Free Republic

Rarely in its history has the United States disappointed its admirers as deeply as it has in the present day. The Iraq debacle has made the American political elite look clueless and incompetent to the rest of the world. The anti-terror war has shown that despite a long tradition, American constitutional principles rest on a precariously narrow foundation. It is also depressing to see the disproportionate lack of attention devoted to American and Iraqi victims of this conflict. But even in times of weakness, this country retains the capacity to inspire greatness, which can serve as an example to others....

FORT HUACHUCA — When U.S. led forces attacked Iraq in 2003, Haythem was an Iraqi officer in the regular Army. Assigned to an air defense artillery unit that had old equipment from the former Soviet Union, the Iraqi knew he and his men had no chance of doing any harm to the newer, more sophisticated air power the United States and its allies were unleashing in the skies over his homeland. An American pilot flew over the site indicating he was going to release his munitions but was willing to give the Iraqi conscripts a chance to flee, Haythem said....

Spc. Anthony Tonasket (right), a native of Kansas City, Kan., is awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Action Badge and Army Commendation Medal with a ‘V’ device for Valor by Col. James Trafton, commander, 2nd Battalion, 137th Infantry Regiment, 38th Divisional Support Command, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, during an awards ceremony for his actions during an attack on his convoy March 7. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Richard Phelps, 2nd Bn, 137th Inf. Regt. UPAR, 38th DISCOM, MND-B. CAMP SLAYER - It’s inevitable that some days are forever burnt into our memories, vividly etched into the mind like a slow-motion, high-quality...

Fellow Americans, there comes a time every mans life when we must give up ourselves before we are worthy to recieve. There comes a time in this war on terror when in order to protect liberty, we have to give it up in the mean time for safty. That's right folks. Today, Americans have forsaken the creator for the creation and have decided that they would value our "civil liberties" than protecting western civilization and rich white people from the tender mercies of radical Islamic terrorists. Selfish liberals insist and whine that Bush has no right to spy on Americans...

After reading all of the crap that people have been saying regarding Adult Private Social Clubs, I felt that I had to post an article and give my opinion. I am sick and tired of all the religous groups that are saying that there are drugs, prostitution, minors, non-consenting people, and just immoral people at these clubs! First of all, who do these people think they are to decide what is morally right or wrong for me? I believe that I have a good set of morals. I am a law abiding, tax paying citizen, I work full time and...

Nearly two years after it was labeled anti-Semitic (before it even came out), The Passion of the Christ might actually be converting Jews to Jesus. Take rapper 50 Shekel, who found notoriety with “In Da Shul,” a moderately clever parody of a 50 Cent hip-hop track (the Washington Post featured Shekel in a piece about being “Young, Jewish and . . . Cool”). He recently announced that he has found Jesus—inspired by the movie, which he calls “the most Jewish film ever made. They were calling Jesus ‘Yeshua’ . . . After seeing Mary sing ‘Ma nish-ta nah,’ I was...

This is not about Dick Morris’ latest book, Condi vs. Hillary: The Next Great Presidential Race. The issue today is “Should America have a woman President?” I reply, “Of course, and not a moment too soon. But shouldn’t we put a LITTLE thought into which woman would be good for the job?” The woman/White House issue is, of course, raised by the new ABC program “Commander in Chief,” starring Geena Davis. Does anyone have slight doubt that a President should be impeached and removed, rather than praised, if he/she threatened war against another nation for executing one of its citizens,...

So the largely faceless and mostly mediocre Dodgers are in town. No big deal. Ah, but when the Boys of Summer came calling, that was a very big deal. In the late 1940s and early '50s, the Brooklyn Dodgers frequently played exhibition games against the Senators at old Griffith Stadium before the Bums girded their loins for another fierce National League pennant race and the Nats prepared for their annual struggle to avoid the American League cellar. Griffith Stadium, located at Seventh Street and Florida Avenue NW where the Howard University Hospital now stands, usually was a good place to...

Do conservatives regard women as inferior? I sat in church on Mother's Day and listened to the pastor build his sermon around the book of Proverbs. Sadly, one point of emphasis was that "it is better for a man to live in the corner of a roof than share a house with a complaining wife." The pastor predictably joked that "his point was scriptural and not personal." But then went on in poor taste to make other jokes concerning his wife's shopping habits and the number of shoes in her closet. On Father's Day, another pastor spoke, again from Proverbs....

