Free Republic

RALEIGH, N.C. — A state lawmaker and a group of Democratic political donors with ties to Gov. Beverly Perdue are poised to sell land at a handsome profit for a tire plant that's being lured with $100 million in state and local incentives, according to public records reviewed by The Associated Press. As North Carolina's chief executive, the governor is a key decision maker in large incentives deals involving state money. She also helps appoint the board members of a foundation that's been asked to provide part of the tire plant's package. Perdue's campaign has received more than $52,000 from...

Americans apparently know more about “The Simpsons” than they do about the First Amendment. Only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. (Survey: can you name the five freedoms?) But more than half can name at least two members of the cartoon family, according to a survey. The study by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that 22 percent of Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with just one in 1,000 people who could name all five First Amendment freedoms. Joe Madeira, director of exhibitions...

You can bet President Bush's poll ratings will go up after the Chilean security incident. He reached through a local protective detail and pulled his Secret Service agent to safety. Bush's Chilean clean-and-jerk played on television like someone retrieving luggage at a crowded airport carousel. But this president plunged right in after his man, and he could have been Arnold Schwarzenegger battling goons.