Free Republic

[edit] Opposition to increased oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac In 2003 Watt vehemently opposed efforts by the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans to increase regulatory oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac[5]. "I don't see much other than a shell game going on here, moving something from one agency to another and in the process weakening the bargaining power of poorer families and their ability to get affordable housing", Mr. Watt said.[6]

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A suspect was shot and killed during a robbery attempt near NC State Thursday night. Eyewitnesses say the owner of a local store opened fire as he was being held up around 9 p.m. Thursday The incident happened at Tienda Hispana Mi Barrio II on Western Boulevard near Clanton Street . Jose Jimenez, the owner's nephew, says his uncle shot a suspect who was trying to rob his store. Two other suspects fled the scene. According to the owner, he observed three Hispanic males enter the store. He said they appeared suspicious so he watched them closely....

WASHINGTON While dozens of their colleagues in both parties switched their votes from "no" on Monday to "yes" on Friday to help pass a $700 billion financial system rescue plan, local representatives remained unanimously opposed. Here's some of what members had to say after the 263-171 vote. U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake, R-Norfolk"I came to the conclusion that this bill is at its foundation fatally flawed. The bill pledges $700 billion of taxpayer dollars with no guarantee this will correct the underlying problem and stabilize the markets."Now that the vote is behind us, we all should agree that the next step is...

GREENSBORO -- Vice presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will attend a fundraiser event on Oct. 16 in Greensboro, according to Joe Hauck at the New Breed Company in Greensboro. The event, which most likely won't be open to the public, will be held at the home of Louis DeJoy, president of Greensboro logistics copany New Breed, the News and Record reported. DeJoy is the state finance chair for the McCain/Palin ticket. Palin is also scheduled to make another swing through the Tarheel state leading up to Election Day in November. She will be attending a rally on the campus...

Barack Obama suggested this weekend that children of illegal immigrants should have an opportunity to attend community colleges. In an interview with WUNC this weekend, the Democratic presidential candidate said children who attend public schools should have the chance to continue to improve themselves. "For us to deny them access to community college, even though they've never lived in Mexico, at least as far as they can tell ... is to deny that this is how we've always built this country up," he said. The campaign of Republican John McCain issued a statement saying he was opposed to providing benefits...

September 30, 2008 Presidential Ballots State McCain Obama Other Undecided Nevada: McCain leads 49%-47% North Carolina: McCain leads: 49%-46% Virginia: McCain leads (49%-46%)

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama suggested this weekend that the children of illegal immigrants should have an opportunity to attend public community colleges -- thereby interjecting himself into a contentious North Carolina issue. Obama said children who attended public schools should have the chance to continue to improve themselves rather than being consigned to the fringes of society. "For us to deny them access to community college, even though they've never lived in Mexico, at least as far as they can tell ... is to deny that this is how we've always built this country up," Obama said in an...

GREENSBORO - Let me start off by saying this: I am not the stereotypical gun enthusiast. I don't wax eloquent about the Second Amendment or the National Rifle Association. I don't think Democrats are out to steal my guns. I don't fear a zombie attack (the only reason that I can think of that even remotely explains why a private citizen would need to own an AK-47 or an M16). Actually, I don't even own a gun, which is typically considered an enthusiast necessity. Even so, I have gone shooting several times with my father and had expressed an interest...

Wachovia Bank, a major institution, has seen its stock plummet and its continued viability called into question, as the nation's financial crisis muddles forward. [Update: shortly after publication of this article, Citigroup agreed to purchase Wachovia's banking operations in a deal facilitated by the FDIC.] Largely ignored in this crisis is the key role played by Herbert and Marion Sandler, founders of Golden West Financial (GDW), one of the largest savings and loans in the nation. Wachovia purchased GDW for $24 billion dollars in 2006. This was one of the worst merger and acquisition deals of all time for the...

For the fifth time this year, two of the three gubernatorial candidates met for a debate. This time, it was a different two. Republican Pat McCrory and Libertarian Mike Munger debated the economy, health care and education in an hour-long event hosted by UNC-TV, agreeing more than they disagreed. Democrat Beverly Perdue skipped the debate. Though they agreed more than they disagreed during the debate, McCrory and Munger differed on offshore drilling and the death penalty. McCrory argued drilling would lower gas prices eventually, while Munger said it was a gimmick but worth doing anyway. McCrory said he would move...

