Free Republic

One signed all three bulwarks of the Republic. The other was second only to James Madison as the architect of the Constitution. Robert Morris and James Wilson were two of the most important, yet least publicized, of the Founding Fathers. Why has Philadelphia not commemorated some of its most important citizens? Wilson was according to American Heritage magazine, one of the most underrated Americans in history. Historian Gary Wills wrote, "A signer of the Declaration, a principal drafter of the Federal Constitution, the principal ratifier, and the profoundest theorist of it, Wilson is the least known of the Founding Fathers."...

Larry Sinclair, the man who accuses presumptive Democrat nominee Barack Obama of using hard drugs and participating in gay sex acts in 1999, is being refused representation by a Delaware lawyer despite Sinclair's ability to pay all legal fees and a written agreement. Sinclair claims that the attorney was fully and personally briefed on the explosive nature of the case. A scant eight hours after Attorney Richard R. Wier, jr. agreed to represent Sinclair, for a retainer of $10,000.00, he backed out of the deal at 5:15 pm today stating: "I cannot represent you knowing that you are saying the...

DELAWARE, Ohio -- A former Delaware County pastor charged with raping a 15-year-old girl who attended his church pleaded guilty yesterday to related charges. Brian L. Williams, 45, the former head pastor of Sunbury Grace Brethren Church, pleaded guilty to two sexual battery charges, Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost said in a news release. Williams was indicted in March on two counts of rape and two counts of sexual battery, all felonies. The indictment alleged that on March 6, Williams forced the girl to perform oral sex and assaulted her at his church office. Yost's office re-filed sexual battery charges...

A man from Bear has been identified as the person who was killed in a shooting at a church fundraiser last night at the Christiana Hilton. State Police Corporal Jeff Whitmarsh says 63-year-old Malak Michael had just finished speaking to a church group in a banquet room at the hotel on Churchman's Road at 7 p.m. when another church member, Monir George, shot him. Audio Here Police the 58-year-old George of Whitehall, Pennsylvania had differences with the church over building a new facility. Police recovered two guns. One person who had wrestled the guns away from George had to be...

DELAWARE. Republicans have already conceded they will not field a viable candidate in the open gubernatorial contest. Governor Ruth Minner (D) is term-limited. Lieutenant Governor John Carney and State Treasurer Jack Markell will compete in a very hotly contested Democratic primary in September. On the GOP side, the only two candidates are airline pilot/frequent candidate Mike Protack and state employee/'04 candidate Dave Graham. All of the other big GOP names have announced they will not run, with State Representative Donna Stone (R) saying last week she was passing on the race because it would be impossible to financially compete against...

According to the Department of Elections, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee have been certified to be on the Delaware primary ballot on Feb.5th. Unfortunately, Fred Thompson fell short of the 500 signature mark, and will not be on the ballot. The Delaware ballot for Feb 5th: Rudy Giuliani Mike Huckabee John McCain Ron Paul Mitt Romney Tom Tancredo Others could be added in the near future should they decide to accept federal matching funds. UPDATE: Jason Bonham at Race42008.com is reporting that the DOE said Thompson only had 281 out of 500 signatures, and that most of their signatures were...

Dry run on river By CHRIS ENGLISH Bucks County Courier Times General George Washington didn't get a rehearsal 231 years ago when he and his troops crossed the icy Delaware River on Christmas night and prepared to strike the Hessians in Trenton. It was either get it right the first time or choke down another painful setback in the American Colonies' bid for independence from the British. Washington got it right, and so did more than 50 re-enactors Sunday afternoon in a dress rehearsal for their annual Christmas crossing that relives that fateful day more than two centuries ago. Led...

The gardens begin to wane as autumn blooms. This is the time of year, however, when the indoor plants come back in after summering in the outside gardens. They are huge, folks, and beautiful. I'm going to start selling them. Plus some Delaware notes because what with the University of Delaware caught in the act, let's look closer at just how taxpayer money is awarded to nonprofit groups...on what basis and is the transaction transparent?

