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David Hentosh at the Jefferson Club blog looks at Mike Fitzpatrick’s announcement…

Former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is challenging Murphy for his seat and has asked the GOP not to endorse him until after an open primary (http://tinyurl.com/y99tr6o). Is that a conviction or is it a weather vane reaction? Fitzpatrick was ranked by the National Journal in 2005 as the 24th most liberal Republican in the House of Representatives (http://tinyurl.com/yk6flhp). That may have been an asset then, but the liberal wind is not currently filling many sails.

For whatever reason, it is good for the GOP to delay endorsement. Fitzpatrick needs to clarify his stances such as backing Card Check and the Hate Crime bill and voting against the Marriage Protection Amendment and drilling in ANWR. If his views have changed on matters such as these, voters need to know – and they need to know why.

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Looks like Don Patrille is live tweeting the conservative candidates forum.

Keep refreshing.

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Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Now comes word that, after sitting out a 2008 rematch against Democratic U.S. Rep Patrick Murphy, who defeated him in 2006, former U.S. Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick may be ready to challenge Murphy in the Eighth District, which covers Bucks County and parts of Montgomery County and the Northeast.

Harry Fawkes, Bucks County GOP chairman, said Friday that he expected a decision from Fitzpatrick within five days. He said Fitzpatrick would give Republicans a “pretty good” shot at winning.

The GOP has also set its eyes on a number of other Democratic seats in Pennsylvania that it thinks are in play because of the shifting national mood. An early hint of that might have been seen in November, when Republicans won six of seven appellate-court judicial races in Pennsylvania.

But as the Republican Party goes on offense, it must try to defend the ground it holds. That’s where Gerlach comes in.

A battle-tested candidate, Gerlach can expect big-money support from the National Republican Congressional Committee in his effort to retain GOP control of the Sixth District, which spans portions of Chester, Montgomery, and Berks Counties.

Gerlach said Thursday that he was dropping out of the May 18 gubernatorial primary because he was having trouble raising money for a statewide campaign.

After he announced Friday that he would run again for his House seat, Congressional Quarterly moved the contest from its widely watched “toss-up” list to its “leans Republican” list.

“Gerlach has saved that seat for Republicans. I think they would have lost it otherwise,” said Larry J. Sabato, who conducts election forecasting at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

Best quotes come from Montgomery County Democrat Chairman Marcel Groen…

Marcel Groen, veteran Democratic chairman of Montgomery County, said Gerlach was probably the front-runner. Democrats haven’t sorted out their crowded field of primary candidates.

But Groen said Democrats would concede nothing to the GOP this year – not in the suburbs, not elsewhere in Pennsylvania, not anywhere.

“Twelve months ago, Democrats assumed that the Republican Party in the Northeast was dead,” Groen said. “We were wrong . . . but they haven’t accomplished much yet.”

The election was in November and the victors took office last week.

.. said Mr Groen, who despite a 30000 vote registration advantage, lost six of seven judicial elections in his home county. Big words from the man who was the architect of the Pampers and Luvs campaign. “We dont have any Democrat judges in Montco, waaaaaaah.”

All that being said, it’s good news in Bucks County is Mike Fitzpatrick comes back. “Blue Dog” Patrick Murphy has gotten a slide on his liberal record for far too long.

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Patrick Murphy, the Democratic blue lap dog from Pennsylvania’s 8th District is outraged that the Catholic Church won’t give Rhode Island Congressman and JFK nephew Patrick Kennedy Communion because of Kennedy’s pro-abortion abortion stance:

“We don’t legislate at the orders of the Vatican, we legislate what is in our conscience and what we think is good for our country,” said Rep. Patrick Murphy, a Democrat and Catholic who, like Kennedy, supports abortion rights. Murphy spoke at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., where he received a John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award from the late president’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy.

It has apparently not yet occured to Murphy, who was “deeply hurt” when the Catholic Church refused to bless his marriage in 2006 for his own pro-abortion stance, that the Catholic Church does not legislate at the orders of the U.S. Congress.

