Free Republic

The Right/Left Hoax Words are tools of thought. That's why, in George Orwell's "1984", the political goal of IngSoc was to reduce the number of words available, through a process of continuous redefinition and elimination. By reducing the number of words, and eliminating "undesirable" ones, the Party intended to utterly control the thoughts, and therefore the minds, of all its subjects. In a prophetic way, we see this Orwellian "newspeak" going on today. And just one example is the way that political debate is constrained by the use of loaded terms. For example: Are you right wing or left wing?...

Barack Hinsain 0bama, the first ever presidunt whose first and last names are distrusted by my spell checker has won the International Long Legged Mack Daddy Award. Click to see the presentation.

RENO, Nev. – A woman has filed a lawsuit accusing Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of raping her last summer in his penthouse hotel room at a casino in Lake Tahoe during a celebrity golf tournament. Roethlisberger's lawyer adamantly denied the allegations Tuesday, and was quick to point out that the woman never went to the authorities. "Ben has never sexually assaulted anyone. The timing of the lawsuit and the absence of a criminal complaint and a criminal investigation are the most compelling evidence of the absence of any criminal conduct," David Cornwell said in a statement. "If an investigation...

CYBERsitter Stolen by Chinese The Peoples Republic of China's mandated Green Dam Internet filtering software contains significant portions of CYBERsitter! About three weeks ago we discovered that a Chinese software program called Green Dam - Youth Escort contains pirated code and data from CYBERsitter. Green Dam is a software product supposedly designed to protect kids in China from objectionable and potentially harmful content on the Internet, much like CYBERsitter does. There are a couple of significant differences however. The first is that is also blocks politically and socially sensitive information like Tibet, Democracy, Taiwan independence, and religious material. The...

I went to the Tulare Ag-Center Tea Party today and saw JimRob. Jim, it's always a pleasure! Here's a few pics I took. The one of the main assembly was long after people were leaving. I didn't get there until 2:00pm, which was closing time. I wish I could have seen it when it was rocking!

I need to help a friend who believes he was taken advantage of in a stock manipulation deal. I'm trying to help him, and I'm looking for data for 5/13/2009 for AMR (AMR Corporation). When I look at the stock tickers that I'm aware of, for that date, the information available is just opening, closing, high and low values. I need higher granularity, the way it gives for the last week, with minute by minute graphs. Does anyone know of a source, preferably free, for that information?

A prayer request for my Mom My wonderful Mother has arrived at the end of her journey. Her physicians have said that she'll be leaving us in 12-48 hours. A result of cancer and old age. (She's turned 29 more than 50 times already) My simple request is that some FReepers would say a prayer for Pat, that her journey to be with God, her parents, siblings and other dearly departed is swift and direct. And that my wonderful sister, who has taken care of our Mom through all of this, is given special comfort from God in this time...

I have a family member in Virginia who has had their life threatened by an honest to God kook. The cops put the kook in the psycho ward and now he's out. I'm interested in information I can send to this family member regarding personal protection in Virginia. CCW laws, body guards, etc. Forgive the vanity please. I just need good links to pass on.

Can anyone confirm the origin of this sword?  It belonged to my father who had it as long as any of us can remember, but alas he is no longer with us and nobody thought to ask him when he was alive.  He served in the USMC in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, and I believe that this sword's official designation is a U.S. Marine Corps NCO Saber.  Presumably from sometime between 1942 (join) and 1969 (retire).  If there's any grunts out there who can help me determine if this was an official USMC NCO Saber I'd really appreciate it. FYI,...

BEIJING, China -- Already guaranteed a medal, but showing no signs of slowing down, the United States softball team cruised to a 9-0 rout of China on Monday. [...]The three U.S. pitchers -- Osterman, Finch and Monica Abbott -- have a 0.00 combined ERA in 39 innings pitched. The U.S. has outscored its opponents 53-1 in its seven games, with the only run allowed being an unearned tally by Canada last week.

Seethe along with Rage Boy...

I live in a conservative bastion surrounded by the people's republic of Callyfornia. Today I was minding my own business, cleaning house, and the phone rings. Stop everything and answer the call with no caller ID and there's nobody there. I get back to work and 1/2 hour later it rings again. Stop my work and answer, and I get a tape recorder saying "This is Hillary Clinton". I hung up and got back on with my work. 1/2 hour later it's Hillary again ... "Hi, this is Hillary Clinton, and bla bla bla...." Well, it looks like I'm going...

