Free Republic

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):

Republicans gathered in St. Joseph Saturday night regarded differences within their party not as fractiousness but a sign of good health leading to this year’s elections. Gathered at the annual Buchanan County Lincoln-Reagan Dinner at the St. Joseph Country Club, GOP officeholders and office-seekers called the party energized statewide and nationally. The fact that so many races have produced hard-fought primaries only means a broader base of support for the general elections against Democrats, they said. Missouri U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt said primaries prove a testing ground for candidates at all levels. “I think we’ll see that in the (U.S.)...

Rally for religious liberty set at state capitol Archbishop Robert J. Carlson and John L. Yeats, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention, will join with other religious leaders from around the state for a Rally for Religious Liberty Tuesday, March 27, at the Missouri State Capitol. The rally will begin with registration at 10 a.m. and the opportunity to visit with legislators. Religious leaders and public officials will deliver speeches starting at noon. Bishop John Gaydos of the Diocese of Jefferson City will lead the opening prayer.

"Reizei's [Princeton U.] Blog from America"(My Translation/Summary): "There were three reasons for the stunning Rick Santorum three-state victory which shook the GOP establishment and dented the crown of the presumed frontrunner Mr. Mitt Romney....(snip)........(The) Third explanation is bound up in a very interesting religious development as we speak. At the end of January, the Obama Administration made the following mandate: "Catholic related schools, institutions, and hospitals must be forced to provide birth control (pill), etc. under the health plan of the United States, even to those who are not Catholic believers, otherwise they are in violation."The Obama Administration was...

PLANO, Texas — Standing in front of a massive crowd at a rally in Plano, Texas, Rick Santorum unleashed criticism of Barack Obama and threw out some campaign red meat to supporters hungry for it, telling them the president has an “overt hostility to faith.”“(He’s) trying to weaken them, churches, trying to say that anybody who believes in the values of the Judeo Christian policies,” Santorum said to about 2,000 people in a converted barn, one of his largest audiences of the campaign. He told the audience at the raucous rally that Obama is restricting religious freedoms in this country,...

Santorum Delivers a GOP Stunner Former Senator Wins in Minnesota, Missouri; Romney Campaign Plays Down Nonbinding Contests By NEIL KING JR. And DANNY YADRON DENVER—Rick Santorum jolted the Republican presidential race Tuesday by winning nominating contests in Missouri and Minnesota, puncturing Mitt Romney's claim to be the unstoppable front-runner. Mr. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, was running neck and neck with Mr. Romney in preliminary returns from Colorado, a state Mr. Romney won by a wide margin in 2008. With about 70% of the Colorado vote counted, Mr. Santorum had 38%, to 36% for Mr. Romney. Four years ago, Mr....

ABR is alive and well!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!

Winning 46% of the vote in MN and a whopping 55% in bellweather MO, the question now is whether Santorum is now the real alternative to Romney?

Did Tuesday’s results matter? Nowhere near as much as the results from Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida mattered. But primary campaigns rarely reach stasis; momentum shifts, ebbs, and flows, and the trio of contests yesterday offered a few hints that the storyline will change once again.Rick Santorum is on the verge of overtaking Newt Gingrich as the anti-Romney alternative.Santorum began this contest as the man of the hour, the little engine that could in a sweater-vest who challenged and beat the much-better-funded Mitt Romney . . . and yet he has, at the moment, an entire three...

(Reuters) - Former U.S. senator Rick Santorum rejuvenated his presidential hopes on Tuesday with a shocking sweep of the three nominating contests in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri, dealing a blow to wounded front-runner Mitt Romney. Even though Romney still holds strong advantages in financing and organization, his campaign will now have to refocus to fight back the challenge from the surging conservative Santorum...

His candidacy all but dismissed just days ago, Rick Santorum won the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses and a nonbinding primary in Missouri on Tuesday, an unexpected trifecta that raised fresh questions about Mitt Romney’s ability to corral conservative support. With his triumphs, Mr. Santorum was also suddenly presenting new competition to Newt Gingrich as the chief alternative to Mr. Romney, the front-runner. Where Mr. Gingrich has won one state, South Carolina, Mr. Santorum has now won four, including Iowa...

