Free Republic

SPARTANBURG, SC (FOX Carolina) - Deputies said they were called to an Inman residence Tuesday night after a domestic dispute led to the wife shooting her husband in self-defense. Spartanburg County deputies said they were called to the County Estates Road residence about 8:24 p.m. where they found Robert Fowler, 43, lying and screaming on the ground with a gunshot wound to the buttocks and his wife holding the gun. Deputies said they determined that Fowler got into a fight with his son, pushing him and beating him in the face, and his wife tried to separate them before shooting...

The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States: "A well-regulated militia, being necessary for the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." That sentence above all else seems to cause more debate than any other in the Constitution. In 2008 The Supreme Court found, and I think correctly so, that the founding fathers meant this to mean that individuals had the right to possess firearms to protect themselves from an overzealous and dictatorial government. Gun control advocates seem to think it means only the Army or...

A 62-year-old Greer homeowner died as a result of a shootout with a woman who attempted to rob him at gunpoint at his front door, authorities said Tuesday evening. Greer Police Lt. Jim Holcombe said officers responded to a 911 call at 9:18 a.m. Monday at 203 Pelham St., and found two people with gunshot wounds inside the residence. “The investigation revealed that the homeowner answered the door at his residence, and the suspect asked for some money. When the victim refused to give her any money, she pulled a gun and he (then) pulled a gun,” according to a...

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV)-- Leonard Nathaniel discovered two men, one armed with a gun, had broken into his home. What they didn't know is that Nathaniel had a gun as well. North Charleston police were responding to a call of shots fired in Collins Park Villas near Dorchester and Michaux Parkway. On the way there, they saw a vehicle speeding down Dorchester Road. When the officers pulled the car over, they found 18 year-old Rashaun Dawson suffering from a gunshot wound. Dawson was then transported to MUSC. Arriving at the original crime scene on Big Ben Court, police spoke to...

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- In late October, Sheriff Chuck Wright, reacting to recent violent crime, told Spartanburg residents to arm themselves, but have those comments impacted crime rates? Numbers provided by the sheriff's office tell two different stories when it comes to crime trends. For instance, from October 31, 2011 (when the sheriff urged people to get guns) through January 24, 2012, certain violent crimes spiked, while others stayed the same or even dropped, as compared to the same time period the year before. From 10/31/2011 - 1/24/2012 there was one murder, 21 forcible rapes, 28 robberies, and 95 aggravated assaults...

Washington, DC Saturday, January 21, 2012 Addressing supporters at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, Rick Santorum said, "Three states, Three different winners, what a great country." He also said that this campaign is "painting a bold vision for this country." Santorum also stated that he is moving on to Florida, Colorado and all the upcoming states holding primaries and caucuses. Updated: Saturday at 9:06pm (ET)

South Carolina Saturday, January 21, 2012 Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has won the South Carolina primary. In remarks at his SC headquarters, Gingrich said "thanks to everyone in South Carolina who were with us to change Washington." He also stated that it was "very humbling and very sobering to see so many people who want to get their country back on the right track." Updated: Saturday at 10:07pm (ET)

SPARTANBURG, S.C.-- A customer at the Waffle House on Chesnee Highway shot and killed a gunman attempting to rob the business early Saturday morning, according to a report from the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded to a report of an armed robbery attempt at the Waffle House restaurant at 2230 Chesnee Highway at 1:13 Saturday morning. They discovered that two men had attempted to rob the business. Deputies said a customer at the restaurant who was a concealed weapons permit holder attempted to thwart the robbery and hold the suspects at gunpoint with his handgun until authorities arrived. However,...

However WE must REMIND everyone that it is Romney who is the DEMOCRAT in this race: He was (or may still be) pro-abortion, He still is a pro homosexual agenda (though he claims to be for traditional marriage) candidate, He was anti-gun, He was a big spending taxer, AND WE ARE TO BELIEVE what he says?? No, Mr. Romney-per your concession speech: the PEOPLE chose; and you are NOT that true contrast with President Obama!

Congratulations, Newt!! The Gingrich Revolution begins here and begins now!! Thank you very much, South Carolina!! Thank you very much, Rick Perry!! And now it's on to Florida!! Free Republic is all in for Newt and the rebellion is on!! I'm understanding from his debates and his website that Newt wants to totally dismantle the Marxist/socialist welfare state, fire the czars, repeal ObamaCare, repeal Dodd-Frank, repeal Sarbanes Oxley, privatize social security and medicare, return all federal socialist welfare programs to the states and the people to be controlled locally or shuttered, audit and neuter the Fed, fire Bernanke, fire the...

