Free Republic

Buffett's Big Bet: $34B On 2nd-Largest Railroad Freight expectations: Warren Buffett goes `all-in' with $34B bet on railroads and the economy By Samantha Bomkamp,November 3, 2009 NEW YORK (AP) -- The biggest name in investing is making what he calls an "all-in wager" on the U.S. economy -- $34 billion to own a railroad that hauls everything from corn to cars across the country. The acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the nation's second-largest railroad, would be the biggest ever for Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway investment company. It's a natural fit for the Oracle of Omaha, a city with a...

The White House is sending Vice President Joe Biden to upstate New York next Monday to campaign for Democrat Bill Owens, according to an administration source, in a last-minute push to help Democrats pick up the longtime Republican House seat. The rally will be taking place in Watertown. The Biden event comes the day before the special election, which has turned into a two-way contest between Owens and a third-party Conservative challenger, Doug Hoffman, who has captured the momentum in the race in the last several days. It’s the second time Biden has campaigned for Owens – he went up...

DENVER - After pounding Colorado's Front Range and metropolitan Denver for more than two days with snow, a powerful Winter Storm pushed into eastern Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas Thursday evening. The snow and wind created blizzard conditions and forced the closure of several major highways, including Interstate 70 which was shut down from Aurora to the Kansas state line. Also closed were I-76 from Brighton to Neb., US 34 from Brush to Neb., CO 71 from Neb. to Ordway, CO 61 from Sterling to Otis, and CO 59 between I-76 and Yuma.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama introduced former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel and former Oklahoma Sen. David Boren as co-chairmen of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. The goal of the board, Hagel said Wednesday, is to provide "thoughtful, informed and independent advice" to the president regarding America's intelligence-gathering agencies and how they can best work effectively to collect and share information to make critical decisions. In a phone interview from his Georgetown University office, he said intelligence directs America's security efforts, informs policy and ultimately protects the country from not only terrorist and militaristic threats, but also energy and economic crises....

We need to start blasting all his phones, emails , twitter account, facebooks, and writing to the newspapers. Even if you don't live in his state you need to still be active on them and tell them no business in Nebraska if Nelson votes in favor of Obama's reckless Obamacare and cap n trade. Washington, D.C. Office 720 Hart Senate Office Building United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 T: 1-202-224-6551 F: 1-202-228-0012 Western Nebraska Office P.O. Box 1472 Scottsbluff, NE 69363-1891 T: (308) 631-7614 Omaha Office 7602 Pacific St. Ste 205 Omaha, NE 68114 T: (402) 391-3411 F: (402) 391-4725...

Ben Nelson (D-Nb.), though, said Sunday that he's not committed to vote to kill a GOP filibuster. "I have made no promise," Nelson said on CNN's "State of the Union." I can't decide about the procedural vote until I see the underlying bill. It would be, I think, reckless to say I'll support the procedure without knowing what the underlying bill consists of. And it's not put together yet. It's a draft — it will be a draft bill some time next week, submitted the Congressional Budget Office for the review of the cost." Nelson also gave a thumbs-down...

Freshman Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) in this week’s Republican address condemned the healthcare bill merger process as a “shameful” series of “backroom deals.”

A simple ... search of Michal Preclik's name turns up an Interpol wanted poster from his native Czech Republic. So where was he arrested? In Nebraska's maximum-security prison, where he was not an inmate, but a guard. Preclik had worked at the prison for a year and his arrest came just two months after officials at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution promoted the 32-year-old to corporal. Prison officials learned last month that he was wanted on suspicion of drug and fraud crimes. "This is just unbelievable that the state of Nebraska is hiring international criminals," said state Sen. Heath Mello of...

