Free Republic

<p>I recently learned of your successful attempt to obtain unsupervised visitation privileges and just wanted to send you a note of congratulations.</p> <p>I know that there are many conservatives and Republicans who will disagree with my point of view on this subject but I must be true to my own beliefs. You see, Mr. Hinkley, I earnestly believe that Americans who have paid their debt to society should be given a second chance to make something of their lives. While I certainly don't agree with your actions against former President Reagan, we all know that that was a long time ago and you have undergone many hours of treatment and therapy. And even if the odds are slim that you are truly cured, I sincerely believe that you have earned your chance to prove the world wrong.</p>

I've begun noticing a lot of cars with stickers on them like the red and white "diving" or "diver" flag stickers that have been around for some time. These are basically the same size with the top and bottom bars being black and the middle bard being a dark blue.

This long-time FReeper needs some help. I have a teen in high school (freshman) in Wake County, NC, who is failing and I need to find a way to turn him around/get help. My wife and I have a very bright child who has NEVER been interested in school. Over the past few years his grades have been on a steady decline. He is not learning disabled, but is the type of child who does not respond well to classes taught in the traditional ways. He is a hands-on type learner and needs stimulation and personal attention to keep him...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush has invited one of his Democratic rivals for the White House to join him on Air Force One for a trip to North Carolina's Camp Lejeune.</p> <p>Sen. John Edwards, who is seeking the party's presidential nomination, and Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-North Carolina, received the invitations from the White House and are scheduled to travel with the president when he flies to Jacksonville, North Carolina, Thursday.</p>

There's a story being passed around via e-mail re Clintoon that I've not heard before and would like to find out if there is any truth to it. It goes like this: Terrorist pilot Mohammad Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called "political prisoners." However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands. The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, "insisted" that...

I'm looking for definitive articles and op/eds that explains or defends the concept that Pres. Reagan authored the U.S.'s best economy in history -- just in time for Clinton's term of office.

Bush attacks big awards President makes case on turf of potential foe while speaking at a fund-raiser for GOP Senate hopeful Elizabeth Dole.By ROB CHRISTENSEN AND JOHN WAGNER, Staff Writers HIGH POINT - President Bush took aim at excessive medical malpractice suits and trial lawyers Thursday in an event that had more than a whiff of 2004 presidential politics. In a speech in High Point, the president called for new curbs on jury malpractice awards -- $250,000 on pain and suffering -- in what he said was an effort to hold down health-care costs and keep doctors from closing their...

Sometimes those hounds drive me crazy. Eighty pounds each, they are all sinewy muscle and vocal cords. From the back yard, they howl at every squirrel, passing dog, meter reader and sanitation worker as if their lives, or ours, depended on it. In the middle of the night, their howls literally rattle the windowpanes all the way up to the second floor. Some nights, I stomp downstairs to see what the fuss is about, only to spy a sadistic cat sitting on the front walk, licking its paws. Sometimes a possum has gotten into the trash. But some nights, there...

The New Thought Police: Inside the Left's Assault on Free Speech and Free Minds Tammy Bruce Description: Tammy Bruce, author of "The New Thought Police," talks about the Left's impact on cultural issues in the United States. Ms. Bruce argues that the Left has created an environment in which legislation is used to control how people think and McCarthyite tactics are used to destroy those who express politically incorrect ideas. She discusses the cases of radio host Dr. Laura Schlesinger, "Politically Incorrect" host Bill Mahr, and murder victims Matthew Shepard and Daphne Sulk. Ms. Bruce also talks about her own...

Sorry if already posted but I couldn't find it. I caught the end of of a clip they were showing on FOX News this morning that looked great. Problem is, I had no context as I only caught the end of it. Seems some Monica look alike was telling a ribald story that equated with the Lewinski/Klintooon tryst. An audience and Bill Klintoon are shown aughing heartily and then the camera pans on a scowling Hitlary. What was that about, anyone?

