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Likud MK Gilad Erdan said Sunday he intends to propose a bill that would ban mourners' tents or any other public form of mourning or remembrance for terrorists. The proposal comes after police said they could not prevent the erection of a mourners' tent in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber honoring Ala Abu Dhaim, who carried out Thursday's terror attack in a Jerusalem yeshiva that killed eight, most of them teenagers. "The State of Israel acts more like a suicidal democracy than a democracy that is defending itself," said Erdan.

Jews are not the only people ravaged by memory. For African Americans, it is the long arm of slavery that holds back the living. “…[m]ama told me what they all lived through, and we were supposed to pass it down like that from generation to generation so we’d never forget,” the central character of Gayl Jones’ Corregidora explains. This novel tells the truth more convincingly than many testimonials. “Always their memories, but never my own,” blues singer Ursa muses, the insistent negation of the phrase an echo of the Jewish pledge against forgetting. Here a hysterectomy proves strangely restorative: prevented...

About 500 friends and family gathered at Cpl. Shawn Hensel’s funeral Saturday at First Assembly of God Church in Logansport to honor and remember the 20-year-old, who was a son, husband, uncle, brother and friend. David and Beth Hensel’s only son was killed fighting on the front lines in Iraq Aug. 14.

Shortly after the tragedy last October at the Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County, PA I saw a fellow interviewed (can’t remember where) who travels around to schools and instructs students as to how to react if an armed intruder enters their classroom. Simplified, his basic premise was to act as quickly as possible. To work as a group, grab whatever might be handy, throw the objects en masse at the intruder, and rush him collectively. His theory was that, by doing so, the odds are greater for a larger number of survivors to walk out of the classroom alive than...

Hundreds of mourners have flocked to Saddam Hussein's tomb in his home village in northern Iraq, where he was buried after being hanged for crimes against humanity. In an outpouring of grief and anger from Saddam's fellow Sunni Arabs, mourners knelt and prayed by his tomb, over which the Iraqi flag had been draped. Many have vowed revenge against Americans soldiers and the Shiite-led Government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. More than 1,000 Palestinians have demonstrated in Jenin in the northern West Bank in response to the execution. Demonstrators carried pictures of Saddam and chanted slogans against Iran, the United...

PALM DESERT, Calif. - Army Maj. Gen. Guy C. Swan III will accompany Gerald R. Ford's family during the next several days of mourning, from Friday's services in California to the presidential burial on Wednesday, military officials said. As military escort, Swan will stay with Ford's immediate family throughout services in Palm Desert, at the Capitol in Washington and the final ceremonies in Grand Rapids, Mich. Swan, who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1976, is commanding general of the Army Military District of Washington and Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region. During the California services Friday and Saturday,...

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary December 28, 2006 National Day of Mourning for Gerald R. Ford       Remembering President Gerald R. Ford (1913-2006) As a further mark of respect to the memory of Gerald R. Ford, the thirty-eighth President of the United States, NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, in honor and tribute to the memory of Gerald R. Ford, and as an expression of public sorrow, do appoint Tuesday, January 2, 2007, as...

FANS and the famous from around the world paid tribute to Steve Irwin yesterday. Thousands of everyday fans flooded websites around the world, including the Herald Sun's. One of the most touching messages was from the RSPCA. "He was a modern-day Noah and should be acknowledged as such," said the Queensland RSPCA's chief executive, Mark Townend. Prime Minister John Howard echoed many thoughts when he said: "I am quite shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death. "It's a huge loss to Australia. He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. "He brought joy and...

LTC (Ret) James Harvey Willis Treadwell, 91, of Elizabethtown died Wednesday, December 7th, 2005 at his residence. Willis was born in Galveston, Texas on October 26, 1914 to Willis Oliver and Ethel Dodds Treadwell. His father, a conductor on the Galveston to Houston Interurban Railroad, perished while attempting to rescue women and children when the train was swept off a causeway during a hurricane in August 1915. Soon after his father’s death, he and his mother moved to Starkville, Mississippi where her brother, Richey, was a practicing physician. His Uncle Richey became a surrogate father for him, cheering on the...

