Free Republic

(CNSNews.com) - The 63-foot Sierra White Fir lighted at the U.S. Capitol Grounds on Dec. 6 as the official 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree includes a prominently displayed ornament paying homage to President Barack Obama, but includes no ornament readily visible to a person standing near the tree's base that uses the word “Christmas,” or includes an image of the Nativity, or bears the name or image of Jesus Christ. On the north side of the tree--at a height of about 4 feet and easily visible to people standing near it---there is an ornament that says: “I ♥ President Obama.”

A conservative group has set up a nativity scene at the Capitol building in Madison, and an atheists' group is seeking its own permit for an opposing display. A WISC-TV report says Wisconsin Family Action has been granted a permit to display its scene until the end of the month. The six statuettes that sit on a table depict the birth of Jesus Christ. Group spokeswoman Julaine Appling says the display is tasteful. She says there's room for a number of different voices. But the Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation says a nativity scene isn't appropriate for a state building....

Update, 5 p.m. Occupy Austin protestors left the Capitol peacefully after Texas Department of Public Safety troopers notified them that they could only stay for three hours in a 24 hour period without a permit. DPS officials weren’t immediately available to comment on the rules surrounding protests on Capitol grounds. Troopers at the Capitol declined to comment. Update, 3:50 p.m. About 30 protestors have now gathered at the Capitol. Ihor Gowda, who has participated with Occupy Austin since its inception in October, said that troopers with the Department of Public Safety have informed protestors that there is a 10 p.m.-6...

Gongwer News Service reported recently that the agency that oversees Capitol Square moved Monday to avoid a public hearing on gun regulations. On October 20, the unelected CSRAB voted to prohibit concealed guns on the property surrounding the Statehouse. From coverage at the time from The Columbus Dispatch: "The thought was that the board wants to be proactive as we continue to have more events outside," said Gregg Dodd, the board's deputy director. "The board's intent is to make the Statehouse the people's house, inclusive and acceptable to everybody, and we just want to assure that all families that are...

TALLAHASSEE — Until less than two weeks ago, someone with a concealed weapon's permit wishing to enter Florida's Capitol with a gun had to leave it in a lock box at the door. That policy, like hundreds of local ordinances limiting where gun owners could bring their weapons, may have been illegal, but that all ended Oct. 1, when a new state law went into effect affirming that only the Legislature can enact laws regulating guns. As cities and counties statewide scrambled to make sure they were in compliance or face a $100,000 fine, the Capitol Police instituted a new...

A 26-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested and charged today in connection with a plot to attack the Pentagon and the Capitol, the Justice Department announced.  Rezwan Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen, is accused of planning to use a remote-controlled aircraft filled with explosives to attack the buildings. He was also charged with attempting to provide support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization — specifically al-Qaida, the organization behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I know what you're thinking, PC police: "That's unfair, you Islamophobe!  Just because his name is Rezwan doesn't mean he's a Muslim, or that his planned attacks were...

ASHLAND (CBS) – Rezwan Ferdaus had run into some minor trouble in the past, but neighbors in his quiet Ashland neighborhood are terrified to hear the disturbing accusations he’s currently facing. The 26-year-old Ferdaus was arrested on Wednesday and charged with plotting to crash explosive-laden remote control planes into the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol. According to neighbors, the home that federal agents raided belongs to Ferdaus’ parents. They moved in 14 years ago and Rezwan still lived with them.

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting to destroy the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol by attacking the buildings with large, remote-controlled aircraft armed with lethal amounts of explosives.... According to a federal affidavit, Ferdaus said he wanted to deal a psychological blow to Americans, the "enemies of Allah," by hitting the Pentagon, which he called "head and heart of the snake."

The American flag flies in tatters above the U.S. Capitol after Hurricane Irene moved through the nation's capital.

