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An in-depth review of the criminal complaint filed against one of the Jihadi suspects arrested in Chicago yesterday, Tahawwur Rana.

My friend Ken Marrero over at Blue Collar Muse has posted an interesting if not entirely infuriating story about GOP officials coming down on other officials and certain county employees for having the gall to talk to those eeeevil Arizona bloggers that have been doggedly reporting the corruption stories of county officials. GOP officials of Maricopa County have been in a bit of trouble recently having been accused of wasteful spending, power grabs and criminal investigations. Marrero even notes that there is a Twitter feed used to needle these officials called CorruptAZSupes. The barbs have been coming fast and furious...

Reports have emerged over the behind-closed-doors deal that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is desperately trying to make with Big Unions in order to get the waters smoothed for his Obamacare policies. These reports show where Reid's sympathies lie: with union bosses and not with the voters. The Hill reported that Reid made "several significant concessions" to organized labor to smooth the way for his healthcare policies. We've reported in the past that Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, has been highly skeptical of Obamacare because of the punitive tax placed on so-called Cadillac healthcare plans. Trumka feels that this...

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty delivered a red meat assessment of Obamacare and it appears he doesn't like it much. Pawlenty slammed Obamacare as a "bait-and-switch" and said the president is "corrosive to freedom and liberty." In a NewsMax interview, Pawlenty really went after Obama serving a hearty dish of red meat to conservative voters across the country. Gov. Pawlenty is widely considered a prime candidate for president in 2012. Pawlenty calls President Obama a "movement liberal" and says he's "projecting potential weakness" to the world with his foreign policies. “His solutions are federalization of policy, spending way beyond anything we’ve...

And They Want to Be Our Health Care Providers http://www.wiseandfrugalgovernment.blogspot.com In 2002, Caltrans (California Department of Transportation ) began the construction of a new eastern span of the Bay Bridge. The estimated cost was $1.3 billion dollars. The plan? To rebuild rather than retrofit the span after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 caused a section of the bridge to collapse. After a series of delays and cost overruns the bridge is now expected to be complete in 2013 at a total cost to taxpayers of $6.3 billion. Just $5 billion or 384% over budget. That was before the break...

Veterans In Politics Talk Show Introduces Fred Weinberg and Erin Cranor LIVE on www.AllTalkRadio.net Our Listeners for the month of September are 113,910 thousand: Thank You: October 31: "Happy Nevada Day" Fred Weinberg Editor and Owner of the Penny Press Newspaper: Erin Cranor candidate for Clark County School Board Trustee District G: "Veterans In Politics" is a weekly radio show produced by the Veterans In Politics International and hosted by Steve Sanson and co-hosted by Jim Jonas on www.alltalkradio.net. The "Veterans In Politics" show is live every Saturday 2:05 PM Pacific Time you can call in and speak to the...

New York State is famous for so many things; Niagara Falls, The Empire State Building, Erie Canal and Montauk Point just to name a few. But for many of us who live in the Empire State the most famous part of our home State is the oppressive tax burden. A new study shows that from 2000 to 2008, New York experienced the nation's largest loss of residents to other states—a net domestic migration outflow of over 1.5 million, or 8 percent of its population at the start of the decade. Households moving out of New York State had average incomes...

We promise to keep French on our cereal boxes if we don’t have to subject our children to the joys of ‘French immersion’ programs in our schools. And no Celine Dion. Ever.

Republican Candidate for the 11th District House seat Adam Kinzinger is still trying to find out how much Vice President Joe Biden's August 20 appearance at a Democrat fundraiser for Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D) cost the taxpayers for police protection and city services. Along with Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica (R), Kinzinger, a U.S. Air Force pilot, has filed several Freedom of Information Act requests with Chicago and Cook County to discover the costs of Biden's fly-by visit at least to those two municipalities. Police interrupted travel from the airport, cleared city streets, monitored protesters and helped the vice president's...

Sorry, folks, but all you techies just cannot convince me that the Internet is as permanent as a book. The information in books can have several thousands of years of life. But what of the Internet? In many cases info on the Internet is not even around for mere decades. A recent story in the L.A. Times about the now defunct web platform GeoCities is a perfect example of what I am talking about. Back in the mid 1990s in the early days of the web, when blogs had yet to get their eventual sobriquet, when there were no programs...

