Free Republic

A drive for a Personhood Amendment has been launched in Alaska. The proposed amendment would call for recognition of all human beings from the biological beginning of their development. Chris Kurka, who is leading the campaign, talked with television station KTUU. "The state's responsibility is to protect our rights -- and the most fundamental of those rights is the right to life," he explains. "So what we're doing...is asking the people of the state to sign this initiative to get it on the ballot, and then to vote for it so that the unborn will be recognized as a person...

Leadership: As Palin jousts with Biden on energy independence, the government reports that we lead the world in energy reserves. From oil to gas to coal, we are sitting on prosperity. So why are we importing anything? One of the interesting sidelights of the NY-23 race was an exchange on energy independence between Vice President Joe Biden and the former governor of energy-rich Alaska, Sarah Palin. Biden, who came in to campaign for Democrat Bill Owens, was reminded of the issue of energy. "The fact of the matter is that Sarah Palin thinks the answer to energy was 'Drill, baby,...

Stay classy, MSNBC. On the day after the Republican Party showed gains in a few statewide elections and with key health care and cap-and-trade legislation pending, MSNBC went back to the well to do what it does best - attack the character of one of the network' favorite targets, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. On the Nov. 4 broadcast of MSNBC's "Countdown," with fill-in host Lawrence O'Donnell substituting for Keith Olbermann (still MIA since New Jersey gubernatorial race went Republican), Michael Musto, gay columnist for The Village Voice and author of "La Dolce Musto" dressed up as Palin and reenacted...

FAIRBANKS — An 81-year-old man was Tasered during a traffic stop last week. It is the second time since 1998 that police have had to make a show of force during a traffic stop to arrest Glen M. Wilcox, a Fairbanks-based Episcopalian priest and real estate agent. Court documents allege that officers with Eielson Air Force Base’s 354th Security Forces Squadron pulled Wilcox over just after 1 p.m. Wednesday for going 11 miles over the speed limit on the Richardson Highway. An officer, identified as a senior airman in court documents, took Wilcox’s license, registration and proof of insurance and...

Sarah Palin and Fred Thompson had the guts to do what Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and the entire Republican Party would not do. One month ago, Thompson became the first prominent national Republican to endorse Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the New York District 23 Congressional race. Palin made an even bigger impact by endorsing Hoffman a week and a half ago. In doing so, Palin lived up to her penchant for going against the mainstream and taking on powerbrokers inside her own party. For those who have not heard about this race, local and national Republican...

David Plouffe slammed Sarah Palin on Sunday for her role in the Republican Party and the NY-23 race, saying the GOP was hanging up a sign, “No moderates need apply,” that will marginalize the party for years to come. Plouffe, Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign manager, said of Palin on NBC's “Meet the Press,” “I think we should thank John McCain for picking her.” “What’s going on in the special election in N.Y. 23, I think, is a remarkable phenomenon that could affect our politics for years to come," Plouffe said. He added that Palin, who endorsed the conservative candidate over...

WASHINGTON (CNN)– Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who came under fire from some conservatives for endorsing Dede Scozzafava in next week's special Congressional election in New York, is now backing Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.

WASHINGTON The envy of nearly every other first-time author, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's good fortune includes an advance upward of $1.25 million, an appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show the day before publication, and a print run of 1.5 million books for a memoir that already sits on bestseller lists. So it's no surprise that in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 17 release date of "Going Rogue: An American Life," there are plenty of other authors hoping that they, too, can sell a few books in Palin's slipstream.

On September 24, former state Representative Beverly Masek was sentenced in federal court for conspiracy to commit bribery at the federal courthouse in Anchorage. Masek admitted to accepting about $4,000 in bribes from Bill Allen, the former CEO of Veco. She also admitted to introducing legislation that would raise oil taxes, then pulling her bill after wringing a cash payment out of Allen—a bit of arm-twisting on a man who was famous for dumping cash into Alaska politics long before an FBI undercover investigation began to uncover Juneau’s Corrupt Bastards Club. U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline gave Masek, a Republican...

Levi Johnston, the estranged father of Sarah Palin's grandson, told CBS in an interview that -- among other things -- Palin had joked about her son Trig, who has Down's Syndrome. Palin has released this statement through her spokesperson Meg Stapleton, which appears to refer to Levi's agreement to pose for Playgirl magazine: We have purposefully ignored the mean spirited, malicious and untrue attacks on our family. We, like many, are appalled at the inflammatory statements being made or implied. Trig is our 'blessed little angel' who knows it and is lovingly called that every day of his life. Even...

