Free Republic

Tingle talks tough about politics, conservatism Challeges Jack Reed for U.S. Senate seat   By Ellyn Moran Santiago/The Sun Staff U.S. Senate candidate Republican Robert Tingle   WESTERLY — “I definitely have a chance. It’s race, so I have a chance (to win). Someone has to win. It could be me.” But Robert Tingle, a casino pit boss, isn’t naïve. “Trust me; I know the odds are against me. But it’s not a game. It’s democracy.” The 50-year-old Westerly husband and father of two daughters declared his candidacy against incumbent and long-time Rhode Island Democrat in the U. S....

This animated video was created for humor and is suitable for viewing of people of all ages. The characters of this video are Rhode Island roosters and hen.

PROVIDENCE — With the General Assembly elections less than nine months away, the Republican State Central Committee has one-tenth of the cash reserves of its Democratic counterpart and has undergone a heated internal debate over how best to spend its money to elect more Republicans to the legislature this fall. The GOP began 2008 with just $9,721 in the bank, according to filings with the state Board of Elections, after a fourth quarter in 2007 in which the party spent more than $50,000 on staff and fundraising costs. By contrast, the Democratic State Committee started 2008 with about $96,000.

PROVIDENCE — A new initiative borne of a recent incident between a Providence storeowner and two Spanish-speaking customers is asking all Rhode Islanders to help stop hate speech and violence directed at “immigrants and communities of color.” The “We Can Stop the Hate” campaign was announced at the University of Rhode Island’s downtown campus, a week after published reports about a March 1 encounter between two Dominican natives who are also U.S. citizens, and David C. Richardson, owner of Rhode Island Refrigeration. The incident provoked accusations against Richardson of racial profiling and committing a hate crime. The “stop the hate”...

Petraeus: Al Qaida Trying to 'Come Back In' U.S. military officials said there will be no significant reduction in coalition troops in the Baghdad area as part of an effort to stop the Al Qaida offensive in northern Iraq. They said Al Qaida was trying to reenter Baghdad and reverse its losses in 2007. "Al Qaida is trying to come back in," U.S. military commander Gen. David Petraeus said. "We can feel it and see it, and what we're trying to do is rip out any roots before they can get deeply into the ground." Read More Militants Assert...

Who would have figured it? All the mud that the Clintons threw at Barack Obama - the Iowa coordinators spreading the rumors that he was a Muslim, Billy Shaheen in New Hampshire intimating that he was a drug dealer, Bob Kerrey endlessly repeating his middle name, “Hussein.” All for naught but, finally, a Hail Mary pass, what amounted to a Republican ad, stressing Barack’s limp-wristed, Code Pink politics. The spot was based on the most unlikely scenario imaginable - that Democratic primary voters actually gave a hoot about national security. But it worked. Or something worked. And suddenly, she’s back...

This is none other than Rhode Island’s best rooster crowing contest and in America, number one contest. The applause is a cut section of the applause in the song; King Jesus is a Listening All Night Long, by the 5 blind boys’ of Alabama. The characters are, Clara the RI Hen and Joe Beak RI rooster at left bottom and Sam Loud at bottom right. Voice of contestant #1 Joe Beak is real rooster sound and contestant #2 Sam Loud voice is of o7jimmy.

An upset in Newport: Coaty defeats Cicilline in House race01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, December 19, 2007By Richard Salit Journal Staff WriterCharlie Berluti and Teresa Sullivan check in a voter at Carey School, in Newport’s 3rd Ward, yesterday. Political newcomer Steven J. Coaty, a Republican, defeated longtime Democrat figure J. Clement “Bud” Cicilline to win the Dist. 75 House seat.The Providence Journal / Frieda Squires NEWPORT — In yesterday’s special election to fill the vacant House seat of the late Paul W. Crowley, Republican Steven J. Coaty, a lawyer making his first bid for public office in Rhode Island,...

