Free Republic

Senator Bayh, As a practicing physician I have major concerns with the health care bill before Congress. I actually have read the bill and am shocked by the brazenness of the government's proposed involvement in the patient-physician relationship. The very idea that the government will dictate and ration patient care is DANGEROUS and certainly not helpful in designing a health care system that works for all...

Some of what I comment on involves responding to "straight news" stories that manifest bias against and ignorance about guns, or to anti-gun editorials that flat-out lie. I rarely spotlight letters to the editor. Today I'm making an exception. From Sherri Masson of Milford, MI in the Detroit Free Press, commenting on the increase in gun sales: What if we raised the tax on guns and ammo even more? ...[L]et's treat guns and ammo like cigarettes, making the taxes so high people might stop buying them. Now that would be a positive effect of higher taxes. The idea is not...

I wanted to post my daughter's letter to President Obama. (6th grade) Her teacher asked the class to each write their own letter. Apparently her teacher thinks that "free health care" is important. I told my daughter that there was no such thing as "free" and that we pay for it with taxes. This was a bit of a shock to her. Here is the letter to the president after that explanation. Thought that FReepers might enjoy it :) Dear, President Barrack Obama, I think you have great taste in teams because you like the White Sox and so do...

An impassioned letter penned by George Washington in 1787 about the strengths of the newly written U.S. Constitution was sold at auction in New York on Friday for a record price of $3.2 million. Christie's had estimated that the letter, written from Mount Vernon, could fetch up to $2.5 million at auction, but some experts doubted it would bring that much in the poor economy. The previous auction record for a Washington document was set in 2002, when one of his military reports fetched $834,500, the auction house said. The letter's "hammer" price Friday was $2.8 million, but the buyer's...

Letter from Grandpa - priceless Jack G. is 64 years old and owns a small business. He's a life-long Republican and sees his dream of retiring next year has all but evaporated. With the stock market crashing and new taxes coming his way, Jack assumes now that he will work to his dying day. Jack has a granddaughter, Ashley. She is a recent college grad. She drives a flashy hybrid car, wears all the latest fashions, loves to go out to nightclubs and restaurants and takes dream vacations. Ashley campaigned hard for Barack Obama. After the election she made sure...

Dear Potential Tyrant: We arrive at a crucial point in determining the future of this nation: Preserve our republic, or commit national suicide by implementing wholesale socialism. Americans are angry. We are angry with the career politicians who push unconstitutional legislation down our throats, despite our letters, faxes, e-mails and peaceful protests. We are angry that even our health care is not safe from these ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing. We are angry that the only logical incentive for such grossly onerous attacks on our freedoms is the control gained through total subjugation of the American people. If those in...

BOSTON - A pharmacy college graduate conspired with two other men on a terror plot to kill two prominent U.S. politicians and carry out a holy war by attacking shoppers in U.S. malls and American troops in Iraq, prosecutors said Wednesday. But their plans — in which the men used code words like "peanut butter and jelly" for fighting in Somalia and "culinary school" for terrorist camps — were thwarted in part when they could not find training and were unable to buy automatic weapons, authorities said. Tarek Mehanna worked with the men from 2001 to May 2008 on the...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Starry-eyed children writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season likely won't get a response from Santa Claus or his helpers. The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular national program begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole, where volunteers open and respond to thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year. Replies come with North Pole postmarks. Last year, a postal worker in Maryland recognized an Operation Santa volunteer there as a registered sex offender.

The lesson of history for any small child is that if you are lucky enough to be presented to the future president of the US, then make sure you have evidence of the encounter before bragging about it to your classmates. George Patten, aged eight, discovered the bitter truth of that maxim in 1860 after he boasted at school about having met Abraham Lincoln, having been introduced to the then presidential candidate with his journalist father. The boy's friends thought he had made the story up, and bullied him. To settle the matter, Patten's teacher wrote to the White House...

Barack Obama's "Organizing for America" has put the call out for people to Email their local papers and write a letter to the editor. They have created a VERY easy and fast way to write all your local papers with just a few key strokes. PLEASE take a minute to do this today and jump behind enemy lines to help kill the bill. Here's what we need to do : Go to : http://my.democrats.org/page/speakout/posthouseLTE 1. Put in your Zip code. You will be redirected to a page where you enter all your address information. 2. Check all the boxes for...

