A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....10-4-04....Military Monday

Billie, The Mayor

[The Mayor]

A Few of FR's Finest
....Every Day

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues; salute and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I could no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I had been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that didn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why we've created a place for just that. This is a friendly room in JimRob's house where FReeper FRiends can gather every day and just say hello if that's all they want to do.

There's more of course. We sometimes feature different FReepers, with a little background information on who they are and what makes them who they are, along with a few photos you might not have seen on other threads; sometimes others write an essay for us to post as the feature for the day; sometimes our presentation is a human interest story found elsewhere that you might not have read; sometimes special holiday threads; but whatever the topic of the day, it is always with FR's Finest in mind and that is YOU!

If you would like to be featured, or would like to see someone else featured, please send me a private FR mail.

Every Monday we will post the photos of FR's Military Personnel that I have collected and put into groups; these will be available to view through a link the remainder of the week - every day just a click away. :)   If you would like to add a photo of yourself or a loved one in the military, past or present, please let me know; I will hold it until I have enough for a new group.

Thank you, and please have fun with us...every day! ~ Billie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank You For Serving Our Country!

TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete
MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub
BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet
MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga
BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette
MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid
BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP
MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian
BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, The Mayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

TOP:  g'nad, AgThorn's son Justin, SLB, AgThorn's son Brett.
MIDDLE:  fish70, razorback-bert, CheneyChick,Leroy S Mort, Mark17.
BOTTOM:  Terry's Take, Taxman, DinkyDau.

TOP:  ValerieUSA's son Grant, SK1Thurman, kd5cts, RangerVetNam,
dansangel and .45man's son-in-law Tony
BOTTOM:  rangerX, Old China Hand, Trish, Howlin's dad, Mustang

TOP: ohioWfan's son, MamaBear's father-in-law, MamaBear's dad, ladtx
MIDDLE:  The Mayor's niece, M.Kehoe, Beach_Babe's son-in-law
BOTTOM:  deadhead's dad, HiJinx, Severa's hubby, viligantcitizen's granddad.

TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68.
MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

TOP:  Q6-God, Scan59, Mama Bear and JKPhoto's son, ofMagog.
MIDDLE:  Big'ol_freeper, JustAmy's great uncle, Prodigal Son.
BOTTOM:  JustAmy's husband, JustAmy's brother-in-law, JustAmy's brother.

TOP:  dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon.
BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

TOP:  ladtx #2 son; DiverDave's twin Don; petuniasevan and husband
poorman; Mustard; ladtx #1 son;
BOTTOM:  AlamoGirl's brother Floyd; AG's dad; AG's brother Jim (inset);
WVNan's husband; ladtx' Aunt Eva.

TOP: Mo1's dad; BuffyT's Uncle (right, w/ her dad & grandmother); Armymarinemom's 3 sons.
MIDDLE: ru4Liberty's dad; SheLion's husband, MaineRebel; wirestripper.
BOTTOM: fivetoes; bigghurtt; hurricane; ladtx' dad; Pippin's brother.

TOP: Repubmommy's brother, Rose in RoseBear's uncle, BoxerBlues' son Chris, BoxerBlues' son Brent.
BOTTOM: Rose in RoseBear's cousin's hubby, Deadhead's stepdad, Dansy's dad, Misty's brother.

                     

THE WEEKEND THREAD 09-24 thru 9-26-04... Week in Review ^

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[The Mayor]

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, One Nation Under God, Indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for All.

[The Mayor]

October 4, 2004

But If Not . . .

Read: Daniel 3:1-18

We do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. —Daniel 3:18

Bible In One Year: Isaiah 20-22; Ephesians 6

---

I recall a Sunday school lesson from nearly 40 years ago in which we were taught to love God in spite of our circumstances. Loving God is easy when He grants our requests and provides what we desire. Loving Him in difficult circumstances tests our faith.

In Daniel 3, we read of the life-and-death decision Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego had to make. If they chose to worship the golden image, they would live; if they refused, death was certain. They answered King Nebuchadnezzar: "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace . . . . But if not, . . . we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up" (vv.17-18).

Were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego lacking in faith when they said "but if not"? No. They knew God was fully capable of delivering them from the fiery furnace.

