Free Republic

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Texas mayors and business leaders filed a class-action lawsuit Friday alleging Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff hoodwinked landowners into waiving their property rights for construction of a fence along the Mexican border. Members of the Texas Border Coalition said Chertoff did not fairly negotiate compensation with landowners for access to their land for six-month surveys to choose fence sites. The coalition of mayors and business and community leaders is seeking an injunction to block work on the fence. They also want a federal judge to rescind all the agreements with landowners and to order Chertoff to start...

According to several on-line sources, today is the Reverend Al Sharpton's birthday. He was born on October 3, 1954 in Brooklyn, NY. In fine Freeper tradition, let's turn this post into a guestbook of sorts and extend our birthday wishes to Al. Be nice now everyone...yeah right.

I'm confused. About politics in Washington. I'm forgetting who the good guys are. Mostly because they seem to have forgotten as well. Here's what I mean. As Republicans stumble over themselves to reform Social Security they seem intent on throwing out whatever principles they or their party are supposed to stand for. Not so much President Bush. His idea of personally managed accounts -- while pretty meager and meaningless in its specifics -- at least gives lip service to a conservative idea or two. The problem is with the rest of the Republicans, particularly in the Senate. They are legislating...

EXTERIOR BRIDGE OVER POTOMAC RIVER - NIGHT CLOSE SHOT - Rummy is standing by the railing, staring morosely into the water. The snow is falling hard. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he wheels around and wrestles an old man with wings into a headlock. OLD MAN: Ouch! Tut, tut. When will you learn that force doesn't solve everything? RUMMY: Who the dickens are you? OLD MAN: Clarence, Angel First Class. I've been sent down to help you. RUMMY, squinting: You're off your nut, you old fruitcake. You can't help me. I was a matinee idol in this town, a...