The work of the Medill Innocence Project has already led to the exoneration of 11 inmates in Illinois. In 2000 Governor George Ryan cited the Medill Innocence Project of Northwestern University as one of the reasons he suspended the death penalty in the Land of Lincoln. It has yet to be fully reinstated. The Medill Innocence Project has recently set its sites on the case of Anthony McKinney, convicted of murdering a security officer in 1978. The students of the Project feel that they have successfully proved that McKinney was wrongly convicted and have also succeeded in getting a judge...

Doctor Jacquelline Perlman has had it. After a 12-year career as an OB-GYN doctor she his quitting her practice. One of the major reasons is the exorbitant costs of malpractice insurance. "I've decided to retire from obstetrics," said Perlman, 42. "It breaks my heart. Malpractice costs are a big part of it. It's a very sad story." Last spring her insurer dropped her and several of her fellow doctors because of the high risk of covering OB-GYNs. Dr. Perlman's new insurer was to charge $160,000 a year for coverage and that proved too much for Perlman to take. Perlman noted...

With the City of Chicago running $500 million short, thoughts are that its billion dollar shadow budget could be used to cover the gap. But is it running in the red, too?

s Doug Hoffman continues to surge in the NY-23 congressional race, the liberal establishment Republicans are continuing to peddle disingenuous defenses of their support for ACORN Republican Dede Scozzafava. The clowns at the NRCC are now comparing Doug Hoffman's candidacy to Chris Daggett's spoiler run for governor in New Jersey, which might cost Republican Chris Christie the election. They claim that just as conservatives are playing spoiler for Christie by running on ideological purism versus electoral realism, they are similarly deluding themselves in supporting Hoffman over Scozzafava. This argument is so preposterous and is false on every premise. Lets look...

Illinois Senator James Clayborne wants to raise the Illinois State Income tax a whopping 67 percent on the citizenry and 33 percent on businesses. It amounts to thievery by the state and has earned Clayborne the title of "Tax Villain" for the month of October from the watchdog group National Taxpayers United of Illinois. In this day when Illinois is almost bankrupt from its profligate spending, Clayborne wants to give this irresponsible government even more of the taxpayer's money to waste. Of course, the out-of-control spending isn;t Illinois' only problem... Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...

Paul Kroenke wrote a great piece on the empty bravado of Mayor Richard Daley and his populist claims that he won't raise property taxes. Kroenke pretty much shows that because of the tax zones that Daley has set up across the city, he really can't raise property taxes even if he wanted to do so. Back on October 14, Daley played the populist by claiming that he was ruling out property tax hikes. "You can't [raise property taxes] ... That would hurt people tremendously," Daley said. "You can only take so much. People are being laid off on a daily...

BigGovernment.com found another hilarious example of how sold out the left-wing, Old Media is to their Obammessiah. This time it is "journalist" John Guerra of the Key West Citizen in Florida who sent a personal email to Representative Connie Mack's office in reply to a mass emailing that the Representative sent his constituents. Mack's office sent out an email informing his voters that the "trigger" to initiate the "public option" that might be included in the healthcare "reform" bill in the House is little more than "smoke and mirrors." In reply, this is what the purported journalist sent to the...

The 49ers had pulled to within three and were driving with 1:38 remaining in the game....

Finally. Two things: The family HAS heard from dear old Dad since he mowed Noor and her friend down in the parking lot. Did Noor carry out her arranged marriage and then come back to the states and move in with her boyfriend? That's what her brother is saying.

One of the people, a great-grandmother, reached into her purse on the floor, pulled out a .357-caliber Magnum pistol and shot Winston once in the chest.

There was a lot of noise made back in August of this year over Congressman Brian Baird, (D. Wa.) canceling out on all of his town halls over alleged death threats he claims he received. Baird was under fire from both sides for not holding face to face meetings with constituents and was strongly criticized for incendiary comments made comparing town hall attendees to “Nazi’s,” “Brown Shirts,” “Timothy McVeigh” and the like, which he eventually apologized for and agreed to hold some town halls. The day after the first town hall, Baird again came under heavy criticism for what was...