Santorum rips Romney over Romneycare Something that has been lacking for the most part in past debates is exposing Romney’s continued support for RomneyCare. And Santorum does that quite well here as he casts Romney as untrustworthy. He also goes after Newt’s past position on Health Care, but the RomneyCare portion was most effective in my opinion.

I wrote a comment at WSJ giving plaudits to Rick Perry - BEFORE - the primary and said "If Fred Thompson had dropped BEFORE the SC praimary last election (knowing he wasn't going to continue afterward) - who knows, we might not have thrown away any opportunity of beating Obama by letting McCain hi-jack the party." A gentleman replied to me about being a conservative but he apparently supports Romney under the eroneous notions that Romney would be better for the economy and more importantly - that "the economy is the number one issue" and "social issues" are number two....

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. -- Greenville County deputies have released a sketch of the man they say was involved in an attempted armed robbery last week. Deputies say a 68-year-old woman pulled a gun on a man who tried to force his way inside her home. It happened on Cutler Street on Jan.8. The woman and her friend, Diane Gordon, said they had seen the man walking on Cutler Street. "This fellow had been pretty much canvassing the neighborhood all day," Gordon said. The victim says the man borrowed a flashlight from her friend, and later in the day, at about...

If you haven’t heard already, Drudge is reporting that Newt’s ex-wife has unloaded on him in a 2 hour interview with ABC News. Suddenly, ABC News went into a civil war over when to air the video because of the South Carolina Primary this weekend. Here are the details from Drudge: Marianne Gingrich has said she could end her ex-husband’s career with a single interview. Earlier this week, she sat before ABCNEWS cameras, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. She spoke to ABCNEWS reporter Brian Ross for two hours, and her explosive revelations are set to rock the trail.... ...Levin covered...

Today, Rush Limbaugh said that Republican voters know now that Conservatism is “in Newt’s heart.” “What we had last night in the Newt portion of the debate alone, was the pure and simple, forceful, passionate articulation of conservative principle and belief, that before last night was missing for whatever reason…we know now that it’s in Newt’s heart, it’s there.”

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum touted an 11th-hour endorsement from conservative Christian leaders on Sunday ahead of South Carolina's crucial nominating contest but it appeared to have little influence on churchgoers. With South Carolina's January 21 primary approaching, time is running short for Santorum and other Republican candidates who hope to slow front-runner Mitt Romney's march to the Republican presidential nomination..... ....."I make decisions for myself and I don't listen to what a bunch of leaders say to do," said Victoria Jaworowski, who was attending the Cathedral of Praise mega-church in North Charleston. The Christian leaders meeting in Texas only...

...“We’ll make that decision on Saturday,” [Perry] said on ABC’s This Week. “It’s our intention to win SouthCarolina and go forward from there. But to try to plan out your campaign months in advance, I think is a little bit of a stretch.” The governor, who trailed in the Iowa caucuses and in the NewHampshire primary, said Sunday that his service in the AirForce will play well with the Palmetto State’s large veterans population. He has also tried to gain votes by attacking front-runner MittRomney as a “vulture” capitalist, a phrase that conservative commentators say sounds like an attack on...

Atlanta, GA - Several prominent Christian leaders from across the country have signed on to lead the official pastors and leaders faith coalition for Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign. The Gingrich Faith Leaders Coalition will be led by George Barna who has been hailed as "the most quoted person in the Christian Church today" having founded one of the country’s preeminent Christian polling and market research firms. Barna, who has never before endorsed a political candidate, explained in a statement that he broke his precedent in endorsing Gingrich to restore the “American vision.” “He is a man of great intellect and...

Duncan, S.C. After spending days locked in a bitter fight with some conservatives over his attacks on Mitt Romney as a corporate raider, Newt Gingrich made it clear tonight that he wants to change the topic and get back to attacking Romney from the right. Calling Romney "too liberal for South Carolina," Gingrich told reporters Friday evening that over the next few days there are "going to essentially be, I think, three themes" of his campaign. Gingrich then made the case against Romney on abortion, guns, and taxes: "The first is a clear contrast between the Romney record in Massachusetts...

(CNN) - With eight days to go until the South Carolina primary, a new poll suggests a close contest in the first southern state to vote in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. According to an American Research Group survey released Friday morning, 29% of likely Palmetto State GOP primary voters say they're backing Mitt Romney, with 25% supporting former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Romney's four-point margin over Gingrich is within the poll's sampling error. The survey indicates Rep. Ron Paul of Texas at 20%, Texas Gov. Rick Perry at 9%, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania at 7%,...

