Free Republic

An opinion from South Carolina’s attorney general is forcing the Georgetown County School District to rethink an illegal policy that bans concealed weapons on school property. Henry McMaster told the district that the policy, which prohibits visitors, parents, teachers and students from carrying weapons on school property including parking lots — even with a concealed carry permit — was a violation of state law. That law was approved by the General Assembly earlier this year and allows anyone with a concealed carry permit to keep weapons locked in their vehicles on school property. Rep. Thad Viers (R-Horry) requested the opinion...

Recently Jim Robinson posted two threads declaring Free Republic’s determination to see Conservatives elected and ousting Rino's from government. Jim and a great many Freepers believe that we need to take back control. But the RNC is not hearing us. Activism is called for NOW. 2010 is nearing and we need Conservative candidates to run. The time is ripe and people are ready for another 1994 type election. But we need to make the RNC hear us loud and clear. This is the Rino Free America Project. Get involved. Make them listen. Write a letter and MAIL it. Republican...

I rarely pay attention to the squealing, indignant rants that define Michael Daly of the New York Daily News. His paper is notoriously hostile to the right to keep and bear arms, and Daly typifies the stereotype defined so well in Julia Gorin's brilliant classic, "The anti-gun male": In short, he is a man begging for subjugation. He longs for its promise of equality in helplessness. Because only when that strange, independent alpha breed of male is helpless along with him will he feel adequate. So I'm not going to waste my time rebutting his latest foot-stamping tantrum against South...

Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to give a federal court trial instead of a military commission hearing to five Guantanamo detainees the government has linked to the 9/11 attacks has led to criticism that the Obama Administration is transforming the war on terror from a military to law-enforcement affair. This has led some critics to wonder if captured terrorist suspects would have to be read their Miranda rights on being captured by U.S. military or law enforcement representatives. In one of the highlights of Wednesday's Justice Department oversight hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina...

FINALLY, the people in South Carolina are awakening to the fact our values are not being represented by Lindsay Graham.

Over the past few months, I have been testing the waters with numerous articles advocating Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) as a possible candidate for the Republican nomination to be our Presidential candidate in under three years. The response from readers of this blog, and folks who ran upon the articles that I had written, has been amazing. I have received at least three emails asking me what can I do? How can we start a draft Senator DeMint for President 2012 organization? Will this lead into a Nation-wide third party movement? Not to mention numerous comments in support of...

The South Carolina Air National Guard's 169th Fighter Wing was named the overall winner of Falcon Air Meet 2009, a three-nation F-16 Fighting Falcon competition, held here through to November 3rd. The South Carolina team, which represented the U. S. Air Force's Central Command and the U.S., won three of the four main events as well as the Top Overall Maintenance Award and the Top Overall Competition Award. Other nations competing in the annual event were Jordan and Belgium. "I could not be prouder of what the South Carolina Air National Guard accomplished here at this year's Falcon Air Meet,"...

James Galyean is a candidate running for South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District. Prior to that time, Galyean was an Assistant United States Attorney and also has some pretty direct connections to the War on Terror. It was Galyean who helped helped write both the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 and the Military Commissions Act of 2006. As a result, he has a bed of knowledge and massive amounts of contacts that others do not. And his contacts are telling him that, protestations to the contrary from the Pentagon, Barack Obama has every intention of sending GTMO terrorists to the Charleston,...

A former employee of the Smosska company and a job applicant, are expressing their concerns when it comes to the company and its legitimacy. Smosska officials say the company makes medical identification cards. The company held a job fair in Florence in July, and charged applicants a $40.00 fee for an assessment test. Smosska officials said the fee covered things like background and drug testing. Smosska officials said they planned to eventually employ up to 3,000 people in the Florence area and were renovating a large facility. The company was working out of a temporary office on Hoffmeyer Road in...

I hate to say “I told you so.” But, well, I told you so. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham has signed on to the Democrats’ massive green redistribution scheme masquerading as a planet-saving, national security-enhancing “energy independence” scheme. Can John McCain and the rest of the Climate Change Republicans be far behind? Now, the announcement of Graham’s alliance with Big Government Democrats. In the NYTimes, natch. Kerry and Graham go on to argue that we must buy into their plan because the EPA regulatory power grab will be worse. It’s greenmail: Sign on or else the out-of-control bureaucrats (and the unaccountable...

