Free Republic

Obama's organization is going to try to pull off fraud at the polls this election. COUNT ON IT! We Freepers need to be working at the poll places to ensure it doesn't happen. Your local county is looking for Precinct Officers to work at the polls on Election Day. My plan is to take a day off my job to work at the polls. If only a bunch of retirees are there, they might be intimidated by provistional ballots and Obama's shock troops. We need to protect our voting franchise from the Commies. "The important thing in an election is...

Hello all, So last week I sent an email out asking for you all to take ownership of this campaign by joining us over the weekend. In response, 83 of you all joined us at Thomas Dale High School and Falling Creek Middle School and were able to knock on over 2,000 doors and register close to 100 new voters here in Chester!!! Across the state we knocked on over 170,000 doors (the previous weekend we knocked on 89,000)!!! The energy of this campaign is higher than ever, even here in Chester. Please join us this weekend to help us...

Today I went to the closest McCain/Palin office to see if I could round up some bumper stickers. Turns out they are overwhelmed and badly need volunteers. The short time I was there 3 more people came in to sign up - and this is in Portland, Oregon - not exactly a conservative area. I signed up to do administrative work in the office but they need everything. They told me I could start immediately. :-) If you have any time I know your local offices would love the help. Sarah has energized the campaign so much that they need...

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2008 – Defense officials today pointed to the 13th consecutive month of recruiting success as a sign that the all-volunteer force, now 35 years old, remains solid. Recruiting and retention statistics for June, released today, show that all services met or exceeded their active-duty recruiting goals. The June figures mark more than a full year of across-the-board recruiting successes. Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said this trend, particularly during a protracted conflict, demonstrates the strength of the all-volunteer force. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed appreciation earlier this week for military...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, May 19, 2008 – “Chief, what the heck are you doing?” Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christian Smith, a Villa Grove, Ill., native, stands at the open hood of a Humvee at Camp Taji, Iraq, May 16, 2008. Smith is the squadron maintenance technician for 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 12, Multinational Division Baghdad. He fought for, and won, the opportunity to deploy to Iraq in November despite being diagnosed with multifocal motor neuropathy. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Chris Seaton, Multinational Division Baghdad  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Feb. 14, 2008 – A little more than two years ago, Juliana Rizzo was a real estate agent living in Long Island, N.Y., with her two children, Angelo and Amanda, when she decided it was time to fulfill her childhood dream. Army Spc. Juliana Rizzo, a supply specialist in Company E, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, Task Force 12, Multinational Division Baghdad, stands by the Company E colors before her lateral promotion to corporal. Rizzo, a native of Long Island, N.Y., has two children, Angelo and Amanda, and is taking college courses online to attain a...

Many years ago, I remember viewing a video of a preacher who had Cerebral Palsy and most people either made fun of him or sold him short of what he could accomplish. His parents would say things like "He will never marry or have children". "He would never be able to work independently or earn an income for himself" and so on and so forth. His name, Rev. David Ring.

DES MOINES, Iowa - Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign on Sunday requested the resignation of a second Iowa volunteer coordinator who forwarded a hoax e-mail saying Barack Obama is a Muslim possibly intent on destroying the United States. Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ and says he has never been a Muslim, but false rumors attempting to tie him to Islamic jihadists are circulating on the Internet. "Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential Candidacy," read the e-mail. "Please forward to everyone you know. The Muslims have said they Plan on destroying the US from...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A volunteer Iowa county coordinator for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign has resigned after forwarding a chain e-mail that suggests Barack Obama is a Muslim who wants to destroy the United States by being elected to its highest office. Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ and has never been a Muslim. A hoax e-mail that has been widely circulated suggests Obama is some sort of Manchurian candidate for Muslims. Judy Rose, a Clinton coordinator and Democratic Party official in Jones County, Iowa, forwarded it without comment to eight people on Nov. 21. Rose...

RENO, Nev., Aug. 31, 2007 – Enlisted representatives from the five armed services were honored this week by the nation’s largest wartime veterans’ organization. The American Legion presented the Spirit of Service award to Army Sgt. Korey W. Chandler, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Gaurav R. Patel, Marine Corps Sgt. Matthew W. Stone, Air Force Airman 1st Class Robb K. Hulet, and Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class David B. Edelson on Aug. 28 during the organization’s 89th National Convention here. The award was presented for each of the recipient’s volunteer service in their local communities, American Legion officials said....