Stanek(Independent) drops out of House election01:00 AM EST on Friday, December 7, 2007By RICHARD SALIT Journal Staff WriterNEWPORT — Independent candidate James Stanek announced yesterday that he is dropping out of the three-way special election for the District 75 House seat of longtime state Rep. Paul W. Crowley, who died in September.Stanek made his announcement in a Cox Communications studio in Portsmouth at the outset of a candidates forum sponsored by the Newport Daily News. His withdrawal makes it a two-way race between Democrat J. Clement “Bud” Cicilline, 67, a former state senator, and Republican Steven J. Coaty, 47,...

  Governor Donald L. Carcieri (RI) CARCIERI STATEMENT ON SAME SEX DIVORCE DECISION 12-07-2007Governor Donald L. Carcieri today issued the following statement regarding the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruling denying the request of a same sex couple married in Massachusetts to divorce in Rhode Island.“I believe this is the appropriate result based on Rhode Island law,” Governor Carcieri said. “It has always been clear to me that Rhode Island law was designed to permit marriage – and therefore divorce – only between a man and a woman.”“While I understand the Supreme Court’s statement that the General Assembly is the...

Governor Carcieri has vetoed legislation — passed during last week’s special legislative session — that would have moved Rhode Island’s presidential primary up from March 4 to Feb. 5, 2008. With other states scrambling to move their primaries and caucuses to earlier in the year, the drive to make sure Rhode Island didn’t get “left out in the cold” began last February with the introduction of a bill to move the Rhode Island date up by a month. As it stands, 36 other states will have voted before Rhode Islanders get their chance to have a say in the presidential...

Another typical race card, pro-illegal immigration over-reaction by the ACLU. The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the State Police seeking the release of a videotape that shows a traffic stop involving illegal immigrants. The videotape shows the first five minutes of a 70-minute stop on Interstate 95 in July by a trooper who pulled over a van with 14 Guatemalan immigrants after the driver failed to use a turn signal. Trooper Thomas Chabot detained the 14 people and brought them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Providence, where they now face deportation. An internal investigation reported that Chabot...

2006 Haunted Labyrinth to Conclude Halloween Night (Cranston, R.I.)-The Diocese of Providence’s Office of Comprehensive Youth Ministry (CYO) today issued a reminder that announced the 2006 Haunted Labyrinth located at 804 Dyer Ave. in Cranston will close for the season on Halloween night. The labyrinth has been open since Friday, September 29 and runs Thursday through Sunday, 7-10:00 p.m.Office of Communications- 278-4600 (or email kdavis@dioceseofprovidence.org)10/26/06Bishop Tobin: "Halloween isn't so scary"

WOONSOCKET -- Maria Montanaro often jokes that the folks who worked in the women’s health department at Thundermist Health Center’s old cramped facility on Arnold Street hadn’t seen the light of day for 15 years because there were no windows in that part of the building. "We actually had to paint a window on the wall," Montanaro, the health care center’s president and CEO, told more than 100 state and city officials who turned out Tuesday for a ceremony dedicating Thundermist’s new primary care facility on Clinton Street in honor of U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy.

Republicans should be thrilled Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee won his primary Tuesday — and not just because he likely saved them a Senate seat. Certainly the most obvious implication from Chafee's victory in a very competitive primary against Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey is that the Republicans at least have a chance to hold on to one of the seats Democrats are trying to win this November. Chafee is running about even in the polls against the man he will face this fall, former Rhode Island attorney general Sheldon Whitehouse, but Laffey was so far behind that Republicans were ready...

On Tuesday, the GOP primary in Rhode Island pits Sen. Lincoln Chafee against Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey. Whatever else may be said about Chafee, he has been a very reliable vote against obstructionist filibusters of judicial nominees. He's voted for cloture all 25 times (see details below the fold). According to Rasmussen, Chafee has pulled to within two points of Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse in his bid for re-election (i.e. 44% for Whitehouse and 42% for Chafee). Whitehouse previously had a six point lead. But Chafee must first face off against Laffey, on Tuesday. Rasmussen has Whitehouse leading Laffey 58%...

