Free Republic

It was Christmas, but it didn’t seem like Christmas to me. Traditional lights were glistening everywhere, and churches were abuzz with excitement, but I felt a coldness in my heart akin to the freezing rains that hit me as I trudged uphill to the hospital.

PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL---Our news partners at the Sun Sentinel report: U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, who represents Broward and Palm Beach counties, plans to resign from Congress. He plans to announce his plans at a news conference Wednesday at 10 a.m. in Boca Raton. A Democratic source with knowledge of Wexler's plans said he is likely to take a public policy job that deals with the Middle East. Wexler, a senior member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, has long been involved in issues involving Israel and Turkey.

A century ago, Labor Day in Bell County was more about brotherhood and less about barbecue. The first Monday in September began 127 years ago as a "working man's holiday," but, in reality, in Bell County, the day emphasized more "working" than "holiday." Far from being the "last day of summer vacation," most Bell Countians anticipated Labor Day for a bountiful cotton harvest. Although the observance is 118 years old in Texas, not until 1909 did Bell County's Labor Day celebrations swell to widespread celebration. Before then, 12-hour shifts were common; worker conditions perilous. Railroads, Temple's major employer, were the...

The man who took the decision to free the Lockerbie bomber from jail on compassionate grounds accused him yesterday of breaking an undertaking not to celebrate his release. Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of the bombing, had shown “no sensitivity” to the families of those who died, Kenny MacAskill, Scotland’s Justice Secretary, told the Scottish Parliament. It was the first time that Scotland’s Nationalist administration has joined the condemnation of the triumphal scenes. Aware that Britain is caught in the cross-hairs of international outrage, Gordon Brown is expected today to urge Libya not to fête al-Megrahi further. Appearing...

“We the People….Take Back Our Country” Glendale Area Independence Tea Party July 3, 2009 3:00 – 7:00 pm 1823 Foothill Boulevard La Canada, CA 91011 $10.00 per person- cash Fully Catered Live Music

So much for the rockets' red glare, not to mention the cadence of the town band or the parade of high-stepping locals. The recession has hit the Fourth of July.

Excerpt from John Adams' famous letter of July 3, 1776, in which he wrote to his wife Abigail what his thoughts were about celebrating the Fourth of July: "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think...

FORT HUACHUCA — It wasn’t until nearly 181 years after the U.S Army was formed that the organization had an official flag, although Army units had their own colors. And, for the past 234 years 178 campaign streamers have become an integral part of the Army flying symbol. Each streamer is a visual reminder that throughout the nation’s history, ensuring life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has required the sacrifices of soldiers. On June 12, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the official flag. Ike previously had became a General of the Army in World War II and led...

There'll be no fireworks over A-Mountain this Fourth of July. The city has decided to scrap the holiday celebration , which included the mountaintop fireworks and related events at the Tucson Convention Center Downtown. Canceling the event will save the city at least $51,000, Asst. City Manager Richard Miranda said in a news release Wednesday. Rodney Campbell, spokesman for Marana, expects the town will benefit. "I'm sure we'll get more people" he said, noting that the town suspected Tucson would cancel and has taken that into account for planning. Campbell said it will be great for the Marana businesses in...

Political Correctness Claims Another Victim: 40-Year-Old Kindergarten Thanksgiving Celebration Killed by Political Correctness Gone Wild "Racist" children celebrate Thanksgiving by "dehumanizing" American Indians In yet another case of political correctness run amok, a forty year history of kindergarteners dressed as pilgrims and native Americans celebrating Thanksgiving at school has been quashed in Claremont, California, due to four people who complained the celebration used "racist stereotypes" which were "dehumanizing". According to the Los Angeles Times, parents of kindergarteners are "furious" over the Claremont School Board's decision to ban the kiddies wearing costumes after one mom, Michelle Raheja, an English professor at...

Well, today, Veterans Day, as we do every year, we take that moment to embrace the gentle heroes of Vietnam and of all our wars. We remember those who were called upon to give all a person can give, and we remember those who were prepared to make that sacrifice if it were demanded of them in the line of duty, though it never was. Most of all, we remember the devotion and gallantry with which all of them ennobled their nation as they became champions of a noble cause

You may have seen this, but this video is Fox News coverage of the celebration in front of the White House last night. You will see a Soviet flag flying at the celebration. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCMcv1VF4uQ

Watched Fox News last night and this morning and in two of their videos of the celebrations I saw clearly two different persons wearing red t-shirts with what appeared to be a yellow star, and (the hammer ?) sickle (I clearly saw the star and the sickle). Did anyone else see this? Am looking for the video. Fox News has a video "Yes We Can! Celebration erupts outside White House", at their Fox News Video Web Page and it may have been his video and it was clipped short before Fox posted it to the web. Did anyone see these...