Ralph Nader will be in South Carolina this Tuesday, October 6, 2009. He will be speaking on health care reform and single payer. When: Tuesday October 6, 2009 11 a.m. Where: Presbyterian College Belk Auditorium 503 South Broad St. Clinton, South Carolina 29325 For more information contact: Matthew Zawiksy at 716.479.2351 E-mail: zawisky@gmail.com

Stay with the ENTIRE seven minutes--you won't regret it!

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A 16-year-old girl has bagged a 10-foot alligator in a South Carolina swamp. In the middle of the night. With a crossbow. The State newspaper in Columbia reported that Cammie Colin won one of 1,000 lottery slots for the state's annual public alligator harvest. Hunters are required to use a crossbow or a harpoon.

If you have Firefox with Google as default search engine and you mistakenly type Joewilsonforcongress.org you go to a fact check type site that says "Joe said Obama lied but he didn't" Don't click on the link I do not want them to get hits on that blog. This is blatant politization of the search engine process. Now, to change your firefox so it does not use Google in the address bar live search: Type about:config hit enter. Scroll down and find browser.search.defaultenginename Change from Google to Yahoo (others work too, ymmv)

Workers at Boeing's 787 fuselage assembly plant in Charleston, S.C. have decisively voted to get rid of the Machinists union as their bargaining representative with the company. The vote was 199 for decertification of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) union against 68 for retaining it. The vote means that Boeing Charleston becomes a non-union plant. It will compete with Boeing Everett, an IAM stronghold, to be the site of a second 787 Dreamliner assembly line. A decision on that site selection is expected by year end. Boeing spokesman Tim Healy said the company is pleased with the outcome. "Boeing...

Both Men Arrested During 'Operation Rolling Thunder' SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Spartanburg County Sheriff called a week-long special traffic enforcement effort named Operation Rolling Thunder a success. Spartanburg County was just one of several agencies from across the state that took part in the week-long enhanced traffic effort along I-85 and I-26. Some of the people pulled over during the effort were wanted on serious charges.

The increasingly nasty fight between South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer escalated further this week with charges from a legislative ally of Bauer that Sanford and his supporters are spreading malicious rumors that Bauer — a Republican like Sanford — is gay. GOP state Sen. Jake Knotts made the charge in a letter to state legislators Wednesday that was obtained by POLITICO. In an interview in June with The State newspaper, Bauer voluntarily brought up the subject of his sexual orientation. Asked if he was gay, he responded: “One word, two letters. No.” But the rumor...

An Horry County husband and wife fought off would-be robber inside their business. According to a press release, a man tried to rob Ron’s Busy Corner, 5709 Juniper Bay Rd, Conway, Thursday afternoon when he placed a knife to the back of the store’s owner. Police said Roger Lee Green, 34, of Galivants Ferry came into the store and pointed a knife to the back of the store owner while he was sitting at a table. The owner stood up, struggled with Green, along with a customer, and took the knife away. The owner’s wife was then able to get...

A Papa John’s pizza delivery man shot and wounded a 17-year-old who called in a pizza order and then robbed him at a vacant house with a fake handgun, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said. The incident occurred July 5, but deputies delayed announcing it until Monday — a day after the teen was charged with robbery, and eight days after the shooting. It was the second time in recent months that a pizza delivery man in Lexington County has shot someone trying to rob him. The other incident was March 7, when a Pizza Hut delivery man shot and...

CHESNEE, S.C. — Police in South Carolina say an 8-year-old girl has been shot to death by the estranged husband of her father's girlfriend. Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright says the man grabbed the girl in a headlock Wednesday and shot her twice in the driveway of a home in Chesnee, about 60 miles southwest of Charlotte, N.C.

A serial killer who murdered five people over six days was tracked down by police who were notified by an alert citizen, and then killed after wounding one officer when he opened fire. But as usual, there is a story behind what was published by Old Media. Law enforcement raises warning flag After examining Burris’s criminal history, South Carolina’s State Law Enforcement Division [SLED] Chief Reggie Lloyd said: "Look at this," Lloyd said, waiving [sic] a stapled copy of Burris' criminal record. "This is like 25 pages. At some point the criminal justice system is going to need to explain...