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Just a reminder that the kickoff Center-Right Coalition meeting, modeled after national tax-reform leader Grover Norquist’s successful format, is TOMORROW MORNING, Thursday, November 12, at the Union League in Philadelphia, with Mr. Norquist in attendance.

Light refreshments will be served at 7:00 AM, with the program going from 7:30 to 9:00 (or later). The Union League is located at 140 S. Broad Street, just two blocks south of City Hall. Even if you can join us for part of the meeting, your attendance and that of your colleagues, is most welcome.

The objective is for those of the center-right to inform each other of current initiatives, share technology and tactics, and tell stories regarding issues facing Pennsylvania and the nation.

Anyone who so desires may speak for three minutes, answer questions, and pass the microphone to the next speaker.

Attendees will typically include political candidates and influential political, business, policy and grassroots leaders.

You are encouraged to bring any literature for distribution.

Steadfast,

Christopher Freind
“Freindly Fire”
Audaces fortuna iuvat
610-659-0098
CF@FreindlyFireZone.com

About Grover Norquist:

Mr. Norquist has been one of Washington’s most effective issues management strategists for over two decades. He is president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a coalition of taxpayer groups, individuals and businesses opposed to higher taxes at the federal, state and local levels. ATR organizes the TAXPAYER PROTECTION PLEDGE, which asks all candidates for federal and state office to commit themselves in writing to oppose all tax increases. To date, 172 House members, and 34 Senators have taken the pledge. On the state level, 7 governors and over 1100 state legislators have taken the pledge.

In the words of Newt Gingrich, Grover Norquist is “the person who I regard as the most innovative, creative, courageous and entrepreneurial leader of the anti-tax efforts and of conservative grassroots activism in America . . . He has truly made a difference and truly changed American history.”

Mr. Norquist holds a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, both from Harvard University.

About Chris Freind:

Chris Freind, author of “Freindly Fire,” is an independent columnist and investigative reporter whose readers hail from six continents, thirty countries, and all fifty states.

He is a regular guest commentator on several Philadelphia-region talk radio stations.

Highlights of his investigative reports include:

*

Exposing the Delaware River Port Authority’s (DRPA) fiscal irresponsibility/ mismanagement and conflicts of interest, which resulted in the forced termination of a high-ranking official.

*

Highlighting Gov. Ed Rendell’s intimate relationship with Ballard Spahr (his former law firm), and large campaign donors, focusing on millions in secretive, no-bid state contracts received by such entities.
*

Breaking the story of secretive bailout talks between Philadelphia Media Holdings publisher (owner of the Inquirer and Daily News) and Gov. Rendell.
*

Examining highly-questionable practices of two leading candidates in Philadelphia District Attorney race; both men were later cited by the Philadelphia Ethics Board for these activities.
*

Detailing the conflicts regarding how the PA Turnpike Commission awards contracts, including those to a Turnpike Commissioner’s law firm.
*

Illustrating a Philadelphia criminal justice loophole that allowed a convicted felon, recaptured after unlawful flight, to be freed upon returning to Court.
*

Exposing the hypocrisy of Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig regarding the steroid controversy.
*

Investigative reports have been nationally recognized, most recently in Dick Morris’ New York Times Bestseller “Catastrophe” (15 citations), The Wall Street Journal, George Will’s syndicated column, National Review Online, the Media Research Center, and The Resident, one of Portugal’s leading newspapers.

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Congressman Patrick Murphy was one of the 220 votes for HR 3962, Pelosi’s Healthcare Plan.  In spite of many protests at his office and clear opposition in the Eighth Congressional District, Murphy in the end still voted for the plan.  He will pay in 2010.  It is also notable that Murphy did not even have the courage to have a real townhall meeting.  He did everything via telephone conference calls.