I'm listening now to Chicago Police scanner traffic and hearing a lot of shots fired calls. Just heard "Hail to the Chief" over the radio. Looks like the celebration has begun..... Chicago Girds for Obama's Rally, Amid Memories of Violent 1968 By Andrew Harris Nov. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Chicago is bracing itself for Barack Obama's hometown election-night rally. The event scheduled for Grant Park, known as the city's front yard, may draw as many as 1 million people, Mayor Richard M. Daley said. Officials are hoping for a peaceful gathering, while preparing for possible violence that could further tarnish Chicago,...

8/4/2008 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The following birthday message is sent to the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard from Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: On this, the 218th birthday of the United States Coast Guard, our nation pauses to say thanks to you, our guardians of the sea. For more than two centuries, you and your families have stood, always ready for the call, in light or darkness, with sunny skies or through howling gales, to respond to crises and to fight in every one of our nation's armed conflicts. Today,...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, July 6, 2008 – Although soldiers here didn't have a traditional Independence Day celebration, they made the most of the time they had celebrating with new friends -- soldiers of the Iraq Army -- during a series of athletic competitions to commemorate America's Independence Day. U.S. soldiers from 3rd Platoon Company B, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, help their teammates climb a wall during the one-mile steeple chase. The soldiers competed in the Borzoi Squad Competition at Joint Security Station Sheik Amir, northwest of Baghdad, to celebrate Independence Day...

VA MEDICAL CENTER HOSTS "WELCOME HOME" CELEBRATION FOR RETURNING COMBAT VETERANS June 9, 2008 WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, DC will honor returning combat veterans with a unique outreach and education event on Saturday, June 14, 2008 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The Welcome Home Celebration will be held on the hospital grounds at 50 Irving Street, NW, rain or shine. More here

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2008 – A grant of just $163 dollars from a group that supports military families turned out to be a really big deal -- not only for the recipients, but for the granting organization, as well. The grant put “Our Military Kids,” a group that supports families of deployed or wounded National Guard and reserve members, over the $1 million mark in grants given, said Gail Kruzel, one of the organization’s founders. This particular grant means that two young sons of Missouri Army National Guard Maj. Matt Bacon, who currently is serving his second tour in...

I think my late wife would approve of this message.

SIERRA VISTA — A first-grade class at Huachuca Mountain Elementary School was buzzing with excitement Tuesday morning. They knew something their student teacher Rebecca Schaeffer and her husband to be, Spc. Jerome Horrace, didn’t. Horrace had returned Saturday for a mid-tour break from Iraq, and Susan Hilliard’s class of 23 students had adopted his unit, writing letters and sending cards to the 1-28 Intelligence Section at Forward Operating Base Falcon in the Baghdad city limits. The section is officially part of the Black Lions, as the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division...

Is there a specific date FreeRepublicans celebrate FR's birth? Or is there a day it ought to be celebrated (besides every day)?

(CNN) -- A witness to Saddam Hussein's execution in Baghdad said that celebrations broke out after the former dictator died, and that there was "dancing around the body." "Saddam's body is in front me," said an official in the prime minister's office when CNN telephoned. "It's over." In the background, Shiite chanting could be heard. When asked about the chanting, the official said "These are employees of the prime minister's office and government chanting in celebration." The execution took place shortly after 6 a.m. (10 p.m. Friday ET), Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, told Iraqi television. A power outage...

SIERRA VISTA ? Friday was a busy day for Marines on Fort Huachuca. First, some had to take part in the city?s Veterans Day Parade. While that was happening other active-duty and retired Marines and their family members were preparing the Thunder Mountain Activity Centre on post for the annual Marine Corps Ball Friday night, expected to be attended by nearly 350 people. With a small contingent ? about 40 staff member and students ? the post?s Marine detachment has a lot of work to do preparing for the 231st birthday of the service, said Capt. Alan Ramsey, the detachment?s...

