Free Republic

Al-Qaeda Threat in Philadelphia? Philadelphia, PA June 27, 2002 — David Henry reports from the Action Newsroom. An Action News investigation reveals that a chain of jewelry stores operating in the Delaware Valley is being investigated by the FBI for possible connections to the Al Qaeda terror network. A series of raids were carried out yesterday in Philadelphia and across the state of Pennsylvania. The stores are mostly kiosks in shopping malls operating under the name "Intrigue Jewelers." They are all owned by Pakistanis under franchise agreements with a company called Gold Concepts, based in Pennsacola, Florida. Intrigue operates stores...

Still trying to chase down results in key legislative races around the country, but at the moment it looks like this: • Going into the 2010 elections, Democrats held 60 partisan legislative chambers and Republicans held 36, with a couple of ties. • It looks like the GOP has picked up an astounding 20 chambers, including both houses in Alabama, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Wisconsin and additional chambers in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. • In total legislative seats, it is possible that after all the results are posted, Republicans will have won...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—The Republican Party is poised in the coming election to remove the vestiges of Democratic control from state governments in the heart of the South. In Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, the GOP appears likely to win every state elected office as well as take or strengthen control over legislatures. Republican sweeps in these states would give the party control over the redrawing of congressional districts after the 2010 census, and enhance its ability to raise funds and campaign for Republican candidates in the 2012 races. White conservative voters in the South have been turning to the GOP...

The same FBI terror sweep in Chicago that caught up Obama allies Hatem Abudayyeh and Joseph Iosbaker also snagged members of the New Party — a communist outfit with which Obama was involved in Chicago. One is Iosbaker, the other is his wife Stephanie Weiner. Via Gateway Pundit, here's Comrade Obama with some New Party friends: If only the establishment media had any integrity, this swamp would have been drained back in 2008, and America would have been spared the unfolding catastrophe formerly known as Hope & Change.

Campaigns hate it when I suggest they have their races won, so let’s include all the traditional caveats. In a New York minute, everything can change; every candidate is one gaffe away from self-destruction, October surprises may abound, the only poll that matters is the one on Election Day, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. At this point, the story of the election is the number of statewide races that were supposed to be competitive that aren’t. This morning’s poll in Ohio suggests that Ohio’s Senate race isn’t going to be all that competitive, and neither is the governor’s race. In Pennsylvania, Patrick...

The Democrats did not lose a 2-1 squeaker last night. They lost two huge races, saw an overall evaporation of 25 basis points of support -- and lost by nearly 500,000 cumulative votes in the three high-profile elections. Or put another way, Republicans won two races decided by millions of voters -- and Democrats won a small race dominated by party operatives. In addition, the GOP made some historic gains in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Washington state special elections to boot. In the context of Bob McDonnell's huge win in Virginia and Chris Christie's surprisingly comfortable win in New Jersey, of...

Shannon Valentine has conceded the election for the 23rd house district to Dr. Scott Garrett. Chair of the Lynchburg Democrat party, John Lawrence, said Wednesday afternoon that Valentine will not seek a recount. Stay with ABC 13 for the latest on this.

Robert F. McDonnell scored a landslide victory over R. Creigh Deeds in the Virginia gubernatorial election Tuesday night as Republicans swept the state's top three offices and ended nearly a decade of Democratic dominance at the top of the ticket. Mr. McDonnell, a former attorney general, captured strong support from independents and voters in the Northern Virginia exurbs of Prince William and Loudoun counties that had been key to President Obama's unexpected victory in the state in 2008.

WASHINGTON – Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell's victory in the Virginia governor's race over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and moderate Republican Chris Christie's ouster of unpopular New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was a double-barreled triumph for a party looking to rebuild after being booted from power in national elections in 2006 and 2008...

Fox News just called the Virginia gubernatorial race for Republican Bob McDonnell. Exit polls show him defeating Democrat Creigh Deeds in a landslide. Republicans also have captured the Lt. Governor and Attorney General spots, making it a clean sweep.