Edwards forgets his place There were snickers at the California Democratic convention over the weekend when Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina made a small slip. "Like many of you, I grew up in a small town in North Carolina," Edwards told the crowd in Los Angeles. Edwards was one of several potential Democratic candidates who spoke in Los Angeles, including Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota and U.S. Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and California Gov. Gray Davis. Despite his geography problem, Edwards seemed to be pretty well received. "What's not to like?" Roberta Gillis, 64, a ...

NAACP betrays its heritage MARK MARCOPLOS "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." -- Martin Luther King Jr. It has not been a banner year for civil rights. The Bush Brigade seized the presidency not only by overt political influence at the Supreme Court level, but also by some voter-roll chicanery that had tens of thousands of black voters in Florida "accidentally" barred from voting on election day. Since taking office -- literally taking office -- the Bush cabal has cut a program ...

Did the GOP controlled Congress sell out the military during the Clinton years? I have asked this question on numerous other threads but no one has even attempted to answer.Here's the thing. I, and most Freepers, often say that as president Clinton weakened the military. I have a lib friend who maintains that it was the Republicans in Congress who are responsible because they were in power and they passed the budget. Shooting from the hip, the only response I could "quick draw" was that, if nothing else, Clinton at least bore partial responsibility because he could have used the ...

Now That Tennesee lost to LSU the BSC is in a quandry -- but it shouldn't be. If the coaches who submit to the ESPN/USA Today vote honestly they will vote Colorado above Nebraska this week, probably causing a chain reaction in the BCS computations that will place CU in the big one. There is no more desering team for that second spot.

Senate hopeful Bowles stops on low-key visit By MATT DEES DAILY NEWS STAFF Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Erskine Bowles paid a visit to Jacksonville on Tuesday, the day after Republican front-runner Elizabeth Dole made an appearance here. But the campaign stops couldn't have been more different. While Dole's appearance was a meet-and-greet troop-rallying event, Tuesday's meeting had Bowles sitting in a small board room at Coastal Carolina Community College and listening to a presentation about a cooperative effort between the college and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. "The politicking is fine for the politicians, but I'm not a ...

Time has once again put the Kennedy family on a front page pedestal. http://www.time.com/time/

As you know there is no Short Cuts column on summer Fridays. Igor is off to look for shiny things in the water and snap his towel at Coney Island life guards for teasing him about his bathing suit (one piece, shoulder to knee). Webmaster and worker bees remain duct taped to the their chairs as we all continue our search for Chandra Levy. We get tons of nutball mail but buried in the junk have been some fascinating facts that check out. Brace yourself Ldotters, this case is about to take an ugly, ugly turn. The feds know about ...

WASHINGTON -- With the blessing of the White House, a bipartisan group of senators unveiled a new "patients' bill of rights" measure Tuesday, but it immediately drew criticism from U.S. Sen. John Edwards and other authors of a broader, competing bill. Supporters of the new plan said it would arm consumers with significant protections against HMOs and insurance companies, as well as provide greater legal recourse in court. But Edwards, a North Carolina Democrat, and others said the bill offered consumers very little and stood little chance of passage. "Today, unfortunately, it appears the president has decided to stand with ...

Tobacco courts FDA Some in the industry now want regulation By JOHN WAGNER, Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON -- Five years ago, leaf growers and cigarette makers howled in protest as the Food and Drug Administration geared up to regulate tobacco as a drug. But now some influential players in the industry -- including Philip Morris, the nation's largest cigarette maker -- are pushing Congress to give the FDA much of the authority it sought. The remarkable about-face has been driven in part by a hope that government-sanctioned products could bring some legitimacy and stability to an industry that has been fighting ...

While President George W. Bush made his inaugural address, leaders of labor and civil rights groups predicted that "mean-spirited" Republicans will soon regret their hard-fought victory in Florida. While Bush smiled and waved his way down Pennsylvania Avenue, thousands of demonstrators outside his brother's Tallahassee office waved signs and banners vowing revenge in two years. As the boom of cannon fire rolled across the Washington Mall, chants of, "No justice, no peace" echoed in the courtyard of Florida's Capitol. "I want us as a people, not black or white, to come together for justice," said Anita Davis, an officer of ...