Free Republic

Everything is OK! Its just a little Nuclear Problem! Its perfectly Normal for 3 Nuke Plants to Explode! Nothing to Worry about! Everything is under control! Please go back to your TVs...American Idol is on! Britney got a New Cell Phone, Lohan is out of Jail for a while and Paris had her Hair done!......

Germany has temporarily shut down seven of its nuclear power plants while it reconsiders its nuclear strategy. Chancellor Angela Merkel said all reactors that went into operation before 1980 would be taken offline, while safety checks would be carried on the country's remaining plants. All safety questions would be answered by 15 June, she said.

US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner shocked global markets by revealing that Washington is “quite open” to Chinese proposals for the gradual development of a global reserve currency run by the International Monetary Fund.

On Thursday, Texas state Rep. Paul Workman (R-Austin) introduced a bill, which, for the fee of $4,000, would give illegal aliens a green card and allow them to work legally in the state. Workman told reporters that his proposed legislation, known as the Texas Immigration Reconciliation Act, is necessary to fill the employment needs of also would help fill the needs of Texas businesses and put money in the state’s depleted coffers.

Against the backdrop of events taking place in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and his own country, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh told his parliament Wednesday that he will not seek another term as president after 2013

Starting this semester, some Eanes school district elementary students will be asked to write book reports as short as a Twitter message 140 characters or fewer. And an Eanes middle school principal is lifting the ban on cell phones for eighth-graders. No, it's not Armageddon — though the principal did joke that the thought of giving middle school students access to cell phones during the school day was initially frightening to some. Carl Hooker, Eanes' instructional technology coordinator, said the changes are among the forward-looking innovations the district is testing to bring more technology into the classroom.

Five days before the Legislature convenes , representatives of civil rights, business and religious organizations sounded alarms about Arizona-style immigration legislation and other proposals that they say are anti-immigrant and would be harmful to Texas families and businesses. "The xenophobic agenda has come to Texas," Adriana Cadena, a coordinator with the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance, said at a Capitol news conference on Thursday. Cadena, whose alliance is a statewide network pushing immigration reform, was joined by dozens of advocates from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund , the Texas Catholic Conference and other groups

Crew *trying* to clear streets of snow.

Earthquake: BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION

The rise of a financial empire.

Never mind the actual issue of how to deal with unwieldy immigration laws or their reform. Let's look at the war between those who use the terms "illegal immigrants" or "illegal aliens" and those who prefer "undocumented immigrants." The latest dust-up occurred a few weeks ago after The Fresno Bee published a series that took a nuanced, balanced and honest look at issues surrounding illegal immigration in California's Central Valley. Despite the tour-de-force reporting that exposed the stark contradictions defining the issue from economic, personal, bureaucratic and political perspectives, the hot story turned out to be that many readers were...

PORT ARANSAS — Northerners who spend winters in Texas are still making the trip south, but they're thinking twice about traveling to violence-plagued Mexico.

A U.S. aircraft carrier strike group set off for Korean waters Wednesday after President Obama pledged America would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with South Korea and stage joint military exercises in response to what the White House branded a provocative, outrageous attack by North Korea on its neighbor.

AUSTIN — As Republicans prepare to take a two-thirds majority of the Texas House, some of the party’s issues that were wilting under opposition from Democrats will likely be pushed to the top of the agenda when the legislative session starts in January. In addition to facing a budget shortfall expected to be more than $20 billion with renewed calls for fiscal restraint, the House will also revisit the highly charged and partisan issues of voter identification and immigration.

The United States Isn't a Country; It's a Corporation! In preparation for stealing America, the puppets of Britain's banking cabal had already created a second government, a Shadow Government designed to manage what the common herd believed was a democracy, but what really was an incorporated UNITED STATES. Together this chimera, this two-headed monster, disallowed the common herd all rights of sui juris [a natural person possessing full civil rights -- you, in your sovereignty].

On November 2, California will vote on Proposition 19, a measure to legalize marijuana. Advocates believe Prop 19 will generate a major budgetary windfall and unleash an economic boom in marijuana-related industries while reducing crime, corruption and Mexican drug violence. Prop 19 opponents fear it will increase marijuana and other drug use via the gateway effect and spur the alleged negatives of use, such as crime or diminished health. Most claims on both sides are exaggerated or misleading. Legalizing marijuana is the right policy for California and the nation. But in considering Prop 19, everyone should start with a balanced...

If WikiLeaks had been around in 2001, could the events of 9/11 have been prevented? The idea is worth considering. The organization has drawn both high praise and searing criticism for its mission of publishing leaked documents without revealing their source, but we suspect the world hasn't yet fully seen its potential. Let us explain. There were a lot of us in the run-up to Sept. 11 who had seen warning signs that something devastating might be in the planning stages. But we worked for ossified bureaucracies incapable of acting quickly and decisively. Lately, the two of us have been...

http://www.youtube.com/user/SC2Pro

"Our normal day disappeared around 8:30. Sirens sounded and news reached us that a gunman was near or in the library. Violence had come into the heart of our campus. The outcome could have been much worse, no matter how quickly our law enforcement officials responded."

Gov. Rick Perry welcomed President Barack Obama to Texas with a round of applause—literally — clapping as the president descended Air Force One today in Austin. It was the first time a governor has applauded the president in a tarmac greeting, an Obama spokesman said.