Obummer thought it was pretty cute to use analogy of a (socialist) mop last week. I think the analogy might be more like a capitalistic broom for what may be coming this Tuesday. I can hear the dems shaking tonight on Halloween! And it isn't because it's Halloween. I'm stoked. Freepers thought please.

<p>Republicans rallying this morning in Springfield had a new prop: A broom that read "McBolliNelli" on the handle.</p> <p>The Republican ticket is stumping throughout the state Saturday but began with a traditional GOP pep rally at Interstate Van Lines in Springfield. Gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell was joined by ticket mates Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, attorney general candidate Sen. Ken Cuccinelli and a variety for Republican luminaries, including Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, chairman of the Republican Governors Association.</p>

KOTALAK, Afghanistan (AFP) – An elderly Afghan woman, her hair dyed red and a black shawl draped over her shoulders, shouts as she aims a gun at US Marines who are arresting her husband as a suspected Taliban insurgent. A Marine points his assault rifle at her and is ready to pull the trigger until the woman drops her rusty pistol. Members of the 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines, accompanied by Afghan soldiers, were sweeping villages for militants early this week as part of Operation Germinate. The aim of the operation was to reduce the threat of home-made bombs -- ...(IEDs)...

Operation Falcon, a multiagency effort led by the U.S. Marshals Service, nabbed 258 fugitives in Minnesota during the week of June 22, officials announced Thursday. Fugitives included 18 sex offenders and at least nine known gang members, and all of the fugitives were considered violent, officials said. The number of arrests this year during the one-week sweep from Duluth to Rochester doubled the number of arrests last year, said Michael McGinn, U.S. marshal for the state of Minnesota.

Looks like McCain is headed for a southern sweep, as predicted I might add. Coming soon my first official Electoral College recap. I remind you that in 04 I only missed New Hampshire. Ignore all other Electoral College recaps but mine.

....... Among the 36, six had criminal convictions along with their immigration violations. In a news release, ICE highlighted two of the people arrested: • Merido Mazariegos, 32, of Guatemala, convicted of fifth-degree assault in Minnesota's Nobles County. • Jose Inocente Garcia-Huix, 38, of Guatemala, convicted in Nobles County last year for forging two state identification cards under aliases.

**EXCERPT** WHITE MARSH, Maryland (CNN) — Hillary Clinton on Monday explained away Barack Obama's clean sweep of the weekend's caucuses and primaries as a product of a caucus system that favors "activists" and, in the case of the Louisiana primary, an energized African-American community.She told reporters who had gathered to watch her tour a General Motors plant here that "everybody knew, you all knew, what the likely outcome of these recent contests were.""These are caucus states by and large, or in the case of Louisiana, you know, a very strong and very proud African-American electorate, which I totally respect and...

**EXCERPT** Hillary Rodham Clinton had hoped her strong showing on Super Tuesday would halt Barack Obama's momentum - but that notion was shattered yesterday as Obama scored blowouts in Washington state, Louisiana and Nebraska. The Clinton camp had tried to downplay the widely anticipated losses as old news - and her campaign had ceded Louisiana and Nebraska to save their resources for the bigger March 4 contests in Texas and Ohio. But the big wins for Obama could fuel the perception that he's on a roll, and victories could be scarce for Clinton over the next few weeks if she...

Colorado now has won 7 straight playoff games, 8 if you count the play-in game against the Padres, and have lost only one game in the last month. They now await the winner of the Indians - Red Sox series, which the Indians lead 2 games to 1.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - First, American soldiers scoured the home for weapons as four veiled Iraqi women cowered on a dusty rug. Then a platoon sergeant politely wiped his muddy boots, came in and talked to the family about the violence suffocating their city. Staff Sgt. Michael James of the Army's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment came with his platoon on a search-and-seizure mission. But he was careful to follow up with expressions of respect and concern. "Tell them, 'Thank you,' for their hospitality," James asked his translator. U.S. troops are working hard to strike a tricky balance between force and...