Free Republic

AURORA | No matter the season, the year, or the weather, customer interest in the rack of guns at Pasternack’s Pawn Shop in Aurora rarely changes. Typically, the shop on East Colfax Avenue near Dayton Street sells 25 guns each month, said Scott Pasternack, the owner. And while the last six months have seen a spike, Pasternack said reasons for it are a mystery. “I think it’s just the uncertainty of times we’re in, predictions like the Mayan calendar, world ending, all kinds of different things,” Pasternack said with a laugh. But six miles west at the State Capitol, the...

Less is more, according to New Hampshire lawmakers debating whether to ban the use of scented or fragrant soaps by state employees. Under House Bill 1444, state workers who interact with the public would be prohibited from wearing fragrances or scented products while on the job, MyFoxBoston reported. The reason for the proposed ban -- exposure to scented products can irritate or worsen symptoms for people with asthma or allergies. "The chemicals in some of these products can trigger the nasal congestion, sneezing and the runny nose," Dr. Stanley Fineman, an allergist with Emory University and the Atlanta Allergy and...

MADISON — While some see a wave of legislation aimed at weakening organized labor following Indiana’s new right-to-work law, Wisconsin is not expected to join it anytime soon. “No,” Cullen Werwie, spokesman for Gov. Scott Walker, told Wisconsin Reporter on Monday when asked if Walker thought the Republican-controlled Legislature would pursue legislation prohibiting labor organizations from requiring workers to join unions. Republicans on the record said they've heard of no proposals. Off the record, some in the GOP said no one is interested in waging another big battle over labor matters in this season of recalls. "Boy, I don't think...

Joe Straus, a Republican with poor conservative credentials, connived with 65 Democrats and 11 “moderate” Republicans to take over the speaker of the house for the 81st session in 2009, a betrayal of the other Republican members and the voters who elected them. It is a well known story in political circles how Democrats were allegedly rewarded for their votes with prominent committee positions. As a result, the Democrats were able to substantially block the conservative Republican agenda in the 81st legislature in Texas. Texas Tea Party activism in the 2010 elections helped elect a conservative Republican super majority to...

Jacksonville,FL- After last night’s Republican Presidential debate, the candidates’ respective spinmeisters made their cases to the media as to why their guy won the debate. One of Governor Mitt Romney’s spokesmen was Florida Representative Will Weatherford, and during the course of his remarks in the “Spin Room�, he shed a very dim light on the ongoing redistricting process in the Florida Legislature. Over the past several weeks, many Republicans have voiced their disappointment towards the Republican legislature after the release of the preliminary redistricting maps. Much of the ire concerns the proposed boundaries of Congressman Allen West’s 22nd Congressional District...

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DENVER — Colorado Republicans are reloading their holsters on attempts to expand gun rights. Some of their proposals this year are ideas that Democrats have rejected in the past. Republicans are trying to give business owners and employees the power to use deadly force against intruders. Another proposal would allow people to have a concealed weapon at schools or colleges if a person has a legal permit.

Brother testifies in favor of “Terri Schiavo Day” by Matt Lacy – Bobby Schindler, the brother of Terri Schiavo testified on Tuesday in support of a New Hampshire bill proclaiming March 31 of each year as a day to remember Terri Schiavo. Schiavo, who spent 15 years on a feeding tube, became a focal point over the right to die issue and highlighted the need for individuals to have a living will specifying their wishes.. On February 25, 1990 Schiavo collapsed while at home. After being admitted to the hospital, doctors were unable to determine an exact cause of...

Polls tell us that the vast majority of Californians believe their Legislature is ineffective and at least semi-corrupt.The 120 men and women who serve in the Legislature don't like being held in such low esteem.However, their poor image is enhanced when a legislator is arrested for drunken driving or nailed for sexual harassment, or when their leaders hand out fat raises to their staffers and deny media access to their financial records – to name but a few recent imbroglios. The public might be more tolerant of such hijinks if lawmakers were also doing their jobs – i.e., dealing with...

