Free Republic

OK, so we've had a lot of rain recently in Northern Virginia. Yesterday into today accounted for about 8 inches, with another four inches earlier in the week. There is a small stream down the road which flooded badly, bringing down some trees around the bridge. It's marginally passable if you were to take one car at a time. In any case, the bridge is closed. Fairfax County Police, in their infinite wisdom, chose to block entry to the road at the nearest intersection. What they didn't consider was that they were blocking access to several hundred homes as well....

So I'm watching Bill O'Reilly attempting to ask "tough" questions of former President George W. Bush. Two things come to mind: 1) George W. Bush is a hell of a lot smarter than most anybody gave him credit for. He may not speak well but this man is (and was) acutely aware of almost everything that was going on. 2) Bill O'Reilly doesn't listen to anything the people he interviews actually say. Anybody else see this? I think it was nice to have Mr. Squishy put in his place by W.

Connolly carried this district in 2008 by a pretty wide margin of 11.7% (54.7% - 43.0%). With 57.14% reporting, Fimian holds a narrow lead (49.26% - 48.67%). Based on what I know about Fairfax politics, I'm not optimistic Fimian holds on, but I can hope.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A police officer used a Taser gun to apprehend a fan who ran onto the field during a Phillies game Monday night, and the team and the police are investigating whether it was an appropriate use of force.

So I decided to take a look at the polling data knowing that the official propaganda machine is chugging right along. The Democrats are acting as if their "health care reform" package is a matter of when, not if. People always say that the public is against it, but they may not be aware of how true that is. Real Clear Politics has polled on this issue dating back nearly a year. The original "Final Solution," H.R. 3200, was introduced in July. Since then, the numbers are staggering, and the honest truth is that the public really is universally opposed...

Gun rights advocates have a California police detective in their crosshairs after he apparently posted comments on Facebook advocating that "open carry" supporters should be shot. East Palo Alto Police Det. Rod Tuason apparently posted the remarks on his Facebook page in response to a friend's status update, which suggested that gun advocates who carry unloaded weapons openly — which is legal in California — should do so in places like "Oakland, Richmond and East Palo Alto" and not just in "hoity toity" cities. "Haha we had one guy last week try to do it!" Tuason replied. "He got proned...

RENO, Nev. — A former restaurant worker claims he was fired because he had demanded to see identification for a young-looking woman at Ben Roethlisberger's table where the NFL quarterback and his friends were drinking.

What Count The census is a count of everyone residing in the United States: in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. Who Everyone All residents of the United States must be counted. This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens and non-citizens. When Every 10 years Every 10 years, and the next census occurs in 2010. Census questionnaires will be mailed or delivered to every household in the United States in March 2010. The questions ask you to provide information that is accurate for your household as of April 1, 2010....

As the nation gets a clearer picture of two killers who have made headlines in recent days -- one near Pittsburgh, one in Binghamton, N.Y. -- some are wondering whether Americans have too much access to guns. ... "They were all legal," his friend Edward Perkovic said of the weapons. "He had about four guns. I've been in houses where they have gun cases with 20 guns. He had a small, small amount of guns." "We have 32 people being murdered by guns every day in this country," said Michael Wolkowitz, a board member of the Brady Center, which lobbies...

Federal officials are denying a report that the Obama administration is seeking to end a program that allows trained airline pilots to carry guns. ... Sterling Payne, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, denied the report and said the program that oversees a reported 12,000 federal flight deck officers (FFDO) is actually expanding. "It's inaccurate, this program continues to grow," Payne told FOXNews.com of the editorial. "TSA continues to recruit and put new FFDOs on planes, and we continue to train them and do recurring training." ...

1. Best Picture: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."

Here's an example of a vote they say is clearly for Franken: http://senaterecount.startribune.com/ballots/index.php?review_date=2008-12-17&index=35 Here's an example of a vote they say is clearly not discernable: http://senaterecount.startribune.com/ballots/index.php?review_date=2008-12-17&index=25 Inconsistent much? I don't know how long this information will remain out there. What they're doing is fraud.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xZp-GLMMJ0 Watch the video and tell me the marketing people who put this together did so with a straight face. There is simply no way. It's obvious the inventors ignored the revolutionary new invention called "the sweatshirt" when they made this, but it's so over the top it's laughable. Why is it that when everybody is shown together they're wearing the same color? The first time I saw this commercial I immediately thought of the Neighborhood Watch from Hot Fuzz.

Indiana is still updating its website and it appears that McCain's lead is growing.

FNC is reporting now that a 737 has been hijacked with 130 people onboard and diverted to Vienna.

PHILADELPHIA — Cathy Campbell did a double-take and tapped the brakes when she spotted what appeared to be a pointy-edged box lying in the road just ahead. She got fooled. It was a fake speed bump, a flat piece of blue, white and orange plastic that is designed to look like a 3-D pyramid from afar when applied to the pavement. The optical illusion is one of the latest innovations being tested around the country to discourage speeding. "It cautions you to slow down because you don't know what you are facing," Campbell said. ...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, a noted Republican, says he thought long and hard before deciding against greeting Bill Clinton when the former president visited campus on behalf of his wife's presidential campaign. Clinton pitched the Penn State ties of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday during a stop in State College, reminding the mostly youthful audience that her father and brother both played football at Penn State. In fact, brother Hugh Rodham, a 1972 graduate, was a backup quarterback under Paterno. "I had a little bit of soul search I had to do when...

NEW YORK -- Brian McNamee gave federal prosecutors syringes and other physical evidence his lawyers say back the personal trainer's allegations of drug use by Roger Clemens, who returns to Capitol Hill on Thursday in hopes of rebutting the accusations. ... His side turned over gauze pads and syringes they said had Clemens' blood to IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky in early January, a person familiar with the evidence said, speaking on condition of anonymity because McNamee's lawyers did not want to discuss details publicly. The syringes were used to inject Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone, the person...

I suppose it started this year with the Michael J. Fox commercials. An improperly medicated Fox tugged at the heartstrings of America, painting Republicans as onyx-tower-dwelling demons laughing at Fox's plight. Embryonic stem cell research - ultimately, the creation and destruction of human embryos for "scientific" purposes - would have a cure for Parkinson's, Alzheimers, the common cold, warts, and every other known ailment which has no sure treatment - but the Republicans were playing keep away like a schoolyard bully. Then came the children. Three hypothetical scenarios - a child with diabetes and two adults with afflictions that escape...