DENVER — Rick Santorum had a breakthrough night on Tuesday by winning the Missouri primary and the Minnesota caucuses, breathing life into his struggling campaign and slowing Mitt Romney’s march to the Republican presidential nomination. Early returns had Santorum running two-to-one over Romney in Missouri, and the Associated Press projected he would win the state’s “beauty contest” primary, which awards no delegates but provides fresh momentum to the former Pennsylvania senator’s campaign. Romney was hoping to extend his winning streak as he tried to strengthen his claim to the mantle of the presumptive nominee, but he was bracing for a...

By MICHAEL R. CRITTENDEN And NEIL KING JR. Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum handily won Missouri's primary election Tuesday night and was showing signs of strength in Minnesota's caucuses, threatening to deal national front-runner Mitt Romney a setback in two Midwestern states. With results from Colorado just trickling in, the returns from the other two states holding nominating contests Tuesday looked to give a jolt of momentum to Mr. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator.

CNN projects Rick Santorum will win the nonbinding Missouri primary. Missouri is one of three states holding contests tonight in the race for the GOP

Open for discussion.

WASHINGTON — Rick Santorum faced an important opportunity Tuesday to become the chief conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, as he was poised for possibly strong showings in Republican presidential contests in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, was expected to remain the front-runner for the GOP nomination whatever happened Tuesday, thanks to his huge advantages in campaign cash and organization and his impressive earlier wins in New Hampshire, Florida and Nevada. But late polls showed Santorum surging, although polls are notoriously weak at forecasting caucus results, because caucus turnout tends to be low and to require unusually...

Post results of the three primaries here.

Mitt Romney won an impressive 29-percentage point victory in Saturday's Nevada caucuses. For some analysts, the triumph suggested that Romney is well on his way to winning the nomination. For me, the win was expected and confirms my forecast about where the race is heading. Romney maintains his status as the favorite for the Republican nomination, but potential trouble lurks down the road. Romney maintains a great funding and organizational advantage in comparison to his peers. If he senses any candidate (such as Newt Gingrich) might be a serious challenge, Romney can drown out his opponent with television advertising and...

One of the largest companies that provided home foreclosure services to lenders across the nation, DocX, has been indicted on forgery charges by a Missouri grand jury — one of the few criminal actions to follow reports of widespread improprieties against homeowners. A grand jury in Boone County, Mo., handed up an indictment Friday accusing DocX of 136 counts of forgery in the preparation of documents used to evict financially strained borrowers from their homes. Lorraine O. Brown, the company’s founder and former president, was indicted on the same charges. Employees of DocX, a unit of Lender Processing Services of...

PublicPolicyPolling@ppppollsReply Retweet Favorite · Open Missouri is Santorum 45, Romney 32, Paul 19

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has scheduled a trip to Cape Girardeau next month, where he is to be the featured speaker at the local GOP's Lincoln Day event. Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, was invited by U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, who confirmed Monday that he had accepted. The Cape Girardeau County Lincoln Day event is March 10 at 6 p.m. at Ray's Plaza Conference Center. "He really understands blue collar, middle America," Emerson said. "He has the best overall, well-rounded understanding of some of the challenges in a state like ours. I am so happy...

Missouri holds a presidential primary on Tuesday without the allure of New Hampshire, without one of the major candidates and without a binding status on Republican delegates. And, some grumbling goes, without much reason to go to the polls. Don’t give in to that thinking, Republican and Democratic officials say. They insist the voting has significance even though critics have dismissed the primary as little more than an expensive political survey. “Any time you can have the opportunity to make your voice heard in the political process, we certainly think you have an ability and, in fact, an obligation to...

Hannibal, MO — History came alive for a 9-year-old Hannibal girl on Friday. Why? Because she had the opportunity to meet a presidential candidate - Rick Santorum - during his campaign stop in America’s Hometown on Friday. “I’m really excited,” said Eileen Shafer, who was clutching a homemade welcome sign while standing outside the Mark Twain Dinette which was Santorum’s first stop. Why was Eileen excited? “His children are homeschooled just like me,” she said. Eileen was accompanied by her mother, Marie Shafer, who was counting the trip to see the candidate as a part of her daughter’s history curriculum....