With a barrage of television advertisements and the mobilization of its get-out-the-vote machine, the national Republican Party has lined up in Rhode Island to beat back a conservative primary challenge to the most liberal Republican in the Senate, Lincoln Chafee. The outcome on Tuesday could help determine whether Democrats have a shot at taking back the Senate. In an extraordinary pre-emptive announcement, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has said it will concede Rhode Island to the Democrats should Stephen Laffey, the mayor of Cranston, defeat Mr. Chafee in the primary.

September 3, 2006 Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee (R ) has pulled to within two points of challenger Sheldon Whitehouse in his bid for re-election. The latest Rasmussen Reports poll in Rhode Island shows Whitehouse earning support from 44% of voters while Chafee attracts 42% (see crosstabs). Whitehouse had a six point lead last month. Based upon this poll we are shifting the Rhode Island Senate race from “Leans Democrat” to “Toss-Up” in our Senate Balance of Power ratings. Rhode Island is the fifth race in the Toss-Up category. Though he has his sights set on Whitehouse,...

TICONDEROGA, N.Y. (AP) - May 11, 2006 - Chocolate was more than a treat for the Continental Army – it was their MRE's. Rodney Snyder, a historian for candy maker Mars, Incorporated, says the soldiers in the Continental Army would have a couple of cups of hot chocolate in the morning and be good until lunch. He says chocolate was a staple of Revolutionary War rations. Mars is out with a new line of products based on old recipes. American Heritage Chocolate was introduced at a historic fort in upstate New York yesterday. The products will be sold at just...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A former rock-band manager whose pyrotechnics caused a nightclub fire that killed 100 people was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison. Daniel Biechele, 29, could have gotten as much as 10 years behind bars under a deal he struck with prosecutors in February, when he pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. excerptLink

Since immigration and Patrick Kennedy are popular issues being talked about, here is part of the voting record of Patrick Kennedy on immigration. Rep. Kennedy voted againstH.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. H.R. 4437, as amended and passed, includes major improvements in interior enforcement and border security, as well as a reduction in legal immigration numbers. Among its most significant provisions are: a requirement that all businesses must use an electronic system to check if all new hires have the legal right to work in the country; additional security fencing along the Mexican...

Mayor Laffey lamented Senator Chafee’s announcement this morning that he will vote to oppose Judge Alito’s nomination in the Senate and cited the Senator’s announcement as further proof of Senator Chafee’s extremist positions. It has been almost a week since the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send Judge Alito’s nomination to the full Senate. Almost all Republican Senators have announced their positions, and numerous moderate Democrats have come out in favor of the nomination. Senator Chafee’s indecision and now, his opposition, leaves one to wonder what his true intentions are. “It’s disappointing, but not at all surprising,” Mayor Laffey said....

As Sean Hannity is proving to Jerry Springer, a career boost can sometimes come from the most unlikely of circumstances. After all, why should the nation's number two-ranked talk host (by audience size, with Rush Limbaugh in first place) give one of Air America Radio's weakest performers the time of day? Because of Jerry's television fame? Even the liberal network's most diehard apologists seem lukewarm when it comes to supporting the syndicated television trashmeister. And we might add that Hannity has roughly 10 stations running his show for every one still saddled with the dreadful "Springer On The Radio". And...

The plug's finally been pulled at Air America affiliate WHJJ-AM, where enormous ratings losses have nearly killed a once-successful Providence conservative talk station. While at least two tiny stations have already dropped Air America, this is significant because the Rhode Island talker has been one of the network's largest outlets. According to the Providence Journal, Jerry Springer's show is the first to be yanked and will be followed by Al Franken's imminent cancellation:

Christmas in July: City wins again, ACLU loses again Federal appeals court fully rejects ACLU lawsuit against holiday displays on Cranston, R.I., City Hall lawn Thursday, July 07, 2005, 2:50 PM (MST) ADF Media Relations | 480-444-0020 BOSTON-A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit ruled unanimously Wednesday that a woman represented by the ACLU who sued the City of Cranston, R.I., after being offended by Christmas displays at City Hall had no standing to bring her claim. "This is the court's message: you can't sue just because you're an offended observer," said ADF Chief Counsel...

