A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....12-13-02

dansangel; Billie

[dansangel]

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:  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.

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

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.

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

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

GROUP 2A: TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

GROUP 3A: TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

GROUP 4A: TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, TheMayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

      

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.

                     

sweetliberty Freeper since July 28, 2001

Inquisitional Minds have been demanding to know what makes a right-wing fanatic "tick." After extensive research, I found what I believe to be the perfect subject for dissection. After months of hounding her, sweetliberty finally agreed to this interview. She appears to be congenial and even humbled by the opportunity to be interviewed for The National Inquisition, but don't let that façade fool you. It didn't fool yours truly. Deep within beats the heart of a hardened conservative - cold and without feeling. It is with great pleasure that I bring you:

sweetliberty: The Exclusive Inquisitional Interview

dansangel: I'm so glad you agreed to do an interview with me. As you know, "Inquisitional Minds Want to Know!"

sweetliberty: I hardly know what to say. I feel very honored to have been asked to do this. Thank you dansangel and Billie. It is a privilege.

dansangel: I hope you still feel the same way by the time we're through. Now, why don't you give us a little dirt, er, I mean history about yourself.

sweetliberty: I am a country girl and a southerner by birth and by preference. I was raised in a sleepy little town in rural southeastern Virginia. My daddy was in the navy and was overseas when I was born. My parents divorced when I was 5 or 6 and Daddy moved back to his native Kentucky where he'd been raised on a tobacco farm with 12 brothers and sisters and no indoor plumbing. I loved summers in the country in Kentucky....some of my best memories.

sweetliberty's Daddy

Back in Virginia, I was raised predominantly by my great-grandma until she passed away when I was 9. Everybody called her "Nanny" and as a child, my favorite place on earth was Nanny's garden. It seemed she had every kind of flower imaginable. My favorites were her prize-winning irises, rows and rows of them in every color imaginable. All the way in the back was the vegetable garden with corn, tomatoes, squash, butter beans, snaps, turnips, radishes, cabbage and cucumbers. Nanny had tremendous patience, much more than I ever learned, I'm afraid. One thing there was plenty of at Nanny's was books and I loved books from as early as I can remember, and I can remember VERY early. With her help I taught myself to read and write long before I went to school and reading was always one of my favorite things to do in my spare time. I used to get teased a lot for always having my nose buried in a book, especially on summer vacations.

Nanny

dansangel: What did you want to be when you grew up?

sweetliberty: I had big plans for my life, but as is so often the case, things didn't exactly go according to plan. My dream of raising 7 kids on a farm went downhill when my marriage ended in divorce over my husband's unwillingness to give up his unhappy love affair with Jack Daniels and I found myself raising our daughter, Dawn, alone. That was also pretty much the end of my plans to enter the ministry. Having determined that the lack of order in my own life precluded me from serving as one who would teach others how to order theirs, I dropped out of my second year in seminary and focused my attention on being the best mom I could be. While I know I made mistakes, I must have done something right. She votes Republican.

Recent photo of sweetliberty and daughter, Dawn (top) - Dawn at age 16 (bottom)

dansangel: And you don't count THAT as a mistake? Good grief! Were there any other serious relationships after your first husband?

sweetliberty: I haven't gotten married again, although now that my life is my own again, I certainly haven't ruled it out. I still hope to settle down in the country again and create a little haven where I can recreate some of my own precious memories for my grandchildren.

dansangel: You have grandchildren?

sweetliberty: I have one already, a grandson, Tyler, and it certainly broadens one's perspective. He is 5 years old now and he lived with me for most of his first 4 years. I hope to have more, but at the same time I have great concern for the world they would come into.

sweetliberty's grandson Tyler

dansangel: Well, I certainly hope you aren't going to brainwash HIM into being a Republican.

sweetliberty: I never really bothered myself too much with politics and at times past I often did not even want to know what was going on because I found it too depressing. It wasn't that I was in denial. I voted, but it was more out of concern for specific issues, especially abortion, than it was out of any real political persuasion. I registered as a Republican initially to vote for Ronald Reagan, but later registered as an independent which I remained for years.

sweetliberty "several years ago" playing guitar in Colorado's "Garden of the Gods."

dansangel: "Independent" is certainly more palatable than "Republican." What led you to that mistake?

sweetliberty: My attitude changed dramatically with the Clinton regime and that is one of the things I PERSONALLY hold against him. Suddenly I no longer felt secure in America and no longer trusted that our leaders had our best interests at heart. I was concerned that those sweet liberties that I had always taken for granted would not exist for our grandchildren. I found myself watching the news all the time, constantly flipping from one news channel to another. It wasn't too long before I came to realize that Fox was the only one that really seemed to offer any conservative balance or objectivity.

sweetliberty at age 26 - in curlers!

dansangel: Nothing like a shameless plug for the competition….