COLUMBIA — Sen. Rick Santorum became the first Republican presidential candidate to visit Missouri on Friday when he spoke at Grace Bible Church. Santorum addressed an enthusiastic crowd that well exceeded the 450 people anticipated by organizers. Event planner Jeff Coleman said the turnout was the product of "a Facebook post and word of mouth." Such digital efforts drew Jim Willis an hour away from his home in Macon. Willis said he was still undecided about his vote. In his interview-style address facilitated by evangelical author and radio host James Dobson, Santorum gave uncommitted attendees like Willis plenty to digest....

Voters go to the polls across Missouri next Tuesday for a Republican presidential primary that costs $7 million to put on but has been labeled a mere "beauty contest" for the candidates because it is non-binding. But the early contest, followed by a binding caucus due in mid-March, could serve as an indicator of momentum in the hard-fought campaign to determine who will face off against President Barack Obama in November. "We think Missouri is up for grabs," Ryan Williams, a spokesman for Mitt Romney, said on Wednesday, adding that the former governor was determined to win on Tuesday. No...

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has planned a campaign rally Friday evening at John Knox Village. The event starts at 7:00 p.m. at the retirement village at 400 Northwest Murray Rd. On Thursday, Santorum stopped in Nevada and took jabs at Romney’s health care overhaul in Massachusetts and Gingrich’s shifting policy positions.

"Aegisuchus witmeri or 'Shieldcroc' is the earliest ancestor of our modern crocodiles to be found in Africa," said Casey Holliday, co-researcher and assistant professor of anatomy in the MU School of Medicine. "Along with other discoveries, we are finding that crocodile ancestors are far more diverse than scientists previously realized." Shieldcroc is the newest discovery of crocodile species dating to the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 95 million years ago. This period is part of the Mesozoic Era, which has been referred to as the "Age of the Dinosaurs;" however, numerous recent discoveries have led to some scientists calling the era...

If former House Speaker Newt Gingrich continues in the Republican primaries, not only is he doing more good than harm, he may be the only candidate left who can save the Republican Party. The Republican establishment is bound and determined that it is going to impose a Mitt Romney on us. Conservatives do not want former Gov. Mitt Romney. You see, we have danced this dance before. We had Sen. John McCain shoved down our throats in 2008. How did that work out for us? We have George W. Bush, who barely won his races, and before that we had...

Updated Full Primary/Caucus Calendar Jan 3 Iowa (caucus) 28 Delegates 28 Unbound - Allocation at State Convention Jan 10 New Hampshire (primary) 12 Delegates 12 Bound - Proportional with 10% threshold Jan 21 South Carolina (primary) 25 Delegates 25 Bound - Winner-take-all per statewide vote Jan 31 Florida (primary) 50 Delegates 50 Bound - winner-take-all per statewide vote Feb 4 Nevada (caucus) 28 Delegates 28 Bound - Allocated on results of primary Feb 4-11 Maine (caucus) 24 Delegates 24 Unbound - Convention elects delegates Feb 7 Colorado (caucus) 36 Delegates 36 Unbound - Allocated at State Convention Minnesota (caucus) 40...

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Mitt Romney might want to relish his likely victory in Florida because he has trouble ahead of him in Missouri and Ohio. According to a new Public Policy Polling poll, Romney is trailing Newt Gingrich 30-24 among likely Missouri caucus voters. Sandwiched in between Romney and Gingrich is Rick Santorum who polled at 28 percent in Missouri’s caucus. Missouri is voting in both a caucus and primary this year. The primary election won’t select the candidate the state is giving delegate to because Missouri was going to be penalized for moving its state election up this year....

JEFFERSON CITY, January 25, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - According to newly released State Department of Health figures, Missouri women had 1,019 fewer abortions in 2010 than in the previous year – a 9.4 percent decline. The 9,796 abortions performed on Missouri women in 2010 marks the first time these numbers were below 10,000 since 1973, the year Roe v. Wade was decided. The peak year was 1980 when 21,671 Missouri women had abortions. The one-year 9.4 percent reduction was greater than the decrease in the five previous years combined (down 8.9 percent from 2004-2009). Kansas health officials report that the number...

