Free Republic

Hello fellow Freepers. I am looking to you for some direction and advice on where to turn on behalf of my closest friend in the world. A very horrific incident happened this week to her daughter, who was expecting her first child. Unfortunately, she misscarried the baby at 13 weeks gestation. If the devastation of that was not enough, it happened in the hospital while she was on the toilet. The nurse instructed them to leave it there and she would go get a pathology box. Very shortly thereafter, another hospital staff member came into the room, donned gloves, and...

PORTLAND - Oregon attorney Brandon Mayfield, who was wrongly accused in the 2004 Madrid terrorist train bombings, has settled his lawsuit against the federal government for $2 million in damages. The lawsuit said Mayfield was wrongly arrested on the basis of misidentified fingerprints. Mayfield, a convert to Islam, said he was arrested because of his faith. Mayfield was held for two weeks in 2004. Attorney Elden Rosenthal confirmed the settlement Wednesday and plans to hold a news conference with Mayfield in Portland in the afternoon. Mayfield is still challenging the Patriot Act. The FBI in Portland did not immediately return...

He says the clinic gave a stranger his sperm and then lied about it. She says the clinic coerced her into taking the morning-after pill and then offered her a free abortion. Now he wants to know whether he's a father without his consent. And she just wants to be left alone. Oregon Health & Science University concedes it gave his sperm to her, but beyond that it's not saying much. On Monday, a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge will be asked to sort out whether the man has the right to learn whether the woman has had a baby...

Good evening, Freepers. I thought I would ask for some assistance in brainstorming for a paper I'm doing in a writing class. The assignment is to write a 4 page paper defining "Republican" (of which, I am one). There were other political-minded options to choose from for the subject, but I took the challenge of defining, TRULY defining, "Republican" for a young, predominantly liberal/Democrat audience (yes, some of my classmates will read it and *gulp* comment). We've already covered two assignments regarding the war in Iraq and I'm really getting worn down. /p There is a wealth of knowledge surfing...

I wanted to share a quick (?) story of how the elections intruded on my 13 yr old son's grades. I just went to his parent-teacher conferences at his Portland, OR middle school last night and almost don't know what to think. First, I pick up his report card. Pretty much straight A's with one glaring C (at least that's what I equate them to, they use silly numbering now and I have to decipher it). They also grade on effort - with consistent high scores and one low one. Hmmm...this is a little out of character and looks strangely...

11/3/2004, 7:39 a.m. PT By BRAD CAIN The Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon voters took a conservative line on ballot measures in Tuesday's election — including voting to ban gay marriage — while endorsing Democrat John Kerry's presidential bid and returning a slate of Democrats to statewide and federal offices. Despite a concerted effort by President Bush and the Republicans, Oregon remained firmly in the Democratic column with Kerry winning a convincing victory over Bush. In a hotly contested U.S. House race, Democratic Rep. David Wu weathered allegations of long-ago sexual misconduct as he vanquished Republican challenger Goli...

Two New Vents Open MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. -- A scientist said there was an "interesting twist" in Tuesday morning's eruption at Mount St. Helens, which started at 9:03 a.m. and lasted for more than an hour. At an afternoon news briefing, Carl Thornber of the U.S. Geological Survey said there was no tremor or other seismic signal going into the eruption, which sent ash and steam thousands of feet into the sky. Thornber said there was no seismicity to speak of during the release, and it quieted down after the eruption. By 1 p.m., the earthquake activity was slowly...

I would like help with my letter of complaint to the school board of the college I attend. The sociology instructor I had last term continually bashed the Bush administration and anything conservative. I know, nothing new there. I did, however, find a school board policy that he may have violated. I have drafted a letter, but I know there are so many well-educated people on this board I hoped someone may look it over and give me feedback before I send it. Here's the letter: Dear Members of the School Board; I am currently a Portland Community College student...

Weddings Continue PORTLAND -- Ministers and conservative lawmakers filed a lawsuit Friday that seeks to block same-sex marriages in Multnomah County, three days after officials here sanctioned gay weddings for the first time in Oregon history. The lawsuit was filed in Multnomah County court by the Defense of Marriage Coalition, which was created after Oregon's most populous county announced Wednesday it would begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The group contends that county commissioners violated the state Public Meetings Law by privately agreeing among themselves to change county policy. The group also argues that Oregon law clearly defines marriage...