Free Republic

From a charred Hebrew scroll, researchers resurrected one of the earliest known versions of the Old Testament using a new digital reconstruction technique that may prove invaluable in revealing words from other previously unreadable finds, said scientists who plan to make the imaging software freely available. In research published in Science Advances Wednesday, computer analysts at the University of Kentucky in Lexington detailed the technology they used to reveal text within a roll of parchment reduced to charcoal in a burning synagogue 1,500 years ago, “virtually unwrapping” the scroll without ever actually touching the artifact. While important to archaeologists, the...

Just when Hillary Clinton’s “deplorables” comment set a new low for insensitivity, we saw another real zinger this week from former Clinton White House staffer William Galston. In a smug Wall Street Journal op-ed, Galston deemed the “war on coal” a claim perpetuated by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to reinforce the coal community’s perceived “victimhood.” Meanwhile, back on Planet Earth, a few things have happened: + In 2008, President Obama promised, “If somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can. It’s just that it will bankrupt them.” + The president’s subsequent MATS rule shut down at least 33 GW...

Little scant coverage has been given to the story of doctor Mark Samir Sawaf. He was a LPCC Psychotherapist in Kentucky USA. This was his public image. His private life was more sinister than you can imagine. What the media is not telling you about this case was that Sawaf was a Muslim and a terrorist before he was gunned down in Kentucky for an alleged crime. Samir Sawaf set up IED’s and pipe bombs in Kentucky, USA. While his story gained local coverage in Kentucky, the reason is that the media forgot to tell the public that the family...

...Bensenhaver, 58, decided to retire Wednesday, telling Beshear in her letter of resignation that she was leaving “under considerable duress” and was concerned about his office’s commitment to Open Records and Open Meetings law enforcement. She had received a stern reprimand in July from a Beshear lieutenant, who cited her “lack of good conduct and a poor performance of work duties.” Bensenhaver was criticized for refusing to sign her name to an open records decision with which she disagreed, and twice editing opinions after they had been approved by supervisors. Bensenhaver said she simply removed a footnote that was factually...

In the year 2042, something potentially significant to Central Florida motorists could happen. The Central Florida Expressway Authority, which operates 109 miles of toll roads in Orange County, will have paid off its $4.3 billion in bonds. But when the roads are paid for, what happens to the tolls? Many drivers would love to see them disappear. "That would be a big break for a lot of people," said Steven Dewdney, an Orlando resident. But because Central Florida has growing transportation needs and will need to build more roads and support commuter rail, removing tolls are unlikely, experts say. The...

While some polls after the Republican and Democratic conventions show Donald Trump tied with Hillary Clinton, internet retailer CafePress claims it can accurately track the electorate’s mood with its large consumer base — and customers appear to be decidedly anti-Hillary. Anti-Hillary merchandise outsells anti-Trump merchandise by a staggering 814.88 percent, according to the Louisville Business First. (Both the site and CafePress are based in Louisville, Kentucky.) Anti-Hillary gear also outsells pro-Trump products. Given that Trump supporters are chased, beaten, and intimidated for showing their support in public, the pro-Trump sentiment could be suppressed. Sales in 2016 are 50 percent higher...

A longtime champion of Kentucky’s government transparency laws retired Wednesday from Attorney General Andy Beshear’s office after she was reprimanded for speaking with a journalist. “I came to this decision under considerable duress,” Assistant Attorney General Amye L. Bensenhaver, 58, wrote last month to Beshear. “It is clear to me I cannot survive, much less thrive, in the current office climate, and I have similar concerns about the open records/meetings laws.” Bensenhaver was rebuked in a formal letter July 11 for giving an interview to retired editor John Nelson for a story he wrote in June on the 40th anniversary...

