Free Republic

A just-released poll shows Congressman Castle would likely win a US Senate race against state Attorney General Beau Biden, who hasn't yet said he'll run. WDEL's Frank Gerace reports.Audio Here Public Policy Polling's Tom Jensen says Castle's 45 to 39 percent lead shows his vote against the House healthcare overhaul bill didn't hurt him

Oil-refinery workers on the Delaware River yesterday received their second big blow in six weeks, when Valero Energy Corp. said it would close its operation in Delaware City, Del., casting 550 out of work. When workers heard the news, "it was like a time bomb went off," said Matt Edler, who has worked for 10 years at the refinery that rises out of the lowlands near the Delaware River in southern New Castle County. "My grandfather worked there, my father, and I worked there," said Edler, who yesterday afternoon joined other shocked refinery workers at Red Lion Inn in Bear,...

Delaware beats Switzerland as most secretive financial center By: Reuters | 31 Oct 2009 | 07:59 PM ET Text Size By Kim Dixon WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Move over Switzerland. The tiny state of Delaware beats the Alpine country in a contest for the most secretive financial jurisdiction, a tax justice rights group said on Saturday. The United States, led by the eastern seaboard state, took in $2.6 trillion in deposits from non-resident corporations and individuals in 2007, according to a survey of financial jurisdictions analyzed by the Tax Justice Network. The survey of laws, practices and size of inflows in...

Demure Delaware was the first state to ratify the Con stitution, but since then has not made many waves. It might, however, be part of a political wave a year from now, thanks to a direct descendent of Benjamin Franklin. The great man's great-great-great-great-great grandson, Mike Castle, 70, a nine-term Delaware congressman, will be next year's Republican nominee for the Senate seat Joe Biden held for 36 years. This and other candidate-recruitment successes make it reasonable for Republicans to hope that in January 2011 the Senate will contain fewer than 60 Democrats. Biden's seat is now occupied by a former...

The 2010 U.S. Senate race in Delaware is all about the candidates who haven’t decided whether to run yet. The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey in the state finds that longtime Republican Congressman Mike Castle beats state Attorney General Beau Biden by five points – 47% to 42% - in a hypothetical match-up for the seat Biden’s father held for 36 years. Five percent (5%) like some other candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided.

The Dems held the seat for 40 years. And now it is gone.

Voters in the 19th District have chosen Republican Joe Booth. He took over 60% of the vote. Unofficial numbers from 15 of 16 districts: Republican Joe Booth – 4335 Democrat Polly Adams Mervine – 2083 Independent Matthew Opaliski – 408 Libertarian Wendy Jones – 56 The numbers are unofficial because for the second time in two elections, there have been problems with the state’s website and reporting the results as they come in from the election districts. With Joe Booth’s unofficial win in the 19th District Senate race, that leaves the 37th House District without representation – and another special...

House Democrats were surprised at the number of Republican votes they won on the razor close climate change vote, which allowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to let a few more Democrats cast their own no votes. In what Democrats are readily admitting was their toughest vote since they took back power in 2007, the eight Republican votes proved critical to letting Pelosi hand out as many free passes as she could to members who thought that it would be too difficult to selling the bill in their districts.   The climate change bill passed 219-212, by just two votes...

Washington - "My priorities, as I represent Delaware in the U.S. House of Representatives today, begin with the economic opportunities and security for all who live here. We are facing serious challenges in both areas. With state budget shortfalls, rising unemployment and stagnant growth in many of the industries on which we typically rely-- new ideas and bold strategies for the future are required. Simultaneously, our nation's military is spread thin across the world in an effort to confront those who seek to do us harm. One major threat to our security and theirs is the current reliance we have...

A series of loud explosions has been reported in the area of a Sun Oil ethylene facility in New Castle County.

Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) would start off as the front-runner in a 2010 Senate race against state Attorney General Beau Biden, the vice president’s son, according to a new poll. The automated survey, conducted by the GOP firm Susquehanna Polling and Research, shows Castle leading Biden by 21 points, 55 percent to 34 percent. Neither has announced plans to run for the seat now held by Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.), who is not running for reelection, though both appear to be leaning in that direction. Castle, a leading Republican moderate, has comfortably won reelection since first winning the House seat...

