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Sad, but dear departed Red Skelton’s words at the end of this essay were prophetic…sad. Please allow me to present an insightful commentary made years ago by Red Skelton. Red Skelton's Commentary on 'The Pledge of Allegiance' From the Red Skelton Hour, January 14, 1969 To listen to this actual recording with 'Real Audio' press here: "…….Getting back to school, I remember a teacher that I had. Now I only went, I went through the seventh grade. I left home when I was 10 years old because I was hungry." [laughter] "And ... this is true. I worked in the...

The importance of the words that bind Americans together was seen in the uproar following a court judgment that the phrase"under God" was unconstitutional and should be struck from the Pledge of Allegiance. America was not founded by atheists for atheists. The words of the Constitution recognize the right of all religions to exist and to be freely exercised, but not the right of the state to require religion as a requirement of citizenship. You can be an atheist in America, but you do not have the right to insist that everyone else ignore God. Some sage once noted...

Better Medicine Reforming Canadian Health Care Edited by Dr. David Gratzer ECW Press 320 pgs. C$19.95 ISBN: 1-5502-2505-7 Advancing a cure for Canadian health care woesBy Steven Martinovichweb posted June 24, 2002The stated goal behind Better Medicine: Reforming Canadian Health Care, essentially exploring ways to reform Canada's battered health care system, is an impressive one when you consider the scale of the problem. The health care system is Canada's untouchable third rail with the mere mention of anything other than increased government funding as a solution bringing vitriolic criticism upon the unfortunate person brave enough to do so. Better Medicine's...

If pigs could fly — there'd probably be more accidents than the one that sent an Austrian woman to hospital Thursday. The 36-year-old woman was injured after a cow fell on her car, landing on the hood, police said. It turned out the animal had strayed from a hillside onto the flat roof of a tunnel and toppled off just as the car emerged.The woman's husband was not injured, said the Austria Press Agency. The couple was not identified and the victim's injuries were not detailed.The animal was killed by the five-yard fall near Salzburg.

As a political conservative and a Jew, I have a new, if unlikely post-9/11 role model: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The hero of one of our most popular ballads, this mythical caribou is born with a famous disfigurement -- a shiny nose -- that initially causes humiliation and social ostracism. Then, due to global climate change, his "difference" becomes an invaluable asset to rescue the group's mission. As someone who has also recently experienced a shift in sensibilities, I know the pride that Rudolph must have felt when the other reindeers suddenly treated him with strange new respect. But...

June 26, 2002 REP. YOUNG SAYS NINTH CIRCUIT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SPLIT LONG AGO http://www.house.gov/donyoung/press/p20020626_2.htm Washington, D.C. - Alaska Congressman Don Young issued the following statement on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to rule the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional: "This is just another example of why the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals does not serve the people of Alaska. I have been trying for years to split the Ninth Circuit into two separate circuits - separate from Alaska. This just reinforces my belief that justice isn’t served by its liberal bias. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals...

Here is a portion of Justice Thomas' opinion in teh voucher case that will have liberals blowing a gasket: While the romanticized ideal of universal public education resonates with the cognoscenti who oppose vouchers, poor urban families just want the best education for their children, who will certainly need it to function in our high-tech and advanced society. As Thomas Sowell noted 30 years ago: “Most black people have faced too many grim, concrete problems to be romantics. They want and need certain tangible results, which can be achieved only by developing certain specific abilities.” Black Education: Myths and Tragedies...

CHICAGO (AP) -- Jay Berwanger, who won the first Heisman Trophy and became the first player ever drafted by the NFL, died of lung cancer after a long illness. He was 88. Berwanger died Wednesday night at his home in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, University of Chicago spokesman Seth Sanders said Thursday. Berwanger was a halfback for the University of Chicago Maroons when the team was a powerhouse in the Big Ten -- and before the school's president abolished varsity football in 1939. In the days before platoon football, Berwanger had to pass, punt, block, tackle, kick off,...

On the same day he lost a bid for a new trial and a former top aide admitted to a kickback scheme, convicted Rep. James Traficant learned that his arch-nemesis may be in line for a big promotion from the Bush administration.Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Morford - the 43-year-old prosecutor who led one of the most successful attacks on corruption in Justice Department history and became Traficant's personal target for vilification - was one of three lawyers recommended by Ohio's two GOP Senators to become the next U.S. attorney for Northern Ohio.The transmittal of three names, rather than the...

Four Portuguese women stood topless at their windows because they thought they were getting a mammogram by satellite.The women, who live in San Bartholomeu de Messines in the Algarve, were telephoned by a woman who claimed she was a doctor.The Correio da Manhã website reports she said the procedure was new and would not cost them anything.When they called her back for the results of the alleged test, the hoaxer described her sexual desires to them.The women were aged between 19 and 45. They have complained to the police.One of them told the website: "I complained because the woman who...

