Free Republic

Today news of Ken Lay’s heart attack and unexpected death has reached me. I did not know this Mr. KennyBoy Lay person but he seemed to be a good man and like me he knew how to treat people and make money from oil and energy markets. Damn I miss manipulating the price of crude. I have been thinking that many times well known people who are connected by celebrity and a random fact seem to die in groups of three... This is not GoodSTRENGTH IS POWER

Wikipedia founder Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales this week announced the opening of a wiki devoted to hot-button political topics such as gay marriage and environmental protection. Jimmy Wales Political junkies who can't get enough of Daily Kos or RedState (depending on party preferences) may now have a new Web 2.0 toy in the form of Campaigns Wikia. As with Wikipedia, Wiktionary and other wikis, contributors to Campaigns Wikia will be able to edit any section of the site, provided that they register for free accounts first. Campaigns Wikia was unveiled, appropriately, on July 4, with an "open letter to the political...

In an effort to fight the war on terror, the Air Force is putting up $450,000 for a three year study of...blogs. One scientist involved in the project is already proving, with this revelation, that he is worth the money:       "Blog entries have a different structure," Ulicny said. "They are typically short and are about something external to the blog posting itself, such as a news event. It's not uncommon for a blogger to simply state, 'I can't believe this happened,' and then link to a news story." I can't believe this is happening. Check it out here.

First, let us separate the hype from the facts. The "free internet" is not going to end, and it might not even go any slower. The two-tier system will not threaten democracy, but it is still a bad idea. My first problem with the concept of a two-teir network is that it attempts to create an artificial scarcity situation to squeeze money out of big companies while robbing you of services you have already paid for.

1. You have to be against capital punishment, but support abortion on demand. 2. You have to believe that businesses create oppression and governments create prosperity. ... [18 points total]

I have been asked what it means to be a conservative. I have compiled a list of 15 values that can be identified as conservative. See how many you agree with. Pro Life - You believe that at the very least, any unborn child who could live outside the womb is fully human and has the same civil rights as the rest of us. You may also believe that assisted suicide and euthanasia (mercy killing) are morally wrong. Pro Gun Rights - You believe that the founding fathers intended to guarantee every citizen the right to defend himself either individually...

Conservative sweetheart Ann Coulter, a take-no-prisoners commentator whose latest book, “Godless: The Church of Liberalism,” takes a shot at four high-profile widows of 9/11, has the Left panting breathlessly for her head. Hillary calls her “vicious.” New York’s governor, moderate Republican George E. Pataki, skewers her as “far worse than insensitive.” (Let’s see. “Insensitive” is 10 years in the slammer. The penalty for “far worse than” has got to be indeterminate hard time at Gitmo.) Commentator Leonard Pitts Jr. reviles her as “mean, malicious, the barbed-wire front woman for a cabal of bloviators, bully boys and blowhards…” But wait. Before...

I would just like to further introduce my blog to the scene. I welcome any advice or criticism, and thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I am a student at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. I am attracted to blogging about social conservative issues relating to DC and the Catholic Church, but I also write about St. Louis and Missouri politics when I'm feeling homesick--and anything else I think is worth my time and yours. Let me know what you think. Welcome to PP&P!

I would like to introduce myself to the forum as "Calhoun" the co-editor of yet another, but quite different, conservative blog at http://www.politicaloverload.com Myself and my fellow editors are all relatively young conservatives who have, for some time, found ourselves increasingly disenchanted with not just the direction of the Republican Party but the conservaitve movement itself. We're a website dedicated to returning conservatism to its limited government roots with an emphasis on re-establishing and strictly maintaining the concept of federalism. We view the modern so-called "conservative agenda" of everything from to the Federal Marriage Amendment to abortion to the Federal...

"If I cared what commenters said, I'd kill myself." In the high-octane non-stop flame war that is the political blogosphere, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga knows how to get attention. He's kidding, of course. We're talking about the rhetorical excesses that can spill out of the impassioned debate that takes place on his creation, DailyKos.com, the world's most popular political blog. Compact and wiry, Moulitsas, 34, exudes quivering intensity. He speaks in staccato paragraphs, punctuated by intense stares and a raised eyebrow. His eyes bulge slightly outward, as if reacting to the pressure of all the ideas inside his head. Many of...

