Free Republic

Maine GOP Chairman Charlie Webster told The Associated Press that Romney is expected to speak Friday evening at a rally at Portland Yacht Services.

Kim Pettengill, GOP state committeewoman from Kennebec County, said she didn't know about two of them coming until she got calls Friday evening from the campaigns of former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, of Pennsylvania, saying they would send representatives to Saturday's caucus. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's son Tagg Romney already had been expected to attend. More than 300 Republicans from across Kennebec County attended the caucus. GOP activists were asked to hold local caucuses between Feb. 4 and 11, and more than 30 of them were being held Saturday statewide. Republicans from...

As it turns out, Maine Republicans in a few towns will caucus this Saturday (January 28). The original plan I spoke with the Maine Republican Party about back in September revolved around the idea of holding caucuses within a window from February 4 and February 11 with a big reveal on that final date. That is still mostly true as most of the caucus venues will hold party meetings within that window. However, there are a few caucuses that branch out quite far from those two bookend dates. The collective caucus Lincoln, Lowell, Burlington, Chester, Enfield, Winn and Howland will...

With a gunshot wound to his stomach, Rafael Encarnacion, 22, crawled out of a back bedroom of a Vassalboro home early Tuesday. The man identified by police as the trigger-man, Joseph L. Gagnon, 55, of Vassalboro, told his brother that he shot Encarnacion in self-defense with a “homemade gun” because Encarnacion was threatening him and his family, according to a police report filed in Kennebec County Superior Court. Gagnon, who has yet to be charged in connection with the shooting, turned himself in to Hallowell Police following the shooting, which was reported at 12:30 a.m. at Gagnon’s home on Whitehouse...

EDDINGTON, Maine — A man who broke into a home on Riverside Drive on Saturday afternoon and was shot in the foot by the homeowner is now behind bars on a charge of felony burglary, Deputy Chief Troy Morton of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office said. Darren Seidell, 30, a local transient originally from Florida, was discovered in the home of Peter and Carol Roderick when she returned home from grocery shopping at around 2:45 p.m., the deputy chief said. “Peter was on the property but in another building,” Morton said. “When his wife came home he went to help...

AUGUSTA -- Guns, and whether they can be stored in your vehicle at work, will once again be debated by lawmakers in the upcoming session. Rep. Dale Crafts, R-Lisbon, is seeking to modify a controversial bill signed into law in June that allows those with a concealed firearm permit to store a gun in their vehicle at work, as long as the vehicle is locked and the firearm is not visible. Crafts has submitted new legislation, L.D. 1603, to extend the same right to state workers as those who work in the private sector. The bill drew intense debate in...

<p>Supposed to commemorate this?</p>

Fraud and Abuse Prevention team aims to stop welfare abuse Augusta, Maine – Governor Paul LePage and Attorney General William J. Schneider announced today that officials from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Office of the Attorney General are intensifying their focus on preventing and prosecuting fraud and abuse in public assistance programs. Recently, the Fraud and Abuse Prevention Team was formed to analyze current systems and existing resources available within state government to deter fraud before it happens and to assure that all illegal activities within Medicaid, Food Supplement, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families...

Past what...who thinks what...now?

Barack Obama spoke to reporters this morning after the dismal jobs report was released. The far left president blamed: earthquakes, tornadoes, state budget cuts, gas prices, local budget cuts and Greece for the latest spike in the unemployment rate.

An illegal immigrant accused of groping three women, including two joggers, during the past week and a half in south Ann Arbor, remains jailed on $60,000 bond. Mario Segundo-Segundo, 35, who is originally from Mexico, was arraigned this morning at the Washtenaw County Jail on three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. He is accused grabbing a woman from behind about 8:20 p.m. Wednesday while she was jogging in the 2600 block of South Main Street, Ann Arbor police said. Segundo-Segundo allegedly lifted her off the ground and groped her genitals over her clothing, police said. The victim reportedly elbowed...