High court upholds school vouchers   Taxes can beused to sendstudents to parochial schools   Christine Suma gets a kiss from her daughter Angelica, 4, during a Sept. 27, 2001, press conference by parents in support of Cleveland's school voucher program.   MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS  The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the use of taxpayer-paid school vouchers to send children to private schools, finding that a Cleveland program does not violate the Constitution’s church-state doctrine even though the majority of students use the vouchers to attend parochial schools. link

FL Gov Jeb Bush Statement from Governor Jeb Bush Regarding the US Supreme Court Ruling in the Cleveland School Choice Case "I am pleased the U.S. Supreme Court today, in a 5-4 decision, upheld the constitutionality of the Cleveland school choice program. Most importantly, this is a victory for the children who were trapped in some of the worst schools in the country, and for the frustrated parents who had no real options. The Court's ruling affirms the constitutionality of programs that allow parents a real choice, including the option of receiving an education at a religious school. The...

In response to Freepers that think the Pledge is unconstitutional: Here are some facts you may be interested in: 1. Jefferson, a guy who wrote about a "wall of separation of church and state," attended church in the Congressional building 3 days after writing that phrase. 2. Jefferson gave federal money to missionaries. 3. Madison, the father of the Bill of Rights, supported, alongside with Jefferson, a bill to "punish Sabbathbreakers" while in the Virginia Legislature. Keep in mind these were two of the most liberal founding fathers. 4. The U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled the public display of the...

KANANASKIS, Alberta, June 27 (Reuters) - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat should book himself a place in history and stand down, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Thursday, backing a U.S. call for a change in Palestinian leadership. Berlusconi, who has forged close ties with the Arab world since taking office last year, told reporters the international community was ready to help Palestinians as long as they set up a transparent democracy. "Many people are convinced that Arafat, a winner of the Nobel peace prize, should make a generous gesture and move aside," Berlusconi said on the final morning...

The following was sent to the Chicago Sun-Times today. I did not sent it to the Chicago Tribune because of the FR lawsuit. On June 26, 2002, a United States Federal Appeals Court in California declared the Pledge of Allegiance to be unconstitutional. The same day the U.S. Senate voted 99 - 0 to pass a resolution expressing its disagreement with the ruling. How could something like this happen? The blame rests on the shoulders of none other than Senator Richard J. Durbin(D). Senator Durbin(D) is on the Judiciary Committee. You see, the Judge who wrote this ruling is Alfred...

Who Invented the 'B!tch Slap?'Lexicographer Shows How Some Four-Letter Words Are More than Insults By Andrew Chang June 27 — As part of his job, Jesse Sheidlower has pondered what it means to "whack" someone, and spent time considering where "blunts" might have come from. At other times, "b!tch-slaps" have been the focus of his attention. He's best known for the attention he's given to the ultimate four-letter word. The F-word. But Sheidlower is no gangster-philosopher, or mafia wise man. The 33-year-old, given to suits and complete sentences, is the North American editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, the 20-volume...

Last update - 21:05 27/06/2002 U.S. diplomats continuing contact with PA officials By The Associated Press WASHINGTON - U.S. diplomats are meeting with top Palestinian officials, even as the Bush administration calls for Arafat's ouster. Among the diplomats is Ronald Schlicher, who heads the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, the main contact point for the Palestinians with the United States in the absence of formal relations. A senior U.S. official said Schlicher was likely to have "a full range of contacts" with the Palestinian Authority whether or not he sees the Palestinian leader. Bush called Monday for Arafat's removal, saying the...

With the 9th's decision, it's only a mtter of time before the Left rewrites the Pledge of Allgeinace. I caught one busy-body hard at work on writing a new Pledge. Here's what he suggested. Any others?

Gun debate continues as law reaches one-year mark By AMY FRANKLIN= Associated Press Writer= LANSING, Mich. (AP) Joel Stanley is still getting used to the feeling of the small Walther PPK pistol tucked inside his waistband. ``I've had to fight my instinct to adjust it constantly,'' said the research chemist for a fuel cell company. ``I wanted it because I could have it. I don't live in a bad area, I don't go through dangerous areas, but to have the option of protecting myself gives me peace of mind.'' Stanley, 29, of Wyandotte is one of the 51,491 people licensed...

Mike Piazza, The Pastor: I'm Gay DALLAS (Wireless Flash) -- New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza vehemently denies rumors he's gay, but a reverend also named Mike Piazza is outing himself. This Mike Piazza is a 46-year-old pastor in Dallas, who has been with the gay and lesbian church Cathedral of Hope for 15 years. Piazza says he doesn't know if his notoriety started the rumors for the baseball player but he feels compelled to set his own sexuality straight because baseball player Piazza's statements have people assuming Pastor Piazza is straight too. Most recently, the pastor says while...