Free Republic

A growing number of state organizations seek to remedy what they consider negligent policies and shoddy oversight of public land on the part of federal agencies. Under the umbrella name Transfer of Public Lands, the movement offers a solution to the problem that is simple in concept: transfer ownership and management of public lands administered by federal agencies to equivalent state agencies. These agencies, being accountable to governors, state legislators and citizens, will manage the public lands in a more conscientious, cost-effective way. ... Unlike states east of the Continental Divide, public lands in Western states such as Washington and...

The dabate continues: do we stick to our principles, or do we run to the middle? Since Romney’s shocking defeat, this debate has taken on a new sense of urgency, with the thinking that if Obama was reelected, even Hillary can win this thing?!? Nobody changed teams, obviously…. The moderates remained moderates, and are “now more then ever”, energized to crush the right wing, that “cost us” an important election…. The conservatives, are equally incredulous, and fear a do-over with another moderate, will net us exactly the same results as last time…. THIS DABATE ACTUALLY SEEMS TO BE, BETWEEN REASON...

Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, an ISIS supporter born and raised in Philadelphia, has been indicted on charges of plotting to bomb last season’s Super Bowl in Phoenix, according to the Daily Mail. Kareem allegedly planned to make and use explosives like pipe bombs to kill as many of Super Bowl XLIX’s 70,000 attendees as possible and has been linked to other terror organizations and plots. Among Kareem’s charges is conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Kareem is alleged to be a supporter of ISIS. Other charges against Kareem include interstate transportation of firearms with intent to...

Groups question keeping Four Corners Power Plant open for 25 more years. A coalition of environmental groups has filed a notice of intent to sue the Office of Surface Mining, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others over a July decision to allow the Four Corners Power Plant to operate through 2041. A coalition of environmental groups announced earlier this week its intent to take legal action against several federal agencies for extending operations at the Four Corners Power Plant and Navajo Mine just outside Farmington. On Dec. 21, San Juan Citizen Alliance, among other regional and national conservation groups,...

So far, since Obama flew off to Hawaii he has done nothing but golf. Since he arrived there, we have had the angry black woman run over 35 people in Las Vegas, ending the life of a young mother of three. In Afghanistan, where Obama declared all combat operations over, six Americans were killed. Obama has remained silent on these two incidents, and has instead been busy golfing with Bobby Titcomb. Who is Bobby Titcomb? He is the Obama pal who was arrested in 2011 for 'soliciting prostitute' in Hawaii sting operation. Talk about Obama priorities.

On December 18, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio referenced President Obama’s pending executive action on gun control and said executive order or not, guns will not be surrendered. <*snip*> Now, Jen Psaki, White House communications director, says executive action to go around Congress and expand gun control will be coming in “weeks, not months.” <*snip*> Arpaio said that “there’d be a revolution” if a president ever issued such an order.

Great interview with Trump supporters attending the rally in Mesa: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/videos/2015-12-18/anatomy-of-a-trump-rally-how-the-donald-s-fans-stay-on-message

Mystery solved, but we still do not understand why it was a big secret in the first place. For nearly a week, the media and political worlds have been wondering who paid $140 million to purchase Nevada's largest daily newspaper, The Las Vegas Review-Journal. The primary buyer had taken great pains to remain anonymous, but Fortune has learned from multiple sources familiar with the situation that it is Sheldon Adelson, chairman and CEO of casino operator Las Vegas Sands ... So while the big question has been answered, plenty more remain.

Real-estate mogul Donald Trump entered a Wednesday-afternoon campaign rally in the most dramatic fashion. The Republican presidential front-runner pulled up in his "Trump Force One," his personal Boeing 757-200 jet with "TRUMP" written in giant letters across the side. The rally, conveniently, was at an airplane hanger in Mesa, Arizona. His plane drove in front of the hangar twice before Trump got out. "So we had three venues," he told his supporters. "The first one too small. The second one too small. The third one too small. We said, 'Does anybody have an airplane hanger?'"

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump criticized Fox News Contributors George Will, Charles Krauthammer, and Stephen Hayes at a rally in Mesa, Arizona on Wednesday.