All across the country: Michigan, Delaware, California, Oklahoma, West Virginia and more.

Cell Phone Service Interruption

This should be an exciting campaign season for the GOP. There is renewed energy in the Conservative movement and renewed interest in our founding documents and the first principles. I myself joined the local party after the recent election loss in 2008. I looked at the loss not as defeat but as opportunity to regain control of the Republican brand. However, I am finding it is a much more daunting task than I had imagined. It seems with all the cries of protest at Tea Parties and Town Halls, our voices are still not being heard. . . even by...

We are thrilled to welcome back to NC@FR Will Breazeale (yes, think Zeal!) Republican candidate for the House from the great state of North Carolina, Doug Hoffman Conservative Party candidate from NY for the House and Peg Luksik Conservative Republican candidate for the nomination for Senate from PA.

Conservative web journalists and radio talk show hosts are beside themselves at the stupidity of the Obama administration, and rightly so. We, too, bewail the squander of America's wealth, the weakening of her military, the traitorous, despicable mishandling of the CIA, the celebration of moral wickedness, the encroachment of constitutional liberties, the blind commitment to environmental myths, and so much more. While Bush conducted a war on terrorism (though he didn't really take off the gloves), Obama appears to be conducting a war on the war on terrorism. All of these things, though, are mere symptoms of a deeper problem,...

Why does President Barack Obama’s White House continue to be mired in distraction? Since the president took office there has been Gates Gate; the international snub in Copenhagen, Denmark, after the president flew there overnight to make a bid for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympics; the call for New York Gov. David Patterson not to seek election to a full term; and now the puerile decision to attack Fox News.

I want Freeper advice. I went to pick up my son today from (government run) school for a Doctor's appointment as requested by my wife. I was informed by the school that I required my wife's permission to take him from school early. Here is the issue: I am the child's legal guardian. I was completely unaware of this, and there has been no judicial order issued to the contrary. What in the h%ll is the school district's authority for such an action? What should I do about it? Advice is appreciated.

In July liberal Republican DeDe Scozzafava was tapped by the 11 Republican county chairmen of New York's 23rd Congressional District to run for the seat being vacated by John McHugh, who resigned to take Obama's offer to become Secretary of the Army. The NY GOP made a huge mistake with this smoke-filled-room choice. Scozzafava has made a hash of this campaign and should withdraw her candidacy immediately and allow Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman to take her place. Her lousy campaign aside, the prime reason we want to Dump Dede is because she doesn't seem to be much of a...

There is a new Rasmussen poll out today with very striking data. It polls hypothetical general election match ups between Democrat Senatorial candidate Kendrick Meek vs Republican Marco Rubio or Charlie Crist. The results are as follows: Charlie Crist- 46% Kendrick Meek-34% Marco Rubio-46% Kendrick Meek-31% These results are profound and striking for one simple reason. In light of the current conflict with the RINO GOP establishment in the special election of NY-CD-23, these results must be disseminated to debunk a common misconception. There is a narrative that has been promulgated by the RINO cesspool that the more liberal the...

Well, this afternoon I read the criminal search warrant and affidavit and the criminal complaint filed on Tarek Mehanna today (So you wouldn't have to, my possums.) I kept Mr. Mehanna's attorney's admonishment to remember that his client was innocent until proven guilty. I also know that the government is required to prove its allegations in open court. Several things popped out at me.

Note from Daniel Zanoza, RFFM.org's Executive Director and a member of the Illinois Forum's Board of Governors: I strongly urge Illinois citizens who care about good government to attend the Illinois Forum's next meeting. The Illinois Forum is a public policy group and is highly respected for its support of conservative principles regarding local and state government. Americans must become both informed and involved in the fight against big government, higher taxation and the assault on pro-family values. Attending the meeting and/or joining the Illinois Forum as an official member will provide you access to information about how you can...

