Free Republic

This is not a huge issue and I can handle the situation, I'm just interested to see what FReepers think about it. I have recieved a letter from my HomeOwners Association about my 2 dogs and their "lack of safe confinement." This stems from 2 incidents where an older woman saw one of my dogs running loose ONCE and was fearful, and, another where, as my wife was walking one of the dogs, on a leash, past the other complainers' home. The complainers' dog was not on a leash, on his owner's property, and charged my wife and dog. Subsequently,...

BUSH NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FROM WORLD LEADERS WHO WISH TO REMAIN IN POWERNew Process Will Help President Decide Which Leaders to ToppleHaving decided that his procedure for determining which foreign leaders to topple was becoming too unwieldy, President Bush is now accepting applications from foreign leaders who are interested in remaining in power, the White House said today. “President Bush believes that a standardized application is the fairest and most effective way for him to select which foreign leaders to topple,” White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said today. The application process, while relatively simple, does require all foreign leaders...

The Supreme Court issued an outrageous ruling on the death penalty, but it did not inspire much outrage. It was greeted with equanimity because the policy the Court imposed was within the bounds of reasonableness. The Court ruled that the mentally retarded could not be executed. What should cause opposition, and resistance, is not the policy that the Court imposed but the fact that it imposed it — without constitutional warrant — at all.Nobody believes that the Constitution, as originally understood, bars the execution of criminals with low IQs. The Court did not bother attempting to argue that it...

Would Aliens Visit?Thu Jun 27, 8:42 AM ETBy Seth ShostakSenior Astronomer, Project Phoenix, SPACE.com When it comes to alien activities, visiting Earth seems to be pretty high on the "to do" list. But does that make sense? Approximately half the U.S. population suspects that extraterrestrials have come to our planet. This is such a controversial (and emotional) topic that its mere mention in one of these articles is usually sufficient to guarantee a storm of Web chat and high-voltage e-mails. In the end, of course, the matter of alien visitation will be decided by the evidence, not by the intensity...

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen ColoniesIn CONGRESS, July 4, 1776The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that...

EDUCATORS FIGHT TO PROTECT SELF-ESTEEM OF GOOFY, LOSER KIDS "Like Nick Watson, 11, Monica Jordice, 7, and Those Stupid Calucci Twins" Marido, Ohio (SatireWire.com) — Arguing that nothing lowers a child's self-esteem like public humiliation, school administrators in this city of 15,000 are enacting new policies meant to keep students from being openly singled out for their deficiences, especially, school officials said, obvious losers like Nick Watson, Chandra Mueller, or the Calucci twins.    School officials say their new policies will protect the self-esteem of (left to right) ignorant, slutty, dumb, really dumb, students like these. (Photo: Marido Board of Education)...

WHITE HOUSE PREPARING FOR POSSIBLE SUPREME COURT RESIGNATION

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION, (SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE), INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL San Francisco (SatireWire.com) — A U.S. federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public school is unconstitutional because it contains the phrase "under God," a decision that has infuriated politicians from both parties, and sent the United States on a desperate search for a new sponsor. While the U.S. Justice Department said it plans to appeal the ruling, officials are quietly speaking...

The Albany Roman Catholic Diocese revealed Wednesday it has paid out more than $2.3 million to sexual abuse victims during the past 25 years, including a nearly $1 million payment to a single victim in 1997. The largest payment was $997,500 that went to a man who was abused when he was a teenager by former priest Mark Haight, the diocese said. The abuse took place in the 1970s and 1980s in the Capital Region, and a confidential settlement with the diocese was reached in 1997. The settlement is one of the largest of its kind in New York state.The...

I thought you all might be gratified to hear how our efforts across the Atlantic to shake the political agenda are going. The truth be told, we're under attack from every leftist who has crawled out of the woodwork: From the Guardian Unlimited Site It gets worse, our Conservative Party apparently betrayed us. Well, no more cash from me, I must say. We have managed to put in sufficient security to keep them locked out. However, I would appreciate any support from my American cousins, whether it is bolstering our numbers, letting the Guardian know how you feel and so...

