Free Citizen

• NC Independents May Vote in Either Party's Primary

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  North Carolina is one of the three former Confederate States-- the others are Florida and Louisiana-- that registers voters by party.
  
  Republicans in the Tar Heel State, who have invited independents to vote in GOP primaries since 1988, recently decided overwhelmingly to keep doing so.
  
  "Republicans pushing" [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 3:59pm EST
  by Steve Rankin

• Commies Find a Home in the Democratic Party

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  A post at Ballot Access News notes the possibility that consumer advocate Ralph Nader will run in 2010 for the U. S. Senate seat now held by Chris Dodd of Connecticut. There are some interesting comments on this post, one of which really caught my attention. It's from an [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 12:58pm EST
  by Steve Rankin

• Southern Political Report Wrong on 1860 Presidential Race

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  Stephen Douglas was a U. S. senator from Illinois, having defeated Abraham Lincoln in 1858. John C. Breckinridge, a Kentuckian and the incumbent vice president, later served as secretary of war for the Confederacy. John Bell of Tennessee was the candidate of the Constitutional Union Party.
  
  Breckinridge finished second [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 2:03am EST
  by Steve Rankin

• The Republican Party in Mississippi

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  A post at Majority in Mississippi discussed the switches of the Simpson County officials to the Republican Party and touched on the GOP's recent history in the Magnolia State. Here is my comment.
  
  "Following Reconstruction, the state had supported a Democrat [for president] the previous 18 times."
  [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 5:19pm EST
  by Steve Rankin

• Keep Your PC Clean and Quick

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  From Breitbart:
  
  (ARA) - What you don't know can hurt you - big time - when it comes to what's hiding in your PC. From "naturally" occurring registry errors to more insidious threats like spyware, hidden problems can slow your computer performance to a crawl or even cause [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 8:50am EST
  by Steve Rankin

• The "Open Primary" in Louisiana

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  The outcome of Louisiana’s 1991 and 1995 gubernatorial races belies the contention that the "open primary"[1] favors “moderates” or “centrists.” The 1991 runoff featured ex-Gov. Edwin Edwards (D), who had already been tried for fraud, and David Duke (R), an ex-Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan. The incumbent governor, [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 12:36pm EST
  by Steve Rankin

• John Anderson Backs Instant Runoff Voting

  Number of comments: 1
  Former congressman John Anderson, who was a candidate for president in 1980, has written this op-ed in the Orlando (Florida) Sentinel advocating the use of instant runoff voting (IRV).
  
  Anderson, a liberal Republican from Illinois, ran unsuccessfully in some GOP presidential primaries in early 1980. He then ran [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 12:45pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Education, Once Upon A Time

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  ... [T]he only dangerous change that the German reaction in this country has made, is the substitution of compulsory State education for the former American free education.
  
  [In the early 1900s], American children went to school because they wanted to go, or because their parents sent them. Children knew [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 4:34am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• The Rights of the States

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  This book, one of the very best I have ever read, is chock-a-block with quotable passages. The excerpt below is, in my view, superb.
  
  The mention of Daniel Webster reminds me that, when he was chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, he was regularly receiving a retainer for his [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2009, 8:52am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• The Sneaky Rooster

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  John was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,' and ten roosters to fertilize their eggs.
  
  He kept records, and any rooster not performing went into the soup pot and was replaced. This took a lot of time, so he bought some [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 5:09am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• An "Open Primary" For California?

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  In June 2010, California voters will have a ballot question for a nonpartisan, Louisiana-style "top two" election system [1] (popularly called the "open primary" in Mississippi). Richard Winger, a Californian, has already had a number of "top two" posts at Ballot Access News, which have generated some lively commentary. Below [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 2:36am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Cliff Finch, the "Workingman's Friend"

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  When former Congressman John Rarick of Louisiana died recently, Ballot Access News had a piece on him, which morphed into a political junkie's smorgasbord (at this posting, there are 162 comments on that article, which has to be a record for a site of that type).
  
  One of' [...]
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  Posted: September 29, 2009, 12:06am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Term Limit State and Local Officials

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  The letter below appeared in The Clarion-Ledger on September 21. At this posting, it has attracted 22 comments there.
  