Most readers have by now heard about the divine revelations granted to various “educators” at the University of Delaware and the resultant “Articles of Faith” swiftly promulgated thereafter. It seems that “all whites are racists” and those students who do not believe this outlandish assertion (masquerading as scientific fact) are guilty of heresy and must be “re-educated.” Two recent articles – Brave Newark World by Mike S. Adams, and Brave New Schools by Bob Unruh – provide the gruesome specifics. I suspect other columnists have weighed in as well. Sadly, I must number myself amongst the heretics, since my intellectual...

The University of Delaware has suspended a program that had recently come under fire for being nothing more than an indoctrination program. The program required residence hall students to acknowledge "all whites were racist." According to Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), the program has been in place four years, but since University President Patrick Harker joined the university, the program has really increased the intensity.

University of Delaware officials, who just a day earlier had defended a residence hall series of teachings on which WND reported that told students "all whites are racists," today announced the program is being stopped. "While I believe that recent press accounts misrepresent the purpose of the residential life program at the University of Delaware, there are questions about its practices that must be addressed and there are reasons for concern that the actual purpose is not being fulfilled. It is not feasible to evaluate these issues without a full and broad-based review," said a statement posted on the school's...

Nov. 1, 2007 The University of Delaware strives for an environment in which all people feel welcome to learn, and which supports intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, free inquiry and respect for the views and values of an increasingly diverse population. The University is committed to the education of students as citizens, scholars and professionals and their preparation to contribute creatively and with integrity to a global society. The purpose of the residence life educational program is to support these commitments. While I believe that recent press accounts misrepresent the purpose of the residential life program at the University of Delaware,...

October 31, 2007 - A fourth person is dead because of a grinding crash Monday night in Newark. Delaware State Police investigators report the driver of the Honda, Matthew Wilson, 23, died Tuesday night because of his injuries. The sole survivor of the BMW, Hector Villa Gran-Merida, 18, is out of a coma, but still in critical condition. The driver of the BMW, Israel Palmero Merida, 17, did not have a drivers license. Police believe drunk driving and speeding led to the horrific crash that killed four people and critically injured one other in Newark, Delaware Monday night. Around 9:45...

The University of Delaware recently made a decision to subject its students to mandatory "treatment" ('treatment' is a term used by the university) where they learn that "all whites are racist", racism by the 'people of color' is impossible, and George Washington is merely a "famous Indian fighter, large landholder and slave owner". ... Student are also forced to take actions that outwardly indicate their agreement with the university’s ideology, such as displaying specific, school-approved door decorations and taking action by advocating for a social group that is defined as "oppressed" by the University.

NEWARK, Del., October 30, 2007—The University of Delaware subjects students in its residence halls to a shocking program of ideological reeducation that is referred to in the university’s own materials as a “treatment” for students’ incorrect attitudes and beliefs. The organization cited excerpts from the university's Office of Residence Life Diversity Education Training documents, including the statement: "A RACIST: A racist is one who is both privileged and socialized on the basis of race by a white supremacist (racist) system. 'The term applies to all white people (i.e., people of European descent) living in the United States, regardless of class,...

The political arena heats up and I've been busy with local politics. Except here in Delaware we've got a mess of RINO(Republican in Name Only)'s and they're nastier than a nest full of vipers. An inside look at Delaware politics and a first impression of two Republican contenders for Governor. Plus Guest Writer Michelle pens us a little murder mystery.

Man Gets Death Penalty In Murder Of U Of Del. Student Woman Raped, Strangled In Off-Campus ApartmentWILMINGTON, Del. -- A judge sentenced a man to death Wednesday for raping and strangling a University of Delaware student from New York before torching her apartment in an attempt to destroy evidence. The jury convicted James E. Cooke Jr. in March of first-degree murder, arson, rape, burglary and reckless endangering in the death of Lindsey M. Bonistall, of White Plains, N.Y., whose body was found covered with charred debris in her bathtub on May 1, 2005. Bonistall, who was white, was a 20-year-old...

