painted to replicate the one Col Harris flew in WWII; you see, Bill Harris is a genuine WWII ace, having scored 15 confirmed aerial kills of Imperial Japanese aircraft....

... "He was trying to swim, but he didn't know how," says Blain, who jumped in and pulled him to shore with a sergeant who ran up to help. Blain then sprinted along the riverbank to the submerged MRAP -- and dived in. Mid-air, he started wondering about the current; the stability of a 15-ton truck lying on its side; and just how to grab its still-hot undercarriage to climb on top. Inside, Capt. Jim Fallon, 26, of Rockville Centre, NY, had his own problems. Within a few seconds, black water filled the truck and, from underwater, he was unable...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The timing was just right for saving the life of a 6-year-old girl and for turning a 24- year-old mechanic and father of two young daughters into a hero. (SNIP) Diaz Chacon is credited with saving the girl after chasing the van through a maze of neighborhoods to the edge of where Albuquerque's sprawling housing developments meet the desert. It was there where the van crashed into a pole, the suspect fled and Diaz Chacon was able to rescue the girl and take her home. (SNIP) Hidden under a rock just 25 feet from the van was packing...

Just moments before he was fatally wounded in an unprovoked attack, a San Diego police officer performed one last act of kindness; he bought a child food while buying his own dinner.

LONG BEACH, Wash. (AP) — As Charles Ostrander flailed in the turbulent waves of the Pacific, it was another 12-year-old who put her life on the line to save him — the first in a series of responders who eventually pulled Ostrander back from the brink of death. Nicole Kissel's daring actions provided rescue crews with what turned out to be a crucial extension of time. Ostrander, who goes by his nickname Dale, ended up spending several minutes lost in the water, was found lifeless in the surf but has since been revived in a remarkable recovery that defied even...

COPLEY, Ohio (AP) — A former police officer credited with helping stop a gunman who police say killed seven people described feeling terrified but said he reacted the way he was trained.

Navy SEAL Aaron Vaughn "didn't want to leave this Earth any other way...He loved his job...I want to tell the world that he was an amazing man...He was a warrior for Christ and he was a warrior for our country...He's with the Lord now and I'll see him again some day," [his widow Kimberly said].

In October 25, 2007, a U.S. Army specialist in Afghanistan braved enemy fire in an attempt to save a fellow soldier who had been wounded in an ambush. An insurgent bullet struck his armored chest plate, knocking him down. He got up and rushed back into enemy fire to retrieve his fallen comrade. He threw several hand grenades toward the enemy, and was able to grab his colleague and immediately begin first aid. Though the man he'd risked his life for later died from the wounds, his heroic actions didn't go unnoticed. Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, received the medal...

A great and genuine American hero The audacious US Army air attack upon the Japanese home islands in April of 1942 that came to be known as the Doolittle Raid was the very first American offensive inflicted upon the Japanese motherland in WWII. As intended, it came as a hideous shock to both the military regime and Japanese people... In the event, actual military and economic damage was unsubstantial- but by exposing 'invincible' Japan as vulnerable, the heroic bombing run brought us a much-needed morale boost... Americans got their first taste of vengeance in the wake of the sneak-attack on Pearl Harbor just the previous year....

Carthage, N.C. — The police officer credited with ending a shooting rampage at a Carthage nursing home that left eight people dead and three others injured two years ago testified Wednesday that he stopped the gunman with one shot.

Politicos and pundits are waiting with baited breath on Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II’s next move. Re-election? Senate? Governor? He has said his current plans are to run for re-election but has not ruled out a bid for governor in 2013. If a poll released Tuesday by the Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling is any indication, he’d have more than a fair shot at the GOP nomination. Among Republican primary voters, Mr. Cuccinelli, who has made a name for himself filing high-profile lawsuits against the federal government over health care and carbon emissions, leads Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling...

George Soros, the liberal left’s most prominent billionaire donor and activist, is winding down his career as a hedge-fund manager, marking a major milestone in a financial and philanthropic career that spanned four decades. Citing new rules that would have required it to submit to more federal oversight, Soros’s management firm said Tuesday that it plans to close its $25.5 billion funds to outside investors and become a family-only enterprise. The move raised eyebrows in financial circles because Soros was an outspoken advocate for reforming Wall Street in the wake of the financial crisis.

Bus crash victims and hero soldier tell of rescue from fire, explosions Syracuse, NY -- William and Sandy Blair worried as they sat in row 8 of the Farr’s Coach Lines Ltd. tour bus on the side of the New York State Thruway early Friday in Junius Ponds. Driver Rene Bisson had pulled the eastbound tour bus to the side of the road to reset the electronics emission control. The bus was carrying 52 passengers from London, Ontario, on their way for a three-day weekend in New York City. ... ... ... At about the same time, Army Sgt....

Dear Fellow Virginians and Americans, I wanted to update you on the appellate ruling in the healthcare case in the 6th Circuit on June 29th. There are a lot of nuances to the ruling, so let's start at the beginning and go through them one at a time. Process Remember that in an ordinary appeal (not to the Supreme Court), three judges sit together to decide the appellate case. There are three appellate courts that have heard appeals of the merits of the healthcare cases: the 4th circuit (including Virginia); the 6th circuit; and the 11th circuit (where 26 of...

On the heels of his recent opinion holding that "self-defense" is "good and sufficient reason" to carry a gun to church, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli now says that state colleges like the University of Virginia cannot ban the carriage of concealed handguns by proper license holders. The opinion was written in response to a question by Senator Emmett Hanger (R-Mount Solon). . . . According to OpenCarry.org's campus carry map, most states are just like Virginia and do not generally prohibit by law gun carry on college campuses by visitors or students. . . .