Move could allow successor to serve in 'lame duck' session Kentucky Rep. Edward Whitfield said Wednesday that he will resign from Congress next week. The disclosure, made in a letter to Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, comes almost a year after the Republican announced he would retire in the face of a House investigation into ethics violations. His resignation will be effective Sept. 6, the day the House returns from its summer recess, according to his Aug. 29 letter. Whitfield's office said he would announce his future plans in the next 30 days. -

<p>MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — A McDonald’s franchisee says he’s been unable to substantiate claims by two customers who reported finding worms in food at the fast-food chain’s restaurants in two Kentucky communities.</p> <p>Michael Love, owner-operator of the two restaurants, says inspections of the restaurants by health officials did not uncover any of the problems raised by the customers.</p>

By now, there’s little doubt in anyone’s mind that smoking is dangerous both to smokers and those around them, though that doesn’t stop 40 million American adults from lighting up almost every day. Banning cigarettes outright might encourage people to kick the habit, but a blanket prohibition on smoking seems unlikely to happen any time soon. Rather than focusing on banning cigarettes themselves, states (along with cities and the federal government) have passed various tobacco laws making it more difficult for people to smoke. They’ve raised taxes on tobacco, banned smoking in many public and private spaces, and required warning...

Communities in nine U.S. states that have been hard-hit by coal layoffs are being promised more than 3,000 jobs in several industries through a multimillion-dollar federal grant. Officials for the Appalachian Regional Commission and other agencies announced the 29 projects totaling nearly $39 million Wednesday at a news conference in Huntington, West Virginia. The investments are expected to create or retain more than 3,400 jobs in agriculture, health care, manufacturing, technology and other industries. The projects are intended to help communities in Texas and in eight Appalachian states: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. …

Ledington, 67, says he used to blend the spices that went into his uncle's world-famous fried chicken, and the recipe in question is the real deal... How was it? Well, really good. In fact, tasters agreed the test kitchen fried chicken was even better than the Colonel's. But more important, did it taste like the Colonel’s secret blend of herbs and spices? It came very close, yet something was still missing. That’s when a reporter grabbed a small container of the MSG flavor-enhancer Accent (how did that get in the test kitchen?) and sprinkled it on a piece of the...

<p>What started as a travel story for the Chicago Tribune has morphed into one of the biggest fast food recipe reveals: the original recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken. The story of the how the recipe was (literally) placed into a reporter's hands started simply enough. A reporter travelled to the Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum and met with Joe Ledington, the nephew of Harland David Sanders (AKA Colonel Sanders).</p>

“City officials said they placed the firefighter depicted in the video on administrative leave. But officials say the firefighter, who has not been identified, retired before they could take other disciplinary action.” Disciplinary action? Why? Is Bowling Green, Kentucky under the Sharia? Is burning the Qur’an illegal in Bowling Green, Kentucky? I’m not in favor of burning books. I’d rather that non-Muslims read the Qur’an and know what is in it than burn it. But burning the Qur’an is not illegal in the United States. There is no grounds for disciplinary action against this firefighter. “The incident was part of...

Despite a lower bid, Democrats couldn’t stop Monday’s approval of the $500,000 contract to carry out Gov. Matt Bevin’s investigation of the former Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration. The Democrats also criticized awarding the contract to a firm they said employs multiple Kentucky Republican Party operatives. The Government Contract Review Committee, made up of three Republicans and three Democrats, listened to testimony from Finance and Administration Cabinet Sec. William Landrum concerning the contract given to Indianapolis based law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister. Bevin announced in April that Landrum would undertake the investigation after former Personnel Secretary Tim Longmeyer was charged...

Two prominent Kentucky Democrats on Tuesday launched a nonprofit organization, the New Kentucky Project, to cultivate the next generation of political leaders. Kentucky Sports Radio host Matt Jones and former state auditor Adam Edelen said their group isn’t a third party that will run a formal slate of candidates in 2018. Instead, it will organize and support people who want to run for elected office, especially local office, if they share four core values: civil rights for every Kentuckian; universal access to affordable health care; a living wage for workers; and the primacy of education. Kentuckians are badly served by...

    ~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Fort Campbell, KentuckyFort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee. Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Division and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The fort is named after William Bowen Campbell, a former Tennessee governor and a Civil War Union brigadier general.Fort Campbell is proud to be the home of the only Air Assault Division in the world, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Fort Campbell is also the home of two Special Operations Command units, the...

With most of the seats on the stage filled by Republicans, the name “Clinton” became akin to a four-letter word at Saturday’s Fancy Farm picnic as multiple speakers took turns bashing Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, an unconventional candidate who has courted controversy across the country during his campaign but appears poised to capture the state’s eight electoral votes, was rarely the butt of jokes from Democrats. Trump was also scarcely mentioned by most GOP speakers, who instead mostly focused much of their national attention on Clinton. Even state Sen. Ralph Alvarado, other than urging...

