Free Republic

Two of those fellows who dragged James Byrd to death over in Vidor, TX, got the death penalty. I don't remember whether either has been executed yet, anyone else remember?

I wonder if their pictures were included, and whether James Byrd's name was included in the list of victims. Probably not if no execution has yet taken place. But wouldn't that put the liberals in a state of cognitive dissonance.

In the interest of full disclosure I will point out that I am uncertain about the death penalty, but I agree strongly with a prior poster - if you disagree with capital punishment, don't live in Texas and by all means don't commit a capital crime here.

I concur with all those who nominate the Houston Chronicle, which is my local paper. I used to take it by subscription but now I would sue them for littering if they threw a copy of it into my driveway. However the Chronicle does have three outstanding outdoor sports writers; if you enjoy hunting and fishing they offer the best coverage I have seen anywhere in the US. I have swapped e-mail with them and even run into some of them while out fishing; they are great writers and advocates for their readers. And after reading them for ten years I have no idea what political beliefs any of them have.

I also nominate my hometown newspaper the Nashville Tennessean. Most newspapers have an "entertainment" section; the Tennessean IS an entertainment section.

I don't mean to sound contrary, but as a Southern Baptist myself, and one who is working in my own church's shelter for Katrina evacuees, I am compelled to point out that Baptist doctrine recognizes the inherent BADNESS of people; see Romans 3:10-18, which itself references various scripture passages from Psalms and Proverbs. The only good in people comes from The Lord Jesus Christ; see Romans chapter 8.

I apologize for being a scold, but this is a very fundamental issue that Baptists must raise particularly at a time when our efforts garner favorable publicity. "Not me, but He Who is in me."

Why do you say that? No challenge intended, in fact I am both. Tennessean by birth and first 23 years of life, Texan by last 12 years of residence, with a 7 year interregnum in between.

Happy with both but my first loyalty is to my place of birth - I never let the native Texans forget that the border would be the Sabine River if not for us Tennessee Volunteers, and that some of Houston's men at San Jacinto were in fact my cousins, and that one of the Alamo martyrs was in fact another distant cousin .....

In the words of Hank Williams, "T for Texas, T for Tennessee"

Katy Deacon

I don't really know how I got on this ping list, but I think the Freeper who maintains it decided to put me on. Stated differently, I don't think you can sign yourself up, I believe the list maintainer has to add your FR userid to his list.

And if you've been on Freepmail since yesterday then you're two days ahead of me ....

Thanks CJ, you have described the situation correctly - a number of recipients followed by an elipsis.

On further inspection I can also see that all these posts are from the same Freeper, who was part of my first thread, so clearly I'm on his ping list. I had not been observant enough to notice that before.

In a way this fact is another piece of input to the original subject of this thread - a Freeper noted my interest in a particular subject and has pinged me to all his threads on the same subject since then. I'd call that a pretty helpful and welcoming thing to do, even if I was not savvy enough to recognize it!

Thanks again CJ for helping me "de-bug" this one.

Thank you very kindly Indy. I've never seen my name up in lights before and it's quite flattering.

If I might take one liberty with posting/topic protocols, could someone tell me why I find many "new posts to you" when I log in, but in fact none of the new posts are actually to me? They do all deal with the subject of my initial post, but no one has actually pinged me or posted to me.

Sorry if my going off topic is in bad form, but since it's a thread for newbies I thought maybe you veterans would cut me some slack on this one. I'm also not skilled in the art enough to begin a new thread asking this question, and this thread looks like the best place I can find to ask.

Not certain how serious this thread is (haven't read all of it) but it applies to me. I registered a couple of weeks ago after several years of lurking. Have only participated in one thread but hope to do more as time goes by. There are so many interesting threads and valuable news items that a guy could spend all day every day on FR, and of course that would have negative consequences on job and marriage. So I still lurk rather than actively posting.

I received several "welcome" responses to my initial post and had some good dialog with one Freeper who took the time to share his thoughts and experience (thanks again Chieftain).