OMAHA, Neb. -- A familiar face came to Nebraska on Friday, hoping to raise a lot of money for the state Republican party and perhaps raise his profile for the 2012 presidential race. Former candidate Mitt Romney was the keynote speaker for the Nebraska Republican Party's Founder's Day dinner. The appearance, one of several planned in the past few weeks, may have helped boost his party's hopes in Nebraska's second Congressional district. He said he's also hoping to bring attention to the debate over health care reform.

Mitt Romney is lending a helping hand to Nebraska Republicans, the latest in a string of political favors as the 2008 presidential candidate surveys the 2012 landscape. The former Massachusetts governor will be the keynote speaker Friday night at the Nebraska Republican Party's biennial Founders' Day event in Omaha. Romney may make another run at the GOP presidential nomination next cycle, but an adviser says right now the former Massachusetts governor's concentrating on helping fellow Republicans in the next election. "Gov. Romney is traveling the country, speaking to Republican organizations, raising money for candidates, and doing what he can to...

A Nebraska military officer who has battled Hurricane Katrina and al-Qaida will spend his final deployment searching for a sticky black substance that might be the key to victory in Afghanistan. Lt. Col. Thomas Brewer will soon head to Kabul, capital of the war-torn country, where he will serve as a military adviser to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as it tries to slow the production and movement of crudely processed black tar heroin. ...Military leaders recognize that insurgent groups in southern Afghanistan use drug money to buy weapons, upgrade their communication systems and bribe politicians... Brewer has spent most...

The radical-turned-scholar, disinvited by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln last fall following a public outcry over his planned visit, is scheduled to speak Nov. 14 at the annual meeting of the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska. Members of the public are invited to the event, to be held at the Holiday Inn at 72nd and Grover streets in Omaha. The event is not associated with the University of Nebraska. "Not a cent" of public money will be used to bring Ayers here, said Dwayne Ball, president of the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska, a statewide group whose members include the American...

September 29, 2009 With No Fanfare, Senate Hits ACORN, Again With no fanfare and no roll call vote, not even a speech -- the Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved an amendment by Sen. Mike Johanns, R-NE, that bars any funds from the Defense spending bill from going to ACORN.

"The melting pot" analogy for immigration has taken on new meaning in this city of 25,000. It could be said that the heat has been turned up here and that the bubbling contents of the pot are coming apart rather than coming together. Behind is a summer unity picnic in which Kristin Ostrom, Gabriela "Gabby" Ayala and other members of a group called Nebraska Is Home tried to ease the tension between the white population and Hispanics and other relatively new immigrant faces. Ahead, as early as November, is a court confrontation in Lincoln for which other Fremont citizens have...

Wolf and Mellett in their Talk origins paper, The Role of ‘Nebraska man’ in the creation-evolution debate,[1] claim Nebraska man was a careless mistake by an honest scientist. However, the evidence suggests that Osborn deliberately overstated the find because the theory of evolution was centre stage in a struggle for control of education policy in America...

Buffett Tapes a Testimonial for Ms. Li; President Hu's Wardrobe in the Closet America's foremost capitalist may not have much in common with China's top Communist, but Warren Buffett and Hu Jintao do appear to share the same clothier. Move over Brioni, the truly rich and powerful are wearing Trands. The obscure menswear label is produced by Dayang Group, a clothing company founded by Li Guilian, 63 years old, a diminutive farmer-turned-fashion mogul, in northeast China. Ms. Li's company got a major boost after Mr. Buffett, chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., recently appeared in a Dayang promotional...

The passions of conservative activists could be reshaping the Republican Party and complicating some 2010 re-election campaigns. Indiana’s Mark Souder is among four House Republicans likely to face primary opponents drawing strength from the “tea party” movement and its fervent opposition to anything that might trigger higher taxes or bigger government. Souder, first elected in the Republican wave of 1994, usually lines up with his party’s right wing. But he has angered some conservatives by endorsing earmarks for his district and by backing both the 2008 financial industry bailout (PL 110-343) and the expansion of the program to help recreational...