This letter is so incredibly important, it should be read by Rush Limbaugh and commented on Fox News. A must read of the year.

Through your waffling and indecision over what to do about Afghanistan, you have clearly demonstrated that you lack the intestinal fortitude to carry out the solemn responsibilities you’ve been so enthusiastically entrusted with, rendering you unfit to be Command-In-Chief of the US military. While your sanctimonious gas bag, Robert Gibbs, who lies every time he opens that gigantic hole in his face, insists that your deliberation, dithering and debate is serving the best interests of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines that were sent to defend this nation, more and more of them are being served up to the enemy...

"Australia: Islamic cleric harasses families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan with haranguing phone calls and letters" SNIPPET: "Mr Sher's father Felix received a phone call and letters, allegedly from self-styled Muslim cleric Sheikh Haron, just before his son's funeral." SNIPPET: "Other Australian families of men killed in Afghanistan have allegedly received similar letters in the past two years. On Tuesday Sheikh Haron was charged with seven counts of "using a postal service or similar service to menace, harass, or cause offence". He was granted bail to appear in court on November 10. [...]"

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A 29-year-old man has been arrested on charges that he allegedly planned to bomb a federal courthouse in Illinois and kill employees there. Federal officials say the case has no connections with the major terrorism investigation under way in Colorado and New York.

An open letter to the Republic of the United States

I have yet to read an intelligent letter from the Tea Party "patriots" on the subject of health care reform in America. The Tea Party patriots use slogans, appear together in mob mentality using sound bites from the Big Three — Limbaugh, Hannity and Drudge (WLS/890 AM hate radio). Universal health care reform in America is a fact of our lives. It is going to happen and our taxes will pay for it. Our taxes pay for everything. That is how it is in a free country. That is the cost of freedom and everything else in America. Tea Partyers,...

On behalf of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), I am writing to express our profound disappointment with your recent comments regarding the value of surgery and blurring the realities of physician reimbursements. The AAOS represents over 17,000 US board-certified orthopaedic surgeons who provide essential services to patients every day. As you yourself have said, “Where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that's actually been proposed.” In that spirit, we would like to bring some clarity to your comments and underscore the value that orthopaedic...

Seven House Democrats have written Attorney General Eric Holder invoking a list of grievances from radical Islamist groups and asking that Holder meet with representatives from those groups to hear their concerns, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned. The grievances include the use of convicted felons as informants in mosques, alleged religious profiling of Somali Muslims in Minnesota and elsewhere and allegations that the FBI is working with foreign governments to question American citizens who are terror suspects. In the letter, the representatives said: "These concerns raise legitimate questions about due process, justice, and equal treatment under the law....

Dear Mr. President, This should prove a challenging week on the PR front for us at Goldman Sachs. There are a few situations surfacing for which appropriate clarification will provide you sufficient context in the event that the inevitable questions arise. We also have a couple of suggestions. Regarding this nastiness of the past week, please do not be too concerned about all this talk surrounding our super high-speed fully automated transaction processors. Also please understand that they are our future. Admittedly, we are enamored with the technological prowess we have acquired. Don’t believe those jealous rumors coming from begrudging...

There is a lady in Arizona who has written a remarkable letter. She submitted it to the host of a radio and television show. From there, it has gone viral being shared around water coolers and through e-mail around the country. Take the time to read the whole thing. You'll be amazed to find that this lady, a fellow American citizen, has put the thoughts of many, if not all, of us into words. Feel free to copy it and pass it along to your friends, relatives, and co-workers. E-mail it to everyone in your address book. In the 1700's...

April 27, 2009 The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington , DC 20500 Mr. Obama: I have had it with you and your administration, sir. Your conduct on your recent trip overseas has convinced me that you are not an adequate representative of the United States of America collectively or of me personally. You are so obsessed with appeasing the Europeans and the Muslim world that you have abdicated the responsibilities of the President of the United States of America . You are responsible to the citizens of the United States . You are not responsible to the peoples...

Catholic churches in southern New Jersey are taking extra precautions since the Diocese of Camden received a letter saying biological agents would be placed in holy-water fonts and ventilation systems, a diocesan spokesman said Tuesday. The diocese received an anonymous letter last week threatening to put biological contaminants in Catholic churches in New Jersey, said Andrew Walton, a spokesman for the diocese. The letter, which was mailed May 1 and has a Bellmawr postmark, was received in the Camden office May 4 and opened May 5. The letter has been turned over to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, which is...

