Free Republic

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) has taken up the mantle as the chief opponent of "Don't ask, don't tell" in Congress, and he's confident the policy banning gays from serving openly in the military will get its first full committee hearing in a decade and a half this session. Murphy, a second-term Democrat, will be lead sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal "Don't ask, don't tell" — a policy first passed by Congress and signed into law under President Bill Clinton. "It's our job," Murphy said of a repeal. "This was an act of Congress in 1993...

In last year’s presidential election, Barack Obama won 70 percent of the gay vote, John McCain just 27 percent. Does that kind of clearly dominant constituency — one that’s more politically-attuned than the rest of the electorate — come with any political obligation regarding gay rights? You bet it does, and this weekend Obama is acknowledging the debt. On the eve of Sunday’s National Equality March, expected to draw thousands to Washington, he’s addressing the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights group. ...Marriage and the US military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gay men and women in uniform...

(1)Congressional Recess Rally @ Congressman Patrick Murphy’s Office PennAction is rallying FOR Obamacare at Murphy’s (PA-8) Doylestown Office. Let’s surpise them with a counter rally! When: Saturday, August 22, 11:30 AM – 1 PM Where: 72 North Main Street, Doylestown, PA Contact: Teri @ Teriaa222@yahoo.com (2)Congressional Recess Rally @ Congressman John Adler’s Office Adler’s staff say he’s uncommitted. Will he show-up and talk to his constituents? When: Saturday, August 22, 11:30 AM – 1 PM Where: 247 Main Street, Toms Rivers, NJ Contact:Teri@Teriaa222@yahoo.com (I will then put you in touch with the NJ rally leader) (3)There appears to be two...

At two public events on Saturday, the hot topic was health care reform. The plan was for Congressman Patrick Murphy to discuss health care reform and other hot-button topics with his constituents on a one-on-one basis. The plan didn't last long. Minutes into the first of two scheduled "Congressman on Your Corner" sessions Saturday afternoon at the jam-packed Concerto Fusion restaurant in Morrisville, shouts from an impatient, frustrated crowd forced Murphy and his staff to reconsider the format of the event. "You're concerned about the format. We've changed the format," Larry Glick, Murphy's director of outreach, told the crowd. "The...

If you were looking for a fair and unbiased reaction to Patrick Murphy’s speech at the Democrat Convention that genuinely reflected the pulse of the community at large, where would you go? Would you head to a local bar? Perhaps a community center? Would you talk to people in the street? If you were a writer for Calkins Media’s Bucks County Courier-Times, you would head straight for a partisan “Patrick Murphy Watch Party and Phone Bank” organized through Barack Obama’s official web site at the home of a “Proud, Loud, and Excited Volunteer” for the Obama campaign. Then you’d obscure...

Anyone who wants to help kick MoveOn.org's backside this election can help by blogging about how MoveOn.org knowingly and willfully welcomed anti-Semitic, racist, and anti-Catholic hate speech at its Action Forum until the widening scandal forced the scandal to shut down on September 24. Please circulate this information as widely as possible, especially in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Connecticut where MoveOn.org is backing candidates. Here is a list of MoveOn.org candidates: Ned Lamont (D-CT) Patrick Murphy for U.S. Congress (D-PA-08) Diane Farrell for U.S. Congress (D-CT-04) Robert Byrd for U.S. Senate (KKK-WV) Bob Casey for U.S. Senate (D-PA) Nick...

The E-mail records prove that MoveOn.org has, for the past two years, knowingly and willfully allowed its Action Forum to be used as a gathering place for vicious anti-Semites and other bigots.

Punishment phase of escapee's trial begins04:11 PM CST on Monday, November 17, 2003By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News Prosecutors presented graphic testimony about Patrick Murphy Jr.’s role in a violent prison escape as well as details of his 1984 sexual assault conviction on the first day of the punishment phase of his capital murder trial. Already convicted of capital murder, Mr. Murphy faces life in prison or the death penalty for his role in the death of Irving police Officer Aubrey Hawkins, who was fatally shot during a botched Christmas Eve 2000 robbery. Defense attorneys chose not to...

Escapee Patrick Murphy found guilty of murder01:46 PM CST on Thursday, November 13, 2003By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News A Dallas County jury found Patrick Murphy Jr. guilty of capital murder Thursday in the death of an Irving police officer. It took the jury about an hour and 10 minutes to reach the verdict. The punishment phase of the trial is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. "The evidence could not be more damning for Patrick Murphy," prosecutor Bill H. Wirskye told jurors during his closing argument. He pointed at Mr....