Democrats in the Senate may have a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority when healthcare reform comes up for a vote, but at least one Democrat is telling party leaders not to count on him to be the 60th vote. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska told The Hill newspaper: "I'm not going to commit anything at this point in time on procedural votes, neither pro nor con, because it will depend on the circumstances. "I can't make those decisions in advance because it depends on what the bill is and what the circumstances are at the time. Otherwise you're just giving away your...

A former Department of Education researcher who brought to light the loophole that allowed student loan companies, including Lincoln's Nelnet, to reap hundreds of millions in profits at taxpayers' expense, has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against those same companies. Jon Oberg, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate and former aide to former U.S. Sen. Jim Exon, filed the suit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Nelnet is the lead defendant, but since the Lincoln student loan company settled its differences with the federal government more than two years ago, its spokesman said Nelnet considers the matter closed....

BELLEVUE, Neb. | At the end of a day of performing one abortion after the next after the next, LeRoy Carhart phrases the question himself. “Do I think I’ll get shot? I hope not,” the physician says. “Is it a possibility? I think it’s a very, very good possibility.” Meantime, the potbellied military retiree, grandfather and horse lover carries on the same steady abortion business that has defined, dominated and directed his life for the last two decades. Now he stands at the most thinly manned front line in America’s abortion wars — almost daring the opposition to stop him...

UPDATED: Hatch says there's only one moderate Dem @ 10:20 am by Eric Zimmermann There's only one moderate left in the Democratic caucus, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said today. Appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Hatch said that since the days he entered the Senate, the parties have become more polarized and less willing to work together. "You [used to have] at least 12 conservatives that you could call conservatives on the Democratic side," Hatch said. "We probably had about 12 liberals on our side, and it was much more balanced." "Today, there's only one moderate, as I see it, real...

We were dubious when we first read that Kentucky Fried Chicken was coming out with a new sandwich that does away with the bread in favor of two fried fillets. And that the "sandwich" part of the sandwich involved was made of cheese, something called Colonel's sauce .. and bacon? Could that possibly be true?

Nebraska is gun country, the sort of place where one of the newsroom hunters sometimes brings deer jerky from a white-tail buck he shot himself to share with colleagues. We have no problems with responsible gun ownership. But the sight of gun-carrying citizens and protesters gathering near locations where President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak creeps us out. Stop it.

Support NOW's Work | August 21, 2009 | Tell a Friend Action Needed Background All NOW Actions More about reproductive rights Defend Dr. Carhart's Clinic Next Weekend! Women need you in Nebraska! Send a message of support to Dr. Carhart After taking action, please support our work! Action Needed: 1. Join NOW President Terry O'Neill in Nebraska to defend Dr. LeRoy Carhart's women's health clinic on Friday and Saturday, August 28-29, with Kansas and Nebraska NOW. 2. Send your thanks to Dr. Carhart for his steadfast commitment to trusting women. 3. Sign NOW's Pledge for Reproductive Freedom. "Dr. Carhart saves...

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A Nebraska man who stole a painting of the Virgin Mary to finance an abortion for a teen he raped has been convicted of first-degree sexual assault and felony theft. Aurelio Vallerillo-Sanchez, 39, of Omaha pleaded no contest to the charges Friday and faces up to 70 years in prison when sentenced in October, Douglas County prosecutor Brenda Beadle said Saturday. A call to the county public defender representing Vallerillo-Sanchez wasn't answered Saturday. Beadle said Vallerillo-Sanchez fled to Mexico with the 300-year-old painting worth $100,000 and the pregnant teen in March 2007. "The plan was that...

In the heat of an ambush in Afghanistan's most lawless province, a 19-year-old Nebraskan jumped in front of a grenade to shield other Marines in his platoon. Richard Weinmaster was critically wounded by the blast. But the bloodied Cozad native stayed in the fight, firing his machine gun at the enemy position until he collapsed from his wounds. Looking back at the July 8, 2008, engagement, Weinmaster says he was “just doing my job.'' But his bosses in the Marine Corps — and the Secretary of the Navy — felt otherwise. Advertising On Thursday, they awarded the now 20-year-old Weinmaster...

