Free Republic

Before we get into the meat of this story from the National Journal, let me just note that this – “One of the most underappreciated stories in recent years is the deterioration of the Democratic bench under President Obama’s tenure in office” – has always been properly appreciated by me. I noticed this issue a while back. Sorry, but I felt the need to establish that. Moving on… …less attention has been paid to how the shrinking number of Democratic officeholders in the House and in statewide offices is affecting the party’s Senate races. It’s awfully unusual to see how...

The trouble with the ad is that they aren’t being completely honest about background checks. The ad makes it seem that if HB562 were to pass, there would no longer be any background checks for handgun purchases in NC. Unfortunately for Everytown, background checks for purchasing a handgun from a dealer is a federal law, which isn’t affected by the North Carolina HB562.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) applauds the passage of the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) on Thursday after a week of debate and consideration by both parties. Sen. Cruz introduced or cosponsored more than a dozen amendments that were successfully adopted by the committee. “Congress’ first priority is to provide for the national defense and ensure our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have everything they need to defend our freedom,” said Sen. Cruz. “I am grateful for the committee’s support for my amendments, including measures that will ensure...

One hundred and fifty members of Congress – all Democrats and, among them, most of the small group of bitterly anti-Israel lawmakers – signed a letter supporting President Obama’s diplomatic efforts vis-à-vis the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Authored by Reps. Jan Schakowsky (Illinois), Lloyd Doggett (Texas), and David Price (North Carolina), the letter exemplifies the hyper-partisanship that has driven the left wing of the Democrat party on this issue even as that wing has cried “partisan extremism” at the responses from Republicans. As if trying to prove Churchill right, this Iran Surrender Caucus, whenever presented with a choice between dishonor...

Military spouses could be able to purchase a handgun in any state without first becoming a resident if recently proposed legislation is passed into law. Under current federal law, active duty service members can purchase handguns in any state without proving they are state residents. But that law does not extend to their spouses, who must first establish state residency before making a firearm purchase. The legislation, offered by Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Va., would change that. His proposed rules would put active duty service members and their spouses on equal footing when purchasing a firearm. Rigell drafted the legislation in...

“So, you're a jew-hating b***. You even have that b***'s eyes and nose!”It was a harsh comment, but at least it was anticipated. I asked for it because I took a picture of some unnamed cousins in SS uniforms to school for history class. While I never did find out their names, they still remain in my family tree somewhere, along with other relatives that fought against and were held prisoner by the Nazis. It would have been easier to take in the pictures of the GI's that were closer relations, but their history wasn't in danger of being lost,...

Lyndon McLellan fought the law -- and apparently, he won. The North Carolina business owner for months has been battling the federal government after IRS agents last fall seized $107,000 from him, under a controversial practice known as civil forfeiture. But his attorneys at the Institute for Justice announced Thursday that the IRS and Department of Justice have moved to dismiss the case and give him back his money. “What’s wrong is wrong, and what the government did here was wrong,” McLellan said in a statement Thursday. “I just hope that by standing up for what’s right, it means it...

TOP STORIES 2 of 30 prev next American flag stirring controversy at York County high school Coleen Harry May 13, 2015 10:47 PM YORK COUNTY, NC (WBTV) - In Peyton Robinson's eyes, the American flag should be displayed. But at his school, York Comprehensive High School, the senior ran into a problem because he was displaying the flag on his pick-up. "Just proud to be an American," the 18-year-old told WBTV. Robinson said a school administrator told him remove the American flag and the POW-MIA flag, which he has in the back of his truck. "He said we're having some...

On August 7, 2014 I made a bet with Mr. Britt Whitmire of the Brad and Britt radio show. He was convinced a radio station in North Carolina was flipping to sports because of recent events. This radio station ( 94.5 WPTI) is predominantly a conservative radio station. Their line up includes The K.C. O'dea, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh,Sean Hannity and up until August 1st Jason Lewis. When Jason Lewis went off the air Mr. Whitmire got excited that this radio station was finally failing. I proceeded to tell him he was wrong and a bet was made. Mr. Whitmire...

It took Republicans three tries to win control of the US Senate and consolidate Congress under their leadership. In the end, the landscape left by the 2008 Democratic triumph left them uniquely vulnerable in the sixth-year midterm of an unpopular presidency. The tables will turn in 2016, warns National Journal’s Charlie Cook, as the gains of 2010 will make Republicans highly vulnerable to losing control of the Senate once again: Today, The Cook Political Report puts two Republican-held seats in the “Toss Up” category—the open seat in Florida and Kirk in Illinois. That toss-up column will certainly grow as...

