Free Republic

I saw this mentioned on hillaryclintonforum.net (shout out to the PUMAs for doing so much research!) These are the new official symbols allowed to be used for the Obama campaign to represent different groups. http://www.barackobama.com/people/ Scary!

Vatican City, Jul 14, 2008 / 02:34 pm (CNA).- L’Osservatore Romano published an article last week explaining how Pope Pius VII decided in 1808 that the Vatican colors would be white and yellow.  Historian Claudio Ceresa explained the history behind the Pope’s choice.In an article entitled, “Two centuries of yellow and white as the papal colors,” Ceresa explained that in order to understand why the colors were chosen, one must consider the “occupation of the city by Napoleonic troops in February of 1808.”“The commander of the French forces, General Miollis, posted notices on the walls informing that the Pope’s army...

In a torrent of arrogance, Barack Obama simply cannot pimp out enough of our national symbols for his own self-aggrandizement. We already saw the cheeseball powder blue Great Seal, since shelved after being duly mocked, at least by those of us on the right. Now we have Obama’s use of the Declaration of Independence to highlight his own hypocrisy on the issue of federal campaign funds. From his website earlier today (we figured we’d get the screenshot before it too goes down the memory-hole).

What is especially problematic about the dispensational understanding of the millennial age is that the millennium as conceived by dispensationalists amounts to a return to the types and shadows associated with the Old Testament prophets and the typological understanding of the messianic age which has now been realized in Jesus Christ. Once Christ has come and fulfilled these particular prophetic expectations, how can the dispensationalist justify his belief that the future millennial age is characterized by a redemptive economy of type and shadow, when the reality to which these things pointed, has already come? This pre-messianic Old Testament millennial expectation,...

WASHINGTON — Conspiracy theorists take note: The myths surrounding one of America's oldest and most enduring national symbols are about to be debunked ... if you believe the government, that is. The keepers of the Great Seal of the United States, the emblem on the back of the US$1 bill, want you to know what it is not. It is not a sign that Freemasons run the country, it has nothing to do with the occult, and it does not contain clues to a fabulous hidden treasure. It is rather the nation's stamp of authority, sovereignty and power, gracing cash...

For those who thought that Hillary Clinton was through because Barack Obama won the Iowa caucus, or because the polls supposedly proved she would lose in New Hampshire, or because they let the personal, ideological, or partisan wish be father to the thought--and for those who made proclamations about John McCain being kaput, Mike Huckabee having no chance, and Ron Paul staging a surge--herewith a political science recovery plan. But first, to sugarcoat the academic pills, swallow a catchall election--analysis concept that might help to discipline the discourse from now through November: symbolitics. The term was coined during the 2004...

As a staff member at the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, I am frequently asked questions that require me to go where "angels fear to tread." Questions about displaying national flags in the church's sanctuary take us into that treacherous terrain. Many United Methodist churches maintain a tradition of placing the United States flag in the sanctuary, by the altar, within the chancel, or at another prominent location on the church grounds. I heard of one case in which the U.S. flag actually covered the altar itself. So we must ask: Is this an appropriate use of the...

F-35 Lightning II Initial Flight The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter makes its initial flight Dec. 15 over Fort Worth, Texas. (Lockheed Martin photo/David Drais)

VATICAN CITY: Religious symbols should be allowed in public places, Pope Benedict XVI told a group of Italian Catholic legal experts on Saturday. "Hostility to all forms of recognition of the political and cultural importance of religion and in particular the presence of any religious symbols in public institutions ... is not a sign of healthy secularism, but the degeneration of secularism," the Pope said. "The state cannot consider religion to be simply an individual feeling that can be confined to the private sphere," said the head of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics. Religion "should be recognized as a common...

When Bill Clinton made his speech to the Labour Party conference, he bamboozled a few by finishing with the word "Ubuntu".

Texas Tech will hold more focus groups and talk to more alumni before moving forward on planned changes to the school seal, regents decided Thursday. The system Board of Regents took no formal action endorsing the delay and expressed support for the program, but board Chairman Rick Francis and Regent Windy Sitton told marketing administrators to slow down a major re-branding campaign. (snip) "I feel that when more Tech family has had the opportunity to view this, it will clear up a lot of misinformation that is out there; it will clear up a lot of rumors that are out...

