Free Republic

WHEN PASTOR JOEL OSTEEN STRIDES ONSTAGE at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, klieg lights strobe, the Jumbotron flashes his perfect smile, and sixteen thousand worshipers roar their approval. It is an entrance worthy of a pro athlete or a pop star. Megachurches are often compared to big-box sports-and-entertainment venues, but Lakewood is one of the few that actually inhabits one: In 2003, the nondenominational church moved into the Compaq Center, a twenty-nine-year-old arena that had hosted the NBA Finals, bull-riding championships, and concerts by Paul McCartney and Kiss. The building, which came equipped with state-of-the-art A/V equipment, seemed like the...

Tomorrow morning at 10:45 Eastern time, the president is hosting a round table at the White House for members of the Catholic press. The National Catholic Register’s publisher, Father Owen Kearns, will be among eight religion reporters and editors in attendance at that gathering. The purpose of the gathering, according to Chris Hensman, press secretary with the National Security Council, is a “preview of the president’s upcoming visit with Pope Benedict XVI.” The president is meeting with the Pope on July 10. Father Kearns just received the invitation to the meeting yesterday via e-mail. At this point, there isn’t a...

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2009 – U.S. forces in Iraq helped to bolster Iraqi sovereignty in recent days with the opening of a new health care center and the return of two combat outposts to Iraqi control. Army Capt. Bradford Brannon, and Sameer al-Haddad, a representative of the Iraqi prime minister, sign documents giving Iraqi security forces authority of Combat Outpost Summers in Iraq’s Wasit province, June 29, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Allison Churchill  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. A new center is bringing access to health care closer for the 30,000 residents of the Humer Kwer area...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq, July 1, 2009 – Soldiers serving with a medical task force here completed nearly a year’s worth of missions last week satisfied that they’ve helped to improve health care in Iraq’s Wasit province. Army Capt. Michael O’Leary checks a patient’s eye during an examination at the last “Bring on the Docs” cooperative medical engagement at the Jassan Health Clinic, June 23, 2009, in Iraq’s Wasit province. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Thompson  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Soldiers from Task Force Gunner Med wrapped up Operation “Bring on the Docs” with...

Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary general of the 34-member OAS, said: "We need to show clearly that military coups will not be accepted. We thought we were in an era when military coups were no longer possible in this hemisphere," he said. The ultimatum issued by the OAS to the new government prompted the ousted leader to delay plans to return home on Thursday. "We will wait 72 hours in order to continue with this process," Mr Zelaya told reporters in Washington, where he held meetings with state department officials. Mr Zelaya, a Left-winger, was overthrown on Sunday by a military-led...

Is President Obama's new pastor a Southern Baptist? Apparently, it depends whom you ask. Time magazine posted a story June 29 stating Obama has "decided to make his primary place of worship" Evergreen Chapel, the nondenominational church at Camp David which is led by Navy Lieut. Carey Cash, a Southern Baptist chaplain. The White House, though, denied the Time report, releasing a statement saying "the President and First Family continue to look for a church home." "They have enjoyed worshipping at Camp David and several other congregations over the months, and will choose a church at the time that is...

Dear (that's me), Thank you for contacting me regarding climate change policy. I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me. Alaska is the focal point in the global warming debate. However, calling what is taking place a debate is a bit of a stretch because, all too often alarmists, such as Al Gore, declare the debate over without it ever having taken place. I do not challenge that climate change is occurring, but the central question awaiting an answer is to what extent man-made emissions are responsible for this change. Contrary to popular opinion, that question...

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2009 – Servicemembers’ long-term rehabilitation shouldn’t keep them, or their family members, bound to the hospital grounds, and the Yellow Ribbon Fund is working to make sure that doesn’t happen. Roseanna Smith was the 1,000th renter through the Yellow Ribbon Fund’s car rental program. Her son, Army Pfc. Craig Smith, has been recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after losing a leg while serving in Iraq. Photo courtesy of Yellow Ribbon Fund  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Founded in 2005, the organization was created to assist injured servicemembers and their families while they recuperate at...

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2009 – U.S. forces demonstrated their ongoing commitment to improving security and development throughout Afghanistan in recent days, as several units took on new tasks and a reconstruction team helped to celebrate the opening of a new school. First graders at the newly opened Haish Saidqi Girls' School answer questions about what they want to be when they grow up. The school, funded by Provincial Reconstruction Team Panjshir, opened June 23, 2009, and will serve more than 500 girls, and a few young boys, from nearby villages in the Rokha district of Afghanistan’s Panjshir province. U.S. Air...