  ******************************
  
  I agree with Noel Funchess ("End 'earmarks' with term limits," September 7). We term limit the president, the governor, and the lieutenant governor, but we let [...]
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  Posted: September 22, 2009, 11:19am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Jonathan Alter Favors the "Open Primary"

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  UPDATE: Richard Winger, publisher of Ballot Access News, has this op-ed on California's "top two" proposal in the Sacramento Bee.
  
  ******************************
  
  In June 2010, California will have a ballot measure for a Louisiana-style "top two" election system, popularly known hereabouts as the "open primary." This proposal is' [...]
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  Posted: September 20, 2009, 10:27am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Socialist Candidate Suing Mississippi

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  The Natural Law Party is no longer a national party, but it is still a qualified party in Mississippi. Last year, Brian Moore, a Florida resident who was the Socialist Party's presidential nominee, contacted the NLP about their ballot line in Mississippi (the Socialist Party is not qualified here, and' [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 12:57pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Indiana Voter ID Law Struck Down

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  From Ballot Access News:
  
  On September 17, the Indiana State Court of Appeals struck down the 2005 law that requires voters at the polls to show government photo-ID with an expiration date. The vote was 3-0. Here is the 29-page decision. The case is League of Women [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 12:41pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• South Carolina Open Primary Lawsuit Dropped

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  Back in April, the Republican Party of Greenville County brought a federal lawsuit against South Carolina's state-mandated open primary, in which each voter picks a party on primary day. The party had wanted to be able to block Democrats from voting in GOP primaries. On August 14, however, the party' [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 6:33am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• California Closed Primary Proposal Withdrawn

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  Next June, California will have a measure on the ballots to change to a Louisiana-style "top two" election system (popularly called the "open primary" in Mississippi). With more independents now likely to be voting, this measure may have a better chance of winning. ~~ SR
  
  ******************************
  
  by Neil [...]
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  Posted: September 12, 2009, 7:08am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Which Party Do You Prefer?

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  The following are excerpts from my comments at Ballot Access News about the Idaho Republican Party's suit against the state-mandated open primary and related issues:
  
  Party registration is the most practical way of identifying voters’ party preferences. The state compels parties to nominate by primary, so it’s reasonable' [...]
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  Posted: September 09, 2009, 11:29am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• The War for the California Republican Party

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  California registers voters by party, and since the 2002 elections, the Republicans have invited independents ("decline to state") to vote in their primaries.[1] At the upcoming state GOP convention, there will be an effort to change the rule and restore closed GOP primaries.
  
  What the columnist below calls an [...]
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  Posted: September 07, 2009, 10:25am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Ruling on Mississippi-Style Primary System

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  Ballot Access News is reporting that a federal district judge has ordered a trial in the Idaho Republican Party's lawsuit against the state-mandated open primary.[1] The party wants to be able to enforce its rule that says only party members may vote in GOP primaries.
  
  "The trial is'" [...]
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  Posted: September 04, 2009, 7:19pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• How Many Slaves Do You Own?

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  Henry Louis Gates Jr., of course, is the Harvard professor who recently had the misunderstanding with the Cambridge police. Wonder if Fred Reed will be invited to the next Beer Summit at the White House... ~~ SR
  
  ******************************
  
  by Fred Reed
  
  Oh, Lord. I'd pull my' [...]
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  Posted: September 03, 2009, 5:20pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Robert D. Novak, 1931-2009

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  by Rupert Cornwell | The Independent | September 2, 2009
  
  Today's top-tier Washington political reporter tends to be smooth and Ivy League, as much a member of the city's establishment as the politicians he writes about. Well before the end of a career that spanned half a century, [...]
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  Posted: September 03, 2009, 4:46am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• French Socialists to Hold Presidential Primary

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  The direct primary election-- or party primary-- had its beginnings with the Democratic Party of Crawford County, Pennsylvania in 1842. In the early 1900s, states began requiring parties to hold primaries to nominate their candidates. Mississippi first used the party primary statewide in 1903; that was the Democratic primary, since [...]
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  Posted: September 02, 2009, 9:35pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• The Passing of Senator Edward Kennedy

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  This piece states that Kennedy was elected minority whip of the Senate in 1969. Actually, he was majority whip (assistant leader), as the Democrats were the majority in the Senate from 1955 until 1981.
  