The United States is about to make it more difficult for people to get a driver's license. The Real I.D. act would standardize license requirements nationwide - forcing all 50 states to verify that each applicant is in the country legally. Some say the bill, passed by Congress this week, is the first step toward establishing a U.S. national ID card. For almost a century, each U.S. state has been responsible for issuing its own driver's licenses. There has been no national standard. Eleven states currently grant licenses to non-citizens. A license can be used to do many things in...

PROVIDENCE -- About 30 opponents of legislation that would link getting a driver's license to a motorist's immigration status, marched into Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee's downtown office yesterday, exercising one example of democracy while learning about another: The game of politics, Washington style. The office visitors, members of the American Friends Service Committee and a group called ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), had hoped to meet with Chafee and persuade him to vote against the legislation. The senator, however, wasn't in the office; he was in Washington, D.C. So his office staff politely connected them via...

HOPKINTON, R.I. (AP) - An 80-year-old woman rescued her 67-year-old neighbor from an apartment fire, carrying the ailing woman down two flights of stairs. Madalene Lindill put Grace Brayman's arms around her neck and carried her on her back out of their elderly housing complex Wednesday after Brayman accidentally ignited a fire in her apartment. Lindill told WJAR-TV there was "nothing to it." "I'm not a great person," she said. "You just don't think at the time." Hope Valley-Wyoming Fire Chief Fred Stanley described Lindill as "a small woman." She told him she had served as an auxiliary firefighter in...

ACTION NEEDED NOW: Stop & Shop Supermarkets “negotiating” with Bay Windows to bring sexually graphic, revolting anti-Catholic newspaper back into its stores! Your hard work got it removed in the first place!  As you remember, about three weeks ago the two largest supermarket chains in New England, Stop & Shop and Shaws / Star Markets, bowed to pressure from their customers across the state (i.e., you!).  Both companies agreed to stop distributing ”Bay Windows,” a sexually graphic, anti-family homosexual newspaper, in their stores.This decision was hailed by families all over New England.  Click here to see what was in an...

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed Weds Julia Hart Ceremony Held At West Point POSTED: 9:22 am EDT April 17, 2005UPDATED: 9:30 am EDT April 17, 2005 WEST POINT, N.Y. -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., married Julia Hart on Saturday in a ceremony at the United States Military Academy, which Reed, a former Army Ranger, attended. Reed, 55, and Hart, 39, were wed in a ceremony at the academy's Catholic Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity. Rev. Raymond Malm, pastor of St. Michael's Church in Providence, officiated. The couple's attendants included eight of their nieces, as well as other family and...

La., 12 other states agree to raise high school standards By BEN FELLER AP education writer WASHINGTON -- A coalition of 13 states confirmed plans Sunday to require tougher high school courses and diploma requirements, changes that could affect about one in three students. The announcement is the most tangible sign that the nation's governors, gathered in the capital for a summit on improving high schools, want to see that progress quickly. The participating states have committed to making their core high school classes and tests more rigorous, and to match their graduation standards with the expectations of employers and...

Children Who Lost Parents in Deadly Nightclub Fire Coping With Loss, Change By Brooke Donald/ Associated Press Writer Feb 19, 2005 PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Nathan Mattera's summers now include bereavement camp, and his after-school activities have been pared to counseling and playing near home. He stays close to his grandmother, now his legal guardian, and occasionally sleeps at the foot of her bed. The 11-year-old boy's life was uprooted when fire ripped through the Station nightclub, leaving him one of nearly 70 children who lost a parent in the blaze. Two years after the fire that killed 100, some...