CAMP EGGERS, Afghanistan , Aug. 4, 2007 – Every other week, servicemembers from all branches of the military conduct convoys from this base to deliver clothing and supplies to needy Afghans in the surrounding areas. But they're not doing it because they have to. They're doing it because they want to help. Members of the Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan unload a truck full of donations from the U.S. at a refugee camp outside of Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Jim Varhegyi  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “These are military and coalition members who volunteer,” said Air Force...

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2007 – An admitted golf “nut,” Jack Farley said he has heard probably every handicap joke there is, having hit the green for the last four decades wearing a prosthetic right leg. Still, nobody cuts him any slack, he said. Jack Farley visits a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. Farley is a peer amputee visitor at the center. His right leg was claimed by a mortar in Vietnam nearly 40 years ago. Farley was fitted for his first prosthesis at Walter Reed and met his wife there while being treated. Photo by...

Sorry for the vanity, but I feel we're at a breaking point re: Iraq. Just as things appear to be getting better, that a plan has gained traction, the rug is about to be pulled. To be trite, tough times call for strong measures. The rightroots movement helped thwart amnesty and gathered Eagles to secure D.C.'s sacred memorials. Can we mount a final stand in Iraq?

LUTIFIYAH – During a time when Iraq needs help the most, citizens are stepping forward and volunteering their services to help make the country a better place. Iraqi Police from the surrounding areas of Lutifiyah, Iraq, held a recruiting drive here Sunday. “Lutifiyah needs a local police force and this recruiting event was a good thing to see happen,” said U.S. Army Capt. Eric Daldom, assistant information operations officer with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. More than 100 recruits showed up to the event. “It was a strong turnout,” Daldom said. U.S. Soldiers from the 23rd Military...

[NOTE - While this was originally intended for the local school district and the local newspaper, it is one more instance where a local school district is actually considering mandating community service as a graduation requirement.] Am I the only one who sees the contradiction in the words mandatory and volunteerism? If the Northland Pines School District wants to encourage volunteerism and community service (they call it a Service Learning requirement) in the students of the district, then encourage it. Reward those who do volunteer work, perhaps with additional credits or substitution of community service work for a social studies...

May 15, 2007, 1:30 a.m. On Your GuardServe your state and country -- and annoy the New York Times! By Dave Konig It has taken the New York Times 70 years to discover the New York Guard, the state’s official all-volunteer back up for the National Guard. True to form, the New York Times didn’t find much to like about citizens volunteering to help the Army in time of war. They wrote a sneering piece — not just a “smear� piece, but a “sneer� piece. As an enlisted man in the New York Guard, I’d like to respond to...

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine police launched a criminal investigation after soldiers found the body of a missing American Peace Corps volunteer in a shallow grave Wednesday in a mountainous northern town where she disappeared while hiking. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said officials at the site confirmed that the body belonged to Julia Campbell, 40, from Fairfax, Virginia. It was to be airlifted Thursday to Manila. The remains, believed to be clad in the same clothes that Campbell was last seen wearing, were found buried in a dry creek, with a foot sticking out, in the vicinity of Batad...

MASON, Ohio — A Wayne Township volunteer firefighter has been charged with drunken driving, public indecency and disorderly conduct after being arrested in a park wearing a woman's blonde wig and bikini, officials said.

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2007 – For 23-year-old Joe Finn, it wasn’t enough that his parents’ Richmond, Va., Liberty Tax franchise was serving as a drop-off point for used cell phones to be recycled for cash to purchase prepaid calling cards for deployed servicemembers. Finn spent three weeks organizing a fundraiser for Cell Phones for Soldiers, part of the Defense Department’s “America Supports You” program, which spotlights and facilitates troop-support efforts around the country. But on his way to the March 25 event, the Colonial Heights resident was killed when his truck flipped over on Interstate 95 in Virginia’s Chesterfield County. Even...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2007 – When it comes to connecting troops and their families with services they deserve, Pat Kerr is in a league of her own -- literally. Missouri State Veterans Ombudsman Pat Kerr shows off a photo of her daughter, Army Reserve Capt. Kate Numerick, who is serving her second tour in Iraq. Photo by Fred W. Baker III  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. As the only paid state veterans ombudsman in the nation, Kerr spends her time battling bureaucracies, raising money and advocating for servicemembers, their families and veterans in Missouri. But folks shouldn’t let...

President Bush, with loving wife, Laura at his side, met today with leaders of Volunteer organizations in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, and then made remarks to the press about the importance to the health of the nation of having America’s citizens regularly volunteering to care for the needs of others, and to thank those who do. This is the fifth year of the USAFreedomCorps , ( FACT SHEET ), initiated by President Bush to encourage compassionate deeds by Americans toward the less fortunate around them.This afternoon, President Bush traveled to YMCA Anthony Bowen, in Washington, to promote...

