http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/lte/ en-us Fri, 16 May 2008 06:58:52 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016731/posts COLOMBO, May 16 (Reuters) - A loud explosion shook a commercial quarter of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on Friday, a military spokesman said. "There is an explosion near the Hilton Hotel," said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, adding there were no details of any injuries or damage. Reuters (excerpt) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2016731/posts#comment Fri, 16 May 2008 06:58:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1606920/posts I’ve been saddened over the past year watching my fellow Republicans let the ultra-conservative wing take the party off course. Other moderates like me want smaller government with local control and good effective solutions to the problems that confront our communities. The far right appears to be focused on establishing power and control. Chris Stevens was out campaigning at the League City SportsPlex the evening of Feb. 28 and I had the opportunity to meet him and explore some of his beliefs. Tax cuts, vouchers for stay-at-home schooling moms and forcing local schools to spend 75 percent — rather than... The Galveston County Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1606920/posts#comment Fri, 31 Mar 2006 18:07:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1569540/posts Washington Post Editor-- As a military verteran, I am starting a grass-roots campaign that I plan to spread throughout the entire Washington DC metropolitan area: that is to have every single service member and veteran that currently receives the Post to UNSUBSCRIBE as a direct result of your callous, disrespectful decision to publish Mr. Toles' editorial cartoon on 29 January 2006. To place a wounded American soldier in the context of that cartoon was nothing less than a raging insult and a spit-in-the-face to every military member that has fought, is fighting or will fight for democracy. Can you even... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1569540/posts#comment Wed, 1 Feb 2006 19:02:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1488258/posts Saying her First Amendment free-speech rights have been violated, a Florida teacher says she plans to sue the Orange County School Board after being suspended without pay when a Spanish-language newspaper printed a letter she wrote to a U.S. congressman complaining about the impact of foreigners on the nation. WND Exclusive BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS Teacher 'demonized' over letter to politicians Says she'll sue after Spanish paper prints note complaining about foreigners Posted: September 20, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Ron Strom © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com Saying her First Amendment free-speech rights have been violated, a Florida teacher says she plans to... World Net Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1488258/posts#comment Tue, 20 Sep 2005 23:57:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1482492/posts We cannot express the kindness that our adopted family and neighbors of Lubbock have shown to the people of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. We appreciate all the love and kindness that you have shown us. Especially, the mayor of Lubbock, City Councilmen, senator representatives, doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, volunteers, American Red Cross officials, and all the people of Lubbock who have shown the people of New Orleans that the people of Lubbock do truthfully live as one big family. In addition, we appreciate the Lubbock Police Department, the Lubbock Fire Department, EMS Services, all charitable associates, ministers who... Lubbock Avalanche-Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1482492/posts#comment Sun, 11 Sep 2005 22:18:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1477051/posts Walter Reed 'vigils'     Your description of CodePink: Women for Peace's activities outside Walter Reed Army Medical Center is wrong ("Abusing wounded heroes," Editorial, Wednesday). We do not hold anti-war demonstrations outside Walter Reed; we hold weekly vigils that draw attention to the plight of soldiers and call for more support for veterans. We believe the vigils have helped achieve positive results for injured soldiers, such as greater Veterans Affairs funding and a rollback of attempts to make soldiers pay for their own meals and phone calls.     We often receive encouragement for the vigil from wounded soldiers, their families and Walter... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1477051/posts#comment Sun, 4 Sep 2005 14:39:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1476501/posts Friday September 2, 2005 Alberta Christian Pastor Hauled Before Human Rights Tribunal For Letter to Editor on Homosexuality Will not pay fines or write apology should decision go against him RED DEER, Alberta, September 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Currently Reverend Stephen Boissoin, a young Albertan pastor who spearheads a youth ministry that makes hundreds of weekly contacts with at-risk youth, is in the process of learning Arabic so he can better minister to the many Muslim youth who he says come to his centers. And with a wife and two children of his own, in addition to his full-time ministry,... (LifeSiteNews.com) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1476501/posts#comment Sat, 3 Sep 2005 17:54:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1464003/posts The myth of the heterosexual family August 15, 2005 DONOVAN SLACK'S Aug. 12 news story ''Thou Art No Romeo" reveals a great deal about our culture's commitment to sustaining the myth that the heterosexual nuclear family is the only acceptable unit for adult couples, despite evidence to the contrary. The story discloses that the beloved and deeply partnered swans at the Public Garden are (gasp!) both female. Although homosexual behavior is well documented among animals, a person in the story describes these two swans' behavior as ''lunacy." Which is crazier, accepting basic facts or attempting to deny evidence that the... Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1464003/posts#comment Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:33:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1452984/posts NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1452984/posts#comment Fri, 29 Jul 2005 10:09:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1449455/posts It will be interesting to see how Sen. Hillary Clinton votes..........My guess is that she will vote to confirm because she wants to act so sickeningly presidential. Of course, she will offend the leftists, but they will go along with her because they figure she's the only one who has a chance to beat a conservative. Richard Proud Parachute, Colo. **** Last week, Sen. Chuck Schumer boasted that he was ready to go war against USSC nominee John Roberts. Apparently he is against the war with terrorists, but for the war on conservatives. Bill Yermal Oxford, N.J. **** Roberts brings... NY POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1449455/posts#comment Sun, 24 Jul 2005 13:49:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1448433/posts In a barrage of recent letters to editors across the country, ordinary Americans are rejecting the PC talk of "moderate" Muslims and Islam being a "religion of peace." Cracks in the dam are spreading and widening. A massive terror attack will blow it wide open. And then, the deluge. Here's hoping "moderate" Muslims will help us keep it from happening. Letters to the Editor (various publications): ------ CA: Muslims Have Forfeited Rights as Citizens Contra Costa Times, 7/21/05 http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/ In my view, adherents of the Muslim religion have forfeited their right to be accepted as loyal citizens of the United... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1448433/posts#comment Fri, 22 Jul 2005 16:25:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1446015/posts THE ISSUE: A law banning inquiries about the immigration status of New York City street vendors. ***** Mayor Bloomberg has betrayed all the legal residents of New York City — citizens and legal immigrants alike — by signing a bill allowing illegal aliens to obtain street-vending licenses ("Council OKs Cindy's Pet Project, June 24). Too many politicians act as if New York City is obliged to make it easier for foreigners to violate America's immigration laws. This misguided bill spares would-be vendors the inconvenience of being asked whether they actually have a legal right to work in the U.S. We... NY POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1446015/posts#comment Tue, 19 Jul 2005 15:55:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1444359/posts From The NYT Letters to the Editors page, Saturday, July 16, 2005: Sharp Elbows and Karl Rove (3 Letters) To the Editor: By now we all know that American politics is a contact sport and that Karl Rove is no Boy Scout. However, it is also equally obvious to me that the Democratic machine is using his alleged involvement in the leaking of Valerie Plame's identity for pure political gain. The feigned outrage and pseudo-moralizing are just too much. Let's get one thing straight: neither Democrats nor Republicans are more virtuous than the other. To insinuate otherwise is to stretch... The NYT - Letters to the Editor http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1444359/posts#comment Sat, 16 Jul 2005 19:15:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1438908/posts As a widow on a very tight budget, I am utterly appalled by your callous editorial, "Put PBS Out to Pasture" (June 26). After my husband died last year, cable TV became a luxury I could no longer afford, so I said a reluctant farewell to MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News et al. Now PBS picks up the slack — and for once I can honestly say that my tax dollars are well spent. Sharon Rutman Far Rockaway ***** If conservative Republicans had their way, there would be no "public" anything. Everything would be privatized to benefit the greedy at the... NY POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1438908/posts#comment Fri, 8 Jul 2005 12:30:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1436828/posts I am confused by the rhetoric of the president and his conservative Christian supporters regarding support of our military personnel, how brave they are, and what cowards are the Iraq insurgents (whatever that means). It seems to me that people who volunteer to learn to become indiscriminate killers on command, who wear body armor and hide in armored vehicles, who use Star Wars-type weapons against anything, cannot be compared in bravery and valor to individual people strapped with explosives who want to kill foreigners who want to change and control their way of life. Something like the U.S./Indian wars of... The San Diego Union Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1436828/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jul 2005 14:35:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1436560/posts The recent incident in Bent Tree, a Sarasota subdivision, shows that the words and policies of President Bush are driving our young people to the brink of insanity. One of the boys who burned American flags was quoted as saying he did it because he hated America. I doubt that he meant he hated Bent Tree. More likely, he hated a country that tortures its prisoners, stubbornly resists efforts to slow global warming and saddles each of our newborn grandchildren with a $150,000 debt to the Chinese. For years, we taught our children that they were lucky to be Americans... SARASOTA TRIBUNE.COM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1436560/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jul 2005 01:42:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1435696/posts PHOENIX -- The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Friday that a newspaper cannot be sued for printing a letter that suggested Americans respond to attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq by going to the nearest mosque and killing the first five Muslims they see. The high court unanimously held that the letter to the editor was political speech protected by the First Amendment. It threw out a lawsuit accusing the Tucson Citizen of intentionally inflicting emotional distress on residents. Two Tucson men had sued the Gannett Co. newspaper for unspecified damages after it ran the letter in 2003. The letter