Free Republic

An enraged Highland Park, Michigan father is accused of killing his son - as he begged for his life - after learning the teen may have sexually abused a toddler. Jamar Pinkney Sr., 37, irate over hearing his 15-year-old son Jamar Pinkney Jr. had sexual contact with a 3-year-old girl made the teen strip at gunpoint, marched him to a vacant lot and shot him to death despite pleas from the boy and his mother, a relative said. Michigan authorities filed a first-degree murder charge Wednesday against Pinkney Sr. in his son's shooting death Monday. Defense attorney Corbett O'Meara said...

An 18-year-old ran off with his stepmother after being reunited with his father for the first time since he was a baby, a court has heard. Benjamin Smith met his father Andrew Smith in the summer of last year and moved in to his house to begin the family life both men had never enjoyed. But the emotional reunion went disastrously wrong for the father. His 34-year-old wife Dawn began an affair with her teenage stepson and eventually the marriage collapsed, York Magistrates’ Court was told. The unlikely couple left to begin a new life together 60 miles away in...

Colorado Authorities: 'Balloon Boy' Flight 'Was a Stunt' Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden announced at a press conference on Sunday that Colorado authorities have ruled the "balloon boy's" flight a hoax. "It has been determined that this is a hoax. We believe we have evidence at this point to indicate that this was a publicity stunt," Alderden told reporters. Authorities believe the alleged plot was hatched in an attempt by the Heene family "to better market themselves for a reality show at some point in the future," Alderden said. "They were lying." ... http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568420,00.html

A manifold witness I have placed in you , All that is faithful and true , A oneness of The Father and I in one breath , Can you imagine this depth , For what once rested upon me , Was the one and the three in complete harmony , And so it is even now My fullness with you , For as you witness me all 3 come through ~ ~ ~ John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,...

A father missed the birth of his first son after being arrested for groping a nurse on the way to the delivery room. Police said Adam Manning sexually assaulted the nurse as she wheeled his wife into the delivery room. The 30 year old had told the nurse she was "cute" then reached round to grab her breasts. Police in Ogden, Utah, were called to the hospital and arrested Manning on charges of forcible sexual assault. When later asked about his actions he said he had no idea why he carried out the assault. Police confirmed that he missed the...

In his new book, "Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage," Best-selling celebrity journalist, Christopher Andersen, has blown a huge hole in the Obama genius myth without intending to do so. Relying on inside sources, quite possibly Michelle Obama herself, Andersen describes how Dreams came to be published -- just as I had envisioned it in my articles on the authorship of Dreams.  With the deadline pressing, Michelle recommended that Barack seek advice from "his friend and Hyde Park neighbor Bill Ayers." To flesh out his family history, Obama had taped interviews with various family members. Andersen writes, "These...

I saw the Father in the Garden with Jesus and the Father had a shofar in his left hand . My sons and daughters of Zion ( hebrews 12:23 )it is time to unite as one with me The Father for we are advancing inward to penetrate the last strongholds . See them in the center for we have them surrounded , yet many within this circle that have resisted me and my will " Jesus " shall soon be inialted OR come into this very army I have formed as My Bride and soon there shall be a great...

When mom is away, most dads offer a crying newborn a bottle of milk, a pacifier, a pinkie finger. But a Swedish dad is embarking on an experiment that he hopes will allow him to soothe a baby with his own milk-filled breasts. Ragnar Bengtsson, a 26-year-old student at Stockholm University, is regularly breaking out a breast pump to induce lactation. Bengtsson is the father of a 2-year-old child, but he has no plans to nurse his toddler. Rather he wants to breast-feed future children and inspire other dads to offer their breasts as a way to bond with their...

This is a miracle and an amazing story! Thanks to the milk of human kindness on this one: When Carolyn Isbister put her 20oz baby on her chest for a cuddle, she thought that it would be the only chance she would ever have to hold her. Doctors had told the parents that baby Rachel only had only minutes to live because her heart was beating once every ten seconds and she was not breathing. Isbister remembers: I didn’t want her to die being cold. So I lifted her out of her blanket and put her against my skin to...

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 25, 2009 – An airman assigned here witnessed the birth of his third child, and he did so without leaving his post. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Rafael Garcia talks via webcam with his wife, Monica, and daughter, Carmella Fe, Aug. 18, 2009. Garcia experienced the birth of his daughter via webcam from Southwest Asia. He is deployed from Ramstein Air Base, Germany. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jason W. Edwards  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Instead, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Rafael Garcia of the 379th Expeditionary Mission Support Group saw the birth live via...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A man was arrested and charged with attacking his own daughter with a piece of pizza. Deputies say the 38-year-old father got into an argument with his daughter in Gainesville Friday. The man had asked his daughter to get off her computer. When she would not, he began verbally attacking her, according to deputies. The daughter called 911 when her father threw a piece of pizza that hit her in the back of the neck. The suspect was arrested and charged with felony child abuse. Deputies are not releasing the girl's age or the names of either...

