Free Republic

In the United States, in the autumn of 2008, the Presidential election was decided on the hoopla of hope and change drenched in hyperbolic rhetoric which effectively drowned journalistic decorum to maintain any pretence at integrity. It put the Oval Office decisively lurching into a monopoly of power without any effective constraints in place. In short, the seeds of tyranny were safely and decisively planted. The jury is still out whether or not the 1986 Philippine Spring succeeded in vanquishing tyranny to nurture expanding liberty. The leading indicators point to a political governance being still in the clutches of a...

Representative Eric Massa (D- NY) addressed an intimate group of Net Roots activists during their annual Net Roots Nation gathering in Pittsburgh this weekend. Mr. Massa reiterated his support for a single payer health care bill. He discussed the risks he takes for wanting to support such a measure in his "right wing Republican district." According to Swing State Project, Mr. Massa won his 2008 race by two percentage points. The voting pattern index (PVI) is a Republican +5 seat. The National Republican Congressional Committee has the upstate New York congressman in their sights for 2010 along with 69 other...

Note: The following text is a quote: Federal Grand Jury Returns Indictment on Internet Bomb Threats Hammond, IN—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana announced that a three-count indictment was returned against Ashton Lundeby for his role in Internet bomb and related threats directed to Purdue University, Indiana University/Purdue University at Fort Wayne, Ind., and numerous other educational institutions throughout the country. Lundeby, 16, of Oxford, N.C., was arrested by the FBI at his home in Oxford on March 6, 2009. A federal search warrant was also executed at that time. Lundeby was arrested pursuant to a...

They were taken before Marilyn Monroe became branded as the voluptuous blonde who oozed sex appeal in dozens of Hollywood films. A 24-year-old Marilyn Monroe poses for Life magazine in August 1950. They were taken before rumors of an affair with President John F. Kennedy swirled and her mental breakdowns became public. They were taken before the beautiful actress's mysterious overdose that resulted in her death at the age of 36. In a collection discovered by Life.com last month, unpublished photographs of Monroe reveal a softer, more innocent 24-year-old budding starlet in a more peaceful time, before her fame peaked....

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa says Quito may buy weapons from Iran to enable the tightening of security on its border with Colombia. "We have a very serious problem on the northern border with Colombia, an irresponsible government that does not take care of its… border," AFP quoted Correa as saying on Saturday. "We need to equip ourselves… Iran can supply us and help us with credit," the president explained

Sometime in the next 72 hours or so, the United States will face one of its most direct challenges to a doctrine that has done much to define the geopolitics of the world as we know it. I am referring, of course, to the belligerent operation of a Russian warship in our canal zone. This action, or rather the blatant and unchallenged success of it, threatens to tilt the scales of world power yet further against the United States, even as it emboldens those that would destroy us. While it is true that the United States remains the world's only...

PORT OF LA GUAIRA, November 27 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia will continue military cooperation with Venezuela in order to preserve stability in the Caribbean, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday. “We are grateful for the friendly attitude to the Russian Fleet and the Russian Armed Forces,” Medvedev told Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez during a visit to the Russian naval ship The Admiral Chabanenko. “The Russian-Venezuelan naval exercise is a measure that enhances stability in the region and the world over.”

A sex film featuring Hollywood screen icon Marilyn Monroe has been sold for £750,000. The grainy black and white film was shot in the 1950s and shows the blonde actress performing a sex act on an unidentified male. A New York-based businessman paid the six-figure sum for the tape which is said to be a copy of the original film still held by the FBI.

Some really like it hot. In the sordid tradition of peddling raunchy video footage of celebrities a la Paris Hilton, a long-buried sex movie of Marilyn Monroe recently hit the market, a top collector told The Post. An illicit copy of the steamy, still-FBI-classified reel - 15 minutes of 16mm film footage in which the original blond bombshell performs oral sex on an unidentified man - was just sold to a New York businessman for $1.5 million, said Keya Morgan, the well-known memorabilia collector who discovered the film and brokered its purchase...