A Middle Eastern woman was caught surveilling a U.S. port of entry on the Mexican border holding a sketchbook with Arabic writing and drawings of the facility and its security system, federal law enforcement sources tell Judicial Watch. The woman has been identified as 23-year-old Leila Abdelrazaq, according to a Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) report obtained by JW this week. Abdelrazaq appeared to have two accomplices, a 31-year-old man named Gabriel Schivone and a 28-year-old woman named Leslie Mcafee. CBP agents noticed the trio "observing the facilities" at the Port of Mariposa in Nogales, Arizona on December 2. Schivone...

Donald Trump holding a campaign rally in Mesa, AZ at International Air Response NOW. Live streams below: http://rsbn.tv/watch-live-donald-trump-holds-campaign-event-in-mesa-az-12-16-15/ shift.msnbc.com

The NAACP has lost its bid to overturn a pro-life law in Arizona that bans any abortion used specifically to target a black baby in an abortion. Arizona became the first state to pass legal protections for unborn babies targeted for discriminatory race-based abortions in 2011. Since then, the law has bounced back and forth through numerous challenges in court, filed by pro-abortion groups. In the latest battle, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals considered whether the pro-abortion groups that filed the lawsuit have legal standing to challenge the law. The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona filed the challenge...

Link only: http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2015/12/12/mesa-mitt-romney-douses-talk-convention-floor-comeback/77064732/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=

Selecting San Francisco's former police chief to head the U.S. Border Patrol would encourage more illegal border crossings because she has a record of not enforcing federal immigration laws, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., argues. Heather Fong advocated San Francisco's "sanctuary city" policy of non-cooperation with federal immigration officials, Johnson said in a letter Monday to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske. "The selection of such a candidate would send a strong message-both in the U.S. and outside of the U.S.-that enforcing our immigration laws is not a priority of U.S. Customs and Border Protection," Johnson wrote.

I have previously written about the Northern Arizona University 'School Shooting' and that it may have been a legitimate case of defense of self and others.    It was clear that the 'school shooter' had been attacked, had been pursued, had articulated a fear for his life, had cooperated with the police, and that the people that he shot all belonged to the same fraternity.   In that article, I hoped that toxicology tests had been done for everyone involved. Blood should have been drawn from Jones and the others involved to determine blood alcohol levels or the presence of...

Karl Rove, who served as an adviser to former President George W. Bush, warned Republicans that nominating Donald Trump could be a death wish for the party. In a Wall Street Journal column published Friday, Rove acknowledged Trump's consistently strong standing among Republicans in the polls, and the impressively high percentage of backers -- 46 percent, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll -- who say they won't stray from Trump before the primaries. Hitting Trump for his antics -- citing the Republican presidential candidate's beef with Fox News host Megyn Kelly and insults of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for being...

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake shocked MSNBC's Chuck Todd Thursday evening with his candid response that Republican lawmakers won't publicly admit they oppose Donald Trump as the GOP presidential nominee because they fear the front-runner would launch a third-party run. "Those who don't want a Republican in the White House want Republicans to say this because the most likely scenario if there's not a Republican in the White House will be because Donald Trump runs as a third-party candidate and if Republicans say now we will not support the ultimate nominee, that gives Donald Trump license to run as a third-party...

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake told worshipers at a north Scottsdale mosque Friday that the rhetoric on display in the GOP presidential campaign this week does not fit American ideals. "This was a difficult week in Washington," the Mesa Republican told more than 200 worshipers at the Islamic Center of the North East Valley. "We are a better country than has been on display this week." "My hope and prayer today is that isolated voices calling for division are overwhelmed by the chorus of voices in this room today calling for acceptance, tolerance and inclusion."

The arrest of two southern California men last week who were planning to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State brings the number of U.S.-based individuals involved in international terror-related cases this year to 40. (UPDATE: with the arrest of Houston-area Asher Abid Khan late Monday for supporting ISIS, the tally is now 41.)This number highlights the metastasizing Islamic terror threat in the American homeland. At the current pace, by the end of June — halfway through 2015 — the number of cases will exceed the number from the past two years combined (48). <-- PJM_300_by_250_middle --> The Islamic...