Free Republic

A group on Sunday afternoon walked through parts of downtown Erie, demonstrating their Second Amendment right of bearing arms. Around twenty individuals met for this Open Carry of Fire Arms walk, organized by Justin Dillon. Dillon had an encounter with an Erie police officer last week, after he was seen carrying his weapon. Pennsylvania state law does not prohibit openly carrying a weapon. Dillon said he did not organize this to cause any conflict with the police, he just wanted to public to be aware of the laws, along with their constitutional rights. "I just wanted to do this to...

The Penn State horror story has taken a twist for the sicker. And Joe Paterno's legacy is now more clearly defined. E-mails have been uncovered by NBC. Three scared sheep - Penn State's president, vice president and athletic director - were going to alert the real authorities to the possible misdeeds of Jerry Sandusky, until the athletic director spoke with Paterno and persuaded the other two Sheep not to be so rash. Subsequently, at least four more young boys were molested by Sandusky. Paterno apparently persuaded the group to go easy on old Jerry. The athletic director, Tim Curley, e-mailed...

With convicted serial child sex abuser Jerry Sandusky behind bars, new questions are surfacing about what Penn State officials knew about a 2001 incident involving the former assistant football coach's encounter with a boy in the shower -- and whether they covered up the incident. After the 2001 incident, Sandusky sexually abused other boys over the course of years until his arrest. CNN does not have the purported e-mails. However, the alleged contents were made available to CNN. The messages indicate former Penn State President Graham Spanier and two other former university officials knew they had a problem with Sandusky...

Some scoff at the idea that face-covering Islamic veils endanger public safety in any Western nation, let alone the United States, but Philadelphians do not have the luxury of blissful ignorance. As recent events highlight, their city has become the American epicenter of robberies and murders carried out by criminals disguised as fundamentalist Muslim women. Several factors help explain Philadelphia's place at the forefront of this trend. Will other U.S. cities be next? (Photo on website)

Violent evening storms following a day of triple-digit temperatures wiped out power to more than 2 million people across the eastern United States and caused two fatalities in Virginia — including a 90-year-old woman asleep in bed when a tree slammed into her home, a police spokeswoman said Saturday. Widespread power outages were reported from Indiana to New Jersey, with the bulk of the service interruptions concentrated on Washington, D.C., and the surrounding areas. Earlier Friday, the nation’s capital reached 104 degrees — topping a record of 101 set in 1934.

Congressional Democrats’ Pennsylvania Problem Stuart Rothenberg June 29, 2012 · 3:48 PM EDT As Democrats struggle to net 25 seats and win back the House majority in November, no single state reflects the party’s challenges more than Pennsylvania. After all, Pennsylvania has gone Democratic in the past five presidential contests, and the apparent movement of the Philadelphia suburbs away from the GOP during the past two decades suggests a fundamental political shift in the state. But if the southeastern corner of the Keystone State has started to resemble New Jersey and Connecticut, Western Pennsylvania increasingly looks like West Virginia or...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The last time the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia upgraded its public exhibits, Richard Nixon was in the first year of his presidency and The Beatles had just performed their final concert. On July 3, the Mint opens to the public with a new $3.9 million self-guided tour that is the first update since 1969. The two-level exhibit includes displays of artifacts and coins from the Mint's earliest days, as well as windows overlooking the production floor with new touch screens and interactive features that describe the coin-making process. [...]

The top Democrat in charge of getting other Democrats elected to the House is urging his party's candidates to steer clear of the national convention later this year. The piece of advice from Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, came during the Reuters Washington Summit Tuesday. "If they want to win an election, they need to be in their districts," Israel said of Democratic congressional candidates, according to Reuters. The comment follows decisions by several vulnerable Democrats to skip this year's national convention -- to be held in early September in Charlotte, N.C. "A trip...

Quinnipiac University's latest three-state poll of 2012 battlegrounds shows modest improvement for President Barack Obama, after what's been perceived as a rough political month: Voters in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania support President Barack Obama’s new immigration policy and are divided on whether the president or Gov. Mitt Romney would be better for their personal economic future, as they give Obama leads in these three critical swing states, a razor thin 4 points in Florida, a healthy 9 points in Ohio and 6 points in Pennsylvania, according to a Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll released today. This compares to the results...

Jerry Sandusky’s son told police he was sexually abused starting when he was 8, a decade before the former Penn State assistant football coach adopted him, according to a police interview recording obtained by NBC News. Matt Sandusky, who was adopted by Jerry Sandusky as an adult, described for investigators showering with the ex-coach and trying to avoid being groped in bed. He also said he was undergoing therapy, that his memories of abuse were only now surfacing and that he was coming forward so his family would know what happened. “If you were pretending you were asleep and you...

