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The Original Unsocial Media. Anonymous Letters to the Editor with Pictures. Published Daily by Noon Since 2002. No Saturday Edition
 [Memorial Day–Remember] As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day, pushing my cart of groceries towards my car, I saw an old man with the hood of his car up and a lady sitting inside the car, with the door open. The old man was looking at the engine. I put my groceries away in my car, and continued to watch the old gentleman from about twenty five feet away. I saw a young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm walking towards the old man. The old gentleman saw him coming too, and tooka few steps towards him. I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood and say something. The young man put his grocery bag into what looked like a brand new Cadillac Escalade. He then turned back to the old man. I heard him yell at the old gentleman saying, ‘You shouldn’t even be allowed to drive a car at your age.’ And then with a wave of his hand, he got in his car and peeled rubber out of the parking lot. I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief, and mop his brow as he went back to his car and again looked at the engine. He then went to his wife and spoke with her; he appeared to tell her it would be okay. I had seen enough, and I approached the old man. He saw me coming and stood straight, and as I got near him I said, ‘Looks like you’re He smiled sheepishly, and quietly nodded his head. I looked under the hood myself, and knew that whatever the problem was, it was beyond me. Looking around, I saw a gas station up the road, and I told the old man that I would be right back. I drove to the station and went I inside. I saw three attendants working on cars. I approached one of them, and related the problem the old man had with his car. I offered to pay them if they could follow me back down and help him. The old man had pushed the heavy car under the shade of a tree and appeared to be comforting his wife. When he saw us he straightened up and thanked me for my help. As the mechanics diagnosed the problem (overheated engine), I spoke with the old gentleman. When I shook hands with him earlier, he had noticed my Marine Corps ring and had commented about it, telling me that he had been a Marine too. I nodded and asked the usual question, ‘What outfit did you serve with?’ He said that he served with the first Marine Division at Guadalcanal Pelieliu, and Okinawa. He had hit three of the worst ones, and retired from the Corps after the war was over. As we talked we heard the car engine come on and saw the mechanics lower the hood. They came over to us as the old man reached for his wallet, but was stopped by me. I told him I would just put the bill on my AAA card. He still reached for the wallet and handed me a card that I assumed had his name and address on it, and I stuck it in my pocket. We all shook hands all around again, and I said my goodbye’s to his wife. I then told the two mechanics that I would follow them back up to the station. Once at the station, I told them that they had interrupted their own jobs to come along with me and help the old man. I said I wanted to pay for the help, but they refused to charge me. One of them pulled out a card from his pocket, looking exactly like the card the old man had given to me. Both of the men told me then that they were Marine Corps Reserves. Once again we shook hands all around and as I was leaving, one of them told me I should look at the card the old man had given to me. I said I would and drove off. For some reason I had gone about two blocks, when I pulled over and took the card out of my pocket and looked at it for a long, long time. The name of the old gentleman was on the card in gold leaf and under his name was written: ‘Congressional Medal of Honor Society.’ America is not at war. The U.S. Military is at war. America is at the Mall. Remember, freedom isn’t free. Thousands have paid the price, so that you can enjoy what you have today. If you don’t stand behind our troops, please feel free to stand in front of them! |
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| [“Trees and power lines are the problem not Canals”] Canals are a problem and Keys Energy already trims the trees near power lines. Call them if you see a problem. |
 [Gun Violence] With due respect to those who are asking me to comment on last night’s tragic mass shooting at UCSB in Isla Vista, CA — I no longer have anything to say about what is now part of normal American life. Everything I have to say about this, I said it 12 years ago: We are a people easily manipulated by fear which causes us to arm ourselves with a quarter billion guns in our homes that are often easily accessible to young people, burglars, the mentally ill and anyone who momentarily snaps. We are a nation founded in violence, grew our borders through violence, and allow men in power to use violence around the world to further our so-called American (corporate) “interests.” The gun, not the eagle, is our true national symbol. While other countries have more violent pasts (Germany, Japan), more guns per capita in their homes (Canada [mostly hunting guns]), and the kids in most other countries watch the same violent movies and play the same violent video games that our kids play, no one even comes close to killing as many of its own citizens on a daily basis as we do — and yet we don’t seem to want to ask ourselves this simple question: “Why us? What is it about US?” Nearly all of our mass shootings are by angry or disturbed white males. None of them are committed by the majority gender, women. Hmmm, why is that? Even when 90% of the American public calls for stronger gun laws, Congress refuses — and then we the people refuse to remove them from office. So the onus is on us, all of us. We won’t pass the necessary laws, but more importantly we won’t consider why this happens here all the time. When the NRA says, “Guns don’t kill people — people kill people,” they’ve got it half-right. Except I would amend it to this: “Guns don’t kill people — Americans kill people.” Enjoy the rest of your day, and rest assured this will all happen again very soon. ~This is from Michael Moore |
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| [War Report] The U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will cost taxpayers $4 trillion to $6 trillion, taking into account the medical care of wounded veterans and expensive repairs to a force depleted by more than a decade of fighting, according to a new study by a Harvard researcher. Washington increased military benefits in late 2001 as the nation went to war, seeking to quickly bolster its talent pool and expand its ranks. Those decisions and the protracted nation-building efforts launched in both countries will generate expenses for years to come, Linda J. Bilmes, a public policy professor, wrote in the report that was released Thursday.
