Free Republic

The man known as Joe the Plumber said in an Austin speech Friday that in his profession, if you don't do the job right, you'll get called back to fix it. So why, he asked, do Americans allow politicians to "mess up the job?"

NAWA, Afghanistan – Taliban militants were nowhere in sight as the columns of U.S. Marines walked a third straight day across southern Afghanistan. But the desert heat proved an enemy in its own right, with several troops falling victim Saturday to temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The Marines carry 50-100 pounds (23-45 kilograms) on their backs. But because they are marching through farmland on foot, they can't carry nearly as much water as their thirst demands. Few even realized the date was July 4, ... a world away from the strenuous task Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine...

Biden on Iran: 'Everything Is On the Table' Vice President Joe Biden told me today "everything is on the table" when it comes to protecting the interests of the U.S. and Israel against the threat of an Iranian nuclear attack. During my exclusive interview with Biden in Iraq airing Sunday on "This Week" I asked the vice president about recent comments by former secretary of state James Baker who suggested that the way to deal with Iran's nuclear program going forward is to target U.S. missiles on Iran the way the nation targeted them against the Soviet Union during the...

John Carroll, SJ (1735–1815) John Carroll was born in Maryland, the fourth son of seven children. First instructed in the Catholic faith by his mother, in 1748 Carroll was sent to the Jesuit school of St. Omer in French Flanders. In 1753 John entered the Jesuit novitiate and was ordained in 1761. Carroll taught in Europe after 1761 and took final vows in 1771. His happy Jesuit life ended, however, when Pope Clement XIV suppressed the Jesuit community in 1773. John Carroll returned to Maryland, where he resided with his mother. Since Catholics were forbidden public worship, a chapel was...

WASHINGTON (AP) — In dueling holiday addresses, President Barack Obama appealed for public support of his domestic programs and Sen. John McCain said Americans should side with Iranian election protesters. The 2008 rivals for the White House both cited the spirit of the nation's founders in their Fourth of July radio and Internet broadcasts on Saturday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator John McCain issued a statement of support for resigning Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on Saturday, saying she will play a leadership role in the Republican Party and in America. McCain made the comment a day after Palin stunned the political world by announcing she is stepping down. Palin was McCain's vice presidential running mate in last year's U.S. presidential campaign won by Democrat Barack Obama. "I have the greatest respect and affection for Sarah, Todd, and their family. I was deeply honored to have her as my running mate and believe she will continue to...

This ALERT is regarding the MORPHING of REAL ID in to the PASS ACT. The REAL ID as you may or may not know was the failed law that snuck through congress in May of 2005 that would require all Americans to Carry a standardized FEDERAL ID card with an embedded trackable chip. NOW I need you to contact your senate committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs IMMEDIATELY to STOP THE PASS ACT – S.1261 Special interests groups are trying to force Democrats, Independents and Republicans to support this legislation. States have been and are working to ensure drivers...

The video is an abridged history of war in the 20th century, told through the use of food. The key to the battles represented and the foods used to represent each nation is found below. 1. The World 2. WWII – Holocaust/French surrender/London Bombing/Pearl Harbor/Battle of Midway/D-day /fall of Berlin /Hiroshima 3. Arab-Israeli War – Brits leave Israel/Israel expands territory 4. Korean War – China and Russia back the North/The US back the South 5. Cuban Missile Crisis 6. Viet Nam – China and Russia back the North/The US back the South 7. Cold War/Arms race 8. Intifada 9. Gulf...

My lovely beloved likes fireworks displays. I've told her about Thunder over Louisville and want her to see it. I'm looking for a hotel room in full view of the display, preferably w/a balcony overlooking the Ohio. It could be either on the Kentucky or Indiana side, but all the hotels I can find on the net require leaving the room and fighting the traffic. Any suggestions?

Sonia Sotomayor is a member of La Raza and has clearly made inflammatory racist statements.

