Free Republic

BOSTON - Health advocates yesterday urged lawmakers to override acting Gov. Jane Swift's veto of $35.6 million from anti-smoking programs - which came just days after lawmakers voted to boost cigarettes taxes by 75 cents per pack. The veto will reduce spending on the state's main anti-tobacco initiative by 70 percent and devastate programs that have helped cut the state's smoking rate by more than a third in the past decade, they said. Anti-smoking advocates were among the many leaders of cultural, health and youth programs leaders who pressured Democratic leaders in the House and Senate to override some of...

Man shoots and kills suspect in attempted home invasion POSTED: 2:28 p.m. EDT August 1, 2002 HOLLY SPRINGS -- Harnett County police say a man shot and killed one of two suspects who attempted to force their way into his home and rob him. Authorities responded to the residence of Terry Alston around 10:30 Wednesday and found Alterick Roger McRae, 21, of Holly Springs dead, apparently from gunshot wounds. Police said they found McRae lying face down on the ground near Alston's front door. A handgun was found near his body and several bullet holes in the siding of the...

<p>On a typical day, Danny Mezher restocks the cigarette shelves of AAA Smokers in Clinton Township once. By 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, however, he was refilling them for the third time. He was nearly out of Marlboros and he couldn't get any more from his wholesaler.</p>

California smokers comprise only 17.2% of the adult population in the state. Here is what they already pay because they choose to buy a legal product: Smokers Pay Excise Taxes $1,105,227,120 Smokers Pay Sales Taxes $ 343,001,520 Smokers Pay Tobacco Settlement Payments $ 759,300,000 Total $2,207,528,640Smokers Economic/Tax Profile Income California smokers median income 2000 $26,500 Median Income Smoker California State Tax Liability Annual state income tax liability for a couple $ 139 Annual state income tax liability for a couple with two children $ 0 Smoker Excise Tax/Sales Tax/Tobacco Settlement Payments Liability Total average paid per California smoker in excise...

Perhaps you know Charlie Mendelman. He's an affable, congenial man, who for 18 years ran a top-notch Volkswagen/Audi/Porsche dealership on Macleod Tr. Then, at the age of 56, Charlie got up one day and decided he wanted to do something different in life. So he sold his dealership and opened up The Garage Billiards Bar and Restaurant at Eau Claire Market. "I'm a people-type person," he says. "I like to meet people and chat with them. That's why I went into the automobile business, and it's why I went into the hospitality business." If you've been to The Garage, you'll...

Join the FR smokers lounge bump list...click on the logo Welcome Friends, foes and associates to the completely remodeled Free Republic...Smoker's Lounge Here you will find a comfy place to smoke, drink, joke or whatever. We always have a great time, so sit back, relax and...Smoke 'em if you got 'em shsshshsshsshsshssh shsshsshsshsshsshshsshsshsshshsshshsshsshsshssh shsshsshsshsshsshshsshsshsshshsshshsshsshsshssh shsshsshsshsshsshshsshsshsshshssh aaaaa,:`___________________________||`,:'.",`.;'`,:'.',`: <--------Life is good! A very special thank you to Registered for providing us with this fine logo....we will bear it with pride.

. . If you know a Veteran, someone in your family, friend of the family, neighbor, who served their country, take a brief moment of your day to thank them. Thank them for the sacrifice they made for the better good of their country. We at Free Republic, and the USO Canteen FReeper Style, are thankful for every service member in our military, who has served our great nation. So, to the men and women who answered the call, in both times of war and peace, thank you. . Message from Snow Bunny to all those who visit the Canteen....

THE Federal Government has warned Australians in Iraq to leave the country as soon as possible. A spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs and Trade also urged Australians to avoid visiting Iraq as the US prepares to widen its war on terrorism to the region. The official warning comes just weeks after the Australian Government indicated it would support a US-led attack on Iraq. The warning came as Trade Minister Mark Vaile said Iraq's threat to halve Australian wheat imports may be partly due to good domestic production forecasts. Australia, on the other hand, was heading rapidly towards a drought that would...

AUGUSTA - Gubernatorial hopeful John Baldacci continues to lead all other candidates with a little more than $900,000 raised through July 16, but he finished third in the critical area of available cash on hand, according to campaign finance reports filed Tuesday. The undisputed leader among the four competing candidates in that category was Green Independent Party nominee Jonathan Carter of Lexington Township. The publicly funded candidate reported $227,372 in available funds, more than the combined total of his two major party rivals. David Flanagan, the Manchester independent who pulled out of the race last week, held the distinction of...

