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SAN JOSE – U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales brought a simple message to middle school students on Thursday: Don't steal. “I'm the top cop in the U.S. and I want you to know that if you illegally download a game or music or a video it's stealing, just as if you went into a store and stole blue jeans,” Gonzales told 7th and 8th graders at Windmill Springs School in the heart of California's Silicon Valley. The lesson culminated an unusual four-day lesson on intellectual property and copyright infringement during which the nation's top law enforcement official became a classroom...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger waded into the debate over immigration reform Tuesday, saying the nation needs to respect its immigrants but warned of ``anarchy'' should citizenship be granted to those who enter the country illegally. As he has in the past, the Republican governor, who immigrated from Austria 38 years ago, laid blame on the federal government for not having strong border enforcement and for spending years bickering over reforms. --snip-- And in an opinion article published Tuesday in the Los Angeles Times, he called for ``a comprehensive new law that respects immigrants and protects our nation'' that would include a...

ROME, MARCH 2, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is the final statement of the Bilateral Commission Meeting held in Rome, from Feb. 26-28 (Shevat 28-30, 5766) by the Delegation of the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel's Delegation for Relations with the Catholic Church. * * * 1. At the sixth meeting of this bilateral commission held in Rome, we have addressed the subject of the relationship between human life and technology -- conscious of the far reaching advances in medical science and the challenges as well as opportunities that these present. 2....

Answer To Last Month's "Full House For Disaster" Four Of A Kind: Foundations For An American Future March, 2006 Feature--Return Of The Gods Web Site SynopsisThe four foundation blocks for a Conservative American Future, one that returns to the wisdom of the Founders: Integrity, Identity, Responsibility & Respect. Last month we discussed a metaphorical "poker hand from Hell," reviewing a "full house" of egregious errors in addressing social goals and in understanding the causation for social phenomena. In a discussion of error in addressing societal goals, we described serious mistakes in assigning responsibility in the approach to Public School...

By Ron Banerjee Friday, February 17, 2006 The global reaction to the recent cartoons of Muhammad in Denmark is part of a familiar pattern. In 2004, a Dutch filmmaker named van Gogh was shot dead by Islamic fanatics because he made a film which dared to question the treatment of women in Islam. Similarly, global violence and death threats accompanied the publication of Salman Rushdie’s book, the Satanic Verses.

It is with odd misgivings, and no small amount of fear, that some of us must step back from the wagons circled around the Danish cartoonists, and be saddened at such an opportunity wasted. To even offer an opinion now in such a high-octane environment seems risky beyond words- especially if the thoughts go against the prevailing winds. Fury extends outwards as each side of the muslim curtain sharpens their swords. And yet, something has missed consideration. The American religious base has suffered an onslaught of similar sacreligious assaults in recent years, as the curators of museums, and overseers of...

MIAMI -- Former Attorney General Janet Reno got up and sang Aretha Franklin's "Respect" at a Miami fundraiser Thursday night. The karaoke performance was caught on tape. It happened at an event honoring the 10th anniversary of the Human Services Coalition. Proceeds went to help fight poverty. Reno suffers from Parkinson's disease, but that hasn't stopped her public appearances. Recently, she gave speeches on law enforcement at the University of Iowa and Pennsylvania State University.

With the Super Bower number whatever looming on the horizon, my thoughts turn to youth and the power of football. Growing up, I quickly realized that there were only a few things that I was really good at, and one was finding the guy on the opposing team with the football and throwing him to the ground.

Blair launches 'respect' agenda (Filed: 10/01/2006) Respect agenda - the main points Tony Blair has launched his action plan against anti-social behaviour, hailing it as a "very important" step in the battle to improve the lives of law-abiding people. Mr Blair launched his much-discussed 'respect agenda' The 'respect agenda' measures include higher fines for anti-social behaviour, giving local communities and police more powers to tackle truanting and evict nuisance neighbours, and instructing problem parents on child rearing. Offenders who have been cautioned may be made to do unpaid work, and police will be given powers to shut down and seal...

COVENTRY -- Joseph S. Marketos Jr., a senior at Coventry High School, thinks this country's minimum wage is shamefully low. He disapproves of President Bush. He doesn't believe in God. Yesterday, Marketos joined the decades-old debate about using the pledge in classrooms, when his letter to the editor appeared in The Providence Journal. By the end of the day, his story had made the talk-radio circuit, and the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union had intervened on his behalf. Marketos claims he has been repeatedly punished for refusing to stand for the pledge, as he says he...