Romney Holds 4-Point Lead Over Gingrich (CNN) -- With eight days to go until the South Carolina primary, a new poll suggests a close contest in the first southern state to vote in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. According to an American Research Group survey released Friday morning, 29 percent of likely Palmetto State GOP primary voters say they're backing Mitt Romney, with 25 percent supporting former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Romney's four-point margin over Gingrich is within the poll's sampling error. The survey indicates Rep. Ron Paul of Texas at 20 percent, Texas Gov. Rick Perry at...

GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) - Greenville County deputies said a woman used her own gun to scare off an armed man who tried to get inside her home after asking for help. The incident happened about 7:30 p.m. Sunday at 104 Cutler Way. Deputies said that a man knocked on the 68-year-old woman's door and asked to borrow a flashlight because he had lost his key. They said the woman allowed the man to use a flashlight. Investigators said that while the man was using the flashlight, the woman armed herself. Deputies said that when the man returned to the...

COLUMBIA -- State officials are calling for an investigation after records determined that more than 900 people listed as deceased also have recently voted, calling into question the integrity of the state's election system as South Carolina's first-in-the-South GOP presidential primary just 10 days away. What's unclear from the analysis released Wednesday to a House Judiciary Committee panel from the state Department of Motor Vehicles is whether voter fraud was committed by people assuming the identities of the deceased or if poor record keeping has resulted in South Carolina residents being classified as deceased. Kevin Shwedo, director of the Department...

Like a lot of people, I was fairly startled by Mitt Romney’s new defense of his work at Bain: it was just like the auto bailout! “In the general election, I’ll be pointing out that the president took the reins of General Motors and Chrysler, closed factories, closed dealerships, laid off thousands and thousands of workers. He did it to try to save the business,” Romney said on “CBS This Morning.” “We … had, on occasion, to do things that are tough to try to save a business.” The first thought is, didn’t Romney write an op-ed titled Let Detroit...

Gayle White's antiques shop was empty, just her and a million little cups, lamp shades and dusty postcards. The radio was tuned to Rush Limbaugh ranting against the Republican presidential candidates attacking Mitt Romney's business record. "Nobody likes to fire anybody, but if you're going to make a business successful, sometimes you have to let people go," White said Tuesday, parroting Limbaugh. "It's not fun and nobody likes it, but it is capitalism. There's nothing wrong with capitalism." That abstract view quickly fades into real-life experience in this small, economically struggling community. A company owned by Romney's private equity firm...

Instead of getting a bounce, Romney’s poll numbers are sinking in South Carolina. As I suggested, this ad attack is powerful. He’s followed it up by painting him as governing pro-abortion. Krauthammer is right — Romney’s got to show he can respond. If these attacks work in a Republican primary, imagine how effective Obama will find them in November. BTW, no signs yet that the negative ads are hurting Gingrich, either.

Tim LaHaye, the co-author of the best-selling Christian book series “Left Behind,” and his wife, Beverly, plan to endorse Newt Gingrich’s bid for president, The Daily Caller has learned from three sources. The campaign learned of the endorsement from the influential Christian conservatives Thursday night, one source said. That person told TheDC that the campaign is “very encouraged” by it. (RELATED: Full coverage of Newt Gingrich’s campaign) LaHaye’s “Left Behind” series sold more than 63 million books. It’s the bestselling Christian fiction series in history, according to its website. LaHaye supported former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the 2008 Republican...

RIDGEWAY, S.C. -- Rick Santorum drew a standing-room only crowd today with supporters and undecided voters flowing out the door at YesterYears Restaurant in Ridgeway, a small town outside the state capital of Columbia, “We got 50 people here when he came in November and now we can’t move,” said Jeff Betsch, vice chairman of the Fairfield County GOP and a Santorum supporter. “The flavor of the month thing is over. He is going to come in second if not better.” Trading in his trademark sweater vests for a blue blazer and a gingham button-down, Santorum compared his recent rise...