On the dirt he has on Sarah Palin: "There are some things that I have that are huge. And I haven't said them because I'm not gonna hurt her that way... I have things that can, you know -- that would get her in trouble, and could hurt her. Will hurt her. But I'm not gonna go that far. You know, I mean, if I really wanted to hurt her, I could, very easily. But there's -- i'm not gonna do it. I'm not going that far." Says he's referring to things Palin did while she was governor of Alaska....

As Alaskans know too well, when Halloween comes around, it usually means we've entered into winter - with nights that are cold, streets that are slippery, and snow that is piling up. That is why this Halloween, Organizing for America is asking every Alaskan who supports President Obama's Health Reform Plan - whether you live in Sitka, Wasilla, North Pole, or Barrow - to join with other Alaskans in a Healthy Halloween Reverse Canvass! Instead of going door-to-door, simply let the people come to you! * Give trick-or-treaters a flier about President Obama's Health Reform Plan and a “Health Reform...

Ecology: The administration creates the mother of all protected habitats for a species whose numbers have increased since Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth." It's our hopes for energy independence that are drowning. When filmmaker Phelim McAleer, whose documentary "Not Evil Just Wrong" takes apart the myths of global warming, got to ask Gore a question at the annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists, McAleer brought up the nine critical errors in Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth." A British court two years ago listed them and said they must be righted before the film could be shown in schools...

GUAM - Despite taking some time to adjust to a totally different climate that challenged them to work extra hard to do their best and challenged maintainers to keep aircraft operational, deployed airmen from Alaska's Elmendorf Air Force Base and their fleet of $140 million F-22 Raptors performed above and beyond expectation with their 36th Wing counterparts stationed at Andersen Air Force Base. As Guam News Factor reported on October 5, heavy rains on Guam caused electronics problems on the visiting Raptors during their temporary basing on island. The Air Force Times had reported that crews at Elmendorf Air Force...

In the not too distant future, a sign that says "Palin for President 2012" could pop up along Highway 101 in San Carlos. That's because a federal judge this week ordered the city to stop enforcing part of its sign ordinance, in response to a lawsuit that contends the law violates free speech rights.

Reporting from Seattle - In what would be the largest habitat zone ever established in the U.S. to protect a species from extinction, the federal government today proposed designating 200,541 square miles on the coast of Alaska as critical habitat for polar bears. Officials said the designation is not likely to further slow the pace of oil and gas development, and it crucially would not impose any controls to slow the biggest threat to polar bears, the melting of sea ice as a result of climate change. Those steps are crucial for polar bears but are being addressed separately in...

The Obama administration is setting aside 200,000 square miles in Alaska and off its coast as "critical habitat" for polar bears, an action that could add restrictions to future offshore drilling for oil and gas. Federal law prohibits agencies from taking actions that may adversely modify critical habitat and interfere with polar bear recovery. Assistant Interior Secretary Tom Strickland called the habitat designation a step in the right direction to help polar bears stave off extinction, recognizing that the greatest threat to the bear is the melting of Arctic sea ice caused by climate change. The Bush administration last year...

The chief of the Justice Department’s public integrity section, which came under fire for the botched prosecution of Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, is stepping down from his position. The official, William M. Welch II, who became a subject of an internal inquiry into the handling of the Stevens case, will return to Massachusetts, where he was a longtime federal prosecutor, and resume his career in that role. William W. Taylor, a lawyer representing him, said in a statement Wednesday that Mr. Welch had decided to move back to Massachusetts “for family reasons.” “While the ultimate result in the Stevens...

Cited on a variety of Internet shops like The AtlanticWire, Newser and Lara Ebke’s Red State Eclectic yesterday was a quote from Matt Lewis, writer, blogger and commentator from Alexandria, Va. He writes in Politics Daily: “If recent elections are any guide, the Republicans' heads will tell them to choose Mitt Romney. Their hearts whisper something else. Is ‘Sarah’ the name of this siren song?” W. McCahill at Newser says: “No matter what kind of gains Republicans make in the midterm elections next year, it’s going to be tough to unseat President Obama — and that’s why the GOP is...

What started out as a simple challenge by a college friend, “Bet you can’t prove evolution,” turned into a 30-year journey for Dr. Carl Werner. Like most of the other biology and medical school students, Carl was educated in and committed to an evolutionary belief system. But when his friend challenged those beliefs, his quest for answers began...