The U.S. Justice Department says that marijuana dispensaries and licensed growers in states with medical marijuana laws could face prosecution for violating federal drug and money-laundering laws... Deputy Attorney General James Cole said a 2009 memo by then-Deputy Attorney General David Ogden did not give states cover from prosecution. Starting in February, 10 U.S. attorney's offices have asserted they have the authority to prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries and licensed growers in states with medical marijuana laws. Prosecutors, the states complained, are not even willing to declare that state employees who implement such laws are immune from prosecution.

Maine Governor Paul LePage has signed three separate bills which expand gun rights in Maine. The first of these is LD 35, introduced by Representative Richard Cebra (R-Naples), which states that an employer cannot prohibit an employee who has a valid carry permit from storing a firearm in their personal vehicle so long as the vehicle is locked and the firearm is not visible. This bill, which is now codified at Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §600, also provides immunity from liability for employers whose employees store their firearms in accordance with the provisions of the law. The second bill Governor...

By the time they're done with him, GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich will look like a leading Democratic spokesman as the party moves quickly to harness his attacks on Republican plans to change Medicare. According to party sources, they plan to use Gingrich's assault on House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's plan in a bid to knock down every Republican who voted for it. "By calling Paul Ryan's budget 'radical' and 'right-wing social engineering,' Newt merely echoed criticisms millions of Americans across the political spectrum have voiced at house Republicans' budget for weeks now," says Ryan Rudominer, a Democratic consultant...

This morning Republicans are just beginning to assess the damage that former House Speaker and current presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has done to the GOP budget plan currently before Congress. On "Meet the Press" Sunday, Gingrich denounced House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan's plan to restructure Medicare, saying, "I don't think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering. I don't think imposing radical change from the right or the left is a very good way for a free society to operate."

BHO's statement contained 74 sentences. In 24 out of 74 sentences, he said "I", "me" or "my." This is not about the military, or even the CIA, which were mentioned in just 4 of the sentences. It's about BHO, and BHO alone. Congratulations, BHO, here are a few things for which you took credit in the 74 sentences: "I directed Leon Panetta... to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority..." "I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden." "I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility...

A bill that would allow guns in the Maine State House has been narrowly endorsed by a legislative committee, even as efforts continue to bolster security in the Capitol.

The measures, which would make it easier for Mainers to get concealed weapons permits, were opposed by some businesses, law enforcement and gun-control advocates. A series of proposals aimed at making it easier for Mainers to get concealed weapons permits came under fire yesterday at a legislative hearing. Some proposals would repeal long-held prohibitions, and that's something Bill Harwood of Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence isn't happy about. "What we're talking about in this bill is bringing guns into areas of the state where, for decades, they have been prohibited, for many good reasons--first of all, bars: Alcohol and guns...

AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers heard hours of arguments Monday about the right to self-defense versus the state’s obligation to protect the public as they considered proposals to loosen laws dictating when and where someone can carry a concealed gun. Bills seeking to rewrite Maine’s concealed weapons permit system are introduced seemingly every legislative session. But with a new Republican majority in the State House, advocates for gun owners’ rights hope for more success this year. Under current law, average Mainers who want to carry a gun hidden from view must apply for a concealed-firearms permit and even then are prohibited...

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s suggestion Saturday that the Revolutionary War began in Concord, N.H., rather than Lexington and Concord, Mass., marks the third time in recent months that the potential GOP presidential hopeful has committed a puzzling gaffe about history and current affairs. Making her first trek to New Hampshire as a 2012 prospect, Bachmann told a GOP crowd in Manchester: “You’re the state where the shot was heard around the world at Lexington and Concord.” The Revolutionary War began, not in New Hampshire’s capital, but in the famous two towns more than 50 miles away in...

A new Middle East is upon us and its primary beneficiary couldn’t be happier. In a speech Monday in the Iranian city of Kermanshah, Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Politburo Chief Gen. Yadollah Javani crowed, “Iran’s pivotal role in the New Middle East is undeniable. Today the Islamic Revolution of the Iranian nation enjoys such a power, honor and respect in the world that all nations and governments wish to have such a ruling system.” Iran’s leaders have eagerly thrown their newfound weight around. For instance, Iran is challenging Saudi Arabia’s ability to guarantee the stability of global oil markets. For generations,...