FUQUAY-VARINA - A Holly Springs teen picking up his girlfriend from Fuquay-Varina High School Tuesday afternoon was arrested after school officials noticed a shotgun and a rifle in his pickup, Fuquay-Varina police said. Joseph Pascal Aprea, 18, of 109 Malmedy Drive in Holly Springs was charged with two felony counts of possession of a weapon on school grounds, according to arrest warrants. Aprea was driving through the carpool lane to pick up his girlfriend after school when an assistant principal noticed a shotgun hanging from a gunrack on the inside of his truck cab's rear window, Capt. Bob Adams of...

North Carolina ranks up there with the most socialistic states in which I have lived, including New York State and Vermont. This state runs a liquor sales agency monopoly, an exclusive gambling organization and it controls private insurance companies. For example, health insurance for most of us would probably be less expensive but for the state loading up required coverage that companies must provide to all clients regardless their needs. Further, as I understand it, the state restricts residents from being covered by out-of-state companies. Therefore, we have fewer choices. The “free market” does not operate in North Carolina. State...

PWN: PWN (verb) 1. An act of dominating an opponent. I have this terribly cool idea. Obama plans to attend a rally in Charlotte this coming Sunday. Wouldn’t it be terribly funny if we pooled a little cash together and hired one of those guys who fly the banners over football games to fly a huge “ Obama PWNED-Vote McCain-Palin 2008, sponsored by www.freerepublic.com” over Nobama’s rally? Just imagine the press....couldn’t cost more than a grand or two. I’m in for $200. Anyone else? Silly? Perhaps. Funny? You bet your @ss!

Polidata did a projection based on population trends over the past decade and are predicting that both North Carolina and South Carolina will gain a Congressional seat after the 2010 Census and with that an extra electoral vote in the Presidential elections. This would bring North Carolina up to 14 seats in Congress and 16 electoral votes and South Carolina up to 7 seats in Congress and 9 electoral votes. The bigger question is which party will benefit from this change. In South Carolina the seventh Congressional seat will almost certainly go to the Republicans. They dominate the state and...

The U.S. House of Representatives National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee heard testimony today on a bill that would set aside a consent decree and return management of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to the National Park Service’s interim plan. Even as the witnesses were testifying in the House, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources dealt the legislation what may be a fatal blow.The Senate committee voted 12-11 not to report the bill, S3113, out of committee. The vote split along party lines, with Republicans, including North Carolina’s Sen. Richard Burr, voting to report the bill out...

Here is a local news report on a Survey USA poll released September 9, 2008, showing John McCain surging to a 20-point lead over Barack Obama, 58%-38%. Just one month ago, Survey USA showed McCain leading by only four-points, 49%-45%. . . . . .(see video report at the link)

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. The morning began with a brief but vigorous argument - call it a discussion - in the hotel lobby. The breakfast table was loaded with road maps, Google Earth printouts and colorful elevation images intended to help the three researchers locate a curious landscape feature. They were hunting for slight depressions in the earth, dimples almost invisible at ground level but so striking from the air that, for a number of years, they captivated the entire country. Scientists in the mid-1900s devoted careers to their study, debated furiously in print, were celebrated, vilified, laughed at and honored,...

Johnston's sheriff says Hispanics spread crime and dodge taxes. Yet he respects their hard work and expresses pity for their plight SMITHFIELD - Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell's territory is one of country stores and fading tobacco barns; but increasingly his work -- and his words -- reach far beyond his rural county. Advocates and politicians across the state have come to know him as the lawman with the deep country twang who makes incendiary comments about "drunk Mexicans." "Look at that," he says, pointing to tiendas that have cropped up amid the barbecue joints. "You can't even read the...

Inside a bland industrial building in Wilmington, N.C., an experiment is in the works that could vastly reduce the cost, time, and space needed to make fuel for nuclear power plants and, some nonproliferation experts say, for nuclear bombs as well. In that building, secret uranium-enrichment technology licensed by GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy is nearing a pilot test. If successful, the new technology will enable the company to supply low-cost nuclear fuel to power reactors worldwide, officials say. -Snip- If SILEX is successful, GE-Hitachi could produce low-enriched uranium fuel for power plants at half the cost of centrifuge-based technology, Dr. Eerkens...