    + NASA Home + Search NASA Web + Pagina en Español + Contact NASA     Asteroid Shower 12.03.2007     + Play Audio | + Download Audio | + Email to a friend | + Join mailing list Dec. 03, 2007: Mark your calendar: The best meteor shower of 2007 peaks on Friday, December 14th. "It's the Geminid meteor shower," says NASA astronomer Bill Cooke of the Marshall Space Flight Center. "Start watching on Thursday evening, Dec. 13th, around 10 pm local time," he advises. "At first you might not see very many meteors—but be patient....

I have "http://www.freerepublic.com" set in my Windows' "Trusted Zone", and thus have never been bothered with needing to OK any scripts that want to run. This morning whenever I view a page at FR I get an IE7 dialog to OK running a script. Thus far I've said NO, and it seems to have no detrimental effects. That's normal for a web page that isn't in my trusted zone because of the way I have my Internet Explorer's "Internet Zone" configured. Is FR running a new Active-X or Java control that is not fed from "http://www.freerepublic.com?" I'll change it from...

World Horseshoe Pitching Championships to be held in Ardmore, OK The National Horseshoe Pitchers Association is proud to announce the World Horseshoe Pitching Championships to be held in Ardmore, OK July 23, through Aug. 7, 2007. It is being held in Oklahoma in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of their statehood. Pitchers will compete for $136,000 in prize money. There are 984 pitchers entered, including 6 children less than 9 years of age. Champions will be crowned in the following Divisions; Men, Women, Senior Men, Senior Women, Elders (over 70 yrs. of age) Junior Boys, Junior Girls, and (9...

Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) "hates" George Bush (Vanity) Yet another DUmmie actor speaks out. Yesterday's "Inside the Actor's Studio" featured Kyra Sedgwick, who, when asked "what sound do you hate the most?" responded "George Bush's voice." (Paraphrased from memory) My wife is a big fan of "The Closer." I can tolerate it because it's important to Mrs. MarineBrat. I mentioned to Mrs. MarineBrat just how ignorant it is for an "actor" to inject political beliefs into a discussion about acting. When it becomes more important to get a dig in than it is to avoid insulting half of the audience......

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl doesn't remember the last time Pittsburgh was rated No. 1 in the country by "Places Rated Almanac." That was in 1985, and he was only 5. But he grew up in "America's Most Livable City," and last night said he was glad to hear that the latest edition of the almanac has again put Pittsburgh No. 1.

My wife is stuck on the 99 Fwy in Fresno and says it's all shut down with police everywhere, guns drawn. Anyone know what's up?

They are our BEST FRIENDS for so many reasons .....   They help with the chores around the house  They are Patriotic They love their "teddies" They help you when you're down They have "great" expectations They are happy to "test" the water for you They show us how to relax They protect our children  They "converse" with each other  They look out for the smaller ones They know who's "BOSS" They are very happy to "test" your food They are great at decorating for the Holidays AND - They make you LAUGH!!!!!!!!!!!

Don Pettit Goes to Antarctica 12.11.2006     + Play Audio | + Download Audio | + Email to a friend | + Join mailing list Dec. 11, 2006: Readers of Science@NASA may remember six fun months in 2002-03 when astronaut Don Pettit circled Earth onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Don was the expedition's science officer--and more than that, he was infected with a mischievous sense of experimentation. In the shower, he assembled giant blobs of floating water. He spun them, inflated them with air, and made them vibrate in ways impossible in the water-squashing gravity of Earth....

 It would be good for us to take a moment to remember in thankfulness and reverence those who first made many of us aware of 'Honoi' John's duplicity regarding US Militray men and women! They Served -- October 13, 2004 . Why? -- October 13, 2004 . Never Forget -- September 30, 2004 . Friends -- September 21, 2004 . Dazed and Confused -- September 17, 2004 . Medals -- August 31, 2004 . Gunner -- August 26, 2004 . Sellout -- August 20, 2004 . Any Questions? -- August 4, 2004

My trip to the Edwards AFB Air Show, Saturday, Oct. 28th.I started my journey on Friday afternoon, driving to the Mojave Dessert and camping out at Red Rock Canyon State Park.  I knew that the Edwards AFB gates opened at 7:00am and I was determined to be one of the first in line.  It was cold in Mojave and I had a hard time sleeping, and so I got up early and arrived at the Edwards AFB gates at around 5:00am.  The guards were very nice and told me that I could make a U-turn and park about 1/2 mile...

