Free Republic

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...