College of the Ozarks news release: Tickets to attend the Sarah Palin Convocation at College of the Ozarks on December 2, are no longer available. The ticket line quickly filled, consuming all tickets available to the public. Due to limited seating, there was a cap on available tickets. “As a charismatic speaker and highly-interesting political figure, Sarah Palin attracts much public interest,” said Sue Head, Executive Director of The Keeter Center for Character Education. “Because of this, the College anticipated that tickets would go quickly.” Governor Palin is slated to speak at College of the Ozarks December 2, as part...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sarah Palin will sit down with Oprah Winfrey the day before her new memoir hits bookstores, Harpo announced Tuesday. The former Alaska governor will make the appearance on Oprah on November 16 to talk about her highly anticipated tell-all, "Going Rogue: An American Life." Palin has never before appeared on the popular daytime talk show. Last December, Winfrey said she had invited her on the show to discuss the election, but suggested at the time that Palin had instead chose other interviewers

During his interview with ACU Chairman David Keene, John Ziegler name-checked Countdown host Keith Olbermann several times. On last night’s edition of Countdown, Olbermann returned the favor. He and Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis had themselves a good chuckle about the confrontation, with Kofinis calling the showdown a “good old conservative rat fight,” and Olbermann wondering if Ziegler was “defending his own crush.” In a Mediaite exclusive, Ziegler reacts by challenging Olbermann to a debate about the former Alaska Governor, and puts his money where his mouth is. Check out the video, followed by Ziegler’s full reaction.

The Interior Department has given Shell approval to drill oil exploration wells in two leaseholds in the Beaufort Sea, which could lead to the first drilling in more than a decade in this area off the north coast of Alaska. Shell Alaska general manager Pete Slaiby hailed the decision as "another positive step towards the ultimate goal of drilling in 2010." But environmental groups criticized the move. "There is no safe way to drill in the Beaufort Sea," said Athan Manuel, director of lands protection at the Sierra Club. "Cleaning up an oil spill in the Arctic's broken sea ice...

Former U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin appears to have posted her CV on an internet job site. The profile featuring Mrs Palin's name and picture claims she is looking for new opportunities in the business world after having stepped down as Governor of Alaska three months ago. The 45-year-old, who is seen by many as a challenger to President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, lists her accomplishments on LinkedIn, a social networking site aimed at professionals in the business world. On the 'contact setting' portion of the site the profile claims she is interested in job inquiries and...

Alaska-based paratroopers are making considerable progress in counter-insurgency efforts aimed at protecting civilians in Afghanistan and developing the local economy in the three provinces in which they operate, their commander says. In the seventh month of their one-year deployment, the soldiers of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) of the 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Richardson, have cut civilian casualties from attacks by the Taliban and other insurgents by nearly 50 percent, said Col. Michael Howard. At the same time, despite an overall rise in U.S. combat deaths in Afghanistan over the last year, the number of soldiers killed...

Some Russians rethink Alaska sale142 years later, sale still a sore spot in Russian history, fuels nationalist rhetoric By Pat Forgey | JUNEAU EMPIRE Is Russia having a case of seller's remorse for letting Alaska go for a pittance? And if so, why did it take so long? It was today in 1867 that Russia formally let Alaska go, peddling its Russian America territory to the underdeveloped United States for $7.2 million to ensure that its rival European power, Great Britain, didn't get it. Now, some Russian nationalists are talking of a return of Alaska to Russia, and blaming corruption...

There was almost a round of cheers at the joint meeting of the Alaska House Resources, Senate Resources and Senate Energy committees in Anchorage on Oct. 9, as enthusiastic legislators listened to executives from Cook Inlet Region Inc. unveil a plan to develop an underground coal gasification plant on CIRI land on the west side of Cook Inlet, with no requests for state funding for a project that might supply electrical power for the Alaska Railbelt for many years to come. CIRI is the Native Region corporation for the Cook Inlet area. “Our project we believe is a very exciting...

The ranking Republican on the Senate's energy committee on Saturday signaled she could vote for a revised version of Democrats' forthcoming cap-and-trade bill. In an interview to air Sunday on C-SPAN, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) explained she would "keep her mind open" during debate over the hotly contested carbon-reduction proposal, a version of which has already passed the House. The Alaska Republican also suggested she could vote for the final bill if it expands domestic oil drilling and better funds nuclear power. "When you see changes to the land coming about ... what is causing the loss of...

