Free Republic

Via Bettnet we learn the following from the Tolkien Society: On the 3rd January 1892 JRR Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. To celebrate this event, on this day each year Tolkien fans around the world are invited to raise a glass and toast the birthday of this much loved author. The toast is "The Professor". To make the Birthday Toast, you stand, raise a glass of your choice of drink (not necessarily alcoholic), and say the words ‘The Professor’ before taking a sip (or swig, if that’s more appropriate for your drink). Sit and enjoy the rest of...

Map of Iraq. Click to view. Fighting between the US and Iraqi government-backed Awakening movements and al Qaeda in Iraq spiked over the weekend. At least four high profile engagements and bombings occurred in Baghdad, Anbar, Ninewa, and Diyala provinces. The largest clash occurred on Sunday in the eastern region of Diyala province in the villages of Nai and Safit. Al Qaeda in Iraq fighters attacked the villages but the local tribes fought back, Twenty-two al Qaeda fighters and seventeen tribesmen were killed in the battle, KUNA reported. Al Qaeda in Iraq is attempting to recroups in eastern Diyala...

Lawn work at Romney's home still done by illegal immigrants Ricardo Saenz, owner of the company that employed illegal immigrants, worked on Romney's lawn recently. By Maria Cramer and Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff; and Connie Paige, Globe Correspondent Standing on stage at a Republican debate on the Gulf Coast of Florida last week, Mitt Romney repeatedly lashed out at rival Rudy Giuliani for providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants in New York City. Yet, the very next morning, on Thursday, at least two illegal immigrants stepped out of a hulking maroon pickup truck in the driveway of Romney's Belmont house, then...

UPDATE: Coalition forces positively identify terrorists killed in recent raids (Baghdad) Wednesday, 28 November 2007 MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQPRESS DESKBAGHDAD, Iraqhttp://www.mnf-iraq.com703.343.8790                                                 Press Release 071128aNovember 28, 2007  UPDATE: Coalition forces positively identify terrorists killed in recent raids  BAGHDAD, Iraq – Three terrorists killed during two recent operations have been positively identified as Abu Tiba, Abu Harith and Abu Nahr.  Abu Tiba, also known as Talal Abd al Aziz or Captain Talal, was the leader of a terrorist network operating in Samarra. Tiba assumed command of the network after the previous leader, Haythim Sabah al-Badri, was promoted to oversee terrorists operating in the Salah ad Din...

Al Qaeda leaders killed or captured in October. Click map to view. US and Iraqi Security Forces are maintaining the pressure on al Qaeda in Iraq's network nationwide. October netted the highest number of senior terror leaders since the surge went into full effect in mid June. While the Iraqi and US forces have degraded al Qaeda's network inside Baghdad in the Belts, the terror group is attempting to regroup in the north and east. The daily raids conduct by Task Force 88, the hunter-killer teams assigned to dismantle al Qaeda's network in Iraq, have resulted in significant losses...

Once I went hot-air ballooning in Normandy. It was the summer of 1991. It was exciting to float over the beautiful French hills and the farms with crisp crops in the fields. It was dusk, and we amused ourselves calling out "Bonsoir!" to cows and people in little cars. We had been up for an hour or so when we had a problem and had to land. We looked for an open field, aimed toward it, and came down a little hard. The gondola dragged, tipped and spilled us out. A half dozen of us emerged scrambling and laughing with...

7:00 pm ~ Opening flag burning 7:15 pm ~ Pledge of Allegiance to the U. N. 7:20 pm ~ Ted Kennedy proposes a toast 7:25 pm ~ Nonreligious prayer and worship with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton 7:45 pm ~ Ceremonial tree hugging 7:55 pm ~ Ted Kennedy proposes a toast 8:00 pm ~ How I Invented the Internet - Al Gore 8:15 pm ~ Gay Wedding Planning - Barney Frank presiding 8:35 pm ~ Ted Kennedy proposes a toast 8:40 pm ~ Our Troops are War Criminals - John Kerry 9.00 pm ~ Memorial service for Saddam and his...