Presidential candidate Rick Perry's criticism of Mitt Romney's business past has cost him the support of a prominent South Carolina Republican. Investment fund executive and top GOP donor Barry Wynn told The Associated Press Thursday that he's leaving the Perry fold to endorse Romney. Wynn says he was irritated by Perry's attacks on Romney's time at the helm of the private equity firm Bain Capital. As Wynn put it, "It's like fingernails on the chalkboard." Perry struck hard this week at Romney's work at Bain Capital. The firm sometimes turned big profits even as companies it invested in went under...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- With a primary election just around the corner, South Carolina’s attorney general is asking for an investigation into possible voter fraud in the state. On Wednesday, Attorney General Alan Wilson asked State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel to review evidence of potential voter fraud in the state. Wilson said the evidence of fraud was uncovered by Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles Kevin Shwedo during an extensive review of data related to the state's new voter identification law. "Director Shwedo's research has revealed evidence that over 900 deceased people appear to have 'voted' in recent...

Steven Bannon talks to Amy Kramer (Tea Party Express) after the NH debates. TPX will be endorsing for the SC primary. Looks like Nikki Haley is the wingman for Romney. http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/19653938

It is our distinct pleasure to invite you to the South Carolina Faith and Freedom Presidential Kick-Off, sponsored by the South Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition, to be held at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel on Monday, January 16th in conjunction with the Fox News debate. We expect over 500 grassroots activists, pastors, and key leaders from across South Carolina to attend the SC Presidential Kick-Off, including the 2012 GOP Presidential candidates, which will be one of the premier events leading up to the debate. The Kick-Off will begin on Monday, January 16th with a Milk & Cookies...

As per Drudge - no link to story

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Richland County deputies say the owner of a barbershop shot a man who tried to rob his business.

SPARTANBURG, SC (FOX Carolina) - Police officers are responding to a shooting in the Converse Heights area of Spartanburg. Spartanburg Public Safety said officers were called to the 100 block of Connecticut Avenue Tuesday afternoon. Captain Art Littlejohn said the two homeowners were told someone was living in the home, but no one had been authorized to be inside the residence, so they went to check on the property. When they arrived, Littlejohn said they found a stranger at the front door. Both homeowners were armed with handguns, one of them pulled their weapons to warn the man to back...

A Lancaster County woman was beaten to death in Kershaw County with a baseball bat after being kidnapped and assaulted, authorities said. A suspect is in custody and the attack appears random, Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews said. “This was a horribly brutal and senseless crime,” he said. “One of the worst I have ever seen.” According to Matthews: Beverly Hope Melton, 30, of the Town of Kershaw, was in a convenience store around noon Monday and reportedly was harassed by a man later identified as Nickolas Jermaine Miller, 23. Around 1:15 p.m., Melton’s grandmother contacted Chesterfield County sheriff’s deputies...

The last time Newt Gingrich was in Columbia, about 10 peopled showed up to hear him speak at the Lizard's Thicket on Assembly Street. He was at 5 percent in the polls, had lost nearly all of his top S.C. consultants and his campaign was $1.1 million in debt. But Friday, he spoke to about 300 people at Blue Marlin restaurant in the Vista as the frontrunner in South Carolina. He has 12 paid staffers in the state, and - according to reports - he has raised $10 million in this quarter alone. And he's betting it all on South...

A federal judge on Thursday blocked three key provisions of South Carolina's controversial law cracking down on illegal immigration. U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel granted the federal government's request for an injunction against the law that's set to take effect Jan. 1. The ruling applies to portions that require law officers to check the status of anyone they stop for something else and suspect is in the country illegally. Gergel also halted the implementation of sections pertaining to the transportation of illegal immigrants and immigrant registration cards. Gergel has denied the state's request that he suspend all court hearings

Newt Gingrich’s popularity as a presidential nominee is increasing in South Carolina, yet most S.C. voters are still unsure of who is the best GOP candidate to support. That’s the finding of the second Clemson University 2012 Palmetto Poll of a sample of 600 S.C. voters. The Jan. 21 S.C. presidential primary is expected to draw 600,000 voters early next year. “With the demise of (Herman) Cain’s candidacy, which was high in our November poll, Gingrich has risen in popularity,” said Clemson University political scientist Dave Woodard. “This surge is being reflected nationwide, as well.”

The legislature and Governor in South Carolina have had a rather fractious relationship for the past decade. The Governor during that period has typically broken up the good old boy network and actually fought to reduce government in South Carolina and privatize what could be privatized. Well, recently there’s been a port expansion issue affecting Georgia and South Carolina. Georgia wants to deepen the Savannah River to expand the port in Savannah to accept new ships coming through the Panama Canal. The good old boys in South Carolina wanted their backs scratched to get things done. It didn’t work out...