Just how is Levi Johnston gearing up for his big bare-it-all photo shoot for Playgirl mag? Johnston's trainer dishes to People mag how his client is prepping for his big photo spread: eating 3,500 calories a day and working out three hours a day, six days a week, along with a lot of cardio. And luckily for Johnston, his favorite food, moose meat, is quite nutritious. "Moose meat is very good for you, high in protein and very lean," his trainer, Marvin Jones, told the mag. "He's an avid hunter, so he has his own." Jones says the two will...

First he was for it. Then he was against it. Now Rep. Mike Ross is back on board with a government-run healthcare plan. Sort of. Ross (D-Ark.), who had emerged as a leader among centrist Blue Dog Democrats opposing the public health insurance option, has suggested something his colleagues consider even more drastic – opening Medicare to those under 65 without insurance. He made the suggestion in meetings with House Democratic leaders and brought the idea to the closed-door House Democratic Caucus meeting Thursday. "I — speaking only on behalf of myself — suggested one possible idea could be that...

As retailers count their robust preorders for Sarah Palin’s upcoming memoir, “Going Rogue: An American Life,” a small publisher out West says his decision to issue “Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska’s Political Establishment Upside Down” by Kaylene Johnson, was one of his best. The book, an unauthorized look at Palin’s life that begins with her early years in Alaska and ends with her winning the governorship, was published originally in May 2008, by Epicenter Press, based in Kenmore, Wash. Kent Sturgis, president, says that the biography sold 13,000 hardcovers and 80,000 paperback copies. Demand was so great that...

Sarah Palin's memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life" will likely be a mega-seller when it hits bookshelves next month, a shot in the arm for the book business and perhaps also for the former Alaska governor's unorthodox political career. Harper, an imprint of News Corp.'s HarperCollins Publishers, said it has received media inquiries from major TV and radio talk shows and is teeing up a major promotional schedule. "Going Rogue" has an initial print run of 1.5 million copies, the same number at the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's memoir, "True Compass."

Justice Department leaders are pressing ahead with reforms to prevent lapses by prosecutors in sharing evidence in criminal cases, a series of changes spurred by failures that led the federal government to take a highly unusual step earlier this year and abandon the conviction of former senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). The reforms come as new allegations emerge that cast doubt on the credibility of the key witness in the Alaska political corruption scandals, including the botched prosecution of Stevens. Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer outlined...the fresh safeguards, such as new training programs for federal prosecutors on their evidence-sharing obligations...

CAS, the Stern School of Business and the Tisch School of the Arts are portrayed as rivals, battling each other for status and prestige. And students sing about isolation, loneliness, cliques, hipsters and, of course, Sarah Palin: "On my own/Pretending she's beside me and/Move over Obama and Michelle, I need a maverick on the ballot in 2012!"

David Kelly's home office in Briargate is a typical middle-aged guy's hideout. It has a computer, two desks, books stacked floor to ceiling and maps on the walls. But at the foot of one desk sit a couple boxes filled with buttons and bumper stickers promoting Sarah Palin as a 2012 presidential candidate. The full-time library district worker spends up to 20 hours a week collecting money and mailing political paraphernalia as part of his federal political action committee's effort to persuade Palin to run.

Levi Johnston’s shameless exploitation by the liberal media is more than just a convenient cudgel for bashing Sarah Palin. It’s a modern minstrel show, with “Middle American” substituted for “African-American” as Levi capers for his condescending media “friends” wearing figurative blackface. And just as the minstrel shows of the past were tools to reinforce prejudice, the Levi Johnston show is meant to reinforce the prejudices and smug sense of superiority of its elitist liberal audience.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A top adviser from John McCain's presidential campaign who has criticized Sarah Palin's odds as a presidential candidate in 2012 is standing by the decision to pick her as McCain's running mate in the 2008 election. Steve Schmidt, who was chief strategist for McCain's presidential race, said Palin helped McCain as a running mate in the 2008 race. Schmidt earlier this month said that Palin would be a catastrophe for the GOP if she's the party's presidential nominee in 2012.

This morning, in an interview with CNN's State of the Union, Sen. John McCain (RINO-Ariz.) apparently used some rather choice language to describe the fairly evident future political aspirations of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Ak.): "Will Sarah and I - did we always agree on everything in the past? Will we in the future? No. But let's let a thousand flowers bloom. Let's come up with a winning combination next time."—http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2360310/posts With only a cursory glance, it appears from McCain's language that he is merely asking for a second chance -- in 2012? -- with Palin. [And, at first...