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Hello Everybody, Over the past 7 ½ years I have written a couple of times to tell you stories about my son’s battle with cancer. I now have one last story to tell. And I want you to hear it. This last story begins with a boat. The boat is not much to look at anymore because it has aged a lot since the day it was built. I am sure a boat of this size had a name but I can’t find it anywhere, and it has been painted so many times that the original color is no longer...

You might be interested to hear that some people in the world still love America. My wife and I live in Belgium and two weeks ago we drove over to the Belgian coast to see some friends. They live in a small beach village called Middlekirk that happened to be holding a little festival to celebrate the end of the summer season. The theme was the American West. Everyone was dressed in cowboy and cowgirl clothes, six shooters on their hips, line dances everywhere, entertainers playing and singing country-western music, more than a hundred outdoor grills cooking hamburgers, hotdogs and...

America Supports You: Groups Honor Troops with CelebrationBy Samantha L. QuigleyAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2006 -- Waxhaw, N.C., is planning an all-American celebration of freedom to commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and honor the nation’s servicemembers. Patte Kennedy, owner of Southsiders, and Tommy Nicholson are all smiles after hanging a collection of patriotic art and “Letters to the Troops” on the walls of Southsiders Deli in Waxhaw, N.C. They were hanging the collection in preparation for Flags Across The Nation's Sept. 9 event. “Waving Patriotism” is being held to remember 9/11 and support the...

U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. of Memphis, the Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat, attended the Celebration Tuesday, where he was introduced by announcer Chip Walters as "one of the reasons we're having a horse show tonight." Ford had originally been scheduled to present a class award on Friday night, and was on his way to the Celebration grounds just as a dispute between trainers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture shut down Friday night's show. "I think everybody was disappointed," Ford told the Times-Gazette just as Tuesday night's show was starting. He said he'd been aware of some...

Let's git 'er done ! .

Saturday April 15, 2:36 PM N.Korea marks founder's birthday with nuclear boast SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea marked Saturday's birthday of its late founder and eternal president with acrobats, street dancing and boasts of building a bigger nuclear arsenal. For North Koreans, the anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung is a time for festivities and perhaps a little larger rice ration than usual. For regional powers, though, it serves as a reminder of the difficulties of ending Pyongyang's atomic ambitions that were launched decades ago under his leadership. North Korea calls the holiday the Day of the Sun. Kim,...

Bring on the fireworks !!Let's push this fundraiser over the top !!

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THERE was little sign of triumphalism at last night's Coalition celebration of 10 years in power but there were many grand words of praise for John Howard and the party faithful. While a number of speakers recited the achievements of the Howard-Costello Government, the Prime Minister was quick to remind his colleagues of the danger of losing sight of the Australian people. "The golden rule of Australian politics is not to get too full of yourself, to understand that you are there to serve the Australian people, not to tell them how good you are," he told a packed Great...

FALLOUT from this week's heated showdown over abortion continued yesterday after supporters of the new law were pictured celebrating their victory. Victorian Liberal MP Chris Pearce criticised a group of female MPs and senators for sipping champagne soon after Parliament paved the way for RU486's use in Australia. Senators Lyn Allison, Judith Troeth and Fiona Nash, and Labor MPs Kelly Hoare and Julia Gillard were among those drinking to their success after the conscience vote. Mr Pearce, who backed the Bill, said it was a tasteless gesture. "Pictures of the women sipping champagne was outrageous and over the top," he...

A young Chinese couple selects gifts for the upcoming Valentine's Day in Nanjing, capital of east china's Jiangsu province on February 8, 2006. REUTERS/China DailyA Thai model displays a bouquet of embossed roses ahead of Valentine's Day in Bangkok February 10, 2006. REUTERS/Chaiwat SubprasomA Colombian grower prepares a heart made of roses in a flower shop in Bogota February 8, 2006. Colombia is the second largest flower exporter in the world after Holland and in February it will send 1.5 million boxes of flowers to United States for St. Valentine's Day. Picture taken on February 8, 2006. REUTERS/Jose Miguel GomezBosnian...

Driving liberals crazy .. and having fun doing it! Support Free Republic! Donate Here By Secure Server Or mail checks to FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794 or you can use PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com Thank you paulat for the graphic

THE peace process in the Middle East was in turmoil last night as Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister who sought accommodation with the Palestinians, was in a critical condition after suffering a massive stroke. Doctors at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, where Mr Sharon was rushed from his ranch in the Negev Desert, said that the Prime Minister was on a respirator. There were reports that he had suffered some paralysis. Prime ministerial powers were transferred to Ehud Olmert, the deputy leader, while Mr Sharon, 77, was undergoing surgery to alleviate pressure on the brain after a cerebral haemorrhage,...