Hemet woman leads groups that work with army.By DIANE A. RHODES Special to The Press-Enterprise When Ruth Rennie made her first trip to Israel as a tourist, she witnessed a war-torn country that needed help and she wanted to make a contribution.Ruth Rennie shows a photo of one of the many Volunteers for Israel groups she has taken to the country. She has on the uniform worn by soldiers and volunteers."In 1984, I was sent to an Army camp where I cleaned tank tools," recalls Rennie, who returned as part of the Volunteers for Israel program.She was so fascinated by...

He was the son of Cindy Sheehan. He was killed April 4, 2004 in Sadr City. But you wouldn't recognize him from his mother's description of him today. His is not the story his mom tells of how he was a dumb kid who was fooled into joining up. Army SPC Casey Sheehan was a war hero and he was a real man. Having recently reenlisted with the Army, SPC Sheehan volunteered to be part of a Quick Response Force (QRF) into Sadr City to rescue soldiers trapped by obstacles under serious enemy fire on the day of the heaviest...

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 29, 2006 -- Wrapping up a trip here that also included stops in Alaska and Reno, Nev., Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld met today with volunteers from “Operation Give,” a nonprofit organization that supports children in war-torn and natural-disaster-affected areas of the world. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, center, meets with Operation Give volunteers and thanks them for their contributions during a stop in Salt Lake City, Utah, Aug. 29, 2006. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, USAF  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “Those of you who volunteer your time are appreciated,” Rumsfeld told...

Great-grandmother Anna Kitner may be Tucson's top expert in the ups and downs of military life. For three generations, she's helped troops and their families through the hills and valleys. She's held their hands over flag-draped coffins and watched them return as hollow-cheeked prisoners of war. When they arrive at strange new bases with sick children in tow, she passes out toys and hugs. You couldn't pay her to do it. She works for free as one of the longest-serving civilian volunteers at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. "I've always been glad to do it because the need is so great,"...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2006 -- A trio of organizations with a long history of military support recognized 12 volunteer groups today for their programs that contribute to servicemembers’ quality of life. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife Lynne, congratulate Clare Lanigan, 15, Kids Serve Too youth co-chair, for winning a $7,500 grant during the 2006 Newman's Own Award ceremony at the Pentagon Aug. 11. Kids Serve Too, in partnership with Warner Brothers, spearheaded "A Thousand Thanks to Military Children," sending letters of thanks signed by a wide range of children's...

SAN DIEGO ---- While eight U.S. servicemen sit in a military jail accused of war crimes and under an international spotlight, 10 young civilians, strangers to the defendants, are thumbing through legal books and organizing evidence to help the defense. It's nearly a full-time job for the civilians. And they are doing it as volunteers. The 10 are law students. Their professors are the attorneys tapped to represent Pfc. John Jodka, one of the eight men accused of kidnapping and killing an Iraqi man on April 26 in the village of Hamdania. It's the kind of case that seasoned professionals...

I am very proud of my fellow volunteers. It was as much a privilege to serve with them as it was to serve in the armed forces. They were Americans at their best, Christians at their most lovely. They were and continue to be Christ made real. At any given time there are 30 to 75 volunteers staged in just one church, ready to lend back and body to the difficult task or restoring these clobbered homes, a story repeated all over the battered coastlines. Unfortunately I must report that I am far less impressed by those benefiting from the...

Rain, Rain, didn't Go Away but We Dropped Literature Anyway... Despite the rain the campaign managed a total literature drop over the weekend of over 4000 pieces. It’s not what we hoped for but it was a Herculean effort and it made a great difference. Rain blocked some of our efforts and will stymie us all this week. We do hope to get literature out Friday afternoon and Saturday. I hope anyone reading this will join us for a great time! (Call the campaign (281)332-2899 or me (281)948-6103) “Special thanks” goes to my wife, Niki, and our kids, Sarah, Christopher,...

AL ASAD, Iraq (June 6, 2006) -- Amidst the debris of a war-torn country lies a landmark from biblical history. With a lush green sanctuary of trees and vegetation surrounding a small pool of calm water rests the Al Asad Oasis, which has almost been untouched by the war. According to Arabic legend, the Quran and other Islamic writings, the oasis was the campsite of Abraham, a patriarch of the Hebrew bible, during his journey from Ur, located near the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, now named Tellel-Mukayyar, to Harran, located in southeastern Turkey, now Carrhae. The village,...