This nation is at war with radical Islam. Our brave soldiers are carrying this fight to the enemy in Iraq. Radical Muslims are said to number about 100 million worldwide (10 percent of the total Muslim population), though I believe the number could be much larger. The "religion of peace" calls for the death of all infidels (that is, you and me) and the Koran tells us that it is permissible for any Muslim to lie to the infidels. This should be our framework as we analyze the Nov. 23 Commentary piece written by Sheikh Abu Hakim Abdullah ("Bush must...

Put info and links about Rhode Island here.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, a Republican moderate from Rhode Island, said on Monday he might not vote for President Bush in the Nov. 2 election. Chafee stressed, however, that he has no plans to bolt his party, and that if he does not back Bush he will write in the name of another Republican. His spokesman Stephen Hourahan said afterward that if Chafee does write in a name it would be that of Bush's father, former President Bush. "I'll look at my options," Chafee said in a brief interview on Capitol Hill after discussing his indecision about...

<p>The first one is a protest of Planned Parenthood's Republicans for Choice "Big Tent" Extravaganza on Monday August  30th, 2004,  at 7:30 PM at the Beacon Theatre. 2124 Broadway, 74th Street & Broadway,  New York City.</p> <p>The other protest is Tuesday Aug. 31st starting at 5:30 pm.  Another "Big Tent" deal. The Republican Big Tent Celebration is a gathering of pro-abort Republicans at The Sky Club - 200 Park Ave., 56th Fl. at 45th between Vanderbilt and Lexington.  We will be gathering at the Vanderbilt entrance.  I will have signs & T-Shirts available.</p>

ORTHODOX EPISCOPALIANS FORM AAC CHAPTER IN RHODE ISLAND TO FIGHT REVISIONISTS Special Report By David W. Virtue PROVIDENCE, RI (5/15/2004)--Concerned orthodox Episcopalians of Rhode Island (CERI) have formed a chapter of the American Anglican Council to combat the growing revisionism in that diocese and to continue the work of the Great Commission. “We formed in response to the actions of General Convention and subsequent measures of ECUSA,” said Leah Turner, president of CERI. “We are determined not to be driven from the church we call home, nor to be in impaired communion with the Worldwide Anglican Communion. Our ‘plan’ is...

Bishop-elect knocks politiciansBy Matt O'Brien  mobrien@sentinelandenterprise.comPROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The bishop-elect of the Worcester Diocese wants to make certain every priest, parishioner, and Catholic politician in the county understands precisely what it means to be a Catholic. "Rejecting that teaching can have certain spiritual consequences," said Bishop Robert J. McManus, who views his new role as a way to help solidify authentic Catholic identity.McManus said he also wants local Catholic politicians to know when they stray from church teaching, especially on issues that have the highest "moral valence.""The most fundamental human right is the right to life, and it is most...

Three Dead, One Missing After Boat Capsizes Near Massachusetts-Rhode Island Bay By Richard C. Lewis/AP May 8, 2004 TIVERTON, R.I. (AP) - A small boat carrying six people home from a family outing capsized in Mount Hope Bay during the night, the Coast Guard reported. Three people died, and one was missing. Officials said a change in the weather might have contributed to the accident. One survivor was 14-year-old Christopher Duarte, who swam to shore and had a resident call authorities about 1 a.m. Saturday. Christopher's father, Allen Duarte, 35, was rescued and hospitalized in critical condition, authorities said. Police...

Edwards fails to qualify for Rhode Island ballot 973 signatures ruled valid; candidates in primary must submit 1,000 Democrats in Rhode Island will be able vote for perennial also-ran Lyndon LaRouche, but barring state Supreme Court interference, they won't be able to vote for John Edwards when they vote in the Sept. 15 presidential primary. "(Edwards) did not have enough valid signatures to qualify," said George Bowen, the associate administrator for the Rhode Island Board of Elections. "He will not be on the ballot." In order to qualify for the Rhode Island ballot, a candidate must have submitted 1,000 valid...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

R.I. Supreme Court hears gun-rights case At issue is what is the proper procedure for issuing a concealed-weapon permit. 01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, December 9, 2003 BY EDWARD FITZPATRICK Journal Staff Writer PROVIDENCE -- The state Supreme Court yesterday took up the question of what it means to "keep and bear arms" in Rhode Island. In a closely watched case, a Massachusetts gun collector and a Smithfield shop owner claim they were denied "due process" rights when the attorney general rejected their applications for concealed-handgun permits. The case, which was dismissed by a Superior Court judge and appealed to...