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has stated his organization believes they are in possession of emails which prove Hillary Clinton was aware of the transfer of weapons from Libya, through Turkey, into Syria. If Assange is accurate, the prior congressional testimony of Clinton becomes another example of her deception and fraud. Rand Paul discusses at the end of this interview segment To understand the scope of the potential behind the WikiLeaks Assange information, it’s critical to understand the facts in/around Libya and Syria in 2011, 2012 through today. The specifics are outlined in the updated Benghazi Brief. The “Benghazi Brief” remains...

Holding Hillary Clinton to account …

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested Thursday that Republicans may lose their hold on the upper chamber of Congress in November, Politico reports. Speaking to a civic group in Louisville, Kentucky, McConnell told his home state listeners "I may or may not be calling the shots next year," according to the Associated Press.

After addressing the country in support of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, her most likely surrogate at this year’s Fancy Farm picnic announced Wednesday that she would not attend the annual event. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said in a news release that she would be spending time with her husband, Andrew, who “is leaving for a long-term business trip.” “He’s been very patient with me these past 6 years and as Father Venters says, spending time with family comes first!” Grimes said in a statement. “I’ve called Father and expressed my gratitude for his constant welcoming invitation to...

After a judge ruled that Gov. Matt Bevin’s moves to replace the University of Louisville Board of Trustees did not pass legal muster, the governor is calling on Attorney General Andy Beshear to say whether he believes the former board meets legal requirements regarding the panel’s political makeup. Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd granted Beshear’s request for a temporary injunction on Friday, finding that Bevin’s actions in abolishing and reconstituting the UofL board overstepped his authority. Bevin’s office has said it will appeal the ruling. In his June 17 press conference, Bevin justified his executive actions by saying the board...

An American Airlines pilot tackled an intoxicated man to the ground after he tried to force his way off a taxiing plane and attacked a flight attendant. In footage posted online, the pilot is heard yelling 'you don't put your hands on my flight attendant!' as he forced the belligerent passenger to the floor after the plane landed and came to a stop in Charlotte, North Carolina. Michael Kerr, 25, from Kentucky, was banned from flying after appearing in court on charges of being intoxicated and disruptive, assault on a female and communicating threats, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

LEXINGTON, KY - A report of a car full of men in body armor with semi-automatic weapons brought Lexington police to the Walmart on Richmond Road on Saturday night. Officers found two men, one in body armor, a 20-year-old woman and a six-month old baby. Lt. Jackie Newman said that when Lexington police officers got the three people out of the car about 11:15 p.m., they said they were preparing for doomsday and needed supplies. A 26-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman were in the car with their 6-month-old baby and a 19-year-old man, police spokeswoman Brenna Angel said Monday....

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is signaling that his long political career may stretch well into the next decade. The Kentucky Republican said there's a "great likelihood" he'll seek a seventh Senate term in 2020. McConnell, appearing on WKYT-TV's "Kentucky Newsmakers" program that aired Sunday, said he's "at the top of my game" and has been effective in representing Kentucky.

COLORADO SPRINGS (CNN) —The powerful political network helmed by Charles and David Koch is ruling out running advertisements intended to hurt Hillary Clinton, another sign of their insistence on avoiding the presidential race. The Koch network has previously said they will not back Republican candidate Donald Trump, but on Saturday officials told reporters that they would not run negative Clinton spots, a position taken by some Republican groups that are uneasy with the controversial GOP standard-bearer. The group is laser-focused on maintaining and expanding the Senate majority -- in the midst of a $42 million television advertising campaign focused on...

Six Indiana Planned Parenthood facilities are set to close by the end of this year, beginning with its Muncie location shuttering today, and its Terre Haute facility next Friday, July 20.  Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky (PPINK) is “restructuring to better serve patients” the abortion giant announced Thursday.  In addition to Muncie and Terre Haute, the Valparaiso site will close July 21, according to the announcement; the Fishers location on July 26; Avon is closing August 30; and East Chicago will cease operations by December 15. The latter four sites are expected to merge with other PPINK locales “with...

