Free Republic

Ann Clare Boothe was born on April 10, 1903, in a dismal apartment house on Riverside Drive in New York City…. Clare herself once succinctly pictured her unpropitious prospects as a baby. Shortly after her conversion to Catholicism, she was attacked by an ardent disciple of Mrs. Sanger for the Catholic stand against birth control. She wound up her tirade by saying, “I cannot understand anyone as enlightened as yourself subscribing to that doctrine.” “I think I appreciate your logic,” said Clare. “Let’s take the case of a young married woman, frail and ill, deserted by her husband, earning a...

You know it's getting bad when even those most afraid to criticize the messiah, are doing just that: Financial Times Washington Bureau Chief Edward Luce has written a granularly informed insider account about those who hold the keys to the inner most sanctum of Obama Land -- Rahm Emanuel, Robert Gibbs, Valerie Jarrett and David Axelrod. It's a vital article -- a brave one -- that includes "dozens of interviews with his closest allies and friends in Washington." Most are unnamed because the consequences of retribution from this powerful foursome can be severe in an access-dependent town. John Podesta, president...

I just got done reading a book about the death of Henry R. Luce in 1967, which of course made me want to cry, asking why such people leave this time and place when their work on earth is hardly begun. It was very sad. Anyway. After Henry Luce handed over the reins of his publishing empire to others, in 1964, he and his wife, Clare Boothe Luce, one of the most remarkable women of the 20th century, sold their home in Connecticut and moved to Arizona. They probably should have remained in Connecticut, because Arizona seemed to have a...

In case you're keen for my $.02, I've previously stated that Fulton Sheen stands as the greatest American Catholic of all time. In terms of impact, none other before or since comes close. First on radio and then on television, over many Sunday and Tuesday nights, Sheen's panache, wit and humanity singlehandedly dismantled what remained of the Establishment myths of Catholic immigrants keen to establish Roman domination of the halls of power. Having captivated the popular imagination, he moved the church into the vanguard of the American mainstream. Barely three decades after Al Smith's faith kept him from the...

Mid-Level Business Staffers Hit Hardest... Time Inc. eliminated another 250 jobs today in its latest, largest and, perhaps, last round of cutbacks. The mid-level and junior-level workers shown the door almost all came from the business side of operations at a long list of titles. "As Time Inc. continues to evolve from a magazine publisher to a multiplatform media company, we're continuing to look at our cost base and how to run our business more efficiently and effectively. In doing so, unfortunately, we've had to eliminate a number of positions." "But it's not just about cost cutting," Ms. Zelenko added...

HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS is a non-Profit organization that builds or adapts homes for returning Iraqi veterans who have lost limbs and have special needs physically that require their homes to be remodeled to make the required changes to accomodate the injuries sustained by our warriors in Iraq. I have met these men who run the show there, and highly endorse what they are doing. Recently, due to just a simple choice, 2 Marines who served in Iraq and were seriously wounded are having either a new home built by HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS or a used home will be...