There's a lesson in this for all of us. Is God all-powerful? Yes. Is He able to deliver us from all our problems? Yes. Does God always deliver us from our difficulties? No.

We may not fully comprehend God's purpose in our difficulty and suffering, but we must not cease to love Him. We must trust Him and hope in Him in spite of the trials that threaten to overwhelm us. —Albert Lee

I have learned to love my Savior,
And I trust Him more each day;
For no matter what the trial,
He will always be my stay. —Hess

Genuine faith stays strong when deliverance seems distant.

[MEG33]

Thank you, Mayor..Good morning!

God Bless Our Armed Forces and all those who have served our country.

[GailA]

Good morning FInest

[The Mayor]

Good Morning!

[Texagirl4W]

Good morning, Mr Mayor, all. Happy to be here this morning. Mr Mayor, thanks for the good lesson. Too many people lose sight of how they should worship. There are too many 'things' they want to worship.

[SAMWolf]

Mayor's Military Monday bump. :-)

[Aquamarine]

Posting my support for our awesome Military and for the man who has the capacity to value and appreciate the good men and women who protect us and preserve our freedom!

[The Mayor]

[deadhead]

Military Monday Bump

[Billie]

Good morning! Bump for our Military! God Bless America!

[Texagirl4W]

Happy Monday, Billie. A friend sent the following to me. It's cute and may have been around for a while, but I hadn't seen it before:

The ant and the grasshopper -- updated version

OLD VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!


MODERN VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, they in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the News stations film the group singing "We shall overcome." Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Ted Kennedy & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Peter Jennings that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his "fair share " Finally, the EEOC drafts the "Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act," retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to
hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Vote Republican

[Syncro]

When my kids were quite young and it was time for them to go to bed I would ask them who the three were that survived the firey furnace.

When they asked I would say "Shadrach, Meshach and ToBedWeGo"

Sorry...

[dansangel]

Heavenly Father, please place all of our wonderful military members in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us with their selfless acts and bless their families. Allow us to openly express to these fine people our fervent thanks for all that they do to ensure our freedom.

Another favor we ask, dear Father, is to guide the votes of the American people in the upcoming presidential elections. Bless George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and their families and open the eyes of the American people to the fact that these men are the best suited to direct our county's affairs over the next 4 years.

We ask these favors as your humble and contrite servants in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

I've missed you all at the Finest. We're firmly transplanted back in FL (yay!) and anxiously searching for suitable employment. Love and (((((((HUGS)))))))) to everyone!

[Dubya]

A New Hurricane:

The National Weather Service has issued a warning for yet another
catastrophic hurricane following on the heels of Charley, Frances,Ivan and
Jeanne. The path of this hurricane zigs and zags, and is therefore highly
unpredictable. Experts predict that this one will cause the most damage to
the United States that we have experienced in four years.

They are naming this one Hurricane Kerry.

Be advised, the only way for citizens to protect themselves is by being
behind a Bush.

[SpookBrat]

Hey Pippin, your brother sure is cute. :)

Forgive me for not pinging everyone here who regularly posts on the Finest. I just had to share a homeschool field trip I took the kids on last week. We went to the Republican headquarters here in Duval Co. and the older kids actually made calls for Bush. They pretended to act bored, but I know they enjoyed being a part of the process. They were so excited to have their picture taken with a life size image of the President. Everyone was so eager to help make signs for him, there wasn't enough room in the back, so they had to wait their turn to make signs.

If anyone has young children, I strongly suggest you stop by the headquarters in your area. They are anxious for volunteer help and it's a wonderful thing to get our children involved. The thing I appreciated most was how kid friendly they were there. No one was frustrated or irritated with our squirmy kids. All the volunteers were very happy, enthusiastic, cheerful people and were very kind to our children.

This is my daughter and her best friend making calls for Bush.

[The Mayor]

Very cool!

[SpookBrat]

Forgot to ping you guys to my above post.

[SpookBrat]

It WAS cool and we're going back as soon as I have my voice again. We couldn't stay as long as we wanted last week because I was so sick. It's so exciting.

I'm checking out all the pictures in the opening of the thread. There are some new pictures I don't recognize.

[mrs tiggywinkle]

Neato!!!