FEMININITY, NIAGARA FALLS, AND THE GENUINE ALLURE OF AN AMERICAN FAKE DISCUSSED: Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Honeymoon Fever, Rose’s Hunky Lover, “Red Hatters Matter,” Mardi Gras by Way of Kmart, “Sarah Jessica Parker,” Deadlock vs. Wedlock, Oscar Wilde, The Esteemed Vice Mother, Troubadour Mike, Canadian Mounties, All-You-Can-Eat Indian Buffets, Jodhpurs, Same-Sex Weddings, Gary In 1952, when Marilyn Monroe arrived at the General Brock Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario, she was dating Joe DiMaggio and on the brink of becoming a superstar. DiMaggio checked into the Hotel Niagara (on the American side) while, over in Canada, Monroe got to work playing...

  This cartoon/graphic is free for noncommercial use in emails, blogs, and forums.  IowaPresidentialWatch.com

WASHINGTON -- The FBI is investigating a possible threat against the north Louisiana teenager who was on the receiving end of suggestive e-mails from disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley, a Louisiana congressman said Tuesday. Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Quitman, said Tuesday that the young man's life wasn't threatened, "but close to it." "There are people out there who feel like he is the one who (accused) Foley," Alexander said. "There are some bloggers out there who sent him some ugly stuff."

TUSCALOOSA | The man who shot and killed a would-be robber late last year now faces federal allegations of illegally sending money out of the country. Jack Mohamed S. Mused was arrested Thursday on charges of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and trafficking counterfeit goods. Mused, 29, was taken into custody about 8 a.m. today at his place of business, the Raceway convenience store on McFarland Boulevard, authorities said.Members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested him, but details regarding what he did to justify the charges...

ROCK HILL, S.C. - A research facility is planned for York County that will focus on the role of Southern states in the Revolutionary War. Historian Michael Scoggins said the Southern Revolutionary War Institute will be used to educate people about the South's contributions to the war. It's a field he says has been neglected in the past. "There's been various fields that downplay the role of the South," Scoggins said. "When you look at most history textbooks, we are generally given the short treatment." The institute will be based at the McCelvey Center in York and local officials hope...

June 4, 2006 -- IT'S mind-boggling to think about, but our nation's nuclear policies may have been shaped in part by Marilyn Monroe. Biographer Anthony Summers, who has examined hundreds of pages of unreleased federal documents, says the blond bombshell met with her occasional bedmate President John F. Kennedy less than a month before her death of a drug overdose in 1962 - and one subject discussed over lunch was "nuclear testing." The lunch was three months before the Cuban Missile Crisis. Since the nuclear issue was the hot potato of the day, and Monroe was known to have acquaintances...

MONROE, La. (AP) - A federal magistrate judge has recommended that the public be allowed to fish on Mississippi River tributaries that stretch into private property in East Carroll Parish. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jim Kirk in Alexandria handed down an opinion that the public can boat, fish and hunt on the waters of the Mississippi River as it rises and falls and that local sheriffs cannot arrest the fishermen and hunters for trespassing as long as they remain in their boats. The opinion was prompted by a motion to dismiss a case against East Carroll Parish Sheriff Mark Shumate for...

Several Rochester ministers are calling on County Executive Maggie Brooks to reconsider a reduction in funding for funerals for the poor. Monroe County once picked up most of the bill for those who could not afford a funeral for their loved one. In March, the county started capping its funeral assistance at $1,250. Local ministers said that they are now being forced to help bury the poor. "It also smells like a little bit of racism because we know, now I don't think it was intended, but we know that most of those at the bottom of the economic scale...

Former police chief Haulk files to run for CIty Council By PETER J. HOVANEC -- MONROE (Aug. 5, 2005) With about three hours left in the municipal filing period, the races keep getting more interesting. On the last full day of filing, former Monroe Police Chief Bobby Haulk joined the race for Monroe City Council. Haulk retired in June from after being ousted by the former city manager and many of the council members he is looking to join. Haulk first retired Oct. 28, reportedly after being given an ultimatum by the council to resign or be fired. He was...