“As a consequence of these wartime spending choices, the United States will face constraints in funding investments in personnel and diplomacy, research and development and new military initiatives,” the report says. “The legacy of decisions taken during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will dominate future federal budgets for decades to come.” |
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 [Opening plastic packaging] See the different ways to open those terrible packages. Link |
| [Floor Covering] I have a covered and screened wrap-around balcony (two sides) on my stilt house. The floor is concrete and due to some issues is very difficult to repaint properly. I’m thinking of having outdoor carpet installed over it, but am concerned about mold, as I’d like it to be glued down. The area rarely gets wet, but I haven’t owned it very long so don’t know how it’ll fare in a tropical storm. There’s not good drainage because the railing bottom holds the water in. Any thoughts or experience with this? |
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 2007 Yamaha TTR50. electric start, no clutch, foot shift. Less than 10 hrs. excellent condition. Two helmets and kids riding boots also. Steve Classified Ads > Auto |
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 Jewish aquarium at Greenfields Deli, Greenville SC. |
| [Gun Nuts] I wonder what the 2d Amendment ‘patriots’ have to say about this week’s mass murder in California. More guns? Please tell us again how guns make us safer? |
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| [“Cats vs Bunnies”] OK enough is enough, rabbits were here first. You cannot control your own animal? You do not deserve to have one. You failed to be a responsible pet owner. I will take care of it for you. You’re welcome. |
 Sandra Lee Schott was born in Cheverly, Maryland on August 14, 1962 and died on April 18, 2014 due to complications following a stroke. She graduated from DuVal High School in Lanham, Md. in 1980 and the University of Maryland in 1984. She lived in Key West for about 20 years. For more than 15 of those years, Sandy worked as a bartender at the Two Friends restaurant where she was much loved. Sandy’s final job was at the Schooner Wharf where she worked for more than three years. A memorial celebration will be held for Sandy from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday during happy hour at Two Friends. |
| [“Chicks at Winn-Dixie”] Hawks get most of the hatchlings. Those who make it often end up as Kung Pao Chicken. |
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| [“Lending boat to tourist”] Are they nuts? I’ve been boating here most of my life and even I ran aground recently. No way would I let a tourist even drive my boat with me in it! (I admit when I ran aground drugs and alcohol probably played a part.) |
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 [Carbonated Water] There are subtle differences between different kinds of carbonated water: seltzer water is simply water with carbonation added, club soda is water, carbonation, and salt, and tonic water is water, carbonation, sugar, and quinine (a bitter plant extract originally included in tonic water to protect British troops against malaria, now used in lesser quantity for flavor) |
| [“Eimers death”] If you watch the 6 o’clock news or the reality TV cop shows you must have noticed that the police always pile on and “work over” anyone who runs from them once they are caught. They are obviously sending out a message: to whom it may concern! |
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| [Jailed Marine in Mexico] Being a marine and a hero doesn’t exempt him from decency or obeying Mexico’s law. The guy’s a nut and a dangerous one at that. Let him rot in jail. What’s he doing running around in a foreign country with all those guns? Where does he think he is, in the US? |
 Found Canoe. Gulf side of Niles Channel. Call Pete 305 393 0540 and describe for a return. Classified Ads > Lost and Found |
| Thailand has had 12 military coups since 1932. Not what you’d call a stable government, but they do love their old King and Queen who’ve been there since the 1950s. |
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| [“Illegal Guns”] After reading about the Jarhead in the Mexican Jail and what he has done while there, I have to fault the Mexicans for not being sharp enough to rush him back up to the border and throwing back across for our VA to deal with. Why would they waste one more bean on him? Also, with his problems, why was he allowed to own deadly weapons in this Country? Sounds like another mass murder waiting to happen. |
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 [Dopes] This is just one police station in Ohio showing confiscated drugs awaiting disposal. Multiply that by all the police stations and you still only get a tiny fraction of drug demand in this country. |
| There was a time when a news organization kept politicians and public employees’ feet to the fire. This seems to be the case up to the 1990’s when news organizations became a PR firm for their favorite political party, special interest, etc.
