Free Republic

[Partial excerpt; read the original online] The Christian Coalition, the onetime powerhouse of the religious right founded by Pat Robertson, is struggling to stay afloat. The group’s annual revenue has shrunk to one- twentieth of what it was a decade ago – from a peak of $26 million in 1996 to $1.3 million in 2004 – and it has left a trail of unpaid bills from Texas to Virginia. Among the creditors who have sued the coalition for nonpayment are landlords, direct-mail companies, lawyers and at least one former employee seeking back pay. It has even come to this: The...

Fifteen dogs, three cats, two birds and a toy rubber rat gathered in front of Christ Church Greenwich yesterday, where they were blessed in celebration of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. The Rev. Jeffrey Walker, rector of Christ Church, said the annual animal service is a reminder to humans that they should have "a real abiding sense of stewardship and taking care of God's creation." (Excerpted)

Arizona Sen. John McCain is considering a 2008 run for president but says it's unlikely he'd take the No. 2 spot. In an appearance Sunday at a fund-raiser for a local New York candidate, the Republican seemed to humorously rule out ever accepting a vice presidential post. "I spent all those years in a North Vietnamese prison camp, kept in the dark, fed scraps, why the hell would I want to do that all over again?" he said, the New York Daily News reported in Monday editions. McCain, who ran for president in 2000, was re-elected to a six-year Senate...

MONTICELLO, Minn. - Authorities found a missing St. Cloud State University freshman dead in her family's car on Saturday. Andrea Arriagada, 18, of Sartell, had been missing since early Monday morning, when she left home for Nordic ski and biathlon practice at school. Her body was found inside the car in rural Wright County, just outside of Monticello. Authorities do not suspect foul play.

Abbas’s Spokesman Says Meeting With Sharon Has Been Called Off 14:33 Oct 10, '05 / 7 Tishrei 5766 (IsraelNN.com) A spokesman for PA chief Mahmoud Abbas has said that the meeting between Abbas and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that was scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed until next month. The PA has been threatening to call off the meeting because of Israel’s purported unwillingness to make substantial concessions to the PA leader.

<p>FOR the lawyers who file lawsuits against corporations, it looked like the next big thing — the next fen-phen, asbestos or even tobacco, the mother of all jackpots.</p> <p>Like the lawsuits involving asbestos, the fire-retardant material that when inhaled can cause a horrible lung cancer, the new suits involved a substance that under certain circumstances could harm the lungs: silica, a purified sand used as a cleaning abrasive as well as in making glass, paint, ceramics and other materials. Silica dust, when inhaled, can lodge in the lungs, causing silicosis, a disabling and often fatal lung disease.</p>

JAMMU: In gruesome pre-dawn strikes, militants, allegedly belonging to pro-Pak Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, killed ten members of two Hindu families by slitting their throats in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir today, police sources said here. A group of militants belonging to Hizbul's so called Pir Panchal regiment led by its self-styled Deputy Divisional commander, Sangat Pathan alias Abu Hamza swooped on Rajnagar area of Budhal tehsil in Rajouri and barged into the house of Munishi Ram late on Sunday night. Some of the militants helped themselves to the food later in the wee hours, killed Munshi Ram, his two...

Weekly wrapup of Virginia Campaign News. Post 'em if you've got 'em... Last Week's Thread: Virginia Campaign News - October, 3 2005 - Thread XXIV - 36 days and counting... From the RTD: Kaine,Kilgore square off in final planned match by Tyler WhitleyBefore a statewide audience, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerry W. Kilgore and Democrat Timothy M. Kaine clashed over taxes, the death penalty and abortion last night.Quotes from the Kaine and Kilgore debateA few students put civics first They watch debate, not sports; Northern Va. gets no live telecast by Kiran Krishamurthy and Paul BradleyFREDERICKSBURG -- Timothy M. Kaine and...

Please, no comments about my baseball playoff predictions from Red Sox Nation. OK, I screwed up. My fault this time. All pictures this week from various zot threads, so credit the lightening bolts for these pictures. We are your overlords. Courtesy of ARealMothersSonForever Speaking of Overlords, New FR Movie Coming Soon Courtesy of PilloryHillaryYou predict what? --- ZAP !! Courtesy of SuperSonic This person went to a job interview dressed as a cat. Courtesy of andyk with assist to martin_fierro

Key points • Man with agonising spinal injury spends ten hours on hospital trolley. • Lone ambulance requested to move him was required to cover area. • Politicians denounce delays "absolutely unacceptable" and call for review. Key quote "The ambulance men were fantastic. But they also told us there was only one ambulance crew on from about 7pm for the whole of Stirling. They said there were ambulances sitting there but no-one to drive them." - DIPIKA TWADDLE, WIFE OF VICTIM Story in full A PROPERTY developer who suffered an agonising spinal injury was left lying on a hospital trolley...