Murphy claims he is a, “moderate” although he constantly votes with the extreme left of the Democrat party.  He has a 100% rating with NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League).  He also voted for the Stimulus bill.  He has a D+ rating from the NRA.  He is an extremist.   Keep Reading

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Friends-

Just a reminder that the kickoff Center-Right Coalition meeting, modeled after national tax-reform leader Grover Norquist’s successful format, is THIS THURSDAY, November 12, at the Union League in Philadelphia, with Mr. Norquist in attendance.

Light refreshments will be served at 7:00 AM, with the program going from 7:30 to 9:00 (or later). The Union League is located at 140 S. Broad Street, just two blocks south of City Hall. Even if you can join us for part of the meeting, your attendance and that of your colleagues, is most welcome.

The objective is to have everybody who is center-right to tell each other what they are doing, to share technology and tactics, and to tell stories regarding issues facing Pennsylvania and the nation.

Anyone who so desires may speak for three minutes on current initiatives, answer questions, and pass the microphone to the next speaker.

Attendees will typically include influential political, business, policy and grassroots leaders.

You are encouraged to bring any literature for distribution.

Steadfast,

Christopher Freind
“Freindly Fire”
Audaces fortuna iuvat
610-659-0098
cf@FreindlyFireZone.com

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Who could possible be against regulations designed to stamp out puppy mills? We all love puppies, right? Heck, the anger against Michael Vick seems to match that we have against people who do similar things to people.

Well, as always, the devil is in the details, and bureaucratic execution.

One of only 13 nationally registered packs of Basset Hounds has just been raided by the Philadelphia police, the dogs “arrested”, and the pack has been split up and disbursed to various SPCA shelters. I could be wrong, but I do not believe those are even “no-kill” shelters, but that is pure speculation.

Link here.

This is all because of a recent anti-puppy mill law that prevents more than a dozen animals being kept at any one private location. For the record, Murder Hollow Kennels, the home of this pack, had never received any complaints before.

Just keep this in mind as we discuss healthcare reform. All along I have acknowledged with reform advocates that there are indeed things we could do to make our healthcare system better. Some of those things, even, happen to be lurking in the very divisive bill people have been discussing.

But when a legislature drops a 1000 page bomb on the populace, the actual consequences of that bill are not going to be decided by the Congress, or the President. They will be decided by the bureaucratic apparatus put in place to execute it. To some degree, in fact, it probably doesn’t even matter what a bill that size actually says. It will be reverse-engineered to suit the goals and priorities of those implementing it.

Doubt me? Well, we can’t even pass a puppy-mill bill without busting up a nationally recognized pack of Basset Hounds.

This is why incrementalism should be the rule of the day in all our legislative endeavors. Especially when dealing with, quite literally, life and death.

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First off, my wife insists it is "Bleep", not "Beep"

Evil Irv, as he was playfully known, was a fun guy on the radio. If maddening, sometimes. An early influence on me, as well.

His passing, I think, somewhat highlights a problem in media culture I think conservatives need to grapple with.

The conglomeration of media companies has made something like the old WWDB impossible. Why make a go of it with local talent, who you have to pay and manage, when you can make a buck just paying for syndicated content?

Don’t get me wrong. I am a fan of some of the syndicated talent, especially Hewitt and Prager. But on WPHT, the only guy I really dig is Giordano, who is local. I used to like Smerconish, but not since syndication. And not because of the Obama thing. Oh, I also like Sid, of course.

A homogenization of voice is part of what killed newspapers, I think. They stopped speaking in a unique way in a regional voice to a particular geography, and instead tried to import syndicated content along with the style and tone of the Columbia J-School for original content. And a different type of homogenization on the radio seems to make some people money, but I don’t think it’s doing conservatives any favors.

It’s not that you can’t make money, I bet, crafting a station speaking the vernacular of a particular area. You can just make MORE money, while working less, avoiding that path.