There's a diner called Peggy Sue's about eight miles outside of Barstow, and as hard as Lt. Col. Kenneth Parks tries, he can never seem to pay his bill. He orders a burger and a chocolate shake. But before he's finished, the waitress informs him the tab has been taken care of. Many Americans have conflicted feelings about the Iraq war, but not about the warriors. The gestures of gratitude and generosity that occur with regularity at Peggy Sue's have become commonplace across the United States. A spontaneous standing ovation for a group of soldiers at Los Angeles International Airport....

Just a link because Independent material isn't allowed here.

SHANNON, Ireland, Oct. 24, 2005 – Dr. Neil Fruman didn't realize how much of an impact a trip to military installations around the world had made on him until, during an airport stopover in Ireland on the way home Oct. 22, he saw a group of soldiers headed to Iraq. "It became very clear to me then," said Fruman, a family practitioner from Lafayette, Calif. "Looking in the eyes and shaking the hands of these men and women of different countries of origin, nationalities, heights, weights, sexes - all with smiles on their faces, eager, anxious and respectful, standing proudly...

Blair's baby Asbos By Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor (Filed: 09/10/2005) Sweeping powers to clamp down on young offenders and problem families are being drawn up as Tony Blair steps up his war on the "yob culture" plaguing the streets. The Prime Minister has ordered his officials to prepare radical measures to drive through his "Respect" agenda, including "baby Asbos" to be targeted at problem children who could be younger than 10. Tony Blair at the launch of the 'Respect' campaign Downing Street staff, working under the guidance of Louise Casey, the controversial anti-social behaviour "tsar", are preparing a hard-hitting Bill...

Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement in recognition of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins today: “As Muslims around the world recognize the holy month of Ramadan, we take this opportunity to celebrate the contributions of millions of Muslim Americans. They enrich our country while deepening America's respect for Muslims here at home and around the world. As they observe this sacred month, they honor Islam's teachings of self-discipline, compassion and commitment to family. “As we celebrate Ramadan, we are reminded that we are a country of many faiths, and as such,...

Humble villagers win back respect By Richard Spencer in Beijing (Filed: 24/08/2005) For more than a thousand years the population of a Chinese village laboured under a curse: the surname "Humble", imposed at the whim of a 10th century emperor. Worse, the name - Gou in Mandarin - is pronounced identically to the Chinese character meaning "dog". China as a nation is sensitive to such matters and villagers said people laughed at them. Now, after almost 11 centuries, the authorities have relented. In response to a petition submitted by residents in May, they have given them their old name back....

Frist says: "We were all once embryos. The embryo is human life at its earliest stage of development. And accordingly, the human embryo has moral significance and moral worth. It deserves to be treated with the utmost dignity and RESPECT." What DOES Frist mean when he says researchers should show RESPECT for embryos? 1. Should researchers bow to each embryo three times before ripping it apart? 2. Should researchers address embryos as "sir" or "ma'am" before taking away their future and the future of their children's children? 3. Should researchers click their heels before cannibalizing the tiniest humans?

What is it with Mexico lately? When did it hire David Duke as an image consultant? Fox's larger point, after all, was unassailable: Mexican immigrants do grimy, low-paying work that most Americans of whatever ancestry consider beneath them. His mistake was those three little words, "not even blacks," which suggest blacks are the gold standard for wretchedness and desperation. Not correct, not terribly sensitive but also, I thought, not worthy of more than a few sharp words of correction. One can't be as sanguine about Mexico's latest faux pas. It seems the country is issuing a series of postage stamps...

Anti-war politician George Galloway has accused Oona King, the Labour MP he defeated at the General Election, of "sour grapes" and said it was he, not she, who suffered from intimidation during the campaign. Mr Galloway, who won Bethnal Green and Bow for Respect in one of the biggest upsets of the night, disputed a claim by Ms King that the campaign had been dirty. He told BBC News 24: "Well, she would say that, wouldn't she? "She was the loser of the election and it's sour grapes. "In fact, in so far as there was intimidation in Bethnal...

