Free Republic

La Crosse WI -- Slowly filing past a green-and-gold casket festooned with cheese curds, lottery tickets, and bouquets of 6-pack rings, the city of La Crosse bid a tearful farewell this morning to Norman V. "Norm" Snitker, 62. Long heralded as the "Lion of Leinenkugel" for his relentless fight for free beer and shots at local taverns and supper clubs... Continued

"The jury let us down," said Chris Newsom's mother, Mary. "They've let Channon and Chris down. We were hoping for the death penalty. But we're the ones under the death sentence. We had to look at those pictures. We have to live with this for the rest of our lives.". They saw the photos of their children's bodies, the closeups of the fatal injuries, the bullets pulled from Newsom's body and the trash can where Christian died. "You saw it and I saw it," said Christian's father, Gary. "The jury saw it. They know what he did. He deserves to...

Max Allen, Sen. Ted Kennedy's grandson: The cause of his life was to see every American have "decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege."

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AFP) – President Barack Obama, three former presidents and the nation's elite gathered Saturday at a grand Catholic funeral for Edward Kennedy, America's legendary political patriarch. A who's who of the country's movers and shakers, including much of the US Congress, crammed into the pews of the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a historic church in Boston. Obama was to deliver the eulogy at the Mass, after which Kennedy's flag-draped coffin was to be flown to Washington for burial at Arlington National Cemetery, alongside his assassinated elder brothers John and Robert. Earlier, Kennedy's widow, Vicki, fought...

Dating when money's tight can be a challenge. You want to make a big impression and not look like a cheapskate. With a bit of creativity, you can keep things interesting without overspending. Here are 10 ways to plan a cheap date, plus dozens of ideas to get you started. Many are free, and none should cost more than $20 total:

This bill passed in 1999. Essentially the bill broke down the proverbial wall between a commercial bank and an investment bank. As such, there was no longer a separation. The example I use is that Merrill Lynch and Paine Webber were now able to provide checking accounts. Even today, Etrade has checking accounts. This is the mundane and reasonable part of the bill. The more sophisticated part was that bank could get into investing. Banks could get into loan securitization. All sorts of financial business could be done by the exact same institution. This lead to the second dynamic.

The ancient Greeks gave us the gift of democracy, a system defined as the rule of the people. They also gave us the word hubris, the attitude defined as overweening pride or arrogance. As he runs for a third term. our mayor is using—or misusing---the processes of democracy by investing tens of millions of dollars in an effort to smother his financially poorer opponents and return to City Hall. And, if you doubt that he has hubris, consider what he said the other day about this campaign. Bloomberg, who is not facing anyone in a primary, told reporters he wasn’t...

Our post “Catholic comments on Ted Kennedy, pro and con” showed readers were deeply split on whether the late senator should have a Roman Catholic funeral. The naysayers argued that his support for choice on abortion and other disagreements with Church doctrine disqualify him from a religious ceremony. Those for a church funeral argued that he helped advance many causes championed by Catholic social teaching.

Every day there is a new revelation about Congressman Charlie Rangel, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Rangel's committee is in charge of making tax laws, and Rangel's scandal de jour usually involves underestimating his net worth or income in some way. Charlie's problems usually don't involve misinterpreting the tax law, his problem is that he tends to hide income. At least he understands the laws he helps to write. Today's scandal is called Where is Charlie's Primary residence? Last year Charlie was found taking a tax break for people whose primary residence was in Washington DC, but...

Terri Schiavo's Father Robert Schindler Dies, Pro-Life Group Mourns His Death St. Petersburg, FL -- Robert Schindler, the father of Terri Schiavo, whose former husband subjected her to a painful 13-day starvation and dehydration death, died overnight. Schindler, 72, had been battling health issues and he died of apparent heart failure. http://www.LifeNews.com/bio2943.html

TABOR CITY - A handful of young men chase R.C. Soles Jr. all over town. If he's eating breakfast downtown at Mama's Restaurant, the teens and 20-somethings - former clients of the lawyer and state senator - will often wait on the sidewalk for him to exit. They've camped out by his car to wait for him to leave church on Sunday mornings, and they often park in the cemetery at the end of his road so they can see when he heads home. If he ignores them, the young men yell and cause a scene. When he leaves, they...

What do Muslim men's parents tell them when they are little? If you look around, it doesn't seem like they have been getting the same message as other kids.

Soldiers of the 33rd Iraqi Army Brigade practice teaching each other unarmed self-defense moves during the last day of a Train the Trainer program, Aug. 20. Photo by Pfc. Bethany Little, 172nd Infantry Brigade. PATROL BASE HUSAYNIYAH — Soldiers of the 563rd Military Police Company prepared Iraqi Police and Army members to train there own forces through the Train the Trainer program here, Aug. 20. The Train the Trainer program instructs one group, who in turn go back and instruct their fellow Police and Soldiers on the unit level. "We're teaching them things like unarmed self defense, personnel searches and...

(Note: Links removed from email) August 28, 2009 Dear Friends, Over the last several months, I have spoken with many of you about your concerns of the skyrocketing costs of health insurance, anxiety about losing your coverage, and answered your questions about the comprehensive health care legislation being considered in Congress. Most recently, I completed my State of Sacramento's Health Care Tour, where I saw first-hand the constraints on our current health care system. Touring hospitals, community clinics, and meeting with patients, nurses and doctors all across the region, one thing was clear: we cannot afford the status quo. Right...

Francis Cianfrocca joins Ben Domenech for the Friday, August 28th edition of Coffee & Markets, a series of brief morning podcasts on politics and the marketplace.

If the LORD had not been on our side— let Israel say— if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away. (Psalm 124:1-5)

As I write this article I want to make it clear that I don't blame the US Military as a whole for this. This is directed towards the decision makers, who clearly do not understand two things. The first is Islam itself, and the second being that catering to Muslims does not work. It just leads to non-Muslims becoming more like Muslims. In the last two months there has been an upsurge in the idea department of pleasing the Islamic world. Yesterday it was revealed that the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen had stated that...

Kennedy Endorses Water Dog For Obama Family [from the unbelievable but true file!] WBZTV.Com ^ | January 13, 2009 Senator Ted Kennedy made an important political endorsement Tuesday [January 2009]. Massachusetts' Senior Senator endorsed the Portuguese water dog as the perfect pet for the nation's new first family. [snip] "A Portuguese water dog is the perfect choice for first dog," Kennedy said in a written statement. "The Obama girls -- and their parents -- will love a Portuguese water dog. They're loyal, smart, loving and they became a real part of the family. And they definitely do not shed." Senator...

FALLUJAH — A 132-kilovolt substation, projected for completion in October, will result in more consistent and stable electricity for residents here. The $14.8 million project is being managed by the Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq, and funded by the Iraqi Relief and Reconstruction Fund. The substation was damaged in a fire caused by circuit breaker failure in January 2005, and was identified by the Division’s Gulf Region District as a significant capacity-building project for the city. Maj. Joseph Geary, the officer in charge of the District’s Fallujah resident office, praised the team for working steadfastly...

Senator Kennedy was also a strong, influential advocate for the environment, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy industry reform.