Free Republic

The new round of national and state surveys this week generally showing President Obama clinging to a tenuous advantage over Republican Mitt Romney reinforce the conclusion that socially liberal, upscale white women may stand as the president's indispensable line of defense in his struggle for reelection. Both the national ABC/Washington Post survey released earlier this week, and the NBC/Marist Polls released Thursday in the battleground states of Ohio, Virginia and Florida show Obama retaining preponderant support among minority voters who were critical to his 2008 victory. Conversely, in almost all of the surveys, Obama faces a consistent pattern of erosion...

Frankfort, Ky --(Ammoland.com)- Good news! After the disappointments with the General Assembly in the last few years, when several bills that KC3 and other interested gun owners favored were allowed to wither and die without a hearing, this spring has been like a renewal of the spirit of freedom in Kentucky. For the NRA press release about the three bills that were passed, go to this page from the KC3 blog – http://kc3blog.blogspot.com/2012/04/hb-500-is- now-law.html The bill that was most important to us, HB500 from Rep. Robert Damron, is summarized in this way: HB 500, sponsored by state Representative Bob Damron...

Former Reasoner David Weigel has an interesting article up that seeks to answer why there aren't any Club For Growth/FreedomWorks/Tea Party/Paulista-style primary-election challenges to the worst of the Democratic Party's status quo (like, say, the execrable Dianne Feinstein). This section in particular is unintentionally revealing: Two months ago, Progressive Insurance founder Peter Lewis left the Democracy Alliance, a lefty donor coalition. Earlier this month, billionaire George Soros made his first 2012 political donations—$1 million each to America Votes and American Bridge 21st Century. That’s $23.5 million less than he gave to liberal groups in 2004. According to David McKay, chairman...

Frankfort, Ky --(Ammoland.com)- In April 2009 Michael Mitchell was at work, doing his job as an anesthesia tech at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. Michael was at that time also a graduate student doing his pre-med work in preparation for medical school. But a comment to a friend about a firearm that was overheard by a co-worker was reported erroneously to his supervisor, and he ended up having his locker searched for a gun that wasn’t there. Then, in an effort to be honest and helpful, Michael told them that he did have a gun, but that it was...

May 22, 2012 U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid S-221 The Capitol Washington, D.C. 20510 U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell S-230 The Capitol Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senators Reid and McConnell, I am writing to express the National Rifle Association's strong opposition to S. 2219, the DISCLOSE Act. In its landmark Citizens United decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on certain political speech by nonprofit membership associations, including the National Rifle Association, in an effort to mischaracterize that ruling as something other than a vindication of the free speech and associational rights of millions of...

Steve Kornacki tries to do the math on Obama's unpopularity throughout Appalachia: ........................................................... I think that "Chalking this up only to race" is a strawman, and its one that I often see writers invoke when talking about white resentment and Obama. ......................................................... It is wrong to believe Barack Obama shouldn't be president because he's black. That you have other reasons along with those--even ones that rank higher--doesn't make it excusable. Likely those other reasons are themselves tied to Obama being black.

That President Obama lost roughly 40 percent of the vote in Democratic primaries in Arkansas, Kentucky and West Virginia over the last two weeks has drawn massive national headlines. Those headlines have drawn a collective eyeroll from Democrats — and many others who closely follow national politics — who ascribe the underperformance by the incumbent to a very simple thing: racism. No, none of these Democrats are willing to put their name to that allegation — either generally or for this story. But, it is, without question the prevalent viewpoint they hold privately.

Imagine that in one 2004 Republican primary, an opponent running to George Bush's left got 40% of the vote, and in another primary, more than 4-in-10 Republicans voted for "uncommitted" rather than support the incumbent president. Now imagine the doom the MSM would have found that to portend for Bush. But when a candidate running to the right of Barack Obama garners 40% of the vote in the Arkansas Dem primary, and "uncommitted" amasses an astounding 42% in Kentucky . . . crickets. On Morning Joe today, Politico's Patrick Gavin proclaimed that PBO's embarrassing performance "doesn't matter." View the video...