Friday, October 24, 2003 A sign of the times NEWPORT - The Reverend Canon Jonathan Ostman, rector of St. John the Evangelist, an Episcopal Church in the Point section of Newport, has changed the church's sign. In an effort to disassociate himself from the recent controversial election of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire, Ostman has removed the Episcopal designation from the sign in front of the church, leaving only the broader term, Anglican. Gerslyn Wolf, Rhode Island's Episcopal bishop, said the Newport reverend has not violated church policy. St. John's Church, on Washington Street, has changed its sign...

President George Bush's support within the state is holding steady. In this month's survey, 42 percent feel he is going a good or excellent job, down from 44 percent who rated his job performance good or excellent the last time. Sixty-two percent rate the performance of Senator Jack Reed good or excellent, up from 60 percent in the previous survey. Fifty percent believe Senator Lincoln Chafee is doing a good job, up from 45 percent last June. Fifty-six percent feel Congressman James Langevin is doing a good job (up from 54 percent) and 37 percent believe Congressman Patrick Kennedy is...

<p>The Tri-State Chapter of the Free Republic is sponsoring a get together for Freepers in the Tri-State area and elsewhere.  We will be meeting at the famous NJ Restaurant, Rutt's Hut, a landmark for decades,  in the Delawanna Section of Clifton, NJ at 1:30 PM. September 13th   Get ready for the best hot dogs you ever ate (lots of other stuff on the menu too). We will have our own room.</p>

Just reported on the radio, ABC Radio News, just comin in multiple explosions reported, rail service disrupted

STUDENTS COMPLAIN ABOUT EXPLICIT 'SEX CLASSES' AT PROVIDENCE   The Cowl, a student newspaper at Providence College (RI), has published a detailed report on three sociology courses known on campus as the "sex classes."  (The report is online athttp://www.thecowl.com/main.cfm?include=detail&storyid=407037 .)    Students complain the courses--titled Modern Society, Sociology of the Family and Sociology of Human Fertility, all taught by Assistant Professor of Sociology James Moorhead--include explicit and offensive discussion of sexual issues that runs contrary to Catholic teaching, according to The Cowl.  Students claim class participants have been urged to discuss and advise each other on sexual experiences. The Cowl...

Investigators Examine Club's Exits PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The state fire marshal's office has taken four doors from the rubble of the Feb. 20 nightclub fire that killed 99 people and injured more than 180. According to search warrants filed by police, three of the doors are metal and one is wood. The state fire marshal did not return repeated calls Monday. Whether the exits may have contributed to the catastrophe is still under investigation. Fire and town officials are also trying to determine whether the club was above capacity the night of the blaze. Officials and witnesses said many people...

R.I. Nightclub Death Toll Rises to 98 By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN, Associated Press Writer PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The death toll from one of the nation's worst nightclub disasters rose to 98 after a woman who had been hospitalized died from her burns, hospital officials said Sunday. Kelly Viera died Saturday at Boston Shriners Hospital, said Victoria Brady, a spokeswoman for affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. Viera's age and hometown were not immediately released. Sunday morning, 51 people remained hospitalized in Rhode Island and Massachusetts with injuries suffered in the Feb. 20 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick. Thirty-three were in...

Great White Testifies, Gets Sued Tuesday was a busy day for Great White--and the band's lawyers. Members of the '80s heavy metal outfit finally began testifying before a Rhode Island grand jury and faced the first of what is likely many wrongful-death lawsuits blaming the band in part for the deadly nightclub fire two weeks ago. The families of two of the victims are suing both Great White and club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, claiming they're responsible for the inferno that killed 98 people and injured close to 200--one of the worst blazes in the U.S. in more than...