Omaha, NE (LifeNews.com) -- Late-term abortion practitioner LeRoy Carhart announced today that he had laid off nearly half of the staff at his Omaha, Nebraska-area abortion center. The move came after a coalition of pro-life groups submitted a complaint to the state attorney general asking for an investigation.Carhart told the Omaha World-Herald he was not aware of the complaint and said he could not discuss the reasons for the layoffs.“This is nothing new,” he said. “They are always making stuff up, and they aren't very credible.”But, in a letter to staff that the newspaper obtained, Carhart indicated the number...

Four Democratic senators want to put off the proposed cap & trade legislation. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad both of North Dakota are urging the Senate to delay legislation that puts caps on greenhouse gas emissions and instead, pass a narrow bill that sets requirements on the use of renewable energy. Senators Lincoln and Dorgan are up for re-election in 2010 and are from states that would be hurt economically from a cap and trade bill similar to the one passed by the House in June. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid...

OMAHA (KPTM) - A new city ordinance is on the books, requiring second hand gun shops to fingerprint anyone selling a gun. Omaha police say it will help cut violence, by taking illegal weapons off the street. For decades, people selling anything at Mid-City Jewelry and Loan have had to put their finger in ink. It's a city requirement that takes less than five minutes. "We do that on anything that we loan on, whether it's a gun, or a diamond or a TV or a stereo or tools. That's just our process. Always has been," said Don Hoberman, the...

Omaha Police rush to the Gifford Park Neighborhood after a caller reported a man, walking his dog, and carrying a big gun. The call was made on Monday, August 3rd shortly after 5PM. It did not take officers long to track down a suspect. When they approached the 51-year old man he had his dog on a leash, and had a silver handgun in a leather holster around his waist. When officers approached the man he allegedly told them he carries the gun around town on a regular basis, and it was his way of making a political statement. He...

LINCOLN, Neb., Aug. 11, 2009 – The Nebraska National Guard and the Afghan army and national police kicked off a new bilateral relationship last week when two Afghan surgeons general traveled here for talks about ways Nebraska can help Afghanistan develop its medical infrastructure. Maj. Gen. Ahmad Zia Yaftali, Afghan National Army surgeon general, and Brig. Gen. Qandahar Shinwari, Afghan National Police surgeon general, tour the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Lincoln as part of new bilateral relationship with the Nebraska National Guard, Aug. 3, 2009. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Aug. 2-5 visit...

...the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. -- Amendment II Those 14 words, perhaps more than any others in the U.S. Constitution, have inspired discussions, arguments and legal debates for years and years. Now, legislation introduced in January by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) and lingering in the House Judiciary Committee has stirred up emotions on both sides of the gun control issue and once again brought these words into the spotlight. Rush's bill, the Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act (H.R. 45), establishes a federal licensing and registration regime under...

Midlands lawmakers are back home listening to constituents this August, with health care expected to dominate the discussion. Here's a listing of scheduled events at which the public can tell hear from their elected representatives on the issue. NEBRASKA Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb. Saturday, Aug. 15, 8:30-10 a.m., Coffee with Lee, Homestyle Café, 8807 Maple Street Advertising Tuesday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m., Town Hall Meeting, Millard North High School Auditorium 144th and Pacific Streets Saturday, Aug. 29, 8-9:30 a.m., Coffee with Lee, Vidlacks Café, 156th and Bob Boozer Drive Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb. Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2:15 p.m. MDT, Meet...

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska wants to make sure parents know they can keep their high school students' records from military recruiters - if they wish. A portion of the federal No Child Left Behind law requires that schools provide the names, addresses and phone numbers of juniors and seniors to all branches of the military, although it allows parents to "opt out." "Consent is assumed unless a parent takes affirmative steps," said Amy Miller. legal director of ACLU Nebraska. The problem: Some parents say they didn't realize they had the option to refuse release of the information....