President Obama headed toward wins in both primaries Tuesday in Arkansas and Kentucky, but suffered losses of about 40 percent of the vote in each contest against token opposition. Over four in 10 Democratic voters in Kentucky's primary on Tuesday chose the "uncommitted" option versus President Barack Obama, who won the state's primary. And perennial candidate John Wolfe, Jr. took just about 40 percent of the primary vote versus Obama in Arkansas, according to early returns tabulated by the Associated Press. (Wolfe won't be awarded any delegates, either.) Advertise | AdChoices The president's performance in both contests carries no substantive...

Barack Obama had no national primary challengers in his second nomination race in most states, including Kentucky. Who knew it would still be a tough choice for voters? Kentucky voters in the Democratic primary preferred the empty slot to the empty suit, apparently: About two out of every five Democratic voters in Tuesday's presidential primary in Kentucky chose "uncommitted" instead of voting for President Barack Obama. "I'm at a victory celebration for 'uncommitted' who performed admirably" said [state GOP chair Steve] Robertson. "I've never met the guy but know that he highly embarrassed Obama."Robertson contended that the Democrats who vote...

A US soldier accused of plotting an attack on a military base after fleeing his post as a Muslim conscientious objector went on trial Tuesday wearing a surgical mask and manacled to the floor. Courtroom security agents behind him wore protective goggles, an apparent reaction to an incident in which the soldier, Naser Jason Abdo, who claims to be HIV positive, bit his lip and spat blood at law enforcement officers. Prosecutors called the first of 43 witnesses to the stand in a bid to show that Abdo, who fled his post in Kentucky, was gathering bomb-making materials and weapons...

President Obama lost more than 40 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s Kentucky Democratic primary to the “uncommitted” option — the latest example of the incumbent president failing to win votes in an uncompetitive primary. With 99 percent of precincts reporting in the Bluegrass State, Obama led “uncommitted” just 58 percent to 42 percent. Obama trailed in more than 60 Kentucky counties. It was just the latest episode of the president taking less than 60 percent of the vote in a primary this year. He ceded 41 percent of the vote in West Virginia to an incarcerated man in Texas...

Tea party darling Thomas Massie on Tuesday won the Republican nomination to run for an open congressional seat in Kentucky's 4th District. The relative newcomer of politics, a protege of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, beat two well-established Republicans in state Rep. Alecia Webb-Edgington and Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore. With 74 percent of precincts reporting, Massie had 13,708 votes or 45 percent, to 8,844 votes for Webb-Edgington or 30 percent. Moore had 5,299 votes or 17 percent. The race proved that the tea party movement remains strong in Kentucky. Paul endorsed Massie and was actively involved in the race, even...

In a stinging rebuke of the Kentucky Republican establishment, tea-party-affiliated Lewis County Judge-Executive Thomas Massie won tonight’s GOP primary to replace retiring Rep. Geoff Davis (R) in the 4th district. With 72 percent of precincts reporting, the Associated Press called the race for Massie. He had 44.9 percent of vote, state Rep. Alecia Webb-Edgington had 29 percent and Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore had 17.4 percent. Davis, along with former Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning (R), backed Webb-Edgington, who had broad establishment support. Conservative Republican Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Mike Lee (Utah) backed Massie. The district is safe Republican turf,...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told Kentucky Republicans on Saturday that President Barack Obama was "posing and preening" instead of working to resolve pressing issues facing the country. "He is the most ill-prepared person to assume the presidency in my lifetime," Christie told some 600 Kentucky Republicans at a Lexington hotel. "This is a guy who literally is walking around in a dark room trying to find the light switch of leadership." Christie was in Kentucky to deliver a pep talk to state GOP leaders. The state's presidential primary is Tuesday, though it will have no significant impact. Former Massachusetts...

