Free Republic

Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions. That you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones. That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed. --Michelle Obama Read all about your new jobs.

Election '08: Democrats' reintroduction of militant Michelle Obama in Denver was supposed to show her softer side. But it only highlighted a radical part of her resume: Public Allies.Barack Obama was a founding member of the board of Public Allies in 1992, resigning before his wife became executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies in 1993. Obama plans to use the nonprofit group, which he features on his campaign Web site, as the model for a national service corps. He calls his Orwellian program, "Universal Voluntary Public Service." Big Brother had nothing on the Obamas. They plan to...

Not WRIGHT for America just announced an "ongoing public service campaign to warn people about the dangers of an Obama presidency." Their classic bumper sticker is free at www.notwrightforamerica.com. It will look great on your car! We have to tell people about Obama and his radicalism, and part of that is reminding people about Reverend Wrong. This is one small way.

Could Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards actually be right about something? Not where to go to get a haircut, mind you, I mean about there being two Americas. There is the vibrant America . . . and the stagnant one. There is the America of ever-increasing wealth, innovation, creativity, of a dynamic economy, new jobs, new products and services. Choices galore. Information overload. The abundant work product of freedom. And there is the politician's America: The regulated America, the subsidized America, the earmarked America. The failing America. In one America it is what you produce that gets you ahead. In...

First the good news: “The federal workforce is graying at a very fast rate—nearly half will be eligible to retire in five years, and there is not sufficient interest or knowledge from top talent,” according to Max Stier, president and chief executive of the Partnership for Public Service. Now the bad news: Stier is trying to do something about it. “Stier said the Partnership for Public Service is working with government agencies to improve their hiring process, and conducting marketing research at nearly 600 schools to figure out ways to persuade graduates to work for the government,” according to an...

No, this is not a list of engineer jokes. It is the story of my participation in the writing of a new stormwater manual to meet the Phase II Clean Water Act requirements. It is more like the “no good deed goes unpunished” story. The Clean Water Act was passed in the late 1960’s, originally to stop cities from dumping raw sewage into the nearest stream. It has been tightened several times since then and has made a significant improvement in water quality and safety. About 10 years ago, it was expanded to include stormwater runoff. The deadline for us...

Collin County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Skywarn Spotters were on the job last night when storms went through the Northern cities of Anna and Westminster that produced two tornadoes. At 8:30pm last evening the National Weather Service in Fort Worth alerted our appointed severe weather Assistant Emergency Coordinator (AEC)Ted Best, KD5JEO, of the severe weather potential for Collin County and asked that we activate our spotters. David Patrick, W7DAV, did a outstanding job as our Net Control Station (NCS) for this particular spotter activation. As is usually the case, a separate frequency was used to provide support from our...

Desi Making Waves By Roopika Risam Aneesh Chopra: The Power of Three in Public Service At age 33, Aneesh Chopra is the Secretary of Technology in the Commonwealth of Virginia cabinet, under Governor Tim Kaine. Prior to his appointment, Chopra served as managing director of the Advisory Board Company. He sat down with ABCDlady to talk about government, networking and the power of three. You are currently secretary of technology for Virginia governor Tim Kaine. Previously, you were managing director of the Advisory Board Company, which provides research and analysis in business strategy and management for the health care...

It was the fourth night after Hurricane Katrina, and something like a thousand patients, doctors and staff were trapped at Medical Center Louisiana in downtown New Orleans, surrounded by floodwaters. Outside, reports were grim. People were drowning in their attics. Inside the hospital, there was no running water, no power, no phones and no Internet. Cell phones didn’t work. Each day the authorities said evacuations were about to begin, but nothing happened. The staff thought they’d seen everything the disaster could bring. Then, in the middle of the night, a pregnant woman dragged herself out of the foul, dark water...

Ham Radio Operators "True Heroes," Rep Mike Ross, WD5DVR, Says in "Salute" NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 9, 2006--US Rep Mike Ross, WD5DVR (D-AR), this week offered "A Salute to Ham Radio Operators" (on the floor of the US House. Ross, one of two Amateur Radio licensees in the House of Representatives (the other is Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI, R-OR), addressed his colleagues February 8 to recognize the contributions of the Amateur Radio community in the wake of last year's devastating hurricane season. "Citizens throughout America dedicated to this hobby--a hobby that some people consider old fashioned or obsolete--were true heroes in...