Hiya! A good buddy of mine (Army) just returned from a year in Iraq, and just before he returned he shipped me a beautiful US Flag that comes with a 8.5x11 inch certificate that certifies that the flag was flown over the US Embassy in Mosul, Iraq. I'm so proud that he thought of us.  While he was gone, my wife, daughter and I did some painting for his wife, and assorted other handyman things.  We also sent him a few care-packages.  I feel like he's returned the favor a thousand fold! My question is this. I'd like to *hand...

On Friday, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, sans “Drink Like A Champion” T-shirt, will make his first public appearance since his motorcycle accident a month ago, on “Good Morning America” with Robin Roberts. (Who’s having a considerably more successful post-ESPN career than, say, Brett Haber, by the way.)

Roethlisberger issues statement Thursday, June 15, 2006 Ben Roethlisberger was released from Mercy Hospital shortly before midnight on Thursday, less than three full days after being transported there by paramedics after a motorcycle accident. Now continuing his recuperation at home with his family at his side, Roethlisberger issued the following statement: "In the past few days, I have gained new perspective on life. By the grace of God, I am fortunate to be alive, surrounded by loved ones and lifted by the prayers and support of so many. I am sorry for any anxiety and concern my actions have caused...

Droids on the ISS 06.01.2006     + Play Audio | + Download Audio | + Email to a friend | + Join mailing list   June 1, 2006: Six years ago, MIT engineering Professor David Miller showed the movie Star Wars to his students on their first day of class. There's a scene Miller is particularly fond of, the one where Luke Skywalker spars with a floating battle droid. Miller stood up and pointed: "I want you to build me some of those." So they did. With support from the Department of Defense and NASA, Miller's undergraduates built...

OK, so maybe this is my contribution to the Friday Silliness thread posted a day early.  :)  Here's a link to Richard Little's web page.  He's one of my all time favorite comedians and impressionists.  He also was a great friend of Ronald Reagan's, and can act and sound exactly like Reagan, as well as Nixon, Carter, Bush Sr., and hundreds of other famous people.Many of you FReepers who are younger than me may not remember him, as his style of comedy seems to have disappeared along with Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts.  But I can tell you that Rich Little...

XL draws estimated 90.7 million viewers, up 5 percentNEW YORK -- An estimated 90.7 million people watched the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the largest Super Bowl audience since the Steelers last played in the title game in 1996. The audience was five percent bigger than the 86.1 million people who watched the New England Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles last year, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research. Continued... 

The Smell of Moondust 01.30.2006     + Play Audio | + Download Audio | + Historia en Español | + Email to a friend | + Join mailing list This is the third installment of Science@NASA's Apollo Chronicles. January 30, 2006: Moondust. "I wish I could send you some," says Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan. Just a thimbleful scooped fresh off the lunar surface. "It's amazing stuff."Feel it—it's soft like snow, yet strangely abrasive.Taste it—"not half bad," according to Apollo 16 astronaut John Young. Sniff it—"it smells like spent gunpowder," says Cernan.How do you sniff moondust? Every Apollo...

Electric Hurricanes Three of the most powerful hurricanes of 2005 were filled with mysterious lightning. January 9, 2006: The boom of thunder and crackle of lightning generally mean one thing: a storm is coming. Curiously, though, the biggest storms of all, hurricanes, are notoriously lacking in lightning. Hurricanes blow, they rain, they flood, but seldom do they crackle. Surprise: During the record-setting hurricane season of 2005 three of the most powerful storms--Rita, Katrina, and Emily--did have lightning, lots of it. And researchers would like to know why.Right: The eye of hurricane Emily photographed from the International Space Station. [More]Richard Blakeslee...

 While I am not a member of the Swift Boat Veterans and POW's for Truth, I was a financial and moral supporter of theirs during the last presidential election.  I will be forever indebted to them for standing up to that lying weasel "Hanoi" John Kerry.  I'm constantly reminded by stories here at FR about the bullet that we dodged, and I'm still completely astounded that he got as close as he did to being Commander In Chief of the US Armed Forces.  Thank you Dear God for summoning your angels to head off that disaster of a man.My...

