Free Republic

Satirical news program The Daily Show with Jon Stewart aired a segment Monday night poking fun at supporters at political rallies, including the Oct. 14 rally in Scranton for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Correspondent John Oliver is seen interviewing several Republican supporters from the Scranton rally, who express the false belief that Mr. Obama is a Muslim. The segment also features a rally elsewhere for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee. One unidentified woman wearing a "Scranton (loves) Sarah" shirt is shown saying about Mr. Obama: "I think he's going to put a turban on, and he's going...

When Dawn Herb’s toilet overflowed, it cost her nothing to fix. The city of Scranton, however, will pay $19,000 to avoid a lawsuit from Ms. Herb, who was charged with disorderly conduct last October for swearing at the malfunctioning piece of porcelain. A judge later dismissed the charge, saying Ms. Herb’s language, however offensive, was protected as free speech. The American Civil Liberties Union and Barry Dyller, Ms. Herb’s attorney, announced the settlement Wednesday. The money will cover Ms. Herb’s legal expenses, but Mr. Dyller said it also should send a message that there’s a price to pay for violating...

Local and national Catholics reacted Tuesday to statements by Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino apparently discounting teachings of the national body of bishops during a political forum at a Honesdale Roman Catholic Church this weekend. Martino arrived unannounced in the midst of a panel discussion on faith issues and the presidential campaign at St. John’s Catholic Church on Sunday. According to people who attended the event, the bishop chastised the group for holding the forum and particularly took issue with the discussion and distribution of excerpts from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ position on voting issues. The...

The U.S. Secret Service said Wednesday it could not corroborate a Times-Tribune report that someone shouted a threat directed at Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama at a political rally a day earlier at Riverfront Sports complex. Secret Service Agent Bill Slavoski, who is in charge of the bureau in Scranton, said agents interviewed more than 20 people who were at Tuesday’s rally for Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. He said they could not find anyone other than Times-Tribune reporter David Singleton who had heard someone shout “Kill him!” during a warmup speech by congressional candidate Chris Hackett before Mrs....

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Secret Service is looking into a second allegation that a participant at a Republican political rally shouted "kill him," referring to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. The Scranton Times-Tribune reported that someone in the crowd shouted "kill him" after the mention of Obama's name during a rally Tuesday for GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin in Scranton, Pa. Last week, The Washington Post reported a similar incident during a Palin rally in Clearwater, Fla. The Secret Service investigated that allegation and found no indication that "kill him" was ever said, or if it was said, that...

SCRANTON – The agent in charge of the Secret Service field office in Scranton said allegations that someone yelled “kill him” when presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s name was mentioned during Tuesday’s Sarah Palin rally are unfounded.

He might've garnered national attention for his strong election-season pastoral, but before pro-choice politicos met his crosshairs, Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino made news at home earlier this year by removing the diocese's recognition of its longtime organization of Catholic educators. After protests, the union recoursed the bishop's move to Rome... which has decided in Martino's favor: The decree from the Holy See, dated Sept. 24 in Rome, was mailed to Bishop Martino and [Scranton Diocesan Association of Catholic Teachers] president Michael Milz. It notes that the Congregation for Catholic Education is the competent superior authority in this matter, and...

SCRANTON – With signs representing groups from Italians to hockey moms, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin invoked the name of former Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey as she energized a crowd of more than 6,000 Tuesday in Scranton. Speaking at a McCain-Palin rally at the Riverfront Sports Complex, the Alaska governor was greeted by a sea of supporters wearing red in a show of support for the Republican ticket. Palin’s 38-minute speech highlighted running mate Sen. John McCain’s economic recovery plan, help for distressed homeowners and energy independence, including clean-coal technology. Accompanied by her husband Todd, whom she called “Alaska’s...

NEW YORK In a lenghty account of a Sarah Palin rally in Scranton, Pa. today, the local paper, the Times-Tribune, relates that at 1:25 p.m. just before she arrived, a candidate for Congress stepped on stage: "Chris Hackett addressed the increasingly feisty crowd as they await the arrival of Gov. Palin. "Each time the Republican candidate for the seat in the 10th Congressional District mentioned Barack Obama the crowd booed loudly. "One man screamed "kill him!'"

Governor Sarah Palin took the McCain-Palin campaign into Sen. Joe Biden’s back yard, pulling out all the stops at a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania today in a clear effort to excite McCain-Palin supporters and get them talking to friends and neighbors. Biden had joined Sen. Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton at precisely the same venue on Sunday. Scranton is Biden’s hometown and Sen. Clinton has roots there as well. Just before Palin took the state at the indoor recreation center, the lights were dimmed and red, white and blue spotlights pulsated through the arena. Queen’s “We will Rock...