What to do about it, if anything, is a thornier question. But I think we should all admit it is a problem. Where are our next Irv Homers, Herb Dennenbergs, or Dominic Quinns? I am afraid, instead, we are going to get a batch of Alicia Lanes, Cecily Tynans, and…who, exactly, on the radio? Can’t even name one, can you?

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Steven @ Bucks Right:

Bucks County’s US Congressman Patrick Murphy has accepted $9,200 in campaign contributions from Kuchera Defense Systems, a defense contractor so embroiled in fraud allegations that it has been banned from doing business with the US Navy.

Although he’s only been in Congress since 2007, Murphy has accepted so much money from Kuchera that he is the third highest current member of Congress in terms of the amount received from the company’s employees in all their donations since 1992 according to OpenSecrets.org.

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Donald Petrille writes an open letter to Congressman Patrick Murphy. -ed

Dear Congressman Murphy:

I have heard a lot from you and the President-elect about bi-partisanship recently. I do not believe that your record in the most recent Congress reflects that you are truly a bi-partisan representative who values principle over politics. In the spirit of true bi-partisanship, I would like to propose that you make a pledge to support the following principals, all of which have broad support among the American people:

1. Support Freedom of Political Speech on the Public Airwaves. Our founders valued the free exchange of ideas and sought to protect it unconditionally in the Constitution. Government should not monitor the content of speech, or attempt to balance opinions. Let ideas achieve broad popular support in the free marketplace of idea. Please pledge that you will oppose any attempt to pass legislation which restricts or attempts to balance any opinion broadcast by radio, television, satellite, internet or any other means.

2. Protect the Integrity of the Secret Ballot and Support Workers’ Rights to Privacy. When ballots are not secret in any electoral process, individual workers, including the poor and disenfranchised are easily intimidated, and may not vote their conscience. Please join 78% of all Americans and Senator George McGovern in opposing the wrongly named “Employee Free Choice Act”. This act allows union organizers to intimidate workers into joining a union by checking a card, rather than participating in a secret ballot election monitored by the National Labor Relations Board.

3. America Must Become Free From Dependence on Foreign Energy. While we are developing the technologies for renewable, green energy, we must stop importing our energy for both economic and security reasons. We have tremendous natural resources in terms of oil, coal and shale. We have technology to permit the safe use of nuclear energy. Oil prices have dropped an amazing 55% since the Presidential and Congressional bans on offshore drilling have expired. Please pledge to allow a) offshore drilling (greater than 50 miles off the coast), b) use of oil shale; c) production of clean coal plants; d) construction of new oil refineries and e) construction of nuclear power plants, while we are developing new wind, solar and other renewable sources of energy.

4. America Must Stop Its Deficit Spending. The United States has an estimated $63 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities, including a $10 trillion in actual debt. Medicare and Social Security obligations are about to explode. We can not continue to borrow money from foreign countries in order to finance our social programs. Please pledge not to create any new entitlement programs which will require additional spending or tax increases. You have been one of the largest beneficiaries of earmark spending in the most recent Congressional sessions, despite campaigning against the practice in 2006.

If you can pledge to support these principles, all of which are well-grounded in the Constitution, and have the broad support of the American people, you may truly call yourself a bi-partisan politician. If, however, you believe that you need to pander to special interest groups and not follow the principals outlined above, the citizens of your district will know that you are either a pawn of your party’s leadership or an ideologue.

Your recent vote in favor of rules changes that greatly diminish the amount of influence the minority party can have over pending legislation is disheartening. The reforms of 1995 term limited committee chairs, and allowed the minority party a greater voice on the floor of the House. My understanding is that your party’s leadership did not appreciate that the Republican caucus used these rules in an effective way to alter legislation during the 2007-2008 legislative sessions. Evidently, their memories were short, however, as the Democratic caucus used the same rules to make legislation more palatable when it was in the minority. It seems that certain of outcome is more important to the Democratic caucus than fairness of process and minority party rights.