When Osama bin Laden died, he was met at the Pearly Gates by George Washington, who slapped him across the face and yelled, "How dare you try to destroy the nation I helped conceive!" Patrick Henry approached, punched him in the nose and shouted, "You wanted to end our liberties but you failed." James Madison followed, kicked him in the groin and said, "This is why I allowed our government to provide for the common defense!" Thomas Jefferson was next, beat Osama with a long cane and snarled, "It was evil men like you who inspired me to write the...

BRUSSELS -- UNICEF's first adult-only episode of "The Smurfs," in which the blue-skinned cartoon characters' village is annihilated by warplanes, has terrified young children. The short but chilling film is to be broadcast on national television this week as a campaign advertisement for a fundraising drive by the U.N. children's agency. The animation was approved by the family of the Smurfs' late creator, "Peyo." Belgian television viewers were given a preview of the 25-second film last week, when it was shown on the evening news. The reactions ranged from approval to shock and, in the case of small children who...

I am a bit confused. Bush was re-elected by his conservative base on the understanding that he would appoint strict constructionist judges with traditional values. Bush chose Harriet Miers to replace Sandra Day O’Connor. Miers is pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, and is definitely not a judicial activist. Exactly the kind of person Bush’s base wanted. And all I have heard over the last week is wailing, crying, moaning, sulking, and general hell-raising from conservatives...... -- excerpt --

Qualifications vs. Ideology After reading the steady diet of anti-Miers and anti-Bush rhetoric, I feel a different viewpoint on the Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination needs to be expressed and considered. Liberals like to pull the Ideological trump card whenever it suits their interests regardless of the qualifications of the individual. This is basic Affirmative Action at work. When Ruth (ultra-Socialist) Ginsburg was nominated for the Supreme Court, Conservatives were obliged to vote for her based on her qualifications regardless of her radical Ideology. This is what Conservatives do. Now, because of the constant threat of Democrat filibuster over nominee...

FRANKFURT (AFX) - Shares were higher in midday trade, amid US gains on Friday and as Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats announced they have agreed that conservative Christian Democrat leader Angela Merkel should replace him as chancellor at the head of a coalition government, dealers said. At 11.40 am, the DAX 30 index was at a session high, up 49.36 points or 0.99 pct at 5,057.13, having moved between 5,027.28-5,057.13 so far this session. The MDAX was at 7,023.10, up 52.24 points or 0.75 pct, while the TecDAX was at 603.32, up 3.64 points or 0.61 pct. The DAX future was...

p>OTTAWA, October 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The October 2005 issue of Toronto based Catholic Insight magazine contains a detailed report on two recent Catholic women’s ordination conferences. The insider account reveals that the internationally publicized ‘ordination’ events were more a front for a wider agenda to grab power and insert acceptance of homosexuality, abortion and a New Age type of anti-Christian religion into Catholic institutions. The Catholic Insight article, The ‘ordination’ of ‘womenpriests’ by Donna O'Conner-Hunnisett, especially relates the content of various talks given by speakers at the second Women’s Ordination Conference which took place at Ottawa’s Carleton University. The...

       Tony's guests and topics on today's show include: Don't Worry About Karl Washington is abuzz about Karl Rove's being asked to testify in the Plame case. Tony outlines the details of the case and explains why it's all much ado about nothing. Mondays With Luci Tony and internet news guru Lucianne Goldberg preview the week's top stories and ascertain who's going to be hot and who's going to be history. Homeland Insecurity The terror alerts in New York and Washington make Americans wonder how secure the country really is. What is the Bush administration doing to keep...

The section of the world's longest pleasure pier which was gutted by fire is to be rebuilt - even though it could cost millions of pounds. The damage to the Southend Pier was a serious blow to the town, said borough council leader Anna Waite. Ms Waite said: "We will be looking to restore it to its former glory. It's a very sad day and the pier will cost millions of pounds to rebuild." A pub, a railway station and other buildings were destroyed in the fire. A full investigation is being carried out into the cause of the fire...

VATICAN CITY (AP) - A German bishop whose homilies boldly condemned anti-Semitism and other policies of Hitler's Nazi regime was beatified Sunday in a ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica, moving him a step closer to possible sainthood. Clemens August von Galen, known as the Lion of Muenster for his courageous sermons while bishop of the Germany city, died in 1946, shortly after pope Pius XII promoted him to cardinal. Von Galen's homilies were secretly copied and circulated, according to German church officials. He also spoke out against the Nazi campaign to exterminate the mentally ill and handicapped. Pope John Paul...

STANFORD, Calif. -- I just witnessed a fascinating juxtaposition. On Tuesday, I attended a lecture, "All the President's Women," by veteran MSNBC reporter Norah O'Donnnell at Stanford University. The next day, a piece by columnist Maureen Dowd with the very same title appeared in the New York Times. They couldn't have been more dissimilar. O'Donnell's presentation was charming, insightful and literate. She described the nuanced professional relationships that President Bush has with women. How some, such as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes, have become genuine "family," even vacationing with the Bushes. How others,...