A Few of Fr's Finest....Every Day....11-14-02

JohnHuang2 and Billie

[daisyscarlett]

A Few of FR's Finest.....
......Every Day

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues; salute and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   I can remember lurking when there were only a few regulars who posted, and now there are over 60,000 who have registered for posting privileges. The forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I can no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I've been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that doesn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why, in addition to seeing FR's Finest Military Personnel every day, I thought it might be fun to feature a different FReeper (or FReepers) each day. If you would like to be pictured, or know someone who would, please FReepmail me and we'll turn the spotlight - on YOU - for the day!

And do let me know if you'd like your picture added to the groups of Veterans/Active Military below. I will keep this page updated, and continue to add them to the comment section of the original Veteran's Day thread as well.

TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete
MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub
BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet
MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga
BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette
MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid
BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP
MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian
BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, TheMayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

We now have eleven groups of veterans/active military; we will post each group of three or four twice a week, with thumbnail/links of the remaining seven or eight groups on each thread. Click on any of the thumbnails below to see the group full-size.

         

GROUP 5A: TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68. MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797. BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack.

GROUP 6A: TOP:  g'nad, AgThorn's son Justin, SLB, AgThorn's son Brett. MIDDLE:  fish70, razorback-bert, CheneyChick, Leroy S Mort, Mark17. BOTTOM:  Terry's Take, Taxman, DinkyDau.

GROUP 7A: TOP:  ValerieUSA's son Grant, SK1Thurman, kd5cts, RangerVetNam, dansangel and .45man's son-in-law Tony.BOTTOM:  rangerX, Old China Hand, Trish, Howlin's dad, Mustang.

GROUP 8A: TOP: ohioWfan's son, MamaBear's father-in-law, MamaBear's dad, ladtx. MIDDLE:  The Mayor's niece, M.Kehoe, Beach_Babe's son-in-law. BOTTOM:  deadhead's dad, HiJinx, Severa's hubby, viligantcitizen's granddad.

      

GROUP 9A: TOP: Q6-God, Scan59, Mama Bear and JKPhoto's son, ofMagog. MIDDLE:  Big'ol_freeper, JustAmy's great uncle, Prodigal Son. BOTTOM:  JustAmy's husband, JustAmy's brother-in-law, JustAmy's brother.

GROUP 10A: TOP: dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon. BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

GROUP 11A: TOP: ladtx #2 son; DiverDave's twin Don; petuniasevan and husband poorman; Mustard; ladtx #1 son. BOTTOM: AlamoGirl's brother Floyd; AG's dad; AG's brother Jim (inset); WVNan's husband; ladtx' Aunt Eva.

                     

They still don't 'get it'

by JohnHuang2

The lawmakers were tough -- real tough --

on the Bush administration, chiefly it's plans on dealing with Saddam Hussein, who faced a Friday deadline on whether to accept or reject a unanimous U.N. Security Council resolution, sponsored jointly by the U.S. and Britain, calling on Iraq to disarm or face "serious consequences", a euphemism for military action. (Saddam accepted Wednesday).

One after another, angry lawmakers rose to the floor, denouncing -- in language which, even by Washington standards, seemed unduly over-the-top -- what they deemed Bush's 'reckless' 'aventurism', his impetuous penchant for unilateralist, diplomacy-be-damned belligerent foreign policy and jingoism. Adding fuel to the fire: A New York Times report Sunday that Bush had tentatively approved Pentagon plans for striking Iraq, using 200,000 to 250,000 troops in a coordinated land, sea and air assault.

Watching the proceedings, it's like I'd been transported to some strange, parallel universe, a world where Tuesday's GOP election resurgence, which gave triumphant Republicans control over the Senate as well as the House, had never happened. It was if Republicans had lost, rather than netted, 2 Senate seats, or Democrats had recaptured control of the Speaker's Chair in the House.

'New tone'? Ha! What 'new tone'?

One high-ranking lawmaker excoriated Bush, calling his policy towards Iraq nothing more than 'a pack of of lies' and 'falsehood', motivated by 'ill intentions.'

The war resolution "does not have the minimum of fairness, objectivity and balance," he lividly told fellow lawmakers in a bitter, blistering speech, adding that Bush's take-no-prisoners approach 'flagrantly ignores' painstaking progress achieved with Iraq "in past years."

I thought to myself, 'man, O man, don't these people get it? Heck, even the U.N. got the message in the form of that U.S.-backed Iraq ultimatum, I thought. Sheesh, we can get even Syria -- still on Foggy Bottom's list of terrorist nations -- to endorse Bush's tough line against Saddam, but we can't get these clowns to budge an inch?

All right, all right; maybe I'm reading too much into Tuesday's midterm results, and perhaps it's ridiculous for me to expect the Iraqi Parliament -- oops, did I mention that by 'lawmakers' I meant Iraqi "lawmakers"? That I was merely talking about the Iraqi "Parliament" all along? -- to knuckle under.

Which brings up an interesting point, in a weird sort of way.

For those who think elections don't matter a lick, that Republicans and Democrats are but 2 sides of the same coin, imagine (if you will) had November 5th gone the other way; imagine a tsunami sweeping Democrats into office Election Day, with the Donkey Party ruinously capturing control of the House and padding its majority in the Senate -- shouldn't be too hard to do, given the bloodbath the White House typically faces during its first midterm elections, costing the party an average of 30 House and 8 Senate seats; imagine waking up Wednesday morning to learn that Nancy Pelosi, the wingnut from San Francisco, was poised to become Speaker of the House, a heart beat away from the presidency (Gephardt had planned to resign his leadership post to run for president, regardless).

What a tragic, calamitous defeat for the White House: A seismic shift in power in a time of war to a party whose seething aversion to military conflict is equaled only by the loathing it harbors for the U.S. military itself.

