Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Tuesday, Dec. 25. Christmas Day has been very dull, and everybody seems to be gloomy. Very many gentlemen have gone home to spend the holidays. The investigation has been pursued in the matter of the frauds at the Department of the Interior to-day. Nothing beyond the amount first mentioned has yet been discovered. A rumor has been current for the past three days of frauds in the Treasury Department, but it is without foundation, so far as I can learn. No investigation has been instituted, as stated, in that Department. RUSSELL has gone to jail for want of bonds;...

Camelot and King Arthur's Court, Knights of the Round Table, Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, and the search for the Holy Grail ... (The Holy Grail was Jesus' cup at the Last Supper.) Our imaginations soar with history and legend immortalized in "Idylls of the King," written 1859-85 by poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. Alfred Lord Tennyson embellished the medieval legend of the Lady of the Lake who gave the sword Excalibur to the courageous young King Arthur. Scenes of this were portrayed in Disney's 1963 animated musical fantasy movie, The Sword in the Stone. Born AUGUST 6, 1809, Alfred Lord...

On this day in 1867, the U.S. formally takes possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million, or less than two cents an acre. The Alaska purchase comprised 586,412 square miles, about twice the size of Texas, and was championed by William Henry Seward, the enthusiasticly expansionist secretary of state under President Andrew Johnson. Negotiations between Seward (1801-1872) and the Russian minister to the U.S., Eduard de Stoeckl, began in March 1867. However, the American public believed the land to be barren and worthless and dubbed the purchase “Seward’s Folly” and “Andrew Johnson’s Polar Bear Garden,”...

A mountain goat that entered Resurrection Bay in Seward and drowned Saturday was crowded into the water by people following it through the downtown area, troopers said... "It is imperative that wildlife is given adequate space to be able to leave a congested area like downtown Seward," troopers wrote. "(P)eople not giving the animal space and getting close to take photos resulted in a wild animal dying for no cause."

Third Debate with Stephen A. Douglas at Jonesboro, Illinois September 15, 1858 MR. DOUGLAS' SPEECH. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: I appear before you today in pursuance of a previous notice, and have made arrangements with Mr. Lincoln to divide time, and discuss with him the leading political topics that now agitate the country. Prior to 1854 this country was divided into two great political parties known as Whig and Democratic. These parties differed from each other on certain questions which were then deemed to be important to the best interests of the Republic. Whig and Democrats differed about a bank, the...

As the season of presidential politics 2012 unfolds, I’m struck by similarities between today and the tumultuous period in our history that led up to the election of Abraham Lincoln and then on to the Civil War. So much so that I’m finding it a little eerie that this year we are observing the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil War. No, I am certainly not predicting, God forbid, that today’s divisions and tensions will lead to brother taking up arms against brother. But profound differences divide us today, as was the case in the 1850′s. The difference...

The morning after three men were shot and killed at a south Minneapolis market, Police Chief Tim Dolan said that he had been briefed on what in-store video shows and that the images of what happened are "very clear." Dolan also backed away from earlier police assertions that the shooting appeared to be a robbery attempt, but would not elaborate on any other motive. "I'm not at this point ruling [a robbery attempt] out, but I'm not saying that we are comfortable saying that at all," Dolan said at a news conference. "We have a suspected motive that we're not...

Gov. Sarah Palin recently visited Auburn, New York, to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alaska statehood. That city's Founders Day event honored William Seward who played an important role in the purchase of Alaska while he served as secretary of state. During her visit she visited different historical and not so historical sites and met the residents of Auburn: (h/t to Conservative 4 Palin) Bistro One got a very last-minute reservation request Thursday. But this was one they wanted to make room for. Former vice-presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin participated in a breakfast event Friday morning at...

More than 20,000 people turned out to see Palin lead a parade through downtown Auburn and sign a proclamation honoring Seward, the 19th-century Secretary of State who negotiated the $7.2 million deal with Russia for Alaska, which is celebrating its 50th year of statehood.

On the surface, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's visits to Auburn and Long Island this weekend are nonpolitical. She'll participate in Auburn's first Founders Day celebration on Saturday. The event is tied to the 50th anniversary of Alaskan statehood. The following day, she'll be on Long Island to raise money for Independent Group Home Living, an agency for the developmentally disabled. But after exploding on the national political scene last summer as John McCain's vice presidential running mate on the Republican ticket, Palin is also one of the party's leading figures, and any trip has political implications. "The next campaign begins...

Auburn, NY - So how did Auburn, a small Upstate New York city of about 28,000 people manage to land Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, one of the biggest names in American politics, to participate in a fledgling civic celebration that wasn't even a concept six months ago?

SEWARD -- The biggest winner in the Armed Services Combat Fishing Tournament staged out of this Alaska port on Thursday was Master Sgt. Brent Johnson from Elmendorf Air Base, but there were no losers.

Gov. Sarah Palin is coming to Auburn June 6. The Alaskan governor and former Republican vice presidential candidate will travel to Auburn for what the city organizers call Founders Day, which this year will celebrate 50 years of Alaskan statehood. Auburn's Meghan Stapleton, Palin's former press secretary who continues to work for her as a spokesman in nongovernment matters, confirmed the visit with Auburn officials in recent days. Alaska and Auburn are linked through William H. Seward, who lived much of his adult life in Auburn and was secretary of state under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. Seward negotiated...

Alaska and Palin are connected to Auburn in more ways than meet the eye. For starters, there is Auburn's William H. Seward, without whom there likely would be no state of Alaska.

http://members.aol.com/RVSNorton/Lincoln45.html A timeline of the Great Emancipator's last day on Earth.

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...