Free Republic

"Certainly this isn't the first Hollywood production done in by the competing corporate and personal interests that funded it (consider the unspoken implications—both commercial and propagandistic—of the film's last-minute title change from Flight 93 to United 93), but it is the only one I've come across where the families of those onboard gave it their full-on approval. Not all the families, of course. All evidence suggests that the terrorists' relatives were left entirely out of the creative process, an action which goes a way toward revealing the film's hagiographic bias (how easy it then becomes to turn victims into heroes...

The house smells of ammonia and lemon. The children are doing homework. An unwatched TV spews animated Spanish and a breeze wafts through the window. Two undocumented residents and three U.S. citizens -- their children, who were born here -- live in this household in an eastern suburb. Since their arrival from south-central Mexico three years, another three families, also undocumented, from the same pueblo have followed them. Last week, millions of immigrants marched to protest proposed federal legislation aimed at cracking down on undocumented residents. But for these families in Pittsburgh, legislative proposals lose their immediacy when the utility...

It's on the market. (Discounted?)

"You are bidding on the exclusive license to send this letter to any or all of the contacts in any or all of your email address books, any number of times. This license is unlimited, and also includes all rights in all markets and media. Copyright will be transferred to the successful bidder. "As we all know, if you forward any “pass along” email to people in your address book, then they pass it on to people in theirs, within 36 hours it reaches everyone in the world. Then it starts over. Most people are terminally sick of this trash...

....Soon, whispers of a boycott passed among the playgroups in this North Side neighborhood, once an outpost of avant-garde artists and hip gay couples but now a hot real estate market for young professional families shunning the suburbs. "I love people who don't have children who tell you how to parent," said Alison Miller, 35, a psychologist, corporate coach and mother of two. "I'd love for him to be responsible for three children for the next year and see if he can control the volume of their voices every minute of the day." Mr. McCauley, 44, said the protesting parents...

PARIS -- Images of the wave of violence that has swept France for 12 consecutive nights have been splashed around the world by the press, television and the Internet. But French viewers hoping to update themselves on the country's worst civil unrest in decades are being offered little or no coverage by the nation's top broadcasters outside of regular afternoon and evening newscasts. On Tuesday, the violence prompted the government to invoke an extraordinary state-of-emergency law passed during France's war with Algeria 50 years ago. Still, coverage of the unrest was confined to the two French 24-hour news channels, LCI...

NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE Instructions: Complete this survey by clicking the box next to your answer for each question. You do not need to answer every question. Click submit when you are finished answering your survey. Take Survey! Do you believe illegal immigrants already in our country, holding jobs, should be granted a conditional amnesty? Yes No Unsure Should the U.S. military be empowered to patrol the border with Mexico? Yes No Unsure Do you support an expanded guest worker program that allows foreign nationals to come to this nation for a limited time if they are sponsored by companies...

Just step it out: She gets on. At the hearings, she is not all that impressive, but she is voted up. Our side remains fractious and resentful. Even those who screamed “Wait for the hearings!” because they got tired of saying the president can nominate anyone he wants, it’s in the Constitution, are left exhausted. (And some even admit that maybe we shouldn’t have waited for the hearings.) A critical number of us don’t vote in 2006, either out of resentment or disillusionment or disgust or all of the above. A handful of our senators go down. Even if the...

Doctor, thanks for taking my call. Your office called with the surgeon’s name— Dr. Raditsky. He’s a really nice man. A good man. I’m not sure I’ve heard of him. Has he done brain surgery before? No, but trust me, you’ll come through just fine. He’s a good friend, a loyal friend. Look, this is very important to me. I mean, REALLY important. I’ve been waiting a long, long time for this—too long—and now that it’s here, I want the best. I feel I deserve the best. I’ve been loyal to you. I’ve trusted you till now…well, actually, there were...

Pittsburgh needs more Latinos. Pious, industrious, roll-up your-sleeve immigrants from Mexico and Central America, raring to work at jobs like construction, food processing, restaurants and old age homes, save their money, send their kids to school, move up the ladder and relive the American dream. ...Wouldn't Latinos just be a drain on public services? Like most immigrant groups, they could use a helping hand in getting their first apartment and job. But Latinos on the whole consume fewer social services than others, and contribute to the economy through their taxes. ...What about crime? As with any group, an increase in...