A Batesburg-Leesville man is in jail and accused of stabbing his nephew in the leg, a wound that turned out to be fatal. Juan Perez-Jeronimo, 42, of Two Notch Road, is charged with murder and possessing a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Perez-Jeronimo also is being detained pending action by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as he is from Guatemala and in the country illegally. Lexington County Sheriff’s deputies were notified around 1:49 a.m. Sunday that a man named Diego Alonzo had been stabbed in the thigh. Alonzo, whose age has not been determined, also was from...

Columbia police are investigating whether a man shot to death outside an apartment complex was killed in self-defense. Investigators said 26-year-old Timothy Sligh Jr. was shot more than once in the chest Tuesday night.

Newt Gingrich will bring his surging campaign for the Republican presidential nomination to Bluffton on Tuesday for an outdoor rally. The former U.S. House speaker from Georgia will campaign at the Calhoun Street Promenade in Old Town, said James Epley, the Gingrich campaign’s Beaufort County manager. First, at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday, he will go to a campaign office opening and ribbon cutting ceremony at 6 Promenade St., Suite 1001 B. Then, “from 1 to 2:30 p.m., he’ll be doing an outdoor Town Hall meeting in the Promenade. It’s open to the public,” Epley said. The free event will be in...

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) After suffering from a gunshot wound during a robbery near the Myrtle Beach Walmart early Black Friday, a victim is said to be resting in the hospital. Myrtle Beach Police Captain Kevin Heins said just after 1 a.m., three people were approached by two men in a parking lot across the street from the Walmart located along Seaboard Street. The suspects then asked the victim for her purse at gunpoint at the trunk of a vehicle. Moments later, a 25 year old man was hit in the head. During the scuffle, a shot was also fired,...

A 55-year-old woman was shot in the foot during a robbery attempt after shopping at the Walmart in Myrtle Beach for Black Friday, authorities said. The shooting happened in front of the Osaka Japanese Steakhouse on 794 Oak Forest Lane, near the Wal-Mart off Seaboard Street, and was reported at 1:13 a.m., according to Myrtle Beach Police Department records. Another woman, 58, with the victim told officers the victim and another person, a 25-year-old man, were at the trunk of their vehicle when she heard the victim scream, according to an incident report. The woman told police that she heard...

South Carolina man's attempt to fake his own kidnapping Thursday went awry, starting when his mother negotiated down his ransom to $60 from $100. Christopher Hutto, 30, of Elgin was charged with extortion for orchestrating the "kidnapping" and then trying to get money from his mother, said Sheriff Jim Matthews. Hutto had tried to get his mother to pay $100 to find out where the supposed kidnapper had dumped his allegedly badly beaten body, Matthews said. But his mother got the alleged kidnapper to drop the price by $40 after she said she couldn't afford to pay that much for...

DUNBAR WVa- Dunbar Police have arrested a man on charges of sexual abuse. Edwin Albert Smuda, 58, of Dunbar, is charged with sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person of trust. He is a Junior ROTC instructor at South Charleston High School. According to release from Chief E. E. Whittington Smuda was arrested at him home Thursday afternoon. He was arraigned by a Kanawha County Magistrate. Bond is set at $25,000. Smuda will be back in court at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Some presidential debates feature moderator questions, audience questions or even online questions, but at Saturday night's GOP debate in South Carolina, the pair of Republican U.S. senators from the Palmetto State will join the questioning. Sen. Jim DeMint, a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations and Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Committee on Armed Services, will each ask questions at the debate. Organizers of the debate at Wofford College in Spartanburg are calling it the "Commander-in-Chief Debate" because it will focus on foreign relations and national security issues. Graham is a member of the...

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D) is from Maryland. He doesn’t like the fact that Lindsay Graham (R) from South Carolina is fighting the union appointees at the National Labor Relations Board and their attempt to shut down Boeing’s new 787 assembly line in Graham’s own state. As a result, Cummings is accusing Boeing of unduly influencing Graham and is demanding that Congress step aside for the NLRB. In a letter Wednesday to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Cummings said new documents released by the labor board show the agency came under undue...

1. Alabama is a wonderfully free "right-to-work" state, which simply means it prevents unions from extracting dues from workers who do not wish to join. 2. General Electric's CEO Jeff Immelt is the poster-boy for crony capitalism, having backed Obama's rush to socialized medicine and green energy to benefit various of its business units. 3. It turns out that GE's Aviation division is breaking ground on a new factory in Alabama. And, unlike Boeing, which tried to build a factory in a right-to-work-state, the National Labor Relations Board hasn't uttered a peep. But I'm sure that's just a coincidence. Remember...