The world, not just the U.S., would feel the reverberations, the political shock waves spawned as a newly emboldened anti-war party, overwhelmed by a sense of vindication, boisterously seized the reigns.

A landslide for Democrats would mean the U.N. Iraq resolution would still be languishing in the Security Council, headed for certain defeat. President Bush, his prestige in tatters, would no longer command respect on the global stage, his toppled influence a smoldering rubble on the ground.

Elections don't matter, eh?

If that's true, then why was Saddam Hussein secretly rooting for Nancy Pelosi's team?

Think about it, if Saddam could vote, which Party do you suppose he'd prefer: The Party led by one George W. Bush, or the party ruled by a Leninist crackpot, a flag-burning 60s throw-back who idolizes Fidel Castro?

Vice President Dick Cheney or Albert Gore -- which one gets Saddam's vote-of-confidence, as it were?

Condoleezza Rice or Jim McDermott?

Colin Powell or David Bonior?

Donald Rumsfeld or 'Barbra' Streisand?

Any questions?

Didn't think so.

Anyway, that's...

My two cents...

THIS WEEK'S THREADs

11-11-02 Veteran's Day
11-12-02 Temple Owl
11-13-02 Mo1 and The Freeople Thread

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

     1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
     2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
     3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
     4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
     5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[rdb3]

Keep them coming, ma'am! I like 'em.

[lodwick]

These baby barred owls, orphaned during last spring's storms, were cared for at the Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
along with hundreds of other wild storm victims.

[cmsgop]

Hey There!!!!!

[Billie]

I just love all these calendars - it is amazing to me how so many of them seem to go along with whatever theme or FReeper we have spotlighted, too! (Not that today's is, but there sure are many that are!)

[beowolf]

Plus, there are several of my spies on your team, one of whom is relatively sane.

Well...that put me beyond suspicion, now doesn't it?-)

[Feiny]

It is a good thing I keep my handy Swiss Army Flame Thrower handy! It is rather cumbersome to carry around all the time, but you never know when situations will arise and you will need it. As my pappy always said, "Better to have a flamethrower and not need it than need it and not have it."

[Billie]

Good afternoon, FRiends! Always good to have you visit - love having one of John's good ole' 2 cents here to read.

Pippin, I'm sorry I haven't seen much of you lately and now I see you're going into lurk mode for a while. Good luck with the new apartment - in by Christmas - how fun to have a new home to light up at Christmas time!

[Billie]

Hi, Julie - thanks for the darling owl comment! Nan found that black and white drawing of those six owls, and daisy thought we should have a hostess welcome made out of it! Trouble is there were 6 of the, not 5! LOL - Bingo! Added the Louie horning in on our job. :)

The captions are just something I've done on the last 3 because Louie has been making 'us' talk on so many he's given us, and it's so fun to read what 'they' might be saying!

jw and dutchess, I know both of you commented on the owls, too. Thank you - we'll keep making 'em - if you keep finding 'em!

Once again I'm having a hard time getting around to saying hello to all individually. Can someone tell me why there aren't as many hours in a day as there used to be? :)

[Diver Dave]

Another GREAT essay John. Sure wish I could compose my thoughts on current events as quickly as you do. You sure are one of "FR's Finest..."

Uhh Louie, a halo? And it's not even tilted or tarnished.

[humblegunner]

Several larger ones are rolling down the hills, picking up snow and getting bigger as they roll.

Hmmm.. several strategically placed charges might be able to improve on
that, Cap'n.. with a bit o' demolition we might could drop the whole mountain
on the piratical lubbers! I'll see what I've got with me...

[Billie]

Hey, guys! Hello, Mix!

cms, you're soon to be a new, first home, aren't you? :)

[Diver Dave]

Sad to see so many names today, lad.

The Purple Heart carries such deep meaning.

Salute!

[Billie]

Hi, there - am making my rounds, passing the cheese tray - can I get you something to drink? :)

[Billie]

Oh, wow, Gail! That was quite a rant, but we're listening, and feel free anytime you have a rant about corrupt politicians.

I think you stomped a hole in the middle of that soapbox. :)

[Billie]

Afternoon, Miss Aqua. Hope you had a good 'run'today. :)

[WVNan]

feinswinesuksass, and WVNan. Scuttlebutt can referee and provide libations.

Sure go ahead and send the women out for coffee. That's all they're good for anyway. Never mind that we have struggled valiantly through the South Seas as the crew of the Mobius Triangle, phishing Phish out of the seas time and again, climbing the main mast and yelling LAND HO, scrubbing the deck, cleaning the galley, and even refurbishing the bilge pump. Still we're not equipped to lob snowballs? I'll have you know I was lobbing snowballs before you were born. It's mutiny I tell you....mutiny.!

[beowolf]

Double single malt Scotch and water...and a few of the finger-sandwichs...if you please!-)

[Billie]

November 14, 1967, was a sad day. Too many this date. Too many.

[ofMagog]

My daddy said stuff like that, feinswinesuksass. He also was kidnapped on an alien spaceship a few times, which did improve him considerably even if it did make him tell more pointless stories about him and Elvis.

Putting grenades in the snowballs might be considered, er, uh, unethical by some, humblegunner, but that plus feinswinesuksass' flame thrower creating mud slides may slow them down getting up here. I like your thinking.

We must keep you undercover, beowolf. The tutu is an excellent disguise, if somewhat cold up there in the tree. Scuttlebutt can throw up a few cans of libation to warm you.

Aquamarine can be tricky, fellows, so we must post guards with sufficient bribe money to get her troops to give up. A dollar each such do the trick. She hasn't posted her crew yet. And, we are short on volunteers.

[Billie]

Even the sunrises are bigger in Texas. :)