Free Republic

Since day one of the Obama administration, I’ve chronicled Loathsome Cowboy Ken Salazar’s War on the West, War on Jobs, and War on Science/ Rule of Law as head of the Interior Department. His eco-radical sidekick Carol Browner is gone, yet Salazar remains in place. Federal judge after federal judge has spanked Salazar and Obama’s job-destroying eco-nitwits for lawlessly and fraudulently imposing their junk-science drilling ban . Salazar spearheaded the pulling of scores of oil leases by invoking bogus eco-claims and has presided over an expansive land grab through administrative fiat. Yesterday, yet another federal judge smacked Obama/Salazar and the...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- A judge on Friday threw out Obama administration rules that sought to slow down expedited environmental review of oil and gas drilling on federal land. U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal ruled in favor of a petroleum industry group, the Western Energy Alliance, in its lawsuit against the federal government, including Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

This week, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal signed House Joint Resolution 2 (HJ0002), claiming “sovereignty on behalf of the State of Wyoming and for its citizens under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government or reserved to the people by the Constitution of the United States.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture again has excluded national forests in Wyoming from receiving federal economic stimulus program money. The federal agency on Tuesday announced nearly $275 million in new federal funds for improvements to U.S. Forest Service trails and facilities in 32 states. It included none for Wyoming.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal concedes that he could have stretched next year’s budget without $230 million in cuts, but that it would be a very short-sighted view to take. Freudenthal addressed a packed room of Wyoming stock growers during their annual convention Friday at Cam-plex Energy Hall. He started the speech with a rundown of agriculture bills that didn’t make it through the state Legislature in the last session, but then moved into his recent 10 percent budget cut for the next fiscal year. “We are not the federal government,” Freudenthal said. “We don’t borrow money, we don’t print money and,...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a former Clinton administration appointee, announced Wednesday that he will support Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. Freudenthal said he was impressed by the large, enthusiastic crowds that turned out to see Obama when he visited Wyoming ahead of last month's caucuses. "They paid attention and were riveted and reactivated, and trying to be part of an America that's bigger than just their own self- interest," Freudenthal told The Associated Press. "And you hope that can work. Because something has got to dig us out of this morass that...

CHEYENNE -- Declaring that Wyoming residents have a right to defend their homes, Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed a bill Thursday that spells out in statute that citizens may use deadly force on intruders. Freudenthal said he supported a last-minute change to House Bill 137 that narrowed the scope of the bill to only cover intrusions inside the home. "I was troubled as it came out of the House because it went outside the castle," said Freudenthal, referring to the bill's common title, the "castle doctrine," which is said to have originated from a concept in English common law that a...

CHEYENNE -- Gov. Dave Freudenthal on Friday signed into law a bill that prohibits government officials from confiscating guns from law-abiding citizens. Sponsor Allen Jaggi, R-Lyman, has said House Bill 57 was prompted by the confiscation of guns by police in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Freudenthal said afterward that he was pleased to sign the bill, although he didn't think it addressed any real problem. But Freudenthal, an avid hunter who was endorsed by the National Rifle Association in his re-election campaign in 2006, said he can understand why supporters want the bill enacted here. "It's not understandable on...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Casper surgeon and state Senator John Barrasso is going to Washington. Governor Freudenthal (FREE'-den-thawl) today (Friday) named Barrasso to replace the late Senator Craig Thomas, who died two weeks ago while fighting leukemia. Barrasso was 1 of 3 candidates nominated by the Wyoming Republican Central Committee after a marathon meeting Tuesday. He and his fellow candidates all embraced what they called "bedrock" conservative values, including low taxes, limited government regulation and private property rights.

CHEYENNE - Gov Dave Freudenthal late Friday afternoon vetoed a bill that would have increased the penalty for killing a pregnant woman, on grounds it would plunge the state into the debate on abortion. Under Senate File 118, people convicted of killing a pregnant woman would be charged with two counts of homicide, with the additional count coming from the death of her fetus. Supporters said the bill would offer justice to victims such as Laci Peterson and her 8-month-old fetus, who were found in the San Francisco Bay after she disappeared Christmas Eve 2002. Her husband, Scott Peterson, was...

NEW YORK A front-page story in Tuesday's editions of the Los Angeles Times attributed a quote to Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal that was taken from a fake news release circulated as an April Fool's joke earlier this year. The article, headlined "Wolves Thrive but Animosity Keeps Pace," examines the reintroduction of wolves to the American West and the controversy surrounding the possible move to take the predators off the federal Endangered Species Act. To bolster the argument that delisting the animals would allow states to "exterminate whole packs" of the animals, Times Staff Writer Julie Cart quoted Wyoming Gov. Dave...

