http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pa/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 10:32:06 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286361/posts TAYLOR - A 40-year-old man has been charged in the brutal rape and attempted murder of a 5-year-old girl after a holiday picnic at her family's home, police said. Felix E. Montoya, of 270 Tamworth Drive, was discovered half-clothed in the child's bedroom early Sunday by a shocked family who kept him at bay until police arrived. He was charged with rape of a child, attempted homicide and other offenses. The victim was treated at a hospital for injuries to her face and head, adult bite marks on her thigh and shoulder and severe rape-related injuries, according the criminal complaint.... The Times-Tribune (Scranton, PA) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286361/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 10:32:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281656/posts HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - More than 20,000 Pennsylvanians are expected to exhaust their jobless benefits in mid-July. The state Department of Labor and Industry expects them to be the first large wave of people who have gone through as many as 72 weeks of unemployment benefits. Labor and Industry Department Deputy Secretary Patrick Beaty says the agency sent letters to 21,000 people last week notifying them. He says there is still no letup in applications for benefits, and the agency does not expect the rising unemployment rate to ease in the coming months. Morning Call http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281656/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:23:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2277149/posts In Allentown, the local press is sitting up and taking notice of the diocese's incoming bishop -- and his story is certainly out-of-the-ordinary, with influences ranging from Lincoln to Sheen to JPII: Monsignor John Barres' life must feel as unsettled as the weather of these late June days. He carries an awkward interim title -- Bishop-elect Barres -- and tries to tend to the daily duties of his office even as he prepares to leave it for good and assume command of the Catholic Diocese of Allentown. Barres [pronounced Bar-riss] will become the fourth bishop of the diocese on July... deacon's bench http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2277149/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:54:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275077/posts PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A state appeals court ruled Wednesday that the city cannot enforce an assault weapons ban and a law prohibiting guns bought by one person and given to another, measures passed by City Council in an effort to combat persistent gun violence. The 6-1 ruling marked the latest setback for Philadelphia officials, who have fought for years for the right to pass their own gun legislation. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has previously upheld the state's exclusive right to enact gun laws. The National Rifle Association challenged a series of measures that were passed by City Council in April... ap http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275077/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:05:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2274574/posts Philadelphia's most recent attempt to impose local gun controls to stem the growing number of shootings and murders was invalidated today by a state appeals court. Following a series of rulings that doomed previous Philadelphia gun control laws, the Commonwealth Court held that the state Supreme Court ruled in 1996 that only the state legislature - not municipalities - has the authority to enact gun laws. Writing for the 6-1 majority of the Commonwealth Court, President Judge Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter called the precedent set by the Supreme Court in 1996 "crystal clear." Judge Doris Ribner-Smith wrote separately, concurring and dissenting... philly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2274574/posts#comment Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:15:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274018/posts When former President George W. Bush speaks in Erie tonight, he will undoubtedly receive a warm welcome from the sellout crowd at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center, where he'll address the 104th annual meeting of the Manufacturer & Business Association. The association has a knack for landing speakers when they are hot on the lecture circuit, and it is justifiably proud in bringing the former president to Erie just months after he left office. The crowd leans to the conservative side, but the association doesn't select speakers who merely preach to the choir. Often, the audience hears two contrasting perspectives. Eerie Times & News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274018/posts#comment Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:06:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272948/posts The Palestinian Authority leadership's hysterical, hasty and clearly miscalculated response to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's speech at Bar-Ilan University on Sunday night is likely to boomerang because it makes the Palestinians appear as "peace rejectionists." The PA, perhaps, has every right to be angry with Netanyahu's statements. However, its leaders should have been more careful in choosing the right words to express their sentiments. Even before he completed his speech, several PA officials and spokesmen used every available platform to declare their total rejection of Netanyahu's ideas, especially with regards to the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state and recognition... Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272948/posts#comment Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:54:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2272035/posts An outstanding Flag Day rally was held on the steps of the Chester County Courthouse today. About 150 patriots gathered to celebrate the Flag and nation it represents. Thank You Sheepdogs for making this day happen! Special thanks to Rep Curt Schroder, Carolyn "Bunny" Welsh, Chris Hill and West Chester's Mayor - Dick Yoder for taking time out of their hectic schedule to participate in this event. Videos of their speeches are posted below the fold. I've posted a few photos from the event for you to peruse. The complete set of photos can be found on FLICKRUPDATE: The DLN... Flopping Aces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2272035/posts#comment Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:30:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271692/posts Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah on Sunday expressed outrage and shock over Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's call for the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state and his demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The officials said that the speech which Netanyahu delivered at Bar Ilan University was much worse than they had expected. They also warned that Netanyahu's policies would trigger a new intifada. Some of Abbas's top advisors accused Netanyahu of "burying the peace process" and said the ball was now in the court of US President Barack Obama. Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271692/posts#comment Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:03:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2267264/posts Philadelphia, Pa., Jun 8, 2009 / 11:11 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Monsignor Timothy C. Senior, 49, as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, announced the appointment at a news conference Monday morning in the Archdiocesan Office Center. Msgr. Senior has served as Vicar for Clergy of the archdiocese for the past five years.  Prior to that, he had served for seven years as Deputy Secretary and Secretary of Catholic Human Services for the archdiocese.Born in Philadelphia in 1960, Senior is the youngest of three children.  He was ordained a... cna http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2267264/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 16:35:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2262356/posts * Aid running at less than 55 percent of amount needed * Palestinian Authority borrows $350 million from banks * PA now close to borrowing limit REUTERS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2262356/posts#comment Mon, 1 Jun 2009 19:43:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259695/posts PITTSBURGH, May 27, 2009—A student who wants to form a gun-rights group at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) has been threatened with disciplinary action for her efforts. Student Christine Brashier has turned to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help after reporting that administrators banned her informational pamphlets, ordered her to destroy all copies of them, and told her that further "academic misconduct" would not be tolerated. "CCAC has demonstrated a shocking lack of respect for the rights of free speech and free association," FIRE President Greg Lukianoff said. "Across the country, students are increasingly... Fire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259695/posts#comment Thu, 28 May 2009 11:16:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2259578/posts A Pennsylvania woman who called 911 to report that she and her daughter had been abducted was charged with making a false report and identity theft after police found the pair at a Disney resort in Florida, authorities said Wednesday. Bonnie Sweeten, 38, told authorities Tuesday afternoon that she and 9-year-old Julia Rakoczy were kidnapped after two men in a Cadillac rear-ended her sport-utility vehicle in Upper Southampton, north of Philadelphia. They were being held in the trunk of the Cadillac, she claimed. Sweeten was arrested late Wednesday at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort in Orlando, Florida, said Michelle Henry, district... cnn http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2259578/posts#comment Thu, 28 May 2009 04:09:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2259145/posts Bishop-elect John O. Barres/ Retiring Bishop Edward Cullen Allentown, Pa., May 27, 2009 / 11:04 am (CNA).- A Delaware priest who was baptized by Bishop Fulton Sheen in 1960 has been named the new Bishop of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Bishop-elect John Oliver Barres will succeed Bishop Edward Cullen, 76, whose resignation was accepted by the Holy Father after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.Bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington W. Francis Malooly addressed the faithful in Allentown saying that they will receive a bishop with “a missionary spirit not unlike Saint Paul.”"He is always looking to see how he... cna http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2259145/posts#comment Wed, 27 May 2009 16:53:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2253713/posts A powerful Christian activist group joined thousands of Jews Monday at a massive rally in Washington DC to protest the Obama administration’s pressure on Israel to accept the establishment of a Palestinian Authority state within its current borders. The Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (CFOIC Heartland), which links Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria with Christian churches and individual sponsors around the world, launched its internet initiative over the weekend. The group urged its members to contact the White House and oppose President Barack Obama’s plan to pressure Israel into dividing the country with the Palestinian Authority. Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2253713/posts#comment Tue, 19 May 2009 05:23:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252594/posts Fatah and Hamas met for a fifth round of unity discussions in Cario on Sunday, but PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is prepared for the possibility that they won’t succeed. Abbas warned Hamas last week that if the talks fail, he will move ahead with forming a new PA government in Judea and Samaria that won’t include the Gaza-based Hamas terrorist group. In addition, Abbas traveled to Damascus last Thursday, home to Hamas’ leader Khaled Mashaal. According to Sunday’s A-sharq Al-awast newspaper, Abbas’ visit included a warning to Mashaal that if his group doesn’t come to an agreement with Fatah, he... Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252594/posts#comment Sun, 17 May 2009 12:31:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2251980/posts Welcome me home from Kitty Hawk by joining me for a NiteCap at Freedom Radio as we share wit and wisdom with our guests, Lt. Col. Bill Russell and Lt. Col. Bob Weimann, retired, author of Sins of the General Series. We'll discuss the threat made to Bill Russell from the Murtha campaign as well as the future of the people of Johnstown and the innumerable Murtha family scandals. Bob Weimann has written to the Secretary of the Army on behalf of our friends Capt. Roger HIll and Sgt. Tommy Scott. You can look into the heroic and unselfish story... BlogTalkRadio/NiteCap at Freedom Radio http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2251980/posts#comment Sat, 16 May 2009 00:44:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2251241/posts This is an excellent article post by the Gentile Warrior blog that speaks the absolute truth about the Arabs, Israel, and the insanity called the "two-state solution". Here is an excerpt: Believing in a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine goes beyond asininity and sets in insanity. What, in the last decade, would lead anyone to believe that this is a viable option? The PLO, PA, and now Hamas truly want nothing to do with Israel. Their intention is to eradicate Israel. Eradicate is actually a nicer word than what these groups really want to do. Yassir Arafat cared about... Gentile Warrior http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2251241/posts#comment Fri, 15 May 2009 01:14:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2250040/posts SCRANTON (Catholic Online) Dr. James Calderone was a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Diocese is led by Bishop Joseph Martino, a staunch defender of the Catholic Faith and a Pro-Life Hero. Our readers recall Bishop Martino’s regular and persistent pastoral corrections to Senator Bob Casey concerning his repeated failure to defend the Right to Life. They will also recall the Bishop’s strong defense of orthodoxy on Catholic College campuses in his Diocese. The good Bishop has had an ongoing battle with the so called ‘Diversity Institute’ of Misericordia University, a Catholic University in the Diocese. In... Catholic Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2250040/posts#comment Wed, 13 May 2009 15:32:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2248371/posts The Palestinian Authority attempted to seize control of the "Bridge for Peace” visit by Pope Benedict XVI by claiming authority over media coverage of his tour in Jerusalem. It arranged a meeting in the Ambassador Hotel in eastern Jerusalem for journalists covering the visit, but Public Security Minister Yitzchak Aharonovitch (Yisrael Beiteinu) promptly issued an order to close the hotel. A police order to the hotel was based on the law that prohibits the PA from operating in the capital. Law enforcement officers confiscated documents at the hotel. Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2248371/posts#comment Mon, 11 May 2009 07:58:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2246901/posts Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad appeared at a protest tent near Ma’aleh Adumim on Friday, riding on the coattails of and increasingly hard-line American policy that has almost eliminated issues that can be negotiated between the PA and Israel concerning the shape of a new PA state. Ma’aleh Adumim, whose population of 40,000 makes it the largest city in Judea and Samaria, is located only two miles (five kilometers) from the French Hill area of Jerusalem, where the PA demands to establish its capital. Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2246901/posts#comment Fri, 8 May 2009 14:17:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2246203/posts Another RINO knows he will not win! http://www.pa2010.com/2009/05/breaking-news-ridge-wont-run-for-senate/ www.pa2010.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2246203/posts#comment Thu, 7 May 2009 16:58:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2242669/posts Campaign supporters disappointed by Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's decision to switch parties can have their donations refunded if they choose, the senator said Friday. Specter, making his first appearance in the state since becoming a Democrat earlier this week, said he was unaware if anyone had asked for refunds. But he noted he has ''already had the checks cut'' to return contributions Senate colleagues made to his political action committee. Specter said he would not ask fellow senators to return donations that his committee made to their campaigns. Morning Call http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2242669/posts#comment Sat, 2 May 2009 13:18:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2241184/posts For the first time publicly, Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino made it clear Wednesday that he might eventually bar U.S. Sen. Bob Casey from receiving communion if the senator doesn’t follow his advice on opposing abortion. The bishop also said the senator should now think twice about receiving communion after voting Tuesday to confirm an abortion rights supporter, former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, as Health and Human Services secretary. “If necessary, future determinations will be made regarding whether Sen. Casey is worthy to receive Holy Communion,” a Diocese of Scranton statement on Casey’s vote said. “However, at this... Republican Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2241184/posts#comment Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:40:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2240563/posts Arlen Specter’s announcement that he is switching from the Republicans to the Democrats may have come as a shock, but it shouldn’t. The writing was on the wall for some time — recently illustrated by his vote for the “stimulus” boondoggle and initial support for “card check,” or, as I like to call it, “vote to join a union or regret it.” His 2008 rating by the American Conservative Union — 42 — certainly wasn’t much to write home about, although I’m sure he enjoyed the fawning of the press whenever he voted as a good “moderate” should. “Moderate Republicans”... Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2240563/posts#comment Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:03:28 GMT