State Sen. Ralph Alvarado has been added to the primetime line up of speakers at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Alvarado, R-Winchester, will speak on Wednesday night around 9 p.m., according to the Republican Party of Kentucky. “It is an honor to be asked to speak at the convention and to represent Kentucky on the national stage,” Alvarado said in a statement. “I strongly believe that the Republican Party is the party of opportunity for voters of all backgrounds, especially Hispanics. “I plan to talk about my story as a public servant striving to make my state and nation...

Noah's Ark replica made of 3.1 million board feet of timber Creationist theme park tries, fails to make theology scientific Many Christians don't see conflict between faith, evolution

our political class is still violating our sovereignty and security with endless migrants from the Middle East. We have so many emergencies within our national security apparatus and military that can and should be addressed within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), yet the GOP-Senate chose to focus on more immigration as their final act before recess. The Senate passed the Shaheen, D-N.H. (F, 2%) motion to instruct the conference committee negotiating the House-Senate differences in the NDAA to authorize a potentially unlimited amount Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) for Afghanis. Only 12 Republicans opposed the motion, which is non-binding, but...

Factories such as Tarter Industries are having problems meeting current production needs because of a critical shortage of workers. And, expansion plans for 2017 may have to be put on hold if workers cannot be found, said Travis Cox, vice president and general manager for Tarter Industries. “Lack of workers is now my No. 1 inhibiting growth factor, bar none,” said Cox. “My last shortage report shows we are about 75-80 people under full budget head count. That’s just trying to keep up, not growing and expanding.” Cox said TI is aggressively searching within two counties on each side of...

July 06, 2016, 03:50 pm Reid: ‘Time to move on' from Clinton email scandal By Jordain Carney Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday slammed Republicans for focusing their fire on the FBI for not recommending charges against Hillary Clinton. "It's over. It's time to move on," Reid said. "Republican attempts to continue their political hit job are just that, they're political." Reid's remarks are the first time he's weighed in on the Clinton email scandal since FBI Director James Comey said Tuesday morning that he would recommend no charges for Clinton's use of a private email server while...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he has reservations about the candidate at the top the 2016 Republican ticket: Donald Trump. McConnell made headlines earlier this week for declining to say whether Trump is qualified for the presidency. But in an interview with Washington, D.C. bureau reporter Geoff Bennett, McConnell said Trump is not yet a credible presidential candidate. McConnell: "Trump clearly needs to change, in my opinion, to win the general election. What I’ve said to him both publicly and privately: 'You’re a great entertainer. You turn on audiences. You’re good before a crowd. You have a lot of...

What a sad egotistical man… Republican leader Mitch McConnell refused to say whether or not he thinks Donald Trump is qualified to be president during his interview on ABC Sunday morning. “I’ll leave that to the American people to decide.” “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos, a Hillary lackey, then pointed out 64% of Americans don’t think Trump is qualified. Hillary Clinton, a serial liar, is under investigation by the FBI and was instrumental in the calamity we see today in the Middle East – but McConnell thinks Trump is not qualified? Seriously?

The Talk Shows June 26th, 2016 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Robby Mook, campaign manager for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Paul Manafort, adviser to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.THIS WEEK (ABC): Labor Secretary Tom Perez; Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders; Sen. Bob Corker, Tenn.

Deputies responded to the park that has 62 campsites on Beaver Road for a report of shots fired just after 10 p.m. Thursday, reads a prepared statement from Major Tom Scheben, sheriff's spokesman. When they arrived, they found a suspicious vehicle parked near a lake. State Park Rangers began conducting an immediate search of the area. Upon calling out the subject’s name, three shots from a suspected firearm were fired in the general area.

WSB radio announced that Mitch McConnell is expected to change his position on gun control this afternoon after his meeting with the FBI Director. This is all they stated and it was via McConnell's office. He is expected to remove his blocking of legislation. Time to make our objections known to this RINO.... Nothing on their website yet per this post but other websites at link are reporting....