Gun owners have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving with three significant Second Amendment victories within the last week. 1.) On Nov. 16, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 822, the long-awaited National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, which would allow individuals with state-issued concealed firearm permits or licenses to carry a concealed firearm in any other state that also issues concealed firearm permits or licenses, or in any state that does not prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms. Previous versions of the proposed National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act never made it beyond the House. This time, it was approved in a...

Virginia's largest gun rights group, the Virginia Citizens Defense League, is ramping up for what many expect to be a pro-gun legislative session in 2012. Part of that ramp up includes a VCDL supper meeting at Famous Anthony's at 323 East Virginia Ave. in Vinton, VA on 28 November 2011. Additionally, the VCDL will be also manning membership drive tables at gun shows state-wide over the next few months. Here is the VCDL announcement: ************************************************** 1. VCDL Supper Meeting in Vinton on November 28th! ************************************************** VCDL will have a membership supper meeting at: FAMOUS ANTHONY'S, 323 East Virginia Ave Vinton...

Mark Twain is credited with the witticism that says, “No man’s life, liberty or property is safe while Congress is in session.” There is no telling what Mark Twain would say if he could see today’s Congress. Humor aside, the remark is right on target. What can we do about it? Rick Perry has a pretty good idea about what we can do about Congress. Make it part time. Congress spends far too much time in Washington and there is little they do that we can really consider worthwhile. What does Congress do? For starters, it spends money. It spends...

So, Governor Rick Perry made a speech today where he proposed the following: * Ending the practice of giving lifetime appointments to federal judges (current judges would not be affected); * Cutting Congressional pay in half; * Cutting Congressional pay in half again if they don’t balance the budget by 2020; * Cutting Congressional office budgets in half; * Cutting the Congressional calendar by half; * Criminalizing insider trading by Congressmen (no, actually, it’s not currently illegal for them to do that); * Reducing spending to 18% of GDP; * Privatizing Fannie & Freddie; * Ending the funding of Planned...

BETTENDORF, Iowa — Gov. Rick Perry is proposing to bring a little Texas to Washington — with a “part-time citizen Congress” that doesn’t meet so often, and whose members earn only half of what they make now. The Republican presidential hopeful will also call for an end to lifetime appointments for federal judges, including members of the U.S. Supreme Court. And, as he proposed in his famous debate-night flub last week, Perry will vow to shut down three agencies of government. This time he will remember all three: the U.S. Departments of Education, Commerce and Energy. “Washington doesn’t need a...

The matter of one Texas House member reaching across the desk and casting vote on behalf of a colleague was such a problem that the chamber's leaders shelled out nearly $130,000 to help remedy it. That was 2008. Now, House leaders say that the longstanding but controversial practice of "ghost voting" is not really a problem at all. And the expensive, custom-made and never-used equipment that was purchased to prevent it is locked away in a storage room a few hundreds yards from the Capitol. That leaves state lawmakers -- past and present -- playing the blame game on why...

When voters passed a union-backed measure last year to reduce the legislative vote on the state budget from two-thirds to a simple majority – thereby eliminating Republican leverage – skeptics said it could foster legislative mischief. Proposition 25 applied not only to the budget but "trailer bills" that the Legislature deemed necessary to implement the budget. And all budget bills would take effect immediately with a governor's signature, making any challenge via referendum legally doubtful. That legislative loophole, this column and other analysts pointed out, would make it easy to push major pieces of policy legislation through the Capitol with...

<p>What we’ve got is war—a war between the taxpayers and the tax-eaters. The tax-eaters can’t understand why the taxpayers won’t shovel out the swag, salute as usual, and shut up. This time the taxpayers are fed up and they’re not going to take it any more.</p>

California lawmakers on Tuesday sent the governor a bill that would make the state the first requiring public schools to include the contributions of gays and lesbians in social studies curriculum. The bill, passed on a party-line vote, adds lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as well as people with disabilities to the list of groups that schools must include in the lessons. It also would prohibit material that reflects adversely on gays. Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco says SB48 is crucial because of the bullying that happens to gay students. Republicans called it a well-intentioned but ill-conceived...