WALTON COUNTY — With the 59th anniversary of the Moore’s Ford lynchings coming up on Monday, activists are gearing up for a re-enactment of the tragedy. Two black couples, George and Mae Murray Dorsey and Dorothy and Roger Malcom, were killed by a lynch mob of unmasked white men at the Moore’s Ford bridge on July 25, 1946. On Friday, state Rep. Tyrone Brooks (D-47, of Atlanta) held a press conference in Monroe to provide more details about the re-enactment

The city of Monroe agreed to pay former city manager Doug Spell more than $100,000 following his sudden decision to quit Wednesday, records show. Following Spell's abrupt resignation and the City Council's acceptance, city attorney Terry Sholar hammered out a settlement agreement that provides Spell the exact compensation that he would have received had he remained employed until his employment contract expired in December. Although Spell submitted a formal resignation, terms of the settlement confirm that he was fired. The council unanimously, though Mayor Judy Davis and Spell were absent, accepted Spell's resignation during a special meeting Wednesday that was...

Tom Adams, a Lincoln Park, Mich., resident and member of Gateway Anabaptist Church, preaches on a corner in Monroe, Mich., after the city of Monroe settled a federal lawsuit that stemmed from the ticketing last year of a group of street evangelists.AP Photo/KEITH KING MONROE, Mich. (AP) -- A group of street preachers are free to spread the gospel downtown following their settlement of a lawsuit against the city.Under the settlement agreed to last week, the city will not prosecute members of World Wide Street Preachers' Fellowship under the city's noise ordinance or for lack of a parade permit....

In the liberal state of California, more of us are giving less attention to our party affiliation, and more attention to fixing our problems. Our new Governor has done a great job in the short time he's been in office. Many will argue this, but the bottom line is fiscal responsibility, and we can now see some light at the end of the tunnel. However, there are some governmental and minority programs in California that need to be scrutinized very closely. That's probably true at the federal level, as well, but California is not a bad place to start, right...

MONROE, La. A Monroe woman accused of stabbing her 15-year-old brother and 12-year-old son following an argument over pork chops is being held at the Ouachita Correctional Center in lieu of 15-thousand dolalrs bond. Deputies arrested 31-year-old Tammie Peter early yesterday on allegations of aggravated battery and aggravated second-degree battery. Sheriff's deputies say the incident began Sunday after Peter returned home with her boyfriend and discovered that her brother, who lives with her, had cooked two pork chops for himself and no one else. Peter allegedly took one of the chops and threw it at the teenager, causing the argument...

http://www.thenewsstar.com/localnews/html/BE29DE9E-AA65-4FA3-B60B-448B6EB2DDFF.shtml

Alexander defends late party switch in 5th District debate By ADAM NOSSITER Associated Press writer MONROE -- Congressman Rodney Alexander defended a last-minute party switch that infuriated Democrats Sunday night, in the sole televised debate of an otherwise quiet race to represent a broad swath of central and north Louisiana. Alexander, boosted by polls showing him way out in front and likely to win the 5th Congressional District race without a runoff, spoke calmly about an issue that initially threw his race into an uproar, and had Democrats from Louisiana to Washington denouncing him in harsh terms. He brushed off...

...Kennedy did only slightly better in 1960, scoring 49.8% against Nixon. His plurality was one of the smallest in U.S. history..... This election was significant in that it marked the occasion when TV played a major, perhaps determining, part. Roosevelt had already demonstrated the importance of radio when his skill at the media, honed in his "Fireside Chats" as president, helped to secure his landslide re-election in 1936. In 1960, the media (overwhelmingly pro-Democrat) judged Kennedy an outright winner in the TV debates. It was said that his team persuaded the studio to turn up the lights so that Nixon...

Cary, N.C.—Renegade professors and serious students hoping to buck the politically correct trend that engulfs academia and makes shared knowledge an endangered species may not find much refuge in their local community college. Dr. Michael Filozof certainly found no sanctuary at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York. Married, with one daughter, the tenure-track political science professor at the school now faces imminent unemployment as a result of a scurrilous whispering campaign by two professors who found his political views (support for President Bush and for U.S. troops in Iraq) hard to take. When Dr. Filozof placed an American flag...

