Free Republic

A NeW Kind of Choice by: Rachel Paulk, July 02, 2008 Radical feminists have been hard at work for decades stressing the importance of women choosing career paths over homemaking, corner offices instead of kitchens, and power suits to replace aprons. To a certain extent, their message has been accepted and assimilated into mainstream society. The U.S. Department of Labor reported in 2007 that “A record 68 million women were employed in the U.S.—75% of employed women worked on full-time jobs, while 25% worked on a part-time basis” and “Women accounted for 51% of all workers in the high-paying management,...

Heads up for NCIS fans: this Friday, June 27, 2008, USANetworks will be airing a 10 episode Marathon of NCIS starting at 1 pm EDT, of shows *with* Ziva, and starting with an episode where Gibbs is retired. IOW, not the same episodes from the last marathon...*all* new for *me*! ;)

An interesting Youtube piece on Spitzer's downfall; especially for conspiracy buffs...

OMAHA, Neb. - U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel writes in a new book that the United States needs independent leadership and possibly another political party, while suggesting the Iraq war might be remembered as one of the five biggest blunders in history. "In the current impasse, an independent candidate for the presidency, or a bipartisan unity ticket ... could be appealing to Americans," Hagel writes in "America: Our Next Chapter," due in stores Tuesday. The Associated Press obtained an advance copy. The Nebraska Republican, who announced last year he wouldn't seek a third term or the GOP presidential nomination, had been...

Obama's Black Identity Politics is Consistent With Jeremiah Wright’s Hate SpeechIf anyone believes that Barack Obama “just found out” about Jeremiah Wright’s vicious anti-American hate speech, we have a bridge in Brooklyn we would like to sell them. As shown by Obama’s own book Dreams From My Father, Obama’s deep involvement in Black identity politics–replace that with “White identity politics” to envision sheets, hoods, and burning crosses–is entirely consistent with his widespread involvement and association with racists, anti-Semites, and Catholic-haters. The bottom line is that Obama is not one of us and, by “us,” we mean mainstream America. To begin...

I dislike the new FR format. The former one was simple to use. Why does one need to click on a current post to be able to submit a new post? I would prefer to see the post option returned to the upper right corner of the screen where it was previously. I'm getting so frustrated with the new format I don't enjoy FR any longer.

(IsraelNN.com) New York led the list of anti-Jewish attacks, with 351 incidents, a 23% increase compared to last year, according to The Anti-Defamation League's annual audit report released Wednesday. The audit tracks anti-Semitic incidents in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Other states with topping the list included New Jersey, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Anti-Jewish incidents increased in Colorado in 2007 for the first time in three years, ranking eighth in the nation for anti-Semitic activity.

Sales of new homes plunged by a record amount in 2007 while prices posted the weakest showing in 16 years, demonstrating the troubles builders are facing with a huge backlog of unsold homes. The Commerce Department reported Monday that sales of new homes dropped by 26.4 percent last year to 774,000. That marked the worst sales year on record, surpassing the old mark of a 23.1 percent plunge in 1980. The government reported that the median price of a new home barely budged last year, edging up a slight 0.2 percent to $246,900, the poorest showing since prices fell by...

Dixville Notch is an unincorporated small village in the Dixville township of Coos County, New Hampshire, USA. The town is known for being one of the first places to declare its results [at midnight] for the New Hampshire Presidential primary and U.S. Presidential elections. -snip- 2000Democratic Primary: (6 voters) William W. Bradley - 4 Albert A. Gore Jr. - 2 Republican Primary: (23 voters) George W. Bush - 12 John S. McCain III - 10 Malcolm S. "Steve" Forbes Jr. - 1 General Election: (27 votes) George W. Bush - 21 Albert A. Gore Jr. - 5 Ralph Nader -...

Whats the best place on the net to watch a live stream of the debates tonight? Who's running the shindig? Many Thanks.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Dozens of gay and lesbian couples entered into civil unions in New Hampshire in the early moments of New Year’s Day as a new state law legalized the partnerships after midnight. Organizers said they checked in 37 couples for an outdoor ceremony on the plaza of the New Hampshire Statehouse—the building where the law was adopted and signed in 2007. Participants bundled up against below- freezing temperatures. “We’ve been together 20 years; we’ve been waiting for this moment for 20 years; finally the state will recognize us as we are,� said Julie Bernier, who posed for...

