Free Republic

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of “word for the day”. Rules: Everyone must leave a post using the “word of the day”; in a sentence. The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day. ;-) Practice makes perfect.....post on.... vainglorious; adjective: vaingloriously; adverb 1. adj. Characterized by or exhibiting excessive vanity; boastful. Proceeding from vainglory. Today's word is offered up in (dis)honor of last night's Academy Awards.... Etymology: I have no idea. Good Morning Students. Welcome to class! Class is...

SOME BASIC TENETS OF THE 21st CENTURY LIBERAL  You must believe that spanking a 5 year old is child abuse, but sucking an infant out of its mother's womb with a metal tube is merely a "choice"  You must believe that a democrat stumping from the pulpit of a black church is "community outreach", but if a conservative candidate shows his face in a white church, it is a blatant violation of Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.  You must recognize the death of a liberal candidate as a golden opportunity to hold a "memorial service"...

Sounding alarm on firefighter necessities As city strains to meet needs, station-adoption plan would take department wish lists to the public. By MATT SCHWARTZ Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, police and firefighters were America's newest heroes. Now, a little over a year later, the Houston Fire Department is soliciting donations to equip its fire stations with basic necessities, such as air-conditioners and toilets. City Council this morning will consider an "Adopt-a-Fire Station" program, a sunny-sounding admission that the city cannot keep up with the maintenance on its 87 firehouses. If approved, citizens would have to...

MONTERREY, Mexico -- Last week, President Bush announced that the United States will give an additional $5 billion in aid for developing countries. If he expected that announcement would help him receive a warm welcome at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, he was wrong. Since Bush's announcement, the world's poorest countries and members of nonprofit groups have mulled over the amount of aid the United States provides and declared it far short of what the world's biggest economy is capable of giving. Since the conference began here Monday, this has been one of the focal points...

In times of crisis and devastation, people naturally turn to the solace of religion. A few, unfortunately, spy opportunity to inject and spread their hate and intolerance. I offer in evidence the remarks of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who blamed the terrorist attacks on civil libertarians, abortion providers, gay people and judges who ended official prayer in the schools. According to Falwell, God withdrew his protection from the United States and gave the terrorists free rein to kill. In Houston, the Rev. Ed Young, pastor of Second Baptist Church, seemed to agree with Falwell's analysis, saying the attacks could be ...

Remember the 1970's sitcom, Good Times? Set in the housing projects of Chicago, it starred the young black comedian Jimmy Walker as "JJ," and made "dy-no-mite" a catchphrase for a generation. In some ways, though, the most interesting character was JJ's kid brother, Michael. Studious and conservative in dress and manners, Michael cared about ideas and politics, and his dream was to follow in the footsteps of Thurgood Marshall and become a justice of the United States Supreme Court. Imagine that Good Times had been reality. Imagine that Michael went to law school, and after years of hard work now ...

In a ruling that could upend minority recruiting efforts, a federal judge says the city of Houston is violating state law by selecting cadets for its police and fire academies rather than taking those who score highest on civil service tests. Under the Local Government Code, a person must be given a civil service examination and ranked according to his or her score before being hired by the fire or police department. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake said the city is violating the law by administering the civil service exam after cadets complete their academy training. Texas courts equate entrance ...

President Bush is catching a lot of heat this week from European leaders over his rejection of the lopsided Kyoto Protocol. Let them fume. Fortunately, the president appears to be taking it all in stride. That bodes well for the American people and for the prospect that a better and more balanced treaty regarding global warming can be reached. The Kyoto treaty signed in Japan in 1997 by the Clinton administration is terribly flawed, based as it is on flimsy research and weather modeling. It is also unfair to the United States. It would in fact devastate America's economy if ...

OVER the Memorial Day recess I had the opportunity to participate in high school graduations, where I felt the impact of what education really means and saw where our federal government should be putting its resources. Instead, we get the Republican federal tax cut, filled with gimmicks that disguise its true costs, which may prevent investments in such vital programs as education, full access to Houston's public hospitals, prescription drug benefits, Social Security and Medicare. These tax cuts are heavily tilted in favor of the wealthiest at the expense of the quality of life for many. Like the state of ...

THIS week our office received an invitation from President Bush asking members of Congress to visit him at the White House on the 100th day of his presidency. As a fellow Texan, I would have hoped to meet sooner than on the 100th day for a photo-up. I believe in getting along and working together, but you just can't smile at the camera when you know that folks in your district are getting the short end of the deal. (More)