Mike Tice's message to Vikings fans: Do as I say, not as I do.Tice told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, Minn., that he was upset with the number of Steelers fans that occupied seats at the Metrodome on Sunday, estimating their numbers at 15,000 to 20,000. The newspaper reported that if Tice's estimation was correct, at least 10,000 of the Vikings' season-ticket holders sold their tickets."It confuses me, I guess," Tice told the newspaper. "Maybe they're not really diehard season-ticket holders or maybe they needed the money for Christmas presents. I don't know. One of the two."However, in June, Tice...

 What really is "stuck on stupid?" A pictorial query.            Wig ~ Stuck on stupid!

Saturday, September 17, 2005 Memo to Sen. Kerry TO: Sen. John F. Kerry FROM: William J. Dyer (a/k/a Beldar) RE: Limitations Spectacular lawyer though you may (or may not) be in your own right, I know your staff includes some agile and diligent legal minds. Nevertheless, in the interests of fairness, I feel obliged to remind you of the fact that Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi — which spent several weeks at No. 1 on the NYT Bestsellers List before last year's presidential election — was...

First, please forgive the vanity. I have an opportunity to help form the thoughts of some present and future healthcare executives, and deemed it important enought to call on some FReepers for imput. My wife is finishing up her masters in nursing. This morning over breakfast she mentioned to me that one of their assignments is to frame a debate regarding the following statement... "Healthcare should be freely available to all, regardless of cost" Out of the students in her class (I think about 12 of them), only she and one other person have come down on the "con" side....

See this amazing Frenchurian phrog morph into "Hanoi" John Kerry right before your eyes!

Hi All: While listening to the Jaz McKay show the other night they had a person who said that their group was bringing a mobile 1/3 replica of the Vietnam Memorial to Fresno next week. Does anyone have info about it? I can't seem to Google up anything. Thanks, MarineBrat

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW, MAN by ADAM GORIGHTLY "Rockin'" Rollen Stewart is, in my opinion, one of the more interesting mutants on the face of the planet. After garnering his first frenetic fifteen seconds of Warholian fame at a Portland Trailblazer Basketball game in 1977, Stewart wanted more, more, more! For years he was seen making a spectacle of himself at various sporting events in a huge rainbow colored wig, smiling from ear to ear with wide beaming eyes, hoisting high in his busy hands giant placards with biblical passages writ upon them, as he gleefully bounced around, clad...

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (Jan. 28, 2005) -- A Marine veteran recently returned in September from a successful combat tour in Iraq only to begin a battle for his own life in the United States. Lance Cpl. Christopher R. LeBleu, a native of Lake Charles, La., is currently in very critical condition in Loma Linda University Hospital, Calif., for an unexplained complete liver failure. The Marine came back Sept. 9, 2004, from Iraq where he conducted support and stabilization operations as a rifleman with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. The month after his return to...

Winter WonderlandSome winter rules to live by...  Sometimes the road rises up to meet you!  If life deals you lemons, make lemonade!   Take good care of your car, it puts up with a lot!   Always appreciate a good horizon when you have one!   Sometimes it's good to be silly!   If you're challenged to a snowball battle,let them have it with both barrels!   Look for the hidden beauty in every situation.   Always remember what your car's mirror looks like.   If your pipes didn't freeze last winter, light an extra candle at church!    Pride goeth before a fall.     Watch for TROLLS and keep FReepin!

They are our BEST FRIENDS for so many reasons .....   They help with the chores around the house  They are Patriotic They love their "teddies" They help you when you're down They have "great" expectations They are happy to "test" the water for you They show us how to relax They protect our children  They "converse" with each other  They look out for the smaller ones They know who's "BOSS" They are very happy to "test" your food They are great at decorating for the Holidays AND - They make you LAUGH!!!!!!!!!!!

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I just visited this newsgroup and saw several posters there who I'm familliar with from other internet sources. They are extremely good thinkers technically, but seem to be inundated with "Donk Noise". news://news.securecomp.org/thetable If one or several of you would pay it a (respectful) visit I would consider it to be a true service to conservatism. There is much good that can be done there! Thanks for your time, and my apologies for the vanity. I do believe there are a few important and influential people who read this newsgroup, and it could use some of your expert input.