My sense is that newcomers are welcomed cautiously, and I fully understand why. I have lurked long enough to realize that some people register just to make trouble and I would not expect long-time Freepers to open up to me as a newbie. Perhaps some feel that "cliques" are hard to break in to, but at the same time most of us want to be a bit selective in our interactions and we are looking for high-quality dialog and ideas. So I think newbies like me should expect a "probationary period" during our early days of posting.

FR is a tremendous resource and I am grateful to those who took the time to reply to me with even a one line "Welcome to FR".

Hi Chieftain and thanks again for your insight. Your advice to separate the veteran from the politician is sound. Another vet friend of mine said something similar - that I should separate what they did from what they are doing.

I guess it's a bit naive for me to hold someone, even a hero, to a heroic standard for the entire rest of their lives. But the men I know at work and at church who served in combat are heroes to me, and everytime I see them I think of them as heroes. A kind word or pat on the back from them is a humbling and moving experience.

So it's hard for me to draw that distinction between the past and the present, but it's part of life I suppose. As I hope my tag line makes clear, there is only One Who is really worthy of praise.

Take care Chieftain. I'll look forward to the honor of talking with you on some other thread in the future.

Thanks very much Chieftain for taking the time to share your experience with me, and of course for how you spent those 22 years.

Clinton's administration turned me from a conservative who was skeptical about the Democrats, but willing to consider that the odd one in a local election might merit my support, to one who believes that the Democrats are manipulative and dishonest from top to bottom. I was, and am still, stunned at the solidarity they displayed in standing behind Clinton's obvious lies and then behind Gore when he went so far as to have active duty military votes challenged and discarded in Florida.

My veteran friend had told me during that election that he wanted "something done for the military", then during the recount he told me "I just want all the votes to be counted." I e-mailed him a news account of the Democrat challenges to military votes and asked if that was what he had in mind for the military. He never responded to that note.

Your point about John Glenn is a good one. Certainly an admirable, heroic, man, who has served the country with the best of them. Yet even he maintained a partisan Democrat position during Senate hearings on impeachment (if I recall correctly). I think Max Cleland is probably a decent man also, and I respect his service and his injuries even if they did not come in combat. They came while on active duty in a combat zone, and that's close enough for me. Yet now he uses them for purely partisan purposes.

I've never endured anything like Cleland endures, nor have I the courage of Glenn. But if I had the experiences each has I just don't think I'd associate myself with a party that systematically lies about everything. Maybe I shouldn't say this since they protected me, but it seems to me that their association with the Democrat party cheapens their service and sacrifices. That service and those sacrifices are the best and most moving things about America. They define America. And they just should not be cheapened.

I feel bad about saying that, since Cleland and Glenn have done and given so much, while I've done and given nothing. But it's the only honest conclusion I can reach. I just don't understand it and I'm saddened by it. How can heroes do what they've done and what they are doing?

tet68 and other veterans on this thread :

I'm a brand new freeper and I registered after years of lurking specifically to learn from you all on this thread. Thanks and endless respect to you all from a life-long civilian who lives safely in a rich and blessed country in part due to your service.

I've recently had some debate with a veteran (US Army 1959-1962, one tour in Germany) about the leadership that veterans provide to the rest of us. I look up to veterans and believe they represent the best of virtues, including truth. I think veterans define patriotism and what America stands for. At the same time I think the Democrat party pretty much represents evil these days. My veteran friend tells me that he served so that everyone could make up their own minds, and he has a hard time choosing between the two parties. Frankly I find that hard to understand because I do see American politics today in good/evil terms.

Could you all do me the honor and great favor of sharing how your experiences as veterans influence your thinking about politics today? You've seen evil that most of us can't begin to imagine, and you've literally done the "standing" to define what this country stands for. My experience is limited to civilian life here in the US. I really think the Democrats are evil, but I know that some veterans are Democrats, and I certainly don't have the experience and time in grade they have in serving the country.

How can I square those things up? Am I wrong about American politics being good versus evil today? If I'm right, how do I show proper gratitude and respect to a veteran who supports an evil political party?

Thanks again to you all for the security you've provided to me and my family, and for any insight or further lessons in patriotism you might be able to add in this thread.