Manny Loya has a bond with Tucson's war dead. In the hot sun, he gazes at their headstones, imagining how they lived, whom they loved and how they died. "At first, I used to dream about them," said Loya, a volunteer grave tender at Holy Hope Cemetery, the final resting place of thousands of departed military personnel. For the past week or so, the retired city sanitation worker has performed his annual labor of love, sprucing up the cemetery for the national holiday honoring fallen troops. It's a time of year that leaves him feeling sentimental. "Look at all these...

Poles apart of charity boom JANE BRADLEY SCORES of Polish immigrants in the Capital are giving charities a massive boost - by offering their services for free. With many of the 20,000 Poles who have flocked to Edinburgh since the expansion of the EU working in unskilled jobs such as waitressing or labouring, many are turning to unpaid volunteering to improve skills and their chances of getting better jobs. Agency Volunteer Edinburgh, which matches people with opportunities, has seen around 35 eastern Europeans turn up at their Queensferry Street Lane offices every month to offer their help. While most want...

I was wondering whether any "Freepers" were heading down to Tupelo, Mississippi to help out with "8 Days of Hope". Specifically, is there anyone going from the New England area as I'd like to touch base with them to travel with. Just checking all my "connections".

LOCAL BUSINESSES MAY NEED YOUR HELP ON MONDAY By Jo Nuvark As you know, ILLEGAL INVADERS are planning a work – out this Monday, May 1st, 2006. If you recall, during the 70’s in Southern California, the Teamster’s Union tried to shut down a few large grocery chains. At that time the stay at home mothers and many retired people VOLUNTEERED to get the groceries off-loaded, stocked and bagged for customers. My Mother-in-law and her neighbors bagged groceries for weeks. The men stocked shelves. It was done quietly with no fuss. Nobody wanted a medal, they just wanted to help...

Red Cross workers Heather Ross and Michael Patton at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq. “I love working with the soldiers – I love hearing their stories – I love being part of this,” said Ross. U.S Army photo by Staff Sgt.Russell Lee Klika Red Cross Heather Ross Red Cross Volunteer Loves Her Work In Iraq By Sgt. Waine D. Haley 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment TIKRIT, Iraq, April 17, 2006 — Every day, women are making history here in Iraq, but one Red Cross worker is making history one family at a time. Heather Ross, assistant station manager, Tikrit-American...

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A 38-year-old Santa Cruz man pleaded guilty Wednesday to having sex with a minor overseas while working with the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, prosecutors said. Timothy Obert admitted to sexually abusing a 14-year-old minor while volunteering with the Peace Corps. The U.S. government invoked the Patriot Act to give it jurisdiction. Obert faces as many as 15 years in prison when sentenced in federal court here later this year. Congress hurriedly passed the Patriot Act in the weeks following the 2001 terror attacks, and the measure broadly expanded the government's wiretapping and surveillance authority....

LRMC volunteer mothers sick soldier By Spc. Todd Goodman Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Oct 28, 2005, 09:34 Pfc. Nicholas Shapiro, B Company 37th Infantry, was standing at the bus stop smoking a cigarette near the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Emergency Room. Karen Grimord, an American Red Cross volunteer, was waiting for her bus to take her back to Ramstein Air Base when she noticed Private Shapiro. “He was having one of those cigarettes that was going kind of like this,” she said, shaking her hand nervously as she imitated him. “He was so nervous he was pale.” Having a tube...

NEW ORLEANS - Dakota the dog is finally back in New Orleans. It's another tearful reunion. It's also extremely rare. Despite efforts by hundreds of volunteers, unprecedented cooperation by animal groups, millions of donated dollars and wide use of the Internet, the reunion rate of owner and pet separated by Katrina is less than 15 percent.

Dear Friends and Family, I just got home from 15 days in New Orleans and the surrounding areas. I am tired, and I am emotional. But mostly I am angry. I am angry at the news--the television stations, the newspapers--for what I view is a grossly misrepresented placement of blame. For those of you who know me, you know I work for FEMA as an "intermittent employee" of a disaster response team. My team, called VMAT or Veterinary Medical Assistance Team, is part of the response branch of FEMA known as the National Disaster Medical System. Let me tell you...

Over the past 2½ years, I have deduced that a few readers do not agree with my ideas. I'm clever that way. Most of my dissenters send in e-mail messages, some of which are printed in the paper. I like this. I can handle criticism. On the other hand, I hate it when no one writes in at all. That's awful. Coming to work the other morning, I took a voice mail from a reader who said he hated my column. You'd think such a reader would want to avoid me at all costs. But not this one. He actually...