A serial killer is on the loose in the small town of Gaffney, South Carolina. Authorities say the killer has shot to death five people in the last week in the area of the town of 13,000 people, the latest victim a 15 year-old girl. Here is a video report on the situation. . . . . (Watch Video)

Critics of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor seized on Monday's high court ruling overturning a decision she'd joined in a high-profile reverse discrimination case, presaging questions likely to arise at her Senate confirmation hearings next month. In a 5-4 decision by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the court ruled that the city of New Haven violated the rights of the 19 white firefighters by throwing out the results of an officers' promotion exam in which minority candidates received disproportionately low scores. Retiring Justice David H. Souter, whom Sotomayor would replace, joined the three other members of the court's liberal wing in...

There are still lots of FReepers who have not chosen to fly their flag. You don't have to provide any additional information, although lots of FReepers have provide pictures, e-mail addresses, and the like, you don't have to! It would be nice if you would at least "fly your flag".This allows other FReepers in your state to FReepmail you to let you know about local FR events - rallies, chapter meetings, and other activist events. Even if you don't plan to participate, it'll keep you informed of what is happening in your state. Now, FLY YOUR FLAGS! Even if you...

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - One person is dead after an overnight shooting. According to the Richland County Sheriff's Department, the incident happened just after midnight at the Colonial Villa Apartments. Investigators say a security guard for the Garner's Ferry Road apartment complex was in his car doing paperwork when another man approached. The man demanded the security guard's gun. Deputies say the security guard pulled his weapon from the holster and pointed it at the suspect. That's when, according to deputies, the suspect lunged for the gun. The security guard fired one shot, striking the man in the upper body....

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The man who shot and killed an armed robber in April at a Five Points club for Alcoholics Anonymous members acted in justifiable self-defense, 5th Circuit Solicitor Barney Giese has ruled. "It's as clear a case as I've seen," Giese said Wednesday. He has been the circuit's top prosecutor for 14 years. The decision means no charges will be filed. Giese identified the man he cleared as James Corley, 61, a prominent Columbia lawyer. Corley, a USC law school graduate, is a licensed concealed weapons permit holder and self-described recovering alcoholic who hasn't taken a drink since...

MERRIWETHER – Citizens doing their part to stop the rash of burglaries paid off after a Richmond County man was taken into custody by an armed homeowner Wednesday afternoon. Jamie Tyler, of Garrett Road, (Left) said he saw the man the Sheriff’s Office was hunting run from behind a shed in his yard and pulled his Glock 9 mm pistol and ordered the man to the ground. “I had my gun on him and yelled at him to get down, get down, or I’ll put you down.” When the suspect turned around and saw the gun pointed at him he...

Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wisc.), who believes that the 2nd Amendment is an individual right, on Wednesday was meeting with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, who apparently holds a different view of the 2nd Amendment. As a federal appeals court judge, Sotomayor signed an opinion (in Maloney v. Cuomo) saying that the Second Amendment bars the federal government – but not the states -- from infringing on an individual's right to keep and bear arms. (See earlier story) Feingold told CNSNews.com last week (see video below) that he plans to question Sotomayor about the 2nd Amendment during her confirmation hearings, which...

A 29-year-old woman who broke windows at a house behind Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia was shot in the head by the homeowner, a Richland County sheriff’s spokesman said. The bullet grazed the woman, who was slightly injured, the spokesman said Tuesday. The woman who broke the windows at the house at 618 Hatrick Road was trying to get in and will face charges, the spokesman said. The homeowner will not face charges, the spokesman said. Officials did not disclose the names since no charges had been filed.

President Barack Obama’s nominee to fill a Supreme Court vacancy has yet another tie to Connecticut. She sided against a student in the infamous “douche bag” case, and that has upset some free-speech advocates. In August 2007, Judge Sonia Sotomayor sat on a panel that ruled against an appeal in Doninger v. Niehoff. Avery Doninger was disqualified from running for school government at Lewis S. Mills High School in Burlington after she posted something on her blog, referring to the superintendent and other officials as "douche bags" because they canceled a battle of the bands she had helped to organize.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford will ignore a new state law forcing him to ask for $700 million in stimulus cash to ease school budget problems, his spokesman said Friday, days before a deadline to take the money. The Republican's plan to continue balking at the bailout came as pressure mounted on him to take the cash, which critics say is needed to avoid teacher layoffs and college tuition increases. Two students filed a lawsuit Friday with the state Supreme Court intended to force Sanford into action. An hour later, school administrators and principals sued there,...