Reuters' Rolfe Winkler is all over Warren Buffett, and justifiably so. “Were it not for government bailouts, for which Buffett lobbied hard,” writes Winker, “many of his company’s stock holdings would have been wiped out." Winker totaled up the direct benefit to companies Buffett owned stock in., where he owned sizable minority stakes, $95 billion in Troubled Asset Relief funding was doled out. Aside from the nearly $100 billion in taxpayer aid extended to Buffett’s holdings — which include Wells Fargo, Bank of America, American Express and Goldman Sachs — his companies also benefit from $130 billion in FDIC backing...

Flush with stimulus money, school districts are launching a host of new programs and services for disadvantaged children, everything from adding summer school sessions and buying computers to hiring social workers and training teachers in cultural diversity. Nearly 200 districts across the state have similarly dusted off their wish lists to spend the additional $47.5 million earmarked for Title I programs. Iowa is receiving $51.5 million in stimulus funding for Title I, federal education aid that goes to schools with a high percentage of poor children. The money is for new spending and cannot be used to take the place...

Nelson, liberals escalate feudBy Alexander Bolton Posted: 08/02/09 02:23 PM [ET] Liberal activists have significantly ratcheted up their brewing fight with centrist Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who will be a pivotal vote in the Senate’s healthcare reform debate. A liberal activist working with an advocacy group founded by former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean has attacked Nelson as “bought and paid for by health and insurance interests” and suggested he is “corrupt” and “out of touch.” Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), made the charges in a scathing statement that said Nelson “feels...

Angered by TV ad campaigns being run against him by liberal Democrats pushing for government run health care reform, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) threatened that he and his fellow conservative Democrats would be forced to kill the health care reform deal reached by House Democrats if the ads continued. Nelson's office said the pro-health care reform attack ads "backfired," prompting "hundreds of Nebraskans to call our offices, with 9 to 1 urging Senator Nelson to do exactly the opposite of what the special interest group wanted." Continuing to keep up the pressure, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee responded in a...

Sen. Ben Nelson said Wednesday he has not decided whether he will vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Nelson said he'll delay his decision until next week's scheduled Senate vote. "I accept her judicial philosophy of fidelity to the law," Nelson said during a telephone conference call from Washington. Nelson said he also believes Sotomayor is committed to supporting settled judicial precedent. But, he said, he needs to "convince myself she won't be an activist" on the court. "I need an opportunity to review a few things," the Democratic senator said. Republican Sen. Mike Johanns...

At least three Nebraska lawmakers want to send a message to the federal government: Butt out of state business. Next year they will see if a majority of their colleagues agrees. The senators are working on resolutions asserting Nebraska's sovereignty under the 10th Amendment of the Constitution. Nebraska wouldn't try to secede from the union under their proposals but would go on record objecting to federal laws that they say go beyond constitutional authority. “My goal here is to shine light on the fact that the federal government is overstepping its bounds,” said State Sen. Tony Fulton of Lincoln. “We...

At least three Nebraska lawmakers want to send a message to the federal government: Butt out of state business. Next year they will see if a majority of their colleagues agrees. The senators are working on resolutions asserting Nebraska's sovereignty under the 10th Amendment of the Constitution. Nebraska wouldn't try to secede from the union under their proposals but would go on record objecting to federal laws that they say go beyond constitutional authority. “My goal here is to shine light on the fact that the federal government is overstepping its bounds,” said State Sen. Tony Fulton of Lincoln. “We...

Agriculture's role in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions could take a backseat to debate about the higher costs farmers could face under the climate legislation as the Senate Agriculture Committee hears from farm groups and key officials in the Obama administration on Wednesday. Republican senators throughout the ranks of the Agriculture Committee have made it clear since last week that Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson had better come armed with detailed data on what kind of costs farmers may face. Some senators want detailed information broken down by commodity and state. The climate bill passed...

