Free Republic

In his new book, "Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage," Best-selling celebrity journalist, Christopher Andersen, has blown a huge hole in the Obama genius myth without intending to do so. Relying on inside sources, quite possibly Michelle Obama herself, Andersen describes how Dreams came to be published -- just as I had envisioned it in my articles on the authorship of Dreams.  With the deadline pressing, Michelle recommended that Barack seek advice from "his friend and Hyde Park neighbor Bill Ayers." To flesh out his family history, Obama had taped interviews with various family members. Andersen writes, "These...

Excerpted from Yes We Did! An inside look at how social media built the Obama brand (New Riders) Obama's official social network, my.barackobama.com, was at the heart of the campaign’s new media strategy. Affectionately referred to internally as MyBO, the site allowed users to create events, exchange information, raise funds, and connect with voters in their area. MyBO was the digital home base from which the campaign could mobilize its army of supporters. Creating an account required an email address and a password. Users didn’t even have to confirm their email address. This was done to make the sign-up process...

Obama for Father's Day: Stay Home, US Dads By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 19, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Growing up without a father left a painful hole in his heart, President Barack Obama told a lawnful of boys at the White House Friday in a remarkably personal Father's Day weekend message. He implored fathers everywhere -- and the kids when they're a bit older -- to stay home and stay involved in the lives of their own children. ''This isn't an obligation,'' said the father of two in a message to millions of wayward dads. ''This is a privilege to...

Raccoon causes carbon monoxide fatality in East Sandwich By Ira Kantor | Tuesday, December 23, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage A 62-year-old East Sandwich man was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in his home Sunday morning after a raccoon crawled into his chimney flue and blocked it, police and fire officials said. “He was of such a size that it was a complete blockage of the products of combustion from the gas appliance,” said Sandwich Deputy Fire Chief Tom Corriveau. “So there was nowhere for them to go but back into the residence.” The victim was identified as...

Melbourne: Tried everything but can’t seem to get rid of your post-marriage love handles? Well, don’t question your determination for the failed plan, for the real culprit behind all weight worries is your hubby. Yes, you heard it right. According to health experts, a husband is more of a hindrance than help in a wife's battle with the bulge. "For some women, marriage definitely can be fattening," the Courier Mail quoted Dr Brian Steadman, a leading British authority on nutrition, as saying. "It's hard enough for them to stick to good eating habits when they're single, but they can find...

April 12, 2008 Warwick--Funnel cake, barbeque and lost of grits was in order for anyone in the Warwick town square on Saturday. The town dubbed the grits capital of Georgia held the 11th annual festival this year and organizers said it was the biggest so far. "It was fabulous, fabulous, fabulous, the lord blessed us with rain and the lord blessed us with sunshine, we had an exorbitant amount that got in the grits pit", said Robbie Woolbright. Morgan Nolen and Olivia Deal participated in a festival favorite, the Quaker Grits Pit. "It was disgusting it stunk really bad," said...

Obama's Black Identity Politics is Consistent With Jeremiah Wright’s Hate SpeechIf anyone believes that Barack Obama “just found out” about Jeremiah Wright’s vicious anti-American hate speech, we have a bridge in Brooklyn we would like to sell them. As shown by Obama’s own book Dreams From My Father, Obama’s deep involvement in Black identity politics–replace that with “White identity politics” to envision sheets, hoods, and burning crosses–is entirely consistent with his widespread involvement and association with racists, anti-Semites, and Catholic-haters. The bottom line is that Obama is not one of us and, by “us,” we mean mainstream America. To begin...

The man responsible for protecting Egypt's antiquities has said he will "fight" for the return of an ancient bust of Nefertiti, an ancient Egyptian queen, now housed in a Berlin museum. Zahi Hawass also requested the temporary return of other ancient Egyptian artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone which is housed in London's British museum. "Some people say, 'If we give this bust to Egypt for three months they will not return it'." Hawass said, regarding the bust of Nefertiti, in an interview on Wednesday.Zahi Hawass is seeking "unique artifacts" from at least 10 museums around the world [AP]Germany says the...

Hi all, My brother Lucas, (Age 25) had a seizure today while just sitting and talking with my mom and grandmother. He's never had a case of seizures before, his blood sugar was normal, the bloodwork test came out normal, the cat scan showed nothing wrong with his brain. tomorrow he goes in for an EEG. None of this makes sense. He has been under a lot of preasure lately with studying at school and his job. and he has complained about feeling a bit light headed lately and had a couple of fainting spells last week. I'm asking for...

This thread is to serve as a file for the known information on the time line, and for adding new information as it becomes available. Please include link to source of your information.

When I was growing up in Bellflower, Ca., I never, as a child with a good imagination, could have ever imagined that my life would take the peculiar turn that it has. I could not have foreseen giving birth to a child that would eventually be wrongfully and devastatingly killed in war or that I would be meeting with world leaders or be nominated for the Noble Peace Prize. Along with the Vice President of Spain, Foreign Minister of Ireland, Attorney General of Australia and countless parliamentarians from all over the globe, one of the world leaders that I have...

CHAPEL HILL - A man charged with trying to kill students at the University of North Carolina by driving through a popular campus gathering spot says in a series of letters he does not deserve punishment. He also talks about his youth in Charlotte, referring at one point to a school fight he said he started at Myers Park Traditional Elementary School. And he refers to Mohammed Atta, ringleader of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, aqs "one of my role models." Mohammed Taheri-azar is accused of driving a Jeep Cherokee into a crowd of students gathered at...

Betsy Newmark, one of my favorite bloggers who I've been honored to have guest-blog here, is down. I asked her what happened. She e-mails about her nightmare: Evil Blogger has lost the page - server problems. They are the most unhelpful organization. You can't reach any human being and all I get are form letters saying that all the problems have been resolved. I'm just hoping that they fix their problem and I get back on. I don't have time to hassle with setting up a new page. She adds: All I get are their automated messages that are of...

My rookie officers were third division, says 'bully' skipper By Stewart Payne (Filed: 17/01/2006) A submarine captain accused of bullying his officers told a court martial yesterday that some were so inexperienced it was like having lower division footballers on a Premiership pitch. Capt Robert Tarrant, 44, who was commander of the nuclear submarine Talent, told a court martial that he expected the very highest standards from his crew. He said he used a leadership style he had learned serving in the Falklands conflict. "I discovered that the margin of error between operational safety and therefore operational success and operational...

My quest for the Last Flu Jab in Britain (Filed: 27/11/2005) Are the so-called worried well really to blame for the sudden shortage of vaccine? The very idea brings hypochondriac John O'Connell out in blotches It took 20 minutes of frantic phoning around before I heard the magic word: "yes". I slammed down the receiver, raced out of the office and jumped into a taxi. "Medicentre on Oxford Street," I said, trying to sound casual. The cabbie's eyes met mine via the mirror. "Flu jab, is it?" he asked. "You'll be lucky." Only in my head am I "at risk"...

My naive husband was brainwashed at mosques, says bomber's widow By Richard Alleyne (Filed: 24/09/2005) The widow of one of the July 7 suicide bombers believes that her "innocent and naive" husband was brainwashed into carrying out the attacks by extremists at the mosques where he worshipped. Samantha Lewthwaite, 21, described Jermaine Lindsay as a peace-loving father who was always deeply upset when innocent people suffered in war zones. But she said that just months before the attacks he became distant and moody and would spend days away from the family home after visiting mosques in London, Luton and the...

Liberals Furious Over New Children's Book New kid’s book “Liberals Under My Bed” becomes lightning rod for controversy. Prominent liberals liken it to Nazi propaganda, but conservative author laughs off allegations. Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) September 20, 2005 –- Liberals all over the country are up in arms over a new children’s book that portrays cartoon versions of left-wing icons Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy taxing and regulating a lemonade stand. “Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed” (Kids Ahead; hardcover: $15.95; ISBN 0976726904) hits bookstore shelves today, but author Katharine DeBrecht has already found herself under fire from...

Children"s Author: Warn Kids About Liberals Tue Sep 13, 3:00 AM ET (PRWEB) - Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) September 13, 2005 - – The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina has exposed an ugly truth about liberals, and parents need to teach this to their kids, according to the author of a controversial upcoming children"s book. Katharine DeBrecht — the author of the soon-to-be-released "Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed" (Kids Ahead; hardcover: $15.95; ISBN 0976726904) — dismisses the notion that parents should not talk to their young kids about politics. If anything, she claims, the behavior of liberals following...

My Tube bomb only had flour in it, says suspect By Bruce Johnston in Rome and John Steele (Filed: 04/08/2005) Hamdi Issac, the July 21 London bomb suspect held in custody in Rome, reportedly claimed yesterday that his backpack contained only flour and was designed merely to frighten. Issac, known in Britain as Hussain Osman, was said to have "morally repented" for his alleged involvement in the abortive terrorist attacks. Osman: bombing was ‘a demonstrative action’ "I was wrong," Issac, 27, a Briton of Ethiopian origin, told his lawyer, Maria Antonietta Sonnessa. She has confirmed that he admitted taking part...

Confirmed: Sex minigame in PS2 San Andreas Cheat unlocks preexisting code in controversy-rocked Grand Theft Auto game, undermining Rockstar Games' claims of hacker mischief. This week saw a Grand Theft Auto game once again at the center of a nationwide controversy. The point of contention this time was the so-called "Hot Coffee" mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which had everyone from anti-game crusader Jack Thompson to US Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) percolating with outrage and/or calls for federal game regulation. The Hot Coffee mod first surfaced last month, when the PC version of San Andreas was released. The...

<p>This mail may not be surprising to you if you have been following current events in the international media with reference to the Middle East and Palestine in particular.</p> <p>I am Mrs. SUHA ARAFAT, the wife of YASSER ARAFAT, the Palestinian leader who died recently in Paris. Since his death and even prior to the announcement, I have been thrown into a state of antagonism, confusion, humiliation, frustration and hopelessness by the present leadership of the Palestinian Liberation Organization {PLO} and the new Prime Minister.</p>

Very nice flash presentation of old fashioned values. Check it out. Click Here

My brother, one of a whole lot of WW2 heroes, turns 85 next month.

Clinton To Speak at Emerging Issues Forum Dinner Special To LTW RALEIGH – Former President Bill Clinton will deliver a speech at a dinner honoring the 20th annual Emerging Issues Forum at North Carolina State University. The dinner will take place at the North Carolina Museum of Art on Feb. 7. The theme of this year’s conference is “My Health Is Your Business: Making Healthcare Work in North Carolina.” It will take place at the McKimmon Center on NCSU’s campus on Feb. 7-8. The Emerging Issues forum was launched by former Governor Jim Hunt. Clinton spoke at a forum in...

'Pimp My Ride' shop fined by feds Replacing air bags with video screens illegal By Danny Hakim NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE Posted on Fri, Dec. 31, 2004 DETROIT - Pimp the ride, pay the price. In the first of what is expected to be a broader crackdown against auto customization shops, federal regulators this week levied a $16,000 fine on West Coast Customs, the celebrity auto body shop affiliated with MTV's "Pimp My Ride," a reality show that makes over rundown cars. The shop, which has customized sport utility vehicles for celebrities such as Shaquille O'Neal, was fined for...

Politicians have taken a hard line on welfare recipients who smoke and eat junk food. Now a legislator wants to make sure immigrants learn English to qualify for welfare. Minnesota already requires immigrants to sign up for English classes or apply for U.S. citizenship within four years of becoming permanent residents, in order to get state assistance. Rep. Brad Finstad, R-New Ulm, wants to tighten that requirement to make newcomers sign up for English classes and apply for U.S. citizenship within a year of living here permanently. "This is a personal responsibility issue,'' Finstad said in a release. "This proposal...

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!

If you cowards go to Canada stay away from the part I live in 25% of my year. M. Moore lied about Canada when he said they have just as much violence in their culture. Bull, he only sampled one metropolitan area. My Grandparents were from Canada (farmers) and my Wife’s Grandmother came from a coal mining community in Canada. The part of Canada I love is actually more conservative where it counts and the only liberalism there is the liberality of their actions towards friends and neighbors. I can’t tell you where this part of Canada is because I...

My Introduction

LOS ANGELES, April 2, 2004—Jody Eldred Productions today announced it has just completed filming and is in the final stages of production on an inspirational documentary called, “Changed Lives: Miracles of The Passion,” which will air nationwide Easter weekend. With rave reviews from Diane Sawyer on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s “Scarborough Country,” this one-hour T.V. special was shot in High Definition and documents the true stories of people whose lives have been forever changed by Mel Gibson’s incredible motion picture “The Passion of The Christ.” “I knew instantly that people’s lives were going to be...

<p>NEW YORK (Billboard) -- Dave Blood, bassist for defunct Philadelphia rock act the Dead Milkmen, committed suicide Wednesday, according to a post by his sister on the band's official message board (http://deadmilkmen.com).</p> <p>In a subsequent post, Milkmen drummer Dean Clean confirmed the news.</p>

<p>SCOTTSDALE - Randi Coy, the unwitting "star" of a Fox reality series that debuted last night, is in hot water with the school where she teaches. Last summer, between graduating from Arizona State University and beginning life as first-grade teacher at Pope John XXIII Catholic School Community, Coy, 23, attended an open casting call in Scottsdale.</p>

Woman Sues Over Condom Found in Soup Irvine restaurant's lawyer says it's a mystery how the rolled-up item got into the chowder. By Jeff Gottlieb, Times Staff Writer An Orange County woman is suing an Irvine restaurant, saying she found a condom in her clam chowder. Laila Sultan, 48, said she was eating at McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant on Feb. 26, 2002, when something rubbery stuck to her tooth. "We said, 'Of course. You're chewing on a clam,' " said Paula Wild, one of three friends with her — all eating clam chowder, and all of whom have joined...

Anne ain't got nothin on this gal,you DFW FReeper guys are so lucky to have Crystal as your neighbor.

Total Disbelief’ Penis Removal Just Latest In Series of Surgical Mistakes, But Patients Can Protect Themselves Aug. 11— After 67-year-old Hurshell Ralls went into surgery for bladder cancer, he came out of surgery missing more than he ever expected. His penis and testicles were gone "My wife had to hold my hand in the bed there. And she said 'Honey it's over. They got all the cancer.' And she waited a few minutes and then said 'But they had to remove your penis.' And I was one mad dude, you know," Ralls said on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America. Ralls, a...

Our country has witnessed its fair share of trials and tribulations lately. We have endured wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We have lived under the near-constant threat of terrorist attack at home. Many young Americans have heard the call to serve and, stirred by love of country and a deep sense of patriotic duty, they have responded. Some have served in the Army, others in the Marines. As for myself, I have served Coors Light. I am proud to serve my country beer. Our nation nobly faces any challenge with chins out and backs straight. We don't back down, no...

Someday I'm gonna be famous, Do I have talent, well, no. These days you don't really need it, Thanks to reality shows Can't Wait to date a supermodel, Can't Wait to sue my dad. Can't wait to wreck a Ferrari On my way to rehab.... Chorus- Cause when you're a Celebrity It's adios reality You' can act just like a fool People think you're cool Just cause your on TV. I can throw major fits When my latte isn't just how I like it They say I've gone insane, I'll blame it on the fame, And the pressures that it...

During the initial stages of the problem in Iraq, and when the protesters started making noise, I taped a hand-written sign in the back window of my car that said, 'I'm Behind My President'. After enough honks and waves, I decided to go the extra mile and get them made professionally. I gave them to friends, co-workers and started a website where I can distribute them, and hopefully cover my costs. If you are interested, they're 3 bucks, and for each one ordered through here, I'll give a buck back to Free Republic. Check out my site, http://www.behindthepresident.com, if you're...

"Zero Tolerance" Rules and Laws Require Severe Punishment Not Only for Possessing Drugs or Guns, but Also Any Item Which "Looks Like" a Prohibited Item. Is This Tiny Toy a "Weapon"? If you attend school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, don't carry a toy key fob like this one in your pocket. A 7-year-old boy was suspended in school for carring one of these because it violates the district's "zero tolerance" policy on "weapon possession". When I write True each week, there are sometimes patterns to the stories. There are certain recurring themes: Darwinism (in both the "survival"...

NEW YORK - Phil Donahue struck back at MSNBC on Wednesday for his firing, suggesting the network was too quick to pull the trigger and that it might be trying to "out-fox Fox" with conservative voices. Donahue's political talk show, a distant third in the cable news ratings in his time slot, was abruptly pulled from the air after Monday's show. The show premiered last July 15. The legendary talk show host noted that "Donahue's" ratings were better than anything else in struggling MSNBC's prime-time lineup. "It took almost three years for Fox (News Channel) to overtake CNN," Donahue said...

If the terrorists start attacking us on American soil, what are the rules of engagement? Trapped here in Kalifornica.

Bashing our Military By Darren Morrison We know and have heard of the horrible way our military was bashed in the 60’s and on into the 70’s. Because of what Bush may decide there are those in a growing numbers who are stating to bash the military again. I do not know whether going into Iraq is the right thing to do our not. There are things that go on behind the scenes that we are totally and completely unaware of. I admit I am uninformed about this in a lot of areas one because I have no Television and...

RALEIGH — Gov. Mike Easley and the state legislature have approved a revised budget for the current fiscal year that will likely result in hundreds of millions of dollars in new taxes on North Carolina businesses and families, further damaging an already weakened state economy, according to a preliminary analysis by the John Locke Foundation. John Hood, chairman and president of the Raleigh-based think tank, observed that the new budget directly raises the state tax burden by approximately $157 million, largely through changes in business taxes and the elimination of previously scheduled tax cuts that had been designed to help...

A few days after the towers fell, I offered my apology to the victims of the terrorist attacks because I was told it was entirely my fault. In the struggle to determine who was responsible for the despicable acts of violence committed on that crisp September morning, men of self-proclaimed wisdom pointed fingers, and they all seem to point at me. You see, I am the one who supported Ronald Reagan when he led the bombing of Libya and fought to defeat Communism in Nicaragua and the rest of the world. I am the one who demanded we fight the...

When I self search for my comments, I am only seeing one page of my most recent comments. I don't see anyway to find my older comments on this site. How can I do that?