Navy Cmdr. Kevin Mooney, who has accepted responsibility for a fatal submarine crash in January, received a standing ovation at a Memorial Day celebration in San Francisco . "I appreciate it. But I don't feel like I deserve it," Mooney told the crowd of about 200 -- most of them gray-haired veterans dressed in neatly pressed uniforms pinned with polished medals. The Navy reprimanded Mooney and relieved him of duty after the crash, which injured nearly 100 sailors, one fatally. A Navy investigation concluded this month that its own key charts didn't show the undersea mountain the submarine San Francisco...

President George W. Bush saluted US military personnel, particularly those who died in the line of duty, as the nation kicked off its Memorial Day weekend celebrations.(AFP/File/Jim Watson) Memorial Day : A soldier carries US flags during the annual flags-in ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. (AFP/Brendan Smialowski) Two U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq when their helicopter crashed after being shot at north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said in a statement on May 27, 2005. Two helicopters came under small arms fire near Baquba 60 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad on Thursday night, the U.S....

Last month over 1,500 family members who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan gathered at Arlington National Cemetery at the behest of an organization called Faces of the Fallen, which has assembled dozens of artists to paint portraits of those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. General Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the keynote speaker. While his speech managed to strike a few emotional chords, it was what he did after speaking that was remarkable. Hours after his speech concluded General Myers was still standing out in a cold drizzle talking at...

DENVER (AP) - The Air Force has told its top commands worldwide to make sure officers don't use their positions to advance religious beliefs, following criticism of religious intolerance at the Air Force Academy. An Air Force task force spent several days at the academy two weeks ago looking into allegations that Jews and others were harassed by evangelical Christians. A new values statement was sent to all major commands on Tuesday. "From an Air Force perspective, one of the reasons we did that is because we are taking what is happening at the Air Force Academy seriously," Air Force...

GEORGE Galloway yesterday failed in his attempt to convince a sceptical US Senate investigative committee that he had not profited from oil dealings with Iraq under the UN’s controversial oil-for-food programme. Despite a typically barnstorming performance full of bluster and rhetorical flourishes, the former Glasgow Kelvin MP was pinned down by persistent questioning over his business relationship with Fawaz Zureikat, the chairman of the Mariam Appeal - set up to assist a four-year-old Iraqi girl suffering from leukaemia. And it was a Democrat senator, Carl Levin, rather than the Republican committee chairman, Norm Coleman, who gave him the hardest time...

(IsraelNN.com) Ultra orthodox Satmar Jews and police clashed violently in Jerusalem today following Satmar members' road block protests against building of Highway 6. The protestors want work to stop until ancient graves are relocated. Video films showed that Satmar residents threw blocks and metal objects at police, who burst through a synagogue and violently beat several people in order to free a policeman who was trapped in the synagogue. Filmed pictures showed police overturning tables in the synagogue and kicking people even after the policeman had been rescued.

My Dragon Fly and Me If I could be a Dragon Fly and wing my way through the sky I would never be shy just me and my Dragon Fly! By moonlight we ride the wind chase the comets tail for fun by day we would hide from the sun our fragile wings would come undone On darkest nights we would use fireflies as our guide we would dip and we would glide through the heavens open wide and scatter diamonds in the night sky my Dragon Fly and me... And we would wing past our lovers silent in...

In the early days of Vietnam I commanded a 150 Marine replacement unit arriving in country by ship. As we entered port the ship's Captain summoned me and ordered a perimeter established around the Seabee compound where we docked. It had been receiving probing attacks by the Viet Cong. When the unit was in position I called my four Staff NCOs and told them to move up and down the line all night to keep everyone alert and their spirits high. I reminded them these were very young Marines and that they had never heard a shot fired in anger....

There is a huge rock near a gravel pit on Hwy.25 in rural Iowa. For generations, kids have painted slogans, names, and obscenities on this rock, changing it's character many times. A few months back, the rock received it's latest paint job, and since then it has been left completely undisturbed. It's quite an impressive sight. Scroll down and check out the multiple photos (all angles) of the rock. It seems the flag was draped over the rock, but it's not. It's actually painted on the rock too. Here's the artist Ray "Bubba" Sorensen. Directions to the Freedom*Rock Approx. 37...

Almost everyone knows at least a few of the regulations concerning the proper respect and care of the American Flag. If you do not, please read Public Law 94-344 at the end of this article. Also almost every State has rules and regulations of their own in regards to the American Flag and their own State Flags.