“Socialism” is the new fear word being used by those opposed to the Obama administration to attack its policies. I saw this word on dozens of signs at the anti-tax/anti-government spending rally in front of Paul and Babe. Three cheers for the protesters. Our democracy is built on open debate. But should the debate really be about socialism? Socialism advocates the government ownership of industry and financial institutions. It’s true that the Obama administration is trying to get the U.S. car industry back on its feet and is shoring up the banking industry so that we don’t have a total...

First time to post so not sure if I put this in the right place, but I found this and thought that it was a good read. May 16, 2009 Dear America, Recently, Chrysler, LLC notified Rogers Dodge, Inc., in Alvin, Texas of their anticipated closing of our dealership. Chrysler has pled their story quite publicly for several months in support of their request of billions of taxpayer dollars. This is our story. We occupy a 3-year old Dodge-designed building for which we paid cash when it was built. It was appraised at $3,700,000 in 2007. We qualified as a...

Dear Fellow Americans– As you may know, there have been rumors spread about my knowledge of when and if I was informed of the CIA’s tactics of waterboarding prisoners prior to February. 5, 2003. I attempted to clear up this misinformation in a press conference this past week, but was savagely attacked by a very unprofessional media. If it seemed that I was erratic and confused at times during the questioning, it was because I was literally being publicly tortured by a very intolerant and biased media, especially CNN, NBC, MSNBC, and other mainstream media shouting unrelated questions at me...

Postage rates are increasing on Monday, May 11 for first class postage and other services. .. it's not too late to lock in the current rate by buying Forever Stamps. "If you buy them today at today's price, it doesn't matter if you use them in numerous years to come, even 100 years from now, that stamp will still be good as a first class stamp, even though you paid 42 cents for it," But time is of the essence, because the Forever Stamp rate also will increase on Monday.

"As the price to mail a letter is set to increase on Monday, mail volume at the U.S. Postal Service continues to drop. To counter the tough times, the government-run service operating 579 post offices across the state will continue to reconfigure its work force and its ability to compete for customers. Brian Watson, 37, of Lowell, said he's getting ready to make the jump from putting his bills in a mailbox to completing the transaction online because of the cost to use the postal system."

AN OPEN LETTER TO GERALD PARSKY, CHAIRMAN, CALIFORNIA COMMISSION ON THE 21ST CENTURY ECONOMY - SPLIT COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY TAX ROLL UNDER PROPOSITION 13 April 13, 2009 The Honorable Gerald Parsky, Chairman Commission on the 21st Century Economy C/O Mark Ibele, PhD, Staff Director http://www.cotce.ca.gov/ Re: California Prop 13 Split Property Tax Roll Dear Chairman Parsky: I read with consternation that the Commission for the 21st Century has convened with the apparent agenda to undo the protections of Proposition 13 for commercial properties in California - http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/apr/09/tax-panel-promises-to-think-boldly/ A split commercial/residential property tax roll would spell personal and financial ruination for me...

Seoul, Korea6 April 1951My dearest Helen, Patty and Chuckie,    Yesterday brought me a letter from you but I didn't answer it last night as I was quite tired and laid down for a few minutes but fell asleep only to wake up at 11:00 PM still tired so I got into bed. Tonight I am duty officer but hope to get a good night sleep.    I doubt it was a pleasant change for you having Marshall and Marie stay for a while and play a few cards and I surely hope you all had a pleasant evening, considering.    Honey, your...

Sunday, March 15, 2009 My father recently passed away in Fort Worth. While going through his records in Richardson, where he lived, I found his voting card. I called the people at the city clerk's office to inform them that he had passed. They informed me that he couldn't have died, since he voted on Nov. 4. I asked how many years had he been voting on record, and they said without fail, he had voted for 10 consecutive years. I then informed them that he had been in a nursing home and with Alzheimer's for the past eight years....

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Prominent scholars and experts are urging President Obama to adopt strong policies backing democracy in the Middle East. More than 140 people signed an open letter to the president. Its message will be the topic of a news conference Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington. "We urge you to elevate democratic reform and respect for human rights as key considerations in your engagement with both Arab regimes and Arab publics," the letter said. "We are writing this letter to raise our profound belief that supporting democrats and democracy in the Middle East is not only...