BRUSSELS, Belgium — A group of conservative European Union lawmakers from eastern Europe called Thursday for a ban on communist symbols, including the red star and the hammer and sickle, to match a proposed EU ban on the Nazi swastika. The group from Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic said the communist symbols should be included in any ban because of the suffering caused by Soviet-backed regimes in eastern Europe. "We would like to have an equal treatment of the other evil totalitarian regime of the communist system," said Jozsef Szajer (search), an Hungarian member of the European...

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- A group of conservative European Union lawmakers from eastern Europe called Thursday for a ban on communist symbols, including the red star and the hammer and sickle, to match a proposed EU ban on the Nazi swastika. The group from Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic said the communist symbols should be included in any ban because of the suffering caused by Soviet-backed regimes in eastern Europe. ``We would like to have an equal treatment of the other evil totalitarian regime of the communist system,'' said Jozsef Szajer, an Hungarian member of the European...

Clothing vendor HahaPanties has agreed to stop selling underwear featuring a Sikh symbol after the World Sikh Council complained that the undergarments are offensive. The $10 white thong featured the Khanda, a Sikh religious symbol, on the front, and was sold through the e-commerce Web site CafePress.com. The site also said, "Are you a practicing Sikh? How about your wife? She may not want them, but I'm sure the hip Sikh daughters will find these a hit." Tarunjit Singh Butalia, secretary general of the Columbus, Ohio-based World Sikh Council, said the thongs were inappropriate. "Putting the Sikh religious symbol on...

The Red Dragon former Pomerania/Prussia symbol also on Welsh flag. Why would both countries have same red dragon as their symbol? I'm curious about this red dragon stuff. And why would a country choose the red dragon when in the bible Rev. 12:3, 4 After God and Christ, Revelation's great Red Dragon is, perhaps, the leading figure in the book. The Dragon is the arch enemy and adversary of Christ and the church; he tries to devour the Christ-child and persecutes the mother church. The Dragon is the animating power behind the Beast; the Beast is the Dragon's alter ego...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- From a renamed "Confederate Boulevard" in Arkansas to the shrunken "Heart of Dixie" on Alabama's license plates, some in the South are erasing memories of their Civil War pasts with the hope of enticing investment. "Business people and tourists don't know what to think about slavery, elitism, the Civil War," says Ted Ownby of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. "So one way is to give them an easy out. We'll change the name of this building, this street, change this display." Over the last few years, more and...

Now that December has finally rolled around again, the time has come for all of us to take a few moments out of our busy, workaday lives and thank the American Civil Liberties Union for all it does throughout the year on behalf of each and every U.S. citizen. After all, if it weren't for the unyielding efforts of ACLU lawyers, there's no telling how many school children this year would have been forced by their teachers to grapple with unsavory concepts like personal responsibility, religious freedom, sexual abstinence, capitalism, parental rights, the sanctity of human life, and the dreaded...

The day after Thanksgiving, as tradition dictates, a Christmas tree was erected in the rotunda of the federal courthouse in Sacramento accompanied by a background of piped-in carols and garlands of evergreens draped around the guards' desks. Attorney Michele Waldinger noticed it when she returned to work Monday after the long holiday. Feeling the holiday spirit, she asked the building's manager if she could donate a menorah and tissue paper drei dels for a Hanukkah display nearby. The 14-inch menorah was placed on a ledge at the rear of the rotunda, where it became a source of controversy almost immediately....

Pope John Paul II has urged believers to proudly display the signs of their faith, saying the practice does not encourage intolerance or infringe on the separation of church and state. In an apostolic letter to Roman Catholics launching the Year of the Eucharist, the pope made no mention of specific problems. But the message follows sharp controversy in France over a government ban on conspicuous religious symbols such as Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps or large crucifixes in the country's schools. The pontiff also repeated his concern that too few Catholics are giving due reverence to the Eucharist or properly...

Washington, DC, Sep. 17 (UPI) -- Sen. John Kerry's truthfulness on discarding his war medals to protest the Vietnam conflict was targeted Friday by anti-Kerry veterans. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the 527 advocacy group made up of Kerry's former Navy colleagues in Vietnam, said Kerry's conflicting accounts make him unrealiable and that the act itself was a betrayal of veterans and his country. "When John Kerry threw his medals away, he betrayed his fellow veterans, he betrayed his country, and he betrayed every American our armed forces have fought to protect, retired Adm. Roy Hoffmann, founder of the group...

BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro - Serbia restored its 19th-century anthem and ancient coat of arms Tuesday, harkening back to its royal history as its people struggle with economic and social hardships. The emblems represented Serbia before it merged in 1918 with its Balkan neighbors to form Yugoslavia. The 183 lawmakers in Parliament voted unanimously to adopt the once-royal symbols, despite criticism they were inappropriate for the republic sharing sovereignty with Montenegro. "These symbols are Serbia's true ones," said Parliament Speaker Predrag Markovic, who insisted Serbia needed to replace its current coat of arms featuring the five-pointed communist Red Star. The historic coat...

Early human marks are 'symbols' By Paul Rincon BBC News Online science staff The 1.4-1.2m-year-old bone is incised with man-made markings A series of parallel lines engraved in an animal bone between 1.4 and 1.2 million years ago may be the earliest example of human symbolic behaviour. University of Bordeaux experts say no practical process, such as butchering a carcass, can explain the markings. But many researchers believe the capacity for true symbolic thinking arose much later with the emergence of modern humans, Homo sapiens. The 8cm-long bone was unearthed at the Kozarnika cave in north-west Bulgaria. Another animal bone...

President Jacques Chirac made the wrong decision on Wednesday when he announced his support for a legal ban in state-run schools on what he called "conspicuous" religious symbols. He offered Muslim scarves, Jewish skullcaps and large crucifixes as examples, but the dispute into which he stepped is about the scarves worn by devout Muslim women and girls. Speaking before an invited gathering that included religious leaders from all major faiths, Mr. Chirac cast his decision as a reaffirmation of France's commitment to a rigorous separation of church and state. But it is not that at all. Banning believers from following...

<p>In honor of the Independence Day just past, we'd like to suggest the Bush Administration do its patriotic duty on behalf of bald eagles: Set them free.</p> <p>Free, that is, from the Endangered Species Act, where the national bird is still stuck despite a full recovery. In 1963, only 417 pairs of nesting bald eagles survived in the lower 48 states. That number has multiplied to 6,571 nesting pairs, and today you can even spot the great birds dive-bombing around Washington, D.C.</p>

Some on left say national symbol has been appropriated by right It's a new battle for Old Glory. The question is: Which side of the debate is using it most successfully -- those supporting or opposing the war in Iraq. Tom Miller was so concerned that supporters of the war were grabbing the flag to argue their point of view, he bought a billboard in the Bay area. It features the phrase, "Peace is Patriotic," set against an American flag backdrop. "The feeling I had was the flag can be used in a positive way and didn't need to be...

Is it possible to be both against the war in Iraq and an American patriot? And if so, how do you register your opposition to the war, while not giving aid and comfort to the enemy? I hadn't thought much about these issues until the other night when I saw a television news story about a couple in Colorado who decided to hang an American flag alongside an anti-war banner on their front porch. When interviewed, they said it was important for them to show that they loved their country but opposed the war. One anti-war group, United for...

Tattoo Artists See Surge In Red, White, Blue Tattoos POSTED: 9:45 a.m. EST March 31, 2003 YORK, Pa. -- Tattoo artists say the war in Iraq is having an impact on what they do -- creating the need for more red, white and blue ink. The increased interest in patriotic tattoos is similar to what happened after Sept. 11, 2001. Pennsylvania tattoo artist Jim Rossell said the war might not bring in more customers -- but he fully expects to do more flags, eagles and other patriotic designs. At Bob's Body Art in Hanover, Pa., owner Bob Sponseller tattooed several...

Yellow ribbons making a comeback By JOANN LOVIGLIO Associated Press Writer PHILADELPHIA - In communities all over, where people have different ideas on the war in Iraq, many are reviving a tradition that was popularized more than two decades ago during the Iran hostage crisis and took hold during the Persian Gulf War. "Every tree, every sapling, every light pole have yellow ribbons on them," Valley Center, Kan., Mayor James E. "Jet" Truman Jr. said Tuesday. "Our store in town ran out of them. As soon as we get some more (ribbon), we'll be putting more out." At the nation's...