Extra, Extra! Republican Paul Ryan is an advocate for political correctness! That’s right. In commenting about Trump’s remarks concerning Judge Curiel, Ryan told George Stephanopoulos: “That comment is beyond the pale. That’s not political correctness. Suggesting that a person can’t do their job because of their race or ethnicity… that’s not a politically incorrect thing to do; that’s just a wrong thing to say.” For decades, conservatives and other decent, law-abiding Americans, have labored under the yoke of political correctness. They have been publicly shunned, lost jobs, had careers ruined, and been kicked out of universities. Why? Simply for exercising...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vowed again Friday that the Senate will not confirm President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland, this year. “Let me say this once more, and let me say it clearly: Barack Obama will not get a Supreme Court Justice in the 11th hour of his presidency on the way out the door,” McConnell said to loud applause at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Washington, D.C. …

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans controlling the Senate are abandoning an effort to use their power over the federal purse strings to block implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The more pragmatic approach with a huge $164 billion spending measure reflects a hope by top Republicans like Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to remove veto bait from must-pass spending bills in hopes of advancing them more easily. President Barack Obama has already vetoed separate legislation aimed at repealing the law, and he has easily kept language to “defund Obamacare” out of the final versions of annual funding bills.

Did Newt Gingrich, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell do their La Raza homework before calling Trump a bigot? It appears they may not have. Or worse, they’ve done their homework, but chose not to factor in the nature of the organization named La Raza. Jerome R. Corsi, in WND posted an article entitled “Judge, Law Firm Bringing Trump U Case Both Tied To La Raza.” It begins: “The federal judge presiding over the Trump University class action lawsuit is a member of the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association, a group that while not a branch of the National Council...

The race-driven San Diego La Raza Association is exactly what’s wrong with the legal system. The GOP Establishment is in full flight. No Abraham Lincolns here. In a shameful haste to embrace identity politics, the latter the political descendant of slavery and segregation, Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have stunningly given thumbs up to a judge who has made no bones about injecting his ethnic heritage into his role as a lawyer and judge. In a broadside against Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who presiding over the case against Trump University (a case in itself riddled with bad...

Republicans controlling the Senate are abandoning an effort to use their power over the federal purse strings to block implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The more pragmatic approach with a huge $164 billion spending measure reflects a hope by top Republicans like Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to remove veto bait from must-pass spending bills in hopes of advancing them more easily. …

On Thursday night Trump supporters were assaulted, spit on, beaten, cold-cocked, egged, chased, tackled and bloodied as they left the San Jose Trump rally by mobs of far left, Mexican nationalist, Socialist, SEIU and anarchist thugs. Trump supporters were left bloodied and beaten in the street. The San Jose police chief admitted he held back from interfering when the conservatives were beat down in the streets. Video released on Monday shows street thugs terrorizing and beating Hispanic Trump supporters. ... Speaker Paul Ryan has posted over 50 tweets since Friday morning. Not once did he mention the Republican beatdown. Senate...

Muhammad Ali's birthplace of Louisville, Kentucky, is paying tribute Saturday to the late boxing legend, who died Friday in Arizona at 74. At a ceremony at the city's Metro Hall, Mayor Greg Fischer said flags on government buildings would remain at half-staff until Ali has been laid to rest.

Sen. Marco Rubio is coming under heavy pressure inside and outside the Beltway to change his mind and run for reelection to the Senate.For Senate GOP leaders, the move is a political no-brainer. ADVERTISEMENT Rubio is a known quantity and an able fundraiser, and they believe he represents their best shot at keeping Florida’s Senate seat in the Republican column.For Rubio the question is tougher.Running for the Senate would amount to a significant political u-turn. He’s repeatedly railed against the ineffectiveness of the upper chamber and brushed aside questions about his lax attendance record.He could also be risking his...

The Feds have been importing Muslim migrants for years and creating insta-ghettos in small towns across the country. They systematically conceal their plans from locals who often wake up to find their towns have undergone drastic change. Such is the case in Senator Rand Paul's hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky. This small city of 70,000 had no Muslims 15 years ago and now has 7,000 recent immigrants - 10% of the population...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday responded to Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol's weekend assertion that he would put forward a strong third-party candidate to compete with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. "Well, I hope he's not successful, because that will help elect Hillary Clinton to the presidency," McConnell told Business Insider in an interview that centered on his newly released memoir, "The Long Game." "It's hard to run as an independent and be successful. You could conceivably take votes away from a right-of-center nominee and make it more likely that a liberal gets elected