John Edwards' sins aren't the only headline boosting North Carolina into the national spotlight. Barack Obama is angling to win this perennially red state, along with a number of others once thought securely Republican. Why's that significant? Because a victory here would break the GOP's monopoly on the Southeast, causing a rift in the Electoral College that McCain would be hard pressed to overcome. That possibility is too tempting for Obama to resist. He's setting up shop in North Carolina -- nearly two-dozen shops....

A lawyer for the state today defended the firing of a state Highway Patrol trooper who was caught on video repeatedly kicking his police dog. Charlie Jones, a sergeant and 12-year veteran of the agency, has said that he was simply training his canine partner, Ricoh, after the dog failed to release a piece of fire hose. Jones is trying to get his job back. But Assistant Attorney General Ashby Ray today urged the state Personnel Commission to watch the videotape before making a decision. The tape, shot with a cell phone camera by another trooper, shows that the dog...

To require the Department of Defense to grant access to accredited members of the media at military commemoration ceremonies and memorial services for members of the Armed Forces who have died on active duty and when the remains of members of the Armed Forces arrive at military installations in the United States. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Fallen Hero Commemoration Act’. SEC. 2. MEDIA ACCESS TO MILITARY COMMEMORATION CEREMONIES, MEMORIAL SERVICES, AND ARRIVAL CEREMONIES FOR...

The state community college system will discuss at its monthly meetings this week whether to allow illegal immigrants into degree programs. The decision to revisit the contentious issue comes after federal Homeland Security officials told the state Attorney General’s Office in July that no federal law bars illegal immigrants from pursuing degrees. The discussions will be held during the Thursday and Friday sessions of the community colleges’ board in Raleigh, spokeswoman Audrey Bailey said. Tony Asion, director of the Raleigh-based Hispanic advocacy group El Pueblo, expressed excitement over the decision to reopen discussion on the issue. “This is good for...

Two New Polls: FL(InAv) McCain 48% Obama 44% NC(SVUSA) McCain 49% Obama 45%

Is an area high school haunted? Asheville is abuzz after video was captured by a motion-activated camera at Asheville High school at 2:51 a.m. Friday, August 1. In the video, a dark image –some say looks like the silhouette of a child- appears by an elevator. The image advances forward and is again captured in the hallway. It’s something, so far, the Asheville School District says can’t be explained. Charlie Glazener, Executive Director of Public Relations for the District says, “I’m a logical person, and I wanted to be able to explain to these folks, or anybody, this is what...

Mall brawl gang-related, Raleigh police say Raleigh, N.C. — A massive fight that involved hundreds of people and forced the evacuation of Triangle Town Center mall was gang related, Raleigh police said. The melee poured outside the mall as the crowd spread out, and an estimated 200 and 300 people were involved at the height of the fight, police said. On-duty Raleigh police officers, Wake County sheriff's deputies and state troopers responded to the fight and fully restored order around 9 p.m., police said. Shoppers were asked to leave Triangle Town Center around 8 p.m.,

Raleigh, N.C. — About 200 to 300 people joined a melee that began inside a Raleigh mall and spilled outside the shopping center during the fight, police said Sunday. Raleigh Police Department spokesman Jim Sughrue said the gang-related brawl began inside Triangle Town Center Mall on Saturday night at about 8 p.m.. Off-duty officers working at the mall requested assistance, and authorities from the Wake County Sheriff's Office and the N.C. Highway Patrol also responded. Sughrue said a 15-year-old was stabbed during the incident. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A police officer was also injured...

No details yet...developing. Wonder what he was doing at Beverly Hilton? Woman involved? Ailing Elizabeth no where to be seen.

The fainting. The swooning. The thunderous applause everywhere he goes. The MSM can't show us enough of His Rockstarness. For example, here he is after his victory in the North Carolina primary speaking, to a "rousing ovation." Check out how many people were actually in the arena.

