Free Republic

Since this will be my last column before the presidential election, there will be no sarcasm and no attempts at witty repartee. The topic is too serious, and the stakes are too high. This November we will vote in the only election during our lifetime that will truly matter. Because America is at a once-in-a-generation crossroads, more than an election hangs in the balance. Down one path lies retreat, abdication, and a reign of ambivalence. Down the other lies a nation that is aware of its past and accepts the daunting obligation its future demands. If we choose poorly, the...

<p>"It really bothers me that a coward like George W. Bush spent the Vietnam War training to fly old and useless planes in Texas while John Kerry was heroically risking his life in combat and got three purple hearts!"</p> <p>We normally shy away from the world of politics, but we get variations of this kind of question regularly and feel it necessary to clarify some information. We'll do our best to avoid bringing our own political biases into this article. At the very least, we'll attempt to remain as neutral and objective as Michael Moore does in his ironically dubbed "documentary" Fahrenheit 9/11.</p>

Honest Mistakes in a Worthy Endeavor Barry Farber Monday, April 12, 2004 In 1948, shortly after the State of Israel was founded by the same United Nations that now wishes it could undo it, the London police guarding the new Israeli Embassy lodged a complaint with their constabulary. It seems the Israelis were ignoring the tradition of inviting the policemen inside the Embassy for tea every afternoon at four. That’s like not being offered coffee at a business meeting when custom expects it and your body craves it. The head constable got an Israeli Embassy official on the phone and...

Support Making the Internet Tax Moratorium Permanent! Some Senators want states to tax your internet! The Senate is poised to pass historic taxpayer protection legislation this week. S. 150, the Internet Non-Discrimination Act will permanently extend the current Internet access tax moratorium. Unfortunately, the bill is being held up by a few misguided Senators. While opponents of the permanent Internet tax moratorium claim that the bill imposes significant costs on the states, the true agenda is to tax the Internet. Passage of the Internet Non-Discrimination act represents an important first step in keeping the Internet tax-free. If these Senators are...

If you know parents or spouses of anyone serving in the military in the Central Ohio area, please pass this website address to them, and let them know that this is a group being formed to help one another. There is so much power in sharing and knowing that you are not alone. The best way that we can take care of our boys now is to take care of ourselves (and keep sending letters and wonderful care packages). They are going to need us when they come home. Please pass this along to those in the Columbus area who...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A local group of mothers who have sons stationed in Kuwait have organized a support group for other families who have servicemembers overseas. Kathryn Gerke felt that if more parents and spouses could connect like that, it would ease the pain of knowing that a loved one is in a dangerous situation thousands of miles from home. So they created the Central Ohio Servicemen's Family Support Group, which will be meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the Powell United Methodist Church at 825 E. Olentangy St. in Powell. For more information on the group and its meetings,...

INDICT was established in late 1997 to campaign for the creation of an ad hoc International Criminal Tribunal - similar to those established for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda - to try leading members of the Iraqi regime on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and torture. The campaign was launched in the House of Commons and in the US Senate and remained dependent on voluntary donations and assistance until it was awarded a financial grant through the Iraq Liberation Act, passed by the US Congress in December 1998, which allocated funds to various Iraqi opposition...