Staff Sgt. Glennie Burks, Jr., left, and Maj. Glennie Burks, Sr. enjoy some father-son time before his son re-deploys. Photo by Photo by Chief Petty Officer Michael Kennedy. BAGHDAD — Burks and Burks—one a major and the other a staff sergeant—are both serving their country on their second combat tour in Iraq. The younger Burks, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Glennie Burks, Jr., has done 15 months this time around. He’s been serving in the Army for seven years and has excelled since basic training in 2002 at Fort Sill, Okla. In 2003, Burks, Jr. did his first deployment to Iraq...

The reader might be warned that reading this San Francisco Chronicle Father's Day piece serves as a most perfect emetic. In fact, it's a wonder that writer Jennifer Weiss could type with all those stars in her eyes. Her Father's Day adulation of Obama is so over-the-top that Obama suddenly becomes the "father of our country," and is determined to have "super-dad status." The most offensive part of this piece is, of course, the aforementioned assigning to Obama of the role of "father of our country." There is only one father of our country and that is George Washington, war...

A Love Letter from Our Heavenly Father?by OneVike When asked by His disciples to teach them how to pray as the John's disciples prayed, Jesus gave them this prayer as a model. Luke 11:1-2 “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”...

There is little question that in most families the mother is the central unifying person emblematic of unconditional love that can be tough love when necessary. Recent research, however, suggests that fathers are more important in the lives of children than had been previously understood. It is still unclear how much this reflects the fact that, although many single parents are successful in that challenging role, children raised in intact two-parent homes enjoy certain tangible advantages, or that fathers bring certain essential characteristics to family life. Some research indicates that fathers are more likely to engage in vigorous physical play,...

This Father’s Day sets up a special call to greatness for Catholic men, as it falls the day before the feasts of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher. The first was a model family man, the other a passionate pastor. Both died for the Catholic faith, demonstrating the devotion all Christian fathers must give their families (See Ephesians 5:25). Fathers of nuclear families and spiritual families can learn much from these two English martyrs. “St. Thomas More taught his children, by both word and action, that we’re all called to be God’s good servant first,” says Father Roger Landry, pastor...

BAGHDAD, June 19, 2009 – This Father’s day weekend has special meaning for Army Maj. Benjamin Rex. Rex, a native of Albion, Ind., is serving here alongside his son, Army Pfc. Jeromy Bruce Rex. Army Pfc. Jeromy Rex, left, and Army Maj. Benjamin Rex pose for a picture during a reunion at Joint Security Station Loyalty, Iraq. The Fort Bragg, N.C.-based father and son both serve with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The soldiers serve together with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, based out of...

<p>Each year, as Father’s Day approaches, a local gun store and shooting range, with two convenient locations, runs half- and full-page ads urging Florida families to give Dad a gun for Father’s Day.</p> <p>My guess is some of you have never realized, or even contemplated, what a perfect keepsake a gun would make for dear ol’ Dad: When you care enough to give the very best, why not make it an assault weapon?</p>

Father’s Day 2009: “An End to Buffoonish Fathers” Ah, Father’s Day is upon us. I can’t think of a better time for dads and men to remember how to be dads and men. Flip on the tube any time during the day and you’ll see fathers portrayed as hapless buffoons – saved from themselves by their wives and all-knowing children. The real life of the modern dad isn’t much prettier. To be sure, the state of the American male is in a shambles – though I’m not fully sure how we got here. I remember the ‘60s. The women’s movement...

JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, June 9, 2009 – Army Spc. Jonathan Goodwin is a lot of different things: husband, father of seven children, jokester, and the kind of person who can light up a room with his sense of humor. But before he was any of these things, he became a soldier, signing up for his first enlistment in May 1992. Army Spc. Jonathan Goodwin stands in front of the unit’s offices in Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan, May 31, 2009. Goodwin, a North Carolina native, is a husband and father of seven who rejoined the Army after a break in service....

My gatekeepers are doorstops holding the floodgates of my love open for my children of virtue in that as they enter into the Father's garden it is the will of his heart they seed and spread through the trust and the fruit of salvation found in the earthened tree of righteousness namely My Son for I am revealing my heart of loving kindness by " The Vine " and as I continue to press my vineyard of grapes from those I pick you shall see the expression of my love in Grace for he is the wineskin and blood of...

