Free Republic

Among the many Hollywood celebrities who hotly opposed Donald Trump, Alyssa Milano has been one of the most consistent. Now, as she believes that the election of Joe Biden is a fait accompli, she is offering an olive branch. How should we respond? On November 24 she tweeted, “I’d like to extend an olive branch to Trump supporters. “I am ready to move #ForwardTogether. “There’s so much work to do to heal the nation. Let’s be a part of the solution and not add to the problems we face. “My comments are open. Please reply with #ForwardTogether. ❤️” She also...

Being about a week away from Independence Day, I was doing a little reflecting upon the history surrounding the Declaration of Independence. And I thought it would be of equal interest to many of my readers to look at some often-overlooked aspects of the declaration's production and legacy. Several historical websites hold some fascinating facts about this national treasure -- including the National Archives and Records Administration's site, at http://www.archives.gov. In addition, on History's website, the article "9 Things You May Not Know About the Declaration of Independence," by Elizabeth Harrison, has some intriguing notes. Let me elaborate on some...

Fox News and Donald Trump are reaching a detente at last; yesterday Megyn Kelly went to Trump Tower for an hour-long meeting she described as allowing “a chance to clear the air,” after which Trump went to the Fox offices to have lunch with network chief Roger Ailes. This comes after Kelly had the temerity to ask Trump about sexist remarks he had made in the past, which led him to unleash a months-long campaign of insults at her (The Donald doesn’t like to be challenged, especially by a woman). The time had obviously come for Kelly to make nice,...

In a statement marking the formal handing over of power to the moderate cleric from his hardline predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the White House congratulated the Iranian people for "making their voices heard" and calling for "change". It added that should the new government in Iran move towards meeting its "international obligations", then it would find a "willing partner in the United States".

Scott Samsel has taken in the Mississippi High School Activities Association state championship atmosphere at Jackson's Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium many times as a spectator. There were, of course, exceptions. In 1993, he brought his Independence squad to face Forest for the Class 3A title. Despite leading at halftime, the Wildcats lost by six points. "We just weren't a very good passing team, and I said when I left the stadium that day if I'm ever fortunate enough to get back, we're going to be able to throw the football," Samsel said. "I just didn't anticipate it taking 18 years."...

On the eve of a historic midterm election upheaval, President Barack Obama tried to walk back his gratuitous slap at Americans who oppose his radical progressive agenda. "I probably should have used the word 'opponents' instead of 'enemies' to describe political adversaries," Obama admitted Monday. "Probably"? Here is an ironclad certainty: It's too little too late for the antagonist-in-chief to paper over two years of relentless Democratic incivility and hate toward his domestic "enemies." Voters have spoken: They've had enough. Enough of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner's rhetorical abuse. Enough of his feints at bipartisanship. Whatever the final tally,...

Never-ending pasta bowls and Cheddar Bay biscuits are on their way to the Middle East. Orlando-based Darden Restaurants on Tuesday revealed plans to open Red Lobsters, Olive Gardens and LongHorn Steakhouses in seven Middle Eastern countries. It will be Darden's first foray into international territory other than in Canada, where Darden operates some restaurants, and Japan, where a separate company runs 25 Red Lobsters. Darden has an agreement with Americana Group, which will develop at least 60 restaurants in Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates during the next five years. The first should open...

WASHINGTON — White House advisers pledged on Sunday to book administration officials on Fox News despite claims by the president's inner circle that the cable network is a GOP mouthpiece whose programming “is geared toward making money.” Last week, White House communications director Anita Dunn said Fox News operates “almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party.” On Sunday, Rahm Emanuel, President Barack Obama's chief of staff, said, “It is not a news organization so much as it has a perspective.” In response to the criticism, Fox News executive Michael Clemente on Sunday accused...

Iran is a nation that seeks peace and constructive dialogue, the Iranian president said amid a thawing diplomatic climate.

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – The United States offered Taliban fighters who renounce violence in Afghanistan an "honorable form of reconciliation" on Tuesday as part of a revamped strategy to tackle a deepening insurgency. Traditional U.S. foe Iran, attending an international conference on Afghanistan, pledged help in tackling the huge opium trade in its neighbor but stressed it remained opposed to U.S. and other foreign troops there. The conference in the Netherlands is a chance for NATO and other U.S. allies to consult on the Afghan strategy unveiled by President Barack Obama last week stressing the need to cooperate with regional...