According to McClatchy news, in the Democrat's 2006 campaign book, in the "integrity" section, the Democratic leadership vowed that legislation would be posted online for 24 hours before consideration of the final versions of any bill. That promise coupled with their president's claims that he'd post all bills online for five whole days -- that's 120 hours in case anyone's counting -- not to mention his now hoary claim that he'd put all debates on C-Span so that we the people could keep tabs on what Congress is doing makes for a facade of a deep interest in government transparency....

<p>According to McClatchy news, in the Democrat's 2006 campaign book, in the "integrity" section, the Democratic leadership vowed that legislation would be posted online for 24 hours before consideration of the final versions of any bill. That promise coupled with their president's claims that he'd post all bills online for five whole days -- that's 120 hours in case anyone's counting -- not to mention his now hoary claim that he'd put all debates on C-Span so that we the people could keep tabs on what Congress is doing makes for a facade of a deep interest in government transparency. And facade it has turned out to be for all these promises have been completely forgotten now that Democrats have taken up the reins of power.</p>

In an interesting take on what is or isn't legal, a union is threatening a critical blog for using the union's name in its blog title. The American Federation of Teachers had its lawyers send a cease and desist letter to the operators of a blog called AFTexposed.com. Now right off the top, this is an idiotic attempt to use legal threats on a blog. Imagine if this proscription became a legal precedent! Imagine a movie reviewer not being able to use a movie title in an article critical of the movie. Imagine a TV news station not being able...

There are some who believe “Tea Party” and “Town Hall” crowds fit in neat categories of at-best Republican Party strong hands, or at worst anti-Obama bigots. In both instances, there has been no evidence to support these stereotypes. We have heard time and time again testimony from individuals who are concerned with too much government intervention, and too much government spending, not your typical political thug nor white supremacist. I had the opportunity to speak at an August town hall meeting in Bellerose Queens, where I discussed how government run health care will negatively impact medical care for millions of...

If you watched the debates or look at the candidate’s websites, you will never see the dreaded “D” word spoken nor spelled out. You know why, and so do these wily candidates. The “D” word conjures up images of Pelosi, Reid and billions of dollars flying out of your collective pockets and into the hands of millionaire bankers and insurance executives. Some will tell you that no one mentions the “D” word because the Houston Mayoral Race is a non-partisan race. Really? You sure you want to go with that one? According to the letter of the law, the race...

Veterans In Politics Talk Show Introduces Joe Heck and Frank Ricotta LIVE on www.AllTalkRadio.net Our Listeners for the month of September are 113,910 thousand: Thank You: October 24: Joe Heck, Doctor, Colonel in the US Army Reserve, former Nevada State Senator, and Republican Candidate for US Congress Representing Nevada District 3:: Frank Ricotta Clark County Republican Party Coalition Director: "Veterans In Politics" is a weekly radio show produced by the Veterans In Politics International and hosted by Steve Sanson and co-hosted by Jim Jonas on www.alltalkradio.net. The "Veterans In Politics" show is live every Saturday 2:05 PM Pacific Time you...

Listen to Candidates Bucking For United States Senator Harry Reid Seat in 2010 Part 4 We have had candidates that have been campaigning for US Nevada Senator Harry Reid Seat in 2010. On October 17, 2009 we have had Doctor Robin Titus Republican Candidate for US Senate on the Veterans In Politics Talk Show on All Talk Radio. Listen to what they have to say and do your homework be an educated voter. We will have more candidates as the filing dates come closer. If you are thinking about being a candidate for US Senator representing Nevada in 2010; Or...

U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R, Hinsdale, IL) introduced legislation last week intended to prevent misuse of federal housing counseling funds. "It's abundantly clear that ACORN and its affiliates cannot be trusted as a federally certified entity," said Biggert, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee. "Given the group's clear links to illegal and inappropriate activities, how can we knowingly give them federal certification to divert precious resources from legitimate housing counselors working overtime to help struggling homeowners?" For years federal funds have flowed into ACORN's coffers for services given to low-income home buyers across the country. These services...

