Free Republic

"The right to lie in the service of your own interests is highly valued and frequently exercised"-Nero Wolfe I began this list when I was a full time employee of the LDS Church Education System (CES). I worked as a Seminary Principal/teacher, Institute teacher/Director, and Stake CES Coordinator from 1975 - 2002. My last assignment was brief. I signed a Letter of Agreement with CES to serve as the Director of the Pullman, Washington LDS Institute of Religion adjacent to Washington State University in July 2002. I resigned from CES a month later. I carry fond memories of the students,...

I once observed to a Mormon friend that Gordon B. Hinckley, late president of the Mormon Church, publicly lied when it suited him. No, I didn’t simply up and assault my friend’s faith. That would be bad manners. He and I discussed religion often; this happened to come up in the course of one of our conversations. “Lied?” said my Mormon friend. “Name one instance.” Without having to think hard or research, I came up with three: 1. When Hinckley served as an assistant to his predecessor, Ezra Taft Benson, he repeatedly assured church members that Benson was actively engaged...

When the family organization was revealed from heaven—the patriarchal order of God, and Joseph began, on the right and the left, to add to his family, what a quaking there was in Israel. Says one brother to another, "Joseph says all covenants [previous marriages] are done away, and none are binding but the new covenants [marriage by priesthood sealing power]; now suppose Joseph should come and say he wanted your wife, what would you say to that?" "I would tell him to go to hell." This was the spirit of many in the early days of this Church. ....

The official list is out... 1. Impact of regulation on job creation … 2. Fannie/Freddie & the Foreclosure Crisis … 3. Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission and the failure to identify origins of the financial crisis … 4. Combating corruption in Afghanistan … 5. WikiLeaks … 6. FDA/Food & Drug Safety." . From Politico (via Memeorandum) I'm going to be honest, I'm a little disappointed. There were other "mysteries" I personally wanted solved first, such as: Who is fatter: America's children, or Democrats when they lie. The per capita usage of botox in the Pelosi household. Whether or not Michelle...

Women have a sacred role in the sanctification and purification of men, Elder Glenn L. Pace of the Seventy told students and faculty during the campus devotional in the Marriott Center at BYU on Tuesday, March 9. Reflecting on the love he felt from his mother, sister, wife and daughters, Elder Pace spoke of the positive influence women have had on his life. Speaking specifically about a time when his daughter fell asleep in his arms, Elder Pace noted the comfort it must have brought his daughter to be held by her father. He realized afterward that even greater was...

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ____________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                               July 30, 2009 Statement from the President following his conversation with the Vice President, Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley"I am thankful to Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley for joining me at the White House this evening for a friendly, thoughtful conversation.  Even before we sat down for the beer, I learned that the two gentlemen spent some time together listening to one another, which is a testament to them.   I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. I am confident...

on all cable news channels....to start in uh uh about 30 minutes.

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Heidi Krieger proved herself one of the world's top athletes in the 1980s, winning medal after medal in the shot put for East Germany. Andreas Krieger says his body changed soon after he began taking what coaches said were vitamins. Andreas Krieger says his body changed soon after he began taking what coaches said were vitamins. Now, the former sports star looks disdainfully at the awards, dismissing them as "doping medals" and honors that turned a woman into a man. Heidi Krieger, the 1986 European women's shot-put champion, became Andreas Krieger after a sex-change operation in...

At a reception for an emerging artist, a tipsy friend approached me to continue a private chat we had long ago. "So, you still want John McCain for president?" he said, in the neighborhood of 30,000 decibels above a whisper. Jaws dropped. Conversations stopped. I felt every cultural elitist eyeball in the gallery was on me. Awkward!

Congressional Democrats want the United States to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help bring down oil prices, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said Saturday. Murray said during the Democrats' weekly radio address that with gasoline prices reaching new highs, it is time to use the emergency reserves and urge oil companies to drill on leased federal lands. We believe it's time for the oil companies to use that land and to make sure that it stays in America instead of shipping it to the highest bidder overseas, Murray said. Democrats also think it is time to tap into the...

Some people watch the Super Bowl just for the commmercials. Are Stargate fans in for a treat this year! Former Stargate SG-1 leading man Richard Dean Anderson ("Jack O'Neill") is jumpstarting the rest of his career with a new commercial for MasterCard. At the end of December he shot the commercial for their "Priceless" campaign, which is now set to air during Super Bowl XL on Sunday, February 5. In the ad Anderson slides down a wire, drives a semi truck through a fence, and blows up a building -- then is found in a convenience store purchasing replacements for...

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) complicated the already dizzying calculus about the future of the Supreme Court by speculating at length yesterday about the possibility that Justice Sandra Day O'Connor would stay if President Bush elevated her to chief justice. Most Republican officials interviewed this weekend said they expect Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist to announce his resignation soon, although they said they had no hard evidence of that. Specter said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that his "own analysis is that the chief does not intend to step down as long as his health holds up." But...

Don't you just HATE those blathering Christmas letters? "Aunt Jane fell and broke her hip...again. Cousin Jeffy got out on parole, thank goodness..." We get only one or two but the end of this one set me off: "What can be said about the re-election of George W. that hasn't been said? Just red are those states? Or fo that matter, how blue? We, like it our not, are the leaders of the free world, so when we create a colossal blunder we are responsible for making it right (just not far right). The workd has not stopped spinning, nor...

ORLANDO - Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and running mate John Edwards burst back into battleground Florida on Tuesday, ending a weeks-long hurricane-imposed campaign moratorium with a rowdy late night rally in a packed sports arena. The trip marked Kerry's first campaign swing in the state since a string of hurricanes all but slammed the lid on presidential politicking in the largest of the still-up-for-grabs states, and the campaign's relief was palpable. ''We are so proud and so happy to be back in Florida,'' Edwards said as he took to the stage to introduce Kerry before the crowd of about...