LISBON — Proposals by Republican state legislators to relax Maine’s gun control laws set the stage for a new political standoff at the State House. Among the handful of bills expected to set off the biggest firestorm is legislation sponsored by Rep. Dale Crafts, R-Lisbon, that would — among other changes — repeal the requirement for a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Maine. LD 658, “An Act To Modify the Requirement of a Permit To Carry a Concealed Weapon,” would make Maine’s concealed weapons law “similar to Vermont, Arizona and Alaska law, which basically allows you to carry...

JERUSALEM – In partnership with a government fund initiated by Barack Obama, philanthropist and billionaire activist George Soros is investing in a private equity company that just launched in the Palestinian territories. The company, Siraj Fund Management Company, says it was created "for the sole purpose of managing investment funds in Palestine." The new company's website repeatedly refers to what it calls the "country" of "Palestine." There is, however, no such country as Palestine. Siraj is apparently referring to territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority. "Siraj has plans to launch future funds focused on the Palestinian market thereby contributing to...

Tipping Point (in .pdf format and I'm not going to bother converting it to a word document so you'll have to use the link to read it)

A delegation from the group of "Wise Men" ("The Elders"), composed of international personalities including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter called on Tuesday for urgent action to bring peace to the Middle East. At a press conference in Damascus, the four members of the delegation also called for "reconciliation" between the rival Palestinians, Hamas and Fatah of President Mahmoud Abbas, and the lifting of the Israeli blockade imposed on Ghaza. "Urgent action is required. People are tired after nearly two decades of negotiations," said the former Irish head of state and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson,...

If Egypt should fall, it will mark the beginning of the end for what little remaining stability there is in the Middle East. Jordan is facing similar unrest, as are Algeria and Yemen. Lebanon and Tunisia fell in January. It is highly unlikely that these events are unrelated. A combination of leftist and Islamist forces provoked the protests, and we are likely looking at a ring of radical Islamic states rising up to surround Israel. Once their power is solidified, perhaps in a year or two, they will combine forces to attack Israel. If Israel falls, the United States will...

Graphic with geotags @ link.

I can’t make this up. Inspired by the YMCA when it was founded in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has been under a ban since 1948, and its real size is difficult to gauge. The group was brutally repressed by President Gamal Abdel Nasser in the 1950s and 1960s. Since then, it has at times been propped up as a foil – especially for Western audiences – with periodic crackdowns that have sent many of its members to prison. In what way was the Muslim Brotherhood “inspired by” the YMCA?

An Overview of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's Stance on U.S. and Jihad; Translation of Its Draft Political Platform This report presents an overview of the positions of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, as expressed by its general guide, Muhammad Badi', since his nomination in January 2010, and as set out in its proposed political platform, which was drafted in the era of Badi's predecessor, Muhammad Mahdi 'Akef, and was leaked to the media in August 2007. The translations are taken from reports published by MEMRI over recent years.[1] Badi': The U.S. Is on the Verge of Collapse In a Friday sermon...

With fears that Islamist extremists might come to power in Egypt, there are dire warnings coming out of Moscow. Yulia Latynina, a talk show host and columnist warns in The Moscow Times that a “New Iron Curtain” is descending on the globe. “We are standing at the threshold of a new world. If the fundamentalists get their way, secular authoritarian Middle East regimes will be replaced by Islamist extremist, totalitarian ones. As a result, oil tanker ships will have to sail around Cape Horn, the West will have to urgently search for alternatives to oil as an energy source, Russia...

(Title was truncated) Middle East Crisis Part IX – Social Network Users Call for Days of Rage in Yemen, Bahrain, Libya and Algeria Introduction As part of widespread calls on Facebook for opposition activity against the Arab leaders, numerous Facebook groups and accounts were created calling for popular intifada throughout the Arab world, including Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, and Algeria. The pages called for non-violent and apolitical demonstrations, with some of them providing precise instructions regarding how to behave during the demonstratraions. Following are examples of some of the pages that appeared on the social network: Hat tips to 'Y' at...

TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday praised Egypt's "revolution of the noble" and slammed Western governments' "backward" reaction to the uprising in the Arab nation, state media reported. "The voice of the brave people of Egypt is the voice of revolution. The start of this revolution has astonished the despotic regimes of the region," parliament speaker Ali Larijani was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. "The parliament supports the uprising of the Tunisian and Egyptian people," Larijani said, describing the protests as "the revolution of the noble."

TEHRAN, Jan. 28 (MNA) -- Tehran Friday Prayer Leader has said that the United States’ dream of creating a new Middle East under its domination did not come true and a new Middle East, based on Islamic principles, is taking shape. The remarks by Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami were made in reference to the unrest which has gripped certain Arab countries including Tunisia and Egypt. Tunisian President Zine El Abidine’s government fell on January 14 after weeks of bloody protests over unemployment and high food prices. The spirit of Tunisia also engulfed Egypt, one of the United States’ closest Middles East...

On a Myspace page in Loughner's name, he said goodbye to friends just hours before the shooting and said, "Please don't be mad at me... I cannot rest."

So Sorry but have to say Zot me. Before you zot this account I would like to leave our email. cglangley@gmail.com I love so many here but the "cliques" and unfamily curse wordes;power trips; mentally unbalanced posters who feel they run the forums are just creepy. I Love so many for their years of advocating even those I huge lee disagree with. Salvation;Quix;tubebender;anamerican mom;bd476 are just a few that I felt family with since 1998. Good Luck Jim Robinson. May God Bless you into and beyond 2011 Bye.

People like to talk about the bubble that President Barack Obama lives in, pointing out that he surrounded by more than the usual number of sycophants in this White House. "You have Valerie [Jarrett] berating just about anyone who she even perceives has said something negative about the President," says one White House media aide. "She's constantly on her cell phone taking down some CEO or Senator or Congressional chief of staff for some slight, whether it actually was or not." Then there are the manipulative advisers who create media events like the one at Arlington, Virginia's Long Branch Elementary...

Caroline Glick joins us and takes up arms against our internal enemies -- Western allies (elites, apologists, propagandists and anti-semites) cowed and subjugated by Islamic supremacism (a term coined by Robert Spencer, along with Islamorealism). Our World: The Age of Dissimulation Caroline Glick, Jerusalem Post Years from now, when historians seek an overarching concept to define our times, they could do worse than refer to it as the Age of Dissimulation. Today our leading minds devote their energies and cognitive powers to figuring out new ways to hide reality from themselves and the general public. Take US President Barack Obama’s...

The basic facts of what happened outside Rory Holland's house in Biddeford around 1 a.m. on June 30, 2009, are not in dispute. click image to enlarge Two brothers, 21-year-old Derek Greene and 19-year-old Gage Greene, were walking past Holland's house on South Street when the younger brother exchanged words with him. Witnesses say the confrontation turned physical as Gage Greene shoved Holland. Holland pulled a handgun from his waistband and shot Gage Greene in the chest. Then Holland shot Derek Greene twice, in the chest and the abdomen, as he ran toward the spot where his younger brother had...

Conference of Presidents head Malcolm Hoenlein says many now waking up to Iran’s drive for regional power; tells ‘Post’ fundamental US Mideast policy won’t change following November’s elections. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Lebanon last week was a “watershed” that rammed home for many in the Arab world the realization that the Iranian leader does indeed have hegemonic designs in the region, Malcolm Hoenlein told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, said at a briefing with the Post’s editorial staff that Ahmadinejad’s Lebanon visit was a...

Truth is the New Hate Speech MEMRI is the most vital source of news from the Middle East. Hands down. They translate programs, newscasts, etc., coming out of the Muslim world. Unfamiliar with MEMRI? Go here. Shutting down MEMRI is the equivalent of shutting down Edward R. Murrow back in the day. The implications of such action are unquantifiable. They want to eliminate all information that is damaging about Islam. The TRUTH that is. Everybody needs to be silenced and listen to the MSM Dawa and their praise of Islam. (Hat tip Armaros) I will be sending MEMRI a donation...

