Free Republic

There are many ways to pay off campaign debts — cajoling phone calls, begging letters — but Bill Clinton believes that he has come up with a better method to wipe out the financial obligations outstanding from his wife’s failed presidential bid. He is raffling himself. In an e-mail sent to millions of people who supported Hillary Clinton’s White House campaign, the former President asks: “How would you like the chance to come up to New York and spend the day with me?” For those who would like the One-Day-With-Bill prize, an online donation of as little as $5 (£3)...

Fertility doctors offering a human egg as first prize in a raffle were last night accused of commercialising the miracle of life. One woman will win the chance to select their ideal donor egg based on its mother's profession, ethnic background, hair colour, qualifications and upbringing. As part of the free IVF cycle and egg prize - worth an estimated £13,000 - the winner of a raffle in London will also be able to view childhood pictures of potential donors before choosing one. The treatment will take place in America to get around British fertility laws. Critics have condemned the...

Due to the economy and weak real estate market, Miles Brannan is raffling off his luxury home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The raffle is attracting buyers from around the world due to both the appealing price of $10 per ticket and international interest in U.S. real estate. Brannan's raffle is a great deal for foreign investors who want to break into the market because the deed and title will be transferred to the lucky winner free and clear. There will be no need for a jumbo mortgage or creative financing, making the $10 investment an even more attractive offer. "The...

Friend -- I wanted you to be the first to hear the news. At the Democratic National Convention next month, we're going to kick off the general election with an event that opens up the political process the same way we've opened it up throughout this campaign. Barack has made it clear that this is your convention, not his. On Thursday, August 28th, he's scheduled to formally accept the Democratic nomination in a speech at the convention hall in front of the assembled delegates. Instead, Barack will leave the convention hall and join more than 75,000 people for a huge,...

BELVIDERE, N.J. - The former pastor of a Washington Borough church has pleaded guilty to running a church raffle scam. The Rev. Robert Ascolese pleaded guilty Friday to three counts of theft, even as he maintained that he never knew he was doing anything wrong running a church raffle with fake "winners." The $100-a-ticket raffles at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church were from 2001 to 2005, and were to raise $200,000 a year for the church, with an annual $200,000 going to winners. But nearly $1 million of what was supposed to be winnings were funneled back into the struggling...

HAGERSTOWN, Md. —  Frustrated by a nationwide housing slump, a western Maryland couple is selling raffle tickets for their $390,000 house and hoping they'll sell enough $100 tickets to get the farmhouse off their hands.Dennis Kelly and Karen Crawford put the four-bedroom house for sale for $425,000 a year and a half ago. But they say the housing slowdown means they haven't had any takers. The house is now valued at $390,000."We had showings every weekend and we couldn't get a buyer," Crawford told The (Hagerstown) Herald Mail. "It's part of what's happening today."Crawford read a story in the newspaper...

A classmate of mine has had a short film accepted for the Cannes Film Festival, and is raffling off a Wii to finance his accomodations. His name is Dave Footman, and here is his message: ************************************************************ Hello my friends, I wanted to give you the official "Foots Update" news. Since I hit the Big 5-0 in January I have been a traveling man (insert Ricky Nelson song here). I was asked to go to Australia and work with a good friend, producer/writer/director Natalie Hechtman, on her short film, Courting Hope. I'm happy and proud to report that the film looks...

A woman has sued a Spanish-language radio station in Chicago, claiming it refused to give her the Corvette she won in a 2005 contest because she is undocumented. Maribel Nava Alvarez, 22, said she was never told she needed to be a U.S. citizen or legal resident to win the car in a raffle sponsored by WLEY-FM. Alvarez also claims in the lawsuit that an attorney for the station's parent company, Spanish Broadcasting System, threatened to turn her in to U.S. immigration officials if she tried to pursue the issue in court. Alvarez, who said she has left the Chicago...

BELVIDERE | The former pastor accused of stealing more than $600,000 from charity denied wrongdoing after his initial court appearance Thursday and said the accusations tell just one side. Authorities allege the Rev. Robert Ascolese spent some of the stolen money on himself and some went back to St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Washington. Ascolese appeared in handcuffs before Superior Court Judge John Pursel as his attorney entered a not guilty plea to a long list of theft and records-tampering charges. The priest, affectionately known to his former parishioners as "Father Bob," is accused of stealing more than $600,000 from...

A seized 1996 Ford Thunderbird in good condition is a prize Roswell police hope will reduce gun violence in the city. Police are giving residents until Jan. 2 to turn in a working, unloaded gun to police headquarters to get a raffle ticket for the car, which was seized during a drug bust. The drawing is Jan. 4. Aside from reducing violence, police are also hoping to reduce the danger from New Year’s Eve celebrations, where many fire their guns into the air. Those shots can come back with enough force to injure or kill people. A similar raffle six...

VetsCoR Fundraising Rifle Raffle 2005 VetsCoR will be raffling off a Remington Model 870 Wingmaster shotgun (pictured above, less the sling and butt stock ammo carrier) on November 11, 2005. You don't need to be present to win. Here's the rules: 1) The raffle is open to everyone over 18 years of age who is a) a US Citizen, b) legally competent to own and possess a firearm and c) a resident of a city or state which does not restrict or prohibit firearms ownership. 2) Tickets are $2.00 each, and can be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped...

You have to love those red state folks: meaning, among others, us. Us Texans. Who else would auction off a deer rifle to raise money for a security fence at an intermediate school? Red state people would. Specifically – as is known all over the world, thanks to television and the Associated Press – the people of Lampasas County. The news came down just before Thanksgiving. Security concerns at Hanna Springs Intermediate School – a registered sex offender had been seen attempting conversation with one of the female students – prompted parents to see what might be done. At breakfast...

HAMISH ROBERTSON: Well staying in the United States, Anti-gun campaigners are concerned about a worrying trend in which charity groups and fundraisers are using guns as prizes in raffles. A volunteer fire brigade has set a new benchmark with its raffle, giving away a gun every day for the entire year. It says it needs the cash to continue operating, but many are wondering whether America, a nation already saturated with guns, needs anymore. Lisa Millar compiled this report. (sound of cars passing by) LISA MILLAR: A few hours drive west of Washington DC lies Emmitsburg, Maryland, which gets its...

Fallen hero's bike will help educate daughter By:Patrick Donahue , Executive editor 06/09/2003 Paul Ray Smith's Harley-Davidson waits for a new owner. He only got to ride it a few times, his sister Lisa DeVane said. Now, she's raffling it off to help pay for the college bills Smith's daughter Jessica will incur in a few years. Smith, a sergeant first class in the 3rd Infantry Division's 11th Engineer Battalion, was killed in action at the Baghdad Airport on April 4. "Paul only had the bike, not even a year," DeVane said. "Jessica is getting ready to go off to...

Built entirely by students at Forest Grove High School, in Forest Grove, Oregon - Automotive Programs and Members of the Motor Sports Club. The student's built the car from the ground up in 19 weeks after collecting cans and bottles and other fund raisers. The car is being raffeled off February 27, 2003 at halftime at the basketball game at aproximately 8:30 pm. Tickets are $ 25.00 each and avaliable from the high school activities office or any Motorsports Club member. 800 tickets will be sold and as of October 28, 2002 there were 400 already sold. Proceeds will go...