Free Republic

This is a letter from Ray Reynolds, a medic in the Iowa Army National Guard, serving in Iraq: As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened. I am sorry that I have not been able to visit all of you during my two week leave back home. And just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in Iraq that is noteworthy, I...

The following explanation of basic Islam will help you to understand the foundations of the ongoing struggle in the Middle East and why our prayers are so vital. As Islam lies at the foundation of the present deadly conflict in the Middle East, it is very important to understand this religion in order to pray accurately. National borders are NOT the basic issue. When Jordan and Egypt controlled the West Bank and Gaza, nobody ever mentioned the idea of asking these countries to establish a sovereign Palestinian state there. What we are seeing is a religious and spiritual conflict between...

The following are actual stories provided by a retiring Washington, D.C. travel agent of 30+ years: ========== I had a New Hampshire Congresswoman ask for an aisle seat on the plane so that her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window. ========== I got a call from a Candidate's Staffer, who wanted to go to Cape Town. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information. Then she interrupted me with, "I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Cape Town is in Massachusetts." Without trying to make her look like the...

Critics note, every female journalist isn't wild-eyed lefty The Virginian-Pilot © February 1, 2003 I wanted to like Helen Thomas. I really did. The so-called dean of the White House press corps has been my hero since I was a girl. If not for Helen Thomas, and a few other pushy women like her, I might be writing a society column for The Pilot. Like the rest of America, I got my first glimpse of Ms. Thomas in the early 1960s, at President Kennedy's televised press conferences. I was only in grade school then, but already I knew I wanted...

Recently, I was asked to look at the recent events through the lens of military history. I have joined the cast of thousands who have written an "open letter to Americans." Dear friends and fellow Americans 14 September, 2001 Like everyone else in this great country, I am reeling from last week's attack on our sovereignty. But unlike some, I am not reeling from surprise. As a career soldier and a student and teacher of military history, I have a different perspective and I think you should hear it. This war will be won or lost by the American citizens, ...

As the prayer service in Washington is being broadcast, I look out my window from work. I am lucky to have a large window in the World Trade Center overlooking the harbour in Norfolk, VA. There are four large American flags directly outside. All at half-mast. Every light post has a flag flying in todays stiff breeze. Beyond the flags in the harbour there are two US Navy ships being repaired. The awesome Disney cruise ship "Wonder" is sitting high above the water in a floating dry dock. Hundreds of people have gathered outside for a local prayer sevice held ...

Gore: 249 Bush: 246

Majority of Americans Want Immigration to Stay at Present Levels or Be Increased The latest Gallup poll shows that 41% of Americans believe immigration should be kept at its present level, while 38% think its levels should be decreased and 13% feel it should be increased. These figures are essentially the same as those from the last Gallup poll on immigration, conducted in early 1999, but they mark the continuation of a much more positive attitude toward immigration compared to the mid-1990s. Americans are divided as to the effects of immigration on the economy, with roughly equal proportions saying that ...

Y2k News 11 January 2000 COMPUTERWEEK The heroes of Y2k By Judy Backhouse The truly crazy headed for the hills with fortified bunkers and ammunition.The more cautious bought water and tinned food. Even the most optimistic drew some extra cash the week before. Everyone speculated about the outcome. But in the IT world, we worked. We checked code. We corrected code. We tested code. We rolled dates forward and backward and forward and backward until our nerves were paper-thin. We upgraded hardware. We upgraded operating systems (to cope with the new hardware). We upgraded compilers (to cope with the ...