EXCERPTS FROM A DOG'S DIARY Day 180 8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE! 9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE! 9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE! 10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE! 11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE! 12:00 am - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE! 1:00 pm - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE! 4:00 pm - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE! 5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE! 5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE! Day 181...

DENVER (Reuters) - Tax hikes on cigarettes imposed recently by states and cities across the United States are not only filling coffers but are also proving to be a strong deterrent to smoking, an anti-tobacco group said on Monday. "In several states, consumption declined 20% or more and new revenues in the millions of dollars were still realized," the Smokeless States National Tobacco Policy Initiative said in a study to be presented at the National Conference of State Legislatures annual meeting in Denver. New York City led the way with a $1.42 tax hike that put cigarettes at $7, but...

SMOKE-FILLED ROOMS BROOKLYN TOBACCO PARTY by Herb Allen Issue of 2002-07-29Posted 2002-07-22 CLASH, which stands for Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, is the only organization dedicated exclusively to protecting the rights of New York City smokers. It was founded two years ago by Audrey Silk, a thirty-eight-year-old police officer in Brooklyn's Sixty-seventh Precinct, who smokes between one and two packs a day and was, she says, "sick and tired of the government telling me how to live my life." Under Silk's leadership, CLASH has opposed the ban on smoking in restaurants, fought proposals to raise the tax on cigarettes, and...

. . If you know a Veteran, someone in your family, friend of the family, neighbor, who served their country, take a brief moment of your day to thank them. Thank them for the sacrifice they made for the better good of their country. We at Free Republic, and the USO Canteen FReeper Style, are thankful for every service member in our military, who has served our great nation. So, to the men and women who answered the call, in both times of war and peace, thank you. . . Message from Snow Bunny to all those who visit the...

GREEN BAY, Wis., July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Bay Packer Ahman Green's participation in a Wisconsin ad campaign designed to raise awareness about the dangers of secondhand smoke was unveiled today. Green will be part of a series of television and radio advertisements that launched early-June and are being broadcast throughout Wisconsin. The new ads use personal stories told by Wisconsin residents who have suffered the effects of secondhand smoke. Green is not a smoker himself, but he grew up in a household with a smoker and was diagnosed with asthma at age 14. The 25-year-old running back has to...

Stocks Wilt, Dow Drops More Than 2 Pct Fri Jul 19,11:08 AM ET By Denise Duclaux NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks skidded at mid-morning Friday as a criminal probe into drug giant Johnson & Johnson and weak outlooks from high-tech leaders like Sun Microsystems Inc. took another swipe at investor sentiment a day after a big selloff. The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> sank 188 points, or 2.24 percent, to 8,221, after hitting its lowest close since September the day before. Johnson & Johnson accounted for more than a quarter of the Dow's decline. The broader Standard & Poor's...

I was hoping someone would give me some advice on a new handgun purchase. My Walther PPK is becoming more trouble than it is worth: lots of jams, which I am told is a problem with all .380s. So I am looking for something new. First I want something safe, reliable, and easy to maintain, so I am thinking a revolver. I want something comfortable to shoot, and that will last many rounds, and be good for home defense. Since I live in Wisconsin, there will NEVER be concealed carry laws, so it does not need to be small. I...

Just on air.... news alert that Magaw resigned, replaced by deputy, former USCG commandant James Loy (sp?)....

GRYGLA - A potential countywide ban on smoking in restaurants needs to be heard in rural areas before action is considered, Beltrami County commissioners said here Tuesday. They also asked that a draft ordinance contain provisions to allow smoking in restaurants, provided smoking areas are separate from non-smoking areas, including ventilation systems. But most of all, several commissioners displayed disgust at an apparent campaign being used to sway commissioner opinion. Commissioners spent more than an hour going over an ordinance drafted by County Attorney Tim Faver in response to a request in May from the B-Team, a multiple agency tobacco...

http://www.msnbc.com/news/778726.aspFREEP TIME! no - 72%yes - 28%

Bush names Tony Garza ambassador to Mexico WASHINGTON -- President Bush selected longtime loyalist Tony Garza to be ambassador to Mexico today, saying the native Texan has an "in-depth understanding" of the U.S.-Mexico relationship. Garza, 43, a second-generation American whose four grandparents were from Mexico, is currently one of three elected members of the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates the state's oil and natural gas production. "The U.S. and Mexico share not only a border, but a rich history of common economic and cultural interests. Tony Garza has an in-depth understanding of the relationship between the United States and...