The Democrat-on-Democrat budget fight wasn't the only drama that went down at the Capitol this week - two lawmakers nearly came to blows over an ethnically charged remark about Italian Americans. It began with Assemblyman Don Wagner, R-Irvine, speaking against a bill that would eliminate redevelopment agencies and replace them with an alternative program. He remarked that lawmakers should not "buy an insurance policy that Tony Soprano is selling us." That prompted Italian American Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge (Los Angeles County) to rise from his seat and ask for an apology to Italian Americans. That's where things started...

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association demanded Friday that Controller John Chiang withhold pay from lawmakers and threatened to sue if he does not. The group's president, Jon Coupal, contends that lawmakers must pass a balanced budget to receive pay under voter-approved Proposition 25. He referred to a veto letter in which Gov. Jerry Brown said the Democrats' majority-vote budget was "not a balanced solution" and "not financeable." "If you pay legislators for enacting a phony budget, then you have made Proposition 25's provision prohibiting pay meaningless," Coupal wrote. "We urge you to confirm your intent to withhold pay and force...

Accusations of a Sopranos-style shakedown. Two men exchanging words, chest to chest, as others work to pull them apart. It sounds like a movie, but it was actually the action on the state Assembly floor this afternoon, after Assemblyman Don Wagner, R-Irvine angered his colleagues with comments about Italians. Here's what happened: Wagner was talking about a bill that would eliminate redevelopment agencies and replace them with an alternative program (the alternative would allow cities to retain the economic development program but only if they agreed to give a portion of their money to schools and other programs). After he...

He told her he was a "caped crusader . . . looking for my sidekick." [SNIP] Weiss admitted that she began the racy relationship by playfully sending a message to Weiner's Facebook account in August saying, "I am trying to find the wonderful anthony weiner who i fell in love with for yelling at those damn repubs the other day! . . . you must friend me!" But while Weiner was champing at the bit to embark on a steamy online relationship over the next nine months, he was nowhere to be reached after the scandal broke. "He was a...

Twenty of the bills the Assembly sent to the Senate on Friday were empty vessels. All of them are budget trailer measures that leaders in both houses hope quickly fill up with nuanced details, preventing Controller John Chiang from clamping down on their paychecks. Lawmakers have 10 days until the constitutional deadline arrives to deliver a budget to the governor's desk for him to sign. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said Friday he is still committed to a floor vote this week to "make sure that we have as much time as possible to debate these issues before the...

Democrats attempt to derail Nevada CCW reform by referring a unanimously passed bill (AB282) back to a Senate conference room to die a slow death as the 2011 State Legislature draws to a close. This morning, as I watched the webcast on my phone: Assemblyman William Horne(D-Las Vegas) attempted to derail this reform by sending it back to the Senate rejecting Amendment 780 which speaks to the fees charged for what is our constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Co-conspiring with Horne was Debbie Smith (D-Sparks) who was chairing the committee. Ira Hansen (R-Sparks) and Kelly Kite(R-Minden) had the...

Houston, Tx --(Ammoland.com)- SB 766 by Texas Senator Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls) is being sponsored in the Texas House by State Rep. Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs). This necessary legislation is on the House calendar for Tuesday. Please send email and please call. Explanation: Public policy in the State of Texas allows law-abiding, eligible citizens to obtain a concealed handgun license to carry a handgun for self-defense. Currently there are over 400,000 Texans with a license. Included in the DPS training course is the requirement to demonstrate proficiency on a shooting range. Texas hunters also require access to close shooting ranges...

As protesters chanted against an anti-gay marriage amendment outside the House chamber Friday morning, controversial pastor Bradlee Dean took to the House rostrum to give the prayer for the day. According to those present, Dean, who has suggested he approves of the death penalty for gay people on a radio show, was accusatory toward Democrats and insulting to people who do not believe in Jesus. "I know this is a non-denominational prayer in this Chamber and it’s not about the Baptists and it’s not about the Catholics alone or the Lutherans or the Wesleyans. Or the Presbyterians the evangelicals or...

