Free Republic

John and Scott have commented on the indictment of Gov. Rick Perry. As they note, it fits a pattern of politically motivated indictments of prominent Texas Republicans. The Perry indictment also fits a pattern of harassment via the legal process of prominent Republican governors: Sarah Palin, Scott Walker, Chris Christie, and now Perry. What do these four have in common? Why, they all are (or were) potentially viable candidates for the national office. Invocation of the legal process against Christie may well be warranted. (So too with Bob McDonnell, whom I didn’t include in my list because, although once vaguely...

Innovative Optique is a high end eyewear store in a suburb north of Milwaukee.   From the reviews, it appears to cater to those who can afford high quality, customized glasses.    Last year, a thief stole a pair of $2,000 sunglasses.   Last Friday, an employee shot and killed a 22 year old during the  course of an attempted armed robbery.   From channel3000.com: Police said the gunfire occurred during an attempted robbery. They said 22-year-old Joshua Drake of Milwaukee tried to rob the store about noon, and an armed employee shot and killed him. The employee wasn't hurt. Wisconsin has an...

Slip of the tongue? Yesterday on CNN’s “The Situation Room” Hillary Clinton spoke about what she would do about licensing illegal immigrants when she is president again. Watch:

I don’t believe political party is as important as principle. Furthermore, the message should be based upon policy inclusiveness and not outreach. Therefore, when conservatives base their message on principle and articulate the pertinent policies, they will have success with the electorate — principle can win over party. And the most recent case of that premise just occurred in Wisconsin, with the primary win of Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. I first met Sheriff Clarke back in 2011 when we held a Conservative Black forum on Capitol Hill. In fact, we wrote about his pro-gun speech at the NRA convention...

Co-written by Robert Sinche Neel Kashkari, the Republican candidate for governor of California, just recounted in The Wall Street Journal his week on the streets of Fresno posing as a homeless man looking for work. At the end of his op-ed, Kashkari lamented that he didn't need a higher minimum wage, paid sick leave or a health care plan. What he needed was a job. And Kashkari made the important point that all those government benefits, especially extended unemployment benefits, are work disincentives that may actually block job creation. To be sure, there are signs that employment in the country...

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's political action committee, Independence USA, has purchased $150,833 in television ads in an effort to defeat Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. and support his opponent, Milwaukee police Lt. Chris Moews. In response to the news of Bloomberg's ads, Clarke said in a statement: "I trust the voters. The voters can't be bought." The ad buys by Bloomberg's PAC come on top of $400,000 in media ads purchased by the Greater Wisconsin Committee to try to beat Clarke, who is seeking his fourth term in Tuesday's Democratic primary election. Also on Friday, Citizens...

In Campbell, Wisconsin, political retaliation has sunk to a new low. Police Chief Tim Kelemen just closed a plea deal for using local Tea Party leader Greg Luce’s personal information to sign him up for gay dating websites, pornography websites, and – the icing on the cake – HealthCare.gov. These actions could fall under the definition of identity theft, which carries serious penalties. Depending on the severity, the fraudulent use of another’s identifying information could earn up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Why did the police chief flagrantly break the public’s trust? Over a political disagreement....

CAMPBELLSPORT – On Friday, 6th District Congressional candidate Glenn Grothman (R-Campbellsport) slammed Joe Leibham (R-Sheboygan) for accepting a maximum limit contribution from a progressive trade union. More: Stroebel, Leibham Trade Barbs Over Voter ID According to records from the Federal Elections Commission, Leibham accepted $5,000 from the Laborers Union International North America (LIUNA) PAC on July 15, 2014. The LIUNA was very evident during the 2011 protests against Governor Scott Walker over Act 10 which was upheld by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court and the federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The LIUNA has 500,000 members that are represented in...

Representative Paul Ryan has a bold, ambitious proposal “Expanding Opportunity in America,” to completely remake the American welfare state. Along the way he would also change the federal government’s approach to education, revamp what we are doing in our prison system and much more. Here is a surprise. Although Ryan’s approach is based on well-known conservative ideas, some on the left are actually praising parts of the proposal – including the editorial page of the Washington Post. Ryan’s plan shows something I have believed for a long time. All the innovative thinking on how to solve public policy problems for...

Earlier this year, congressman and former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan released a proposed budget for 2015. It contains an impressive list of cuts projecting a $5.1 trillion savings over ten years. It is also the height of political stupidity and an example of everything that cripples Republicans in their battles with the left.If you are going to make budget cuts, you do it. You don’t telegraph it. Paul Ryan can’t even make budget cuts unless Republicans win the White House and he has just made it harder for them to do it.For starters, Ryan’s list of cuts includes the...

