Free Republic

Here is the text of an e-mail I received today from a family member in Israel: "Urgent Prayer request: I just talked with Pastor XXXX from Ariel, he was at the hospital because his son XXXX opened a package that was left at their door step and it exploded. He is in critical condition and has wounds to his head, neck, chest and legs. Pray for XXXX and XXXX who are the parents." I X'd out all names to protect the identity of the families, and it's reasonable to expect that this was a targeted attack. God will know who...

"Iran tested a newly-developed ballistic missile on the day of the Annapolis conference, Channel 10 reported Wednesday. Behind a poster of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reading: "Missile maneuver of the Great Prophet," Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard tests the long-range Shihab-3 missile in a central desert area of Iran. The Ashoura missile has a range of 2,000 kilometers and is capable of reaching Israel, US Army bases in the Middle East and eastern European cities. According to the country's IRNA news agency, Najjar said the missile was named the "Ashoura," meaning "the tenth day" in Farsi - a sacred...

I'm looking to learn more about fasting, and was hoping that some of you could point me in the right direction towards resources. Specifically I'm interested in the theological view(s) of fasting, different methods, different times to fast, etc.

"THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that language related to the practice and nature of homosexuality be removed from the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church. THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that such language be replaced with language that is more theologically compatible with United Methodist tradition, utilizing the medical, theological and social science disciplines to reflect a deeper understanding of God’s good gift of human sexuality."

Kansas State football players form a tight bond working out with Army unit now stationed in Iraq.

TOPEKA | Former Attorney General Phill Kline’s attempt to prosecute the state’s most visible abortion provider is now officially over. When Kline left office Jan. 8, the Kansas Supreme Court had been asked to reinstate 30 misdemeanor charges Kline had filed against George Tiller, who operates a Wichita clinic. Tiller is among a few doctors in the nation who perform late-term abortions, and Kline alleged he violated restrictions on those procedures. Current Attorney General Paul Morrison asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the request, and the court did so Tuesday. Chief Justice Kay McFarland wrote “granted” on the one-page document...

The Christianist Candidate In case you were unaware, it's Mitt Romney. As with most Christianists, the idea of allowing different states to try different solutions to the same problem is dispensable when moral absolutes are involved. In other words, the fundamentalists have no interest in federalism. If federalism means that California can have marriage equality and medical marijuana, today's GOP base wants none of it. Here's Romney's discussion of John McCain's approach: Romney was less charitable to McCain, who on Sunday told ABC News: 'I believe that the issue of gay marriage should be decided by the states.' McCain also...

OLATHE, Kan. -- Federal, state and local agents raided a Johnson County house Friday as part of an alleged illegal immigration bust, KMBC's Jim Flink reported. Kathleen Ramon runs El Mercado, a business that helps Latino immigrants transition into the community. Johnson County District Attorney Paul Morrison said Ramon was charging illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses for them.... partial, more at source link

I recently ran across this humorous name for a University of Cincinnati basketball player -- Jihad Muhammad. "Scouting Report: A shooting guard in a point guard's body ... Loves sagging on the perimeter for the catch and shoot 3 ... A solid shooter and a volume scorer who needs to take higher percentage shots ... Gutsy to no end ... A mediocre distributor, he lacks the vision or mentality to be a prolific playmaker ... Can try to do too much with his dribble, leading to turnovers ... Highly touted transfer was a consensus junior college All-American in 2003-04 at...

Here are the candidates (R) for statewide offices in this year's election cycle: Governor: Jim Barnett Robin Jennison Ken Canfield Tim Pickell Rex Crowell Secretary of State: Ron Thornburgh Kay O'Connor Insurance Commissioner: Sandy Praeger Eric Carter US Congress - 3rd District: Scott Schwab Chuck Ahner

Wanted to let everyone know that the KC Star is seeking applicants to the Editorial Board's Reader Advisory Panel. To my knowledge, they never select anyone with a socially conservative outlook, but there could be a miracle. I encourage as many as possible to drop apply. Below is a copy of the e-mail I received soliciting an application.

I'm working to break down how much cash ExxonMobil puts back into the government coffers. My hypothesis is that more of ExxonMobil's much ballyhooed revenues goes into the government bank account than ultimately results in Net Income. Data Sources: 10K2005 Annual Report What I've found so far: 2005 US Federal Taxes -- 5.086 Billion 2005 US State Taxes -- 0.802 Billion 2005 US Excise Taxes -- 7.072 Billion 2005 US other taxes and duties -- 1.435 Billion 2005 Dividend taxes (based on 7.2B in dividends) -- 1.08 Billion Total given to US government so far -- $15.475 Billion What I...

The on-line article (linked) did not include a graphic on the left hand side of page A-10 in the Sunday, March 19th edition. I've listed below a summary of that piece that is not available on-line. Iraq War: Then & Now Status of Reonstruction: - Potable water: 50% of Iraqis had access before the war, 32% now. - Electric power: Baghdad, with one fifth of Iraq's 25 million people, had power for 16 to 24 hours a day before the war, just under 4 hours now. - Crude oil production: Prewar peak was 2.5 million barrels a day, now 1.84...

With the coming elections, and the escalation of rhetoric, I was hoping to compile a list of the many jaw dropping quotes from left. I consider any quote relating to a current issue to be relevant, regardless of date. If the issue still burns, the quote is relevant to discussion. I would like all the qoutes to be sourced from a mainstream outlet if possible, and the source included with the quote. It just avoids senseless arguements from liberals. The idea is to have a ready repository of quotes on a number of issues to refer to in the upcoming...