My New Year's resolutions so far are: 1- To get a job. It's becoming series. 2- To go fishing and hunting this year. 3- If I don't get a job, concentrate on fishing and hunting, and building polygons with Magnetix. 4- Not to post vanities.

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Air Force received a new, technologically advanced aircraft in a ceremony here Dec. 28. The Beechcraft KingAir 350 was delivered to the Iraqi Air Force through Foreign Military Sales, a process that allows the Iraqi government to purchase military equipment and supplies from other countries, including the United States, with its own money. Additional KingAir aircraft, which are fitted with intelligence gathering sensors, will be delivered throughout next year, said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Bob Allardice, Coalition Air Force Transition Team commander. “These aircraft will fly critical training, airlift and surveillance support for the government...

Hey fellow FReepers. My camera, the Canon Powershot A540 has decided to bite the dust after 13 months. I strongly suspect abuse by spouse and possibly being used as a hand grenade by a 1 year old. So, I need a new camera. $200 top budget. Will be used to take pics of kids. Lots of indoor shots. Lots of outdoor shots. Maybe even some action shots. What I want. 7MP. 3x zoom, but prefer 4x or better. Here is where my language will say what I mean, but not in proper "camera" world terms. I want the flash to...

COMBAT OUTPOST CLEARY — “My brigade must fight the enemy, communicate with the people of Salman Pak, and bring back public service all at once,” Col. A’amer Khamees Hameed, commander of the 1st Brigade, 1st National Police (NP) Division, said at a meeting with leaders from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Nov. 13. “This meeting is the first step in all three directions,” Hameed said through a translator. The leaders met at the 1st NP brigade headquarters in Salman Pak, to welcome the new commander. Hameed took command of the unit in early November, assuming command from Brig. Gen....

<p>If the southern tip of New Hampshire, that part of the state closest to Boston, Mass., were to be split off and made into a separate state, which of the two New Hampshires would Republicans dominate?</p> <p>Surprisingly, it would be the section full of Massachusetts transplants and which is sometimes derisively called "Massahampshire."</p>

Dear Friends, I am an Iraqi student who had to withdraw from university because of disasterous situation in Iraq. My father was kidnapped and we found his body severely tortured. My younger brother is missing for three weeks and everyday we might find his body somewhere. I appeal to all young people and all honest people to help us. The only way that Iraqi people belive would help us get rid of al-Maliki and his associated militias and agents is a new election. I came across with the following petition. I ask you to visit this petition for a new...

Two killed in New Orleans home invasion NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- The slaying of two members of a family and wounding of another five is the latest in a spike in home invasion attacks in New Orleans. Seven relatives had been meeting at a home in the city's Village de l'Est neighborhood Friday when gunmen forced their way inside, robbed them and then opened fire without warning, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported Sunday. A man in his late 20s and a woman in her late 30s sustained fatal wounds, making the incident the second double-homicide in the area...

(IsraelNN.com) Half of the IDF's young combat officers are religious Jews, according to statistics published in Ma'ariv Sunday. The report also says that about 40% of the cadets of the most recent Officer Course in BAHAD 1, the IDF's officer training school, were religious (this number refers to all officers, as opposed to just combat officers). "This says something very good about about the sons of the religious Zionist movement," opines the writer of the piece, senior correspondent Ben Caspit. "They are becoming the IDF's backbone. Their presence in the army is several times larger than it is in the...

BARWANAH, Iraq, Aug. 21, 2007 — In the fall of 2004, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Division fought in the Battle of Fallujah. It was some of the Marine Corps’ most intense urban fighting since Vietnam’s Hue City. That deployment left a lasting effect on this battalion and the individuals involved. Although they are mostly stationed elsewhere or out of the Marine Corps, the division still has a few of its Fallujah veterans among its ranks and companies. These Marines bring much knowledge and determination with them, and they play a large role in the success this task force has achieved...