The World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert for swine flu to level five Wednesday, one step short of a full pandemic. Already in the U.S. there are 91 confirmed cases. Close to home, there are ten probable cases in Delaware. There were four probable cases reported initially, then the number raised to six, then ten by Wednesday.

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/April/09-nsd-408.html Two Additional Defendants Sentenced for Conspiring to Kill U.S. Soldiers WASHINGTON – The remaining two men convicted of plotting to kill members of the U.S. military during an armed attack on a military base were sentenced today to federal prison terms of life for one defendant and 33 years for the other for conspiring to kill members of the U.S. military, Ralph J. Marra Jr., Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey; David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Special Agent in Charge of the...

Note: The following text is a quote: Three Brothers Sentenced to Life Prison Terms for Conspiring to Kill U.S. Soldiers WASHINGTON -- Three brothers who were convicted of plotting to kill members of the U.S. military during an armed attack on a military base were sentenced today to life prison terms, Ralph J. Marra Jr., Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey; David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Special Agent in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the FBI, announced. U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler sentenced Dritan Duka and Shain Duka...

Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) said Thursday that he’s leaning more toward running for Senate rather than another term in the House, if he decides to run for Congress again in 2010. In an interview on Capitol Hill, Castle also acknowledged that several GOP Senators, including John McCain (Ariz.), have been pushing him in recent weeks to make the move to the other side of Capitol Hill. He said a final decision on his 2010 plans would likely have to come by early summer “at the latest.” Castle’s comments come a week after former Delaware Lt. Gov. John Carney (D) filed...

It's been said that conservatism has different meanings for different people. It may not be textbook, but without a whole lot of navel gazing, here's what it means to me and what Free Republic is all about: In a word, Freedom! In two words, Preserving Freedom. In a handful of words as stated by our Founding Fathers, to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity! America was founded on the proposition that all men are created equal by God and that our unalienable rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness are granted directly by God...

Do not believe the nattering nabobs of negativity. The Nationwide Tax Day TEA Party/Tax Revolt was a huge success!! What we need now is MORE and LOUDER!! Obama has no clue. Being confronted by millions of fed-up citizens is new to him. He never expected the otherwise docile American people to rise up against his wannabe Marxist/fascist totalitarian regime. He's now lashing out at us through the Dept of Homeland Security as if We the People are his enemy. Well, we are! And he now knows it. And he's scared witless!! And the media has been reduced to the speechless,...

Congratulations FReepers and Patriots! According to Henchster's ongoing tallies, we've surpassed 750,000 participants in our nationwide Tax Day TEA Party/Tax Revolt! Woo hoo!! All 50 states fully engaged! Over 600 cities represented and reports still coming in! Huge turnout, huge SUCCESS!! Elected officials take note: DO NOT TREAD ON ME!! Tyranny, usurpation, corruption, overreaching, big spending, high taxing will no longer be tolerated! We the people are FED-UP and we're not going to take it anymore! Ignore us at your own peril! All Congressional seats, all elected offices throughout the land at risk! Revolution is in the air!!

If the Obama administration has taken flak for suggesting that conservative groups might be home to domestic terrorists, it looks like some House Democrat leaders are willing to go even further: But in an interview on Fox TV in San Francisco, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) chalked up the GOP grass-roots effort as “AstroTurf.” “This initiative is funded by the high end; we call it AstroTurf, it's not really a grass-roots movement. It's AstroTurf by some of the wealthiest people in America to keep the focus on tax cuts for the rich instead of for the great middle class,” Pelosi said....

After the 2010 census has been held, the number of seats held by each state in the U.S. House of Representatives will change. The National Conference of State Legislatures recently estimated what the 2010 reapportionment will mean for each state. Eight states are expected to lose one seat each, in the U.S. House and in the Electoral College. They are Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. States that will gain will be Texas (3 seats), and one each for Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Utah. If the bill now pending in Congress to expand the...

We cheer the reddest. We corn the hardest. And, apparently, we grin the widest. Because Nebraska is the happiest state in the U.S., a new study says. The survey — conducted by personal finance Web site MainStreet.com — ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from fiscally happiest to saddest based on a few factors of economic well-being. These included foreclosure numbers, unemployment rates and the ratio of average debt to average annual income. “It reflects the attitude of this state,” said Gov. Dave Heineman. “We are a positive people with a can-do attitude who are focused on...