Falling bullets injured two people and narrowly missed a half-dozen children after New Year's Eve revelers fired guns into the air across San Diego County. The most serious injury involved a 27-year-old woman whose shoulder was pierced by a stray bullet as she stood on her apartment balcony on Felicita Avenue in Escondido. Thirty miles away, a man was hit on a hand by a bullet that had passed through a wall of his Chamoune Avenue house in the Swan Canyon neighborhood of San Diego. Additionally, a family in the Chollas View neighborhood of San Diego had a close call...

LONDON - Londoners ignored a subway strike to welcome the New Year. Some Japanese climbed a snowcapped peak to see the first sunrise of 2006. GIs in Iraq got a year-end "American Idol" treat. New Year's Celebrations like these spread throughout the world Saturday and early Sunday and were generally jubilant, a contrast with last year when the devastation of the Indian Ocean tsunami led many countries and individuals to cancel festivities. In France, youths burned hundreds of cars in a traditional year-end form of vandalism, but the country appeared to have avoided a massive resurgence of the rioting that...

      Music For Our Troops -All music is removed the following week! Support the artists below by going to the following links: ArtistDirect.com l Amazon.com l Walmart.com l Ticketmaster.com l Google.com l  Songfacts.com l Billboard.com l Audiophile.com l Wherehouse.com l Sonique l  MTV.com l VH1.com l CMT.com l MuchMusic.com l Audio Realm l MSN Radio l Shout Cast l Launch Music l Live-Radio Net l MP3.com l Welcome to our New Year's Music Celebration! Thank you for joining us this evening!! To all of our Troops around the world: ~ Happy New Year's ~ Mayhem Presents~ Remixes...

EVERY Victorian school and kindergarten has been officially told: don't ban Christmas celebrations. Premier Steve Bracks yesterday gave his official encouragement for nativity scenes, carols and other Christian traditions. Jingle Bells can ring in classrooms around the state again after several schools banned nativity scenes and carol singing last year for fear of offending non-Christian children. Mr Bracks told the Herald Sun the Government would send a message to every primary and secondary school reminding them not to ban Christmas. "All schools and kindergartens should be able to have nativity plays and Christian celebrations," Mr Bracks said. "Those who don't...

Let's Put This Over The Top !!

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Apollo 11 on Human Achievement Day By Edward Hudgins ehudgins@objectivistcenter.org There are holidays and days of commemoration stretching from New Year's to Independence Day to Christmas. A new one should be added to the calendar - informally rather than by government decree: Human Achievement Day -- July 20th, the date in 1969 when human beings first landed on the Moon. The most obvious benefit of living in society with others is that we can each specialize in the production of goods and services at which we are best and then trade with others, making us all prosperous. But in society...

Thank You Freepers!Thank You for your wisdom and knowledgeThank You for setting the record straightThank You for defending FreedomThank You for your spiritThank You for your thoughts and prayers for your fellow FRiendsThank You for making Free Republic the best on the Web!!

Americans were busy enjoying the Fourth of July this past weekend, but how many of them took the time to think about what they were actually celebrating? Rather than a celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, many Americans see the Fourth of July as simply an opportunity to gather with friends and family to barbecue. And to cap it off, they get to watch some spectacular fireworks. Relatively speaking, the Fourth of July is one holiday that Americans tend to know something about. Most know that it involves America's independence from Britain and, if nothing else, that...

FREEPER CALL TO ACTION! Please help keep Free Republic front and center to defend The U.S. Constitution!!

President on now

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, June 30, 2005) – Army installations worldwide have scheduled activities from fireworks to freedom fests and patriotic salutes to celebrate the nation’s birthday this weekend. Soldiers in Baghdad will compete in a number of sports activities July 4 on the grounds of Saddam Hussein’s former palace near the embassy. Teams will battle each other in horseshoes, a tug of war contest, water balloon toss, pool volleyball and a basketball free throw competition in the palace pool. Independence Day celebrations are also planned in Afghanistan where the Indiana National Guard’s 76th Infantry Brigade will celebrate the holiday...