This is a good site for browsing thru cute kitty pictures but this time it has the names of the puds right there with the pictures! So many times we rack our brains and come up with nothing ... finally resorting to Baby Name books ! So, peruse. Use. Or not. But add the names of your own cookie-pies? So we can all have a pool of names with which to consult should we run across that extra little mouth to feed in the sometime future and be forced to face The Dilemma once again.

  Military Working Dogs Get New Digs Four-legged war fighters receive new kennels. By U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Ryan R. Jackson2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (FWD) AL ASAD, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2007 — Throughout the theatre service members are continually asking for and receiving operational gear they need to accomplish their mission. The latest troops on Al Asad to get new mission essential equipment were the four-legged war fighters, more commonly known as military working dogs, of Task Force Military Police, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, who received new kennels during a ribbon cutting ceremony, July 18. "Now, when we...

The Conservative Party was formed in 1962 to restore a meaningful choice to the voters of New York State. At that time, the three existing political parties espoused the doctrinaire liberal philosophy of the welfare state at home and the collectivist ideology abroad. In just four short decades, the party has grown from a small band of conservative-minded men and women to a statewide organization of almost 170,000 individuals dedicated to the traditional American values of individual freedom, individual responsibility and individual effort. From a humble beginning garnering 141,000 votes on ballot Row F, our principles have attracted Empire State...

The Black Knights of HMM-264 (REIN) return home to MCAS, New River, Jacksonville, North Carolina Sunday, 1 July 2007. (Daily News Video)

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2007 – Finances are no longer a reason to keep a Marine’s family from attending his or her basic training graduation, thanks to the Marine Graduation Foundation. “The men and women who choose to serve our country as a United States Marine endure more in one day of boot camp than most of us will ever experience in a lifetime,” John Weant, the foundation’s president said. “None of (them) should ever have to be alone on the day they can proudly say, ‘I am a United States Marine.’” Weant said it’s “just not acceptable” for financial...

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2007 – As the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks approaches, America Supports You is gearing up for its third annual Freedom Walk on Sept. 9 in the nation’s capital. Thousands of people gather at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to participate in the second annual America Supports You Freedom Walk, Sept. 10, 2006. The walk began at the National Mall and ended with a light display at the Pentagon. Plans are under way for the third annual Freedom Walk, scheduled for Sept. 9, 2007. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen,...

BAQUBAH — Out of a tragic incident will come some good. U.S. troops triggered the process of healing and closure, May 20, at a former combat outpost in As Sadah, four miles north of Baqubah, Iraq. The outpost was partially destroyed by a deadly car bomb attack in April. Members of 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, who operated the outpost, requested the remaining structure be torn down and a new school built in its place. Combat engineers from Company E, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas, were called in to demolish the remainder...

HONOLULU — Astronomers have discovered 28 new planets outside of our solar system, increasing to 236 the number of known exoplanets, revealing that planets can exist around a broad spectrum of stellar types, from tiny, dim stars to giants.An artist's concept of the Neptune-sized planet GJ436b (right) orbiting the M-class dwarf star Gliese 436 at a distance of 3 million miles.

Link to Hearing (Real Audio) Senate Homeland Security Subcmte. Hearing on Gulf Coast Housing Potential shortfalls in a Gulf Coast Housing program is the subject of a Senate Homeland Security subcmte. hearing. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) chairs this look at funding for the "Road Home" program, created by the State of Louisiana with White House assistance following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Shortfalls are estimated at more than $3 billion. 5/24/2007: WASHINGTON, DC:

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE. Md., May 18, 2007 – The annual Joint Service Open House here kicked off today in tandem with a preview of two new military-themed, high-soaring postage stamps. Left to right: Air Force Col. Margaret H. Woodward, commander of the 89th Airlift Wing; David Failor, the U.S. Postal Service’s executive director of stamp services; and Marine Col. Andrew W. O’Donnell Jr., commander of Marine Helicopter Squadron One, participate in a May 18 ceremony that kicked off this year’s Joint Services Open House and previewed new postage stamps commemorating Air Force One and Marine One at Andrews...