I would ask that you respond to this letter in writing. I am disappointed that my other inquiries of your office, including a phone call about Representative Pence’s bill which would eliminate the poorly named “Fairness Doctrine” and my email regarding the pending TARP legislation were not answered. If you can not pledge to support the above principles, I would ask that you stop trying to convince voters you are a bi-partisan politician, and proudly broadcast your record supporting causes of the far left.

Respectfully,

Donald Petrille, Jr.
Bedminster Township

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Amazing story.

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Lansdale Reporter:

Taking a hint from those attending last week’s transportation summit, the staff of the Montgomery County Planning Commission has started to explore the implementation of a county sales tax to finance a county transportation funding program. Up until last week, county planners had been focusing on using a bond issue for the program, similar to that used to fund the county’s popular open-space acquisition project. The approximate 250 people who attended the summit gave almost unanimous support to the development of a county transportation program to fund local projects designed to relieve traffic congestion or keep it from worsening. However, some suggested it be funded with a sales tax rather than county property tax dollars. County Transportation Planning Chief Leo D. Bagley told planning board members, who have been charged by the commissioners to make recommendations on the development of a funding program, that the planning staff is studying the sales tax option.

Despite being in the early stages, one member Scott Zelov, is opposing it. No doubt, Mr Zelov is against it because he is aware that in a recessionary economy, about the dumbest thing you can do is raise taxes.

What are they thinking?

Of course, one wonders why we need an additional $150 million dollar in spending as the county is currently looking at a $40 million budget short fall, blaming it for a county wide hiring freeze.

Let’s not pretend that the sales will go solely towards transportation projects. These collected taxes will seep their way into funding additional spending that the Matthews / Hoeffel administration will be proposing.

Let’s start there.

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In case anyone wondered if the Bucks County Courier Times were a fair and impartial newspaper, Bucks Right has the goods.

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 the fact that your quotes were gathered at a partisan event for volunteers. Of course, that doesn’t warrant a mention. Everyone assumes what they read in the Courier-Times is biased in favor of Murphy anyway, right?

The Courier-Times never mentions where they gathered reaction to Li’l Pat’s speech. In fact, that information seems to be intentionally suppressed. The Courier-Times identifies this Obama volunteer and organizer who blogs on Obama’s official site with the group “Bensalem4Obama” as below.

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Ha! Love the image.

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Stay classy old-media…

We recently watched “Letters from Travis,” an Internet movie about a young Marine killed in Iraq produced to boost the political candidacy of his father, Tom Manion. We were left with this question: Why should voters support Manion?

The younger Manion died last year. His father, a Marine veteran, says the death of his son is the reason he is challenging first-term Democratic incumbent Congressman Patrick Murphy, himself an Iraq war veteran. In fact, Murphy’s candidacy was largely driven by the war as well.

The first of four installments of “Letters from Travis” includes pictures of Tom and Travis Manion and clips of American servicemen in Iraq, together with appropriate music and narration. It’s a nice piece from a technical standpoint.

But it also seems exploitative, denials of those who support the film notwithstanding. What else can you call this attempt to convince voters that a personal family tragedy is somehow relevant to a run for political office? Is Manion suggesting that his son’s service to his country somehow qualifies him to serve in Congress?

They titled their piece, Sketchy Script. … and naturally the Intelligencer’s editorial has drawn criticism from readers.

Martin Bolstein:

Your editorial board should be ashamed of itself for suggesting that “Letters from Travis” is exploitative and challenging Tom Manion’s honor and sincerity. Apparently, The Intelligencer believes that the death of Tom Manion’s son in Iraq is a less worthy motivation than Patrick Murphy’s returning from Iraq alive.

Tim Keane:

The editor says, “You can argue whether that’s the intent of the Democrats,” referring to the death toll tally of soldiers killed in Iraq posted on the Democratic Committee headquarters office just above the Patrick Murphy for Congress poster. We all, including the editor, know the intent of the death toll tally board. The tally board is in no way meant to honor the dead but uses their sacrifices and deaths as a political device against the war they enlisted to serve in.