The primary to replace retiring GOP Rep. Geoff Davis in a heavily Republican district is both a sequel and a tiebreaker for recent GOP contests in the state. The tea party and Kentucky's Republican establishment have squared off in two high-profile contests in the past two years, and each has won one: Rand Paul took the 2010 GOP Senate nomination for the tea party, and establishment figure David Williams won the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2011. Now, the tea party has the inside track to break the deadlock. Thomas Massie, a county executive supported by Paul, has an organizational and...

A condemned killer's fight to receive surgery for agonizing hip pain pushed Kentucky officials into an uncomfortable debate over security, politics and even the possibility of inviting scorn from Fox News pundits. Emails and memos obtained by The Associated Press show corrections officials struggling for a year to reconcile their duty to provide medical care with the political ramifications of spending tens of thousands of dollars for surgery on a man they plan to execute. A key problem would turn out to be security issues that led several hospitals to balk at treating inmate Robert Foley, who still hasn't had...

Two female students say they were not allowed to attend Lexington Catholic High School's prom as a couple Saturday night, upsetting a number of students at the school. Hope Decker, 18, a senior, and sophomore Tiffany Wright, 16, had already gotten their dresses for the event, but Friday afternoon they were told by school administrators they could not attend as a couple because of the church's stance on same-sex relationships, Wright said. In an email Sunday, Lexington Catholic president Steve Angelucci said, "As a Catholic high school, we uphold every teaching of the Catholic Church. The policies and procedures of...

Dear Friends, The Tea Party Express had an amazing week last week thanks to all your support and involvement and would like to thank you.  Everyday our buses traveled to a different city in this great nation rallying conservatives.  I think you can agree that the Tea Party is answering our critics and is just as passionate and energized as we were in 2010 and are poised to have another banner year at the ballot box in 2012.We wanted to share with you some of the highlights of the last week that were made possible through your support and...

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, a local brew produced at a quaint brewery in downtown Lexington, is enjoying surging sales and developing plans for national distribution. This is the success the ale and Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. has enjoyed in the past 12 months: â–  In late 2011, Alltech began selling Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale in China, where it introduced the brew to the Beijing Horse Association. "Dxcel Distribution is the leading importer of American craft beer in China," said Matt Cordle, general manager and national sales manager of Lexington Brewing and Distilling. "The owner, Dean Lim, told us...

The University of Kentucky’s men’s basketball team is heading to Washington D.C. to meet President Barack Obama this Friday...

McConnell turns down Obama invitation to celebrate Kentucky winBy Alexander Bolton - 05/01/12 02:06 PM ET Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is passing on an invitation from President Obama to celebrate the University of Kentucky’s NCAA basketball championship at the White House on Friday. Obama invited the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team to the White House later this week to recognize its victory over Kansas to win the 2012 national championship. The president asked McConnell to join but the Senate leader will be in Kentucky participating in festivities leading up to the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, according to...

Yesterday on Laura IngrahamÂ’s radio show, she asked Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell about a recent Roll Call article that framed me as one of the loud leaders of conservatives opposed to Mitch McConnell. The Senator from Kentucky responded that he had never heard of me and I did not have an audience. That sounds a bit like the child, when asked if he ate the cookie, replying that he had not and besides it did not taste good. If heÂ’d never heard of me, how can he comment on my audience? If he states plainly I have no audience,...