How Republicans Should Handle Things-A Local Microcosm With National Implications ================================================================================= Yesterday, on 5/5/07, a little known individual known as Greg Hastings won a special election to represent Delaware's 41 district in Delaware's capital, Dover. There had been another fellow holding that job, having been legally and eagerly elected by the local populace. His name is John Atkins. How the saga of John Atkins evolved and dissolved and how the Republican party of Sussex county handled John Atkins and got another Republican, aforementioned Greg Hastings, is a model for Republicans across the fruited plains in terms of rogue GOP elected...

Source: University of Pennsylvania Date: April 23, 2007 Historian Discovers Evidence Documenting First European Voyage Up The Delaware Science Daily — A University of Pennsylvania scholar has pinpointed 1616 as the year of the first European voyage up the Delaware River. Jaap Jacobs, a senior fellow at Penn's McNeil Center for Early American Studies, detailed his findings in a paper, "Truffle Hunting with an Iron Hog: The First Dutch Voyage up the Delaware River," recently presented as part of the McNeil Center Seminar Series. Scholarly discoveries tend to be the outcome of a deliberate process, but serendipity played an important...

WILMINGTON, Del. - Jurors today unanimously recommended the death penalty for the ex-convict who raped and murdered White Plains college student Lindsey Bonistall. James Cooke Jr. said nothing to his lawyers as he was led into the courtroom for the verdict. He sat quietly, showing no emotions, as Superior Court Judge Jerome Herlihy read the jury's findings that the aggravating factors of the grisly slaying outweighed any mitigating factors presented by the defense for why Cooke's life should be spared. It will now be up to Herlihy to decide the fate of Cooke, who will likely become the 17th man...

Man convicted in murder of Delaware U. student from White PlainsWILMINGTON, Del. (AP) _ A man accused of raping and killing a University of Delaware student, whose body was discovered in her burning apartment, was found guilty Thursday and could face the death penalty. Defense attorneys had urged the jury to find James E. Cooke Jr. mentally ill. Cooke, 36, broke into the apartment of Lindsey M. Bonistall, of White Plains, N.Y., in May 2005, then raped and strangled the 20-year-old college sophomore before placing her body in a bathtub and setting the fire, prosecutors said. Cooke, however, denied killing...

Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) is preparing to run for a ninth House term, while simultaneously keeping an eye on Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.) and positioning himself to run for Senate should the Democratic presidential candidate opt for retirement.

WILMINGTON, Del. - Jurors found out for the first time yesterday that James Cooke Jr. and his lawyers are not in agreement about his defense against capital murder charges in the death of White Plains college student Lindsey Bonistall. "I'm not guilty! I'm not guilty! They chose that mentally ill, not me. You know? Yeah, keep that in mind," Cooke yelled to the jury about his lawyers just before autopsy photos were shown. The latest outburst from Cooke, the loudest to date and on the last day of the prosecution's case, prompted one of his lawyers to request a mistrial....

Welcome to Sanity Island. President Bush traveled to Wilmington, Delaware today, where he discussed his Energy Initiative in the Hotel du Pont's DuPont's theater. Afterward, he toured DuPont's Experimental Station. The full text of the President's remarks can be read here. Earlier in the day, President Bush signed an Executive Order, To Support Alternative Fuel Use And Help The Federal Government Reduce Oil Use. The Order requires Federal Agencies to lead by example in advancing the Nation's energy security and environmental performance through effective environmental, energy, and transportation management. Executive Order: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management. This afternoon,...

Rush Limbaugh was vilified and damn near lynched in 2003 for saying that sportswriters do not harshly criticize Donovan McNabb because they want a black quarterback to succeed. Now in 2006, we have Michael Irvin saying that the only explanation that Dallas Cowboys quarterback phenom Tony Romo is as good a football player as he is must be because he has some African ancestry somewhere in his family history. While appearing on a radio show on Nov. 20, ESPN analyst Irvin said, "He (Romo) doesn't look like he's that type of an athlete, but he is. He is, man. I...

