Free Republic

I have been a minor participant at Free Republic, the Internet’s leading conservative forum, since September 2004. An online friend referred me to a discussion where members of Free Republic were talking about the 1952 and 1956 presidential elections, and using my maps from this page to make a point. I had to join FR to introduce myself to that group, and thank them for visiting. Because that was right after the “Rathergate” scandal, I thus became one of the “Pajamahadeen” that had just brought down the Sauronic eye of CBS. Being a “Freeper” has been an interesting and fun...

I lurk this forum way too much. But it does give me my news fix and some interesting tidbits as well. I am in here enough to get a good gauge of the political celebs Freepers don't like. That would be pretty much everybody. I'm kinda sure nobody likes Mitt Romney. And as of 11/6/08, John McCain is a favorite whipping boy. Overall, the bulk of characters who stood on stage in the early GOP debates last year is tainted in some way. Giuliani, the cross-dressing gun-hater. Ron Paul, the anti-war drug-legalizer. Huckabee, the soft-on-crime wingnut. Yada yada... I'm aligned...

This morning I posted a thread titled " Obama Orders 1 Million US Troops To Prepare For Civil War". My comment, " Fact or speculation? You decide", in the thread I posted clearly indicated no particular position for or against and with the assumption Freepers could openly debate the merits, or lack thereof, and provide input concerning the article located at another website as has occurred with many other dubious articles posted at FreeRepublic in the past. The thread was pulled with the premise the article was based on the "trutherism" subjectively defined as a conspiracy. I then posted a...

Since we've all worked hard all week, It's time to kick back, relax, forget about politics and enjoy a nice full glass of iced tea or Soda. Enjoy

<p>TIJUANA, Mexico – The towering black gate opens silently to an alley with walls of corrugated metal. Scrawled in large white letters on one wall is: "The End."</p> <p>For those deported from the United States, the words are an unnecessary reminder. Nearly every hour of the day, guards unlock this gate that leads back into Mexico, clicking open the padlocks hung on each side, in each nation.</p>

Today was the last day for most of the 120 staffers on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," who left with an early Christmas bonus check and no guarantee of a job when the strike ended. "Do we have a job when the strike ends? That's what everyone keeps asking," one former staffer said. "They've guaranteed no one a job. They just keep saying, 'The letter explains it." That letter is a notice from NBC's human resources department that says, "If your services are needed, we will contact you." Sources said that while some higher-level executives received severance packages, other...

SARASOTA — Incoming U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering not seating the state-certified Republican winner of a contested congressional election when the new Congress goes into session next month, her spokesman said. Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Pelosi, said the congresswoman has not yet decided what to do about the contested District 13 race, in which Republican candidate Vern Buchanan was certified the winner by the state by a margin of 369 votes over Democrat Christine Jennings. "The bottom line here is that nothing's off the table," Hammill said. The House is currently investigating, and Jennings has pressed on...

New York – Glum Republicans might turn their attention to the Libertarian Party to vent their anger. Libertarians are a generally Republican-leaning constituency, but over the last few years, their discontent has grown plain. It isn't just the war, which some libertarians supported, but the corruption and insider dealing, and particularly the massive expansion of spending. Mr Bush's much-vaunted prescription drug benefit for seniors, they fume, has opened up another gaping hole in America's fiscal situation, while the only issue that really seemed to energise congress was passing special laws to keep a brain-damaged woman on life support. In two of the...

LONDON (Reuters) - Muslims criticised the government on Friday for publishing the names of 19 men who police sources say are under arrest for allegedly plotting to blow up passenger planes bound for the United States. The government instructed the Bank of England to publish the names on its Web site on Thursday, just hours after police arrested 24 people in connection with the suspected plot. Police have not named the 24 but a police source confirmed they include the 19 named by the central bank. Although the bank did not give the addresses of the 19, it listed their...

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio - At his Tienda La Raza grocery store and restaurant, Jose Bravo sells Spanish-language DVDs and Mexico soccer jerseys, chorizo sausage and chopped cactus. Lately, there has been another hot seller — one-way bus tickets out of here. "People that had been in the United States for a while, who were planning to stay, now they feel scared," Bravo said. He said he has sold at least 10 tickets in recent weeks to people who are moving to Michigan or other parts of Ohio, or who have decided to go back to Mexico. Tough talk on immigration over...

