Free Republic

A funeral service with a special graveside ceremony is scheduled Saturday afternoon to honor Walter Ehlers, a Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Ehlers single-handedly took out enemy gun nests during the D-day invasion and drew fire to himself to save other soldiers. He died Feb. 19 at 92 of kidney failure. He will be buried at Riverside National Cemetery with full military honors at 1 p.m., said Jim Ruester, spokesman for the cemetery. Seating has been set up for 500 people. The Army's 1st Infantry Division will send a three-star general and 32 soldiers from Kansas to...

• Terri Lynn Land: She is term-limited as secretary of state and lives in the district. But she is a running mate for gubernatorial candidate Mike Bouchard. Will she ditch him for a job she has long desired? • Kenneth Sikkema: The former state Senate majority leader from Kent County was long viewed as a potential heir apparent to Ehlers. Now he' i a "senior policy fellow" with Public Sector Consultants Inc., a Lansing lobbying firm. Is it too late for a comeback? • Jerry Kooiman: The former Grand Rapids state legislator began his political career 25 years ago as...

The Capitol is shut down for the third straight day, but two new retirements have been announced by members of the House of Representatives. AP reports that the threat of a primary from his right has led Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) to retire. He's serving his ninth term. "Each of us should recognize that the world doesn't depend just on us and I've been there 16 years now and that's more than enough time for most people and I've accomplished a great deal," Ehlers told AP. "I just felt this was a good time to go." State Rep. Justin Amash...

Rep. Vern Ehlers, R-Mich., will announce his plans to retire at the end of this term tomorrow at a press conference, according to The Hotline: A press release from Ehler's office says the presser "follow[s] speculation about his plans to continue serving" in the House. Several GOP sources tell Hotline OnCall his wife had a heart attack last week, further lending credence to speculation he will step aside. Ehlers joins a growing list of retiring members of Congress, including 17 Republicans and 11 Democrats.

Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI 03) will announce his retirement at a 10 a.m. presser tomorrow morning, according to a MI-based source.

Pres. Obama Quotes Hadith February 12, 2009 Prepared remarks of President Barack Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary Remarks of President Barack Obama National Prayer Breakfast As Prepared for Delivery Good morning. I want to thank the Co-Chairs of this breakfast, Representatives Heath Shuler and Vernon Ehlers. (snip) We know too that whatever our differences, there is one law that binds all great religions together. Jesus told us to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” The Torah commands, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.” In Islam, there...

Michigan's two senators are hoping some pressure on the nation's top environmental official will help keep tailpipe testing and dirty-air sanctions out of West Michigan. U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin talked Friday with the head of the Environmental Protection Agency to seek leniency for West Michigan counties violating federal smog standards. Their meeting with EPA chief Mike Leavitt was a last-minute effort to convince federal administrators that Ottawa, Kent, Muskegon, Allegan and other counties should not be penalized for levels of ozone, a key component in smog, that drifts across Lake Michigan from industrial areas in Gary, Ind.,...

No law has wreaked as much havoc on private property rights as the Endangered Species Act. Radical environmental organizations have driven Congressional intent to new heights of absurdity: a tractor was arrested in California for murdering a kangaroo rat, and the tractor's owner driven out of business. In Klamath Basin, 1,400 farmers were deprived of their own water for more than a year, to ensure that an "endangered" sucker fish didn't scrape bottom while swimming. The horror stories are endless, and each is another trophy in the showcases of the radical environmentalists. Now, they want more power. It's not enough...