MIAMI (AP) -- Sweat dripping from his head as he worked in the midday South Florida sun, Shaquille O'Neal loaded the last item into a cavernous 18-wheel trailer and pointed to the generous stranger. "Give the man a hug," he urged his children, who quickly obliged. "Tell him thank you." For the last week, O'Neal and his wife have coordinated efforts to help those in Louisiana and Mississippi whose lives were ripped apart by Hurricane Katrina. And Saturday, O'Neal was on the front line, personally accepting medical items, toiletries, clothes and other items from those inclined to help.

Fellow Freepers:At the suggestion of writer Michelle Malkin last Friday, I have cobbled together a blogsite called Texas Clearinghouse for Katrina Aid to serve as a clearinghouse for refugee efforts in Texas. Texas is getting more refugees than any other state -- that's fine, we'll take them all -- but we need help providing them with food, clothing, and shelter.If you are a refugee, you can information that will help you find relief. If you want to donate or volunteer, you can find someone who needs you. Right now the site mostly covers Houston and Dallas but I will add...

A good friend just forwarded this first-hand account from his fraternity brother at Loyola. Why aren’t we hearing these stories? Why aren’t the cameras on the ground capturing some of this? Keep in mind, as you read, that this guy lives in New Orleans. As do many of the volunteers, apparently . . . Yes, it’s hellish there right now, but not everyone has gone mad.

First, apologies for classifying this as breaking news; it's not news in the conventional sense, but I hope you'll agree it is worthy of the extra attention that the breaking-news classification affords. I belong to an organization called HTCIA (High Technology Crime Investigation Association), which is, as the name implies, an organization that deals with high tech crime and related issues. Our membership comprises both law enforcement personnel and a variety of private sector practitioners. At the HTCIA International level, an effort has been launched to acquire and deliver computer equipment and other goods that can be of service in...

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. (Aug. 24, 2005) -- “Good morning, Marine!” shouts Chuck Miller, a retired master gunnery sergeant, from the greeting desk at Halyburton Naval Hospital Cherry Point, where he begins his work as a Red Cross volunteer at 5:30 a.m. every Wednesday. “I’m here to greet people and help point them in the right direction,” said Miller, as he shares a joke with an old friend who has come to visit. “When a buddy of mine passed away, I volunteered to take his place here. That was three years ago, but it feels like just...

Many commentators have written about the protesting, anti-war mother who has decided to camp outside the President’s Crawford ranch and create a publicity spectacle for herself and the anti-war movement by exploiting the death of her son, Casey, in Iraq. Too many of those same commentators seem to feel the need to qualify their essays by explaining how they ‘understand the pain’ of the ‘grieving mother’. Yet, Cindy Sheehan’s actions do not mesh with those of a ‘grieving mother’ but those of an anti-war activist, so qualifying what she is doing only aids-and-abets her callous display self-serving emotionalism at the...

The Fire Fighter Union Movement and the Volunteer Fire Service (NOTE: This week's column is written by a career firefighter from Austin TX, Adam Kinnon. I know there have been many discussions on the issue of unions and volunteers, but I thought his point of view as a career firefighter was interesting.. -JZ) The career fire service in America is comprised of approximately 350,000 fire fighters. The volunteer fire service numbers over 800,000. The International Association of Fire Fighters boasts a membership of approximately 260,000 of the career fire fighters. As other sectors of the union movement dwindle to record...

Mohammad Hossein, 4, plays with his toy gun, in front of his mother, who is a member of a suicide commandos unit, during a meeting where more than 200 young men and women volunteers prepared themselves for special training to carry out suicide bomb attacks against Americans in Iraq and Israelis, at the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery, just outside Tehran, Iran, Thursday, May 12, 2005. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Dear Volunteers, Our Patriotic Drive, May 27-30 is fast approaching! We hope you will be able to join us during the 4 day weekend to help assemble 25,000 care packages to send to our courageous service members deployed overseas. In order to maintain a steady pace throughout the weekend, we like to assign specific shifts to all volunteers. We have all sorts of jobs available during every shift, from seated to standing to running to lifting! Please contact our volunteer coordinator, Penny Alfonso, ASAP to set up your day and time: pennyalfonso@yahoo.com. Please write "Operation Gratitude" in the subject line....

<p>Encino, Cal. - Over Memorial Day Weekend, Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization, will conduct its Patriotic Drive, assembling over 25,000 care packages that will be sent to deployed troops for delivery around July 4th. Operation Gratitude's ( www.opgratitude.com ) mission is to put a smile on a service member's face, lift morale, and express the appreciation of the American people for the sacrifices of the men and women defending our freedom. To date, Operation Gratitude has sent almost 45,000 care packages to individual troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bosnia, Korea, Kosovo and onto ships all over the world.</p>