sweetliberty: That was when I became familiar with Matt Drudge, who still had his show on Fox then. I had come to detest the Clintons and everything they stood for. During the impeachment I became obsessed with seeing these demons get what was coming to them and every time Clinton showed his ugly face on TV I felt like my home had been invaded. I re-registered as a Republican so I could vote for Alan Keyes in the 2000 primary. I later voted for Dubya in the general election.

dansangel: Were you being influenced by online conservative fodder?

sweetliberty: Until that time, I had not been online, except to go to the library and read the Drudge Report or to occasionally visit Rush's site. With the 2000 election coming up, I decided I really wanted to be online to follow what was going on so I got a computer and was online by mid-afternoon of November 7, 2000. I didn't have a clue what I was doing but I did know how to get to Drudge's site and I also found my way to a political chatroom where I met some incredibly interesting and knowledgeable people.

dansangel: Would that "chatroom" have been that heinous pit of right-wing brainwashing, Free Republic?

sweetliberty: It was at that time that I first heard about Free Republic and began visiting sometimes. It was actually several months and many discussions later, when my first and favorite FReeper friend, PeaceBeWithYou, got me spending enough time there that I signed up and started posting. I was hooked in no time.

dansangel: See? Brainwashed. Case closed!

sweetliberty: I discovered that it is the best source around for news and all kinds of other information and I found the company here to be delightful. It is also the best place I know of, online or off, to relax and unwind, to vent, to laugh, to exchange ideas, to recharge our batteries, to make plans and to make friends. I have found FReepers to be some of the most intelligent and witty and passionate people I've ever met and having so many like-minded people in one place is truly inspiring.

dansangel: More like "scary"…

sweetliberty: I have found that FReepers in real life are every bit as good a company as they are online too, and I enjoy the company of my Hog Wild FReeper friends on a regular basis. While FReepers can be male or female and come in all ages, shapes, colors and traditions and from all walks of life and be different from one another in any number of ways, the common ground we share is something truly unique and the relationships here something I have come to cherish. We make a difference where change is needed.

dansangel: And what makes you think there's a need for change?

sweetliberty: The liberals have done a lot of damage to our country and they have no intention of throwing in the towel any time soon, so I anticipate that their tactics will get progressively more despicable as they get more and more desperate. We cannot afford to let down our guard. We are a force to be reckoned with, and they know it as evidenced by some of the latest attacks on conservative media. I've no doubt that they'd shut us down if they could.

dansangel: That's a might hefty allegation!

sweetliberty: Jim Robinson has done a great service for America by creating Free Republic as have all the FReepers who have made this their "home" and contributed their time and knowledge and resources to make it what it is. I do have one complaint though.

dansangel: Finally! And that complaint would be?

sweetliberty: Free Republic is fattening! I am still fighting to get rid of the 40 or so extra pounds I put on since election 2000. It's coming along but I still have a ways to go. Some genius really needs to come up with a weight-reducing FReeping chair.

dansangel: Not exactly what I had in mind for a "complaint." Anyway, describe some of your right-wing activism.

sweetliberty: As you know, I am very busy lately with an effort to fight voter fraud. To find out more about how I got involved with that, check out the thread, which will be an ongoing effort particularly aimed at impacting the next election. I hope this thread will bring more attention to this important issue and get more people involved.

FReepers Against Voter Fraud

dansangel: Why don't you share some of your conservative beliefs with us.

sweetliberty: I believe there is good and evil and right and wrong and that we should know the difference. I believe in preserving tradition and morality and in protecting the innocence of children. I believe that homosexuality is a sin. I don't believe in "special" status for anybody except the most innocent or the most helpless. I believe in being loving and generous because it is what is in your heart, not because the government requires it of you. I believe in taking responsibility for your own actions, but not in judgment without mercy. I do not believe that the establishment of freedom of religion was ever intended to protect demonic cults. Freedom of choice does not include the slaughter of innocents in the womb. It does not mean "freedom" from religion or "freedom" from being offended. We are a nation built on the laws of God and no one has the right to expel God from it.

I love my country and I love freedom. While I abhor violence, I have come to realize that it is the only language understood by many in the world who would do us harm. I believe that if freedom is to be preserved we have to do whatever it takes to restrain or even abolish those enemies. I believe that liberalism is an enemy within our borders, political correctness is its language and socialism is its goal and as such needs to be treated as swiftly and harshly as any foreign enemy. It has corrupted us from within like a cancer and robbed us of common sense and decency as a culture. It is time for renewal. In order to find balance the pendulum needs to swing the other way. I pray it is not too late.

Please join me in giving another deserving FReeper a warm welcome to FR's Finest...

Today that Finest is
sweetliberty!

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 12-09-02 Paul Atreides 12-10-02 Gingerbread House Contest 12-11-02 Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! 12-12-02 Holiday Top-Ten-List Contest

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

[dansangel]

....and it's an image that causes FReepers far and wide to quake in fear at the sound of your name. :-)

Really?

Kewl! :-)

[sweetliberty]

Those are my favorite color roses! Thank you Mo. That is beautiful! I look forward to planting roses this year. I have really missed having a garden!