After reading ‘The Citizen’ on Sunday it’s painfully obvious The Citizen is not what a newspaper was meant to be. After five months of piss-poor coverage of the murder of Charles Eimers The Citizen only covered what was exposed by the CBS News program. CBS did not tell the whole story, so neither did The Citizen. The Citizen can’t claim to be a serious news organization if they refuse to tell the whole story. I realize they have to be a champion of Key West, but they also have a responsibility to report the news. The whole story, not just part of the story (Remember when the endorsed Romney?). After all the bad publicity for Key West, The Citizen wastes time and print space trying to convince people Key West is still paradise. To do this they talked to a bunch of people to bolster Key West’s reputation. Who did they talk to? Former citizens of the USSR who all are employed or married to a US citizen. Of course they think Key West is a wonderful paradise. Look where they came from. Why didn’t they talk to average “Joe” American citizens who live here, who work here, who are unemployed here, who are homeless here? If they did, the results would be far different. Nice try Citizen. Not all of us are naive sheeple who drink the Kool-Aid. |
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| [Boating] I went boating yesterday forgetting it was Memorial Day weekend. It was one tourist after the next doing foolish things on the water and in channels. The corker was when I went to pull my boat out of the water and there was a tourist with his trailer backed into the water ready to load, but there was no boat! I mentioned that it was customary to have a boat at the ramp on a busy holiday weekend. He said there was no one around when he blocked the ramp. I said I guess he’s visiting for the weekend. In typical fashion he said he had a place here. BS. No local dresses in LL Bean and has white skin and shiny cheeks. |
 [Cuba] This beautiful park area is in Pinar del Rio in western Cuba. The painting on the limestone rock cliff is said to be pre-historic. Pinar del Rio is also home to thousands of acres of tobacco fields and gorgeous countryside. Close by this cliff there is a nightclub underground in a big cave. Very cool and the sound is excellent. |
| During WW2 the Nazis used Ukrainians to guard their extermination camps where they were trying to kill off all of the millions of Europe’s Jews. |
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| [Don’t Trust the White Eyes] A speech by Chief Seattle of the Dwamish Tribe in 1854. Link |
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 [Memorial Day–Remember] Dover Air Force Base is where the bodies of fallen soldiers are prepared for burial. And that includes being properly dressed, all the way down to the smallest detail. There is a very specific process once a fallen soldier is returned home. The bodies are flown back to the U.S. on a cargo jet. A team of service members wearing white gloves carries the coffins, covered with flags, to a white van that takes them to the Armed Forces Medical Examiner. The remains are washed, the hands are scrubbed clean, and the hair is shampooed. If necessary bones are wired together and damaged tissue is reconstructed with flesh-toned wax. Sometimes they will use photos, sometimes just intuition to recreate the wrinkles in faces, and the lines around the mouth or the corner of the eyes.
Once the body is ready then the uniform is prepared. That includes putting medals in the proper order on the ribbon rack above the jacket breast pocket. During the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan 10 to 20 bodies were arriving every day. The embalmers often worked all night to get the bodies home on time. That can take an emotional toll so the mortuary has a large gym so workers can blow off steam. Many say they are haunted by how young the fallen soldiers are, and by how many of them leave behind small children. They are advised not to do research into the backgrounds of the soldiers. ‘If I knew the story of every individual who went through here, I would probably be in a padded cell.’ The dress uniform is prepared in the case of a closed casket. Even so, it will be perfectly tailored, starched and pressed. Everything will be checked down to the last detail. Sgt. Deynes says, “They (the family) are not going to see it. I do it for myself. It is more than an honor. It is a blessing to dress that soldier for the last time.” |
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| [“Lending boat to tourist”] So you are visiting down here and you want me to lend you my boat? Let’s say I did, I wonder how far you would get? There’s water everywhere around here, what could go wrong you ask? Need I say more? |
 [“Permit needed for a fence”] You bet your sweet bippy you need a permit. You’re in Monroe County and need a permit to do virtually anything except perhaps cutting your grass. And only then because the County hasn’t gotten around to charging for that yet. This photo is from an actual building site. |