SHANGHAI, China - Thousands of Chinese Catholics attended services for Pope John Paul II in Shanghai on Saturday, despite the Chinese government's refusal to forge ties with the Vatican. "Our pope loved China and loved the Chinese church," Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian said at a memorial mass at Shanghai's St. Ignatius Cathedral, the city's main Catholic Church. "He hoped the Chinese church would be united and not divided," Jin said, a reference to the split between the state-sanctioned church and unofficial groups that still revere the pope as their leader. A symbolic funeral bier was laid at the base of...

VATICAN CITY, APR 7, 2005 (VIS) - Archbishop Piero Marini, master of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, has published a note on the "novendiali" or period of nine days of official mourning for the late Pope John Paul II, explaining the background and indicating the dates, times and  principal celebrants of each of the nine Masses.     The communique states that "according to an ancient custom, for nine consecutive days there are special Eucharistic celebrations for the repose of the soul of the deceased Roman Pontiff, starting with the funeral Mass which is determined by the Congregation...

  Mourning the Pope An official mourning period of nine days, called the Novemdiales*, begins when a Pope dies. The day of death is counted as the first day of this period. On each of these nine days the Mass of each Cardinal must be a funeral rite for the Pope. The Missal provides a Mass formula "For a Deceased Pope," and the Liturgy of the Hours an Office of the Dead, which can be used during this time, if the liturgical season permits. In 2005, since Pope John Paul II died during the Octave of Easter, the initial rites celebrated...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

Cancer claimed her tonight at the tender age of 84. I was scheduled to leave home to drive to be at her bedside when she passed. But I cancelled some appointments and was packing to go when my brother called and said to take my time. The sweet little lady's been my mom for 62 years, so it's hard to see her go, even though it was a peaceful and painless passing for her. But I know she's in a better place now.

Democrats are going through stages of Mourning. Kubler-Ross Sequence of Emotions. Here are the typical stages. They are not necessarily experienced in this order, and it is not unusual for people to vacillate between the various stages. Denial Oh, no! There must be some mistake! It's imppossible Kerry loss the election!" Anger "I am deeply offended. How could 52 million people be so dumb! @#$%^#^" Bargaining "If you promise .... then ....." Depression "All right! It is true! I am like that. I am a truly rotten person and that things are only going to get worse." Acceptance Realization that...

The MSM's Men (and women) In Black

The values of Red America are ascendant: Fear, intolerance, and a pinched moral code

RIP, My Bullheaded Love By JOHN BARRY, Deputy Floridian Editor Published August 28, 2004 Pat Kobin placed this notice in the newspaper after her husband, Ken Kobin, died. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pat and Ken Kobin’s marriage was down-to-earth and forthright, filled with spirited repartee and differences of opinion. Owen Kenneth Kobin: April 21, 1931-Aug. 11, 2004 * * * LARGO - You could have called Ken Kobin irascible, curmudgeonly or exasperating. His plain-spoken wife Pat preferred "bullheaded." In his obituary. In the St. Petersburg Times. For all the world to see. How could his widow have written such a thing? The answer...

Parents of slain Kim Seon-il broke down upon hearing the news of his death. Kim Jung-sook, a sister of Kim Seon-il, wails. Kim Seon-il during his military service (middle) Kim Seon-il's funeral in preparation His Alma Mater mourns his death. Parent of Kim Seon-il holding his photo Ambassadors to S. Korea from Mid-Eastern countries confering at Foreign Ministry Muslims walk by at a Mosque in Seoul, S. Korea while police are watching.

I see that my neighbors still have theirs at half staff. Who knows how long we're supposed to fly them at half staff?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A week of national mourning for Ronald Reagan has helped President Bush politically by shunting Democrat John Kerry to the sidelines and driving bad news from Baghdad off the front pages. This week's burst of Reagan nostalgia, which included a flood of tributes to the Republican icon and reminders of Bush's claim to Reagan's legacy, could provide at least a short-term political boost for the president in his race for re-election. But analysts and strategists in both parties caution that any benefits for Bush, who delivered a eulogy at Reagan's funeral on Friday, were likely to fade...