A comment thread recently begun by an individual on the Pennsylvania Firearms Owners Association's (PAFOA) online forum focuses on a "no weapons" rule in effect along the Saucon Rail Trail. A bench dedicated to the memory of fallen Freemansburg police officer Robert Lasso--who was shot to death by George Hitcho in August 2011--is located along the trail in Hellertown's Water Street Park. A PAFOA user from Northampton County named Micky writes that when walking the popular trail in the borough, he stopped to read a sign that outlines rules for its use. "Now, for once, I did not have my...

Barack Obama’s political base always has been more “creative class” than working class—and his policies have favored that base, seeming to cater to energized issue and identity constituencies including African-Americans, Hispanics, gays, and greens, often at the expense of blue-collar workers. Yet improving conditions for those workers—particularly in the industrial heartland—could save his flagging presidency. The industrial zone’s four key states—Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania—constitute the most critically contested territory in this year’s contest. Fifty-four electoral votes are at play here, with Pennsylvania’s 20 votes alone equaling all those at stake in the much-ballyhooed battleground of the Intermountain West (Colorado,...

June 16, 2012 Major work begins on Murtha ship The Tribune-Democrat PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Major construction has started on the John P. Murtha, another in a series of amphibious transport vessels that includes the USS Somerset. The Navy held a “keel authentication” ceremony June 7 for the LPD 26 at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. The Navy tradition signifies that the boat’s keel has been “truly and fairly laid.” The authenticator – Mobile, Ala., resident Wilfred Bolds – marked his initials on a keel plate, which will be affixed to the vessel. The USS John P. Murtha – named for the late...

What those reports missed was that Romney pulled off a spontaneous visit to a location lacking any staged comforts. Except for a handful of supporters who learned of the venue change, Romney was on his own: No handmade signs from devoted fans. No local elected officials to ease his transition or to crack jokes. No balloons. No perfectly timed advance movements. It was the sort of unstructured event that causes campaign staffers to prematurely gray. Despite a reputation for being awkward among regular folks, Romney proved to be capable of acting on the fly. He found a way to take...

The name might not be recognizable, but you've probably seen a Gadsden flag, typically yellow with a coiled rattlesnake and the warning "Don't tread on me." The flag was flown by colonists rebelling against British rule. And more recently, it's become the adopted symbol of the Tea parties and conservative Republicans, prompting questions as to whether it's an appropriate theme for merchandise sold at the Gettysburg battlefield bookstore. There shoppers will find Gadsden flag shot glasses, mugs, magnets and pins. The souvenirs are the only items representing the Revolutionary War sold in the bookstore, said an employee. Mostly, the store...

Colorado’s two Democratic senators sided with the White House on Wednesday when they voted to affirm what one GOP senator called “the centerpiece of President Obama’s war on coal.” The rule, which proponents say is necessary to limit harmful emissions from coal-fired power plants, but that opponents say will destroy jobs and cause energy prices to skyrocket, narrowly survived an attempt at repeal yesterday. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet opposed a measure that would have overturned the controversial EPA rule. The measure failed on a 46-to-53 vote yesterday. ... Udall and Bennet joined seven other Senate Democrats from major coal-producing...

BELLEFONTE -- Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was found guilty this afternoon of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. Sandusky faced 52 original counts of abuse, four of which were dismissed during trial. Here's a breakdown of all the charges with verdicts from the jury. VICTIM 1 Count 1: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse Verdict: Guilty. Count 2: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse Verdict: Guilty. Count 3: Indecent assault Verdict: Guilty. Count 4: Unlawful contact with minors Verdict: Guilty. Count 5: Corruption of minors Verdict: Guilty. Count 6: Endangering welfare of children Verdict: Guilty. VICTIM 2 Count 7: Involuntary...

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (CBS/AP) —The jury in Jerry Sandusky’s child sex abuse trial has found him “guilty” on 45 counts and “not guilty” on three counts. His bail has been revoked and he will be sent to the Center County Correctional Facility. NOW LIVE: Eyewitness News With Verdict Results The 68-year-old former Penn State assistant football coach fought 48 counts that accused him of abusing 10 boys over 15 years. The jury announced the verdict sometime after 9:45 p.m.

BELLEFONTE -- When her son finished testifying against his molester, Victim 1's mom said, it wasn't over until Jerry Sandusky was locked up forever. Tonight, 'over' got that much closer. With only 20 minutes to get to court, Victim 1 and his mom were forced to hear about Sandusky's guilt on 45 of 48 counts of child sex abuse the way the rest of the world heard -- on television. Victim 1, 18, was on his way to work. He didn't want to disrupt his normal routine, his mom said. "I called him, I cried, I'm happy. I'm very happy,"...

BELLEFONTE, Pa. — A Centre County jury found Jerry Sandusky guilty of 45 counts of child sex abuse late Friday night, closing the first chapter in a scandal that tarnished a university and led to the ouster of four of its top administrators. The panel of seven women and five men returned their verdict after about 21 hours of deliberations over two days. The former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. Over the course of his eight-day trial, jurors heard from eight accusers who said Sandusky, 68,...