Calvin Owensby's phone rang off the hook Tuesday night after The Gazette reported that he planned to sell his five-legged Chihuahua, Precious, to a freak show in Coney Island, N.Y. Most of the callers berated him for his decision, he said, but one caller, Allyson Siegel, 45, of Charlotte, offered to buy Precious. Wednesday morning they settled on an amount - $4,000 - and Siegel took Precious home with her. "Poor thing, she was headed for a terrible life," Siegel said. "As a kid, I'd been to a fair, and I'd been to all these sideshows, and I just didn't...

He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and will deliver us. On him we have set our Hope that he will continue to deliver us,... 2 Corinthians 1:10 If Bernie Madeoff is sentenced to 150 yrs in prison then Barney Frank should get 15000 yrs. The only problem is that Bawney would likely think it was weekends in his basement. Madeoff was made an example for wiping out the savings of a few hundred millionaires which is a pimple on a hippo compared to wiping out the entire Country’s savings. Millions of people across the Country have lost...

Al Qaeda terrorists have vowed to 'wreak dreadful revenge' on France over its plans to ban the burkha. The chilling warning comes after President Nicolas Sarkozy said the Islamic garment which covers the head and body 'debases women' and is not welcome in his country. French MPs have set up a commission to decide if it should be made illegal for women to hide their faces in public. Now leaders of Al Qaeda's North African network have called on French Muslims to react 'with the utmost hostility'. One Islamic extremist website carried the message: 'We will seek dreadful revenge on...

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, July 1, 2009 – Coalition forces in this eastern Afghanistan province have learned that outreach to local residents can make a big difference in their ability to accomplish military operations and exercises. Army 1st Lt. Barry Klinger makes a friend in the village of Altimur in Afghanistan’s Logar province, June 20, 2009. Klinger and his soldiers visited the village to assess local needs and warn residents of upcoming artillery training in the area. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jaime’ DeLeon  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. U.S., Czech and Afghan soldiers recently made a trip to Altimur...

The AP reported the other day that the Secretary of Defense has ordered the military's top lawyers to basically find a loophole and cease enforcing a legal ban on gays serving in the military. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday he wants to make the law prohibiting gays from serving openly in the armed forces "more humane" until Congress eventually repeals it. He said he has lawyers studying ways the law might be selectively enforced. "One of the things we're looking at is, is there flexibility in how we apply this law?" Gates said. Having served as Secretary of Defense...

What If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky? If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved? If George W. Bush had visited...

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2009 – A retired Army captain who survived third-degree burns over 30 percent of his body while stationed in Iraq believes that through family, faith and a lot of hard work, anything can be overcome. Retired Army Capt. Alvin Eugene Shell Jr. survived third-degree burns over 30 percent of his body while stationed in Iraq. He credits his family, faith and hard work for his recovery. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Capt. Alvin Eugene Shell Jr., who served with the 16th Military Police Brigade, credits his wife, Danielle, his three sons, his mother...

Additional charges and defendants have been added to a federal case arising from the abduction of a boy from his Las Vegas home in October 2008, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Greg Brower of the District of Nevada announced today. Jose Lopez-Buelna, aka “Miguel,” 48; Jesus Gastelum, aka “Jose,” 35; and Erik Dushawn Webster, 44; all of Las Vegas, were each charged today in a superseding indictment with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, specifically to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Lopez-Buelna was also charged with conspiracy to launder money;...

A new Gallup poll has some interesting results; this year the number of Americans who described the Democratic Party’s views as “too liberal” increased to a historic high mark (46%), putting it slightly ahead of the number who say the Republican Party is “too conservative” (43%). However, it’s not great news for the Republicans, because the number who say the GOP is “too conservative” has remained unchanged from its own historic high mark last year. It looks like a lot of Americans are disenchanted with both parties for being too extreme. Here’s a Gallup video on the poll with more...

LOWER HELMAND RIVER VALLEY, AFGHANISTAN (Reuters) – U.S. Marines launched a helicopter assault early on Thursday in the lower Helmand river valley in southern Afghanistan, spokesman Capt. Bill Pelletier said. A Reuters correspondent in the valley saw flares in the sky over the town of Nawa, south of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah. The valley of irrigated wheat and opium fields along the Helmand river is largely in the hands of Taliban fighters who have resisted British-led NATO forces for years. The United States has sent 8,500 Marines to Helmand province in the last two months, the largest wave of...

Leave it to Barney. The man who helped create the banking crisis has figured out what to do with the income the treasury gets from the banks helped by TARP. The profits generated when the banks return the money with interest. Any Congressman with an iota of fiduciary responsibility would call for the returned TARP funds and income to be used to pay down the federal deficit. Of course we are talking about Barney Frank, he can't even pronounce fiduciary responsibility, he would never think of practicing it. The Massachusetts money-grabber plans on using the TARP funds to provide to...