I am sick and tired of this site being taken over by Catholics ( of which I am one ) stories or proverbs. This is a news site not a religion site. Go do that somewhere else. I am not opposed to your prostilazion(sp), just not here. We lose credibility if any religious group dictates or can be quoted from this site. As a long term member of this site I regret posting this information, but the site has been buried in Catholic stuff recently and it should be shunted to some separate page.

CANAAN -- A homeowner fired a gun into the air and captured one of three people allegedly burglarizing his barn early Wednesday morning, police say. David A. Fortier, 22, of Canaan, and Damien Shane Towers, 19, of Skowhegan, are both charged with burglary and theft. Rachelle R. Clukey, 19, of Cornville, is charged with theft by receiving stolen property. A homeowner on Whitten Road notified the Somerset County Sheriff's Office at 1:38 a.m. that there were people inside a barn next to his residence who were loading items into a white, 1978 Ford truck, according to Lt. Carl Gottardi. While...

TEHRAN — Having successfully suppressed the opposition uprising that followed last summer’s disputed presidential election, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his supporters are now renewing their efforts to marginalize another rival group — Iran’s traditional conservatives. Conservative rivals of Mr. Ahmadinejad are fighting back, publicly accusing him of sidelining clerics and the Parliament, pursuing an “extremist” ideology, and scheming to consolidate control over all branches of Iran’s political system. “Now that they think they have ejected the reformists, maybe they think it is time to remove their principalist opponents,” said Morteza Nabavi, the editor of a mainstream conservative newspaper, in an...

A top Microsoft executive today compared Apple's iPhone 4 to his own company's problem-plagued Vista operating system. "It looks like the iPhone 4 might be their Vista, and I'm okay with that," said Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer, in a keynote speech at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), which runs through Thursday in Washington, D.C. The successor to Windows XP, Vista launched in early 2007 and was heavily criticized by users, and in a series of e-mails that became public during a class-action lawsuit, even by the company's own senior executives. The consensus, deserved or not, has become that...

War drums are beating in the Middle East. In a short time, the United States has increased the number of its carrier strike groups opposite Iran to three, and reports are raining down of a tightening ring of American and Israeli concentrations all around the Islamic Republic. On the diplomatic front, the Israelis are unusually concerned about their international image (for example, making concessions in Gaza) while their top officials - including Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself - are shuttling between Jerusalem and Washington. Everybody in the region is restless. Turkey is making spectacular diplomatic...

Terror organization taunts Obama, threatens to "not show restraint." Al-Qaida's US-born spokesman warned President Barack Obama Sunday that the militant group may launch new attacks that would kill more Americans than previous ones. In a taunting, 24 minute message that dwelled on Obama's setbacks, including the loss of Massachusetts Senate seat to the Republicans, Adam Gadahn set out al-Qaida's conditions for peace with the US, including cutting support for Israel and withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

Obama on Monday told residents in Theodore, Alabama, that “it’s going to take time for things to return to normal.” “This region that’s known a lot of hardship will bounce back just like it’s bounced back before. We’re going to do everything we can, 24/7, to make sure communities get back on their feet. “And in the end, I am confident that we’re going to be able to leave the Gulf Coast in better shape than it was before.”

I do not know what it is about Islam and liberalism that causes both to turn logic and truth on its head, but we have been witnessing it in different ways in recent days. First there was the “humanitarian” flotilla running the Israeli blockade of Gaza and then there was the appalling anti-Semitism of Helen Thomas, formerly of the front row in the White House press room. Suffice it to say that the so-called Palestinians are not living in a state of “occupation.” They have repeatedly been offered a state of their own, but have refused it for some six...

WAS AHMADI-NEJAD RIGHT (READ THE ARTICLE FARTHER DOWN THE PAGE) WHEN HE recently SAID IF IT'S MONEY OBAMA WANTS, IT'S THERE! Or does this manifest more proof that the Egyptian Foreign Minister was reporting accurately? Reporting from Washington — The Obama administration, which labored for months to impose tough new United Nations sanctions against Iran, now is pushing in the opposite direction against Congress as it crafts U.S. sanctions that the White House fears may go too far. (GUESS THE CHECK CLEARED!) Too far for the murderous regime to remain unharmed by the people rising up against them when sanctions...