When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin walks into the Riverfront Sports Complex in Scranton today, she will see red. And that’s a good thing if you are a supporter of the Republican ticket of Ariz. Sen. John McCain and Palin. An e-mail sent from the McCain-Palin campaign urges those attending to wear red to the rally. “We want to flood the venue with red to show our strength and determination to turn Pennsylvania red on Nov. 4,” the e-mail stated. Red is the color used by political pundits to depict which states are Republican and blue is used to designate Democratic...

To get the feel of a political race, anecdotal stories on the ground of voters' enthusiasm is a better gauge than looking to polls. To make this point I reference one story covering the Biden event where pollster Terry Madonna predicts that Obama will take Scranton. Her polling firm has Obama leading by 7 points in Pennsylvania. Now compare the following anecdotal stories from Scranton Pa.: Biden, and both Clintons had a campaign rally in Scranton Pa. Working families, Biden told a crowd of about 6,000 at an indoor soccer complex here, were asking themselves "questions that are as simple...

Governor. Palin to Campaign in Scranton Last Updated: Oct 13, 2008 05:34 PM By Jon Meyer Supporters lined up for our area's latest political visit and those getting tickets are really excited. This is the first time Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is making a stop in northeastern Pennsylvania. All day Monday people signed up for tickets for Sarah Palin's campaign rally Tuesday in Scranton. Democrat Joe Biden had a rally in Scranton Sunday. Tuesday it's Republican Sarah Palin's turn and both are campaigning at the same place. The Riverfront Sports Complex in Scranton has become a center of the political...

SCRANTON – Three U.S. senators, one congressman and a former U.S. president stood on stage Sunday and told more than 3,000 supporters that they will work for the middle class of America. President Bill Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, appeared with Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden for a rally at the Riverfront Sports Complex in the city’s Providence section. The Clintons were in town for the baptism of Mrs. Clinton’s nephew – Simon Joseph Rodham – son of Tony and Megan Rodham. The ceremony took place at the Court Street Methodist Church. “I am convinced that...

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Bill and Hillary Clinton take the stage Sunday at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, it will be the launch of an active campaign for their former nemesis Barack Obama in the home stretch of the 2008 presidential race. Once the nation's best known and most powerful Democrats, the former first couple is getting used to a new role: cheerleaders for Obama, who vanquished Hillary Clinton last spring in a Democratic primary contest for the ages. Whatever recriminations the Clintons may still harbor from that long battle seem to have been nudged aside as they campaign in...

SCRANTON, Pa. — This may be a Democratic stronghold, but folks aren't shy about ticking off what bugs them about Barack Obama. ¶ He seems a bit smug. He was never in the same league as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, then added insult to injury by passing her over for VP. And there's the rumors, false, that Obama is a Muslim. Plus his earlier refusal to wear an American flag pin. ¶ "He said it was a fashion statement, wearing the flag," Trish Votaw , 41, said as she smoked Marlboros on her front porch while waiting for her teenage...

SCRANTON -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, will visit Scranton on Tuesday, officials announced today. Mrs. Palin, running-mate of Arizona Sen. John McCain, is scheduled to attend a rally at the Riverfront Sports Complex, according to Peter A. Feldman, Regional Communications Director with the McCain-Palin campaign. Doors will open at 11 a.m. The Times-Tribune.com will bring you more information as it becomes available. Also read more in The Sunday Times.

Bishop Martino of Scranton, PA - the hometown of pro-choice Senator Joe Biden - recently wrote a pastoral letter for Respect Life Sunday which focused on the evil of abortion. He told all his priests to read the letter in place of their homily this past Sunday. Here's how the local paper, the Scranton-Times Tribune responded: Gee, I guess depicting the Bishop with a baby cradled in his arms wouldn't convey the kind of point this cartoonist-satirist is comfortable with. I've said before that anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice, and this is a perfect example. Imagine a cartoon...

Joe Biden sent me an email tonight, ok, not really, it’s actually the Obama campaign channeling Joe Biden, but an email nonetheless came ‘from’ Joe Biden and he is mad. And he wants money for his madness. The email starts by Joe telling me that the McCain campaign is on the ropes and they are telling outright lies. Biden goes on to say that he has heard ‘unspeakable’ things in this campaign season that are ‘deeply offensive smears.’ The email then says that McCain-Palin is running a ‘dishonorable” campaign and he and Barack are fighting back but they need my...

Bill and Hillary Clinton will join Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden at a Barack Obama campaign rally Sunday in Scranton. The former president and current New York senator are expected to address the failed economic policies and how Barack Obama and Biden will work to help ordinary families, according to a campaign press release. Biden and Sen. Hillary Clinton have strong ties to the area. Biden was born in Scranton and lived in the city’s Green Ridge section until his family moved to Delaware when he was 10. Hillary Clinton’s father, the late Hugh Rodham, was a Scranton native....