Free Republic

Mzzz. Curatolo at work"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." That’s exactly how the first amendment to the constitution reads regarding the practice of religion in America. Would someone please tell me how a school board invocation before commencing business is congress making a law respecting the establishment of religion? Nobody can, because congress isn’t making any law establishing religion when such happens. The Naples School board has been saying a prayer before their board meeting for some 50 years. Board member and Northeastern liberal Kathleen Curatolo (who ran as a...

Simple as it is unscientific. For some reason this is an important issue to me. For me it's more an issue of Christian hegemony than terror. "Should we take out the Syrian Baathist dictatorship?"

COLLIER COUNTY, December 3, 2003— Bears are looking for food and they could be finding it in your back yard. About 20 bears a week are spotted turning trash cans into take out meals, stocking up for the winter. But if you get in the bear’s way, it might attack. Brandon Wojciechowski almost lost his dog Sparkle a month ago. “He got 70 stitches or something crazy like that,” said Wojciechowski. Sparkle was attacked by a black bear. “He was trying to protect our house and kind of wound up on the losing end,” said Wojciechowski. Sparkles survived after Wojciechowski...

Two men and two juveniles — accused of killing and robbing an Immokalee man of $1.10 — were indicted on first-degree murder and armed robbery charges Thursday by a Collier County grand jury. Miguel Mundo, no age available, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head Oct. 3 in a wooded area north of the Tex Mex convenience store on Lake Trafford Road. He was robbed of a dollar and a dime, and the money was used to buy ice cream, Collier County deputies said. An anonymous tip led to the arrest of three suspects about a week...

****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**** Dateline: Monday, October 20, 2003 Contact: John Grasmeier: 239-304-7535 digimake@earthlink.net Les Humble headlines SOUNDOFF’s first live Internet chat NAPLES, Florida Les Humble will be the special guest for a first-of-it’s kind local, live, real-time Internet chat. Les is willing to take questions and discuss issues including Lee Public School TV situation. The chat will take place Tuesday, October 21 at 6:30 PM. To get to the chat room go to http://www.floridasoundoff.com and hit the “CHAT ROOM” link on the left navigation bar. You do not have to be a member of the SOUNDOFF forum to participate, although...

LEE COUNTY, October 10, 2003 - Marijuana is often thought of as a relatively harmless, recreational drug and the debate over its medical value rages on. But there's new evidence that it’s more harmful than many people think. A recent report shows a dramatic increase in the number of marijuana-related emergency room visits nationwide. The same is true in Southwest Florida. The Transitional Living Center in Fort Myers is near the end of a long road of recovery. "The road had a lot of bumps in it,” said Marci, a recovering addict. Marci knows the road well. She didn't want...

Anyone believing that the state process of eminent domain is fair for citizens has not gone through it. It is a traumatic and trying experience and one which is calculated to force average citizens to accept what is offered by the state to avoid going through their eminent domain proceedings. Below are listed some of the experiences you will encounter on the way if you choose to fight the state and proceed to an eminent domain hearing. On October 2, 2003 we must move from our home and property at 6230 Golden Gate Parkway Naples Florida by court ordered dictate...

***** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***** Dateline: Wednesday, September 03, 2003Subject: “Take Back Your Community” kicks off with rally at commissioners meeting.From: The Citizens Action Team (cataction.com) 304-7535 The “Take Back Our Community” movement begins Tuesday Sept. 9th with freedom drive and kickoff rally at Collier government complex. NAPLES, FLORIDA - In a show of unity, a coalition of high profile citizen groups will be conducting a “freedom drive”, originating from 2 Collier staging locations and culminating with a rally at the Government complex to coincide with the scheduled Collier Commission meeting. The purpose of the rally and freedom drive is...

WASHINGTON — Land rights advocates (search) are scratching their heads as to why the White House has asked the Supreme Court not to hear two cases challenging seven controversial national monuments named by President Clinton in the waning days of his administration. During his race for president in 2000, then-Gov. George W. Bush campaigned against the monuments, giving hope to many western landowners who found their private property subject to strict federal protections. Three years later, the monuments remain, encompassing millions of acres of land in places like Montana, Oregon, Nevada and Idaho, where the government already owns huge chunks...

Southwest Florida residents who used to air their grievances against local government on the radio airwaves have moved their forum to the Internet. Local talk radio used to be the forum of choice, but former listeners and some civic activists say Web sites provide a more democratic forum to express their frustrations and exchange ideas. Two Web sites launched this summer with the intent to provide local residents that forum with even greater anonymity than radio. SpeakOutSWFLA.com launched three weeks ago. (The Web address was incorrect in a story in Saturday’s paper.) FloridaSOUNDOFF.com launched in June. The online forums have...