Ronald Reagan (class of 1932) is being fondly remembered by his alma mater, Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois. A series of profiles about the former President, news articles, and an announcement of a memorial service tomorrow on the campus are available on the college's website: http://www.eureka.edu

WASHINGTON -- They met at midnight under clear moonlit skies, strangers standing on a patch of foot-worn grass. There were cattlemen from Texas, soldiers from Virginia, two nuns, two interns in party dresses, a college kid from Delaware wearing a handmade tribute T-shirt. Three suit-and-tie Republicans from Connecticut waited with a child from Washington too young to know why he was there and a Nicaraguan man from California who said it was the least he could do.

A Glance at Memorials Around Country for Ronald Reagan The Associated Press Jun 10, 2004 A snapshot of memorials around the nation for Ronald Reagan: - Governors declared days of remembrance or mourning Friday in Alabama, Alaska, Illinois, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia. Governors in several states called for a moment of silence during Reagan's funeral. - Las Vegas will lose its glimmer briefly to honor the president: Casino lights will be dimmed for three minutes Friday evening. - The Alzheimer's Foundation of America, headquartered in New York City, planned to hold a candle-lighting...

(Abridged English-language translation) The government of Puerto Rico has called on its agency heads to attend a religious ceremony in memory of former President of the United States Ronald Reagan tonight at San Juan Cathedral. The invitation includes as well former governors, senators, representatives, mayors, Supreme Court justices, members of the consular corps, military officials, federal agencies, and Federal Court judges. It is signed by Secretary of State José Izquierdo-Encarnación in his capacity as Acting Governor. "Invitation to a solemn Resurrection Mass in memory of the former President of the United States of America, The Honorable Ronald W. Reagan, which...

PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan, the fortieth President of the United States, will be remembered as one of our most popular and beloved presidents; and WHEREAS, we are blessed to live in a Nation, and a world, that have been shaped by his leadership, vision and will; and WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan, who departed this life on June 5, 2004, left the United States a stronger and better Nation. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Governor of the state of Louisiana, do hereby proclaim Friday, June 11, 2004, as A DAY OF MOURNING IN LOUISIANA FOR PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN and call upon...

(English-language translation) [Puerto Rico] Secretary of State José M. Izquierdo-Encarnación announced yesterday that [Commonwealth] government offices will close this Friday in observance of the day of mourning proclaimed in the United States in memory of former President Ronald Reagan. The official stated that Governor Sila M. Calderón ordered that the Commonwealth join in the mourning that President George W. Bush proclaimed for Friday, when the former head of state will be given Christian burial. "The order does not apply to government offices that, by their nature, must continue to provide services to the public," the Secretary stated in a press...

MOURNING IN AMERICA? Many headline writers and phrase-makers are writing that much of America is "in mourning" over the death Saturday of former President Ronald Reagan. I wonder how true this is-- how many Americans--even those who unreservedly admired Reagan's politics and personality -- are experiencing the genuine grief and sorrow that we usually associate with mourning.

    THE U.S. FLAG IN TIMES OF MOURNING   Dear Flag Flyers, On 5 June 2004 the death of Ronald Reagan, former president of the United States, was announced. In accord with the Flag Code and with a proclamation issued by George W. Bush, the United States flag is to be flown at half-staff for 30 days from the date of death, i.e. through 4 July. In some situations it is not possible to half-staff a flag -- for example, when it is permanently fixed to a staff. In that case displaying black ribbons above a full-staffed flag is...

WASHINGTON - President Bush has ordered flags at all federal facilities lowered to half-staff - the midpoint on the display pole - until July 5, 30 days after former President Reagan's death. For flags that can't be lowered, such as those on many homes, the American Legion says attaching a black ribbon or streamer to the top of the flag is an acceptable alternative. The ribbon should be the same width as a stripe on the flag and the same length as the flag. For a wall-mounted flag, three black mourning bows should be attached to the top edge of...

As you are all aware, President Ronald Wilson Reagan has passed away.  He is now at rest, after a decade long struggle.  I'm sure many of you will join me in wanting to participate in a vigil or the attendence of the funeral. Although plans are not firm yet, we will be taking part in several activities over the next four or five days.  If you would like to be kept informed of these events, please respond on this thread. I will be sending out notices of plans as they develop. We're in Reagan's home state.  Let's represent Free Republic...