Air Force Master Sgt. Joseph Myers had only one wish while in the desert sands of Iraq: Get home before the end of his daughter's fourth-grade year. It almost didn't happen. Almost. On Thursday, the next-to-last day of class at Randolph Elementary School, the airman's wish came true. An emotional Myers, still dressed in his brown-and-tan fatigues, surprised his daughter in her class, returning from a year in Iraq nine days before his tour ended. Hannah Eschrig's jaw dropped and she began crying as her father lifted her into an embrace. Several minutes passed as the hug continued before Hannah...

A father who towed his six-year-old son on a sledge behind his 4x4 pickup truck on a busy main road to give him a 'once-in-a-lifetime experience' is facing prison. Simon Lewington, 40, was photographed by a shocked passerby pulling his son 500 yards during rush hour traffic after a heavy snow fall. Stunned police gave chase after he drove past a police station and slalomed around several cars with his son coming inches away from oncoming traffic.

CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq, June 4, 2009 – When Cpl. Jared P. Lopez joined the Marine Corps in September 2006, he always knew there would be a possibility that he would deploy at the same time as his father, who has served in the Marine Corps for nearly 20 years. But he didn’t think they would end up on the same base in Iraq. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Juan Lopez, left, stands with his son, Marine Corps Cpl. Jared P. Lopez, at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, May 23, 2009. The two Marines found themselves serving side by side when both of...

Even though his campaign went to great lengths to hide it, because of perceived American discrimination against Muslims, it turns out that President Obama's Muslim roots run deep. In fact, his father was Muslim.

BASRA, Iraq, May 26, 2009 – Army Lt. Col. Harold Turner is a man of plans. As the logistics planner in the plans cell of the 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division, he helps develop logistical support for operations across the nine southern provinces of Iraq. Army Lt. Col. Harold Turner, logistics planner in the plans cell of the 34th Infantry Division, prepares to swear his son, Brett, into the U.S. Army via a webcam connection on the Internet between Baghdad and Iowa. Courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. His son, Brett, planned to follow his father...

OC Family Grateful Editor: Saturday, April 25, 2009 was a beautiful day, and it was made even more wonderful by the outpouring of affection expressed toward Captain Robert S. Craig at his Beach Memorial Service. The Craig children and family appreciate all that was done to honor our “Pop,” a man so many in Ocean City have known and loved for so many years. The Beach Memorial was truly memorable and more special than we could have possibly imagined. We have many people to thank for their efforts in making it happen. We learned very quickly that organizing such an...

BAGHDAD, May 18, 2009 – A father and son serving together in Multinational Division Baghdad on Camp Liberty, Iraq, epitomize their family’s tradition of service. Army Spc. Allen Heredia, left, and his son, Army Pfc. Steven Heredia, share a moment together on Camp Liberty, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Carlos Valdez  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Spc. Allen Heredia is a military police soldier with the 810th Military Police Company, Task Force 91 Military Police, 8th Military Police Brigade. His son, Army Pfc. Steven Allen Heredia, is a supply specialist assigned to the MP brigade’s Headquarters...

(At right) Flanked by friends and family members, a wreath is carried down the beach to be released into the ocean in memory of Craig, "founding father" of the Beach Patrol. Carrying the wreath is the current head of the organization, Capt. Butch Arbin, who is flanked by Craig's son, Robert Craig, and grandson, Christopher Craig. (Above) Sean Williams pushes a surf board, carrying the wreath and the ashes of Capt. Craig, toward a Coast Guard boat, which released the wreath farther from the shore.

News Release: April 8, 2009 Memorial Service planned to honor Captain Robert S. Craig Ocean City, MD – A memorial service for Captain Robert (Bob) S. Craig will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, April 25 on the beach at North Division Street. Captain Craig passed away on Saturday, March 28 at the age of 90. Captain Craig joined the Ocean City Beach Patrol in 1935 and served as its captain from 1946 until retiring in 1987. Captain Craig is credited with building the Ocean City Beach Patrol into the professional organization it is known as today. When Captain Craig turned...

The family of a man who was stabbed to death by teenage thugs after he asked them to keep the noise down have been denied compensation - because he tried to fight off his killers. Kevin Johnson, 22, was brutally murdered by the gang who invited him to 'meet Mr Stanley' during a confrontation outside his home moments before plunging a blade into his chest, arm and back. The young father collapsed a few feet from his front door whilst the trio - aged 19, 16 and 17 - ran off in 'triumphant mood' before stabbing their second victim a...