As health care reform bumped into new hurdles and barriers in Congress, supporters gathered in Lincoln Saturday to craft their case. People who are satisfied with their health care and insurance coverage today need to recognize they may not be able to retain it because of the soaring costs of insurance, an advocate for President Barack Obama’s agenda warned. And if every president since Harry Truman has tried to reform health care, Timothy Anderson asked, “are we really moving that fast?” Anderson, who heads Organizing for America efforts in Nebraska, took note of recent calls in Congress to slow down...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, July 17, 2009 – Members of the Nebraska National Guard's Task Force Warrior agribusiness development team visited several villages in Afghanistan’s Kapisa province July 13 to assess grain bins that once occupied farmlands in Imperial, Neb. Army Sgt. 1st Class Eldon Kuntzelman, center, meets with local farmers in Afghanistan’s Kapisa province, July 13, 2009, to discuss issues concerning grain-bin assembly and grape vineyards. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Lory Stevens  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Development team members relocated and reconstructed the bins to help Afghan farmers with grain-storage issues. “These completed grain bins are...

No charges will be filed in Wednesday's accidental shooting at the Carter Lake police department. Thursday afternoon Pottawattamie County Attorney, Matt Wilber said the investigation showed nothing criminal, just a mistake. Police Chief Shawn Kannedy accidentally hit Sergeant Dan Driver in the torso while conducting a firearms demonstration. He says Chief Kannedy was showing a couple of officers that a magazine from a full-sized gun would also work in their sub-compact service weapons. He went to load the magazine into a 40-caliber service weapon without realizing it was already loaded, and the gun went off. It's the kind of accident...

Animal welfare activists threaten nation’s agriculture Producers need to tell their story By Elizabeth Barrett July 10, 2009 Clouds loom over agriculture today. According to Roger Berry, the average American is three generations removed from the farm while animal rights groups don’t understand the importance of animal agricultural. “We’re in danger of losing animal agriculture,” said Berry, the field director for the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture. Berry spoke to Gothenburg Rotarians at their noon meeting Monday at the Parlor Restaurant. A-FAN is a non-political organization formed to help Nebraska farmers and ranchers protect and preserve the quality of...

The KEY sentence, of this Story is... "The new equipment requires fewer people to operate, making it more cost-effective in the long run, TSA officials say."

About 250 people gathered on the steps of the State Capitol at noon Saturday to celebrate the “Nationwide Independence Day Tea Party,” a protest rally being held around the country. Organizers handed out pocket copies of the Constitution. Speakers criticized President Obama’s economic policies and what they see as the far left’s goal to increase the size of government, along with their taxes. One man’s sign — “Liberty Over Tyranny” — won a vote of applause as the crowd’s favorite. In April, the same “tea-party” group had gathered at the Capitol with the same message.

Minnesota has been an unofficial testing ground for using ethanol to fuel vehicles, but after years of steady increases, interest appears to be waning. Despite a push from the governor and an increase in the number of so-called flexible-fuel vehicles on the road — which can run on either gasoline or a mostly ethanol blend — sales of E85 have dipped in recent months, beyond the normal decline in winter months. In February, sales of E85, a cleaner-burning fuel consisting of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, hit their lowest mark since 2006, according to a new report by...

What was to have been a serious discussion Friday turned into a case of finger-pointing and accusations between a health care reform advocacy group and the staff of Republican Sen. Mike Johanns. Officials with Change That Works Nebraska accused members of Johanns’ staff of calling security guards to intimidate people set up outside a meeting to discuss health care — a charge Johanns’ office denies. The group’s director, Jane Kleeb, was invited by Johanns to participate in the round-table discussion on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus. Kleeb, in turn, gathered a group of teachers, veterans and others to...