Madison — The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld Gov. Scott Walker's signature labor legislation Thursday,delivering an election-year affirmation to the governor in one of the three major rulings issued by the justices on union bargaining, election law and same-sex couples. In addition to ruling Walker's labor law constitutional, the state's highest court also upheld the state's voter ID law and a 2009 law providing limited benefits to gay and lesbian couples, leaving liberals with one consolation to soften the sting of the two larger conservative victories. "Our courts have continued to give deference to our Legislature and in all three of...

A low-profile Google Group used by over 1,000 state and national leftwing leaders and activists has been discovered thanks to Wisconsin’s open records law. A Media Trackers inquiry into the actions of a University of Wisconsin professor turned up records and communications from “Gamechanger Salon,” an online community that provides a forum for leftwing activists and leaders to share tactics, strategies and opinions. Operating as a closed Google Group, much of what the network does is unavailable for public review. However, a document listing the network’s membership and a policy manual describing the mission and ground rules for the entity...

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “megalomaniac” who will forge ahead in eastern Ukraine unless the U.S. and others stand up to him with actual force, because economic sanctions are simply not enough, Sen. Ron Johnson said Tuesday. The Wisconsin Republican said Ukrainian leaders need arms and other assistance — but not ground troops — to push back against the Russian separatists and their allies in Moscow. “You actually achieve peace through strength,” he told MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown.

MADISON – Monday begins the first day for early voting in the State of Wisconsin leading up to the August 12th Statewide Primary election. This will be the first election that will feature early voting with more uniform hours due to changes enacted into law earlier this year. Early voting will be done on Mondays to Fridays from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM with no weekend hours. There were divisions between both sides for and against the bill earlier this year. Proponents of the bill say it would create a more standardized process for early voting while opponents say it...

The feud between Campbell, Wisconsin, Police Chief Tim Kelemen and local Tea Party Leader Greg Luce began last fall, when Luce started organizing protests against Barack Obama on an interstate overpass. Kelemen objected to the protests, claiming they disrupted traffic. So, he did what any responsible police chief would do: he persuaded the town board to pass an ordinance banning signs on the bridge. Oh, and he also signed Luce up on homosexual dating, pornography and federal healthcare websites. Via Police One: Kelemen told investigators ...........

The embattled town of Campbell police chief pleaded no contest Friday to a misdemeanor that accused him of using a tea party activist’s information online during work hours to retaliate for a federal lawsuit brought against him. “I understand that there is a political context to this case, but my view of it is not political,” Monroe County Circuit Judge David Rice said. “I view it as a criminal case.” After months of conflict between the town, police and tea party activists, Chief Tim Kelemen in January and March used La Crosse tea party activist Greg Luce’s name, address, phone...

Dead heat. That's what Wisconsin is staring at in the race for governor, with Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic challenger Mary Burke neck-and-neck heading into the November election, according to the latest Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday. Among registered voters, Walker led Burke, 46% to 45%. Among likely voters, Burke led Walker, 47% to 46%. "The bottom line is that nothing has statistically changed from May to July," said Charles Franklin, the poll director. "We're seeing a dead heat in the race, well within the margin of error." "As the race really heats up with advertising and back...

Many American colleges and universities are in the thrall of “diversity,” but none more so than my institution, the University of Wisconsin. This spring, the university adopted a new plan that, according to Board of Regents policy, “[p]laces the mission of diversity at the center of institutional life so that it becomes a core organizing principle.” That is, promoting diversity appears to be more important than teaching students. This Framework for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence sailed through our Faculty Senate without the least bit of attention, much less the “sifting and winnowing” on which it prides itself. Although much of...

Barring any groundbreaking new developments, Congressional Republicans have no intention of trying to impeach President Barack Obama, despite calls for the commander-in-chief’s ouster by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. “The Constitution is very clear as to what constitutes grounds for impeachment of the President of the United States,” House Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., told ABC's George Stephanopoulos last week. “He has not committed the kind of criminal acts that call for that.” Other establishment Republicans have similarly dismissed impeachment talk as little more than blowhards seeking headlines. “No responsible Republican elected official has called for impeachment,”...

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Politifact.com have been tracking Gov. Scott Walker’s election campaign promises through an online feature they call the “Walk-O-Meter” and can be found online at PolitifactWisconsin.com. There you will find that Walker has kept an overwhelming amount of his campaign promises out of the 65 they are tracking.