COLUMBIA, SC, April 27, 2009 — Many local citizens and churches in the Columbia area will be hosting a “Hope For America Rally” on Thursday, May 28th in the Lexington High School auditorium. The Columbia Area “Hope For America Rally” will focus on the historical relevance of Christian influences in our nation’s founding, the danger of current attacks on our religious and constitutional liberties, and the importance of Christians being a voice and getting plugged into the culture war in America. The event is open to the general public and admission is free. Christians from all denominational backgrounds are encouraged...

Attend The Columbia Rally At: LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL 2463 Augusta Highway Lexington, SC 29072 7 pm For more information, see http://www.hfarallies.org/?page_id=2

On Tuesday, May 12, we will be escorting Spec. Ryan C. King from the funeral home in Dallas, Georgia to the National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia. Spec. King was killed in action in Afghanistan on May 1. If any FReepers would like to join us for this mission, you are more than welcome. You need not be a PGR member to ride with us, and you need not ride a motorcycle. Staging information for this mission is as follows: TUESDAY May 12 Staging at Ingles Supermarket (270 Merchants Sq. Dallas, GA 30132) at 0900. Kickstands up at 0945 We will...

Spartanburg County deputies determined that a man who shot two people Monday night outside his residence was acting in self-defense and charged the two men on Tuesday. Scott Byrd, 22, of 115 Keith Street, Greer and Josh Duncan, 24, of 207 Church St., Wellford were each charged with one count of assault and battery. Byrd's stomach was grazed by a bullet and Duncan was struck in the buttocks during a fight Monday night outside a Keith Street residence. Larry James Pruitt Jr., 41, told deputies that a group of people were causing "a bad ruckus" outside his home and he...

Pair helps save shooting victim's life in Myrtle Beach Most people run away from gunshots — as fast as they can. Two airmen from Shaw Air Force Base ran toward them. Now, thanks to their bravery, a shooting victim is alive and well. When shots rang out in the early hours of Sunday, March 8, at Myrtle Beach's popular nightclub, Club Kryptonite, at 2926 Hollywood Drive, partygoers began exiting the building. Airman 1st Class Ryan Scott, 19, and Airman Vinh Pham, 22, were waiting for a taxi in the club's parking lot. They made their way through the crowds. After...

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- A pair of rallies outside Greenville's Bi-Lo Center on Friday evening had groups with opposing viewpoints in close proximity at the same time. Greenville's Young Republicans sponsored what they called a "Post Tax Day Tea Party" in the plaza beside the downtown Greenville arena. The 6 p.m. event was held to protest to what sponsors call excessive government spending, specifically the $700 billion stimulus package championed by President Barack Obama and passed in February by the Democrat-controlled Congress. The other event was sponsored by radio station 107.3 Jamz and Greenville Democrats, who are called their rally "Save...

The outdoor terrace at Greenville‘s Bilo Center will play host to the Upstate Young Republicans post-tax day Tea Party Protest on Friday night April 17th at 6:00 PM. The overwhelming success of February’s Tea Party that turned out nearly 2000 people made it necessary to move the event to private property. “Success sometimes breeds its own challenges,” said Carl Clegg, of the Upstate Young Republicans, “but these are the challenges that we like to face head-on and with the amazing support and financial contributions of Greenville’s conservatives, we will again unite the voices of thousands and say loudly ‘…government is...

Governor defends stance on stimulus in Fort Mill By Matt Garfield · The Herald Updated 04/08/09 - 1:54 PM | FORT MILL — Gov. Mark Sanford came to Fort Mill today to defend his stance on federal stimulus money, telling a Rotary Club audience that it's about protecting future generations from runaway debt. Sanford spoke mostly without notes and held up various charts and graphs as he hustled through what amounted to a half-hour economics lesson. "If we're not going to get bailed out in years ahead by Uncle Sam, then we ought to take some steps now," Sanford said....