CONSTRUCTION has started on the world's first Woman-town, where disobedient men will get a spanking. The 2.3sqkm Shuangqiao district in China's Chongqing will have a motto proclaiming its philosophy: "A woman never makes a mistake, a man must not refuse a woman's request."

The Times admitted it distributed an article in the March 18 edition of its Sunday Magazine, while knowing the story contained some glaring inaccuracies. The article was about women who served in Iraq, the sexual abuse some say they endured, and their struggles in reclaiming their pre-war lives. But one of the women profiled, who said she'd been raped twice and suffered brain damage when a roadside bomb exploded next to her Humvee, was never actually IN Iraq.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2007 – The Pentagon Channel tomorrow will debut a new program, “Icon,” which takes an in-depth look at iconic figures in the U.S. military and Defense Department. The first Icon program will feature retired Army Lt. Col. Bruce P. Crandall, who is receiving the Medal of Honor today at the White House for his actions in the Battle of Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in November 1965. During the fight, which was the first major ground battle of the war, Crandall, then a major and commander of Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division...

The ratings are in for The 1/2 Hour News Hour on FNC. The heavily-promoted premiere delivered 499,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo and 1,478,000 total viewers. The show gained about 170,000 demo and around 300,000 total viewers from its lead-in. Half the viewers immediately tuned out, giving The Line Up just 231,000 demo and 787,000 viewers at 10:30pm. > SF Chronicle, Feb. 16: "If 1.5 million viewers watched -- slightly less than Stewart's nightly 1.6 million audience and more than Colbert's 1.2 million -- Surnow said, 'it would be a huge number.'

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2007 – The Pentagon Channel launches a redesign of its Web site Feb. 19, improving its line of products that distribute the channel's military news and information to men and women in uniform. “The Pentagon Channel’s focus for 2007 is to leverage the interactivity of Web 2.0 to more efficiently and effectively provide the highest quality military news and information to the men and women in uniform, wherever they are, whenever they want,” said Brian Natwick, general manager of the Pentagon Channel. In addition to its current features of video on demand, live video streaming and...

When he left CBS News last June after 44 years, Dan Rather leapt right into a new news gig at HDNet and never looked back. But if the former Evening News anchor was looking to forget about the flawed 2004 report on President Bush’s National Guard service that led to his ignominious departure from the network, he might have picked a different address to set up shop. "One of the guys [on my team] had located a space," Rather told B&C in an interview last week. "And he says to me, ‘I want to recommend it, but there’s a problem.’...

There's a simple reason the Washington establishment, Democrats, and the press hate President Bush's new strategy in Iraq: He spurned their advice. He ordered a troop increase, not the first phase of a withdrawal. He didn't echo Democrats like Senator Joe Biden and suggest the war in Iraq is lost. The thrust of his nationally televised speech last week was that we can still win. He mostly rejected the findings of the Iraq Study Group. And he refused--in fact, he's emphatically opposed--to engage Iran and Syria in talks. Nor did he go along with calls to abandon democracy as the...

FWD: From my friend Stan    Subject:  A New Direction?   Think about this, the Democrats now promise "A New Direction for America."   The stock market is at a new all-time high and America's 401K's are back. A new direction from there means, what?   Unemployment is at 25 year lows. A new direction from there means, what?   Taxes are at 20 year lows. A new direction from there means, what?   Federal tax revenues are at all-time highs.  A new direction from there means, what?   The Federal deficit is down almost 50%, just as predicted, over...

Aerial photos of the new Home Reef volcanic island in the Tongan archipelago, which produced some massive pumice reefs a few weeks ago (link below images). Home Reef Tonga Eruption

Times Watch Presents the Quotes of Note for 2006 Presenting the absolute worst quotes of the year from the New York Times, including the much-prized Quote of the Year. Who won? Posted by: Clay Waters 12/19/2006 9:15:43 AM Times Watch Quotes of Note 2006 The Worst Quotes of the Year from The New York Times It's unanimous! Times Watch guest judges Stephen Spruiell, who runs National Review Online's Media Blog, and Times critic William McGowan, author of the upcoming book Gray Lady Down, both picked......