March 3, 2009 Note: The following text is a quote: http://denver.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/2009/powderthreat030309.htm ARAPAHOE COUNTY INMATE SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR MAILING THREATENING LETTER WITH WHITE POWDER DENVER - Marc Harold Ramsey, age 40, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Wiley Y. Daniel to serve 30 months in federal prison for mailing a threatening communication. Following his term of incarceration, Chief Judge Daniel ordered Ramsey to serve an additional 3 years of supervised release. Ramsey must also pay a $100 special assessment, which goes to a general victims of crime fund. Ramsey, who is in custody, was remanded. Marc...

Letter and bullet received 'threatening Nicolas Sarkozy's life' A French senator said Friday that he received a letter threatening his life and that of President Nicolas Sarkozy. The envelope also contained a bullet, Sen Jacques Blanc said. Last Updated: 8:28AM GMT 28 Feb 2009 He was the second senator to receive a death threat this month. State prosecutor Rene Pagis said antiterrorist officers are investigating. Mr Blanc, of the governing UMP party, told The Associated Press the letter also threatened government ministers, but he did not provide details. Mr Blanc said he was travelling when the letter arrived at his...

[image of letter] A mysterious Hollywood blog announced this week that it was in possession of a leaked letter that prematurely announced the winners of tonight’s Oscars. To see the letter and the list of winners click the image above, or click here. The blog has suddenly been taken down, which makes some insiders believe the leak may be true. “The document,” Academy spokesperson Leslie Unger said, “is a complete fraud.” It’s only appropriate that an industry that blurs the line between reality and fantasy should have a controversy like this. We’ll all know in a few hours who’s telling...

John Kerry was very vocal about alleged war crimes committed by the U.S. in Vietnam. He doesn't have any problem accepting a letter from known terrorist group Hamas. The letter is for President Obama and it was delivered by U.N. officials. Senator Kerry and the U.N. seem to working be together for the benefit of a terrorist group. Why am I not surprised?

An Open Letter From Gold Star Mom Debbie Lee To President Obama It is with a heavy heart for my country that I write to you today. I pray that you will be inspired, challenged, and that you will reconsider decisions that you have made in the past week since you took the oath to preserve, protect and defend our constitution. Many in my family have taken a similar oath in the military including my sons Kristofer & Marc, my son-in-law Chris, my brother Jim and my Father. “I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and...

ASPEN — A man who left bomb threats and homemade bombs around Aspen on New Year's Eve shot and killed himself in his car a few hours after his threats cleared much of the resort town, Aspen Police said. Assistant Aspen Police Chief Bill Linn said James Chester Blanning, 72, walked into two Aspen banks Wednesday afternoon and left packages wrapped in holiday paper along with notes saying the boxes contained bombs. The notes threatened "mass death" and demanded $60,000 cash, along with criticisms of President George Bush, Linn said.

The editors of the New York Times have gone beyond the call of proud left-wing media duty on more than one occasion in recent memory. Despite having to use one of its buildings as collateral due to less-than-glowing financial statements, the daily has not lost the self-assured content selection that only the New Yorker could (maybe) compete with. Earlier this year, the NYT rejected an op-ed by presidential hopeful John McCain about his plan for Iraq only a week after it published a piece on the same subject by President-elect Obama. The editor of the section explained, saying, “'I'm not...

Abridged letter from Troy Clarke, President of General Motors - followed by a response from our son, Gregory Knox: Dear Employee, Next week, Congress and the current Administration will determine whether to provide immediate support to the domestic auto industry to help it through one of the most difficult economic times in our nation's history. Your elected officials must hear from all of us now on why this support is critical to our continuing the progress we began prior to the global financial crisis.....................As an employee, you have a lot at stake and continue to be one of our most...

Even Iran gives a cheerNAZILA FATHI IN TEHRAN 8/11/2008 1:00:01 AM IRAN'S President has sent a letter congratulating Barack Obama for his victory in the US presidential race, even though the two nations have had no diplomatic ties for nearly three decades. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written to world leaders in the past, including one to the US President, George Bush. But this is the first time since the 1979 revolution that an Iranian leader has congratulated the winner of a US election. Diplomatic ties were severed in April 1980, five months after radical students attacked the US embassy in Tehran...