Just wondering, does anyone know IF there was some kind of policy regarding the display of the picture of the President of the United States in classrooms? As a kid, I seem to remember each school having one in each classroom...maybe I'm wrong. Does anyone else have such recollections? I think part of the problem we are currently facing relative to the lack of respect towards the office of the presidency is that we don't honor the office as we once did...feedback?

Brooklyn State Senator Kevin Parker was busted in his home district yesterday for slugging a city traffic agent after crumpling up a ticket and throwing it in his face, police said. Parker also allegedly pushed the agent out of the way when the man tried to stop him from driving off. Parker, a 37-year-old Democrat who represents Flatbush and was re-elected to a second term in November, was charged with third-degree assault. He downplayed the incident. "Nothing happened. This was a mountain out of mole hill," he said. "I was involved in a minor accident. People have traffic accidents." The...

Ever hear of how republican's always call the liberal left "Whiner's"? Well, take a look at Wa. State, ...who are the Whiner's now? LOTS OF LAUGHS! Boy, the shoes on the other foot now! I think it's great, don't you? These people deserve it..! Has anyone seen the comedian on HBO, who gave a discription of a "Republican"? Wow was that great, and very very true.

FOXBORO, Mass. - One quarterback played up to expectations in Sunday's AFC divisional playoff game because all the Patriots ever ask Tom Brady to do is win. As the seasons roll on and each trip to Foxboro turns into Groundhog Day for Peyton Manning, it appears that Manning will be Dan Marino to Brady's Joe Montana. Marino had the records. Montana had the rings. By the time it all ends in Jacksonville next month, Brady may be tied with Joe Cool as a three-time Super Bowl MVP. He may have only thrown for 144 yards in Sunday's victory but the...

Where has the VA gone to? I mean the viable, the dependable, the ...old VA! When I went in the service in "75", we were guaranteed certain things upon entering the service, I.E.: Dental coverage (Service Related)! Now we don't even get this. I understand by heresy, that there are now many inconsistencies, in the system (VA). How can I align myself with the people who now protest these new changes? Is there a "Chat Forum", either in here, or outside of this site, that I can turn to to reply to and reflect upon? I understand that the republican...

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- China on Tuesday expressed "respect" to the latest Ukraine's presidential election result. "China and Ukraine are friendly countries. We have noticed the result of the second round of Ukraine's presidential election announced by the Ukrainian Central Election Commission. China respects Ukrainian people's choice," Chines Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Liu Jianchao said at a regular press briefing. The presidential run-off between Ukraine's presidential candidate, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and Ukrainian opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko began on Sunday with 32,118 polling stations opening at 8:00 am (0600GMT). With 99.9 percent of the vote counted Yushchenko had secured...

An agreement to open official membership negotiations for Turkey to join the European Union is a welcome and important step - for Turkey, for Europe and for other countries that want to build a world in which identity is based primarily on shared respect for human rights, not ethnicity or religion. True, the agreement is marred by some unfortunate omissions and references. These may, justifiably, pique the Turks, who first sought entry into the European Economic Community, the precursor to the European Union, 45 years ago. For one, there is no end date for negotiations. Also, the agreement states that...

Americans Owe Confederate History Respect By CHRIS EDWARDS The Time Has Come To Take A Stand After attending the Confederate Memorial Day service on June 1 in Higginsville, I found myself believing our nation should be ashamed for not giving more respect and recognition to our ancestors. I understand that some find the Confederate flag offensive because they feel it represents slavery and oppression. Well, here are the facts: The Confederate flag flew over the South from 1861 to 1865. That's a total of four years. The U.S. Constitution was ratified in April 1789, and that document protected and condoned...

Bob Gay/The Dominion Post Showing the effects of wind and weather, this tattered and faded flag still flutters in the breeze at a grave site in East Oak Grove Cemetery. BY KATHY PLUM The Dominion Post KINGWOOD -- Americans love their flag, but many don't know how to display it, honor it or to dispose of it after it is retired. "We have skipped a couple generations where we have not taught" flag etiquette, said 1st Sgt. Rick Bloom, of the Preston High School JROTC. "We normally don't have to tell a cadet more than once what you have...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

There was a time in America when the state of patriotism was such that the sponsors of sporting events could stop brawls by playing the National Anthem, upon hearing which the combatants would stop fighting and stand at attention. That technique was not tried in the Palace at Auburn Hills Friday night, for the simple reason that no one could imagine it would work in these days of unbridled irreverence. You can take the boyz out of the 'hood, but you can't take the 'hood out of the boyz, so to speak. And by the way, I don't mean only...

