Free Republic

My readers in other states will have gathered from remarks made here, as well as from pieces in the national news, that the Illinois Republican Party is not very... shall we say... robust. Here's another symptom: The intimidating tone of state Rep. Angelo "Skip" Saviano on Dec. 15 betrayed his frustration with communities that, by the scores, say they want no part of legalized video gambling. The setting was a meeting of an Illinois legislative committee and Saviano had a captive listener, Michael Fries, general counsel to the Illinois Gaming Board. Saviano: "Some of the stuff you read in the...

Suggested focus thread for Illinois Primary Election talk and results. The polls close at 7:00 p.m. CST. LET'S GO CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Has Pro-Family Movement Succumbed To "The Money Changers"? Has Movement Become What It Fought Against? EDITOR'S NOTE: In the first part of this series [http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2010/01/part-1-has-profamily-movement-succumbed-to-the-money-changers-has-movement-become-what-it-fought-aga.html] I referred to something called the Combine and attempted to describe what it is. The following column details the Combine's mission. Even if you don't live in Illinois, this story may be applicable in your state. The Combine is mostly dominated by so-called moderate Republicans. In actuality, many of these moderates are stone-cold liberals masquerading under the Republican banner who are in league with the Daley Democratic Machine. When the Combine says jump, Republicans and...

A Bit Of Personal History Many RFFM.org readers aren't aware of my history. I address this point not because I am important, but due to the fact of what I have seen during the 17 years I have been a political activist. Though this column pertains to Illinois, it can certainly be repeated throughout the nation. I formed what now is called RFFM.org a little over 17 years ago. The organization was strictly meant to advocate pro-family issues and how conservative causes are represented in the establishment media. Like many, I was naive when I first launched this endeavor. However,...

Proft Surprised by Dillard’s Entrance into the [Illinois Governor's] Race as a Republican from Proft for Governor campaign July 8, 2009 In anticipation of State Senator Kirk Dillard’s announcement this morning of his candidacy for Governor, GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft issued the following statement: "I want to welcome Sen. Dillard to the race, though I admit to being a bit surprised he decided to run as a Republican. I want to make it clear from the outset, as a point of differentiation, that I will refuse any offer made by President Barack Obama to appear in Dan Proft...

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2007 – Expanded training in combat life-saving procedures has enabled a greater than 98 percent survival rate for U.S. troops injured in Iraq, a coalition surgeon said yesterday. These skills, combined with improved communications technology and a robust air evacuation support network, mean soldiers are surviving traumatic injuries at an unprecedented rate, Army Lt. Col. Jason Wiemann told online journalists. Speaking from Iraq, the Multinational Division Baghdad surgeon said major advances over past conflicts have been made in the speed of care for the wounded. “It’s often 30 minutes from time of injury until the patient’s...

Antimatter and matter combine in chemical reaction 19:47 13 October 2006 NewScientist.com news service Stephen Battersby Mixing antimatter and matter usually has predictably violent consequences – the two annihilate one another in a fierce burst of energy. But physicists in Geneva have found a new way to make the two combine, at least briefly, into a single substance. This exceptionally unstable stuff, made of protons and antiprotons, is called protonium. The feat of "antichemistry" actually took place back in 2002, but nobody had realised it until now. It happened in an experiment at the CERN particle physics lab, when both...

Pundits glued to their Potomac seats, applying their usual Beltway explanations for everything that happens in America, would have it that House Speaker Dennis Hastert bollixed up the House page scandal because he is an unredeemed Republican partisan. Or that he doesn't care enough about congressmen hounding boys. Or that his conservatism made him do it.Blind partisanship, moral failings, hypocrisy, gay bashing or any of those other explanations that don't come close to the reality that Hastert was simply doing politics as it is practiced here, in Illinois.Hastert knows no other way, having been bred, born and raised in the...

6/12/2006 - MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) -- In an effort to build better relationships and save lives, the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s Fire Department and Manas International Airport Emergency Response team joined forces and trained June 6 to 7. “We have a memorandum of agreement that allows either party to request assistance from the other during emergency responses, so it is critical that we can operate effectively as a team,” said Senior Master Sgt. Shepherd Pinney, base fire chief. He is deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. During the exercises, members from each department familiarized themselves...

If you want to discover how a perfectly healthy pink state turns into a lasting blue one, look no further than Illinois.For years, Republicans often won statewide and federal elective offices. But thanks to a bungling party "leadership" way out of touch with its constituency, Tuesday's primary election to select a GOP nominee for governor presents voters with indecision, disappointment or disgust. Among the candidates, "I don't know" has made a strong showing.We columnists have raked this field of candidates to the point of tedium, but why not? Why should Republicans be forced to choose among marginal, inexperienced, unqualified or...

Over the past 10 drafts, 2,521 players have been selected from 254 schools. 13 schools have had 39 or more players selected. 1. Tennessee -- 64 2. Florida State -- 62 3. Ohio State -- 61 4. Miami (Fla.) -- 60 5. Florida -- 56 6. Nebraska -- 54 7. Georgia -- 51 8. Michigan -- 45 9. Notre Dame -- 44 10. Southern Cal -- 40 11. Texas A&M -- 40 12. Wisconsin -- 40 13. Oklahoma -- 39 These 13 schools account for 26.2 percent of all players drafted (656 of 2,521) In the past ten drafts, there...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2006 – Two organizations have teamed up to send valentines to troops in Baghdad in a union made possible by "America Supports You." From left, Shauna Fleming, Peter Angel, and Paul Holton stand in front of a FedEx truck, loaded with 200,000 valentines, Feb. 7 in California. Fleming, the 16-year-old founder of "A Million Thanks" has partnered on this project with Holton, founder of "Operation Give," to send the shipment to troops in Baghdad just in time for Valentine's Day. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Since November 2004, the Defense Department program to...