The Barack Obama administration is quietly in the process of rigging use of the US Census of 2010, which deliberately counted millions of illegal aliens, for the purpose of restructuring the apportionment of the US House of Representatives. Accordingly, as candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of one of the negatively affected states (Montana), Mr. Bob Fanning and I have joined with several others in becoming amici curiae in a pending federal lawsuit brought by the State of Louisiana against the US Secretary of Commerce, et al., which was filed January, 13, 2012 in the United States Supreme Court. What...

Congressional support for controversial online piracy legislation eroded dramatically on Wednesday in the face of an unprecedented online protest supported by tech titans such as Google, Wikipedia and Facebook. Several key senators withdrew their support from the Senate's Protect IP Act (PIPA), including Tea Party favorite Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), an elected member of his party's leadership. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who leads the Senate GOP's campaign team, said the legislation should be put on hold, while Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a sponsor and the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, retreated from the...

The following is the text of Gov. Jay Nixon's State of the State address: 2012 State of the State Address Legislative leaders, Judges of the Missouri Supreme Court, Lieutenant Governor Kinder, state officials, members of the General Assembly, members of my cabinet, and my fellow Missourians. It's an honor to be here this evening, joined by Missouri's First Lady, Georganne Nixon, and members of our family. Over the last year, many Missouri communities have braved unthinkable hardships. And none more so than in Joplin - the toughest town on God's green earth. Time and again, the people of Missouri have...

The nominating process may officially be underway, but Republicans have yet to enthusiastically embrace a potential nominee for president - and despite the late date, most would like to see other candidates enter the race, according to a new CBS News poll. The survey finds that 58 percent of Republican primary voters want more presidential choices, while just 37 percent say they are satisfied with the current field. The percentage of Republican primary voters that wants more choices has increased 12 percentage points since October. Mitt Romney, the frontrunner for the nomination, has struggled to break 30 percent support in...

Mitt Romney: 36 Newt Gingrich: 25 Rick Santorum: 17 Ron Paul: 7 Other: 5 Undecided 10 Other: 5

Santorum's so-called surge is all but gone. Huntsman is catching up.

WASHINGTON, Iowa – A missing Iowa businesswoman's car has been found near St. Louis, Missouri but the 45-year-old still hasn't been located. The Washington County Sheriff's office said Sunday that Sharon Ruth Hopf's 1999 white Chevy Lumina had been found. Investigators are searching the car for clues that might lead to Hopf. The Crawfordsville woman was reported missing Thursday after she didn't show up for work at a home furnishings company she owns in Kalona. Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is asked to contact the the Washington County Sheriff’s Department at 319-653-2107 or 1-800-TIPS-492.

GOP New Hampshire primary debate tonight on ABC at 9pm ET By Nate, on January 7th, 2012 Tonight will mark the first of two debates this weekend focused on the New Hampshire Republican primary. This evening's debate will take place at Saint Anselm College and is sponsored by ABC News, Yahoo! and WMUR. Sunday morning will feature a GOP debate broadcast on NBC at 9am ET (yes, am) but look for more details on that later today. Air Time: Saturday, January 7th at 9pm ET / 6pm PT on ABC Live Stream: WMUR and Yahoo! News Participants: Santorum, Romney, Paul,...

Ready, aim fire. That’s apparently Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s idea of relaxation before returning to the campaign trail this weekend. Ahead of Saturday night’s ABC News-Yahoo-WMUR debate in New Hampshire Perry took a few moments to himself at an Austin-area shooting range. “Just relaxing a bit @ Red’s Range before we leave for New Hampshire!” @governorperry tweeted Friday along with a photo of himself wearing a green sweatshirt and a baseball cap with a firearm in hand. On the campaign trail, Perry, a staunch defender of second amendment rights, has not been shy about talking about his “long love affair”...

This is an appeal to all long-time conservatives. Let's start lining up behind Newt Gingrich, as Thomas Sowell, Art Laffer, JC Watts, Jim Robinson (Free Republic honcho) and others have. The hazzard of holding back an endorsement is that the media, pudits and PAC TV commercials will continue to shape negative opinion against Newt and we may lose our best conservative warrior. The result of the media, pundit and PAC TV onslaught may cause the nominee to be Romney or Santorum. Romney is a moderate and Santorum does not have the experience to Push the conservative agenda in the general...

