Free Republic

Wells Fargo’s bank in New Mexico has taken down the American flag that was hanging inside the building for six years. It says “a few people” complained that the flag was “offensive.” When questioned as to why the flag was offensive, the bank refused to provide an answer.

When Mine That Bird won the 2009 Kentucky Derby, he blazed a path so profoundly unexpected that to this day expert handicappers wince at his name. Going into the race, nothing was expected of this 50-to-1 nobody from nowhere. And for most of the race, he was dead last—until jockey Calvin Borel made his move from behind the pack, sneaking up tight against the rail and flying past them all. For filmmaker Jim Wilson, the enduring wow factor of the narrative cried out for the big screen. The major studios didn't agree. "Hollywood wanted nothing to do with it," he...

he Department of Energy said Thursday it expects to get underground next week to begin investigating the cause and extent of a mysterious radiation leak from the government's nuclear waste dump in southeastern New Mexico. Officials said the inspections of the shafts that workers will use to access the half-mile-deep repository are complete and they are preparing to send an initial crew of eight into the mine early next week. The dump has been shuttered since mid-February, when radiation was released above ground and into the air around Carlsbad, contaminating at least 17 workers with low doses of radiation. Four...

A three-page analysis from Jeff Sessions’s office. The good news is, at least ICE is prioritizing correctly. Illegals who’ve committed serious criminal offenses are the first out the door, followed by people caught at the border trying to sneak in and those caught inside the U.S. after having been deported before. The other 99.92 percent who are already here are, however, apparently here to stay, unless/until a Republican president sends down the order to restart deportations among that group. And given the GOP leadership’s icy panic about further alienating Latino voters, the odds of that are near zero.Remember this the...

The Democrats' best shot at destroying the GOP in the short/medium-term would clearly lay in mass amnesties of illegal immigrants... forget smokescreen BS about green cards and phony half-measures that pretend to do something short of what the Dems really want: once they're here legally, most 3rd-world immigrants will be made citizens and voting (Democrat) soon enough, and anyone who purports otherwise is being intellectually dishonest... Luckily for left, Republican 'leadership' in the House and Senate are more than willing to help them do that, as the US Chamber of Commerce just loves them a bottomless labor market-- and John Boehner's too stupid to see any farther...

Nearly 300 years ago, two great alliances collided on the Great Plains in a battle that changed the course of American history. But until now, no physical evidence of the storied conflict had ever been found. In the summer of 1720, where the Platte River meets the Loup in eastern Nebraska, Spanish soldiers, New Mexican settlers and their Pueblo and Apache allies clashed with warriors from the Pawnee and Oto nations of the Plains. In a daybreak raid, the Pawnee and the Oto — possibly with the support of French traders — routed the Spanish, killing their commander, Don Pedro...

Mine That Bird beat the odds 50 to 1 when the gelding came from behind to win the Kentucky Derby in 2009. The win thrust the horse into the national spotlight, along with his New Mexico-based owners and trainer. Five years later, there is more spotlight on the way as Oscar-winner Jim Wilson and Faith Conroy are bringing the story to the big screen with the film “50 to 1.” “50 to 1″ is the story of Mark Allen, from Double Eagle Ranch in Roswell, who bought the Canadian gelding in late 2008 with his business partner Dr. Leonard Blach....

This was the flag of slave holding states in the United States that seceded in 1861, causing Civil War. Today the symbol is used by the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazi groups, and other organizations who are hostile to African-Americans. For the last several decades, protests have continued, demanding that this flag not be displayed in public places. Many people were greatly disturbed to see that the Confederate Flag is now being displayed, not in the United States, but in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. Larry Holmes, a civil rights activist in New York City, explained why the flag is...

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez needs a new hairdresser — or a new stance on gay marriage. Martinez was recently dropped by her hair stylist, Antonio Darden, who is gay. Darden told a local news station that he cut the governor’s hair three times, but won’t do it again as long as she continues to oppose gay marriage. “The governor’s aides called not too long ago, wanting another appointment to come in,” he told KOB-TV. “Because of her stances and her views on this, I told her aides no. They called the next day, asking if I’d changed my mind...

I just sent an email to someone outlining some 'odd things' about the WIPP 'radiological event'. Most following it know the best sources (perhaps a bit fringe, but detail-oriented nevertheless) are:https://www.radcast.org/updates-on-wipp/ and http://pissinontheroses.blogspot.com/ I'm avoiding speculation on radiation releases (for those that want to piss on my 'histrionics'), just noting some really large discrepancies in what's been released to-date, as it's a template for future radiological events. Here is the base content of the email: Sorry for the length. No way to condense this further as I have my own analysis below not really elaborated in the linked blogs. First,...