Gov. Mark Sanford secured South Carolina’s $2.8 billion share of federal aid Friday but warned teachers, school districts and others not to plan on $700 million for classrooms, colleges and public safety. In a letter to the White House budget office, Sanford reiterated that he will not apply for the $700 million portion of funds. He is asking state lawmakers to use an equivalent amount to pay off debt. “They’re not going to get that money,” Sanford said Friday of school districts. Sanford was the nation’s final governor to request the money.“The $700 million doesn’t come unless we accept it....

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford will comply with a midnight Friday stimulus deadline and become the last governor in the nation to seek millions of dollars in federal economic-recovery funds for his state, aides said late Thursday. Sanford will continue contesting $700 million in education and law enforcement money for South Carolina, but his 11th-hour move to meet the deadline buys time for schools fearing mass teacher layoffs and draconian cuts. Sanford's month-long fight over stimulus money placed South Carolina in the national spotlight and put him at loggerheads with President Barack Obama.

FLORENCE — Pee Dee area school superintendents are speaking out against Gov. Mark Sanford’s efforts to use $700 million in federal stimulus money to pay off state debt when school districts across the state are facing major budget cuts and job losses. Superintendents from Chesterfield County School District, Florence School Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4 as well as Marion School Districts 1, 2 and 7, met Friday during a press conference held at Florence 1’s district office to paint a picture of what the future of public education in the Pee Dee and the state will be like without...

Hunker down Southeast FReepers, it's supposed to be a bad one..

NEW DELHI: Rejecting the plea of a Muslim student that he should be permitted to sport beard in his convent school, the Supreme Court on Monday observed secularism cannot be overstretched and that "Talibanisation" of the country cannot be permitted. "We don't want to have Talibans in the country. Tommorow a girl student may come and say that she wants to wear a burqa, can we allow it?", Justice Markandeya Katju speaking for a bench headed by Justice Raveendran observed. Asserting that he was a secularist to the core, Justice Katju however said religious beliefs cannot be overstretched. "I am...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The Obama administration has rejected South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's request to use $700 million in federal stimulus cash to pay down state debt. White House Budget Director Peter Orszag (OHR'-zag) said in a letter to the Republican on Monday that the federal stimulus law doesn't allow President Barack Obama to make an exception for that cash. Sanford sought a waiver last week, asking to pay off debt rather than use the money to create jobs and avoid deep program cuts. . . . Sanford has criticized the $787 billion stimulus plan, saying it will lead to...

WASHINGTON — South Carolina politicians are moving to try to block any transfer of suspected terrorists from the Guantanamo detention center ordered closed by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Navy brig at Charleston, S.C. On Thursday, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., became a sponsor of a bill that would prohibit the use of federal funds for such a transfer, while in Columbia, S.C., the South Carolina House of Representatives passed a measure asking President Obama and Congress not to move Guantanamo detainees to the state. "Guantanamo Bay is home to the most hardened and battle-tested terrorists in the world," DeMint...

Dear Friend, It’s no small secret that for some time I’ve been giving serious consideration to running for Governor. This past weekend, after a great deal of thought and prayer, after talking things over with my family – with my wife, Natalie and our children Madison, Jeb, and Ross – and after seeking the advice of close friends, I‘ve made my decision. Today, I’m excited to tell you that I will seek the Republican nomination for Governor of the great state of South Carolina in 2010. We’ve put together a short video about why I’m running for Governor, and I...

David Fate was dozing on a rust-colored couch inside a trailer in rural South Carolina when a loud voice pierced his slumber yesterday morning. "Wake up!" The 24-year-old Fate opened his eyes to see about a half-dozen law enforcement officers filling the cramped space before him. They were all pointing guns at him. "When he woke up, he looked at me like I was Casper the ghost, and then he realized the jig was up," Inspector Danny Potucek of the U.S. Marshals Service said. Following a trail of armed robberies that culminated in the slaying of a 29-year-old gas station...

Some say Mark Sanford is just grandstanding. Others say the Republican just might follow through, despite the state's 9.5% unemployment rate. Reporting from Columbia, S.C. -- Would a governor in a state with the third-highest unemployment rate in the nation really say no to President Obama's stimulus money? That is the question reverberating through South Carolina, where Republican Mark Sanford -- a popular second-term governor and noted fiscal conservative -- says he may reject some of the $2.8 billion in federal funds headed to his state.