That’s what Kentucky statutes provide, and today the Kentucky Supreme Court applied this rule in Mitchell v. University of Kentucky (Ky. Apr. 26, 2012). There was something of a complication because the defendant was a university, and state law provides universities with generally broad authority to restrict weapons on their property. But the court concluded that the statutory provisions allowing employees to lawfully store guns in their cars is an exception from that broad university power. Michael Mitchell’s wrongful firing lawsuit against the university can therefore go forward. The relevant Kentucky statutory provisions, by the way, are these: § 527.020(4)...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Students and staff members at Kentucky universities may keep guns and other deadly weapons in a car's glove compartment, but the schools may continue to regulate them elsewhere on campus, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville Metro Police said a teenager was shot by a homeowner in west Louisville during an attempted break-in. The shooting happened just before 10 a.m. Monday in the 400 block 38th Street. Police are investigating the shooting after the intruder was rushed into surgery at University Hospital. Police said he's expected to be OK. Some homeowners sounded off on whether they thought the shooting was justified. "I feel like he was justified for doing it, right, because he was trying to break in. It's his home, not nobody else's," said neighbor Lerenza Jones. "I'm OK with it....

Following rocker Ted Nugent's recent comments about President Barack Obama, he has been dropped from a scheduled performance at Fort Knox, the post announced Thursday afternoon. Nugent set off a controversy at last weekend's National Rifle Association convention when he criticized high-ranking members of Obama's administration and offered support for possible Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. In a video posted on YouTube by the NRA, Nugent said, "If Barack Obama becomes the president in November again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year. If you can't go home and get everybody in your lives...

JENKINS, Ky. (CBS Cleveland) – A local man was arrested Monday for siphoning gas from a police cruiser. He may have gotten away with the crime — if he hadn’t posted a picture of himself in the act on his Facebook page. Jenkins Police Chief Allen Bormes told CBS Cleveland that 20-year-old Michael Baker had posted the picture last Friday.

Appearing on MSNBC’s Martin Bashir Live, U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., ratcheted up his offensive against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in an attempt to debunk the GOP leader’s recent claims about the Affordable Care Act. In March, McConnell wrote an editorial in The Courier-Journal calling for a repeal to President Obama’s health care law. Since then, Yarmuth has been hammering the Senator and wrote a letter to McConnell challenging him to a public debate. Yarmuth says McConnell is lying about key reforms in the law and he has to be held accountable. “Mitch and I represent the same...

Democrats in House of Reps. joined J Street in supporting Obama administration's attempt to force Israel into making painful concessions Seventy-four Democrats in the House of Representatives have joined the dovish J Street organization in supporting the Obama administration's attempt to force Israel into making painful concessions to the Palestinian Authority. “In our view, support for a two-state resolution is inseparable from such support for Israel, its special relationship with the United States, and its very survival as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people,” the letter said. Seven Jewish members signed the letter, including Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), John...

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- Yesterday, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed three NRA-backed bills into law: House Bill 484, concealed carry exemption; House Bill 500, strengthening current firearms preemption law; and House Bill 563, fraudulent firearms prevention. These laws will go into effect on July 11, 2012. HB 484, sponsored by state Representative Will Coursey (D-6), expands the current concealed carry exemptions by allowing landowners and businessmen with a sole proprietorship to carry a handgun concealed without the necessity of a concealed carry permit. HB 500, sponsored by state Representative Bob Damron (D-39), will strengthen the current firearms preemption statute by expanding...

His joking remarks gave his audience little doubt about his political views. After congratulating the University of Kentucky men's basketball team for winning the school's eighth NCAA national championship this week, Clarence Thomas, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, told a capacity crowd Thursday night at UK's Memorial Hall: "Maybe in this type of environment, we could redistribute some of those." When asked whether he read The New York Times every day, Thomas replied, "Oh, God, no!"

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A day after raucous celebrations led to more than two dozen arrests, police said Sunday that they are ready to control crowds near the University of Kentucky's campus when the Wildcats play Kansas for the national championship. Lexington city police spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts told The Associated Press on Sunday that several hundred officers will be out in force on Monday to help keep order. "We're prepared," she said. "We expect a majority of people to obey the law." Police plan a few adjustments from Saturday, when thousands of fans spilled onto streets after Kentucky defeated cross-state rival...