Sue Niederer wants some answers. She wants to know why her son, Army 2nd Lt. Seth Dvorin, was killed Tuesday in Iraq. And she wants to know why the 24-year-old newlywed, who was trained in air defense artillery, was ordered to clear an area of homemade mines and bombs just before his death. "He was supposed to be defusing a bomb, but my son was never trained to defuse a bomb," Niederer said yesterday in her home in Hopewell Township. "He may have died in vain." Dvorin's sister, Rebekah Dvorin, said Army officers told the family Tuesday night that a...

<p>NEW YORK &#8212; The business of the United Nations came to a standstill for 30 minutes yesterday as 2,000 U.N. staffers, joined by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Security Council ambassadors, marched in silent tribute to their fallen colleagues.</p> <p>Another 3,000 U.N. staff members, many in tears and carrying white roses, marched earlier in the day in Geneva to remember those who died in last week's bombing of the world body's Baghdad headquarters.</p>

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BAGHDAD, Iraq The US administrator for Iraq wept at a farewell ceremony for Sergio Vieira de Mello Friday as the body of the United Nations' top diplomat to Iraq was loaded onto a Brazilian air force jet bound for Geneva, en route to Brazil. Vieira de Mello was killed in a suicide truck bombing attack on UN headquarters Tuesday that killed at least 22 other people and left more than 100 injured. His coffin, draped in a UN flag, was loaded onto the back of the jet by six pallbearers, including his bodyguards, accompanied by two...

For Yechiel Taubenfeld, the ringing phone in the family's Rockland County home brought the news no son ever expects. The 18-year-old listened numbly late Tuesday as family friend Assemblyman Ryan Karben (D-Rockland) told him his 43-year-old mother Goldie and baby brother were among the 18 victims of the Jerusalem bus bombing. "So it's over?" the son asked in disbelief. "It looks that way," Karben replied. "We don't understand why God does what he does," said Yechiel Taubenfeld. "We just have to accept it." A cloud of mourning hung over the Hasidic village of New Square, N.Y., yesterday where Goldie Taubenfeld...

A major demonstration will be held in New York this morning to mourn the victims of both of Tuesday's major Islamic terrorist attacks - the suicide bus bombing in Jerusalem and the truck bomb in Baghdad. A major demonstration will be held in New York this morning to mourn the victims of both of Tuesday's major terrorist attacks - the suicide bus bombing in Jerusalem and the truck bomb in Baghdad - both carried out by Islamic terrorist organizations. The event is called for 11:30 AM opposite the U.N. at the Isaiah Wall at 43rd Street and First Avenue. Organized...

Brazil decrees three days of mourning for UN envoy Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has decreed three days of official mourning for Sergio Vieira de Mello, the United Nations' envoy who was killed in a suicide bombing in Baghdad. The president called Mr Vieira de Mello a "victim of the insanity of terrorism". Vieira de Mello, a Brazilian and the country's most prominent international diplomat, was killed when a truck filled with explosives blew up outside the hotel where the United Nations has its Baghdad offices. President da Silva was told of Mr Vieira de Mello's death during...

Every year when Tisha B'Av came around, I would have a certain dilemma. This is supposed to be a day on which we mourn the destruction of our Temple. It is a day when we do not eat, drink or wear leather shoes and follow varied and unique mourning customs. Every year I would arrive at the synagogue to hear the Book of Lamentations, which bemoans the destruction of Jerusalem. However, every year I would end up daydreaming about totally unrelated things. As the cantor would be reading about the Temple, I would completely disconnect, planning my summer vacation, celebrating...

President Bush has ordered U.S. flags lowered in honor of Bob Hope, the legendary entertainer who died Sunday in California of pneumonia. Hope was 100 and had celebrated his birthday just two months earlier. Mr. Bush said in a proclamation Monday that as a mark of respect for Hope's memory, flags will be lowered at the White House, public buildings, and U.S. posts and military installations worldwide on the day of his burial. Flags are also to be flown at half-mast on U.S. ships that day. The burial will be private and held in the coming days. President Bush praised...