For the second time in the past week, hundreds of laid off state workers rallied in the hot sun on the steps of Minnesota’s closed State Capitol to protest the state government shutdown. Wednesday’s rally again took aim at familiar theme: Taxing the state's wealthiest residents to help solve the state’s $5 billion budget deficit. One man held a sign that took his frustration a step further – he had changed it from “Tax the Rich” to “Eat the Rich.”

MADISON, Wis. - Protests at the Wisconsin Capitol over public workers' collective bargaining rights cost more than $7.8 million for police, and damage to the Capitol will cost about $270,000 to repair, a state official said. Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch said during a news conference Friday that local law enforcement incurred $3.9 million in overtime costs from Feb. 14 to March 13. Another $3.5 million was spent on overtime for state agencies that helped cover security such as the Capitol Police, Wisconsin State Patrol, Department of Natural Resources and the Division of Criminal Investigation. Huebsch said that the...

Cindy Sheehan, the Northern California peace activist who rose to prominence for starting an encampment near President Bush‘s Texas ranch, will headline a week-long occupation of the State Capitol next week to protest proposed spending cuts and encourage lawmakers to extend tax hikes. Initially proposed by the California Teachers Association, the occupation has expanded to include protesters with the California Alliance for Retired Americans and the fringe Peace and Freedom political party as well as peace organizations Veterans for Peace and Peace of the Action, of which Sheehan is national director. Sheehan, speaking at a Thursday morning press conference at...

A bill that would allow guns in the Maine State House has been narrowly endorsed by a legislative committee, even as efforts continue to bolster security in the Capitol.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 at 12:00 PM (ET) Washington, DC Wednesday, April 6th in Washington, DC to tell the Budget Committee to Cut Spending Now. They need to hear from you as they crunch numbers and grapple with this year’s budget. You’ve had to tighten your family budget in this struggling economy. They should have to tighten the national budget too. Michele Bachmann is a confirmed speaker. Bus arrangements being made for: New Jersey North Carolina Pennsylvania Maryland Virginia

<p>LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A few dozen protesters are staging a peaceful rally inside the Michigan Capitol and say they would like to stay when the building closes for the night.</p> <p>They are opposed to education funding cuts, taxes on pensions and legislation that would give emergency managers more power over financially distressed local governments and schools.</p>

Activists confirm plans to peacefully take CapitolBy Todd A. Heywood | 03.15.11 | 12:47 pm A group of Michigan activists has confirmed that it plans to stage a protest in the state Capitol building at 4 p.m. today. Lance Enderle, a former Democratic candidate for Michigan’s 8th Congressional district, confirmed moments ago that he is leading the protest. “We are planning to exercise our free speech rights in a non-violent way,” Enderle said. “We will take the Rotunda, and we are not leaving.” The Capitol building closes at 5:30 p.m. and officials have told Michigan Messenger that anyone remaining in...

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a former businessman and now a freshman senator, held a conference call Thursday afternoon with a small group of bloggers. For a freshman, he's entirely fluid on the issues and easily navigates between specifics and larger themes. I asked him about Wisconsin. Why did Gov. Scott Walker take so long to pull out the "fiscal" elements and pass the legislation without a quorum? Johnson first made clear that he and the governor believe this "is not about individual workers . . . but about rebalancing the equation" so that the taxpayers' interests are being protected. As...

Breaking on Fox News from Mike Tobin at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison. Protesters have trapped GOP lawmakers in their offices shutting down the vote at 11 AM and have threatened violence and are trying to enter their offices.

The capitol is being stormed, again.

Madison — Demonstrators crowded the Capitol in a wild scene after senators passed a budget-repair bill in a hastily called meeting Wednesday night that outraged protesters and Democratic legislators. Protesters yelled slogans and blew whistles as the Capitol took on the intensity and passion that marked the early days of the protests. Protesters demanded to be let inside, and in one scene at the southeastern entrance of the Capitol, scores of protesters pressed against the door as two-dozen police pushed them back. One protester got partly inside the door and was dragged in by the State Patrol. Outside, protesters chanted...