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers shoved two cameramen Wednesday, sending one to the hospital in a videotaped tirade that included throwing a camera to the ground and threatening to break more. Rogers, who missed his last start with a broken pinkie he sustained during an outburst earlier this month, erupted at the cameramen as they filmed him walking to the field for pregame stretching before Wednesday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels.

And the award for “Mother of the Year” goes to…Britney Spears! Yes, I know she’s not technically a mother yet, but the pop princess is due to pop later this fall, and I just couldn’t resist. Besides, Spears will make a terrific mom. Whether it’s a cute little boy or a beautiful baby girl, what child wouldn’t want their mom to be a slutty, seductive, sometimes lesbian, sex-pot who prostitutes herself in front of millions just to make a buck? I mean, come-on, she has PTA president written all over her. And truth be told, when looking at Spears’s character,...

Jan. 27, 2005 — Investigators probing the sexual misconduct allegations made against Bill Cosby by a former Temple University employee have concluded there was sexual contact between the entertainer and the woman, but they are trying to determine whether it was consensual, a source close to the investigation has told ABC News. Cosby met voluntarily with law enforcement officials Wednesday at a location outside Pennsylvania. A 31-year-old woman has accused Cosby, 67, of giving her a pill that rendered her semiconscious and fondling her at his Cheltenham Township, Pa., mansion early last year. Cosby has denied the allegations, his attorney...

Long before Dr. Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman in space as a crew member of space shuttle Endeavour, she was fascinated by science. These days, she's passing that passion on through her foundation dedicated to what she calls "science literacy."

Hall of Fame basketball player Calvin Murphy was found not guilty today of charges he molested five of his daughters. Jurors deliberated just two hours before finding Murphy not guilty on all six counts. When the verdict was read, Murphy closed his eyes, then looked up at the ceiling. Earlier today during closing arguments, prosecutors Murphy as a cheat and a child molester today, while defense attorneys maintained that the daughters accusing him of sexual abuse were lying in an orchestrated effort to make him pay. "You can never fully repair his reputation," defense attorney Rusty Hardin told jurors during...

LONDON (AFP) - British mathematician Stephen Hawking is more of a role model to teenage boys than soccer star David Beckham and comes a close second to rugby hero Jonny Wilkinson. Hawking came second in a poll to find the men whom boys aged 16 to 18 look up to the most. He was just beaten by Wilkinson, England's Rugby World Cup hero, in the survey of 500 teenage boys for Good Housekeeping magazine. Hawking, author of "A Brief History of Time," was quoted in the magazine saying: "Over the years I've been voted the second-most intelligent person in Britain...

"If there is a more remarkable figure in the music world than Ronan Tynan, would you please stand up? Athlete, doctor, and world-class singer, Tynan, who found international fame as a member of the popular trio, the Irish Tenors, makes his solo debut with My Life Belongs to You. Released along with his autobiography, My Life 'till Now, the album is yet another striking achievement from this truly unstoppable talent. Tynan was born with a lower- limb disability, and his legs were later amputated. Recovering quickly, he became a champion athlete, piling up 18 gold medals and 14 world records...

AT THE very height of Beatlemania, the Fab Four played to an astonishing 500,000 people during a 1964 whirlwind tour of the US. Today, 40 years on, Sir Paul McCartney will be seen by more than 700,000 fans in a 13-date European tour. Not bad for a man who turns 62 this month. But even though he is in numerical terms a bigger draw than the Beatles ever were, he is not about to play down the debt he owes to his years in the biggest pop group of all time. In his most revealing interview ever, McCartney has talked...

Air National Guard Col. Linda McTague has gotten pretty good at regarding herself through the eyes of others. She does not see a pioneer for women's achievements when she looks in a mirror. But she realizes that other people consider her to be a role model – a pioneer – for what women can accomplish in this country's military service. And she strives very hard to live up to those expectations, as well as to her own. McTague is in a good position to take that kind of stock in herself, because she is the first woman to command an...

SACRAMENTO - As the controversy over drug use by athletes unfolded in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke only sparingly on the subject. But now it has hit home -- at Schwarzenegger's own event in the sport that first made him famous. At least five federal subpoenas were delivered to bodybuilders at last weekend's Arnold Fitness Weekend in Columbus, Ohio, which the governor has sponsored since 1989. Some are now urging the governor, perhaps the world's best-known former steroid-user, to use his increasing political clout to take a tougher stand against performance-enhancing drugs. The use of steroids in sports is a...

I caught this on ESPN News while channel surfing. Lewis is charged with Federal Drug crimes. Don't know what exactly.