Free Republic

BEIJING - China's top newspaper went to town yesterday with a 55-page online picture spread of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un being named The Onion's "Sexiest Man Alive for 2012", appearing to fall for a spoof by the United States satirical website. Seemingly clueless as to the real nature of The Onion's tongue-in-cheek award for Mr Kim, the People's Daily splashed full-page photographs of the portly young leader riding horses, clapping his hands, waving and clasping children's cheeks on his tours around North Korea. "With his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-bred...

This morning, I received the following email, which is currently being circulated around the internet: Congressman John Fleming (Louisiana physician) has proposed an amendment that would require congressmen and senators to take the same healthcare plan they force on us (under proposed legislation they are curiously exempt). Congressman Fleming is encouraging people to go on his Website and sign his petition at: http://fleming.house.gov/index.html. Please urge as many people as you can to do the same! If Congress forces this on the American people, the Congressmen should have to accept the same level of health care for themselves and their families.

Plane's engines quit before crash Federal Aviation Administration continues investigation HAYDEN -- Doug Parker was talking with a friend outside his hangar at the Coeur d'Alene Airport when he called the plane going down Monday at 6:45 p.m. "I heard it quit," Parker said Tuesday. "I knew the guy flying it and it went dead silence under full power." Under normal conditions, there is an audible noise when a plane slows down, Parker said. "I said 'He didn't shut that power off. He didn't abort it.' I said 'There's going to be a plane crash.' And then: boom." Hans...

An elderly man was found near an escalator in the store, and police said a young black man was being sought as the suspected shooter. Early indications were that as many as five people may be injured. Colby Barak told KETV NewsWatch 7 that she was on lockdown inside Westroads Mall. She said she was doing Christmas shopping at Younkers, and an announcement was made that no one would be allowed to leave. Just before 2 p.m., Barrett said, another announcement was made that shoppers could leave but would not be allowed back in. Dozens of police and sheriff's cars...

RATHDRUM, IDAHO -- Superintendent Charles Kinsey has announced that the Lakeland School District in Rathdrum, Idaho is closed Wednesday due to a bomb threat. When staff arrived at Athol Elementary to begin their work day, they found a note on the door with the threat; notes were also found at other schools in the district. The notes made threats to two schools, but did not specifically name the schools. According to Captain Ben Wolfinger, the Kootenai County Explosive Recognition Team will be inspecting several schools in the district through the course of the day. They will be looking for anything...

Football Fans Wear Blaze Orange to Honor Slain Hunters The Rice Lake business community, near the scene of the November 21st killings of six hunters, asked Green Bay Packers fans to wear blaze orange to the Monday Night Football game in honor of the shooting victims. Thousands of fans responded in an overwhelming fashion. From the earliest tailgaters to many of Lambeau's parking attendants, the Packers famed green and gold colors had to share the spotlight Monday night. "It was a tragic thing. We're just here to pay tribute," one fan in orange said. Generally, blaze orange is not an...

I've been asked to supply a sports report for this year's family holiday newsletter. I decided to "borrow" Rush's method of picking winners of football games based on the "Politically Correct Liberal Methodology". I applied it to selected NCAA bowl games that are of interest to various family members. It turned out to be a fun little exercise so I thought maybe some creative freeper football fans might want to add some picks of their own. Here are mine:Fort Worth Bowl – TCU vs. Boise State The 18th ranked Boise State Broncos take on the TCU Horned Frogs in the...

Jan. 16, 2002, 8:59AM 'Combat Missions' brings quality to reality TV By ANN HODGES Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle TV Critic TV "reality" takes a big turn for the better, and timeliness has everything to do with it in tonight's premiere of Combat Missions.   The stars of Combat Missions are all former members of Green Berets, Marine Recons, Navy SEALS, Delta Force, CIA Special Ops or police S.W.A.T. teams. The stars of this USA military action series (9 tonight, USA) are real. They're all former Green Berets, Marine Recons, Navy SEALS, Delta Force, CIA Special Ops or police S.W.A.T. These ...