  It's also worth noting that the Kennedy family was largely responsible for turning Massachusetts into' [...]
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  Posted: August 28, 2009, 11:38pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Con-Fusion in South Carolina

  Number of comments: 1
  South Carolina is one of the states that allows fusion, which means that more than one party may nominate the same candidate. The Palmetto State law stipulates that, when a candidate wins a minor party's nomination and then runs unsuccessfully for a major party's nomination, he must give up the [...]
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  Posted: August 12, 2009, 7:50pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Obamacare Will Cost More, Not Less

  Number of comments: 1
  Dr. Arthur Laffer, the famous guru of supply-side economics, voted for Bill Clinton for president in 1992 and 1996. Laffer moved from San Diego to Tennessee because the Volunteer State lacks an income tax. ~~ SR
  
  ******************************
  
  by Forrest Jones | Newsmax.com | August 5, 2009
  [...]
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  Posted: August 07, 2009, 9:55am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Provocative Videos

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  A Nurse Describes the Horror Caused by Obama's Support of Infanticide
  
  Proof the Democrats Caused the Housing Crisis by Refusing to Regulate Fannie/Freddie
  
  L. A. Times Endorsed Obama; Withholds Video of Obama Praising Palestinian Terrorist (Times Released Summary of Content When They Endorsed Hillary' [...]
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  Posted: August 03, 2009, 8:58am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• The Death of Snail Mail

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  by Ian Mathias | LewRockwell.com
  
  The U.S. Postal Service is on track for a record $7 billion deficit this year. That’s more than double last year’s loss.
  
  Postmaster General John Potter bumped up his previous projection by a billion bucks yesterday, citing the growing expenses of [...]
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  Posted: August 01, 2009, 7:17am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Through the Eyes of a Child

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  Daniel Hannan, a member of the British Conservative Party, is also a member of the European Parliament. The socialist Labour Party currently controls the United Kingdom's national government.
  
  ******************************
  
  by Daniel Hannan
  
  A heart-warming email arrives from a constituent:
  
  "I recently asked my friend’s" [...]
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  Posted: August 01, 2009, 2:58am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Mississippi Ranks Number One

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  In the August 1 print edition of Ballot Access News, publisher Richard Winger rebuts Tara Ross's July 17 piece in the Weekly Standard, "How to Win the Presidency... With 15% of the Popular Vote." She contends that the Electoral College is what prevents Americans from fracturing their votes so' [...]
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  Posted: August 01, 2009, 12:08am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Hannan Rips The Prime Minister a New One

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  Daniel Hannan, a British Conservative member of the European Parliament, delivered this speech-- three minutes, 28 seconds long-- on March 26, 2009, to the face of Gordon Brown, the Labour prime minister of Great Britain.
  
  I hope the day comes-- soon-- that an American leader summons [...]
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  Posted: July 30, 2009, 1:50am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Washington Law For Same-Sex Unions

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  Washington is one of the states whose citizens have the power to veto bills enacted by the legislature. The opponents of same-sex civil unions have circulated petitions for a referendum on the domestic partnership law passed by the legislature. On July 28, these backers of the referendum brought a lawsuit [...]
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  Posted: July 30, 2009, 11:40pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• 2008 Election Returns Published

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  The clerk of the U. S. House of Representatives has published a 77-page booklet entitled, "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election" (you'll see a little white "Zoom" box at the top of the page, which can be used to enlarge the print. The box shows "45%" when you' [...]
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  Posted: July 29, 2009, 6:39pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Arlo Guthrie is a Ron Paul Republican

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  by Deborah Solomon
  
  As one of the iconic figures of the ’60s counterculture, are you surprised by the fuss that is being made over the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival, at which you performed? Do you think Woodstock is overrated?
  
  No. We’re still talking about [...]
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  Posted: July 29, 2009, 3:28am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• A New Term Limits Initiative For Mississippi

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  On June 3, Dr. Godfrey Garner of Edwards in Hinds County filed a proposed initiative, No. 30. This measure is for term limits, but, unfortunately, it includes U. S. senators and representatives as well as state and local officials. In U. S. Term Limits v. Thornton (1995), the [...]
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  Posted: July 29, 2009, 12:47am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Progressive Hopes

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  Watch Joe Sobran on YouTube.
  