Authorities per-CNN that a body has been found inside Cherokee...terrorist didn't get out.

(CNN) — Normally VIP visits to Iraq are kept under wraps, at least until the day of the trip. But Senator John McCain Friday night said he’s going to Iraq next week. Responding to a question in Chicago about whether the Iraq strategy can succeed, the Republican presidential candidate said, “I understand the sorrow of the American people. I visit the wounded quite often at Walter Reed and Bethesda. I’m going to Iraq on Monday. And I’m going to be proud. I would rather spend the 4th of July with the men and women in Iraq than anywhere else in...

As the American people, elected officials, and commentators reflect on the heated immigration debate that came to a temporary close in the Senate this week many will ask, and have asked, why U.S. Senator John McCain (R., Ariz.) staked out a position that may, in retrospect, be seen as devastating to his presidential ambitions. I hope the American people, at least, step back from the obsessive play-by-play pre-season election analysis and reflect on Senator McCain’s actions for what I believe they were: One of the purest examples of political courage seen in Washington in a very, very long time. Before...

I didn't see anything posted on this live testimony. Who's watching it and what are your thoughts?

Former Sen. Fred Thompson still hasn't formally entered the presidential race, but he's already posing a serious threat to some of his potential GOP rivals. The Washington Post reports the likelihood of a Thompson candidacy is pulling major donors away from Sen. John McCain's already struggling campaign. While Thompson is trying to woo conservatives who may be unsatisfied with GOP triumvirate of Giuliani, Romney and McCain, he "appears to present the most challenges for McCain," says the Post. As Thompson "builds his team of major fundraisers … the challenge for McCain will be to collect the millions of dollars necessary...

Despite his best case for the immigration compromise -- and he made a good one at the debate the other night -- the unalterable fact is that the issue is right now a major problem for the McCain campaign. To wit, one of the first tangible signs of the damage it's doing, as supplied by Romney's camp: Subject: RE: TIME TO CALL RADIO Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2007 22:15:22 -0400 From: David Nix To: 'Adam Temple' CC: Mike Gibbons Adam, Please consider this my resignation as Aiken County chair for McCain. I am too far from him on the Amnesty...

Over 1,000 New York Republicans crowded into the ballroom of a Times Square Sheraton Thursday night to hear from presidential contenders Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, but the real elephant in the room was immigration reform. Neither candidate addressed the issue in their speeches, even though rank-and-file conservatives spent Thursday talking about little else. McCain, of course, helped shape the immigration compromise that has so many conservatives in open revolt. For his part, Giuliani issued a statement in which he didn't really take a position on the bill, which would provide amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants living in the...

Nice scoop by MyDD.com, who have John Kerry on tape saying that political handlers for John McCain approached him regarding the possibility of the senator from Arizona joining the Democratic presidential ticket. This news comes on the heels of reports that John McCain apparently approached Sen. Tom Daschle in 2001 about caucusing with Senate Democrats, wresting control of the chamber away from the GOP (Jim Jeffords beat him to the punch). The senator's presidential campaign is already reeling from disappointing fundraising numbers for the first quarter. His biggest strength is that he has a huge number of small dollar donors,...

Since it now seems very imminent, I decided that it was an appropriate time to start this up. Links to information and pictures (if we get them) can be posted here.

PARIS (Reuters) - Why have French baguettes become more expensive? Because of France's shorter work week, French Finance Minister Thierry Breton said on Tuesday. ADVERTISEMENT Breton, who has been a vocal critic of France's 35-hour work week, said the price of a baguette had risen by 23 percent over the past five years, while the price of German bread had fallen by 3 percent over the same period. "The cost of the 35-hour week is included in the rise of the price of a baguette since 2001, and this has been hidden too much from the French," Breton told L'Express...

All right, folks. Guess I have to do it again around here and hand out the chill pills. 1) It is absolutely clear to me that we have won this. We will keep the Senate, and I'm 90% sure we keep the House. We'll probably gain a seat, maybe two in the Senate. 2) I know this from the turnout numbers, just as I did in 2004. The fact is, forget Indies. They don't vote in high numbers. It's all about the two parties, and who gets out their base. We have done that today beyond my wildest expectations. The...

Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence. When I thought, "My foot slips," Thy steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, Thy consolations cheer my soul. Can wicked rulers be allied with thee, who frame mischief by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death. But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the...

It had occured to me recently, that the whole Hariri murder conspiracy might not be true, former prime minister Rafic Hariri might not be dead. Why didn't anyone think of the whole story in this direction? It is a possibility that the person who was murdered in the Beirut blast on the 14th of february 2005 might be a decoy of PM Rafic Hariri,and that his son Saad Al Deen might have had something to do with this conspiracy. I'm not accusing anyone here, even PM Hariri might have been a part of this. It might sound crazy at first,...

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness. Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes...

March 7, 2006 Expect Journalistic Tongues to Loosen By Jack Kelly Journalists will be paying rapt attention when Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman go on trial next month for violation of the Espionage Act of 1917. Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman were officials of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee. They received classified information from Lawrence Franklin, an analyst at the Department of Defense, which they passed on to an Israeli diplomat, and to journalists. They are the first private citizens ever to be prosecuted under the Espionage Act. Mr. Franklin pled guilty Jan. 20th and was sentenced to more than...

To: State Desk, Legal Reporter Contact: Richard Pearson of Illinois State Rifle Association, 815-635-3198 Web: http://www.isra.org SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA): The very foundations of the gun control movement were rocked today by the results of a survey taken by the National Association of Chiefs of Police (NACOP). In a nutshell, the survey shows that the nation's top law enforcement officers believe that average citizens can be trusted to responsibly own firearms; that criminals ignore gun control laws; and that concealed carry laws reduce crime. These...

Nation & WorldBush's Grand Strategy By Michael Barone 3/6/06 Three and a half years ago, in September 2002, the Bush administration issued its National Security Strategy. It was, as Yale historian John Lewis Gaddis has written, "the most fundamental reassessment of American grand strategy in over half a century," since Harry Truman set America on its course in the Cold War. Today a consensus seems to be rising that the Bush administration is veering off the course it set then. Gerard Baker in the Times of London writes that the days of American military intervention are over. Reporters write that...

On Friday night, Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum (R.) and his wife, Karen Garver Santorum, received an award from the Sisters of Life, the order of religious sisters founded by the late John Cardinal O'Connor in 1991. The Sisters were established, according to the late cardinal archbishop of New York, to "restore to all society a sense of the sacredness of human life." The John Cardinal O'Connor Award was given to the Santorums in recognition of "the courage, nobility, and love with which they live their vocation to marriage and family life," Mother Agnes Mary, the superior general (a former professor...

-- Republican Bob Ney is in talks to quit a key committee chairmanship, which would make him the 2nd casualty of the Abramoff scandal. Watch CNN or log on to http://CNN.com and watch FREE video, plus live, commercial-free video with CNN Pipeline. More Americans watch CNN. More Americans trust CNN.

I love Dave Letterman. He's my idea of the funniest man in America. I appreciate his intellect, his quirky, irritated ideas about what's funny, and certainly respect his right to whatever opinions he has about anything. I confess he irks me with his nightly ridicule and denigration of our president. He's really got it in for George Bush, and he and the staff select little snippets of speeches, or a stumble, or a door that doesn't open, or even just a little aside and shoulder-shaking chuckle – anything that makes the president appear foolish – and revel in derisive laughter....

AP) A Texas prosecutor has issued subpoenas for bank records and other information of a defense contractor involved in the bribery case of a California congressman as part of the investigation of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. District Attorney Ronnie Earle issued subpoenas late Monday afternoon for California businessmen Brent Wilkes and Max Gelwix, records of Perfect Wave Technologies LLC, Wilkes Corp. and ADCS Inc. in connection with a contribution to a fundraising committee at the center of the investigation that led to DeLay's indictment on money laundering charges.