Letter: Obama can expect same treatment Bush received To the editor:The selective memory of liberals never ceases to amaze me. In the midst of a Sound Off whine, the commentator labeled "No Democrats?" bleated, "Why are people so mean and hateful of this future president? I don't understand this. Give the guy a chance."Give Obama a chance? Let's take a walk down memory lane. Remember the screams that Bush stole the 2000 election? That he was poisoning children by putting arsenic in the water? That he was killing millions by not funding stem-cell research?Remember the bumper stickers? "He's not MY...

DALLAS -- A Texas museum hopes a document found in its archives turns out to be an authentic government copy of Abraham Lincoln's eloquent letter consoling a mother thought to have lost five sons in the Civil War.The famed Bixby Letter, which the Dallas Historical Society is getting appraised as it prays for a potential windfall, has a fascinating history.The original has never been found. Historians debate whether Lincoln wrote it. Its recipient, Lydia Bixby, was no fan of the president. And not all her sons died in the war.The letter, written with "the best of intentions" 144 years ago...

This letter apparently has been well thought out, long overdue! We need to email this to everyone, for or against Obama's candidacy, alternative media, and yes, the mainstream media! Some groups should seriously consider buying full page ads in the USA Today , LA times, etc. spreading this strong wake up message to the uninformed and misinformed! What do you think? Let's Digg this!

Below is what I just emailed Sen. McCain and his campaign director, advisers, whether they like it or not. Dear Senator McCain, We wish to thank you for your decades of service to this country! You are a real hero and a gentleman, seen through your concession speech. We admire your tenacity and endurance, at your age! We see No REAL Mandate on Obama’s victory!! You are SO close to clinching it! Few pundits are talking about the thin 3% edge Obama had in popular votes. Almost half of the people distrust him. There‘re still a lot of us who...

A tremendous letter in its entirety, Jefferson was concerned with the unrest in the United States. Here is the whole letter. The latin translates to "I prefer the tumult of liberty to the quiet of servitude." Thomas Jefferson To James Madison Paris, Jan. 30, 1787 DEAR SIR, -- My last to you was of the 16th of Dec, since which I have received yours of Nov 25, & Dec 4, which afforded me, as your letters always do, a treat on matters public, individual & oeconomical. I am impatient to learn your sentiments on the late troubles in the Eastern...

To Barack Hussein Obama The New York Times carried a story on Saturday, October 4, 2008 that proved you had a significantly closer relationship with Bill Ayers than what you previously admitted. While the issue of your relationship is of concern, the greater concern is that you lied to America about it. The Chicago Sun reported on May 8, 2008 that FBI records showed that you had a significantly closer relationship with Tony Rezko than what you previously a dmitted. In the interview, you said that you only saw Mr. Rezko a couple of times a year. The FBI files...

An Open Letter to America My friends and neighbors, my brothers and sisters, my supporters, my detractors, Democrat, Republican, Baptist, Catholic, sophisticates and fellow hillbillies, lend me your ears, or rather your eyes for a few minutes. Upon reflection I find myself guilty lately of falling in with the bad news crowd, and goodness knows there's plenty of it to fall into, but since I've been guilty of accentuating the negative and ignoring the positive lately, I'd like do something different. There is certainly a lot wrong with our country, but sometimes by being overwhelmed by the twenty-four hour news...

I think this says it all Thank you, Mark Gregg, wherever and whoever you are. Dear Mr. Obama, It is October 2, 2008. My name is Mark Gregg. I am a 50 something conservative white male. I have followed your campaign closely, including the speeches you and others made at the democratic national convention. I am respectfully providing you with seven simple (probably shallow) reasons why I could never vote for you. I believe my opinion is shared by many people. While there may not be quite enough to prevent you from becoming president of this nation, I do think...

Evan Buffington knew what he had found as soon as he spotted it in the sand. The bottle was imbedded in a small island no more than 48 square miles called Middle Caicos, part of the British West Indies. Buffington found it while vacationing with his family in late August, on a hike with the men of the family. Buffington, a resident of Makanda, Ill., dug out the bottle and brushed off the sand. It was a clear glass Tab cola bottle, with a cork inside and an aluminum screw top to keep it sealed. Some moisture had seeped in,...

This was posted in the comments section on the Washington Independent by Alaskan and a Wasillan, Anne Kilkenny, someone who has followed Sarah Palin very, very closely - with too many city council meetings under her belt - not to say her piece.... Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents. During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire...