Free Republic

Flynn self-published his first book, "Term Limits," in 1997 before landing a publishing deal. "Term Limits" became a New York Times bestseller. Most of his books centered on the character Mitch Rapp, a counterterrorism operative. He averaged a book a year.

Marshall Lytle, the bass player for Bill Haley and the Comets during their biggest era, died on Saturday morning at 3:30 AM in his home in Port Richie, FL after battling lung cancer. He was 79. Lytle was honored one year ago when he and the rest of the Comets were among the first backing group's to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the Comets, the honor came 25 years after Bill Haley was accorded the same honor. Marshall started out his musical career as a guitarist but switched to double bass when he joined...

Last week the world of science lost one of its most courageous and brilliant practitioners, and I have lost a dear friend and colleague. On 02 October, J. Philippe Rushton passed away at an infuriatingly young age of 68. I first learned of Phil’s work in 1999 when, as a then member of the Social Psychology Section of the American Sociological Association, I received a complimentary copy of the abridged edition of Race, Evolution and Behavior, which Phil had sent to all 600+ members of the Section at his personal expense. I read it right away, then I purchased and...

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Maj. Ignacy Skowron, the last known survivor of World War II's Battle of Westerplatte, has died. He was 97. Family friend Zofia Nowak said Monday that Skowron died at his grandson's home in Kielce, in southern Poland on Sunday after suffering circulatory, liver and pancreas problems.

He had been on the teaching staff of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, for 25 years in 1986 when Max Hastings announced his recruitment to the paper the day he took over the editor’s chair. Keegan proved an unrivalled asset as the Soviet empire crumbled and collapsed, the government demanded a “peace dividend” in the form of cutbacks to the Armed Forces and a series of military actions flared up in the Middle East and the Balkans.

'The British screen and stage actor Simon Ward has died after a long illness, his agent has confirmed. Ward, who was 70, appeared in several films throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including The Three Musketeers. He also starred as Bishop Gardiner in The Tudors and as Sir Monty in the popular BBC television series Judge John Deed. A statement released by his agent said he passed away peacefully with his wife Alexandra and daughters at his bedside. The son of a car salesman from Beckenham in Kent, Ward joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 13 where he...

Radical writer Alexander Cockburn, a longtime columnist for The Nation and editor of the political newsletter CounterPunch, died Friday in Germany at age 71. He had been receiving treatment for two years for cancer, his fellow editor at CounterPunch, Jeffrey St. Clair, wrote on the publication's website. Cockburn, who lived in recent years in Petrolia, Calif., was known for an acidic pen that spared few on either the left or right for policies that he felt were hypocritical or corrupt.

We just received the following sad news (including a mention of Weirdomusic.com) through Registerguard.com: Former Eugene resident and recording artist Marcellaise Tigner, who performed as Little Marcy, died May 17 in Redmond at age 90. Tigner’s childlike voice won her a recording contract with Cornerstone Records, who in 1964 released “Happy Day Express: Sing With Marcy.” Before that, she had put out two trombone records.Tigner’s involvement in the film “Teenage Diary” led to her friendship with ventriloquist and actress Vonda Van Dyke, who encouraged Tigner to study ventriloquism. She was more comfortable performing live in her childlike voice, and with...

n the turbulent hours following President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, many were uncertain about what to do, but medical examiner Earl Rose knew one thing: The shooting happened in Dallas, and it was his job to do an autopsy on anyone slain in the city. Rose stood in a doorway at the hospital where Kennedy’s body was taken on Nov. 22, 1963, in a vain attempt to block Kennedy’s aides as they removed his coffin. The Secret Service and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy prevailed, and the president’s body was flown to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where an autopsy was done by...

Ed Macauley, one of the NBA's first big stars who won a championship with the St. Louis Hawks and was traded by the Boston Celtics for Bill Russell, has died. He was 83. Macauley played for the Celtics from the 1950-51 season until 1955-56. He and the draft rights to future Hall of Famer Cliff Hagan were traded by Boston to the St. Louis Hawks on April 29, 1956, for the rights to Russell, a move that changed the power structure of the NBA. The Celtics went on to win 11 titles with Russell dominating in the paint. After the...

TOMAH, Wis. -- Allan Edward Thompson, 66, the younger brother of former Gov. Tommy Thompson, has died at his home in Tomah. Thompson, died at 1:23 a.m. after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Thompson was in the middle of his state Senate campaign when he announced in September 2010 that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

A sound-collage-and-video tribute to musicians who died in 2010.

Swing Vote: Newly Dead Now Oppose Obama By Stephen Miller As a Chicago pol, President Barack Obama must be familiar with rumors that the cemeteries vote. If so, he’d probably be worried to find out that in this campaign year, he’s even lost the dead. In death notices from around the nation, the recently deceased are reaching back to canvass the living. “In lieu of flowers, Hal has requested that donations be made to your local animal shelter or to any candidate running against Barack Obama in 2012,” reads the death notice of Harold Groves, a retired Air Force fighter...

J.D. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose "The Catcher in the Rye" shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, has died. He was 91. Salinger died of natural causes at his home on Wednesday, the author's son said in a statement from Salinger's literary representative. He had lived for decades in self-imposed isolation in the small, remote house in Cornish, N.H.

What Americans need right now is a good Government-subsidized obituary. You probably didn’t read the story – because what red-blooded American reads a newspaper anymore? – but apparently the nation’s newspapers, having already lost their editorial dominance to cable news and the Web, their sports coverage to fan sites, their classifieds to Craigslist, and their editorial pages to the blogosphere, are now under heavy assault on their last profitable redoubt: the obituary page.

The Internet's already drawn plenty of business away from newspapers. But a new study says social networks and online memorials are now putting pressure on the institution of the newspaper obituary. The Northwestern University study says newspapers are still the most popular way to communicate news of a death. But study co-author Ian Monroe warns obituaries could move onto the Web as classified ads have done. The study notes that Baby Boomers are at a stage where they take a greater interest in obituaries. And so the study recommends that newspaper publishers avoid reducing space or staff devoted to obituaries....

Another comic great has died. Dom DeLuise passed away at a Los Angeles hospital around 6:00 PM Monday, reports TMZ. A film and TV staple since the mid-1960's, DeLuise was an expert foil for other performers, including Dean Martin, Mel Brooks (in six of his films) and Burt Reynolds, with whom he starred in the "Cannonball Run" flicks. In 1980, he played the lead in "Fatso," a film written and directed by Anne Bancroft, the late wife of Mel Brooks. A noted gourmand, DeLuise authored two books of his Italian recipes, and wrote several children's books. He voiced numerous characters...

<p>From the summit of Everest, the top of the world - to the intricate workings of the human heart. From outer galaxies to the dungeons of Stalin's gulag.</p> <p>Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to stand atop the world's highest mountain. Dr. Michael DeBakey developed treatments for heart disease that prolonged the lives of millions.</p>

Valley Libertarian crusader Marshall W. Fritz dead at 65 By Vanessa Colón / The Fresno Bee11/06/08 22:39:34 Marshall William Fritz, an icon of the Libertarian movement who opposed state-run schools, once ran for Congress and created a widely circulated political quiz, died of pancreatic cancer Tuesday in Fresno. Mr. Fritz, 65, a writer and adventurer, began his political life as a liberal in the 1960s but shifted to libertarianism in the 1970s and clung to it to the very end. ... He established Advocates for Self-Government in 1984, now based in Georgia, to promote Libertarian ideals. He also established the...

Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other guy to die. The obit says he died because of the strain "of living in this unjust country“. An avid atheist, he studied the bible and religion with more fervor than most Christians. He had strong political opinions and followed Amy Goodman’s radio broadcast “Democracy Now.” Alas the stolen election of 2000 and living with right-winged Americans finally brought him to his early demise. Stress from living in this unjust country brought about several heart attacks rendering him disabled. But I expect it’s more what Will Smith said to his...