Palestinian expert on Jewish settlements says Arab claim to Jerusalem is in jeopardy; 'Arabs will cry for Jerusalem like they did for Andalusia,' he says A Palestinian expert on Jewish settlements in the West Bank warned Arab countries on Tuesday that they face the prospect of losing their claim to the city of Jerusalem if they don't back their words with actions. "The Arabs will cry for Jerusalem as they cried for Andalusia. While the Israelis allocate billions of dollars to change the face of the city, to shrink Arab presence and boost its Jewish population, the Arabs are doing...

BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip - He's overdrawn at the bank, owes $400 to the grocery, can no longer afford baby formula for his youngest and is trying to sell his 16-year-old car for half its value to raise cash for food. After two months without his government salary, Abdel Hakim Abu Samra, 47, is fast running out of options. "It's the worst time we've had," he said, comparing the deepening crisis since Hamas rose to power in March to previous periods, including two bloody uprisings against Israel. And there's no end in sight. The West won't lift crippling economic sanctions...

I did not appreciate FOX SPORTS deciding what I am watching on Sunday!! They are finally showing a Washington Redskins game on regular television, and I invite friends over, we are watching the game, and tailgating!! Having a great day, Redskins are winning!! FOX SPORTS decides to change the game that we are watching, to the Packers / Vikings game. We can't even go somewhere to watch the game, because the NFL TICKET isn't showing it either, because it was to be shown on regular television programming. FOX SPORTS sucks, and I just wanted everyone to know!!! Who do they...

First, this is NOT an April Fool's joke. I am leaving Free Republic. Over the past two years, civility and thoughtful discourse has vanished from this site, replaced with demands for ideological conformity that are straight out of Stalinist Russia or China's Great Cultural Revolution, and unrelenting uncivility if said conformance is not forthcoming. This trend began with the California recall election, where certain posters were allowed to flame the living beejezus out of those who didn't wholeheartedly support Tom McClintock, or thought that he wasn't running a campaign capable of winning. It extended into the Keyes campaign last year,...

ANSWER and various losers whining on Cspan1. Not much more description needed.

yesterday i posted my first message on the free republic website i may of got some things wrong but it was my first thread. I dont think i will post another because of the more than harsh reply i got. goodbye

Kerry workers complain of pay Wednesday, October 27, 2004 MIKE THOMPSON THE SAGINAW NEWS Some Saginaw County workers for Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry say they aren't getting paid. A dispute between Saginaw organizer John L. Pugh and out-of-town Democrat operatives is at the heart of the issue. Workers who started Oct. 11 from a headquarters in the downtown Bancroft House say they have not received compensation of $50 per day for door-to-door "flushers" in the field, or $70 for supervisors. "They promise to pay you every day, and then it's the next day, and then the next day,"...

Kerry: Why Won't Bush Just Denounce the Swift Boat Ads? 8/26/2004 5:31:00 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk, Political Reporter Contact: Chad Clanton or Phil Singer, 202-464-2800, both of Kerry-Edwards 2004; Web: http://www.johnkerry.com WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a release of Kerry-Edwards 2004: George Bush failed again to condemn the Swift Boat ads and instead tried to turn this discredited smear campaign into a campaign finance debate. Kerry spokesman Phil Singer said: "This isn't an issue about 527 ads or campaign finance: It's a question of whether the Commander-in-Chief will denounce a group whose claims have been discredited...

Former Georgia Senator Max Cleland, left, and former Green Beret Lt. Jim Rassmann, center, approach a Secret Service Agent, right, on station at the check point to the entrance of President Bush (news - web sites)'s ranch Wednesday Aug. 25, 2004 in Crawford, Texas. Cleland tried to deliver a letter protesting ads challenging John Kerry (news - web sites)'s Vietnam service to President Bush at his Texas ranch Wednesday, but the Secret Service stopped Cleland short of his goal. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

<p>There is scant comfort in the fact that Mexican forces won the 1836 battle of the Alamo: The movie closes with the Battle of San Jacinto one month later, which Mexico lost -- along with Texas. Within a dozen years, Mexico went on to lose most of what later became California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and Arizona.</p>