| Colin Powell‘s stand on WMD in no way effected his Army career. He was retired as a 4 star general & Secretary Of State. You feel sorry for General Powell. Colin Luther Powell born April 5, 1937 is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under U.S. President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005, the first African American to serve in that position. During his military career, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (1987–1989), as Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command (1989) and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993), holding the latter position during the Persian Gulf War. He was the first, and so far the only, African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was the first of two consecutive African American office-holders to hold the key Administration position of U.S. Secretary of State. |
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| [“Cats used to get along fine with rabbits”] They also get along fine with raccoons and other wildlife. Dogs, rats and rabbits sometimes eat their own babies. I guess they cant tell the difference? This was not the topic of the conversation anyway. |
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 I found a chicken nest under the poisonwood tree near Winn-Dixie’s Wilder Rd parking spaces. Crushing the eggs was a no-brainer. I nipped that problem in the bud. Chickens simply don’t belong running wild. Same for domestic cats, but I digress…. I recently grabbed a shopping cart from the parking lot & while pushing it toward the door, I noticed that the handle was covered with chicken crap/salmonella/who knows what else other germs. |
| [Danny Coll] If I am able to vote for him, I certainly will. |
| My baby sitter sexually abused me. I made her stop when I turned 46. |
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| [“Eimers death”] So sad about the Key West killing & cover-up of their Charles Eimers case. Thank god for the Blue Paper (& the bystander’s video) holding their feet to the fire. Shameful police behavior. |
 Lost Machete. With leather sheath in a blue recycle box fell out of pickup truck between Big Pine And Key West. Reward. Classified Ads > Lost and Found |
| [Dubious Celebrity] Between Monica and Kimey, woman should have learned by now, what it takes to be infamous and rich too! |
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| Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. |
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| Admiral McRaven: 10 Lessons to Help Change the World. You may watch the video of this fabulous commencement speech delivered a few days ago. Video |
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| National politics is back. Click on this link to send your national political post anonymously. No one will know your name or email address, [Well, maybe the NSA will] not even me. FTR is going to be the new national politics editor. Do not fear, FTR promised to post everything, even if he hates it, he’s that kind of guy. Your name and email address are not required. Please be civil. I Have Something To Say About National Politics–Click Here |
| I may have finally figured out how to watch Fox News. If you want to know the real story and what is righteous, just reverse whatever they say. |
| The post in Sundays Telegraph about sea level rise is a complete fabrication. It is an impossibility for the sea level to have risen in one part of the gulf Of Mexico and not in another. Spreading “Total Crap” to the gullible is what the fear mongers do best. As a mater of fact if the sea level rises in any connected body or water it by the laws of nature would have the exact same average rise in all other connected bodies. |
| I’ve just about had it with Fox news. All networks showed a film clip of the President’s surprise trip to visit the soldiers in Afghanistan–all but Fox news. They just had a reporter talk about it standing outside the White House. It’s all too obvious that they will not show anything that makes the President look good and that’s part of why our nation is sick. This is what happens when we let the wealthy take over our media. We get their opinions and prejudices. Biased news sucks. Fox and MSNBC both need enemas. |
| Before you Commie’s mouth off about The Tea Party, learn something if you have the brains and can read. Link |
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 Please, while you savor the Memorial Day Holiday, take the time to reflect on the real purpose of the Holiday. Please reflect on all the American service people who have sacrificed so very much so that we can continue to be free. Please think about the families and loved ones of those service people who have so deeply suffered loss. And please take the time to remember that we are still a free nation and that we must continue to be vigilant and resolute so that freedom does not slip away from us. We owe that to those who have paid such a grievous price for our freedom.