Hey everyone, Please check out the website linked to this article for information about the tea parties being held (confirmed) in DE. There is one in Georgetown from 12-2 on the circle in Georgetown and one in Laurel from 4-7 pm. Both parties have email links at the site to get more information. There is also mention of a tea party in Dover and Wilmington, though no other info is available on the site as of yet. Please use the website as an excellent resource and point of contact for FReepers in DE interested in attending!

The Delaware Department of Correction says a correctional officer charged with sending harassing e-mails to the governor has been placed on leave with pay. Department spokesman John Painter says 50-year-old Steven Lenhart of Dover was placed on leave Friday pending the outcome of the investigation of the charges.

Are you ready for a FReepathon!!? Well, it's a new quarter and a new president and he's everything we knew he would be. In less than 90 days he's managed to take an economic downturn and turn it into an unmitigated disaster for good old American capitalism. Never let a good crisis go to waste! The government is now printing money as fast as they can run the presses. Our federal budget is doubling and tripling and the Fed is running with no controls or oversight whatsoever from the congress, pumping trillions more into the "economy." The government now spends...

DOVER, Del. — Delaware health officials say the number of chlamydia infections reported in the state this year is up 40 percent from the same time last year. More than 900 cases of chlamydia have been reported to the Division of Public Health so far this year, compared with about 700 during the same period last year. Cathy Mosley, the administrator of the Division's sexually transmitted disease program, says the increase reflects a nationwide trend. She says chlamydia infections have risen as incidents of other sexually transmitted diseases decline.

Washington Crosses the Delaware, 1776 Back | EyeWitnesstoHistory.com Washington Crosses the Delaware, 1776 December 1776 was a desperate time for George Washington and the American Revolution. The ragtag Continental Army was encamped along the Pennsylvania shore of the Delaware River exhausted, demoralized and uncertain of its future. The troubles had begun the previous August when British and Hessian troops invaded Long Island routing the colonial forces, forcing a desperate escape to the island of Manhattan. The British followed up their victory with an attack on Manhattan that compelled the Americans to again retreat, this time across the Hudson River...

President-elect Barack Obama is asking the country to look to George Washington's improbable crossing on the Delaware River on Christmas Day as inspiration to get through current tough times. Obama said in a holiday message that Washington and his army "faced impossible odds" as they fought against the British on Dec. 25, 1776, the day they surprised Hessian forces and won victories that gave new momentum and hope to American Independence. Obama used that story to say that "hope endures and that a new birth of peace is always possible" — even as many Americans are serving overseas and others...

CAMDEN, New Jersey (Reuters) – Five Muslim men accused of planning an attack on a U.S. army base had no intention of following through even though they shared Muslim anger toward America after September 11, defense attorneys said on Tuesday. The men, all born outside the United States, plotted but did not execute an attack on Fort Dix in New Jersey and discussed attacks on other installations including Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and the U.S. Coast Guard in Philadelphia, prosecutors say. They were arrested in May 2007 and face life in prison if convicted. In closing arguments after...

Both MSNBC and the New York Times have reported rumors that the reason that Joe Biden hasn't resigned from the Senate yet is that he's hoping to pave the way for his son, Beau Biden (their names rhyme. It's adorable. Cute as buttons, that Biden family.) to take his seat. The rumors are confusing as hell, but here's what I got out of them: If Biden resigns today, the current governor of Delaware, Ruth Ann Minner, would choose his successor. It would all work out spendidly: Resign. Appoint. Inaugurate. The "wash, rinse, repeat" of the political world. But here's the...

Delaware State Police stopped Alvina Vansickle from purchasing a .22-caliber pistol for self-defense because she was too old and a woman, said Superintendent Col. Thomas MacLeish. The outrage that followed led to the revelation that Delaware State Police had been keeping lists of gun buyers for years; state law requires them to destroy these records after 60 days.

Joe Biden sent me an email tonight, ok, not really, it’s actually the Obama campaign channeling Joe Biden, but an email nonetheless came ‘from’ Joe Biden and he is mad. And he wants money for his madness. The email starts by Joe telling me that the McCain campaign is on the ropes and they are telling outright lies. Biden goes on to say that he has heard ‘unspeakable’ things in this campaign season that are ‘deeply offensive smears.’ The email then says that McCain-Palin is running a ‘dishonorable” campaign and he and Barack are fighting back but they need my...