The editor says Tom Manion’s video is highly exploitive of his son. Nothing could be further from the truth, and my guess is the editor knows this as well. The definition of exploit in this case is to use selfishly for one’s own ends. Tom Manion is truly honoring his son and those other soldiers who served in a war they volunteered to participate in. The Democrats tally board just above the Patrick Murphy poster is used as a ploy to selfishly achieve their ends: their position against the war these servicemen died supporting.

David Sager

Rep. Murphy’s last campaign and his views on the war effort have left a bad taste in my mouth, a taste that is strangely reminiscent of my experience in the service during the Vietnam War. It was Murphy who exploited the war effort for political gain. In doing so, he reinforced the view among terrorist organizations that the United States does not have the resolve to win any war against the terrorists.

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Tom Manion, running against Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-SweetheartBookdeal), will be releasing a four part video series this week entitled, Letters from Travis. It talks about how Travis’ service in Iraq inspired his father’s run for Congress.

Tom Manion’s decision to run for Congress was inspired by the ultimate sacrifice made by his son, Travis, when on April 29, 2007 he was killed by enemy sniper fire in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq while fighting courageously to defend against an enemy ambush. Travis Manion’s bravery, leadership, and character were so respected, the Iraqis named their combat outpost in Fallujah after him.

During his time in Iraq, Travis wrote home as frequently as possible and his reports from the front lines told a story much different from what American families hear on the 6:00 news or read in their daily newspapers. In late December of 2006, Travis wrote the following: “There are many different views of our mission here, however, all I can say with certainty is that there are thousands of Americans over here working hard towards a positive outcome in Iraq. Everyday I am here I see great things being accomplished under harsh circumstances from young Americans. I am not sure the average Americ an sees the positives these servicemen and women accomplish…”

In his last letter home, Travis wrote the following: “I’m excited to see the deployment end strong and leave the Iraqi battalion at a higher level than when we arrived. I miss you guys, and I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.”

The trailer is below.

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Roll Call

The GOP challenger to freshman Rep. Patrick Murphy (D) has raised more than $400,000 so far in his campaign. Retired Marine Corps Officer Tom Manion (R), who entered the race in mid-January, expects his cash-on-hand figure to be about the same.

“When I decided to embark on a run for Congress, I was hopeful that I would receive strong support for my candidacy,” Manion said. “The response we’ve seen has far exceeded my expectations and demonstrates that this race will be extremely competitive.”

The 8th Congressional district, which comprises Bucks County in southeast Pennsylvania, is expected to have one of the most competitive races in the state this cycle. Murphy defeated one-term Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R) by a slim margin of about 1,500 votes in 2006.

Patrick Murphy has about five times that on hand, but the numbers aren’t in.

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Congressman Patrick Murphy’s challenger, Tom Manion is having some big names line up behind him.

Among them…

John Lehman Former Secretary of the Navy; General P.X. Kelley USMC (Ret.) Former Commandant of the Marine Corps; George Sawyer – Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy; Chris Lehman Former Special Assistant to President Reagan

They’re hosting a fundraiser on the 28th of March for Colonel Manion.

See below.

(more…)

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There’s a goat on the lam in Lower Bucks County.

The goat’s owner, Iris Star, saw a newspaper article about the wayward animal in Feasterville. On Tuesday, Star was armed with food and a leash in hopes of locating “Buckwheat.”

“My only fear is that she is going to get hit with a car depending on how she is running,” Star said.

Star said rescued Buckwheat, along with two other goats (Kellogg and Apple Jack) about 10 years back.

Buckwheat apparently escaped Saturday and Star has been searching for the animal ever since.

Buckwheat is about 150 pounds and stands roughly thigh-high. She is tan in color with six-inch horns. If you have seen her, please call police.

As if there are sooooo many goats loose in the area that it has to be identified.

Odds are that any goat spotted in the area is Buckwheat.

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