  ******************************
  
  "'I have a dream,' proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr., whose 'dream' was inspired by his reading of Marx and other progressive prophets. Like countless visionaries, he was unaware of Michael Oakeshott's admonition: 'The conjunction of ruling and dreaming generates tyranny.''" [...]
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  Posted: July 27, 2009, 7:55pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• A Proposal From 1968

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  John Bell Williams of Raymond vacated his seat in the U. S. House after his election as governor of Mississippi. In the February 27, 1968 special election to fill the seat, Charles Evers of Fayette, field secretary of the state NAACP, shocked many by finishing first against the six white [...]
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  Posted: July 23, 2009, 7:36pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Fewer Yellow Dog Democrats

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  Ballot Access News has a post on a recent special state legislative election in north Alabama, which the Republican won with 60.5 percent of the vote. The Democrats had held this seat since the 2002 election.
  
  In the last paragraph, the piece states that in four Southern states-- [...]
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  Posted: July 18, 2009, 6:44pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Secession Is in Our Future

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  "... once it becomes clear that a majority of the states — and specifically those that are the most productive — are seceding, the remaining states of Old America will have to consider their options. Would they want to bail out the corporations, the unionized public-school teachers, municipal workers, and" [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2009, 10:44am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• The Voter Choice Plan

  Number of comments: 0
  Howard Roark and I have recently expressed ourselves on a post at Yall Politics about Mississippi's election system. Here's my comment from this morning:
  
  You understand that I’m only proposing nonpartisan elections ("open primaries")[1] for our LOCAL (municipal and county) elections. Most of our municipalites, of course, elect [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2009, 8:28am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• I Still Hate You, Sarah Palin

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  The Republicans bring a knife to a gunfight, and lose again.
  
  "... stop thinking of the Democratic Party as merely a political party, because it’s much more than that. We’re not just the party of slavery, segregation, secularism, and sedition. Not just the party of Aaron Burr, Boss Tweed," [...]
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  Posted: July 07, 2009, 9:25pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• California's "Open Primary" Proposal

  Number of comments: 0
  California will have a measure on the June 2010 ballot for nonpartisan state and congressional elections, which are popularly called "open primaries." This Louisiana-style system eliminates party primaries and has all candidates, including independents, run in the same election. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the runoff.
  [...]
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  Posted: July 06, 2009, 3:43pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Senate Puts FDA in Charge of Tobacco

  Number of comments: 1
  "No one seems able or willing to connect the dots on the link between smoking and freedom. ... smoking is used as an excuse for the government to tell you what you can do on the street, in restaurants - even in your own home. What's more, it's the government" [...]
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  Posted: July 04, 2009, 9:49am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Coulter on Obama and Iran

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  by Ann Coulter | June 24, 2009
  
  On Iran, President Obama is worse than Hamlet. He's Colin Powell, waiting to see who wins before picking a side.
  
  Last week, massive protests roiled Iran in response to an apparently fraudulent presidential election, in which nutcase Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was [...]
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  Posted: June 24, 2009, 9:09pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Texas Democrats Kill Voter ID

  Number of comments: 0
  Associated Press | May 27, 2009
  
  AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Democrats are declaring victory in the partisan battle over tightening voter identification laws, but their 5-day filibuster left hundreds of bills dead.
  
  And it threatened to spark a special session this summer.
  
  But a midnight deadline [...]
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  Posted: May 31, 2009, 11:30am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• The Messiah Anoints Sotomayor

  Number of comments: 0
  From CNNPolitics.com:
  
  WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama has chosen federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, two sources told CNN on Tuesday.
  
  Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court justice if confirmed.
  
  Obama plans to announce his nominee at [...]
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  Posted: May 26, 2009, 8:20am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• Cows, the Constitution, and the Ten Commandments

  Number of comments: 0
  COWS
  
  Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic, our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years earlier, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And they tracked her [...]
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  Posted: May 26, 2009, 5:30am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• The Closed Primary in Pennsylvania

  Number of comments: 0
  Pennsylvania, which registers voters by party, had party primaries last Tuesday. The Scranton Times Tribune editorializes against the state's closed primary system.
  
  "[Voters registered as independents or with minor parties] are allowed to vote in primaries only on ballot questions, rather than for candidates. There were no statewide'" [...]
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  Posted: May 25, 2009, 6:30am EDT
  by Steve Rankin

• "Doomsday for the Republicans"

  Number of comments: 3
  Someone named "TurnLeft" had the comment below on a post at YallPolitics about the possibility that Mississippi governor Haley Barbour will run for president in 2012. My response to his comment follows.
  
  "All this talk of Barbour for President is so silly. He wouldn’t have a chance, besides" [...]
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  Posted: May 23, 2009, 9:57pm EDT
  by Steve Rankin