Sugar Land Republican Tom DeLay will face opposition in the GOP primary this March from a challenger he's defeated three times. Attorney Michael Fjetland, who has run against DeLay as a Republican and an independent, has officially filed in the 2006 GOP primary for the 22nd Congressional District. DeLay defeated Fjetland in the 2000 and 2002 Republican primaries. Fjetland ran as an independent in 2004, in an attempt, he said, to win over moderate Republicans who weren't inclined to vote for a Democrat, even if they weren't happy with DeLay. Fjetland earned 1.3 percent of the vote. He fared better...

I am an internet java script sent to infiltrate your site and transform you from political neanderthals into a modern 21st Century progressive mode. This is your first warning. Do not try and resist. It is useless. Accept your fate. You will be assimilated.

Associates of I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, expected an indictment on Friday charging him with making false statements to the grand jury in the C.I.A. leak inquiry, lawyers in the case said Thursday. Karl Rove, President Bush's senior adviser and deputy chief of staff, will not be charged on Friday, but will remain under investigation, people briefed officially about the case said. As a result, they said, the special counsel in the case, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, was likely to extend the term of the federal grand jury beyond its scheduled expiration on Friday. As...

I find my curiosity peaked, and am wondering if there is anyone here, familiar with british food and habits, to clue me in on the British meal of 'Beans on toast'. I've seen about four or so shows, over the last few years, referencing this dish, and i am curious as to what *kind* of 'Beans' are used, and is the oast dry or buttered before the beans are pouredover them? Are they Pork&Beans? Baked beans? some Brit brand of chutney laced beans?

KABUL, Afghanistan -- President Hamid Karzai on Friday condemned the alleged desecration of the bodies of two dead Taliban fighters by U.S. troops, but he said mistakes happen in war and Afghans shouldn't let it mar their impression of the United States. His apparent attempt to reduce Afghans' anger over the incident came amid warnings by Islamic clerics of a possible violent anti-American backlash. "Sometimes things happen in these sort of operations, during war. Soldiers make mistakes," he told reporters in Kabul. "We are very grateful for the international community's assistance. ... Their soldiers have shed their blood in our...

Washington Lobbyist Abramoff Charged By CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer MIAMI - Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a key figure in investigations involving House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on fraud charges arising from a 2000 deal to buy casino boats.

Today is the 17th anniversary of the Rush Limbaugh show (He started 8-1-1988) AND the ONE YEAR anniversary that i have been in FreeRepublic.(8-1-2004). Later Rush and i will celebrate with a fine Cuban cigar and a toast with the appropriate adult beverage.

We're continuing to press the matter of Air America's $480,000 in (possibly unreturned) taxpayer funds obtained in a highly questionable manner. Meanwhile, more ratings releases today shed a great deal of light on the network's future. Unlike its conservative counterpart, liberal talk is destined to be simply a regional, niche format that works in a few cities and fails elsewhere. That's become clear. While right-leaning talk also appeals to a segment of the population, it's big (even with recent ratings troubles) and successful nationwide, almost without geographic exception. Ratings released today for Seattle, Portland and Denver put the finishing touches...

This really is wonder bread. eBay bids for an image of the runaway bride that a Newton man carved into a piece of toast rose thousands of dollars before the deal crumbled Sunday. Perry Lonzello, a Newton antiques dealer, carved the image of Jennifer Wilbanks, the bride who led her hometown and the nation to believe she was kidnapped, into his breakfast last week before putting it on the eBay Web site for $1. The toast, which sold for $15,400, after bidding ended at 10:42 a.m. Sunday, received 109 bids during its five-day stay on eBay. After attempting to contact...

Jennifer Wilbanks' extravagant wedding plans now appear to be toast. So perhaps it's appropriate that a New Jersey man chose a piece of toasted Wonder Bread as a canvas for the runaway bride's portrait, now selling for more than $16,000 on the auction Web site eBay. While 48-year-old Perry Lonzello reportedly carved the Georgia bride's likeness into the toast and posted it as a joke, his artwork has been making some serious bread. Lonzello, who has been keeping a log of the resulting toast frenzy on the eBay listing, said he plans to donate the money to charity. As of...