Throwing 'em a curve Every now and again we must surrender territory to a cause larger than ourselves. Last week, Ron McRae, a self-ordained minister who makes a hobby of lording his holiness over gays, Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, decided that the use of the term "Crescent of Embrace" to describe a single feature in a multi-faceted Flight 93 Memorial design was a tacit endorsement of Islam. In due course, Michelle Malkin, a right-wing commentator less familiar with the topography of Somerset County than with the direction of political winds, added her thoughts. She said the inclusion of a...

Some claim crescent is symbol of Islam Friday, September 16, 2005 By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The architect of the Flight 93 memorial said he is willing to consider criticism about his design -- specifically that the use of a crescent-shaped pathway of red maple trees could be seen as a tribute to Islam that would honor the terrorists that crashed the plane. It appears to be a step back for Paul Murdoch, who just last week said he would be willing to change the name of that element, "Crescent of Embrace," to something else, but not the design...

I always get great advice from Freepers when it comes to practical matters--dogs, construction, guns, guns, guns, cooking, guns, Gettsyburg travel, etc. Now I would like to ask for input on cell phones. We are currently with T-Mobile. Our contract is up in a week. Our coverage is pretty good, but now and then it gets spotty and drops out (probably true for all). We currently have 1600 Whenever Minutes, and rarely go over that. 1000-1200 would probably do it. Current bills running about $165 (for four lines). I am wondering if I can do better. Is there a good...

"The Associated Press story included a candid quote from presidential counselor Doug Sosnik: "This is a guy that has never met an idea that he doesn't like, never met a person who's not interesting and never found a place in the world he wouldn't want to go." As the GAO study shows, he also never met a tab he didn't want the taxpayer to pick up."

Rogue yam has a vanity going on tonight: "Bushbashers' Thread of Penance (Vanity in Re:SCOTUS)"...right here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1446460/posts It's a We Told You So. It's a We knew, you didn't. It's a We Really Do Know A Whole Lot More About These Things Than You Squishy Doubters Do. That may all be so. But as long as we're indulging in completely unfounded speculation tonight, let's flip the premise. Rogue's premise is: Because the kind of nominee we said would be nominated WAS nominated, we must have been right all along. What if there is another operable premise? Try this: Because we...

"NEW YORK The cover story by Matt Bai in the upcoming Sunday issue of The New York Times Magazine profiles the man some liberals allegedly consider a possible new “messiah” for the Democratic party, George Lakoff. An adviser to the party on “framing” issues, he wrote “Don't Think of an Elephant”-- a book about politics and language based on his own linguistic theories." Also from the article: "With the debate over social security, Democrats explained that Bush was going to privatize it, which frightened the public. To represent this idea, Democrats portrayed the president as "an old-fashioned traveling salesman, with...

Before I announce the distinguished nominees I am recommending for the United States Supreme Court, I want to say something. When Justice O’Conner resigned, it was like a switch was thrown: Endless voices cut loose, with loud commentary and warnings of what would happen if I sent up the “wrong person” for our highest court. Voices from the press—voices from all across the political spectrum. You’d better do this, you’d better not do that. I was warned about appointing an “extremist”—in the most extreme terms. To coin a phrase: One citizen’s extremist is another citizen’s “centrist.” But all the folks...

I just realized...I mean that. It's going to come down to this. I have often argued, as many here have, that when FReepers said they would sit home rather than vote for (McCain, usually, sometimes Guiliani), that such sitting out would put Hilary in the Whitehouse. But I'm not moving on this.

While many MSM'ers (sorry, most) are lionizing this guy as "a hero," someone who "did what he had to do," something big is being missed. Our side has pointed out that he authorized/engineered illegal breakins himself... And that he turned on the Whitehouse because he didn't get the top FBI job. Now think about that.... Felt became a snitch because he didn't get something he wanted! He was an opportunist, plain and simple (and it runs in the family, apparently, as they shamelessly say they urged the old man to do it so they could all get some money). Yeah,...

Did everyone see this, posted by LowOiL: "Google Has No Picture For Memorial Day" http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1413340/posts I am putting it up again because I think it's a call for action. Here's the bottom line: They honor just about anything--to wit (from above thread): Didn't you know? Google reserves its special logos exclusively for the important occasions such as National Library Week. And who can forget the ever momentous World Water Day? 15 posted on 05/30/2005 2:13:42 PM PDT by Begin