Free Republic

The scheduled July 11 trial date is off for the five Democratic political workers, including the sons of two prominent Milwaukee politicians, who are accused of slashing the tires of Republican Party-rented vehicles before polls opened Nov. 2. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jean W. DiMotto granted a motion Tuesday by defense attorney Robin Shellow, who is representing the son of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee), to put the trial off because of an illness in Shellow's family. Shellow's mother, attorney Gilda Shellow, fell seriously ill on vacation in France last week and has remained there with her husband, fellow attorney...

Two arrest warrants were issued Wednesday alleging election fraud by two voter-registration workers employed last year to sign up new voters. According to warrants filed by the Milwaukee County district attorney's office, Urelene Lilly, 48, and Marcus L. Lewis, 23, both admitted to authorities that they filled out multiple voter-registration cards using fictitious information to earn money from Project Vote, which paid workers such as them $40 per day plus $1.75 for each registration above the daily quota of 24 new voters.... Lilly and Lewis were charged with five felonies each: three counts of forgery, one count of election fraud...

On the eve of Thursday's hearing in Madison on a proposed voter ID requirement, the Milwaukee branch of the NAACP moved Wednesday to shift the spotlight from Milwaukee to highlighting election problems in several suburbs. The group said its review of election data in those communities had found irregularities similar to those that have been reported in Milwaukee, such as more votes cast than voters on record in various wards. Clerks in several of the communities acknowledged errors Wednesday. In general, though, the problems are of a different nature and much smaller scope than those the Journal Sentinel has found...

Amid new questions about the Nov. 2 election in Milwaukee, a task force appointed by Mayor Tom Barrett to review problems and procedures will launch its efforts today. Members will dig into an election that featured heavy turnout, huge demand for early voting, a GOP challenge to thousands of addresses and, based on a Journal Sentinel review of election-day "incident logs," a general frenzy of activity across the city.... The 84,000 estimate (of same-day registrants) was reported to the state, where officials say accurate numbers - not estimates - are supposed to be submitted. In any case, city officials have...

In the wake of Milwaukee's inability to send confirmation cards to some 10,000 newly registered voters, a Journal Sentinel review suggests that a little-discussed - but key - safeguard in election law is not routinely followed. The provision requires that any confirmation cards that the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver be sent to the local district attorney's office for investigation for possible fraud. District attorneys from around the state said Wednesday, however, that they receive few such referrals - and some did not know it was a requirement. And some cities, including Racine, don't send out confirmation cards at all....

State Rep. Robin Vos accused the city of Racine on Wednesday of violating state law by failing to send out voter verification cards to people who registered to vote on the same day as the Nov. 2 election. "Racine County residents deserve fair and proper elections," Vos, R-Caledonia, said. "I'm disappointed to see that the city of Racine isn't doing everything possible to ensure this happens, especially when Wisconsin law requires it." Racine City Clerk Carolyn Moskonas, who was recently appointed to the position, confirmed Wednesday that the city doesn't send out postcards to same-day voter registrants. She added that...

Lisa Artison, executive director of the city Election Commission, said the number of cards that could not be sent out this time was comparable to the number after the 2000 presidential election.... "The Election Commission is not in the business of perpetuating fraud," Artison said, in her first comments since the issue surfaced Friday. "We are all about conducting elections within the purview of the law. Period.".... If the 84,000 estimate of election-day registrants is accurate, 13% of the cards could not be processed. The 84,000 number, about 30% of the 277,535 people who voted in the November election, includes...

<p>10,000 people, despite filling out illegible registration cards, were given ballots.</p> <p>The other 74,000 registrations have yet to be verified through mailing a confirmation to the address listed.</p>

They're testing in Daytona, and Yahoo has opened the doors to the home of the Free Republic Fantasy League. As the 2004 champ (by a fender over WestCoastGal's JuniorsDreamTeam), one of my duties is to get the tires rolling, so I have. You'll need a Yahoo ID (because they run it), then head here and sign up. The league ID is 1468, and the password is freepers.

3 explosions were heard in Baghdad, and the Baghdad Sheraton is on fire. CNN showed some tracer fire flying past their hotel window.

This thread is dedicated to the memory of those who have sacrificed all in the fight against Global Terrorism. God bless the families of those who have fallen and those who continue in the fight to preserve Liberty and FReedom for all and God bless America.SUPPORT OUR TROOPS NEVER FORGET! NASCAR is serving up a triple-header of racing from all three national divisions at Dover International Speedway: The Craftman Truck Series runs the MBNA America 200 on Friday at 4 Eastern on Speed The Busch Series runs the MBNA America 200 on Saturday at 1 pm on FX The Nextel...

