40 Reported Dead at Kampala's Kyaddondo Rugby Grounds (photo)

The East Africa Daily Monitor is reporting that more than 50 people are dead as a result of three separate attacks on the Ugandan capital of Kampala. Those killed were watching the World Cup final on giant screens at crowded restaurants and at a sports stadium.

From The Daily Monitor:

Police confirmed that 13 people, more than half of them foreigners were killed at Ethiopian Village Restaurant in Kabalagala, a Kampala suburb, while Daily Monitor reporters counted about 40 bodies at Kyaddondo rugby grounds where a huge crowd was watching the Spain Vs Netherlands Word Cup final.

Another blast was reported to have gone off in Ntinda, another Kampala surburb, as more than 100 were reported admitted in hospitals and clinics in the capital including the national referral hospital - Mulago.

GRAPHIC PHOTO! of bombing victims at African Daily Monitor news site.

Meanwhile the AP (via Daily Caller) is reporting that Al-Shabab is most likely responsible:

Police Chief Kale Kaihura said he believed that Somalia’s most feared militia — al-Shabab, which has pledged loyalty to al-Qaida — could be behind the attacks.

Al-Shabab is Somalia’s most dangerous militant group, one that militant veterans of the Afghan, Pakistan and Iraq conflicts have helped train, according to international officials.

If Kaihura’s early suspicions that al-Shabab was responsible prove true, it would be the first time the group has carried out attacks outside of Somalia.

In Mogadishu, Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa, an al-Shabab commander, told The Associated Press early Monday that he was happy with the attacks in Uganda.

UPDATE!

Channel 6 BNO News out of Kampala is now reporting "51 Dead," and "Hundreds injured."

UPDATE!

Jihad Watch is calling the attacks "synchronized," and is reporting that Al-Shabab had "threatened Uganda and Burundi in the last few days."

UPDATE!

Various media now reporting Death Toll has risen to 64.

LR BREAKING NEWS!!

From Eric Dondero:

The greatest advancement for pro-marijuana legalization Republicans in the last few months has been in Idaho. Other positive developments have occured in other states.

For instance, pro-marijuana advocate Bob Ehrlich is the Republican nominee for Governor. He is now leading in his race over Democrat incumbent Martin O'Malley. (Ironically, RNC Chair Michael Steele served as Lt. Gov. under Ehrlich.) Maryland is also the state where a Republican State Senator managed to get passed through committee a medicinal marijuana bill.

There has been some progress on the medical marijuana front in the New Jersey legislature as well, with a few Republicans joining in.

But it is in Idaho where the widest amount of success has occured. State Rep. Tom Trail has seen his medicinal marijuana legislation receive major support in the legislature. Now comes word from a regular reader of Libertarian Republican, that the Idaho GOP may be moving closer to backing legalization.

From LR Reader Ryan Davidson, Idahoans for Liberty:

I was asked to submit a resolution to the Republican State Convention in support of Tom's bill. I, along with 9 other co-sponsors, filed a proposed resolution which was debated in the resolutions committee in Idaho Falls. I was unable to be there when the resolution came up, as I was serving on the credentials committee at the same time.

As I heard it, the medical marijuana resolution was not adopted, but it was not voted down. It was essentially voted "return to sender" for lack of information. The fact that it was not outright voted down is a positive sign, in my opinion.

This was a project that definitely could have used more coordination and effort in order to be successful. I simply did not have the time myself to coordinate the effort. One of the reasons the resolution was voted "return to sender" was because it referenced Tom Trail's bill, but a copy of his bill was not attached. None of the other 9 co-sponsored spoke in favor of the bill at the committee. (However, some resolution committee members spoke in favor.) Given the short amount of time the committee had to debate each resolution (they had 2 hours to vote on over 40 resolutions) its possible that even if we had prepared an effective presentation, we would not have been able to give it.

This does not mean that the issue is dead until the next convention. The Idaho Republican State Central Committee meets three times a year, and they also vote on resolutions. Their next meeting will be around the time the next Legislative session begins.

Tea Party's roots likes in libertarian politics

From Eric Dondero:

Some libertarians often complain that social issues are absent on the Tea Party agenda, and that Tea Party rallies are "too dominated" by social conservatives. Not in one major Michigan affiliate.

From the Detroit Free Press, July 11, Tea party has GOP candidates' attention Groups have zeal, but will they back specific candidates?":

As Michigan heads to its Aug. 3 primaries, Republicans running for governor and Congress from the U.P. to southeast Michigan are paying attention and -- in some cases -- homage to the growing influence of the nascent, largely anti-government movement.

In Sault Ste. Marie, the tea partiers meet Wednesdays at Cup of the Day on Ashmun Street. Looks nice enough from the outside, but Tom Stillings -- a Republican candidate for Michigan's 1st Congressional seat -- says it's like facing the Spanish Inquisition in there.
It's easy to see why.

When the members of the Northern Michigan Liberty Alliance start asking questions, they mean business: Which laws is the candidate prepared to get rid of? Which government agencies would go? Should people be allowed to carry a gun in church? And under what constitutional authority does the federal government pursue the war on drugs?

"They're very tough," Stillings said.

The article went on to note:

The tea party's roots lie in libertarian politics, strict constitutional constructionism and a belief that in recent years -- particularly since Democrats took control of Congress in 2007 and Barack Obama was elected president in 2008 -- that government has run amok.

The Northern Michigan Liberty Alliance lists supported groups such as the Cato Institute, Macinac Center, and Andrew Breitbart's BigGoverment.com. A major rally for Northern Michigan Tea Party Patriots is scheduled for July 17 in Escanaba.

Tea Party backing the wrong candidate?

From Eric Dondero:

In a stunning role reversal, the Colorado Republican candidate for US Senate, viewed as the more moderate of the two primary candidates, is siding with Tom Tancredo. The former Colorado Congressman said at a picnic rally last Thursday, that Obama was a greater threat to America than the former Soviet Union, or even Al Qaeda.

Ken Buck, the Tea Party favorite in the Senate primary was reserved. He was in attendence at the rally. Afterwards, he commented to a local reporter that although he is friends with Tancredo, he tends "to exaggerate" at times.

For her part, Norton released a statement on her Facebook page (via Fox 31 KDVR - Denver):

"There was a real measure of truth to what Tancredo said. Obama is spending this country into bankruptcy. Admiral Mullen said our debt is a greater threat than terrorism. It's time to end the culture of political correctness.

"Obama's brand of big government is a threat to America."

From The Right Guy Show
of July 4