Why I Launched the Campaign Against Verizon's Anti-Father Ad By Glenn Sacks A mother attempts to help her son with his homework, and fails. The son is annoyed with his mother's ignorance, and turns to his father with a look which says "obviously females can't do math--get her out of here." The father tells the mother to go wash the dishes. When she is slow to comply, he orders her away from her son, and then he yells at her. Is it a Public Service Announcement from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence? A clip from a documentary about life...

Do you think veterans are given enough respect in the United States?

During the Florida debacle of the 2000 election, I found myself wanting candidate Bush to allow the Florida recount just to stop the bleeding and hatred and mistrust. My concern wasn't with placating the political parties - but rather, to prevent Joe six-pack from loosing faith in the election process. I didn't want the common man to becoming as cynical as a lawyer. I reasoned that if there were monitors from both sides, and the votes were counted, if Bush lost, at least he would have stopped the tearing and help diminish distrust and perhaps prevent a legal challenge (revenge)...

QUICK LINKS: HOME | NEWS | OPINION | MEETUP | C-LOG | ISSUES townhall.comPrinter-friendly versionSocialism is evilWalter E. Williams (back to web version) | Send July 28, 2004 What is socialism? We miss the boat if we say it's the agenda of left-wingers and Democrats. According to Marxist doctrine, socialism is a stage of society between capitalism and communism where private ownership and control over property are eliminated. The essence of socialism is the attenuation and ultimate abolition of private property rights. Attacks on private property include, but are not limited to, confiscating the rightful property of one person and...

On the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Boston, from where I was broadcasting my radio show, I found myself sitting 10 feet from Michael Moore. He was chatting with journalists, so I decided to ask if he would agree to be a guest on my radio show. I wanted to debate him about his Bush-hating Fahrenheit 9/11. But when he saw me approaching, he dismissed me with a single, condescending flick of his finger as if I were a bug crawling up his arm. I was initially offended by his arrogant gesture. And knowing of his hatred...

New Berlin rejects naming high school after Reagan By KAY NOLANSpecial to the Journal Sentinel Posted: July 20, 2004 New Berlin - School Board members have backed away from a plan to rename West High School after the late President Ronald Reagan. Instead, the board voted Monday to consider bestowing the Reagan name on an elementary school, perhaps when a new one is built to replace Center Elementary. Shortly after Reagan's death on June 5, School Board Vice President Matt Weiss had suggested renaming one of the district's two high schools in Reagan's honor. The district's other high school is...

This a quick note to Freepers. I went last night to pay my respects to President Ronald Reagan lying in state at the Capital Rotunda. I got there about midnight and ended up driving all the way and found plenty of parking across from the Capital at Union Station off Louisana Ave. I live locally in Maryland and thought after watching the local 10PM news, Why Not?. I had hoped the lines would not be long since the heat has been so horrible. The heat yesterday was 97 degrees and humidty about 90%. This was just about the worst of...

Missed this part of the Funeral - does anybody have the text yet, and if so, could you please post it? Many thanks, CGVet58

Respect is his due History will be kind to this leader who restored our pride One of the reasons I fought so hard a few months ago against that sleazy TV Reagan movie was that the former President simply didn't deserve that kind of display. CBS, I believe, came to the same conclusion when programming boss Les Moonves finally began paying attention to the project and decided to dump it. Although the film ultimately aired on a cable station, few Americans saw it. The left-wing ideologues screamed censorship but the real issue was respect. Ronald Reagan deserved the respect of...

  COVER STORY No greater love COVER STORY: The long, heroic list of American servicemen who died defending freedom has grown by the hundreds since Memorial Day, 2003. Many of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq did so to save the lives of others. Here are a few of their storiesBy Lynn Vincent BOB WILLIAMSON KNOWS about war. The World War II veteran served in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1946 with the U.S. Navy. Now, more than half a century later, Washington is finally memorializing the 292,131 fallen American fighters who helped to crush the...