<p>Margaret Croft/The News-Star Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo addresses his supporters after being re-elected Saturday.Incumbent Jamie Mayo will get another full four-year term as the city's mayor.</p> <p>By a comfortable margin, Mayo defeated challenger Don Spatafora on Saturday in Monroe's mayoral runoff election. Complete but unofficial results showed Mayo with 55 percent, or 7,649 votes, and Spatafora with 45 percent, or 6,209 votes.</p>

<p>Mayor Jamie Mayo and challenger Don Spatafora reiterated their campaign themes of bringing more jobs to Monroe and cutting wasteful spending from the city's budget at the meeting, which was sponsored by the University of Louisiana at Monroe and The News-Star. The one-hour forum also featured repeated verbal sparring between the candidates.</p>

<p>MONROE -- A 12-year-old boy faces a charge of aggravated rape for allegedly raping a 2-year-old girl, Ouachita sheriff's deputies said.</p> <p>The 12-year-old was arrested Friday and taken to Green Oaks Detention Center. Sheriff's investigators said the rape allegedly occurred Thursday evening in the Tanglewood subdivision.</p>

<p>This week's voting in the Monroe mayoral election may have been a watershed moment in the way the city's voters support their candidates for mayor.</p> <p>The results of Tuesday's municipal primary election showed voter support for runoff candidates Jamie Mayo and Don Spatafora clearly along racial lines, with Spatafora gaining 44 percent of votes in majority white precincts and Mayo getting 51 percent of votes in majority black precincts.</p>

Why I am Leaving the Episcopal Church I am forty-five years old and for thirty-four of those years I have been an active participant in the Episcopal Church. I was baptized, confirmed, married, ordained a deacon, and ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. It has served to shape and form me spiritually and it has taught me tremendous aspects into the worship of Almighty God. The Church has been a place of stability and refuge, although it has always been in need of reform.  But recent actions of the Episcopal Church have taken spiritual depravi­ty to new depth for the modern...

<p>When Levelle Haynes received a telephone call early Thursday, he thought someone was trying to sell him something.</p> <p>"This guy called, asked was I Dr. Levelle Haynes, and said he had something for me," Haynes said.</p> <p>The guy, Ray "Bubba" Rhymes, wasn't trying to sell Haynes anything, but he did have something for Haynes - a wallet the retired University of Louisiana at Monroe professor lost more than 40 years ago.</p>

<p>Louisiana residents are fortunate to have two quality gubernatorial candidates in Bobby Jindal and Kathleen Blanco. We recommend Blanco.</p> <p>Blanco, a Democrat, has experience on the Public Service Commissioner, in the Legislature and eight years as lieutenant governor. She has 20 years solid of public service in Louisiana and has earned the chance to lead the state.</p>

The Voice of NASCAR Comes to Louisiana for Jindal Darrell Waltrip to Campaign with Bobby in Monroe Thursday The Jindal campaign today announced that Darrell Waltrip, the face and voice of NASCAR will join Bobby Jindal for a campaign rally on Thursday afternoon, November 13th, in Monroe. The rally will occur at Bubba Luigi’s restaurant, 2105 North 7th Street in West Monroe at 1:00pm. The rally is free and open to the public. “I am very excited to have NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip campaign with me. Darrell only supports candidates who share his conservative philosophy and the core values that...

<p>Democratic gubernatorial contender Kathleen Blanco ended the first day of her final-week, statewide tour with a stop in Monroe.</p> <p>In her attempt to galvanize and energize her support in northeastern Louisiana, Blanco echoed her message of increasing industry, creating jobs, improving education and addressing health-care concerns.</p>

<p>A former Monroe congressman and the Ouachita Parish sheriff threw their support Friday behind Republic gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal.</p> <p>Dr. John Cooksey, a former U.S. representative, and Ouachita Parish Sheriff Richard Fewell met with Jindal and a group of supporters at the foot of the Louisville Bridge in West Monroe to announce their endorsements of Jindal. Both Fewell and Cooksey said they believed Jindal could better deal with the state's financial woes than his Democratic opponent Kathleen Blanco, who is the state's lieutenant governor.</p>

<p>RUSTON - For the first time in more than 60 years, the senator from District 35 will come from somewhere other than Jackson, Lincoln or Union parishes.</p> <p>Official returns confirmed that former 2nd Circuit Court Judge Robert Kostelka defeated incumbent Sen. Bill Jones. Kostelka, R-Monroe, tallied 17,321 votes, while Jones, D-Ruston, totaled 16,122 votes.</p>

