Free Republic

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A spokeswoman for Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear says he's calling the tree on the Capitol's front lawn a "Christmas" tree this holiday season. A statement from the administration last week sparked Christmas consternation by referring to the yet-to-be-chosen evergreen as a "holiday" tree. Some Christians were perturbed by the terminology. Spokeswoman Kerri Richardson says the administration received a steady stream of e-mails and phone calls about the "holiday" tree. She says it's always been a Christmas tree to the governor, and it will be this year, too. The governor is inviting critics of the "Christmas" tree to...

Remember the case of the Census worker who was found hanging from a tree with the word ‘fed' scrawled across his chest? You remember - he died at the hands of right-wing commentators and anti-government tea partiers. He was killed because of an overwhelming case of right-wing paranoia. He was murdered by Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Bachmann, and Fox News. Keep this quiet though... While the death of Bill Sparkman was a media sensation for pushing anti-conservative sentiments just a couple of months ago, it is receiving little to no coverage currently. Why? Because, as investigators have recently speculated,...

Fossilization occurs rapidly when the conditions are right. The conditions necessary for lithification of soft tissue give clues to unlock the history of a fossil deposit. Experiments show that microbes are involved in the mineralization of soft tissue. By decaying flesh they affect the acidity of the environment and release ions necessary for its mineralization. Fossilization in apatite seems to require associated death and decay. In the Jurassic Oxford Clay Formation in England, apatite preserved the soft tissue of many squid-like animals, probably after a mass mortality event occurred in a zone of already high phosphate levels from decaying carcasses....

While roaming the grounds of the US Capitol yesterday, Kristinn Taylor obtained a list of possible democrat defectors of the now infamous “Healthcare” bill. Kristinn was asked to post this list of wobbly democrats on FreeRepublic in an effort to mobilize our forces and overwhelm these members with phone calls and e-mails asking them to vote NO on the socialization of our healthcare. We also learned that Nancy Pelosi had just scheduled the vote for tomorrow; Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 6:00 PM. For all those who were unable to answer the call to surround the Capitol yesterday, here is...

Josh Kraushaar catches a surprising poll in the 2010 primary for U.S. Senate in Kentucky. In the GOP race, Rand Paul, the son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and a first-time candidate, has jumped out to a small lead over Secretary of State Trey Grayson. The trends: Rand Paul – 35 (+9)Trey Grayson – 32 (-4) Paul has an eight-point lead among “conservative” voters who make up about 70 percent of the GOP primary electorate.

WASHINGTON – Investigators probing the death of a Kentucky census worker found hanging from a tree with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest increasingly doubt he was killed because of his government job and are pursuing the possibility he committed suicide, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case, said no final conclusions have been made in the case. In recent weeks, however, investigators have grown more skeptical that 51-year-old Bill Sparkman died at the hands of someone angry at the federal government.

How did Kentucky shoe store owner Buddy Moore save nine jobs with just $889.60 in federal stimulus money? He didn’t, and that’s turning into a big headache for him.Moore’s store in Campbellsville, Ky., filed one of 156,614 reports from recipients of stimulus dollars designed to show how money from the $787 billion program is being spent, and how many jobs the funds have created or saved. Moore’s slice of the stimulus came in an $889.60 order from the Army Corps of Engineers for nine pairs of work boots for a stimulus project. Moore says he’s been supplying the Corps with...

Sarah Palin will be at the Joseph Beth Booksellers in the Rookwood Plaza on November 20, 2009. The time is still tentative, but the bookseller will make a future announcement.

Kentucky could be the next state to host a race where the GOP's grassroots rebels against the party establishment. Rand Paul, the son of former presidential candidate Ron Paul, has pulled into the lead in the Kentucky Senate race in a new SurveyUSA poll, ahead of the establishment favorite, Secretary of State Trey Grayson. Paul now leads Grayson by three points, 35 to 32 percent, the first time he’s led any poll in the Kentucky race so far. It’s not the first sign that Paul stands a credible chance at an upset: Paul raised over $1 million in the last...