Kansas Beats Kentucky: $139,000 vs. $127,000 for a Degree in Gender Studies By Thomas Cloud April 2, 2012 (CNSNews.com) - You can spend four years earning a degree in “Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies” at the University of Kansas or a degree in "Gender and Women's Studies" at the University of Kentucky. But the degree will cost you more at Kansas if you are an out-of-state student that it will at Kentucky. At Kansas, according to the College Board, tuition plus room and board is currently $21,446 per year for an in-state student and $34,832 for an out-of-state student. At...

For UK and UofL fans, the rivalry often runs deep. But police say, they never expected to get called to a dialysis clinic for a fight between fans! In fact, police are calling it a flagrant foul. "I think this is a first at a dialysis center," Lt. Robert Swanigan commented while handing over the police reports. Officers were called after a UK and UofL fan gave each other a full court press during treatment at the Georgetown Dialysis Clinic Monday. "He just happened to think UofL would beat UK and he started to run his mouth," explained dialysis patient...

MARSHALL COUNTY, Ky. — It was still dark, before 4 a.m. Monday, but Jack Thompson, 78, was able to make out two figures in the night. It was noise outside that had woken him up and the sight confirmed his fears. He reached under his pillow and grabbed his pistol. Seconds later, there was a noise he described as a "thud." The two men had kicked in the door of his Brewers-area home and one was charging up the stairs to the Thompson's bedroom. "He knew where he was going. He headed for me. He knew where I slept," he...

by John HillStand With Arizona Finally a state is stepping up to stop the fleecing of social service programs by illegal aliens. A Kentucky Senate panel unanimously approved a bill Thursday that would require applicants to government welfare programs to provide official proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residency. Federal law prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving most forms of welfare, including Medicaid, food stamps, WIC, public housing and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. But that hasn't illegal aliens from stealing tens of billions of these services across the nation. Illegal alien advocates such as La Raza, MALDEF and the ACLU...

The Brady Bunch has released their annual scorecard rating states based on how strict their gun laws are. The scorecard is a very useful tool to help rights groups understand how their state compares to others on a liberty scale; more points = less liberty. Alaska, Arizona, and Utah have all achieved the coveted Zero Points/Zero Stars on the Brady scale and are now competing to see which state will be the first into negative numbers – which is possible through bonus points. Arizona and Alaska can reach a –2 point score by protecting carry rights on campuses of state...

Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., criticized the White House’s energy policy, claiming President Obama wants higher gas prices. Across the country the average cost for a gallon of gas is $3.76 and it went up for 27 consecutive days. The Oil Price Information Service projects the nationwide average could peak at $4.25 per gallon in late April. McConnell says the administration hasn’t pursued an energy strategy to address the increase, adding it failed to support the Keystone XL pipeline project. “In fact, when it comes to the rising cost of gas at the pump,...

(UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL VIDEO) A national group that wants the popular vote — not the electoral college — to decide presidential races began airing an ad in Kentucky cable markets targeting U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate GOP leader. The 30-second spot paid for by the group Support Popular Vote urges Kentuckians to “send Mitch a message” because McConnell has opposed the concept of moving to a national popular vote system for the presidential race. The ad is airing in Time Warner markets across Kentucky. cn|2 is a division of Time Warner. During a December speech to the Heritage Foundation,...

Just to let everyone know; a tornado has hit just south of Elizabethtown (E-Town), Ky. Multiple homes have been damaged and the Harry Owens Trucking headquarters has collapsed, trapping multiple people underneath. All roads in the area have been blocked by debris, downed trees, and emergency vehicles. I'll post updates as I can.

Kentucky – On February 14, 2012 the Kentucky 9/12 Project joined close to 80 liberty groups from around the country the IRS has targeted and is attempting to regulate out of existence. Even though many of these groups have filed for Not-for-Profit status at various times (over the past three years) all have received IRS inquiries and responses in just the last three months. “This is nothing more than a governmental witch hunt on freedom speaking Americans” Said Eric Wilson director of Kentucky 9/12 Project. “It is their attempt to either drown groups like ours in unnecessary paper work and...