What a difference a caucus makes. Rick Santorum who two months ago had one percent (1%) support among likely South Carolina Republican Primary voters now is running a close second there with 24% of the vote. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the Palmetto State finds former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney still in the lead, earning 27% support from likely GOP Primary Voters, up from 23% in early November. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is in third with 18% of the vote, followed by Texas Congressman Ron Paul at 11%. Bringing up the rear are Texas Governor Rick Perry...

I'm thinking the only way we will be able to beat Obama will be to have a brokered GOP Convention and a "dark horse" candidate rise out of the ashes. Do I think it will happen? Heck no. So, we are, as my granny used to say: "In a mell of a hess". The GOP Candidates currently running, and the drop-out, Michele Bachmann, have beaten, bruised and bloodied each other so badly that we’re going to make doggone sure we send a nominee into the General Election damaged beyond repair; making victory easy for Obama. The Dems are loving our...

As the results of the Iowa caucus dribbled in, Americans got to see how the GOP candidates greeted victory and defeat. Top vote-getter Mitt Romney was gracious toward Rick Santorum, who came in second by eight thin votes, but uninspiring as he pledged to get America back to work. Santorum pronounced, "Game on," then hailed his Italian grandfather's decision to leave Italy to dig coal, if that's what it took to bring his family to the United States. Ron Paul, who came in third, saluted the work of his enthusiastic volunteers and credited his success to his role as a...

St. Louis Today reported: When is the line crossed between better health and surveillance? In early 2012, wristwatch-like devices called Polar active monitors will be used by older students in PE classes at all 18 Parkway elementary schools. District officials say the devices should help improve the students’ fitness and academic achievement. Later this school year, the district plans to collect data about activity levels and even sleep patterns for a week at a time. It will have the students wear the devices round the clock. Some parents and legal experts are raising privacy concerns about at least that aspect...

Primary absentee voting opens TuesdayBy Dennis Rich Sedalia Democrat December 26, 2011 12:35 AM Absentee voting for the Feb. 7 presidential preference primary opens Tuesday, though the Republican winner will take away little more than bragging rights — and no delegates — in balloting expected to cost the state at least $4 million. Though the state will ultimately refund the costs of the February election, Pettis County coffers will still be tapped for just under $60,000 to hold the election, according to County Clerk Nick La Strada. La Strada said voter turnout in 2008 was at 28 percent, but with...

If members of Occupy Kansas City want to march in the streets next week, they’ll need to pay a $4,100 fee for police protection, police commissioners announced Friday. ****snip**** Members of the movement have camped peacefully for months in a city park south of the Liberty Memorial. At a meeting earlier this month, a lawyer representing the group asked the police to waive the cost of having officers shut down traffic near Ninth and Main streets. The lawyer, Gina Chiala, said the march would be called “The death of the social safety net,” would involve about 100 people and would...

....The move has had the most effect in Iowa. For example, it's normal to have the last debate a few days before the caucuses. When Iowa was planning to hold the caucuses on Feb.6, a Monday, a debate was planned for the Thursday before, on Feb.2. Now, with the caucuses on Jan. 3, it's just not possible to hold a debate a few days beforehand, unless Republicans wanted to do it on NewYear'sEve. So the last debate of a debate-packed season was Dec.15 -- nearly three weeks before the caucuses. Because of Florida's move, Iowa voters won't get a last...

EVELY, Mo. (CBS St. Louis) — A Missouri city is fighting back against an adult sex-shop by not turning on the store’s water as the owner takes his case against the town to federal court. The battle over Don Kleinhans’ Pure Pleasure Boutique in Pevely, Mo., began more than a year ago when he applied for a business license but was denied by the town. He decided to open his store last December despite the fact of not having a business license. Pevely city administrator Jason Eisenbeis told CBS St. Louis that Kleinhans was denied a business license because the...

I'd planned to do this one soon, and today seems as good a time as any, with POLITICAL blog aggravation being what it is. So with that, I'm gonna take a little break, and write about a life & death decision. We live in a nation today where NOBODY is safe anymore. Even Mountain Home is no longer the little "Mayberry" it was when I first came here 39 years ago, and while I have owned, collected and hunted ever since my Marine Corps days, it has only been over the past 5 years or so that I have "packed...