<p>Saturday's voting in the governor's race leaves us Monday's choices. Thankfully, they are good ones.</p> <p>Although The News-Star's endorsed candidate for governor, former state Sen. Randy Ewing, did not make the Nov. 15 runoff, his supporters and the supporters of other candidates who fell by the wayside Saturday can take great solace from the choices that remain.</p>

<p>Gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal visited Monroe this week to outline his plan for changing Louisiana's image.</p> <p>Jindal, R-Baton Rouge, released the plan during his "Good Government Tour" across the state. The plan includes three main themes - making state and local government more open and accountable to the public, aggressively addressing potential conflicts of interest and responsibly managing spending of hard-earned taxpayer dollars.</p>

<p>Instructors of the Bible course elective in Ouachita Parish Schools walk a fine line.</p> <p>They may teach the Bible as history, but they can't let their beliefs enter the dialogue between student and instructor, said Robertine Hammond, instruction services director.</p>

<p>MILLVILLE, N.J. (AP) — An 8-year-old boy who safely stopped his aunt's sport utility vehicle after she went into diabetic shock will be recommended for Scouting's top lifesaving award.</p> <p>Cub Scout Brandon DiMatties of Monroe will be nominated for the Honor Medal with Cross Palms by Ron Pierson, assistant executive of the Southern New Jersey Council of the Boys Scouts of America.</p>

<p>RUSTON - Retiring 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Robert Kostelka hopes to trade his seat on the bench for a seat in the Louisiana Senate chamber this fall.</p> <p>Kostelka, R-Monroe - set to retire July 15 from his seat on the State Court of Appeals - hopes to unseat Sen. Bill Jones, D-Ruston.</p>

<p>A Ouachita Parish grand jury returned indictments accusing a Monroe mother and her boyfriend with second-degree murder in connection with the April death of her 5-month-old baby.</p> <p>Assistant District Attorney Stephen Sylvester said the true bills for Jessica Tensley, 20, and Kevin Falcon, 28, also of Monroe, were filed into court records Wednesday morning, and warrants for both were issued.</p>

Graduates find area job market limiting Leesha Faulkner / Education Editor Posted on May 4, 2003 Rachel Childress stood at the back of a conference room at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She clutched a certificate and a copy of the "Merck Index." The certificate, bestowed last month at ULM's Academic Awards Convocation, honored the ULM senior's outstanding status in chemistry. The book provided information about chemicals, drugs and biological agents. They both mean a lot to Childress. A job for this former Monroe resident means more. The 24-year-old with a 3.5 grade point average works as a chemist...

<p>Ouachita Parish Superintendent Bob Webber said an action item to hire Mike Collins to the coaching staff of Ouachita Parish High School will not appear on tonight's school board agenda.</p> <p>But, he said Wednesday, Collins is likely to be on the agenda when the board meets in May.</p>

<p>University of Louisiana at Monroe head football coach Mike Collins resigned Friday after his arrest for suspicion of driving while intoxicated and careless operation of a vehicle.</p> <p>The arrest came after Collins was involved in a one-vehicle accident early Friday morning.</p>

<p>JONESBORO - Louisiana Tech University English instructor Stephanie Pepper Sims died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, law enforcement officials in Jackson Parish said Friday.</p> <p>As first reported at www.thenewsstar.com, Jackson Parish Sheriff's Office chief deputy Andy Brown said at a Friday morning press conference that investigators haven't found a weapon, but they are searching for Sims' personal gun.</p>

HE WAS only married to Marilyn Monroe for nine turbulent months, but Joe DiMaggio, the reclusive US baseball legend, vowed he would never forgive the Kennedys for her death. Now, four years after his own demise, the man immortalised by Simon and Garfunkel in the song Mrs Robinson appears to have his revenge. A new book, written by his long-time lawyer and close companion Morris Engelberg, reveals he really did believe the Kennedy clan killed Monroe. "They murdered the one person I loved," DiMaggio confided to Mr Engelberg. Officially, Monroe, who allegedly enjoyed affairs with both John Kennedy, the US...

<p>Hundreds of area youth and supporters attended marches and celebrations Monday honoring the efforts of slain civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.</p> <p>Monroe was the center of much of the activities Tuesday, with two separate marches through city streets and a gathering of youth in southern Monroe.</p>