I consider you a great FReeper friend too and when y'all get down this way, the Arkansas Hog Wild FReepers will have to treat you to the culinary delight of the Whole Hog cafe (our now official FReep headquarters, incidentally). Never again will you question the southern barbeque "thang". Now run along and eat your grits like a good girl. A yankee living up to the title of "honorary southerner" is no small thing.

.

HONORARY

[sweetliberty]

" I am a ***recovering dim*** much like many of my fellow FReepers who saw the light later in life"

It is always inspiring to hear that. It gives me hope for some of those lost souls on the other side. A visit to the DU or a few hours of cable news can sure make one feel that hope has long gone. Glad to have you on the RIGHT side.

[sweetliberty]

Thank you mama bear! That is beautiful! I have 2 favorite flowers now....roses AND irises. Both some in so many beautiful colors and varieties.

[Flyer]

Sweetliberty. Sweet liberty . . . That has such a nice ring to it.

"FReepers in real life are every bit as good a company as they are online too"

I couldn't agree more. It is like a continual hug and 'Welcome home' everyday here.

---

Y'all have fun here. I have to do the day sleeper thing again. Oh. . . yesterday's contest thread was another great one. FreeTheHostages and Mudboy Slim take 1st place for outstanding judging.

---

God Bless America, land of the free, home of the brave. . .

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Wingate Boulevard - Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas

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[JulieRNR21]

A contract's a contract, Julie, and I guess the legal beagles will haveta fight out the meaning of "IT", but I read it being short for "the 100 Million Florida Lottery".

I repeat....IT..... was short for the two million you two declined. Jim will understand & honor that I'm sure.

And wouldn't it be grand....if it happened???? I'd have the biggest Freeping Party that Florida has ever seen! I'd rent out the Ritz Ballroom!

[sweetliberty]

That is an awesome picture flyer. There is just something both soothing and inspiring about long; lonely country roads, especially through the trees.

Thank all of you wonderful and special FReepers for your beautiful graphics and gracious words and for all you contribute to make FR such a special place to be.

[Diver Dave]

Afternoon. Great interview and write-up, dansy.

It's a pleasure to meet ya, sweetliberty. Nice lookin' family you've got there too.

Congratulations to another of FR's Finest...

[jwfiv]

I was just checking your thread, sweetliberty...some very nice thoughts and pics to scroll through...was especially glad to see Flyer's beautiful shot of that country road...Texas sure has many faces!

Nice picture, Flyer.

Hope you're enjoying your day, SL.

[dansangel]

A visit to the DU or a few hours of cable news can sure make one feel that hope has long gone.

Which is why I don't have the stomach to do either. Unless it's Fox news and some of that isn't much tolerable either.

Poor .45MAN accidently switched on CNN the other day. I was positively shrill when I asked, "What's THAT doing on the tv?" LOL. He puts up with a lot, poor guy!

[Diver Dave]

Salute to CW2 Richard D. Jenks (USAR).

Another Salute to Greg Snow, Armorer / Gunner, T-Birds, Oct. 1968 - Oct 1969.

Thanks ladtx for presenting the info.

[lodwick]

Thanks for the link to Carlo's books: I appreciate it.

[dansangel]

Hi Flyer!

That photo is something else! It looks like the hills just go on forever into the horizon.

Hope you have good, peaceful rest. Thank-you for stopping by! {{{{{{{{{{{{{{FLYER}}}}}}}}}}}}}

PS...miss you!

[lodwick]

Coos Bay bttt - good job Tonk.

[dansangel]

{{{{{{{{Diver Dave}}}}}}}}}}}

So good to see you! Thank-you for dropping by to say "hello" to sweetliberty.


And, thanks for the kind words! :-)

[Mudboy Slim]

"I'd rent out the Ritz Ballroom!"

I'll be there...MUD

[Cold Heat]

I am so happy to see that you are getting your day in the spotlight!

I have been off line for a few days digesting the recent news and I am glad picked this day of all days to get back to FR!

I hope you have a wonderful day and I am glad to know you even better than I did before.

Enjoy!

[sweetliberty]

.

HOG CALL

I realize that this bunch is big on the last minute, but this is getting ridiculous! I hear some of y'all are missing the posts on the state board. I had the pleasure of speaking with HK Edgarton on the phone yesterday evening. He is currently near Simsboro and will be in Minden on Saturday. Budge and I discussed going down there and meeting with him in place of our regular meeting. We'd like to leave about 11 in the morning, but we need to know who's in. He sounds like a delightful and interesting person with some good stories to tell. Budge is willing to take the FReepmobile. Also, any FReepers in Louisiana who'd like to meet us around Minden we would really enjoy meeting you as well. FreeTheSouth! HK said he remembers you and hoped you would be able to join us. See Budge's post #35.

[Mama_Bear]

I have 2 favorite flowers now....roses AND irises.

Well, since it is your special day here on the Finest thread, you get roses too. :-)

[lodwick]

Salute your friend!

RIP Gunnie.