Free Republic

A Washington DC firm, The Institute for Legislative Analysis (ILA), has published its report on the 2023 voting records of all 105 Idaho Legislators. ILA describes its mission as, “Advancing the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution by increasing transparency within Congress and the 50 state legislatures.” Advertisement ILA uses a scoring system they have dubbed the Limited Government Index (LGI). They call this the “ultimate scorecard,” and based its creation on the work of the American Conservative Union’s ratings work, which took a decade to develop. “With over 38,665 votes the LGI’s congressional application has more unique sampled...

(Translation) Longshoremen's union leader Carlos Sánchez Ortiz and several employees of [International Longshoremen's Association] 1740 who work in the docks of San Juan face seven charges, among them fraud, labor extortion, and illegal appropriation, U.S. Attorney in Puerto Rico Stephen Muldrow announced. The group also faces charges of conspiracy, violation of the Organized Crime Law, and money-laundering. It is alleged that the accused appropriated over $1 million. Six of the arrested are males and one is a female. The accused face up to 20 years in prison for the crimes they presumably committed.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)—author of the federal “assault weapon” and “large” ammunition magazine ban of 1994-2004—has announced that on the first day of the new Congress—January 3rd— she will introduce a bill to which her 1994 ban will pale by comparison. On Dec. 17th, Feinstein said, “I have been working with my staff for over a year on this legislation” and “It will be carefully focused.” Indicating the depth of her research on the issue, she said on Dec. 21st that she had personally looked at pictures of guns in 1993, and again in 2012.According to a Dec. 27th posting on Sen. Feinstein’s website and a draft...

  There are few things quite like a mass arrest to serve as a reminder of the Mafia's continuing presence in American life. The mob roundup last Thursday morning, the largest in U.S. history, at once underscores the large dent that the Justice Department has been making in organized crime and how entrenched many of their operations have been. Some 800 FBI agents, U.S. marshals, state police and New York City cops fanned out and arrested nearly 120 wise guys and associates named in an 82-page, 16-count indictment for acts of murder, racketeering, money-laundering, loan-sharking, extortion and other offenses...

Dear Ted: First, I personally thank you for the valuable work you have done, and are doing, for the Second Amendment. You have used your talent, success, wit, and celebrity to fight for our freedoms. Additionally, you are a member of the Board of Directors of the NRA. So this letter is directed to you in strictly that capacity. Why? Because I believe that you will listen. And you have the standing and respect within the NRA to actually do something regarding the issues I’d like to bring to your attention. We at JPFO recently received a letter from an...

As the date for Supreme Court argument in District of Columbia v. Heller approaches, the filing of briefs has begun. The District filed its brief last week. In addition, various “amicus curiae” (friend of the court) briefs were filed with the court.

NEW YORK - Two executives of the International Longshoremen's Association and a reputed mobster who went missing mid-trial were acquitted Tuesday of charges that they helped the Mafia keep its grip on the New York waterfront. Supporters gasped and burst into tears as a federal jury in Brooklyn found union officials Harold Daggett and Arthur Coffey not guilty of extortion and fraud charges. The jury also acquitted Lawrence Ricci, an alleged Genovese crime family associate who had been accused of wire and mail fraud. But the victory may turn out to be empty for Ricci, who vanished in the middle...

    John Bowers, the aging president of the International Longshoremen’s Association, had gone to meet a local union official at the Smith & Wollensky in Miami Beach. Inside, he was surprised to discover George Barone seated amid the polished brass and dark wood decor of the pricey waterfront steakhouse.     Barone was no stranger. A Genovese family member, he once controlled ILA locals in New Jersey and Miami. He also had coldly killed at least 10 people, by his own count, as a mob enforcer.     In a sworn deposition, Bowers recounted the conversation:     ‘‘You’re doing a wonderful job,’’ Barone told him. ‘‘We...

As millions of children look forward to a break from school, millions of oth­ers only wish they could begin. For these children, summer days will not be spent in ballparks and play­grounds, but on battlegrounds or in fields. These children have no time for play. It's all work. And the work is dirty, hard and dangerous. According to the International Labor Organization's (www.ilo.org) global report, "A Future Without Child Labor," 246 million children worldwide are in­volved in child labor, which should be abolished. The study found that 179 mil­lion children ages 5 to 17 are exposed to forms of child...

The Illinois House and Senate could take action on these bills at any time! It is urgent that you call and write your State Representative and State Senator immediately and urge them to oppose these bills. Also, continue to call your elected officials and remind them that you will not accept a gun ban. On Thursday, March 13, SB 1195 (Semi-Auto Manufacture, Transfer and Possession Ban) passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 6-4. SB 1195 now comes before the Illinois Senate for debate. Following this action, the anti-gun House Speaker Michael Madigan reconvened the House Judiciary Committee,...