Two Fort Stewart soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. 25 year old Sgt. Joshua A. Born of Niceville, Florida and 22 year old Cpl. Timothy J. Conrad Jr. of Roanoke, Va. died Feb. 23, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their unit came under small arms fire. They were assigned to the 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Stewart, Ga. According to an interveiw she did with WPSD-TV in Paducah, Kentucky, Joshua Born's wife lives in Illinois, and found out about her husband's death not through military channels, but when someone sent...

CYNTHIANA, Ky. -- Police say a northern Kentucky woman took matters into her own hands, by shooting her husband in the crotch after she found out he was cheating on her. According to authorities, 39-year-old Kerrie Alvarez shot her husband, Javier, while they were standing outside the couple's home, after someone called reporting loud arguing. “We seen them take somebody out on a stretcher. She was always nice when I've talked to her. I would never expect her to do something like this,” said witness Carolina Honeycutt. Police arrested Alvarez.

Fort Campbell, KY – It weighs 3.5 pounds, has a barrel length of 7.75 inches, fires 12-gauge shells and can be mounted on the M4 carbine or act as a stand alone firearm; it is the M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) is the first unit in the Army to be issued the combat enhancer. “This is a new capability that is now in your hands for you to conduct your mission downrange,” said Col. Scott C. Armstrong, with Project Manager Soldier Weapons, during a presentation ceremony held at Fort...

n his New York Times bestselling book, Throw Them All Out, Breitbart editor Peter Schweizer revealed how members of Congress enrich themselves and their relatives using earmarks and insider information. Now, the Washington Post, following in Schweizer’s footsteps, has conducted a study that found 16 members of Congress have used their power of the purse to benefit companies, colleges, and community groups tied to their relatives. *snip* Among those cited in the Washington Post report were the following (below):

A Laurel County woman took matters into her own hands when she fought against an attempted robber who had a gun. "I went and before I got to the door the door opened and this guy come in with a mask on," says Brenda, the homeowner. Brenda says she acted instinctively. "I grabbed him at the top of the mask trying to pull that off. I was grabbing him and kicking him at the same time," remembers Brenda. What she didn't realize was that man had a gun. "I didn't even know that was a gun that he had I...

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Nearly all of Kentucky's state-level Republican lawmakers have signed a legal brief in support of a lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. "We're tired of sitting out on the sidelines when something of this importance is being deliberated," said Rep. Tim Moore, R-Elizabethtown. "We're now making it clear where we stand, that we want that law undone because it's unconstitutional." More than 300 lawmakers from 17 states, including nearly 60 from Kentucky, have signed a friend-of-the-court brief that an attorney for the libertarian Cato Institute will file Monday with the U.S. Supreme Court. Justices announced...

The Kentucky State Police are investigating a shooting incident that left a man dead at a residence near Green River Lake Saturday night. According to a press release from KSP Post 15 in Columbia, the post was contacted around 9 p.m. Saturday night by Adair County 911 Dispatch requesting assistance with the shooting death of 42-year-old Edward Stickel. The incident took place at the residence of 60-year-old Ralph Mercer at 160 Poplar Court, which is located off Corbin’s Bend Road near Green River Lake. According to the release, Stickel was at the Mercer residence discussing the purchase of a firearm...

Two men have been charged in connection with the attempted robbery of a pharmacy, Lexington police said Wednesday night. The attempt was foiled when an employee pulled a handgun, John E. McGarvey and Steven E. Corman, both 47, were each charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, police Lt. Chris Van Brackel said. McGarvey was also charged with two counts of tampering with physical evidence; Corman was charged with one count. The incident happened about 10 a.m. Wednesday at Corner Pharmacy, 1701 Alexandria Drive. A man entered the pharmacy, displayed a knife and demanded pills. At that point, an employee...