In death, Sen. Jesse Helms is being honored as a conservative hero. My question is why? Yes, the six-term senator defined right-wing political stands against communists in Cuba, Nicaragua and the former Soviet Union. Yes, he blocked international treaties that limited U.S. sovereignty. And, yes, he was masterful in his use of direct mail to stir contributions to conservative causes. But "Senator No" also created an angry, scolding, close-minded face for the modern GOP, exactly opposite to the sunny optimism of Ronald Reagan. Helms did not invite people into the party; to the contrary, he seemed to delight in excluding...

THE NEW YORK TIMES VS. HELMS, PART 529,876July 9, 2008 Last Friday, on the Fourth of July, the great American patriot Jesse Helms passed away. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson also went to their great reward on Independence Day, so this is further proof of God. Helms is now the second great American patriot I've always wanted to meet and never will, at least in this lifetime. The only other one is the magnificent Reagan aide Lyn Nofziger. (Wikipedia quote: "I sometimes lie awake at night trying to think of something funny that Richard Nixon said.") After a week of...

Mary Easley's 88 percent pay raise questionedWednesday, July 02, 2008 | 6:41 PM By Ed Crump Wife of N.C. Governor Mike Easley.RALEIGH (WTVD) -- There is more controversy surrounding First Lady Mary Easley in the wake of expensive taxpayer funded trips abroad by both the first lady and Governor Mike Easley. Eyewitness News has learned that Mary Easley got an 88 percent raise at her job at N.C. State University. Until this week, Mary Easley got paid $90,000 a year to recruit speakers to come to campus. Now her job duties have expanded to include directing a public safety program...

DURHAM, N.C., July 1 (UPI) -- A Durham, N.C., Democratic official and her husband face criminal charges in connection with alleged satanic rituals. Joy Johnson, 30, a third vice-chairwoman of the Durham County Democratic Party and vice chairwoman of the Young Democrats, was charged Friday with two counts of aiding and abetting. Her husband, Joseph Scott Craig, 25, was charged with second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon for incidents in January and May, the Raleigh News & Observer reported Tuesday. Mark McCullough, an assistant district attorney ...acknowledged that "part of the allegations are...

Satanic Ritual Sex Crime Leads to Arrest of North Carolina Democratic Activist... "She seemed to be a very open, reasonable, responsible person, but certainly, the allegations that have been made are shocking to everybody who has known her."

US officials on Tuesday cracked-down on the violent MS-13 gang, arresting 26 people for a range of crimes committed in three US states and the Central American nation of El Salvador. "Early this morning, federal, state, and local law enforcement officials here in North Carolina began executing arrest warrants against 26 alleged members of the gang La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13," US Attorney General Michael Mukasey said. The defendants face a variety of charges stemming from crimes committed between 2003 and June 2008 including four murders, narcotics distribution, robberies, illegal firearms possession, extortion, assault, intimidating witnesses and obstruction...

A pizza delivery driver fought back at a group of suspects who tried to rob him, pulling out a gun and wounding one of them. Greenville Police say the incident happened early Monday morning at 1105 A Masters Lane when the Chanellos Pizza driver said three suspects began hitting him as he was delivering the pizzas. Police say the delivery driver then pulled out a gun and began to fire. One of the three robbery suspects was struck. Elvis Deans Junior, a 17 year-old student at South Central High School, is listed in stable but critical condition. He'll be charged...

Vast Peat Fire May Burn for Months in North CarolinaWillie Drye for National Geographic NewsJune 13, 2008 About 450 firefighters are battling a 40,000-acre (16,000-hectare) blaze in northeastern North Carolina that could burn for months unless the drought-stricken region gets a downpour. The fire, which was sparked by a lightning strike on June 1, is currently the largest active wildfire in the United States. Containing and extinguishing the fire is posing a unique challenge, because it is burning in highly flammable peatland. Peat is partially decomposed plant matter formed in wetlands that can be harvested as fuel. It can be...

Mike Huckabee performed the Heimlich Maneuver successfully on a fellow politician Saturday in North Carolina. ...

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee put the squeeze on a politician at the North Carolina Republican Party convention, but in a good way. The former Arkansas governor performed the Heimlich maneuver on Robert Pittenger, Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, at a lunch Saturday. Pittenger said he was laughing when he choked on some food. "I stood up and the governor came over and did the Heimlich and got the relief," Pittenger said. He said the food dislodged when Huckabee applied the trademark Heimlich squeeze to the midsection. Pittenger added, "In fact he called me in the...