frightened... Editor & Publisher http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1435696/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jul 2005 12:16:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1430877/posts THE ISSUE: Karl Rove's recent comments on how liberals responded to 9/11. Sen. Dick Durbin calls the U.S. military no better than Nazis, Stalinists and the Cambodian mass murderer Pol Pot. Response from the Democratic leadership: near silence. Rove says the Democratic response to the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. was wimpy. Democratic leadership response: apoplexy. I think Rove understated the case. Gerard Browne Jersey City, N.J. **** Rove spoke the truth at the Conservative's annual dinner the other night. Thank God for people like Rove, who tell it like it is. Stewart Lara Manhattan **** To the differences between... NY POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1430877/posts#comment Sun, 26 Jun 2005 11:15:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1415012/posts Maybe Mark Felt is a hero to the left, the way Benedict Arnold was a hero to the English ("Deep Throat Coughs It Up," June 1). But a selfish spiteful snitch is no American hero. They should pull his pension and benefits. He did not serve honorably in his office. He leaked confidential information for purely selfish reasons. He didn't just hurt President Nixon, he hurt the nation as a whole. Patrick Grant Brooklyn **** Poor Felt. He was second in command of the FBI, and he didn't get the promotion to the post he thought he deserved. So he... NY POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1415012/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jun 2005 12:56:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1412633/posts Re "13 Things I Meant to Write About but Never Did" (May 22): As one of those people to whom The New York Times has become a daily ritual - even in Afghanistan - I say thank you. As should always happen when somebody takes up a new, ill-defined job, you molded it into something valuable and even groundbreaking. And in the end, you signed off with style, class and wisdom. We should all hope to have as much effect on our place of work as you did on yours - and on thousands of loyal readers. (Capt.) JONATHAN J.... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1412633/posts#comment Sun, 29 May 2005 09:17:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1402619/posts A liberal advocacy group wants Democrats to write letters to the editor - using some handy "talking points" -- to stop the "radical Republicans" who may invoke the nuclear option next week. Democrats strongly oppose the "nuclear option," which describes a scenario in which the Senate would change its rules to prevent the filibusters of judicial nominees. Democrats are now filibustering seven of President Bush's conservative judicial nominees because there's no other way they can stop their confirmation by the full Senate. This is the first time in history that judicial nominees have been filibustered, and Republicans call it an... JWR http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1402619/posts#comment Fri, 13 May 2005 17:16:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1401538/posts The Stakes in the Vote on Bolton (5 Letters) To the Editor: Re "The Best Man for the Job" (Op-Ed, May 11): James A. Baker III and Edwin Meese III, in their effort to bolster the Bush administration's case for appointing John R. Bolton as the United States ambassador to the United Nations, don't make a convincing argument. That he is said to be "the best man for the job" is not enough. Mr. Bolton would not be encountering so much opposition if he had been less strident in his criticism of the United Nations or if he exhibited a... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1401538/posts#comment Thu, 12 May 2005 08:59:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1397105/posts To the Editor: Re "Chairman Exerts Pressure on PBS, Alleging Biases" (front page, May 2): The job of the press is to scrutinize government, not praise it. The administration gives its story in the best possible light using taxpayer money. That must be countered by a vigorously critical free press. When have administrations, either Democratic or Republican, presented evenhanded pictures of what they do? The question isn't whether "Now" (formerly "Now With Bill Moyers") is critical of the Bush administration but whether it behaved differently during the Clinton administration. If anything, our press has failed to be critical enough. Charles... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1397105/posts#comment Thu, 5 May 2005 11:46:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1390951/posts WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (AP) - A Republican activist has acknowledged sending hundreds of bogus letters to the editorial pages of San Francisco Bay area newspapers over the past decade, many of which were published. Editors at the newspapers involved said Monday that they would intensify efforts to verify that letters to the editor are actually sent by the people who write them. However, technological advances have made bogus letters increasingly difficult to screen out, they said. "It's important to verify the authenticity of the letters we receive," San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Page Editor John Diaz told The Associated Press. "It's... Bakersfield Californian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1390951/posts#comment Tue, 26 Apr 2005 00:23:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1390939/posts NEW YORK Every now and then, letters to the editor at the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times don't get posted to the paper's Web site with the rest of the day's paper, after midnight. When Dan Hatfield, the paper's editorial-page editor, arrived at the office at his usual 5:30 or 6 a.m. on those mornings, he'd find out right away that some letters hadn't made it up, because there would an angry e-mail waiting in his inbox from Kyle Vallone. Hatfield could never understand why Vallone cared so much. Times reporter Sarah Krupp solved that riddle in a story published Sunday.... .editorandpublisher.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1390939/posts#comment Tue, 26 Apr 2005 00:04:15 GMT