Polls in Ohio and Kentucky are now closed. Go here for the latest results as they come in. Pike County, Ky. Lawrence County, Ohio Ohio Amendments Meigs County, Ohio Athens County, Ohio Scioto County, Ohio Gallia County, Ohio Vinton County, Ohio Jackson County, Ohio �

WHEELWRIGHT – A Wheelwright man has filed a lawsuit against Bank of America, alleging agents working for the bank repossessed his home by mistake and refuse to pay for any damages other than the replacement of locks. According to court documents, Christopher Hamby arrived home on Oct. 5 to find the locks on his doors changed and physical damage to his property from winterization chemicals placed in the plumbing and various lines cut at the residence. The lawsuit also names A1 Preservation and Richard Spurgeon, who owns the business, as agents acting for Bank of America who wrongfully participated in...

The Republican party in Kentucky has never seen anything like it. Bowling Green eye doctor Rand Paul has no political experience, but with the support of the same people who backed his Dad - Texas Congressman Ron Paul when he ran for president,, Rand Paul has now at least pulled even with Secretary of State Trey Grayon in the GOP U.S. Senate primary. 32% Grayson 35% Paul 2% Johnson 1% Oerther 3% Thoney 10% Other 18% Undecided In fact, the WHAS11/Survey USA poll has Paul ahead of Grayson by three percentage points - with a 4.1 percent margin of error....

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Bobby Bright (AL-2) Washington D.C. Office 1205 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 p. (202) 225-2901 f. (202) 225-8913 Dothan Office 188 North Foster Street Suite 105 Dothan, Alabama 36303 p. (334) 794-9680 f. (334) 671-1480 Montgomery Office 22 Monroe St. Suite 1B Montgomery, AL 36104 p. (334) 277-9113 f. (334) 277-8534 Opp Office 101 North Main Street Opp, AL 36467 p. (334) 493-9253 f. (334) 493-0370 Ozark Office 275 N. Union Avenue Suite 214 Ozark, AL 36360 p. (334) 445-4600 f. (334) 445-0517 Contact him https://forms.house.gov/bright/contact-form.shtml Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Congressman-Bobby-Bright/105468186762?ref=search&sid=1072359854.2422322198..1 To read further follow the link http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977880434

The state Public Service Commission offered heartening news to cash-strapped consumers on Friday. Based on data submitted by the state's natural gas companies, the average resident can expect to pay nearly 40 percent less on their bills this winter compared to last. Behind the decrease is a sharp drop in the wholesale price of natural gas that PSC Chairman David Armstrong said was "artificially high" last year due to what many consider to have been speculative investing in the commodity. The PSC noted wholesale prices, which make up the largest portion of natural gas bills, are now at their lowest...

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co.'s rank-and-file union members rejected a concessions agreement, leaving the auto maker at risk to higher costs compared with competitors Chrysler Group LLC and General Motors Co. Although some locals are still voting through Sunday, the United Auto Workers national leadership has accepted the defeat, said three union sources who asked not to be identified since they don't officially speak for the UAW. The leadership is now reviewing other options, these people said. UAW President Ron Gettelfinger told Dow Jones Newswires on Friday he will not continue bargaining or conduct a re-vote. Ford will now have...

(See all these news nuggets and more by clicking the excerpt link below): 1. BBC News: “Darwin Teaching ‘Divides Opinion’” Darwinism is a controversial topic, and many believe creation should be taught in the classroom. But why is that news? 2. ScienceDaily: “Junk DNA Mechanism that Prevents Two Species from Reproducing Discovered” Has the U.S. government finally supported creationist research? Alas, no, but the results of a National Institutes of Health study fit squarely within the young-earth creation framework. 3. PhysOrg: “Charles Darwin Really Did Have Advanced Ideas about the Origin of Life” Charles Darwin was convinced that life’s origin...

VANCEBURG, Ky. (WSAZ) -- The Lewis County Sheriff has arrested a Vanceburg woman on charges of criminal abuse of child. The sherriff’s office says Roberta Hobbs, 54, was arrested Tuesday after investigators received a call from Social Services. According to a news release, Hobbs is accused of using duct tape to bind a child with special needs for long period of time, while living in deplorable conditions. The release says that child and two other children have been removed from the home. The sheriff’s office says further charges are pending in the case.

FRANKFORT, Kentucky -- Gov. Steve Beshear has angered some Christians with his yuletide terminology. A giant evergreen that will brighten the Capitol lawn this winter won't be called a Christmas tree. Instead, the Beshear administration has dubbed it a "holiday tree." The Rev. Jeff Fugate, pastor of Clays Mill Baptist Church in Lexington, said Christians find the change troubling. "If you call it a holiday tree," Fugate asked, "which holiday are you talking about? We don't put up a holiday tree for Easter or New Year's or Thanksgiving. We put a tree up for Christmas." Beshear administration spokeswoman Cindy Lanham...