If your last name were Abortion would you name any of your children Alternative? Probably not! So a more pertinent question is this: If you saw the name Alternative Abortion on a voter registration form, complete with an address and a social security number, you'd be suspicious, right?

A live webcast of the Delaware Attorney General debate between Joseph "Beau" Biden, III and Ferris Wharton is currently underway. This race is currently deadlocked. Biden Jr is an inexperienced son of a Senator who took four tries to pass the Delaware Bar and couldn't get a job in the AG's office, let alone the top job, if his name wasn't Biden. Republican Ferris Wharton, on the other hand, is a widely respected, accomplished prosecutor with 25 years of experience putting killers like Tom Capano (Delaware's version of OJ) behind bars. Hairplug Jr is clearly using this race as a...

Welcome to the 2nd race of the Nextel Chase for the Cup 2006 race thread. The Nextel Cup series and Craftsman Trucks will be at Dover and the Busch series will be racing in Las Vegas. Prayers for the troops at Walter Reed and to All our service personnel and their families around the globe and for all those who served and sacrificed so much for the freedom and liberty we enjoy today. Never Forget.

The state Board of Pardons refused Thursday to recommend commutation of the life prison sentences for a man who committed one of Delaware's most notorious crimes and then killed a San Francisco businessman. The board deliberated less than three minutes in deciding not to recommend commutation for Charles Cohen, 41, who pleaded guilty but mentally ill in the brutal 1988 murders of his parents, Martin and Ethel Cohen. "In light of the heinous nature of these crimes, the opposition of the state Board of Parole, and the obvious threat to society, we will not recommend that commutation be granted," Lt....

DES MOINES, Iowa - Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., says he intended to spend his time in Iowa discussing domestic issues, but somehow his two-week trip centered mostly on the war in Iraq. "We did 49 events in Iowa," said Biden, a presidential hopeful who concluded his stay in Iowa on Wednesday. "There was virtually no questions about domestic issues that I got from any of the groups. "It was all about foreign policy, all about national security, all about concern about where we are in the world," he said. "There's this feeling, a lack of certitude, this unease."

WFUS51 KPHI 292002 TORPHI DEC003-292030- /O.NEW.KPHI.TO.W.0003.060829T2002Z-060829T2030Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 402 PM EDT TUE AUG 29 2006 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... CENTRAL NEW CASTLE COUNTY IN NORTHERN DELAWARE THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF WILMINGTON * UNTIL 430 PM EDT * AT 359 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR ELSMERE... OR ABOUT 8 MILES WEST OF WILMINGTON...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. * THE TORNADO IS WILL BE NEAR... ELSMERE BY 410...

ICE & FBI agents arrest 31Korean nationals throughout the Northeastern United States in federal human trafficking case Korean women were smuggled to U.S. work as prostitutes in brothels NEW YORK, NY -- Michael J. Garcia, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Roslynn R. Mauskopf, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Mark J. Mehrson, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, today announced that 31 individuals were arrested yesterday and charged in a wide-ranging human trafficking ring...

ROCK HILL, S.C. - A research facility is planned for York County that will focus on the role of Southern states in the Revolutionary War. Historian Michael Scoggins said the Southern Revolutionary War Institute will be used to educate people about the South's contributions to the war. It's a field he says has been neglected in the past. "There's been various fields that downplay the role of the South," Scoggins said. "When you look at most history textbooks, we are generally given the short treatment." The institute will be based at the McCelvey Center in York and local officials hope...

developing...the river may go into record flood and top the levees at Wilkes-Barre and other towns/cities ..at this time the NWS is saying the river will rise to 38-40 feet by thursday(which would be the 2nd highest crest)...the levee is at 41..however the crest may be higher then that and the NWS has been raising the crest forecast all day. getting 2nd hand reports of local offcials saying the river may crest at 43 feet which would top the levee built after Agnes which crested at 40.9 feet .. it all depends on how much rain they get upstream and...