Times Watch Quotes of Note: Nope, Bo Bias Here Posted by: Clay Waters 12/15/2006 1:14:51 PM Nope, No Bias Here "Augusto Pinochet, 91, Dictator Who Ruled by Terror in Chile, Dies" – Times Headline from December 11, 2006. vs. "Kim Il Sung, Enigmatic 'Great Leader' of North Korea for 5 Decades, Dies at 82." – Times Headline from July 10, 1994. No Bias Here, Part II " At the United Nations, [U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick] defended Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the American invasion of Grenada in 1983. She argued for El Salvador's right-wing junta and against Nicaragua’s...

Strong earnings by New York investment banks Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers Holdings helped set off a broad rally by stocks, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a new intraday high. Investors shrugged off a jump in oil priced triggered by OPEC's decision to curb output. In fact, higher oil prices gave a boost to the energy sector, adding another leg to the run-up. The surge by stocks was a surprise to many investors. Stocks showed little reaction to strong earnings by Goldman Sachs on Monday. Tuesday's Federal Reserve decision to leave rates unchanged, and a much better-than-expected report...

As pressure mounts for a change of course in Iraq, the Bush administration is groping for a viable new strategy for the president to unveil by Christmas, with deliberations now focused on three main options to redefine the U.S. military and political engagement, according to officials familiar with the debate. The major alternatives include a short-term surge of 15,000 to 30,000 additional U.S. troops to secure Baghdad and accelerate the training of Iraqi forces. Another strategy would redirect the U.S. military away from the internal strife to focus mainly on hunting terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda. And the third would concentrate...

How do I create a tagline? Couldn't find directions anywhere. Thanks!

Researchers have been scouring rivers in Europe and the US for traces of cocaine consumption. The result: Cocaine use is probably much greater than previously assumed -- and New Yorkers are the biggest coke-heads of all.

NEW YORK Andrew Rosenthal, deputy editorial page editor, has been named editorial page editor of The New York Times, effective January 1. He will succeed Gail Collins, the newspaper announced this afternoon. She plans to take a leave of absence to complete a sequel to her 2003 book "America's Women." When she returns to the paper it will be to write an Op-Ed column starting next July. How this might alter the paper's Op-Ed lineup is not known

Coalition Conference Looks at the New Iraq By Army Sgt. Frank PellegriniMulti-National Force - Iraq BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 10, 2006 -- For the last plane full of generals, military staff and dignitaries from half a ozen countries returning to Iraq to resume the fight, the 3rd annual Coalition Conference in Warsaw ended with an afternoon trip down Airport Road. "What’s different this year is that we have a lot more Iraqi leaders here to tell their own story " U.S. Army Gen. George Casey After three days of briefings, updates and get-togethers -- and a little minimum-security sightseeing on...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2006 -- A group from Massachusetts worked diligently on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to keep the nation’s servicemembers warm. New England Caring For Our Military volunteers, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization, help get fleece blankets ready to ship to servicemembers serving away from home Sept. 11. Each of nearly 1,200 blankets, which an area textile mill donated, was accompanied by a letter thanking the troops for their service and explaining who was involved in getting the blankets to them. Courtesy photo  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “I really wanted to have...

New twists in Russian 'spies' row (Filed: 02/10/2006) Russia has suspended all transport links with Georgia, just hours after the former Soviet state tried to defuse a growing diplomatic row between the two countries. The Russian officers appeared in a Tblisi court last week to face spying charges Georgia announced this morning that it would hand over four Russian military officers arrested last week on spying charges to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), an international body that had been mediating between the two sides. An OSCE spokesman said the men would no longer face charges. But...

New strain of hospital bug linked to 49 deaths By Caroline Davies (Filed: 02/10/2006) A virulent strain of a superbug has been linked to at least 49 deaths in three Leicester hospitals this year, the local NHS trust has revealed. Figures released by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust said the superbug clostridium difficile (C Diff) was probably responsible for the deaths of 28 patients, and possibly contributed to the deaths of a further 21 found to be infected. Another 29 cases have been referred to the coroner. The superbug, a common cause of diarrhoea, is carried without side...