The Hunt for American al Qaeda The United States is turning up the heat in the hunt for the California boy turned al Qaeda operative, Adam Gadahn, who has been charged with treason and is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. If caught and convicted, Gadahn could face the death penalty. The State Department along with the Department of Diplomatic Security announced the beginning of a publicity campaign in Afghanistan urging locals to provide any information on Gadahn's whereabouts, with a reward if the information leads to his capture. Radio advertisements with information concerning the $1 million reward have...

A South Carolina high school principal said he'll resign from his post after the district approved an organization for gay students that conflicts with his religious beliefs. Eddie Walker, the principal of Irmo High School in Columbia, S.C., announced his intention to step down to faculty and students on Wednesday, saying he'll end his tenure following the 2008-09 school year. The decision, outlined in a letter to Lexington-Richland School District 5 officials, said the reason was the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance Club for students.

Humor Key to Success in Politics Melinda Zosh, May 22, 2008 Mary Katharine Ham, managing editor of Townhall.com, spoke about humor at the May Conservative Women’s Network meeting. The conferences sponsored by the network, which consists of more than 1,000 women in the Washington, D.C. area, was broadcast on CSPAN to more than 90 million viewers. Ham, a 2002 University of Georgia alumna, spoke about the value of humor in everyday life, especially politics. “Humor is integral to the fights we face everyday as conservatives,” said Ham. “Defeating our mortal enemies requires [laughter].” Besides conquering adversaries, Ham gave several reasons...

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Vernon Byrd was on an all-terrain vehicle in a field off Johnson Road last Tuesday when he said an 8-foot-long snake reared up beside him – and the serpent's head was about shoulder high to him. "I caught something out of my eye, and this snake comes up beside me and looked at me," Byrd said. "I've seen every kind of snake in this part of the country, but I've never seen a snake like this." He called Freddie Mims, a licensed wildlife rescue agent, who said the description of the snake sounded like a king cobra, the world's largest...

The News & Observer filed a motion Monday opposing the Orange County district attorney's request to seal the results of the autopsy of murdered UNC student Eve Carson. Last week, Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour ordered that the results remain under seal to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation into the 22-year-old Athens, Ga., senior's death.

. The Showdown / All-Star Saturday 7:30 pm Eastern on SPEED from Lowe's Superspeedway Please give your support to the FR Canteen - Dedicated to our troops, veterans, and their families: The FR Canteen God Bless Our Troops

Raleigh, N.C. — North Carolina's 58 community colleges will no longer allow illegal immigrants to enroll, officials said Tuesday. The move follows an advisory letter issued a week ago by the state Attorney General's Office recommending that community colleges tighten their admissions standards to be more in line with federal laws. “We asked the Attorney General’s Office for clarification of our present policy and will abide by their advice,” Community College System President R. Scott Ralls said in a statement. “Until we receive further clarification, we will no longer admit individuals classified as illegal or undocumented immigrants into curriculum degree...

No federal law prohibits North Carolina from admitting illegal immigrants to its colleges and universities, officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said today. The statement from federal officials contradicts a letter sent this week by the office of state Attorney General Roy Cooper. The letter from Cooper's office advised the state Community College System that federal law bars the admission of illegal immigrants to public colleges and universities, even if they pay out-of-state tuition. The letter said that the Department of Homeland Security, of which ICE is a part, was responsible for enforcing the law and offered to ask...

Barack Obama pocketed the support of at least four Democratic convention superdelegates on Wednesday, building on the momentum from a convincing North Carolina primary victory. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed to remain in the race "until there's a nominee." The former first lady declined to say whether that meant through the roll call of the states at the Democratic National Convention this summer. Clinton also disclosed that she had loaned her campaign an additional $6.4 million in recent weeks, evidence that her once front-runner campaign was in deep trouble. She told reporters the loans were a sign of her commitment...

<p>Amid heavy turnout, Republicans appeared to be crossing over in droves today in Marion County and suburban counties, where fewer Republican voters might impact down-ticket primary races.</p>