Rand Paul supporters have turned the cameras on an opposition research tracker, presumably from the Trey Grayson campaign, who was videotaping Paul flipping pancakes at a charity breakfast. Watch the YouTube video here. The tracker remains stonefaced and concentrates on his own video camera as a Paul supporter attempts to interview him and provide him breakfast.

U.S. Senate Candidate Rand Paul is responding to a comment made on WYMT's Issues and Answers program. During a show that will air Monday night, Secretary of State Trey Grayson accused Paul of not being a Kentuckian. Paul said, "I've been a Kentuckian longer than Grayson's been a republican."

What started out as a simple challenge by a college friend, “Bet you can’t prove evolution,” turned into a 30-year journey for Dr. Carl Werner. Like most of the other biology and medical school students, Carl was educated in and committed to an evolutionary belief system. But when his friend challenged those beliefs, his quest for answers began...

FRANKFORT — Rand Paul, the Bowling Green eye surgeon seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, expects to raise as much as $2 million and says federal government should get out of the education business. Paul raised over $1 million in the third quarter and said he now has about 14,000 donors and he expects the number to grow to as many as 20,000. He said he thinks he can raise as much as $2 million for the primary in which he’s opposed by Secretary of State Trey Grayson and Elkton businessman and veteran Bill Johnson. He conceded Grayson...

News to Note, October 17, 2009: A weekly feature examining news from the biblical viewpoint (fascinating STEM CELL piece in story #5!)...

FRANKFORT, Ky. – This isn’t the way Trey Grayson expected the U.S. Senate race to unfold. Bowling Green eye surgeon Rand Paul has upset Grayson’s apple cart. Paul reported raising over $1 million in the past three months, utilizing his father’s network of libertarian-leaning internet contributors to do it. Grayson hasn’t done a bad job himself, raising just over that amount in two quarters. And while Paul’s carefully tailored message – focused entirely on bailouts and deficit spending but carefully avoiding the implications of voting against any unbalanced budget, his isolationist views on foreign policy, or the minimalist role of...

Who is the favorite in the Kentucky GOP primary for Jim Bunning's U.S. Senate seat? Candidate A raised $1,010,668 in the third quarter, and Candidate B raised $642,857. While Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson has been considered the Republican establishment pick for the nomination (Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and 22 other GOP Senators supported Grayson at a D.C. fundraiser last month), he is Candidate B in this scenario. Candidate A is Bowling Green eye doctor Rand Paul. Given Paul's $1 million take, primarily from two internet "moneybombs," modeled after the presidential campaigns of Paul's father, U.S. Rep. Ron...

DES MOINES, Iowa - Office furniture and fireplace insert manufacturer HNI Corp. said Friday it plans to close a Kentucky factory to reduce costs. The company said it notified workers and union officials of its decision to close the Owensboro, Ky., office furniture factory beginning in the fourth quarter. The work will be absorbed by other factories. The closure should be completed by the end of the second quarter 2010.

After 30 years remodeling homes, Orson Crisler lives a retiree’s life with his family in a modest house on M Street in central Louisville. On a hot day last July, one of Crisel’s family members — a rottweiler, one of six — ran into the street. Within moments a friend returned the wayward canine, but it was too late: A neighbor had called Louisville Metro Animal Services, and the responding animal control officer determined Crisler’s dogs, which were safely inside at that point, were not properly enclosed, hadn’t received proper shots and needed to be impounded. The officer reportedly entered...

Ex-Governor's Son Emerges As Murder Suspect Kentuckian Steve Nunn accused of killing ex-girlfriend, abusing his father Ed Reinke / AP Former State Rep. Steve Nunn speaks during a forum in Louisville, Ky., in this Jan. 24, 2003 file photo. Nunn is being held in Fayette County jail on a murder charge for allegedly gunning down his ex-girlfriend. Oct. 14, 2009 FRANKFORT, Ky. - Steve Nunn said nothing in court. His glum, unshaven face spoke volumes. The politician who had lived a life of privilege hobnobbing with Kentucky's political elite wasn't at all pleased with the Fayette County jail where he...

A well-known University of Minnesota–Morris professor who has a history of hate speech against creationists-especially Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum[1]-inadvertently admitted recently that we were not wrong. This was kind of a blessing in disguise and also reveals much about his character. Professor Paul (P.Z.) Myers said: ...

