Free Republic

While the Scott Walker recall election has dominated much of the political news in Wisconsin, U.S. Senate candidates have begun firming up their positions on taxation and tax cuts, term limits and reducing the nation's deficit. On Monday, Republican candidates Tommy Thompson and Mark Neumann unveiled new proposals. And on the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) released a letter calling for the House of Representatives to take an up-or-down vote on the so-called Buffett Rule. Baldwin's bill would ensure that middle-class taxpayers would not have to pay a higher tax rate than those earning more than $1 million...

MADISON — The two titans of Wisconsin's highly watched GOP Senate race are each claiming victory in the campaign money chase. And each has a case to make, depending on how you crunch the numbers. Meanwhile, an also-ran is bowing out of the race, leaving three to contend for the GOP nomination to replace long-serving U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, a Democrat, who is retiring. Former Gov. Tommy Thompson on Monday announced his campaign had raised north of $656,000 in the last three months of 2011. The candidate has about $540,000 in cash on hand, according to a campaign news release....

One week after the last of the nine recall elections in Wisconsin were held and Republicans clung to their majority in the state senate, there are strong signs Republican strength in the Badger State is on the rise. Not only has the long-planned Democratic attempt to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker run out of steam, but the odds have risen dramatically on a Republican pickup of the seat of retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl in 2012. After more than $40 million spent by both sides in the nationally watched recall contests long considered the “dress rehearsal” for a January...

(The following is excerpted from "A Bishop, A Saint: The Life of Saint John Neumann," by Father James J. Galvin, C.SS.R, published by The Neumann Press. 5 January is the feast day of St. John Neumann.) "[St. John] Neumann [then a priest in upstate New York] had actually gone to the [Protestant] meeting houses with Deacon John Reist....Once inside, the zealous Mennonite brethren had done their best to convince the 'little priest' of the folly of his Catholic way. He had politely listened. They quoted the Scriptures at some length; Neumann heard them out. Finally, Father Neumann began asking seemingly...

Every year on January 5, the Church in the United States celebrates the feast of St. John Neumann, the first male American saint, a Redemptorist, and the fourth bishop of Philadelphia. This year's celebrations, however, will be particularly festive as the Redemptorists open the Neumann Year, marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of this great saint. Neumann's 200th birthday is actually March 28, 2011.Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali will celebrate the 12:15 p.m. Mass Wednesday at St. Peter's Church/Shrine of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia. Neumann's body rests in a glass reliquary underneath the shrine's altar.In Baltimore, special Masses will be...

Neumann Delivers Health Care Petitions to Governor's OfficeUpdated: May 24, 2010 6:23 PM EDT Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann spent Monday at the governor's office. Neumann dropped off thousands of signatures from people urging Governor Doyle to let Wisconsin join a lawsuit challenging the recent federal health care reform law. "We've heard from many people that are very concerned about the increased taxes, higher cost, the government takeover of another portion of our society," Neumann, who's a former Congressman, said. Neumann will face Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker in a September primary, with the winner likely challenging Democrat Tom Barrett,...

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An 11-year-old girl died after her parents prayed for healing rather than seek medical help for a treatable form of diabetes, police said Tuesday. Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin said Madeline Neumann died Sunday. "She got sicker and sicker until she was dead," he said. Vergin said an autopsy determined the girl died from diabetic ketoacidosis, an ailment that left her with too little insulin in her body, and she had probably been ill for about 30 days, suffering symptoms like nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite and weakness. The girl's parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, attributed the...

St. John Neumann's old vestments (modern Gothic-cut polyester): St. John Neumann's new vestments (traditional Roman-cut silk): From The Catholic Standard & Times: Great model of holinessSaint John Neumann clad in new episcopal vestments before feast day By Lou BaldwinSpecial to the CS&T PHILADELPHIA — St. John Neumann, Philadelphia’s fourth bishop who is enshrined in a glass casket under an altar at St. Peter the Apostle Church, was clad in a new set of vestments on Dec. 27, just in time for his upcoming Jan. 5 feast day. “It is the bicentennial of our Archdiocese and we want to celebrate the...

KABUL, March 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. embassy convoy was hit by a suicide car bomber in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Monday, resulting in the deaths of some people, police said. It was not immediately known if the dead included American nationals, but an embassy spokesman said U.S. Ambassador Ronald Neumann was not in the convoy. Several embassy officials and pedestrians were wounded, spokesman Joe Mellocc said, adding that the injuries of some officials were "serious". ~ snip

BERLIN -- Friday – Germany’s intelligence service was aware of Kosovo Albanian plans for the violence which swept Serbia’s southern province in March, according to German media. Television ZDF claims that intelligence agents had the information several weeks before the outbreak which left 19 people dead, a large number injured and hundreds of houses and church buildings destroyed. Three weeks before the violence, intelligence services intercepted a conversation in which an Albanian spoke about preparations for an attack on Serbia, said ZDF, quoting intelligence documents. The same person, according to the report, claimed to be in contact with Al-Qaida and...