I'm not sure it was a good idea to use Delaware as an example of evil deregulation where corporations can operate with less oversight .... WHEN YOUR RUNNING MATE REPRESENTS THE STATE OF DELAWARE!

I hope Fact-Check is paying attention to this debate and will scour through all of Joe Biden's assertions tonight, but I'll comment on just one but I think it is very indicative of Joe Biden's character. He's talked about the neighborhood he grew up in -- now he's claiming it was Claymont, Delaware. He never lived in Claymont. His prep school (Archmere) was in Claymont. Scrappy Joe from Scranton -- he's tried to connect himself to small town America and he has to lie to accomplish this. I know this is minor compared with the substantive whoppers he slung tonight,...

"Our prayers have been answered. Both sides have united and are working together to bring Lauren home," said Randy Richardson, father of Lauren Richardson, a 23 year-old Delaware woman who suffered brain damage after a heroin overdose in 2006. In a stunning change of events that has caused jubilation among local pro-lifers, Randy and Lauren’s mother have agreed to remove Lauren from the Arbors Rehabilitation Center in New Castle in order to "put her into a regiment of therapy," according to Randy, who adds, "things have worked out for Lauren and we give the glory to God." Bess McAneny, president...

The Democratic primary for Governor was the most hotly contested race in the state. It pitted Delaware’s Lieutenant Governor against the State Treasurer. Tuesday night, Democrats made their choice..Jack Markell. Markell thinks Delawareans, in the end, voted for him, because they believed he offered the best opportunity to move the state forward. For John Carney,it was a disappointing loss, but he says he will support the Democratic nominee in November and he urged his supporters to do the same.

Midnight Train to DelawareIt is the image the Obama campaign has been pushing since the moment the selection was made: that of Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Amtrak. Lunchpail Joe, they say, is just “one of the people.” Such a Regular Joe Sixpack, in fact, we’ll end up calling him Vice President Joey. Joe Biden, you see, takes the morning train. He works from nine to five a day. He takes another home again, to find….well, you get the idea. Or, if you don’t, there’s been no shortage of voices clamoring to paint the picture for you: "He's not a creature of...

WASHINGTON - A son of Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden was paid an undisclosed amount of money as a consultant by MBNA, the largest employer in Delaware, during the years the senator supported legislation that was promoted by the credit card industry and opposed by consumer groups. ADVERTISEMENT Barack Obama's presidential campaign said Biden helped forge a bipartisan compromise on the measure, which is now law and makes it harder for consumers to obtain bankruptcy protection in the courts. MBNA's consulting payments to Hunter Biden, first reported by The New York Times, followed his departure in 2001 from the...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFduMuP7v-k

The speculation began first with Hillary, then it was Clark, a strong flirtation with 'change' soul-mate Kaine flipped to an eye towards stability with Indiana's Bayh, but now all of that has shifted over to Biden -- Joe that is -- that outspoken senator from Delaware that hails from the same part of Pennsylvania as Hillary Clinton's family and makes C-SPAN so darn interesting.

This time it was a vandalism on a Catholic Church, St. Michael's, in Georgetown. "Thieves broke into St. Michael the Archangel in Georgetown last weekend, tore the tabernacle from the wall, took it outside and threw it on the ground. Communion wafers were scattered around, and a chalice and monstrance were stolen." "Inside, screens on the parish hall were cut, stands that held memorial candles were overturned and donation boxes were broken into." There is a special ritual, "Reconciliation of a Desecrated Church", that needs to be performed before the Church can be used again. The suspicion is that it...

A 9-year-old Edgemoor Gardens, Delaware boy was arrested on Friday and charged with setting a kitten on fire. According to New Castle County Police the 9-year-old was among a group of boys who poured lighter fluid on the kitten and then set it ablaze. Now the young boy is facing a felony count of cruelty to animals because the kitten died. Police are still looking for the other boys involved in the incident.

