A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....04-04-03...The (More er Less) Honorable Billybob

Dutchess and Billie

[dutchess]

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.

                     

A constitutionalist, a political satirist, a writer,a commentator AND a Patriot…. please join me in welcoming Congressman Billybob as today's FR Finest….

The (More er Less) Honorable Billybob, cyberCongressman from Western Carolina

So Just Who is Congressman Billybob and How Did He Get here??? (This is good folks…a real original…)

This here's the (More or Less) Honorable Congressman Billybob from Western Carolina. Of all the 100,000 folks who've signed up for FreeRepublic, give or take a few, I may be the only one who posted here before he ever visited the website. To explain:

Here we go…AND IT WASN'T A DRUDGE LINK…!

Seven years ago, a friend who was commissioned to create a humor section ("Newsgrief") on the dreaded AOL, invited me to write a weekly column for that. But who should write it? J. Armor, Esq., which is who I am in the real world, is not known as either very colorful or greatly humorous. So I created the (More er Less) Honorable Billybob, etc. to write the column And at the same time I created Felicity Fahrquar, his Close Personal Assistant. The deal was that Felicity was younger, prettier and smarter than Billybob.

About a year and a half later, I got an e-mail from a reader that he'd posted one of my columns on "FreeRepublic," and he gave the webaddress. So I went there, found a group of intelligent, funny, dedicated Americans in a community largely free of the political garbage that fills the minds of entirely too many Americans, today. I felt at home. I signed up. I've never looked back.

THEN AND NOW…..

Speaking at the DC Patriots Rally III, 1/18/03

Since then, I've participated often in the D.C. Chapter's Freeps of the Clinton White House. I've spoken at three of the Rallies on the Mall, and another in my state Capitol, Raleigh, on 22 March.

And again...last month at the Raleigh SC Patriots Rally

My weekly column, which I'm still writing, first escaped AOL and onto the Net, and now it has been picked up by United Press International. I post those on FR once the final text is on the wire.

Lastly, my column has led to weekly radio broadcasts on a national show, "American Breakfast," and on a statewide show, with Jerry Agar on WPTF in Raleigh. It has also earned a monthly slot on RadioFreeRepublic.

C. BillyB is on FR Radio the 2nd Thursday of every month on the times noted.

Congressman Billybob, the Lawyer and Constitutionalist

FR is entirely in line with the strongest interest in my personal life. Encouraged by excellent teachers in high school and college, my abiding interest in the US Constitution began early. I lead my class in Con-Law at Yale, and again at Maryland Law. Believe it or not, the first case I ever tried as a lawyer was not a fender-bender accident, or a marijuana cigarette case, but a First Amendment challenge to the election laws of Maryland which went all the way to the Supreme Court.

Alas, that first case was a loss. But as with FR I was hooked. Four years later I got back to the Supreme Court with a similar case, and won. I expect to file my 17th brief in that Court, against the Campaign Finance "Reform" Act, when that issue gets there.

A Peek at the Personal Side and a Cyber Dream True

I'm married with four children and two grandchildren. I'll maintain an element of privacy but WILL share the following….

Five years ago, Newsweek recommended my column in its Cyberscope feature. A lady working in a medical office in Indiana, read the recommendation, read the column, and sent me a funny e-mail. Hundreds of e-mails followed, then hours of phone calls. We met, and eventually we married. So, Kem has become the real Felicity Fahrquar. And she is younger, prettier, and smarter than the Congresscritter. Freepers who have met her, and had posts with her, can attest to that.

Hobbies???

As for hobbies, I dimly remember what those were like. I used to engage in mountain climbing and white-water rafting. Now, between my full-time work AND full-time Freeping, I barely have time to eat occasionally and breathe from time to time!

Pretty Impressive…In His Spare Time….BB is Writing his 8th Book….

My seventh book is now out. "To Restore Trust in America," is described here.

My eighth book, "These Are the Times That Try Men's Souls," is on Thomas Paine and will be out this year. My ninth book, on writing for pay, is "Write. Get Paid. Now." It will include a computer disk with a professional writing program, "WordCrafter" (tm), on it. My co-author, Bob Calco, is doing the heavy lifting on that project. His wife Olga, a Russian-trained artist and architect, is my co-author on the former project, doing the excellent line drawings in the book.

An Open Invitation to all Freepers

We live in a restored farmhouse on Kettle Rock Mountain in the Blue Ridge, in Highlands, North Carolina very near to the junction of NC, SC and Ga. There's a wrap-around porch, an 80-mile view (weather permitting), and we are smack dab on the Eastern Continental Divide. Any Freepers who make it to this small corner of the world are welcome to "set a spell onna porch with us'ns."

Please join me in recognizing a TRUE FR's FINEST....The (More er Less) Honorable Billybob!!!

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 03-31-03 Salute to the Military (Inspirational) 04-01-03 Ladtx Essay.."Courage" (an awesome read) 04-02-03 Tatze 04-03-03 JohnHuang2 Essay

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

[LadyX]

In the light of day, after watching the little stroll through Baghdad, I yield to smiles reading your new barrage, O Mighty Fufkin!
LOL

While the sun is shining brighter with our current leadership, there still are a lot of rodents running in and out of the sewers - lots of ambushes and booby traps to come.
Just watched Ellen Ratner defending the position of Senator John Kerry and his "regime change" crack as being innocuous.

Hopefully, even the liberals will realize how dangerous are the ludicrous steps they are taking to dominate the spotlight - the ones taking them into total oblivion as a Party.

Someone might pin them down to state what positive things they are "for - not agin" to lead America.
Perish the thought - - -

Top of the morning to you - - another 30-hour day, I presume, about to end?

[Mama_Bear]

We're over HERE!

[Congressman Billybob]

Dutchess, my friend,

Where are you, in this fine land? Miss Felicity and I would be honored to have you (and any other Freepers who get to Highlands) to join us on the porch. Actually, we have eight porches -- one each for each of the bedrooms, then four others, two indoors and two outdoors.

For those who don't know the area, we are two hours north of the edge of Atlanta, two hours south of Knoxville, one and a half hours west of Asheville, five hours north of Birmingham, etc. The town exists because of its temperature, which almost never exceeds 85 degrees in the height of July-August, and its golf courses, there are a dozen championship courses within a half hour and the closest one (designed by Bobbby Jones and where he retired to) has water hazards on 14 of its holes.

The beauty of the place is greatest in the spring when all the flowers come to life, and in the fall when the mountainsides are full of color for more than a month. But it's still beautiful even in the winter when it gets REALLY cold. We have eight fireplaces, and in the depth of winter we have to fire up at least four of them. (We actually heat with wood.)

Because of how long this thread takes to load, I'm going to print it out and then go back and reply to everyone in person. Otherwise, with my slow-speed (52K modem) connection, it could take all night to thank everyone.

Cordially,

/s/ John

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, now up on UPI, and FR, "The Berlin Solution to the Baghdad Problem."

Latest book(let), "to Restore Trust in America."

[dutchess]

John...I really enjoyed getting to know you and your lovely wife... Actually we may take you up on your offer to visit....

My folks are snowbirds and we fly down and drive their car home every spring.... We always stop before or after Atlanta....

We use this as a time to "enjoy" America....take the lesser used routes...hit the back of the road diners etc. The only thing I ABSOLUTELY HATE is the drive through Atlanta... (my footprint is permenantly afixed to the glove compartment (as I brake from the passenger side LOL) You have a bunch of fans who stopped here today...so glad you want to respond. Thanks so much for letting me spotlight you. It was a great honor.