Free Republic

A staged shootout during a mock train robbery Sunday in Random Lake turned out to be far too realistic when two people were shot with a gun mistakenly loaded with birdshot, according to the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department. The incident occurred about 11 a.m. as re-enactors were performing the simulated train robbery as part of the weekend-long Santa Steam Train event, said Capt. Dave Adams. The re-enactment unfolded with the actors engaging in a simulated shootout with police on Second Street near Harris Bank, after pretending to steal dynamite from a local hardware store for use in robbing the train,...

PHARR, Texas – A Texas man has been arrested after a 9-year-old girl wrote to Santa Claus asking that a relative stop touching her and her sister. The Monitor of McAllen reports that a man from the town of Pharr was arrested Friday and is in the Hidalgo County jail.

A Kansas-based church that has blamed deaths in Iraq on U.S. tolerance of homosexuality has asked Gov. Christine Gregoire's office to approve a "Santa Claus will take you to hell" message to display among other religious statements in the Capitol's third-floor hallway.

A Muslim lawyer has launched an extraordinary rant against Christmas, branding the celebration 'evil'. Hate preacher Anjem Choudary claimed the festival was the 'pathway to hell' and urged his followers to boycott it. 'In the world today many Muslims, especially those residing in Western countries, are exposed to the evil celebration Christmas,' he raged in a sermon broadcast on the internet. 'Many take part in the festival celebrations by having Christmas turkey dinners. 'Decorating the house, purchasing Christmas trees or having Christmas turkey meals are completely prohibited by Allah. 'Many still practise this corrupt celebration as a remembrance of the...

It’s the time of year when people begin asking the very pertinent question: How does Santa Claus do it? How does he get all those presents to all those kids in just one night? Some people think that the old man still personally hand delivers each and every toy—with the enthusiastic help of Dasher and others, of course. That used to be the case, a very long time ago, but there are too many kids in the world now, and the traditional sleigh-bearing method has become obsolete and even impossible. About a century ago, Santa saw what was coming and...

Having just turned five years old, I was a little young (at least back then) to question the “Holiday” law-of-the-land. Of course five-year-olds believed in Santa Claus! But it was back in the day when several ages of neighborhood kids used to hang around together, and I was running with some seven and eight-year-olds who were feeding me some pretty good reasons not to believe in that benign big man. Most of you are at least vaguely familiar with the various Protestant Reformation (and later secular) traditions that transformed Saint Nicholas into Santa Claus, so it is not necessary to...

President, Savior, or Santa Claus? By Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson FrontPageMagazine.com | Tuesday, January 15, 2008 Let’s consider a simple question: What exactly are we electing when we choose a president of the United States? The traditional answer would be: “Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces and the CEO of the executive branch of government.” Those two roles alone make the president the most powerful person in the world, but for some Americans, the presidency has taken on an overtly messianic character. One of the leading candidates for the next president, Hillary Clinton, once stated, “I can’t save every undercapitalized business...

The original server has been overwhelmed, so I'm using the Fark mirror to post. Watch out, the comments can get a little on the wild side, as most of the members are younger. Still worth posting. 'It was your dad that answered all those letters that the kids wrote to Santa every year' Background: Tim Russert's Wisdom of Our Fathers has hundreds of stories men and women tell about their fathers, including the one below. It's a remarkable book--to learn more, see my co-authored column America's Father Hunger (World Net Daily, 10/13/06). The story below is "The Mail" from John...

New York has given the country and the world many things in its 380-year history — the hot dog, the American musical, the martini, electric signs — but who knew it also gave us what the modern world thinks of as the traditional way to celebrate Christmas? Christmas was originally a combination of the day of worship of the birth of Christ and the Roman winter solstice festival called the Saturnalia. The latter was a very raucous, townwide affair, and its raunchy and riotous ways persisted until nearly modern times. Then the Puritans outlawed Christmas altogether. When it was revived...

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun: Dear Editor— I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? Virginia O'Hanlon 115 West Ninety Fifth Street Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see....

Executive Order: Closing of Executive Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government on Monday, December 24, 2007 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. All executive branch departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Monday, December 24, 2007, the day before Christmas Day, except as provided in section 2 below. Sec. 2. The heads of executive branch departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of their...