PAHRUMP -- She has yet to apply for a brothel license, but former "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss has moved to Nye County and revealed the identity of the first man picked to work at her Stud Farm for women in nearby Crystal.

I am offering this because I think it is a wonderful suggestion considering the problems we face in the world today. This idea evidently originated in England recently. I received it from a friend of mine in Canada. I hope this can remain in the sidebar list for a while until many have had the chance to see it and, hopefully, put it into practice. We don't often stop to think how hard it is for emergency workers to find a way to contact people on behalf of injured persons when treating them for emergencies. Almost everyone carries a cell...

The New Post 9/11 Graduates -- Standing up for Patriotism By Kevin Fobbs June 1, 2005 Memorial Day has several different meanings for Americans. For some, we were spending a weekend reflecting, reminiscing and reminding ourselves about the sacrifices our family members, neighbors, and fellow Americans made as soldiers for our nation. At the same time, many of us were also focusing our attention on our children, nieces, nephews and for many, our grandchildren who are preparing themselves to take the final walk across their high school or college graduation stage. One of the questions these new graduates have to...

Amateur radio operators will take part in a scavenger hunt this weekend, seeking information rather than hub caps or cowboy hats, in an exercise designed to get them acquainted with Southeastern Connecticut before a major emergency drill next month. Wayne Gronlund, who is coordinating the event, said he is trying to put together at least 50 amateur radio enthusiasts for TOPFF, a weeklong exercise that will include simulated terrorist attacks on ports in New London, New Jersey, Canada and the United Kingdom. “We know we're not going to have enough amateur radio resources in New London County to provide all...

The Governor's state-of-the-state address caused quite a stir. Most Republicans were happy, most Democrats were angry, and the media -- whose impossible job for four years was to make Gray Davis look interesting -- loved it. From their perspective, Arnold has issued a declaration of war and, if nothing else, war is interesting. For California taxpayers, the substance of Schwarzenegger's speech was "A-plus" material. Sure, the reiteration of his "no tax" pledge was the centerpiece, but this time we saw something new. The entire theme of his address was that now is the time to stop ignoring the structural problems...

Salaries of public employees - including police officers - must be disclosed "so that citizens can effectively monitor the activities of the government," a judge ruled Monday. In a case the Contra Costa Times brought against Oakland after the city claimed the data was private, Alameda Superior Court Judge Steven A. Brick ordered the city to release records of all salaries in excess of $100,000, as the newspaper requested. An appeal appears likely. Brick wrote in a 13-page decision posted on the court's Web site late Monday that the employees do not enjoy a reasonable expectation of privacy about their...

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams were ready and waiting as Hurricane Ivan devastated entire sections of the US Gulf Coast early September 16. Packing 115 MPH winds as it made landfall, Ivan zeroed in on the Mobile Bay area of Alabama, but because of its huge girth, the storm wrought widespread death and destruction in the Florida Panhandle and also affected Mississippi. Below-sea-level New Orleans was spared major flooding, however. Alabama Section Emergency Coordinator Jay Isbell, KA4KUN, said ham radio has been helping relief agencies, especially in the hard-hit southernmost counties. "Right now the adrenaline's still up," he said...

Mission Statement: To discretely provide US troops shipping out overseas with the most sensually pleasing departure possible. OTOFTC Article by John Truman (published here by permission of the author) Kelly McDonough types furiously on the keyboard at the cluttered desk in her house that serves as her unofficial command post. McDonough, a 5'4" brunette, looks far younger than her 26 years; asked to describe herself she unabashedly says, "farm girl, which is what I am". She waves apologetically and says, "Sorry, I'll be with you in a minute". Amid various calendars and dry erase boards a hand painted sign hangs...

NEW YORK - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) said Wednesday he would pay for his plan to give a free college education to young students who agree to public service by ending a $13 billion "windfall" that banks earn for making government-backed student loans. Kerry contended that as many as 500,000 young men and women would be lured into public service by his plan, which he said would reinvigorate the nation's commitment to such service. He announced his plan at a roundtable in New York City, saying he was stepping forward with proposals to finance his...