This is what campaigns are all about, pointing out the differences between candidates and campaigns. Recent endorsements in Kentucky's U.S. Senate race are stark. In accepting a campaign donation from the of the National Right to Work Committee PAC, the Rand Paul campaign said the "NRTWC supports candidates best suited to protect Americans from labor union abuses." Meanwhile, the Western Kentucky Central Labor Council has voted to recommend that Kentucky's State AFL-CIO COPE Committee endorse Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo for U.S. Senate.

The Kentucky pastor who drew notice earlier this year for hosting a God-and-guns event at his church is giving up his flock for his Glock. Pastor Ken Pagano resigned his post last month at the New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky., after nearly 30 years in the ministry, saying he wants to focus on Second Amendment and church-security issues. "Thirty years was a good, long run, but it's time for a change," Mr. Pagano said in an interview with The Washington Times. "If I can write my own ticket, I want to get involved more in Second Amendment issues as...

Discovery of 4.4 Million-Year-Old Fossil Does Not Shake Creationists' Faith By RUSSELL GOLDMAN Oct. 7, 2009 Sometimes an ape is a 4.4 million-year-old fossil that sheds light on the evolutionary origins of human beings, and sometimes… an ape is just an ape. In the case of "Ardi," the ape-like fossil recently discovered in Ethiopia and already being celebrated as the oldest found relative of modern human beings, the final determination depends on who is doing the talking. In one camp are evolutionary scientists who last week published and hailed the discovery of an upright walking ape named Ardipithecus ramidus, or...

News to Note, October 10, 2009: A weekly feature examining news from the biblical viewpoint...

PIKEVILLE — Touting Pike County as a leader in not only coal but greener energy technology, businessmen and local officials made presentations to the General Assembly's joint committee on energy Wednesday. The county seeks state money to develop an ethanol plant on its landfill site, county leaders have attended national meetings about wind power, and officials pushed to ensure the courthouse being built in Pikeville will be the state's first to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, Judge-Executive Wayne T. Rutherford said.

The titles of two recent science news articles caught my attention, “More ‘Evidence’ of Intelligent Design Shot Down by Science” and “Intelligent Design ‘Evidence’ Unproven by Real Science.”[1] The evidence in question is a molecular machine. Members of the Intelligent Design Movement and creation scientists have often stated that molecular machines are irreducibly complex and could not be formed by evolution. However, evolutionists now claim the mechanism of “pre-adaptation” is a way that these molecular machines could have evolved...

Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson beats Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo by seven points 44% to 37%. Four percent (4%) of Kentucky voters like some other candidate, and 14% are undecided. Both men have announced their candidacies. Mongiardo was the unsuccessful Democratic challenger to Bunning in 2004. Grayson runs dead-even 40% to 40% against another announced Democratic candidate, state Attorney General Jack Conway, with just three percent (3%) opting for some other candidate. Seventeen percent (17%) are undecided. Rand Paul, an opthamologist and the son of Congressman Ron Paul, also has announced his bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in...

Republicans look like they’re in for a tough fight in Kentucky to maintain the seat of retiring U.S. Senator Jim Bunning. The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey in the state finds the two leading GOP candidates beating one top Democratic contender but struggling against the other. Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson beats Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo by seven points 44% to 37%. Four percent (4%) of Kentucky voters like some other candidate, and 14% are undecided. Both men have announced their candidacies. Mongiardo was the unsuccessful Democratic challenger to Bunning in 2004. Grayson runs dead-even 40% to 40%...

The Rand Paul Senate campaign is beating its collective chest after raising $1 million in the third quarter of 2009. While other campaigns may take a while to release 3rd quarter reports, the Paul campaign routinely posts its day to day totals. "The good news is we raised $55,000 the last two days with just a few phone calls and emails. The great news is that with this million dollar quarter behind us, Rand Paul can continue to shift the focus away from the power brokers' protection of the status quo to instead talking about balanced budgets, term limits, and...

Ky. Church Ordains Sex Offender As Minister Some object, saying 41-year-old is still a threat to children LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A tiny Louisville church's newest minister is a gifted music leader and popular among its three dozen members. Mark Hourigan is also a sex offender. Almost a decade ago, long before he joined the flock at the City of Refuge Worship Center, he was convicted of sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy in central Kentucky. Hourigan served a five-year sentence and the 41-year-old was placed on Kentucky's sex offender registry for the rest of his life. A former leader at the...

Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo used vulgarity as he criticized Gov. Steve Beshear and his support of Mongiardo's U.S. Senate candidacy in a recording posted last week on the Internet. In the recording, which was placed on YouTube by someone using the name "senrace2010," Mongiardo is heard saying he is so frustrated with Beshear that he is "close to saying f--- it all. I do not need this job. I do not need the U.S. Senate." Mongiardo also is heard saying that Beshear, who has endorsed Mongiardo, will be remembered as the state's "worst" governor and that a "blowup" is coming.

Loyal to Liberty Tuesday, September 29, 2009Alan Keyes This past weekend I traveled to Kentucky to stand with Bill Johnson, a candidate for the Republican nomination for US Senate. Bill has all the characteristics that ought to make him the candidate of choice for grassroots "tea party" conservatives who understand that American liberty stands presently on the verge of its demise. A U.S. Navy veteran who served with distinction in the first gulf war, Bill believes that the oath he swore to uphold, protect and defend the U.S. Constitution represents a lifelong commitment. Bill isn't one of the politicians who...

A place to discuss Bill's radio program. Click here for available internet streams.

Candidate for KY US Senate Dr. Rand Paul held a "Town Hall" meeting on the topic of Health Care. Although some questions from the audience delved into other unrelated topics. In the meeting he tried to get across his ideas for free-martket solutions to reforming Healthcare. Video of the event can be found here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2231277

BIG CREEK, Ky. (AP) -- Authorities said a U.S. Census worker died by asphyxiation but were releasing few other details about the mysterious case nearly two weeks after Bill Sparkman's body - with the word "fed" scrawled on the chest - was found hanging from a tree near a family cemetery secluded by Appalachian forest. The word appeared to have been written with a felt-tip pen, Clay County Coroner Jim Trosper said Friday.

The FBI is investigating the hanging of 51 year old census worker, Robert Sparkman. Sparkman was found hanging in a remote wooded area of west Kentucky in Clay County with the word “FED” scrawled on his chest. I was reading about this case this morning and of course, the thought came to mind that “right winged” extremists would be blamed for this event. I mean, geez, there is so much hatred for those who oppose the take over of America and “fundamentally transforming” America into a European style Socialist country that, of course, when a dead fed is found that,...

BIG CREEK, Ky. (AP) - A part-time census worker found hanging in a rural Kentucky cemetery was naked, gagged and had his hands and feet bound with duct tape, said an Ohio man who discovered the body two weeks ago. Jerry Weaver of Fairfield, Ohio, told The Associated Press on Friday that he was among a group of relatives who discovered the body of 51-year-old Bill Sparkman on Sept. 12. "The only thing he had on was a pair of socks," Weaver said. "And they had duct-taped his hands, his wrists. He had duct tape over his eyes, and they...

A Lexington man is behind bars after police say he tried to break into the wrong home overnight.alt A man says he was taking a shower early this morning at his home on West Fourth Street, when he heard something just outside his house. He told police he went around to check it out, and saw a man trying to break in through a window. That's when the homeowner grabbed a gun and held the would-be burglar at gunpoint, while he called 9-1-1. Police later caught up with and arrested Donovan Campbell. He's now in jail, charged with burglary. That...

I’ve got some more detail for you on the case of the Bill Sparkman, the U.S. census worker who was found dead of hanging, reportedly with the word “fed” scrawled on his chest: 1) Kentucky state police have not ruled out the possibility that the death was a suicide or even that it was accidental, according to police spokesman Don Trosper. 2) His death has been ruled “asphyxia,” Trosper said in an interview. “There was a rope around his neck. It was attached to a tree,” Trosper continued, adding this intriguing detail: “He was in contact with the ground.” That...

Rep. Henry Brown (R-S.C.) and his new primary challenger are wasting no time getting started. Kentucky Senate race outsider Rand Paul (R) has now raised more than $1 million, thanks to a more than $185,000 moneybomb yesterday, his campaign announced. Bloomberg holds a sizeable lead, 52-36, over new Democratic nominee William Thompson. New York Gov. David Paterson (D) fires an early salvo in a potential primary for his job, accusing state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of being behind the White House’s request that Paterson not run for a full term. Maryland state Del. Herman Taylor eyes a primary challenge to...