Something uplifting for you, courtesy of Savannah writer, Carol Megathlin.It's the story of a small US flag, transferred into the hands of a SC soldier deployed to Iraq, and it's return home... with the soldier. Per Carol, now in possession of that flag, it's worn and weary from the experiences... much like that young soldier. But, like that soldier, that flag is a cherished possession. Read, and be of good cheer and pride in America's finest.... our military. On the wall next to my computer hangs a small American flag. It is tattered and dirty, but there is no way...

The man who said the surge wouldn't work and thought we should partition Iraq, not to mention criticized Petraeus, has a few words for Saddam (Who had no WMD as he always remimded us)

Wisconsin's "Cheese Lady" says she's marrying a retired Navy commander enamored by her efforts to sculpt an aircraft carrier out of cheddar. Professional cheese sculptor Sarah Kaufmann, 57, first caught the eye of retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Bill Parry, 67, as they were aboard a plane and she was poring over the plans for her 6-foot-long sculpture of the USS Ronald Reagan, which was unveiled at the ship's home-porting ceremony, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Saturday. The two were to wed Saturday in Manitowoc, Wis., on the shores of Lake Michigan, dressed in pirate costumes. "(Kaufmann) was looking at a...

An Israeli submarine crossed through the Suez Canal last month as a part of a military training exercise, defense officials said on Saturday. The move is believed to have been made as a warning to Iran of the Jewish state's capabilities and and to show that Israel and Egypt, are cooperating against a shared threat. The two countries share a peace agreement but have had cool relations for years. By using the Suez, an Israeli submarine could reach the Persian Gulf off Iran in a matter of days, compared wiith weeks to sail around the southern tip of Africa. The...

Sarah Palin Is Running A Marathon. It's called life. It was quite a news day to be off in the canyons and away from cell signal or wifi. Although I might be the last person to comment on the Alaskan Governor’s announcement today, please indulge my being late to the pity party, because I still love me some Sarah Palin. By the time I heard, the spin had already begun, but I didn’t want to hear any of it. I just felt that this must be a terrible move on her part, or a really unfortunate choice she felt compelled...

If Mormons’ “HBO moment” was not bad enough, it seems that Hollywood, Broadway and the publishing world aren't likely to give up on portrayals of Latter-day Saints on screen, on stage and in books any time soon. Such Mormon portrayals, often stereotypical, have been showing up since the 1800s. For example, When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduced detective Sherlock Holmes in the story, “A Study in Scarlet.” It was set against the backdrop of anti-Mormon inaccuracies about Latter-day Saints and their beliefs popular in England at the time. On a later visit to Utah he apologized for the inaccuracies. Here...

Noted Chicagoan and basketballophile Barack Obama appears to be writing off the California vote in 2012, at least the basketball fans around Los Angeles. In a pre-holiday interview with the Associated Press, Obama was asked who was the better player -- six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan or four-time champion Kobe Bryant? Without even a moment's hesitation, the ex-senator from Illinois blurted out, "Oh, Michael!" Then, apparently realizing what he'd just said and the profound impact on any 2012 election, the new president hastened to add: "I mean, Kobe's terrific. Don't get me wrong. But I haven't seen anybody match up...

Jul 4 2009 Lynn Davidson A LONELY old lady lay dead in her flat for five years because no one bothered to check on her. Isabella Purves, who would have been 90 this year, was last seen in 2004. But local residents who used to see her every day assumed she had simply moved away or gone into a home. Isabella was only found after people living below her top-floor flat complained to the council that water was dripping through their ceiling. Police were sent to investigate the leak. They discovered Isabella's remains after wading through a three-foot high pile...

Opponents of the controversial Trans-Texas Corridor believe Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry is proceeding with toll road plans under the cover of a special session of the legislature. Perry's stated goals include extending the authority of the Texas Department of Transportation, TxDOT, to operate for two more years with an allocation of $2 billion in state funds that could be targeted for building toll roads along Interstate Highways 35 and 69 in what was previously called TTC-35 and TTC-69 under the Trans-Texas Corridor plan. The Houston Chronicle acknowledged transportation would the main focus of the special session and that an...

http://www.google.com/logos/july4th09.gif http://www.bing.com/fd/hpk2/LadyLiberty_EN-US2206298371.jpg