(April 3, 2009) The man who not only epitomized the Ocean City Beach Patrol, but also built it into a serious and professional organization, passed away Saturday. When Capt. Robert (Bob) S. Craig turned 90 last July, a competition, dinner and slide show honored him for his 52 years as a town employee and member of the Beach Patrol. Thousands knew Craig from his years guiding the Beach Patrol and taking it from a small, relatively unskilled group of young men to a large group of highly skilled young men and women. Capt. Butch Arbin, the current head of the...

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City lost a treasured icon this week when Captain Robert S. Craig, who shepherded the Beach Patrol through decades of change and inspired his young charges for half a century passed away at the age of 90. Captain Craig, as he was known for decades not only by the thousands of lifeguards who worked with him and for him but also by the countless millions of local residents and visitors to the resort area, passed away last Saturday at the Coastal Hospice in Salisbury at the age of 90. A former schoolteacher and coach, Captain Craig...

TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq, Feb. 25, 2009 – An Arkansas father-and-son team is part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ massive rebuilding efforts in Iraq. Eric Gillespie and his father, Denver Gillespie, both Navy veterans and Army Corps of Engineers employees from Arkansas, are serving together on a six-month deployment with ACE’s Gulf Region South district overseeing construction projects in Iraq. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Denver and Eric Gillespie, both Navy veterans and ACE employees, soon will complete their six-month tours. What made the deployment so special was meeting, working with and getting to...

Denver Gillespie enjoys a moment while visiting with students at Al Haboosh primary school in Dhi Qar Province near Tallil Air Base in southern Iraq. USACE photo by Norris Jones. TALLIL AIR BASE — An Arkansas father and son team are part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ massive rebuilding efforts throughout Iraq. Denver and Eric Gillespie will soon be completing their six-month tours and say what made the deployment so special was meeting, working with, and getting to know the Iraqi people.Shortly after returning stateside, Denver will be retiring. He says the Iraq deployment was a great way...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2009 – Rich Glasgow and his son, Robert, served in different military services at different times, but they know what it’s like to deal with the same psychological enemy. And both have recommendations for the military. Rich Glasgow, left, joins his son, Robert Glasgow, after Robert completed basic training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego In September 2001. Courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rich Glasgow directed search and recovery operations out of New York in the 1990s, overseeing boating accidents, airplane crashes and even...

The state Supreme Court has reversed a lower court’s decision that a Clifton motorist's constitutional rights were violated when police pulled him over for suspected drunken driving based on a phone tip from his daughter. In so doing, it found that the teenage girl’s assessment of “a commonly understood condition” was enough for police to act on it. Two Clifton police officers were dispatched to the home of Clifton resident Paul Amelio on Dec. 11, 2005 about 12:30 a.m. to investigate a domestic disturbance between him and his 17-year-old daughter, according to the Supreme Court decision. The daughter had initially...

It was a surprise the entire Pittsburg Primary school knew about, but little did five year old Cameron Dickson know, he was in store for an early Christmas surprise. Cameron's Dad, who he hasn't seen in a year came up behind him and surprised him with a big hug. It was an early Christmas gift. Cameron's Marine Dad is now home back, in East Texas from fighting in the Iraq war"It was rough being in Iraq.  It's hard leaving  your family but it's all worth it in the end. Cameron was definitely surprised and he's grown like a weed. It was a good feeling for me," said...

The man who on Monday lost his wife, two daughters and mother-in-law in the San Diego jet fighter crash says he doesn't blame the pilot, who "did everything he could" to avoid the disaster. Don Yoon, 37, yesterday visited the remains of his home in the suburb of University City. His Cather Avenue house was completely destroyed when a F/A-18D Hornet lost power in both engines while trying to land at nearby Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. The pilot - named as Lt Dan Neubauer of Marine Corps Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 - ejected safely, suffering only minor injuries...

(IsraelNN.com) Rebbetzin Rivkah Holtzberg, the slain Chabad representative in Mumbai who was laid to rest in Jerusalem's Mount of Olives cemetery along with her husband Gavriel on Tuesday evening, was five months pregnant at the time of her murder, according to a report by Yeshiva World News. Shimon Rosenberg, the grieving father of Rivkah, made the surprise announcement during his eulogy. Rosenberg and his wife will continue to care for Moshe, the 2 year-old son of Rivkah and Gavriel. The Rosenbergs have acquired an Israeli visa for Sandra Samuel, the Indian nanny whose rescue of the Holtzberg's son was praised...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Dec. 1, 2008 – Though decades separate the Vietnam War and the war on terrorism, a common denominator in the two conflicts has been the bravery and sacrifice of the American servicemember. Army Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Harris receives a handshake from Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser after being presented the Silver Star at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Nov. 28, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Spc. George Welcome  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Harris received the Silver Star Medal here Nov. 28 while his father, former Army Staff Sgt. Gary...