I just received a call to inform me that my good friend and shooting buddy, John R. McCarthy, has died of a massive heart attack at age 72. Here is my draft eulogy. I wanted to share it with Freepers. ================================== May you go safe, my friend, across that dizzy way No wider than a hair, by which your people go From Earth to Paradise; may you go safe today-- With stars and space above, and time and stars below. --Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, Lord Dunsany: "May You go Safe: On the Death of a Mohammedan Friend". I am...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryApril 19, 2003 President's Radio Address      Audio THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend, families across America will come together to celebrate Easter, and continue the observance of Passover. This holy season reminds us of the value of freedom, and the power of a love stronger than death. This year, Easter and Passover have special meaning for the families of our men and women in uniform who feel so intensely the absence of their loved ones during these days. More than 250,000 American troops are serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom to protect our security and...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Chants of "Wellstone, Wellstone, Wellstone" swelled Tuesday in Williams Arena as thousands gathered to mourn Sen. Paul Wellstone and seven others in a memorial service that at times sounded more like a campaign rally. Wellstone, his wife, Sheila, daughter, Marcia Wellstone Markuson; campaign aides Will McLaughlin, Tom Lapic and Mary McEvoy; and pilots Richard Conry and Michael Guess, died Friday when their King Air Turboprop crashed in a peat bog near Eveleth on Minnesota's Iron Range as Wellstone headed for a friend's funeral. The National Transportation Safety Board was attempting to determine the cause of the crash, which...

Australians have turned out in force for today's national day of mourning, honouring the victims of the Bali bomb blasts. Memorial services have been held across the country, while thousands gathered in Sydney's Domain for a ceremony of remembrance and celebration. People of all faiths and nationalities came together to both mourn and celebrate the lives of those killed in the October 12 attacks. In Canberra, the chief of the Defence Force, General Peter Cosgrove, joined the Prime Minister, the British High Commissioner and the United States Ambassador to Australia for a memorial service. General Cosgrove spoke of his sadness....

MEDIA MIX When mourning makes straight talk taboo By PHILIP BRASOR The shock that accompanied the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, quickly turned into a mood of national mourning that continues to hang over the United States a year later. As a form of social behavior, mourning comes with its own protocol, and in this particular case attempts to place the attacks in a relevant historical context were met with anger and resentment, since they were automatically considered disrespectful of the victims. Something similar accompanied the news that emerged on Sept. 17, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Il...

This past week, with the focus on the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, America has been in the news in Israel even more than usual. American olim took the opportunity to hold several events that drew attention to American aliya. On September 10, the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel (AACI) held its annual ceremony commemorating those Americans and Canadian Israelis killed in acts of terror over the past year. The event always takes place between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur at the AACI Memorial Forest near Shaar Hagai, just off the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway not far from...

9/11? We are going flying. The US Flag Balloon will be flying on September 11th 2002. We will be flying from Kerr Park in Downingtown, Pa in the early evening weather permitting. I invite all Chester County, Pa FReepers to come out and join us. Any other FReepers are also welcome to join in. We had wanted to be at one of the sites that the terrorists hit, but I think that what we have decided to do is probably for the best. We have had one year to mourn the dead. We are flying the US Flag Balloon on...

Ten years ago, a group of black Muslims tried to overthrow the democratically-elected government of the Caribbean twin-island state of Trinidad and Tobago. One-hundred-and-fourteen members of the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen group, mostly young black men, took over the island's parliament; held the prime minister and some other members of his cabinet hostage; and stormed the state-run television station. For many, inside and outside the Caribbean, the 27 July crisis came as a total shock. The English-speaking Caribbean islands had vowed, following the 1983 American-led invasion of Grenada, never to see democratically-elected structures topple ever again. Armed raid The crisis began with the...

People whose dogs and cats die or become seriously ill are to get counselling.The psychotherapy will be offered as part of an insurance package.More Than, the direct insurance arm of Royal & Sun Alliance, is to add counselling cover to its standard pet insurance product, which has 120,000 customers across Britain.A 24-hour hotline will be staffed by 26 people who have been trained by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.The insurer, which already offers acupuncture and herbal remedies for pets, says one in 10 claims on its pet insurance policies relates to an animal's death.More Than believes offering the...