MADISON — The time for a concealed-carry law in Wisconsin may be at hand. Legislation that would allow individuals to carry concealed firearms will be introduced "in the next few weeks," according to state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine. The concealed-carry debate is one that Wisconsin lawmakers have held for a decade. But with support coming from the Republican-controlled Assembly and Senate and Republican Gov. Scott Walker, the issue will see renewed debate, according to Wanggaard. "You'll see it before summer, we're working on it now," said Wanggaard. "It's still a work-in-progress." And while lawmakers are on a crime-and-punishment roll, debate...

Late in the evening of Friday, April 29, 2011, Governor Brewer vetoed SB 1201, the AzCDL-requested bill that would have required state or local government offices wanting to ban firearms to provide security measures that ensure no one is capable of bringing in a firearm without detection. The Governor’s veto means that for at least another year, all a state or local government office needs to do to disarm the law-abiding is to put up a “No Firearms” sign. Meanwhile armed criminals can continue to enter these facilities undetected. We believe the governor’s recent vetoes of SB 1201 and SB...

MSSA’s bill to repeal the archaic firearm suppressor law criminalizing possession of a suppressor in the “field or forest,” HB 174, was sprung from the Senate Judiciary Committee today on a “blast” motion, a motion to override an adverse committee report. Senator Chas Vincent made and defended the motion (thanks Chas!!) All Democrats voted against the motion except for Senator Blewett (for), and all Republicans voted for the motion except for Senators Moore, Ripley and Tutvedt (they were against). The final vote was 26-24 – a squeaker. HB 174 will be up for Second Reading maybe this afternoon (Wednesday) at...

....Now that Republicans are running the House, Democrats have tried to stymie the GOP agenda by relying on the tactic, known as the motion to recommit. But they've failed on every one of their 23 attempts this year. ...the maneuver is aimed at forcing members of the majority into an untenable choice between opposing their party's position or casting a vote that opponents could use against them in election campaigns. For a recommit motion to work, the minority party must pick off at least some members of the majority. Thus Democrats would need at least a few dozen of the...

In a March 29, 2009 Detroit Free Press column, film industry proponent and popular author Mitch Albom said that if legislators were to put a cap on the state’s refundable, unlimited film incentives, you might as well “kill” them altogether. He said that a cap “…effectively chases films away. No successful tax-incentive state has a cap like this, because no studio wants to be the last film in, then find out the money is gone. They can't plan that way. They just won't come.” Film industry supporters insisted in numerous media outlets that mere ‘talk’ of capping the film incentives...

While the Legislature has been going full speed working to draft and pass finance omnibus bills, legislators continue to introduce new bills about issues important to constituents. Reps. Kurt Bills (R-District 37B), Rosemount, and Tara Mack (R-District 37A), Apple Valley, are authors of a bill that looks at people's rights to protect themselves on their private property, HF1467, introduced on Thursday. It would allow people to use "deadly force" against someone who is committing a felony in their home. The bill also includes a provision to make transfer permits valid for five years instead of one year. Mack said she's...

By the beginning of May, big changes could be in store for Illinois if the General Assembly passes a bill allowing residents to carry concealed hand guns. The Family and Personal Protection Act would allow state residents over 21 to legally carry firearms after background checks and training, according to the Illinois General Assembly website. Illinois is one of the few states without a carry-permit process, said Illinois Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg), who introduced the bill. Recent Supreme Court cases upholding Second Amendment rights that could include carrying a concealed weapon show that Illinois is behind the times, he said....

How much should a college education cost? According to the College Board, the average cost of earning a degree at a private, 4-year university is now more than $100,000. If tuition prices continue to rise as quickly as they did during the past decade, a college degree will cost more than $200,000 by the time today’s third-graders are applying. That price tag is enough to cause most parents to break into a sweat. Is a college degree really worth this cost? Some bright minds think Americans are paying way too much. In fact, Bill Gates--one of the country's most famous...