A 70-year-old man working as Santa Claus says he was sacked from a Cairns department store for saying "ho, ho, ho" and singing Christmas carols. In a case of political correctness seemingly gone mad, retired entertainer John Oakes says he was fired from his job at Myer for his rendition of Santa’s famous laugh. His employer, Westaff, last month sparked national outrage when it ordered its Santas to say "ha, ha, ha" instead of "ho, ho, ho" because it could be derogatory to women but denied the words were a factor in Mr Oakes’s case. The word "ho" is also...

School bans Santa from wearing red - because it reminds pupils of Coca-ColaLast updated at 16:37pm on 21st November 2007Santa Claus is being forced to wear a green suit when visiting a school this year, after teachers decided the traditional red outfit would remind pupils of Coca-Cola.  Education chiefs have also banned the annual Christmas grotto - favouring an eastern European version of the festive season instead. Staff at the Steiner School in Brighton, East Sussex, claim the red-suited Santa is a symbol of "modern commercialism" and reminds children of Coca-Cola adverts. Scroll down for more... Father Christmas and...

When kids hear Santa Claus bellow, "Ho, ho, ho," is their first thought prostitution? That concern has prompted an attempt to gag the traditional greeting, and many Santas are now fighting back. According to the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Santas across Australia are rebelling against attempts to change their saying to a more politically correct, "ha, ha, ha." It all started when the recruitment firm Westaff – which has offices both in the United States and Australia – told its Christmas trainees that the "ho, ho, ho" phrase could frighten children and possibly be derogatory to women.

Let's be real, folks. Many of us knew "Santa Claus" was really Mom and Dad by age six, but it was always fun to play along as we knew we'd get something out of it on December 25th. But there are some out there who are so easily "offended", that they could give a damn if they spoil Christmas, a FEDERAL HOLIDAY, for everyone else. And there are more than enough people out there that acquiesce to the "sensitivities" of those who seek to make all of us as miserable as they are.... School ho-ho-hoists Santa Principal cancels trip to...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Stage and screen actor Harry Frazier, whose full white beard helped him land Santa Claus roles in movies and commercials, has died. He was 77. Frazier died May 26 of complications from diabetes at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills. He started on Broadway appearing in various plays during the 1960s. He performed regularly in Shakespeare plays in Southern California and had leading roles in "The Tempest," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and "Henry IV." Among his TV credits included "Night Court," "Cheers" and "Hill Street Blues." He also played King Neptune on three...

Watch it here > http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-7709281390847700281 Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) is considered to be one of the worst movies ever made. It is so bad, that it is actually fun to watch. The filmmakers were probably too embarrassed to renew the copyright, so it’s now in the public domain. The story shows how Santa Claus is kidnapped by Martians to cheer up the Martian children. The rumor is that the movie was shot in abandoned aircraft hangars in New Jersey. It is clear that the movie had an extremely low budget, it even has spelling errors in the opening...

Canadian NORAD fighter pilots flying the CF-18 Hornet jet fighter will escort Santa Claus throughout Canada. And meeting Santa Claus in United States of America airspace will be United States NORAD fighter pilots flying F/A-18 Hornet and/or the F-15 Eagle fighter jets. This year, sadly, the F-14 Tomcat is unable to provide protection for Santa's super-secret, high-tech, marvel-of-aviation sleigh; after long decades of noble service the fighter jet is now retired. Based on what we see in the photo below (released by the United States Navy) retirement is far from Santa's mind. He's looking quite comfortable, and physically fit, as...

OPERATION ORDER 12-06 FOR: OFFICIAL VISIT OF LTG SANTA CLAUS 1. An official staff visit by LTG Claus is expected at this post on 25 Dec. The following directives govern activities of all Army personnel during the visit. a. Not a creature will stir without permission. This includes warrant officers and mice. Soldiers may obtain special stirring permits for necessary administrative action through the Battalion S-1. Officer stirring permits must be obtained through the Deputy, Post Plans and Policy Office. b. All personnel will settle their brains for a long winter nap NLT 2200 hours, 24 December. Uniform for the...

The best Christmas movie is? A- It’s a Wonderful Life B- A Christmas Story C- A Christmas Carol (Alastair Sim) D- Scrooged E- Miracle On 34th Street F- White Christmas G- Santa Claus Conquers The Martians H- Elf