A father is demanding an apology from police after he spent a night in a cell for smacking his son. Mark Frearson, 47, was arrested on suspicion of assault after he slapped his seven-year-old son Harry on the back of the legs. Mr Frearson, a company director, punished his child for leaving his side and wandering off on his own in the dark. A witness called the police and three hours after the incident, four police officers and a specialist child support officer arrived at Mr Frearson's home in Plymouth, Devon, to question him and examine Harry for bruises. They...

Video here. Great interview with Sarah Palin in her own home kitchen as she prepares dinner and talks about what an awesome father to their kids Todd Palin is and related topics in the best four minutes and twenty eight seconds from the most recent home interview by Greta Van Susteren.

ANN ARBOR, MI – Jesse Nieto is a 25-year Marine veteran whose honorable service to our nation included two combat tours in Vietnam. His youngest son, Marc, and 16 of Marc’s shipmates were killed on October 12, 2000, by Islamic terrorists who bombed the USS Cole. Nieto has worked as a civilian employee at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina since 1994. Since 2001, Nieto has displayed various decals on his vehicle expressing anti-terrorist sentiments, such as “Remember the Cole, 12 Oct 2000,” “Islam=Terrorism,” and “We Died, They Rejoiced.” On July 31, 2008, two military police officers...

According to a an intelligence report just received, when Barack Obama's mother, Ann Durham, traveled to Cuba in 1960, as member of a group of American students who were supporting Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution, she was sent to live in a "Red" commune in Central Cuba. Although she was known for her loose behavior or promiscuity, she mostly went out with a Cuban from the city of Sagüa La Grande, on the northern coast of Cuba, named Francisco Cundo. According to the report, when Ann left Cuba in December of 1960, she was two months pregnant. Ann proceeded...

An accident in western Kansas kills an eleven-year-old Dodge City boy. The Kansas Highway Patrol says it happened Friday evening shortly before six at the Western Kansas Dirt Riders Track. Troopers said Darren Rhoten, 49, was driving a watering truck around the track while his son Dylan,11, rode on the back of it. When the truck stopped, police say Dylan jumped off, tripped, and fell on the ground. At the same time, Darren put the truck in reverse and backed over the Dylan. The younger Rhoten died at Western Plains Medical Complex.

BUTLERVILLE, Ind., Sept. 25, 2008 – Overseas deployments usually call upon soldiers to temporarily leave loved ones behind. But, here, two members of the Hempstead family are preparing to mobilize together. First Sgt. Bob Hempstead, 1313th Engineer Company, and his daughter Pfc. Crystal Hempstead, a light-wheel vehicle mechanic for the 1313th, will deploy together early next year. Their unit is currently at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center on Camp Atterbury, Ind., conducting pre-mobilization training. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elizabeth Gorenc  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. First Sgt. Bob Hempstead and his daughter, Pfc. Crystal Hempstead, members of the...

SIMI VALLEY -- One local family whose loved one died in the Metrolink collision is still questioning something that happened that night. They got several phone calls from 49-year-old Chuck Peck after the crash. But they now know he died on impact. Peck's fiancee, Andrea Katz, told KTLA that the first call was to his son in Utah. "...and he said my dad just called me and I said, what did he say? Is he okay? Where is he? He didn't say anything, the phone rang and it said dad," Peck's fiance Andrea Katz told KTLA. As firefighters worked to...

Bernie Mac blended style, authority and a touch of self-aware bluster to make audiences laugh as well as connect with him. For Mac, who died Saturday at age 50, it was a winning mix, delivering him from a poor childhood to stardom as a standup comedian, in films including the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and his acclaimed sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show." Mac died Saturday morning of complications from pneumonia. "The world just got a little less funny," said "Oceans" co-star George Clooney.

GREEN, Ohio, Aug. 6, 2008 – When military recruits speak of their reasons for enlisting, many cite family pride and tradition as their strongest motivation. The desire to follow in a parent's footsteps has prompted many soldiers to enlist into the National Guard. Army Pvt. Larry Gravius (right) was inspired to join the Ohio Army National Guard as a result of the February enlistment of his 18-year-old daughter, Army Pfc. Gwendolyn Gravius (left). U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Bemus, Ohio National Guard  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. For recent enlistee Pvt. Larry Gravius, a 39-year-old...