The sons of slain pastor Wayne Scott Creach have taken their quest for justice to the Legislature. Alan and Ernie Creach and the Freedom Restoration Project, a gun-rights activist group, proposed two bills last week that they hope will curb unjustified police shootings and the illegal use of unmarked vehicles, in response to the Aug. 25 shooting death of 74-year-old Creach in Spokane Valley. "We've got a problem in our community," Alan Creach said. "I believe we need to sit down and look at the laws that let that happen and try to correct them so it doesn't happen to...

Green Lake, Wis. — On the frozen lip of sprawling Big Green Lake, local Republicans gathered in a small hotel ballroom this afternoon for their annual Lincoln Day dinner. Mark Slate, a 39 year-old candidate for county judge, was decked in a stovepipe hat, but the real attraction was state supreme-court justice David Prosser, who gave a rousing speech, urging conservatives to support him on Tuesday, when he faces JoAnne Kloppenburg, an environmental lawyer, at the polls. In his remarks, Prosser noted that the race has gone national. Union-friendly groups are pouring millions into the contest, hoping to tilt the...

On April 5 Wisconsinites will be voting for assorted alderpersons, trustees and school board candidates. The marquee event however, is the hotly contested Unions vs. Gov. Scott Walker race. Oh sure, the ballot will say something about JoAnne Kloppenburg vs. David Prosser for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, but they're just bit players in the unions' big play to get revenge on Walker for his budget repair bill. Unions are casting Justice Prosser as a Walker clone and urging Walker haters to use the high court race to punish Prosser/Walker by voting for his opponent, whoever she is. Prosser, who has...

I just got back from Helena. I appeared before the House Taxations Committee this morning at 8 AM in support of SB 371, MSSA’s bill to encourage the production of powder, primers and brass in Montana. I asked the Committee to restore two of the three incentives stripped out by the Senate Taxation Committee, the tax breaks and the liability protection. I’m betting that the Committee WILL restore these needed incentives, and that the House will approve SB 371 in that form. Then the trick will be to get the Senate to go along with House amendments. I’ll let you...

March 28, 2011 Here’s where we are to date: HB 174, suppressors. Still stuck (tabled) in Senate Judiciary Committee. Senators Hutton, , Murphy, Essman and Peterson need messages asking them to spring HB 174. Hutton, Murphy and Peterson all represent rural districts and have been getting messages from poorly-informed ranchers asking them to kill HB 174 to prevent “silent” poaching. The Montana Stockgrowers Association may be softening their opposition given real information about suppressors. I’ll paste below my analysis of opponent’s arguments. BE BRIEF. Legislators have very little time to consider messages. HB 271, permitless carry. Has been passed by...

MSSA’s # 2 bill, SB 371, our bill to encourage the manufacture of smokeless powder, primers and cartridge brass in Montana has been scheduled for its public hearing before the House Taxation Committee for Thursday, 3/31, at 8 AM, in room 152 of the State Capitol. Please contact Committee members and ask the to restore to the bill two features removed in the Senate; the tax breaks and the liability protection. come to the hearing if you can. The tax breaks won’t cost Montana anything because there is no such business in Montana now. If such a business starts, it...

These are harsh words for a Sunday morning, but the occasion screams out for them. I take them from the Bible; please forgive me. The Florida Legislature proved this past week, once and for all, that it is the utter Whore of Babylon. It is now legal in our state to pay off the Legislature directly. Who says so? The Legislature. This is not a joke. This is not satire. This is Florida — where the laws of our democracy are now openly, officially For Sale. On Thursday afternoon, with greedy lip-smacking speed, the Legislature voted to relegalize a bygone...

Wisconsin --(Ammoland.com)- Concealed carry is coming to Wisconsin. It is an absolute certainty that before the current legislative session is complete, a concealed carry law will be passed and the governor will sign it. Such legislation has passed the legislature before, but has always fallen victim to the governor’s veto pen. Not this time around. But what kind of concealed carry law will we have? For many, it seems, there is a disconnect between the rights asserted in the First Amendment and rights asserted in the Second. No state requires a permit to exercise the freedom of religion. You do...