Where are O.J. Simpson's and Bill Clinton's defenders to complain about the "rush to judgment" concerning the alleged Marine atrocities in Haditha? Why are their sympathies free flowing for criminal defendants, but nowhere to be seen when military personnel are accused of wrongdoing? What has been reported about the Haditha tragedy is that a terrorist improvised explosive device (IED) blew a Marine in half, literally, and wounded several others. Afterward, our soldiers responded to the attack, killing 24 men, women and children. We don't know for sure yet if the killings were indiscriminate or even if those killed were victims,...

A website apparently created to ridicule a teenager by showing his photograph alongside pornographic images is being investigated by police. The website targeting the 19-year-old has received more than half a million hits since it went live. The site alleges the young man from Barnet, north London, sold a broken laptop computer on eBay. A Scotland Yard spokesman said it was reported to them on Monday and the case is being investigated by Barnet police. It shows pictures of his family and friends and pornography the buyer of the laptop claims to have found on the hard drive. Womens' legs...

Terri's Day and nation's independence protects life culture Kevin Fobbs May 29, 2006 America's Culture of Life is truly the legacy of one woman whose death forever changed our nation because of actions that were not in her hands but in those of her husband and his lawyers. Yet for millions of Americans we will forever link our own celebration of our nation's independence to the courage of the Schindler family to go forward past the tragedy, past the personal sorrow, past the searing anguish to help America draw a distinct line in the sand, to issue a clarion call...

<p>A Reuters employee has been suspended after sending a death threat to an American blogger.</p> <p>The message, sent from a Reuters internet account, read: "I look forward to the day when you pigs get your throats cut."</p> <p>It was sent to Charles Johnson, owner of the Little Green Footballs (LGF) weblog, a popular site which often backs Israel and highlights jihadist terrorist activities.</p>

A student at a public high school in Plainfield, IL, a far southwest suburb of Chicago, faces an expulsion hearing next week. Not so meaningful in itself, perhaps, so let me trickle out the details. The hearing has been called because the student posted on his blog at xanga.com that his district, District 202, had bullied and threatened him. The ACLU has insinuated itself into the controversy. At this point, the meaning of the hearing begins to clarify: the student is being, if not persecuted, at least being made an example of. Schools have recently become aware of MySpace and...

Every couple of years or so, we hear senior citizens screaming at Republicans, who are always falsely blamed, “Keep your hands off our Social Security.” I say “falsely” because of games that Democrats always play on those they consider a little dim. A modest increase in payout is proposed, Democrats claim it’s not as much as they want, and when it passes they call it a cut. Seniors fall for it every time. However, your Social Security is going to be cut. This time, you really can’t blame all Republicans. This time, blame the United States Senate, period. Last week,...

What is wrong with people nowadays? Some of you may remember back in July of 2004 my niece Emma was seriously injured and had to have half her skull removed, along with half her brain. The Doctors and the Police determined that this was not accidental and charged my sisters boyfriend, who was taking care of her at the time, with 2 counts of aggravated child abuse. Well the trial ended today and he was found not guilty on the first count which they said he had no criminal intent to injure my niece. Forget the fact that out of...

Looks like the German controlled DaimlerChrysler company has shown their true colors by running anti-American ads overseas.

A blog is media. Its a platform to communicate that can reach anyone within reach of an internet connection. Ive been writing this blog for more than 2 years and that time has allowed me to recognize the difference between a blog and traditional media and why the two will never successfully meet. In traditional media, you are first defined by your medium. There is some constraint to the physical or digital definition of the medium the content is delivered on or by, that for the most part determines how you are perceived. There is a cost vs time vs...

BAGHDAD -- The green zone is a terrible place. You can’t get a good cell phone connection here... I have important calls to make. This morning I have an idea for a new song and must reach the Dixie Chicks, but I cannot. It is a great irony of my life that the only place my cell phone won’t work is in my cell. STRENGTH IS POWER