Part 2) There are many who wonder why Mr. Obama does what he does. Why does he put forward so many policies and make so many decisions that are contrary to America’s core principles? Why does he have so little respect for the truth and for those under his governance? Early on in Mr. Obama’s youth he was mentored by proud communists. As a beginning politician he embraced the friendship and support of anti-American terrorists who participated in terrorist bombings and murder. Obama’s entry in to the world of politics began in the home of those terrorists. For more than 2 decades, Obama’s pastor and spiritual advisor, was an anti-American racist. Obama has declared that our Constitution is a flawed document, He has labeled it as being nothing more than a litany of restrictions on the power of government. He finds that repugnant. Obama’s stated goal is and has been to “fundamentally change” our great nation. On that point he was not lying. Now we’ve just seen the latest manifestation of Obama’s disdain for our Constitution. The other day in a very private meeting of wealthy donors in Chicago, Obama bemoaned that the very structure of our government is deeply flawed. He criticized that each state has but two Senators. He said: “Obviously, the nature of the Senate means that California has the same number of Senate seats as Wyoming. That puts us at a disadvantage.” It goes without saying that his words intimate that he would seek change in the structure of our government. Perhaps he would eliminate the Senate if he had the power to so do. We all know that each state has two Senators, and that the number of Congresspersons from each state is determined by the population of the state. That decision was taken in 1787 by our founders so as to protect the rights of smaller states and to ensure that large states are unable to dictate national policy. Obama does not like that at all. Obama blamed “demographics” for the inability of the Democratic Party to gain more power in Congress, saying Democrats “tend to congregate a little more densely” in cities such as New York and Chicago. He complained bitterly that his powers have been limited by the Senate. We heard no such complaint when the Democrats had total control of Congress from 2007 to 2011. For far too many Democrat politicos, politics is not about public service, it is about power. A fundamental precept of Democrat thought is that a very powerful, very controlling government, is in the national interest. But in reality it is not the national interests that are served, it is the power of the Democrat party and its leadership. Republicans believe that the principles of our party should be based upon the precepts laid down by the founders of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. •Limitations on the powers of government •Emphasis on individual freedom and rights •Equality under the law for all persons •Separation of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches
Republicans also believe that Free Enterprise and the encouragement of individual initiative and incentive have given the United States an economic system unparalleled in history. Republicans further believe that Americans should value and preserve their feelings of national strength and pride and, at the same time, share with people everywhere a desire for peace and freedom and the extension of human rights throughout the world. We believe in American exceptionalism. Personally, I am a Republican because: I believe that the strength of our nation lies with the individual and that each person’s dignity, freedom, ability and responsibility must be honored. I believe in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age or disability. I believe free enterprise and encouraging individual initiative have brought this nation opportunity, economic growth and prosperity. I believe that government must practice fiscal responsibility and that taxation, while a necessity, must be minimized. I believe the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations, and that the best government is that which governs least. I believe most effective, responsible and responsive government is government closest to the people. I believe Americans must retain the principles that have made us strong while developing new innovative ideas to meet the challenges of changing times. I believe Americans value must preserve our national strength and pride while working to extend peace, freedom and human rights throughout the world. Mr. Obama and far too many Democrats have a fundamentally different view. You and yours will not recognize nor like the America that they are attempting to create. Finally, I believe that the Republican Party is the best vehicle for translating these ideals into positive and successful government. ========================== THE OTHER DAY A POSTER WROTE: “”I usually don’t study the candidates very well, so I use FTR’s judgement (sic) to help me decide. If FTR is against someone than I know that person is best for the country so I vote for him”. YESTERDAY ANOTHER POSTER RESPONDED: “Wow…The person who posted this scares the hell out of me. This is the type of lazy, non thinking voter (admits to not doing research) that put us in the spot this country is in. Voting against someone just because you can’t think for yourself and don’t agree with someone else just makes you a spiteful, petty person. FTR’S RESPONSE: Deer Friend, you are spot on. Thanks for taking the time. ======================== A POSTER WROTE: “To the poster who complains that the president is not doing enough to get the return of the Marine that was arrested in Mexico for illegal possession of several handguns and loaded clips for those guns. Since when did it become the business for the president to come to the rescue of some bone head who committed a crime in a foreign country? Secondly why would you want someone this dumb back in the military? Really! His explanation about just driving around in the desert and getting lost rings about as true as someone being caught with drugs in their car and claiming that the drugs did not belong to them. I think that this guy was going to make a lot of money be selling these weapons, probably to a local law abiding citizen who just happened to also be out in the desert.” FTR’S RESPONSE: It is hard to believe that anyone could be as uninformed as the poster. The media reports, from all corners, concur that the Marine got caught up in traffic at a border crossing. He had gotten into the wrong lane of traffic at the San Ysdro border crossing and was forced by traffic to cross the border. When he realized the situation, he stopped and called 911. As soon as the Mexican authorities approached him, he immediately told them that he had not intended to come into Mexico and that he had legal firearms in his vehicles. The Mexican border officers were in process of contacting US authorities and returning the Marine to the USA when the Mexican army showed up and it turned into a furball. The silly poster doesn’t know the facts. The Marine legally had a .45 pistol, a .223 rifle, and a shot gun. By the way, none of those guns have “clips”, they have magazines. The Marine Sergeant is a hero, who saved 3 of his comrades in combat by driving off insurgents with machine gun fire. My best guess is that the poster is simply trolling to create hate and discontent, ignore it. And yes, Obama and/or Kerry are flaming hemorrhagic rectums for not intervening. As for the poster? Well … |
| National Politics. Your name and email address are not required. Please be civil. I Have Something To Say About National Politics–Click Here |
Republicans believe that good government is based upon the individual and that each person’s ability, dignity, freedom and responsibility must be honored and recognized.