The yellow ribbon, an American symbol of loyalty and patriotism, the welcome home sign to veterans returning from war, the semi-icon that was inspired by the 19th century Civil War ballad "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," is not only selling like gangbusters at area flag shops. Randy Hanks, a Provo Parks Department employee, checks a flag after he and his co-workers placed it in front of the Provo City Library. Flags are flying out the door of flag shops.Jennifer Grigg, for the Deseret News It has inspired a gathering downtown on Saturday, April 12, of several thousand Utahns — all...

See www.Trentonian.com for details of what the DEMOCRATS did to this town. I was there and had 100 PERCENT support from the townspeople for my protest against the Mayor and his "fellow travellers". Got to run, someone please post the Trentonian FRONT PAGE story as a comment here.M Who can watch/tape 3 CBS, 6 ABC, 10 NBC and NJN for me please?

<p>A special flag that symbolizes hope and pride and gained popularity during World War I and II is being resurrected across the nation as service members are being deployed, injured, killed or reported missing in action.</p> <p>The Veterans of Foreign Wars is asking families of men and women in the service to show their support of troops by displaying blue star flags in their front windows.</p>

<p>NEAR AZ ZUBAYR, Iraq (AP) -- Just after dawn, an armored assault vehicle with the words, "Saddam Vaccine" painted on four sides drew close to an Iraqi naval base.</p> <p>The back ramp dropped and 23 Marines from Echo Company's 1st Platoon poured out, flopping onto their stomachs in defensive positions behind sand dunes.</p>

<p>ATLANTA -- Big Brown is dumping a big piece of its history.</p> <p>The bow-tied package painted on the side of United Parcel Service Inc. trucks since 1961 will be removed as part of the biggest rebranding push in the delivery company's 96-year history. UPS announced Tuesday a new logo created to reflect its expansion into services that can essentially run the entire back end of a company, not just deliver packages. The rebranding is expected to cost about $20 million over the next year but take several years to complete, since most of UPS's trucks and planes will get the updated logo as part of a regularly scheduled paint job. UPS also plans to replace the phrase "Worldwide Delivery Service" now on its 88,000-vehicle fleet with "Synchronizing the World of Commerce," reflecting 22 acquisitions by UPS since going public in 1999 that gave it muscle in everything from running warehouses to lending money to finance expansion.</p>

I seem to remember going to baseball games when I was younger, and the announcer would say: "Ladies and Gentlemen, please rise and join us in singing the National Anthem" Thousands of citizens rose from their seats, hands over their hearts, and no matter who was performing, mostly all would sing along. Tall and short, old and young, loud and soft, talented and tone deaf - it didn't matter - the crescendo of voices blending across the stadium was inspiring, and adding my own developing voice to this patriotic choir was a joyful, and a character building experience. Or maybe...

The anti-war protestors. You know who I'm talking about - the flag-burners out holding signs depicting President George W. Bush as "Hitler" and "War-Monger" and holding strange signs, shouting vulgar obscenities, yelling "Down with Bush!" These are the ones Schroeder, Chirac, Streisand, Clinton, Saddam, Arafat, Al-Qaeda, Kim Il Jong, and all the rest of the enemies of the freedoms you and I hold dear point to and hold up for their "inspiration." These poor misguided souls are being led by the likes of Hollywood's finest - (their )president Martin Sheen, Sirene Susan Sarandon, and Saddam's Step-Son Sean Penn. They use...

Catholic Groups Sue Over Christmas Display Discrimination Thursday, December 12 @ 22:57:38 EST Summary: The Catholic League and Thomas More Law Center have joined in a lawsuit against the City of New York Department of Education on its discriminatory policies against Christmas displays during the Christmas holiday season. The Catholic League and Thomas More Law Center are suing the New York Education Department for its discriminatory policies against the display of Christian symbols this Christmas season. According to Catholic League President Bill Donohue, the education department has issued guidelines permitting the display of Christmas trees, the Jewish Menorah, and...

I have been enjoying FreeRepublic for some time but have never joined in until now. I am busy working on two county commissioner races here in Idaho. Both of my candidates are Vietnam Vets, one a Marine and one from the Army. We are, at the moment, designing their signs. My question is: Would it be appropriate to put some kind of Vietnam Vet, Marine, or Army symbol on the sign? If so, do any of you have suggestions?