NASCAR Nextel Cup Samsung/Radio Shack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway Fox Sunday 4/4 at 1 pm Eastern/noon Central/10 am Pacific (Daylight Savings time - spring forward :-)NASCAR Busch Series O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway Fox Saturday 4/3 at 2 pm Eastern/1 pm Central/11 am Pacific (Standard time)Event Schedule Texas Motor Speedway is a motorsports haven along the historic Chisholm Trail in Fort Worth. It features seating for 150,061 fans. It represents the pinnacle in luxury for fans of auto racing, as the facility features 194 skybox VIP suites.Track Facts Banking/Turns: 24 degrees Distance: 1.5 miles Shape: Quad-oval

Quoting John Robinson, the technical guru behind the hamsters - You should now be able to log into the site via our IP address. http://209.157.64.200/Log in: http://209.157.64.200/perl/loginWe're waiting on GKG to press some buttons and turn us back on. But I wouldn't be surprised if this took hours on their part. :-(

After taking a week off to get their equipment over to sunny Las Vegas, NASCAR's top 2 divisions are getting ready to go around Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 1.5 mile tri-oval. For the NEXTEL teams, qualifying starts at 6 pm Eastern over on Speed, with the race at 3 pm Eastern Sunday on Fox.

Howard Dean returned home to Burlington, Vermont, early on Wednesday carrying a decision to quit his presidential campaign but remain in the race for the nomination, the Los Angeles Times reported in Wednesday's editions. "Though Dean is not going to formally drop out of the race, he is going to stop campaigning," a Dean aide told the newspaper. "The move would allow his supporters to continue to vote for him in the upcoming primaries and have a say at the Democratic National Convention in July," The Times reported.

Daytona Beach, FL - Want to enjoy a nice, relaxing week at Daytona International Speedway? All it takes is two fast laps around the 2.5-mile trioval. Forty-six drivers will hit the track Sunday, but only two will get the coveted prize -- a spot on the front row for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15. Those guys get what is akin to a bye week in the NFL playoffs. They'll have time to work on their race setup while everyone else is prepping for the twin 125-mile qualifying races Thursday -- which basically set the rest of the 43-car field...

Ex-state senator agrees to cooperate in corruption probe In a swift reversal of his defiant stance against a raft of public corruption charges against him, former state Sen. Gary R. George pleaded guilty Thursday to a single count of conspiracy and agreed to cooperate in an ongoing federal probe. Speaking softly and with his wife in the courtroom behind him, George's plea was accepted by Chief U.S. District Judge Rudolph T. Randa, who set a sentencing date of May 14 for the once-mighty Milwaukee Democrat. Four of the five counts against him were dismissed as a result of a plea...

Kickbacks alleged in connection with 2 groups he chaired Ousted State Sen. Gary George was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Milwaukee on conspiracy charges in connection with two groups George chaired. The indictment alleges that George's personal attorney, Mark Sostarich, kicked back to George fees Sostarich earned representing the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Greater Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Police Athletic League. George was chairman of the board of both groups. U.S. Attorney Steven M. Biskupic said Sostarich had reached an agreement to plead guilty to the one count of conspiracy against him. He has agreed to cooperate...

<p>Not only is this a sad day for Miguel and Laurie Estrada, but we have all let something unfortunate occur in Washington. We allowed the U.S. Senate to erect a "glass ceiling" in our courts--you can do all the right things in America, but if you do not agree with Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton, you need not apply as a federal judge. This is the message that Democrats hope minorities, in particular, get from their victory as they succeeded in repelling a talented man, who happens to be Hispanic, from public service. For the hard left, Miguel Estrada was not qualified to be a federal judge because he would not march to their drumbeat.</p>

Wisconsin Senate Roll Call 2003-2004 SESSION SB 44 OVERRIDE PARTIAL VETO OF PROPERTY TAX FREEZE SECTIONS 943M, 1532M, 2043D, H, S, U, W, Y AYES - 21 BROWN CARPENTER COWLES DARLING ELLIS FITZGERALD GEORGE HANSEN HARSDORF KANAVAS KEDZIE LASEE LAZICH LEIBHAM PANZER REYNOLDS ROESSLER SCHULTZ STEPP WELCH ZIEN NAYS - 12 BRESKE CHVALA DECKER ERPENBACH JAUCH LASSA MEYER MOORE PLALE RISSER ROBSON WIRCH NOT VOTING - 0 SEQUENCE NO. 202 Tuesday, August 12, 2003 6:38 PM