Free Republic

The committee is being led by former Forbes 400 member Tom Barrack, a Los Angeles tycoon who founded private equity firm Colony Capital and was a featured speaker at the Republican National Convention in July, where he described Trump as one of his “closest friends for 40 years.” A major fundraiser, Barrack launched the “Rebuilding America Now” super PAC to support the Trump campaign. He served as Deputy Undersecretary of the Department of the Interior under Ronald Reagan, and is being floated as a possible pick for Treasury Secretary. Of the remaining 19 members of the committee, four are on...

Saudi religious police warn against celebrating New Year’s Eve Monday, 30 December 2013 10:50 AM Saudi Arabia’s religious police has warned that “punitive measures” will be taken against those who celebrated New Year’s Eve on December 31, Arabic daily Okaz reported. The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vices (Haia) based its warning on a religious edict issued by the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars banning such celebrations, the newspaper said. The conservative Islamic kingdom follows the Muslim lunar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, which stems from the Christian religion. Its new year is based...

TOKYO — The drizzly weather didn’t dampen the excitement at the annual spring imperial party last month as the royal family strolled along Tokyo’s Akasaka Palace grounds. Mao Asada, the Olympic figure skating silver medalist, was so overwhelmed when Emperor Akihito spoke to her that she managed only to repeatedly reply “yes,” and “thank you very much.” It was a typical reaction that shows the magnetic hold the emperor and empress have over the Japanese people. Missing as usual from the festivities was Crown Princess Masako who suffers from a stress-related disorder that causes anxiety and distress and only occasionally...

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2008 – People who couldn’t attend a day-long celebration of those who serve in the military here last week could still enjoy the sounds thanks to and Internet music and video site. The online music and entertainment site SyncLive made the festivities available via a live Web cast when the Fort Hood community came together April 11 to honor about 80,000 servicemembers and Defense Department civilians during a “Salute to Our Heroes” celebration. The celebration featured live music, but troops didn’t have to be on Fort Hood to enjoy the sounds. The artists who performed during...

Tuesday, 26 December 2006 Floyd Lee, the dining facility’s senior supervisor, leads his staff in a ‘pre-serving’ cheer prior to the beginning of Christmas Day dinner at the U.S. Embassy dining facility. Photo by Sgt. Corey Strand. BAGHDAD -- On Christmas Day about 146,000 Coalition troops in Iraq went to work like they do every day. However, even in the midst of war, holiday traditions survive. On Christmas Day civilian and military personnel who live in the International Zone gathered in the U.S. Embassy dining facility to eat a traditional Christmas dinner. The dining facility staff understands that one...

INDIANAPOLIS, May 28, 2006 – Today's opening ceremonies for the 90th Indianapolis 500 carried a special message for servicemembers and their families: America Supports You. Indy 500 fans hold America Supports You cards to let servicemembers attending the race know that the country is behind them. Several thousand cards were available for fans to display at the Indianapolis 500 on May 28. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Troops were greeted with thunderous applause and cheering when they rode around the two-and-a-half mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway track as part of the speedway's Military Recognition...

MIAMI, May 5, 2006 – As part of Fleet Week USA and 2006 McDonald's Air and Sea Show festivities in South Florida, five services welcomed new recruits here yesterday. A total of 144 recruits - 25 from the Army; 30, Navy; 50, Air Force; 36, Marine Corps; and three, Coast Guard - were sworn in by Navy Vice Adm. Mark Fitzgerald, commander Second Fleet and Strike Fleet Atlantic, in Miami May 4. The ceremony was part of a day of recognition that included family, friends and employers and the Tuskegee Airmen. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

Big-Money Contributors Line Up for Inauguration President Bush wants to lower barriers to building nuclear power plants, and the lobby that promotes nuclear energy could not be happier. To show its thanks, the group has given $100,000 to help pay for his inauguration. "He's a big supporter," said John E. Kane, chief lobbyist for the Nuclear Energy Institute. "Our donation is just a small way of supporting him." The nuclear energy industry's contribution is part of a record-breaking outpouring of corporate cash to next week's inaugural festivities. At least 88 companies and trade associations, along with 39 CEOs and top...

KAMPALA (Reuters) - AIDS (news - web sites)-aware Ugandans, who use about 250,000 condoms a day, face a shortage of the product after the government introduced new condom tests likely to cut supply over the festive season, the Health Ministry on Friday. The Ministry withdrew Engabu, a local popular brand that was emitting a bad smell, after the World Health Organization (news - web sites) found its quality deteriorated. "We are going to face six months of limited supply," said Vastha Kibirige, a condom coordinator with the Health Ministry. "We fear that in the meantime some people might have unprotected...

<p>Okay, folks.....from now until January 20th, this will be the official thread for all correspondence related to the Kentucky Chapter of Free Republic and Inauguration Day festivities.</p> <p>Please post any plans that you, the loyal Kentucky freepers out there, have in regards to the week of January 20th, 2005 and the celebrations therein. If you have any suggestions for Kentucky freepers, post them here. If you want to share a trip into, or hotel in, D.C. with fellow Kentucky freepers, post it here. If you have insight into, or are looking for, accomodations or lists of activities, post them here.</p>