The L.A. Times published a story that was probably meant solely as a bash on insurance companies, but still the report brings up several issues that Obamacare will only make worse if passed. The problem raised in the headline, "Healthcare bills lack protections against treatment denials, experts say," isn't the only problem the story touches upon -- not that the L.A. Times dwells on them. The headline problem is important, of course though the Times tries to phrase the problem as an evil failing of insurance companies. The fact is it is really but a common-sense inevitability. The Times reports...

UPCOMING EVENTS Note from Daniel Zanoza, RFFM.org's Executive Director: Below you will find information about an Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) banquet to be held Saturday, October 24th. The event is a fundraiser for AFTAH and I can think of no better way to spend a Saturday night. All God-fearing Americans are aware of the assault on our culture which emanates from a small, but powerful group of homosexual radical activists. With the assistance of the liberal mainstream media, this movement has led to a well-coordinated attack on pro-family values. Parents instill in their children a set of values...

While much of America’s mainstream news media continues to scoff at the notion of Texas independence, journalists from elsewhere around the globe are beginning to recognize that the Texas Nationalist Movement is gaining momentum in its quest to put the issue of Texas secession before the voters of the state. TNM representatives have been deluged of late by requests for media interviews, particularly from journalists from overseas. TNM President Daniel Miller has been interviewed by Iranian television and a request from British TV is in the wings, while stories about the movement have also been featured in Agence France-Presse, the...

President Barack Obama is putting the finishing touches on making a mockery out of the unsupportable claim that Democrats care about women's rights by his signal to the Afghan Taliban, warlords, strongmen, militias, and tribal leaders that he's ready to negotiate with anyone there in order to smooth his efforts in that troubled region. President Obama is letting it be known that he's prepared to cut deals with the Taliban in order for Afghan warlords to cut ties with al Qaeda. Obama thinks he can work with the supposedly "moderate" Taliban groups in Afghanistan in a bid to oust al...

Not long ago, Pam Geller told the story of an ACORN office in Florida that had destroyed all the Republican voter registration forms it had gotten during a 2008 voter registration drive. Geller had a first-hand account of this crime from one Fathiyyah Muhammad, an Obama voter that is a registered Republican. She is also an African-American. "This is my first experience" with ACORN, Muhammad said. "This was before Obama got the nomination, long before then….I heard about this group that was paying $3.00 per person, to go out and to get people to sign up to vote. So I...

One of Chicago's top five trade shows may be leaving the gigantic McCormick Place Convention Center and taking up business with Orlando, Florida. Why? Because the extremely high costs forced on Chicago by the various unions that have a hammer lock on the service side of the trade show business are driving trade shows to other states. Crain's Business reports that the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. is considering the move to sunny Florida as a cost cutting measure. The show has been held in Chicago since 1971 but organizers are considering the move because of a "need to...

After all this time, I was not aware of the hurdles that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D, CA) has overcome to get where she is. But after seeing this story on the website of KING, Channel 5 news I have to say that I am taken aback by Mrs. Pelosi’s brave fight against her disability. We can all applaud the Speaker for overcoming this sever disability. So, kudos to you Speaker Pelosi... Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...

Turn the Other Cheek Deborah Lambert, October 19, 2009 Until last year, Missouri teenager Jimmy Winkelmann wasn’t planning on being an entrepreneur. But after becoming “frustrated with his classmates’ sheep-like following” of the popular North Face sports clothing, he finally decided to generate his own response. The result was a line of parody sports apparel called “South Butt.” The idea caught on—but thanks to the popularity of his website offerings, Winkelmann might face a lawsuit for trademark infringement, according to ABC TV News. It all started when a lawyer for North Face contacted Winkelmann, saying that the similarity of the...

Taxes: A Love Story Brittany Fortier, October 19, 2009 What impact do taxes have on the budgetary process? A conference hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP) on September 30, 2009 featured panelists who discussed this question and other issues regarding the national debt. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) discussed how some of the budget reforms he made while he was Governor of Virginia could be a “model for how we take on this issue at the national level.” Warner claimed that his “predecessor had set” a budget shortfall of $3.8 billion, which eventually “grew” to $6 billion. Jim Gilmore,...

High School 1959 vs 2009... -Scenario 1: Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck’s gun rack. 1959 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack. 2009 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers. -Scenario 2: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school. 1959 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and...