Free Republic

In San Francisco last week, Senator Barack Obama, Democrat candidate for President, made a certain statement about people who live in small towns in Pennsylvania. He is about to undergo a primary in that state against Senator Hillary Clinton, the other remaining Democrat candidate for President. Why should a comment made by a candidate in San Francisco about people who live in Pennsylvania be of the slightest interest to the people who live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina? Simple. Almost half of the people here, in the 11th Congressional District of North Carolina, also live in...

I know that perhaps a vanity is frowned upon so I'll keep it as short as possible. Tonight Vancleave High School in MS hosts its first play off game ever. My office is next to the high school so I went outside to participate in the pep rally.

RAMPANT lovers have helped High Wycombe's Asda supermarket come fourth best in condom sales out of 280 stores nationwide. The branch, in Holmers Farm Way, shifts around 700 packets of six every week, which is the equivalent of more than 250,000 single condoms every year. An Asda spokesman said: "When it comes to condom capitals, High Wycombe is in the top five best selling stores in the whole of the UK." The food retailer's sales analysis computer Retail Link, which is capable of tracking sales of individual items by store every 15 minutes, revealed its Bridge of Dee store, in...

Round two of a familiar debate is brewing in Littlefield over alcohol sales. Citizens will battle it out at a November 8th election. The controversy is whether or not to allow packaged liquor sales in the city. Littielfield residents are no stranger to this issue, you'll recall a similar election failed by only 27 votes last September. Now that another election is set opinions from both sides are circulating. Proponents say it comes down to driving and money. You may only see poker chips and decks of cards at Chad Wright's poker hall, but look closer and you could see...

Being mayor isn't all about running the city council meetings and listening as residents praise or pillory what the city government does. There's a whole lot more to the jobs 14 men and two women are running for in seven Southeast Texas cities. "It's a lot of hard work and a lot of time away from your family for what some people would consider very little in return," Silsbee Mayor Regina Lindsey said in a phone interview. Being mayor means that along with her duties inside City Hall, Lindsey -- who is paid $25 per meeting -- also attends an...

In today’s Reads, Kerry doesn’t know rural America, and it shows in his policies. Plus, why people on either side of the marriage debate can’t trust Kerry to take a consistent position. Morning Reads: Kerry Ignores Small Town America When it comes to the issues that matter to small town and rural America, John Kerry is trying hard... to lose the training wheels. A number of recent stumbles demonstrate that Kerry's recent discovery of rural America is far from complete -- and while the Senator from Massachusetts may dismiss rural communities as flyover country as he jets from campaign stop...

The Suicide Of Marlboro Man The Price Of Freedom Is Slavery. Sort Of. A Little Anyway The other days I was reading G. Gordon Liddy's book of conservative nostalgia, When I Was a Kid, This Was a Free Country. He paints a sunset picture of former times when America was free, farmers could fill in swamps without violating wetland laws, and guns were just guns. People were independent and had character, and made their own economic decisions. The market ruled as it ought, and governmental intrusion was minimal. The picture is accurate. I lived it. I wish it would come...

My Side of the Story Are You Ready for the Country? The allure of the country is the rural setting and the beauty of a natural life among back roads and country stores. Small towns, small schools, and a country store where the clerk actually knows your name. Yes, it's a drive to go to the grocery store and a drive to bring the kids to a movie, but your living in a quaint, country town away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Along with the country lifestyle come some concessions, like not knowing when your quaint little...