Free Republic

After Years of Struggle, South Sudan Becomes a New Nation By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN JUBA, South Sudan — The celebrations erupted at midnight. Thousands of revelers poured into Juba’s steamy streets in the predawn hours on Saturday, hoisting enormous flags, singing, dancing and leaping on the back of cars. “Freedom!” they screamed. A new nation was being born in what used to be a forlorn, war-racked patch of Africa, and to many it seemed nothing short of miraculous. After more than five decades of an underdog, guerrilla struggle and two million lives lost, the Republic of South Sudan, Africa’s 54th state,...

n all our lives there are times and events that define who we are and who we will become. Some of these events are tragedies and some of these may be things that bring us great joy. For me one of these events was when I met and was inspired by the life and story of Juda Myers. Her personal life story is one that none us would have ever known if it were not for the courage of her mother and the love and care her mother received from the Catholic Church. Juda’s mother was raped by 8 men...

BREEZEWOOD, Pa. -- At a press conference in a Breezewood hotel this morning, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Blair, denied accusations that he directed a part-time office aide to spy on Shuster's challenger in next year's Republican primary. The former aide -- Joshua Juda, who resigned from Shuster's office last week -- says the congressman and his chief of staff ordered Juda to engage in a "park-and-watch" detail at the family home of Shuster's Republican primary election opponent, Michael DelGrosso, to determine whether DelGrosso actually lives within the 9th Congressional District. Juda also alleges that Shuster asked him to surreptitiously monitor...