GREEN RIVER, Wyo. - A quote in a fake news release that was intended as an April Fool's joke ended up in a front-page story in the Los Angeles Times. The story in Tuesday's editions of the Times noted how successful the reintroduction of wolves had been 10 years ago, but said the predators remained controversial. "In Wyoming, for example, Gov. Dave Freudenthal last April decreed that the Endangered Species Act is no longer in force and that the state 'now considers the wolf as a federal dog,' unworthy of protection," the story read. The Times printed a correction Wednesday,...

GREEN RIVER, Wyo. - A quote in a fake news release that was intended as an April Fool's joke ended up in a front-page story in the Los Angeles Times. The story in Tuesday's editions of the Times noted how successful the reintroduction of wolves had been 10 years ago, but said the predators remained controversial.

This past weekend a gathering in Gillette, Wyoming highlighted the present, chaotic state of the Democrat Party. As Democrats around the country attempt to portray two faces to their constituencies, one representing moderation, and the other representing fire-breathing liberalism, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal essentially renounced the basic philosophies of his party. More stunning yet was that he did so in the presence of Democratic National Committee vice chairman Mike Honda. Honda then faced the daunting task of attempting to portray a bridge of commonality between Freudenthal’s pragmatic candor and the image presented nationally by the Democrats. In front of an...

Governor says national Dems are too liberal Associated Press GILLETTE - State Democrats should distance themselves from liberal national party leaders whose agenda frequently differs from Wyoming, Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal told state party members at a meeting attended by a Democratic National Committee vice chairman. Wyoming Democrats should instead focus on local issues that relate to Wyoming residents, Freudenthal told about 75 state Democrats Saturday night. "This is a party that's not afraid of firearms," Freudenthal said. "It's a party where people are interested in whether the governor managed to shoot an antelope with one shot." "I don't care...

life's work in bronze A bronze calf was unveiled to honor Clifford Hansen By Ilene Olson rep3@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - A bronze calf dedicated Thursday to Clifford Hansen, former Wyoming senator and governor, recognizes his contributions to the state and to agriculture. "I think it's very appropriate," Hansen said after the unveiling on the Capitol lawn. Hansen, who served as governor from 1963-67 and as U.S. senator from 1967-78, owned and operated a cattle ranch in Teton County. Prior to his political career, he was a member and president of the University of Wyoming Board of...

Residents honor King By Kelly Milner rep7@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - For Jerome Hairston, Martin Luther King Jr. Day means everything. A sixth-grader at Pioneer Park Elementary, Hairston said his mother is white, and his father is black. "If it weren't for Dr. King and what he did, I wouldn't be here right now," he said. "My mom is cool, and my dad is cool; it would be a shame if they couldn't be together." Hairston was a speaker Monday at the 23rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day March here. Around 800 people marched from the...

GOP largely pleased with Freudenthal's speech By Ilene Olson rep3@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - Gov. Dave Freudenthal's State of the State address was pleasantly short and promoted a number of Republican ideas, leaders for the majority party said Wednesday. Overall, the tone of the address was positive, said Senate President Grant Larson, R-Jackson. Larson and Speaker of the House Randall Luthi, R-Freedom, said many of the ideas Freudenthal promoted - wildlife and cultural trust funds, water development and a restricted reserve account - were proposed by Republicans in past years. "These ideas have been Republican ideas for...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- A federal judge on Friday struck down a ban on snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, calling it a "prejudged, political" move that sought to exclude the vehicles from all national parks. U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer ruled that the Clinton-era ban was invalid because it did not involve adequate public participation and failed to follow federal law. His decision could clear the way for new rules that allow the machines. The rule was "the product of a prejudged, political decision to ban snowmobiles from all the national parks," Brimmer wrote. The National Park...

Convention lets local Republicans discuss the issues By Becky Orr rep6@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - Laramie County Republicans supported platform issues Saturday that ranged from voluntary prayer in schools to keeping the job of county sheriff as an elected position rather than an appointed one. In a room decorated with red, white and blue balloons bearing the Bush-Cheney ticket for 2004, the delegates heard from elected officials, including U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyoming, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Trent Blankenship and state Speaker of the House Fred Parady, R-Rock Springs. Parady discussed state budget issues. "Education is...