Storms, floods, mudslides tie up D.C. areaBy MARTY NILAND, Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON - Flooding from a weekend of heavy rain shut down the Justice Department building, Internal Revenue Service headquarters and the National Archives on Monday, and created a nightmare for commuters with washed-out roads, mud blocking the Capital Beltway and delays on the area's rail lines. District of Columbia officials urged people to avoid the flooded downtown areas. "They need to give us time to make sure everything's OK," said Michelle Pourciau, the acting director of the D.C. Department of Transportation. "We know that more rain is coming ......

Jan C. Ting formally kicked off his campaign for the United States Senate today by saying “If you want change, you have to vote for change. And I am the change agent.” Ting, of Wilmington, used Legislative Hall in Dover as the backdrop for his announcement speech. Ting is a law professor at Widener Law School in Wilmington and Temple University in Philadelphia. He specializes in immigration, national security, and tax law, all of which he has made key themes of his campaign.

Funeral ProtestBy DANYA BACCHUS (SEAFORD, DE -- WMDT)Hundreds of people lined the streets of Seaford, Delaware, many holding flags and showing their American pride for fallen solider Corporal. But others weren't as patriotic. While family and friends gathered to pay their final respects to fallen solider Corporal Cory Palmer, only blocks away was the scene of a protest. Members of Westboro Baptist Church traveled all the way from Topeka, Kansas to protest. Holding signs saying thank God for dead soldiers and God is America's Terror, "and you defy God and you spit in God's face and you teach your children...

Bill to Help Summer Drivers Some Dover lawmakers want to give-up $50 million to make it cheaper for you to fill-up this summer. By Natalie Sannuti Friday, May 5, 2006 Legislation introduced in the Delaware General Assembly would temporarily suspend the state gasoline tax. The bill would mean about a $.23 per gallon reduction. Bill Sponsor, House Speaker Terry Spence says, rolling back the tax during the hot summer months will not only give people much-needed relief, it'll also help protect the tourism industry. "The fact that our gas price may be $.23 lower, they may say 'hey, you know...

Almost 240 years ago William Read donated a small triangular plot of land at Thames and Farewell streets to William Ellery and other Sons of Liberty, shortly after the successful struggle to force the British Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act. The donation was welcomed not for the land, but for the tall buttonwood tree, known as "The Liberty Tree," that stood on the property. The Newport Historical Society put the famous tree's history in the spotlight Friday as a way to celebrate Arbor Day. Edward Andrews, a historian now completing his doctoral dissertation at the University of New Hampshire,...

STOCKHOLM: US President George W Bush has Swedish ancestry, the daily Svenska Dagbladet reported on Monday, quoting Swedish genealogists in the United States. “George W Bush and his family are extremely interested in this research. This represents their oldest known European roots,” David Emmi of the Swedish Colonial Society told the paper. Researchers traced Bush family ancestry through 10 generations to the 17th century, to a Maans Andersson, the society said. Andersson is believed to have left Gothenburg, in southwestern Sweden, in October 1639, arriving in the colony of New Sweden in Delaware a few months later, according to the...

6:30 p.m., Monday, April 10, John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations--Bolton's experience in government spans the Republican administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Bolton was named U.N. ambassador in 2005 without Senate confirmation. A Baltimore native, Bolton has served in the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Before his appointment as U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security in 2001, Bolton was senior vice president of the American Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit public policy center in Washington, D.C. All...

In the gloom of this holy Christmas night, a cold sleet fell. It was not a night for man nor beast but yet here they were. Huddled upon the banks of this frigid river, 2000 men contemplated their bleak fate. The past few months had gone very, very badly. Their hopes had been crushed time and again. The noble experiment in Liberty which had begun with such promise, had by this time deteriorated to the point where every day was a battle just to survive. Defeat after defeat, at places like Long Island, Harlem Heights, Fort Washington and White Plains...