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday at a U.N. conference on Afghanistan that Taliban members in Afghanistan who abandoned extremism must be granted an "honorable form of reconciliation." "We must also support efforts by the government of Afghanistan to separate the extremists of al Qaeda and the Taliban from those who have joined their ranks not out of conviction, but out of desperation," Clinton said at an international conference on Afghanistan in the Hague. "This is, in fact, the case for a majority of those fighting with the Taliban," she told delegates from more than 70 countries...

JUNEAU -- Gov. Sarah Palin surprised state legislators Wednesday by indicating she is willing to negotiate how much the state taxes natural gas in order to attract oil companies to a pipeline project. "We are open to changes in the state's fiscal structure to allow this project to happen. ... We are open to whatever it takes to make sure that this project happens for our state and for our country," Palin told reporters.

Russia held out an olive branch to President Barack Obama today by suspending plans to deploy missiles in Europe, according to a report in Moscow. An official from Russia's General Staff in Moscow told Interfax news that the move had been made because the new United States leadership was reconsidering plans to establish a missile defence shield in eastern Europe. Deployment of Iskander short-range missiles, which can carry nuclear warheads, was being suspended in Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad in response, the unidentified official said. The news emerged ahead of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's appearance later today at the annual...

Whispering Woods Manager Received Threats OLIVE BRANCH, Miss The general manager of a Memphis-area conference center hotel has resigned, saying he received threats over a white power group's planned meeting at the facility next month. Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke is promoting the Nov. 7-9 event billed as the "European American Unity and Rights Conference" at the Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center. Whispering Woods manager Travis Murray said Wednesday he quit after his work telephone number and work e-mail address were distributed in an e-mail by the Memphis-based civil rights group Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, which...

They've won a nation-best 80 consecutive games, five straight MHSAA Class 5A state titles and are ranked No. 14 nationally by USA Today. Yet South Panola coach Lance Pogue isn't the least bit overconfident when it comes to the Tigers' Region 1-5A showdown tonight against Olive Branch at Pool Field. "We've got to hold up and match how physical they are. If we can hold up to that, I think we'll have a chance," said Pogue, whose Tiger program hasn't tasted defeat since the 2002 MHSAA Class 5A championship game. Olive Branch (4-1), ranked No. 4 in The Commercial Appeal's...

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday she believed the nuclear stand-off with Iran could be resolved diplomatically but that Tehran must not be allowed to become a nuclear weapons power. Just one day after getting agreement on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution against Tehran, Rice offered the incentive of a "more normal relationship" and expanded trade if Iran gave up sensitive nuclear work, according to the prepared text of her speech to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. "Ultimately, though, we believe that we can resolve this problem through diplomacy," Rice said...

Rush responds to Huck peace offering Rush Limbaugh — responding to Mike Huckabee's peace offering — said today that he doesn't need to talk with the former Arkansas governor. "I saw his comments and accept them as honest, sincere and genuine," Limbaugh wrote in an e-mail. Still, the conservative talk show host indicated his continued displeasure at the anonymous remarks Thursday from a Huckabee backer suggesting he takes his cues from the "D.C./Manhattan chattering class" that sparked this conflagration. "What was somewhat stunning about all this is that NO ONE in the GOP field, including advisers and staff, could possibly...

Huck offers olive branch to Rush, asks for him to get in touch SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The best-talking Republican politician in America has a message for the best-talking conservative voice in the country: Let's talk to one another. Mike Huckabee, taking questions from reporters after a town hall meeting here, responded to the torrent of criticism that Rush Limbaugh unleashed during his broadcast yesterday by turning the other cheek — and then heaping on the praise. "I love Rush Limbaugh; I've always loved his show," Huckabee assured. "I think he’s been great for the conservative movement." The former Arkansas...

Story and photo by Spc. Alexandra Hemmerly-Brown210th MPAD LSA ANACONDA -- The olive tree. It has long held deep-seeded symbolism in several cultures; the crown of Olympic champions in ancient Greece, a sign of peace in Christian and Jewish faiths, and an icon of the Prophet Mohammed in Islam. Shajarat zaytun in Arabic, the olive tree is very hearty and long-lived, and can survive in conditions of almost total neglect. The tree is not especially remarkable in appearance or stature, but its meaning and practical use is where this little tree leaves its mark. A few centuries of symbolism...

Olive Branch's Smith charged with possession Ole Miss football commitment Cannon Smith was released from the Collierville Jail on a $7,500 bond Friday morning after being charged Thursday night with speeding and possession of ecstasy. Smith, 19, a senior quarterback at Olive Branch High whose given name is Frederick B. Smith, was driving a 2005 Mercedes late Thursday in Collierville when he was pulled over by police, Collierville Police Chief Larry Goodwin said late Friday night. An 18-year-old male passenger in the car was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Goodwin said the passenger was released...