A true collector's item! Hurry and get your bids in!

DeLay Urges GOP to Blame Dems Over Ethics 20 minutes ago By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent WASHINGTON - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, hoping to hold support among fellow Republicans, urged GOP senators Tuesday to blame Democrats if asked about his ethics controversy and accused the news media of twisting supportive comments so they sounded like criticism. Officials said DeLay recommended that senators respond to questions by saying Democrats have no agenda other than partisanship, and are attacking him to prevent Republicans from accomplishing their legislative program. One Republican said the Texan referred to a "mammoth operation" funded by...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops killed 24 insurgents and wounded seven in a battle on the outskirts of Baghdad on Sunday after the guerrillas attacked a U.S. position, the American military said. In a statement, the military said six soldiers were wounded in the battle at around noon (4 a.m. EST). It gave no further details on where the attack took place. It is rare for insurgents to attack U.S. positions head-on in large numbers, with most of them preferring hit-and-run guerrilla tactics or attacks with roadside bombs.

    Rather to Host His Own Farewell Tribute on CBS Thu Feb 17, 2005 08:31 PM ET By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - No sooner will Dan Rather bid viewers a final good night as anchor of the CBS Evening News than he will be back on the air to lead viewers through a retrospective of his 50 years in broadcast journalism. CBS News said on Thursday that an hourlong special, "Dan Rather: A Reporter Remembers," will be telecast on March 9, at 8 p.m. EST, within an hour of his stepping down as host and managing...

November 6, 2004 Release Number: 04-11-14 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FALLUHA-RAMADI OPERATIONS UPDATE FALLUJAH, Iraq - Iraqi Security Forces and the I Marine Expeditionary Force continue to degrade and disrupt anti-Iraqi forces in the Fallujah-Ramadi area. I Marine Expeditionary Force employed U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force aviation assets to deliver precision munitions to destroy preplanned targets in Fallujah. In the last 24 hours, I Marine Expeditionary Force conducted coordinated offensive operations in and around the Fallujah-Ramadi area. I MEF destroyed three barricaded fighting positions, and anti-aircraft weapon and a weapons cache. At 3:30 a.m., Nov. 5, a U.S. Marine...

One last flash file to send the Brahman back to Boston with...

GREEN BAY, Wis. — John Kerry accused President Bush (search) on Tuesday of trying to cover up bad decisions and alluded to the possibility that there's still bad news yet to be uncovered. "Mr. President, what else are you being silent about? What else are you keeping from the American people?" Kerry said during a speech in Green Bay, referring to the estimated 380 tons of highly explosive material that have gone missing from an arms depot in Iraq. Although Kerry and the Democrats are blaming the Bush administration for losing the ammo, calling it "one of the great blunders"...

(antiTainment) Fox News has asked a judge to allow them to fire the woman that sued talk show host Bill O'Reilly for sexual harassment and to declare that the firing not be classified as retribution. Andrea Mackris, is an associate producer for "The O'Reilly Factor" on the cable news network. Last Wednesday, the network and O'Reilly sued her and her attorney, Benedict Morelli, claiming that they had tried to extort $60 million in "hush money" from the controversial host in return for her dropping her harassment case. The 33-year-old Mackris filed the sexual harassment suit against O'Reilly the same day....

I know all of you will disagree, but this is another pointless and uninteresting election. Kerry's plans for Iraq are the same as Bush's and their domestic policies are NOT that different, really.

Just look at this letter that they PRINTED!!! in the NY Times. I knew the paper had gone completely down the tubes, but this kind of back-stabbing is why real Americans don't trust liberals. "To the Editor: Re "Bush, at the U.N., Calls for Action to Widen Liberty" (front page, Sept. 22): President Bush endlessly repeats the claim that we are safer without Saddam Hussein in power but offers evidence that does not support his assertion. Saddam Hussein's being a dictator or using weapons against his people or wishing to acquire the capacity to get weapons of mass destruction are...