The jihad kindergartens of Muslim terrorist Saudi Arabia Jihad kindergartens are not only a phenomenon of the "peaceful" PLO educational system. Satanic schools for hatred of the infidel and love of death in suicide bombings are a feature of life throughout the "peaceful" Muslim world. Even in well-to-do Islamic hell holes like "peaceful" Saudi Arabia, America's supposed ally in the laughable war on terror, Mohammed's most sophisticated modern-day followers think nothing of indoctrinating their offspring in the sweet delights of Jew-hatred and infidel-killing. One film which recently managed to reach Western airwaves gives a fair sample of Saudi Arabia's...

(06-27) 07:30 PDT (AP) -- ^Supreme Court gives go-ahead for school vouchers, lowers wall between church and state= WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Constitution allows public money to underwrite tuition at religious schools as long as parents have a choice among a range of religious and secular schools, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The 5-4 ruling led by the court's conservative majority lowers the figurative wall separating church and state and clears a constitutional cloud from school vouchers, a divisive education idea dear to political conservatives and championed by President Bush. Opponents call vouchers a fraud meant to siphon tax money...

Breaking News on Fox -- SCOTUS just ruled that School Vouchers in Cleveland are Legal!

At two different congressional hearings Wednesday, Mary Ryan was expected to defend the organization she heads, the Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) — but she was nowhere to be found.In recent weeks, Consular Affairs — the agency within the State Department that oversees consulates and visa issuance — has come under intense public scrutiny for its culture that often sacrifices U.S. border security for the convenience of foreigners. Ryan evaded public accountability for her implementation of policies that at the very least subvert the intent of the law and for which she is responsible. People wishing to enter the...

WHITE HOUSE PREPARING FOR POSSIBLE SUPREME COURT RESIGNATION

Under increasing pressure to do something about the Middle East, the president of the United States has done what any realistic political leader under pressure would do about an intractable problem: He pretended to do something. It was quite a challenge. George W. Bush had to say little while speaking a lot. He had little room for maneuver while unveiling a Comprehensive Solution. His speech Monday required the verbal incoherence of an Eisenhower, the sage duplicity of a Kissinger and the innocent air of a Pollyanna. The dictates of diplomacy require that those willing to be patient must appear impatient,...

<p>WASHINGTON -- Some members of the California congressional delegation who have received political contributions from WorldCom Inc. officers and the firm's political action committee said Wednesday that they will return the money because of revelations that the company hid $3.8 billion in expenses over five quarters in order to look profitable.</p>

<p>In California politics, even charity can be exploited for personal gain.</p> <p>Recent legislative hearings revealed that an Oracle Corp. lobbyist recommended a charitable donation for a college project by the son of Sen. Steve Peace, D-El Cajon, as part of a strategy to secure a $95 million state software contract without competitive bidding.</p>

<p>WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court approved random drug tests for many public high school students Thursday, ruling that schools' interest in ridding their campuses of drugs outweighs an individual's right to privacy.</p> <p>The 5-4 decision would allow the broadest drug testing the court has yet permitted for young people whom authorities have no particular reason to suspect of wrongdoing. It applies to students who join competitive after-school activities or teams, a category that includes many if not most middle-school and high-school students.</p>

KABUL, Afghanistan — About 100 U.S. soldiers — accompanied by 50 Afghan fighters — are scouring the rugged mountains in an area where a former Taliban official say Osama bin Laden maintained several hideouts. The little-publicized operation is under way in Kunar province north of Jalalabad along the Pakistan border, Afghan and U.S. officials said. First word of the operation came Tuesday when U.S. officials at Bagram air base said American forces came under mortar firein Kunar but suffered no casualties. "The Americans are here in Kunar," according to local government spokesman Saeed Mohammed Safi, who provided the figure...