A U.S. Marine helicopter supporting earthquake relief in Nepal was declared missing Tuesday with eight people on board, a military spokesman said. The UH-1Y Huey with two Nepalese soldiers and six U.S. Marines on board disappeared over Charikot, Nepal, at about 10 p.m. local time (12:15 p.m. ET), said U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Army Maj. Dave Eastburn. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said the U.S. military is hopeful that the missing helicopter landed and is out of communication. A military official told NBC News there is "no indication that there was a crash" but "it is dark," so they could...

A new blog post written by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) may appear to be an attempt to align with Hillary Clinton, but it takes direct aim at multiple Clinton Foundation donors. Warren’s post, “I agree with Hillary Clinton,” details her concerns with a provision in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement that she says “would let foreign companies challenge American laws outside of American courts.” “The Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provision isn’t a one-time, hypothetical problem—we’ve seen it in past trade agreements,” Warren wrote. Three of the five companies Warren uses as examples of companies that have abused similar...

A petition to close down a coal plant from the green group listed some supporters who say they hadn’t signed on. ... three western North Carolina businesses accused the green group of listing them without permission as co-signatories on a “businesses beyond coal” campaign letter. The Sierra Club listed 80 businesses as co-signatories last October in a letter it widely publicized, calling for Duke Energy to retire its coal plant in Asheville. ... National Review reached out to the remaining 61 businesses listed in the Sierra Club letter. Though it was unable to reach all of the owners, it found...

Although some states have moved to stop the abominable practice of civil asset forfeiture (bravo to New Mexico), the vicious monster is still alive, still seizing money and property from innocent people, still making them battle through the legal system if they want it back. Here’s a case that ought to send shivers up your spine if you run a business that deals in a lot of cash. Lyndon McLellan owns a gas station and convenience store in the little town of Fairmont, North Carolina. Last spring, IRS agents came to his store and informed him that they had just...

A North Carolina store owner is fighting to recover more than $100,000 from the IRS. The feds reportedly seized Lyndon McLellan’s life savings under a banking law designed to stop drug dealers and money laundering. The IRS accused McLellan of structuring – repeatedly depositing money in increments just under $10,000. The IRS had said it would no longer target deposits unless the money was involved in a separate illegal activity. McLellan, who owns L&M Convenience Mart in Fairmont, hasn’t been charged with anything, yet he hasn’t gotten his money back. “It took 13 years to get it and less than...

The events of recent months have emboldened the Gaystapo to plumb new depths of depravity. Not content with having the laws of the various States overturned by unelected federal judges for the benefit of the sexual lifestyle choices of a tiny minority, nor with the increasing persecution of business owners acting on their own deeply-held personal beliefs, the radical gay activists have upped the ante against those who disagree with them. In a story coming out of Guilford County, North Carolina, two church buildings in the past month have been vandalized with explicitly pro-homosexual sentiments, using spray paint as well...

A Colorado Springs mom is the latest target of a scam going after military families in Southern Colorado. The scammers pretend to be with TRICARE to try to get victims' personal information. 11 News first learned about the scam earlier this year, but we keep hearing from more people in the community who are getting these calls. Penni Schacherer lives in Colorado Springs, and says she was in the middle of homeschooling her son when her phone rang. The caller claimed to be with TRICARE and offered her a special cream that relieves pain. Schacherer tells 11 News she was...

The state House agreed Tuesday night to pull back on North Carolina's long-standing ban on hunting with guns on Sundays, replacing it with legislation containing exceptions but giving counties the ability to ban it again locally in a couple of years. The House voted 83-35 for legislation that would allow hunting with a firearm on the day traditionally reserved for church on private land with the owner's written permission. The bill now goes to the Senate. There would be limits. Sunday hunting of this kind would still be banned in Wake and Mecklenburg counties, and anywhere else within 500 yards...

Movie star Ben Affleck has another nine slaveholder ancestors from Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia, according to publicly available Census records and genealogy research conducted by Breitbart News. Last week, Affleck admitted that he successfully pressured Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates to edit his Georgia slaveholding ancestor, Benjamin Cole, out of an episode of the PBS series “Finding Your Roots” that featured his family history. This brings the number of Affleck’s known slaveholder ancestors to 12, who owned a total of 214 slaves. The relative ease with which Breitbart News was able to find these nine additional slaveholding...

If you are a serial killing illegal alien gang member, it helps to be one of resident Obama’s “Dreamers.” Exchanges of letters on Tuesday between a U.S. Senate lawmaker and an official from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reveals that resident Barack Obama’s executive-ordered immigration policy was instrumental in protecting a criminal alien gang member. Sadly, that gang member allegedly murdered four Americans, including a former participant on the television series “America’s Next Top Model,” according to news reports on Wednesday. In fact, spokespeople for resident Obama admitted that an illegal alien and known gang member, who was allowed...