One signed all three bulwarks of the Republic. The other was second only to James Madison as the architect of the Constitution. Robert Morris and James Wilson were two of the most important, yet least publicized, of the Founding Fathers. Why has Philadelphia not commemorated some of its most important citizens? Wilson was according to American Heritage magazine, one of the most underrated Americans in history. Historian Gary Wills wrote, "A signer of the Declaration, a principal drafter of the Federal Constitution, the principal ratifier, and the profoundest theorist of it, Wilson is the least known of the Founding Fathers."...

Larry Sinclair, the man who accuses presumptive Democrat nominee Barack Obama of using hard drugs and participating in gay sex acts in 1999, is being refused representation by a Delaware lawyer despite Sinclair's ability to pay all legal fees and a written agreement. Sinclair claims that the attorney was fully and personally briefed on the explosive nature of the case. A scant eight hours after Attorney Richard R. Wier, jr. agreed to represent Sinclair, for a retainer of $10,000.00, he backed out of the deal at 5:15 pm today stating: "I cannot represent you knowing that you are saying the...

DELAWARE, Ohio -- A former Delaware County pastor charged with raping a 15-year-old girl who attended his church pleaded guilty yesterday to related charges. Brian L. Williams, 45, the former head pastor of Sunbury Grace Brethren Church, pleaded guilty to two sexual battery charges, Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost said in a news release. Williams was indicted in March on two counts of rape and two counts of sexual battery, all felonies. The indictment alleged that on March 6, Williams forced the girl to perform oral sex and assaulted her at his church office. Yost's office re-filed sexual battery charges...

A man from Bear has been identified as the person who was killed in a shooting at a church fundraiser last night at the Christiana Hilton. State Police Corporal Jeff Whitmarsh says 63-year-old Malak Michael had just finished speaking to a church group in a banquet room at the hotel on Churchman's Road at 7 p.m. when another church member, Monir George, shot him. Audio Here Police the 58-year-old George of Whitehall, Pennsylvania had differences with the church over building a new facility. Police recovered two guns. One person who had wrestled the guns away from George had to be...

DELAWARE. Republicans have already conceded they will not field a viable candidate in the open gubernatorial contest. Governor Ruth Minner (D) is term-limited. Lieutenant Governor John Carney and State Treasurer Jack Markell will compete in a very hotly contested Democratic primary in September. On the GOP side, the only two candidates are airline pilot/frequent candidate Mike Protack and state employee/'04 candidate Dave Graham. All of the other big GOP names have announced they will not run, with State Representative Donna Stone (R) saying last week she was passing on the race because it would be impossible to financially compete against...

According to the Department of Elections, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee have been certified to be on the Delaware primary ballot on Feb.5th. Unfortunately, Fred Thompson fell short of the 500 signature mark, and will not be on the ballot. The Delaware ballot for Feb 5th: Rudy Giuliani Mike Huckabee John McCain Ron Paul Mitt Romney Tom Tancredo Others could be added in the near future should they decide to accept federal matching funds. UPDATE: Jason Bonham at Race42008.com is reporting that the DOE said Thompson only had 281 out of 500 signatures, and that most of their signatures were...

Dry run on river By CHRIS ENGLISH Bucks County Courier Times General George Washington didn't get a rehearsal 231 years ago when he and his troops crossed the icy Delaware River on Christmas night and prepared to strike the Hessians in Trenton. It was either get it right the first time or choke down another painful setback in the American Colonies' bid for independence from the British. Washington got it right, and so did more than 50 re-enactors Sunday afternoon in a dress rehearsal for their annual Christmas crossing that relives that fateful day more than two centuries ago. Led...

The gardens begin to wane as autumn blooms. This is the time of year, however, when the indoor plants come back in after summering in the outside gardens. They are huge, folks, and beautiful. I'm going to start selling them. Plus some Delaware notes because what with the University of Delaware caught in the act, let's look closer at just how taxpayer money is awarded to nonprofit groups...on what basis and is the transaction transparent?

Most readers have by now heard about the divine revelations granted to various “educators” at the University of Delaware and the resultant “Articles of Faith” swiftly promulgated thereafter. It seems that “all whites are racists” and those students who do not believe this outlandish assertion (masquerading as scientific fact) are guilty of heresy and must be “re-educated.” Two recent articles – Brave Newark World by Mike S. Adams, and Brave New Schools by Bob Unruh – provide the gruesome specifics. I suspect other columnists have weighed in as well. Sadly, I must number myself amongst the heretics, since my intellectual...