ACTIONS IN TALLAHASSEE - THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2011 Thursday, March 10th - StandWithFlorida Join your fellow FREEPERS and AnyStreet-ers and the largest coalition of tea party/912 groups at NOON on THURSDAY, MARCH 10 in Tallahassee for the WE THE PEOPLE “STAND WITH FLORIDA” Rally on the steps of the capitol building. Get informed and inspired by Florida speakers who will talk about specific issues and how to get involved.

GOOD BILL - Please attend tomorrow's hearing on defunding Obamacare in Minnesota. HF 468 (Gruenhagen-R) would prohibit use of any state funds to implement Obamacare until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the law's constitutionality. Your support is critical. Conservatives must show up to support good bills as well as to oppose bad bills. BAD BILL - In addition, the Committee will be taking testimony on Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R)'s surveillance bill, HF 200 which will establish a state government health surveillance system on patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's (even those who just get cognitive testing), including collection of the doctor's...

Utah took its first step Friday toward bringing back the gold standard when the state House passed a bill that would recognize gold and silver coins issued by the federal government as legal currency. The House voted 47-26 in favor of the legislation that would also exempt the sale of gold from the state capital gains tax and calls for a committee to study alternative currencies for the state. The legislation now heads to the state Senate, where a vote is expected next week. Under the bill, the coins would not replace the current paper currency but would be used...

Join David K. Williams (Chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado, Co-founder Gadsden Society of Colorado) as he moderates a discussion with Senator Shawn Mitchell, Representative Donald Beezley, Representative Chris Holbert, Senator Ted Harvey and Nancy Rumfelt of Liberty Watch Colorado, on Saturday March 12th. The conversation will be a review of what has taken place to this point in the legislative session. Perceived success and failures, what might be expected in the remainder of the session and what role you might be able to play. Budgetary concerns are likely to rule the day, but no doubt each panel member...

Section 17.19 (1)  Members of legislature. In the office of state senator or representative to the assembly, by election, as provided in s. 8.50, for the residue of the unexpired term. In addition, an anticipated vacancy in the office of state senator or representative to the assembly may be filled as provided in s. 8.50 (4) (e). 17.06  Removal of state officers; impeachment; address. 17.06(1)(1) Any civil officer of this state may be removed from office by impeachment for corrupt conduct in office, or for crimes and misdemeanors as provided in article VII, section 1, of the constitution; and any supreme...

Live streaming video from the floor of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Mostly reps just recognizing constituents who are "in the capitol"...

Today, February 17, the Tennessee Legislature introduced NRA-drafted House Bill 1668 and companion bill Senate Bill 1768, the Tennessee Gun Owners Improvement Act. Sponsored by state Representative Judd Matheny (R-47) and state Senator Bill Ketron (R-13), HB 1668/SB 1768 would improve upon the current Tennessee Permit Law by cleaning up redundancies that are found in Federal Law and remove unnecessary restrictions placed on law-abiding citizens.

2.10.11 legislature open hearing, my thoughts and written testimony Given the discussion, I figured I'd give a little detail on what went down at the legislative office building yesterday. Below is my written testimony, but as I said in other posts, I deviated from that in order to address some insane ramblings from our pal Senator Looney and a detective in New Haven (same detective on the channel 8 piece). First, let me give a quick recap HB 5800 AN ACT REQUIRING REGISTRATION OF ALL FIREARMS Would be interesting to see where this goes. Committee members seemed to have some...

Soon Illinoisians may be able to carry a concealed gun. State Representative Pat Verschoore said passing a bill to allow concealed carry permits in Illinois may be a long shot. But he said it's your second amendment right to carry a gun. Verschoore said once Wisconsin's governor signs a similar bill, Illinois will become the last state without some form of a concealed carry law. "My emails, phone calls, personal contacts, have been running I would say three to one in favor of the concealed carry," said State Representative Pat Verschoore, (IL) D-Milan. Verschoore said state legislators have failed to...