Like Temple, Lou, Murph, others, I too have my own memories of Christmas in uniform. My recollections go back to a time close to when Lou was a captain aboard a carrier in the Indian Ocean. I was a Marine corporal on Okinawa, sitting on my rack in a dingy squad bay, listening over-and-over to a cassette tape of Christmas wishes from family and friends, eating some chocolate-chip cookies Mom had made for me, looking at family pictures, and doing what all American soldiers and sailors have been doing during the month of December since 1775 – dreaming of home.

Political cronyism has no place when it comes to public safety, and the Attorney General’s office is no place for on-the-job training David A. Crossan, Sr., Executive Director of the Republican State Committee of Delaware, issued the following statement concerning the choice before Gov. Ruth Ann Minner about whom to appoint to the office of Attorney General for the State of Delaware: “Given the immense impact the Attorney General’s office has on the safety of all Delawareans, Ruth Ann Minner is faced with a choice of great importance. She can dip into the vast legal talent and experience in Delaware...

The apparent suicide of a woman found hanging from a tree went unreported for hours because passers-by thought the body was a Halloween decoration, authorities said.The 42-year-old woman used rope to hang herself across the street from some homes on a moderately busy road late Tuesday or early Wednesday, state police said. The body, suspended about 15 feet above the ground, could be easily seen from passing vehicles. State police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Oldham and neighbors said people noticed the body at breakfast time Wednesday but dismissed it as a holiday prank. Authorities were called to the scene more than...

Interview with Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli, Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware | Valerie Schmalz | September 28, 2005 Bishop Michael Saltarelli is outspoken in witnessing to the Gospel of Life to his diocese and to the politicians in the Diocese of Wilmington–particularly those who call themselves pro-choice and Catholic. In Delaware, that includes two nationally prominent figures, U.S. Senator Joseph Biden, a Democrat, and U.S. Representative Michael Castle, a Republican. Bishop Saltarelli believes in the power of prayer. During the month of October–which is Respect Life Month–he is asking Catholics in his diocese to pray for a conversion of all...

Jim Conk, a stalwart member of the Libertarian Party of Delaware, was killed in a small plane crash in Pennsylvania on Aug. 13, along with two family members. A fourth passenger was seriously injured in the crash. Conk had been a member of the Delaware LP for more than 25 years and had served for most of that time in various positions on the state executive committee, said Bill Morris, a representative of the state party. At the time of his death, Conk was serving both as treasurer of the state LP and as the Kent County LP representative. Also...

Santorum visits Delaware to tout new family values book By RANDALL CHASEAssociated Press Writer WILMINGTON, Del. -- A Wilmington-based conservative think tank welcomed home its first best-selling author Wednesday as Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Rick Santorum touted his new book on family values. Santorum's book, "It Takes A Family: Conservatism and the Common Good," is seen by some as the GOP's response to the views expressed by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., in her 1996 book, "It Takes a Village." Like Clinton, Santorum, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, is viewed by some political observers as a possible 2008 presidential candidate....

AMBER ALERT PHILA PD. 6 YOA, B/F CHLD WHT SHRT YELLOW SHRTS, 3 FT 6 IN TALL, THIN BUILD, BLK HAIR, BRN EYES. SUSP B/M 20 YOA, WHT SHRT. VEH GRY TOYOTA, 2 DR, UNK PA TAG. CALL 911 WITH INFO. Full Message: The Pennsylvania State Police has issued an Amber Child Abduction Alert for Philadelphia Police Department. Philadelphia Police Department is searching for a six year old black female child wearing a white shirt with blue flowers and yellow shorts. The child is three feet 6 inches tall, thin build, with black hair and brown eyes. The abductor is...

Bank of America to Buy MBNA in $35B Deal NEW YORK - Bank of America Corp. said Thursday it will acquire MBNA Corp., one of the world's largest credit-card companies, in a $35 billion cash and stock deal that will result in 6,000 jobs cuts. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2005. Under terms of the agreement, MBNA shareholders will receive 0.5009 common shares of Bank of America plus $4.125 in cash for each of their shares. Based on Bank of America's Wednesday closing stock price, the deal is valued at $27.50 per share, or...