I've been listening to the NYPD police scanner at PoliceScanner.com. These people are working under the most unbelieveably difficult circumstances. The dispatcher just stated that she is backed up trying to dispatch 70 "jobs". A bomb threat was just reported on the 22nd floor of the Verizon building. The Port Authority was evacuated while a suspicious package was checked. It was then reopened, only to be closed again a few minutes later because of another suspicous bag. The dispatcher just said her "jobs" computer crashed, calls are backing up even more. Another report of a package being left by an ...

McGuckin rally draws more than 70 to courthouse Prosecutor, sheriff focus of protest By MIKE GEARLDS North Idaho News Network SANDPOINT - The word went out on the Internet last week to meet Monday morning at the Bonner County Courthouse, and more than 70 people who were willing to hold a sign responded. "Please join Freepers MadamAxe, GrandmaC, Washington_minuteman and others in Sandpoint, Idaho to support the McGuckin family and protest the trumped-up charges that have kept JoAnn McGuckin from her children for over a week," the posting read. The focus of the protesters' anger was Bonner County Prosecutor Phil ...

Schools Set the Stage for Tragedies US schools are the real killers There's no mystery why some teenagers suddenly kill their peers. They do it because of the crazy way they are taught C. Bradley Thompson The tragic school shooting in Santee, California, forces Americans to ask once again: What is going on in our schools? When the 2 killed and 13 injured in Santee are added to those in Littleton, Colorado; Pearl, Mississippi; West Paducah, Kentucky; Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Springfield, Oregon, the total stands at a staggering 29, with scores injured. These mindless acts of mayhem have captured ...

With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com StaffFor the story behind the story... Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2001; 1:14 p.m. EST Clinton Said to be 'Seriously Depressed' Ex-President Clinton is said to be "seriously depressed" by recent developments, according to people who talked to him last week, reports gossip columnist Liz Smith. And that was before he was forced to tap his Presidential Library Foundation Fund to cover part of the rent on his gold plated New York City office digs -- or the news that Hillary "Sticky Fingers" Clinton tried to make off with $28,000 in White House furnishings. If, as they ...

Veterans take aim at Coeur d'Alene parade ordinance Group to boycott event; Rankin begins bid to shoot down rule banning guns Thomas Clouse - Staff writer COEUR d'ALENE -- Local veterans declared war Wednesday on the Coeur d'Alene city ordinance that says they can't march with guns in parades. The Kootenai County Veterans Council, which represents 10 local veterans organizations, says it will boycott the Fourth of July Parade in Coeur d'Alene if its color guards can't continue their tradition of carrying rifles. Instead of marching unarmed in Coeur d'Alene's "American Heroes" parade, the veterans plan to march in Spirit ...

Kennedy by default? For the first time in nearly four decades in offices, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy could find himself without a Republican opponent in November. Republican hopeful Jack E. Robinson had until 5 p.m. yesterday to turn in 10,000 signatures needed to get his name on the ballot. As of mid-afternoon, he had submitted only about 4,300. Mr. Robinson has kept a low profile for weeks and did not return calls from the Associated Press in recent days. This could be the first time the Republican Party has failed to field a candidate in a Senate race in Massachusetts ...

Idaho to boycott anti-gun businesses? No discrimination against people 'lawfully exercising their 2nd Amendment rights' By Jon E. Dougherty © 2000 WorldNetDaily.com On the heels of global financial giant Citibank's Mar. 7 decision to end its policy of not doing business with small firearms companies, officials in Idaho have filed a resolution asking the state to sever business ties to any firm or company that discriminates against weapons firms or pro-gun activists. On Friday, C. L. "Butch" Otter, lieutenant governor for the state of Idaho, in cooperation with the state's Assistant Senate Majority Leader John Sandy, introduced in the Idaho ...

Gore makes first appearance on Jay Leno show Copyright © 2000 Nando Media Copyright © 2000 Associated Press By SANDRA SOBIERAJ BURBANK, Calif. (February 11, 2000 1:36 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - Young voters thought he was Prince Charles, then "governor of the United States." One of his Secret Service agents was caught laughing at a Monica Lewinsky joke. So much for Al Gore's debut on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." The vice president, who has labored for six months to loosen up his image on the presidential campaign trail, made his first appearance on the NBC program Thursday. The ...