Free Republic

Several of my relatives in NJ are teachers. The way our good body Corzine wants to lower property taxes is by attacking the pensions of not just teachers (which are the only ones mentioned here) but of numerous public agencies. These are pensions that these workers have paid into, some for more than 20 years. I wonder how some of the people on this board would feel if the governor sent them a letter telling them that their retirement savings (from their non-union, privately owned, nose-to-the-grindstone, pro-American, 80 a week job, of course) were going to be picked over to provide property tax relief.
I know that many people here have a real nasty thing against public teachers, and believe that unions (especially for teachers) exist solely to protect slackers and folks who don't want to do any real work. In some sad cases, this is true; I won't deny it. I do however think that the public teacher bashing on this board has often reached out of control levels.
Most of the teachers I have known in my life have been dedicated people, who work tirelessly to help children succeed in life. Are there some lazy, dumb ones in there? Sure, show me any job in the world and I can find you a couple of those people. The majority of public teachers in America do their best day in and day out to help those children for whom public school is their only chance of an education.

When drugs are legalized, who is going to sell them, and more importantly, who is going to pay for them? I only ask because I have seen it mentioned on this thread that once legalized, drug dealers would be out of business (although I don't know why, after all, they're not selling a controlled substance anymore), the incentive to import would be gone (okay, are we going to begin growing our own?), and gangs would have the plug pulled on their funding (or they would just steal the now legal narcotics, and sell them at a deep discount on the street).
A nice chunk of the crime related to drugs involves desperate junkies needing their next fix. People who sell everything they own, then resort to theft, prostitution, and whatever else to support their habit. Are these people to receive their drugs for free?

I am not one who subscribes to the theory that human rights should apply to animals. That being said, I think that this display from China is troubling.

Just because human rights do not apply to animals does not mean that we should torture them for the hell of it. I would like to think that people in general have a bit more intelligence and compassion than to find the suffering of dumb animals amusing.

"One should never confuse schooling with education."

---A gentleman with a sharper wit and a stronger memory than mine :)

I'm surprised, I made it through the whole arcticle. This guy is so completely unhinged anymore it is beyond belief. The best part is how he rips into Fox news for being biased.

I'm afraid I have to play the devil's advocate here. The photo is grainy, without a date, time, location, or even iron-clad proof that what we are looking at is, in fact, a formation of taliban soldiers.

Until something more concrete than confirmation by a "top military official" and the MSM, I'll remain skeptical.

I somehow doubt that it will be candy showering down when she finally gets whacked open...

I find something about this fishy as well. I served as an Infantryman with the 3rd ID on the initial invasion of Iraq, and most of the resistence we encountered was care of the Iraqi Army. I NEVER saw an Iraqi soldier with plate equiped body armor. We spent almost 2 weeks clearing Saddam Int'l airport (every friggin nook and cranny) and I personally never saw any stockpiles of abandoned Iraqi armor.

Its funny how this would allow people without proof of legal residence to obtain a driver's license.

When I had to renew my NJ driver's license (actually to upgrade to the new high speed electronic deals) I had to have my old driver's license, a passport, my DD-214, a birth certificate, and the lady there still gave me a hard time about not having anything that verified that I had lived at my address for at least 90 days.

Hell, next time I'll just go in, tell them I am here illegally, and I should be good to go. Yeah NJ!

"Conservatives say this is nothing but a common hunting accident, and they blame journalists for blowing it way out of proportion."


That's exactly what it is. That is why (and this is evidently a HUGE point) the cops weren't that concerned about getting a statement until the next morning. Also, something that the MSM seems to be forgetting is that federal law enforcement agents were already on the scene.

THe Secret Service still counts, don't they? Or are they on a Haliburton payroll sheet someplace, too. /sarc

I have to agree, I don't think Drudge, or anyone like him would stand much of a chance with "She who must not be Named" in office

Just something to keep in mind when discussing this, but some of these IRR guys, especially the combat arms MOS's, hvae already fought, and fought hard. Some of them have been deployed 4 and 5 times between Iraq and Afghanistan, did their job honorably, and managed to come home in one peice. They get out, try to restart their civilian lives, and instaead are called back up to go yet AGAIN. Maybe this isn't the case with these 80, but it is VERY common, especially now.

How about some of the rest of this country stepping up to the plate for a f'ing, instead of sending the same guys to fight over and over again. Wow, now there's an idea.

Now say this nice and fast...


I


Am Sofa



King We




Todd Ed


Say over and over, faster and faster, go ahead, give it a shot!!!

Okay, First, what the hell does this kid know about being dissastisfied with Governtment policy. He is a Junior in high school. He doesn't pay taxes, he hasn't served in the military, and he doen't vote. In fact I am willing to bet that he really hasn't made any kind of postitive contribution to society whatsoever. Hey I hand't earned much of a voice in HS either, but I stood for the pledge.

Second, even if you do disagree with what our governtment is doing at the time, and you do not feel that reciting the pledge is for you (which, by the way, I do not agree with) at least have the common decency to stand out of respect.

I understand that the holding of hearings in in the job description for Congress, but I have to be honest, I am getting just a little sick of them.

It seems that everytime I see a news stroy, I am being told that "Democrats (and the occasional RINO) DEMAND hearings for (whatever)..." Okay, how about this: I demand that Congress gets back to work doing what it is that they are supposed to do, like making laws perhaps? Or brining issues of the people (hi guys, remember us?) to the attention of the Government.

I am not saying that all hearings are useless, all of the time, just 99% of them, 99% of the time. I am postive that there are literally thousands of issues that need to be dealt with by OUR representitives, that are being put on the back burner, yet again, for more "hearings".

"Dick Cheney has spearheaded an extraordinary expansion of the powers of the presidency ...."

Actually, There hasn't been all that much of an expansion at all. President Bush is simply exercising executive powers already outlined in the Constitution.

I don't get it Kofi, I really don't. You didn't the UN's failure in Rwanda get to you, or the failure in Somalia, or YOUR failure in Kosovo (which, if you recall, was during your tenure as the head of the Anti-Genocide council in the UN).

I thought that after all of that you might be a little bit tougher than to let a silly old reporter get under your skin...

Saying that Bush is tapping "American" conversations is something that I keep hearing from the MSM, but it is entirely misleading.

First of all these conversations are NOT being intercepted on American soil. They are being tapped by varios stations OUTSIDE of the United States, hence why it falls under "Gathering of Foreign Intellegence" as outlined in the executive power to employ electronic wiretaps without a warrant.

Secondly, just because a conversation is initiated from or received within the US, that does NOT mean that there is an honest, law-abiding AMERICAN citizen on either end of the phone.

Thirdly, The wiretaps being employed were initiated for a reason. The government believes the people being tapped are enemies of this country, not John Q. Public having an afternoon chat with Mom.

Honestly, if you have monitored 20 calls initiated from somewhere within Syria to various parts of the world, does it make sence to disconnect on the 21st because it happens to be to a number in Newark, NJ?

It just bothers me that the image being portrayed is not reality. I know, I know, and I do know better, but it never ceases to amaze or disgust me.

THis is the kind of thing that makes me sick to my stomach.
A few of my buddies I served with hadjoined the Army for the college benefits, but they had no illusions that they might one day have to fight, and fight we did.
People like this ( I won't disgrace the title by calling them Soldiers ), who suddenly object to the war when they are faced with the possibility of having to do their part should be ashamed.
It is okay to be scared when you are called on to head down range, I really beleive that everyone who has served and seen action has felt that twinge in their gut, but they went and did the damn thing anyway. To use CO status as an excuse is pathetic. </rant>

Home of the Infantry, Follw Me! Hooah!