New Mexico's 2014 state legislative session ended yesterday and all "gun control" measures introduced during session died thanks to grassroots opposition. HB 44 - FIREARM TRANSFER ACT, HR 3 - PROHIBIT FIREARMS IN HOUSE, and SR 1 - PROHIBIT FIREARMS IN SENATE all were stopped cold during this session. Thanks to all the good people who voiced their opposition to these measures by visiting their representatives, emailing them (26,913 emails sent just using our page), faxing them, calling them... They lobbied the governor's office intensively. There's so many people to thank, like the New Mexico Gun Owners Association (NMGOA) and...

PHOENIX — State senators voted Wednesday to let businesses refuse to serve gays based on owners' "sincerely held" religious beliefs. The 17-13 vote along party lines, with Republicans in the majority, came after supporters defeated an attempt to extend existing employment laws that bar discrimination based on religion and race to also include sexual orientation. Sen. Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler, said that's a separate issue from what he is trying to do. But Sen. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, said that's precisely the issue. "The bill opens the door for discrimination against gays and lesbians," he said. Yarbrough, however, said foes of SB...

As the New Mexico State Police and the Albuquerque Police Department have come under scrutiny in recent months for a rash of officer-involved shootings, the man who sets the tone for training police recruits in the state has instituted a curriculum that puts less restraint on officers in deciding when to use deadly force. “Evil has come to the state of New Mexico, evil has come to the Southwest, evil has come to the United States,” said Jack Jones, director of the Law Enforcement Academy, when asked about the new approach. The academy trains recruits for police departments across the...

Mayor Richard Berry can’t keep the “COPS” television crews out of the Albuquerque area. But he made it clear on Tuesday that he doesn’t want to see the city’s name, its officers or its neighborhoods on the show. Producers can also forget about help from Albuquerque’s film office. City attorneys fired off letters Tuesday to Bernalillo County Sheriff Dan Houston and Langley Productions Inc. to make the city’s position clear. It has been more than a decade since “COPS” was filmed in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Then-Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez banned “COPS” from working with APD in 2001, and Berry...

Reuters) - Underground sensors have detected excessive radiation levels inside a nuclear waste storage site deep below New Mexico's desert, but no workers have been exposed and there was no risk to public health, U.S. Department of Energy officials said on Sunday. An air-monitoring alarm went off at 11:30 p.m. local time Friday indicating unsafe concentrations of radiation inside the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in what DOE officials said appeared to be the first such mishap since the facility opened in 1999. As of Sunday, the source of the high radiation readings had yet to be determined, and a plan...

Abandoning Michigan in the heat of the election was seen by major observers as presidential candidate John McCain effectively throwing in the towel.It also marked a very severe break with the strategists of McCain team ("McCain's tactically understandable but strategically stupid decision to visibly abandon Michigan was made without Palin.") by his running mate Governor Sarah Palin who, very publicly, decried the move. "Sarah Palin questioned Republican presidential candidate John McCain's decision to abandon efforts to win Michigan, a campaign move she said she learned about Friday morning when she read it in the newspapers. In an interview with Fox...

The acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose appointment to the post raised eyebrows because of his scant law enforcement experience, told agency employees he will resign Friday, FoxNews.com has learned. John Sandweg, a former defense attorney who knew former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano from their days as political allies in Arizona and came to Washington with her, gave his notice just six months after taking the reins in August. In a letter Friday to coworkers, Sandweg said he will return to work in the private sector but gave no explanation for his departure. “Over...

In a speech on Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul outlined his views on immigration reform. Acknowledging the need for some legalization process for the 12 million illegal immigrants already here, Paul stressed that border security had to come first. Under Paul's plan, legalization wouldn't even be considered by Congress until the border was secured. This contrasts sharply with the approach outlined this week by Sen. Rubio, who said legalization had to come first. Paul's plan would direct the Border Patrol and an Inspector General to certify to Congress when the border is secure. To verify that the border is secure, the...

An infant is fighting for her life after being physically and sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend, and police say the child had been referred to the Children Youth and Families Department by medical staff multiple times before the incident. Police say doctors referred the four-month-old girl to CYFD three other times before this because of injuries she had. They say doctors also referred the mother’s two year old daughter to CYFD at least once. Police say Friday night, the mother’s boyfriend injured the infant to the point where she may not make it. Police say 19-year-old Elijah Fernandez was...

The Obama administration will announce the establishment of regional hubs focused on mitigating climate change on Wednesday. The hubs are the first-ever regional centers that will focus solely on risk adaptation and climate change solutions at seven locations across the country. "On the heels of passage of the farm bill, the administration will take executive action to help farmers, ranchers and rural communities combat climate change and adapt to extreme weather and other damage it causes," a White House official said in an email ahead of Wednesday's announcement. Dubbed "climate hubs," the new centers will address issues like increasing risks...