(snip) Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," the Arizona Republican said: "When we selected, or asked, Sarah Palin to be my running mate, it energized our party. We were ahead in the polls, until the stock market crashed. And she still is a formidable force in the Republican Party. And I have great affection for her. Will Sarah and I - did we always agree on everything in the past? Will we in the future? No. But let's let a thousand flowers bloom. Let's come up with a winning combination next time." (snip)

An Anchorage Native corporation said this morning it aims to build a new electric power plant on the west side of Cook Inlet -- using coal instead of the region's dwindling natural gas supply. The 100-megawatt plant would rely on an emerging but proven technology that doesn't require the coal to be mined. Instead, the coal would be transformed into gas underground, according to officials from Cook Inlet Region Inc., which owns several hundred thousand acres in the vast Beluga coal fields. CIRI proposes drilling wells into coal seams, then injecting oxygen into those wells, causing the coal to combust...

(snip) But former Republican Rep. Tom Davis, who used to run the House Republican campaign operation, added a few more to the mix today in a wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal. Asked who he viewed as 2012 contenders, the Virginia Republican replied: “I don’t think it’s anybody out there right now that’s running around, to be honest.” Palin, he said, is too divisive. “I think as a candidate she probably hurts,” he said, adding to a chorus of Republicans recently dispelling a presidential bid for the former Alaska governor. Romney is too spent. “In a sense he’s the...

The former Vice Presidential candidate opens up about her running life and explains why she's still on the trail. Do you remember your first race? My dad was a track coach and he'd get all the neighborhood kids together and take us to Anchorage for track meets when we were very young. Anchorage is 50 miles from Wasilla. And ever since we were little, we'd do 10-K races as family fun runs. Tell me about a memorable run during the campaign that really stands out. Oh, my gosh, the one that really stands out I'm embarrassed to death to repeat.

(snip) The libertarian movement within the Republican Party, led by U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, is gaining ground fast, to the acute embarrassment of the party establishment.(snip) In essence, libertarian conservatives stand for small government, small business and personal freedom. This translates into lower taxes, increased employment and increased prosperity. These were the policies of President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.Listening to mainline Republican Party spokespersons, people could be persuaded to think Republicans are libertarian. However, recent Republican actions show them to support big government, big business and increasing control over people. This has resulted in higher...

The husband of former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has quit his oil field job on the North Slope. http://www.adn.com/palin/story/958492.html

The United States is now facing a decision on how to meet its future energy needs. In the coming months, the U.S. Department of the Interior will weigh whether to allow oil and gas exploration on Alaska's Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to be expanded. Such exploration could set the country on a clear and sustainable energy path for decades to come. Alaska's OCS contains an estimated 27 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 130 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas. That's more than twice the amount of oil that has been produced on Alaska's North Slope since the Trans...

New York (AP) - That was fast. Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate, has finished her memoir just four months after the book deal was announced, and the release date has been moved up from the spring to Nov. 17, her publisher said. "Governor Palin has been unbelievably conscientious and hands-on at every stage, investing herself deeply and passionately in this project," said Jonathan Burnham, publisher of Harper. "It's her words, her life, and it's all there in full and fascinating detail." Palin's book, her first, will be 400 pages, said Burnham, who called the fall...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Sen. Mark Begich touched base with the people of Anchorage in a town hall meeting Friday night on health care reform. The auditorium at Bartlett Hall was at maximum capacity and organizers had to turn away some people who wanted to attend, but everyone was allowed to leave a written comment for the senator.

WASHINGTON -- In a strongly worded message to Congress outlining presidential priorities for a military spending bill, the Obama administration said Friday it disapproved of including money for pensions for 26 elderly members of the World War II-era Alaska Territorial Guard. The White House move drew swift rebuke from the state's two senators, Republican Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Mark Begich, who had together sponsored the pension fix. The legislation honors 26 elderly Alaskans who are the few remaining survivors of a military unit that served the country with valor, Murkowski said, calling the administration's direction "deeply disappointing, bordering on insensitive."...

A day after former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made her international debut at a Hong Kong investors conference, an Alaska newspaper apologized for a headline that ended up on the front page. Above a small photo of Palin near the bottom of Page One of Wednesday's Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, the headline read, "A broad in Asia." The headline was apparently written intentionally and was not simply an error. News-Miner managing editor Rod Boyce apologized later that afternoon for the "offensive language," noting on the paper's Web site that while the News-Miner had strong disagreements with Palin, it has thus far...