Free Republic

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Charges have been filed against a man who stopped traffic on a busy freeway for a marriage proposal.The proposal happened on the North Freeway near downtown Houston on Sunday. Eyewitness News learned Tuesday that Harris County District Attorney's Office is charging Vidal Valladares, 24, with obstruction of highway, a class b misdemeanor.We spoke with the couple on Tuesday, as Valladares said he was going downtown to answer to the charges."I'm feeling bad, and of course," said Valladares. "I'm wanting to apologize to everyone if I caused any problems. That wasn't my intention in the beginning. I just...

Barbecue has a special place in Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's heart. The White House aspirant met his wife, Tonette, at a Wisconsin barbecue joint, Saz's, in Milwaukee, and took her back there four months later to propose. He reminisced about their courtship today while devouring a spare rib at a 'Roast and Ride' event in Boone, Iowa, 'I love ribs. Ribs and BBQ,' he told reporters after he finished his story. Walker had just finished helping employees of Lynch BBQ, the event catering company, prepare a rack of ribs when he professed his love for barbecue - and his spouse....

JERUSALEM - Hamas reportedly rejected a comprehensive, 11-clause long term ceasefire proposal on Saturday. Egypt has warned that this proposal will be its final effort to secure a lasting end to the Israel-Gaza conflict. According to details leaked by Egyptian newspaper al-Shorouk, the 11-clause proposal contained several key concessions to the Palestinian delegation, including the opening of border crossings between Israel and Gaza, the elimination of the so-called "buffer zones" along the Israel-Gaza border, the extension of the fishing zone to 12 miles off the Gazan coast, and the assistance of Israel and the Palestinian Authority in rebuilding the infrastructure...

<p>Steve Paska waited two weeks for Washington's famously fickle cherry blossoms to emerge, then spent two hours searching for the perfect spot beneath the canopy of fluff. He lured his girlfriend there on the pretext of buying a painting of the blooms. Then he surprised her by dropping to one knee and proposing.</p>

PHOENIX — The Arizona Legislature gave final approval Thursday to legislation that allows business owners asserting their religious beliefs to refuse service to gays and others, drawing backlash from Democrats who called the proposal "state-sanctioned discrimination" and an embarrassment.

The banks would hold a buffer of liquid assets - such as government bonds - to draw on to ensure they can meet withdrawals by depositors, to post collateral due to credit rating downgrades and to meet other needs. U.S. government debt and excess reserves held at the Fed are deemed the most liquid under the Fed's proposal, while claims on government-sponsored enterprises, such as mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are less liquid and may make up only 40 percent of the buffer.

President Barack Obama rejected the GOP’s short-term debt limit plan because it does not also end the partial government shutdown, the New York Times reports. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) reportedly left Thursday’s meeting at the White House with Obama without issuing a public comment to the press. Even though House Republicans softened their long-standing demands, Obama’s rejection isn’t entirely a shock given that Senate Democrats had already declared it unacceptable on Thursday. “Not going to happen,” declared Majority Leader Harry Reid, standing outside the White House after he and fellow Democrats met with President Barack Obama. Reid referred to...

WASHINGTON - As far as Molly Ryan knew, she was headed to Coors Field in Denver with her family to see the Rockies take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ryan's parents and her boyfriend, Kenny Lovelace, knew this was more than just a family outing. This was the night Lovelace was going to ask Ryan to become his wife. ... Ryan said "yes" and fans nearby cheered for the couple -- everyone but the older couple, that is. They continued to look unamused by the event. In fact, unbeknownst to Mullins, another woman who was there with them retrieved a security...

(CNSNews.com) – Pushing ahead his proposal to avert military strikes against his ally in Damascus by having it surrender its chemical weapons stocks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday the initiative would only be feasible if the U.S. pledges not to use force. The plan will only work, he said in a statement released on the Kremlin website, “if the United States and other nations supporting it tell us that they’re giving up their plan to use force against Syria.” “You can’t really ask Syria, or any other country, to disarm unilaterally while military action against it is being contemplated.”...

(Headline only) Breaking News: Syria accepts Russian proposal to put chemical weapons under international control - Interfax

President Barack Obama’s media blitz began on Monday evening, as he gave interviews to six television networks in which he presented his case on Syria. In his interview with NBC News, Obama called a Russian proposal for Syria to turn over control of its chemical weapons to international monitors in order to avoid a military strike a “potentially positive development” that could represent a “significant breakthrough.” At the same time, he said, he remains skeptical that the Syrian government would follow through on its obligations based on its recent track record. “Between the statements that we saw from the Russians--...

The Republican members of the bipartisan Senate “Gang of Eight” have passed the deadline for Senate Judiciary Committee ranking GOP member Sen. Chuck Grassley’s request for a briefing on their coming immigration reform bill. Last week, Grassley (R-IA) and his conservative committee colleagues Sens. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Mike Lee (R-UT) wrote to “Gang of Eight” senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), John McCain (R-AZ), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), asking them to champion a transparent immigration reform process complete with thorough hearings examining each facet of any legislation those “Gang” Republicans and their Democratic counterparts develop....

A little-noticed proposal by Gov. Jerry Brown to eliminate the second year of science as a high school graduation requirement is sparking concern among educators who fear it could deepen the academic divide among students and further erode the state's scientific and technological leadership. The recommendation in Brown's revised May budget is aimed at freeing the state from reimbursing local school districts for the $250-million annual cost of the second-year science course. The state has not made any payouts to school districts since the requirement was ruled a mandate in 2005, so California owes public school systems $2.5 billion in

Just for fun on a Sunday night, a very cute video of a marriage proposal... http://www.wimp.com/lipdub/

As I watch the election cycle with PACs and Super PACs and the never ending spin of paid consultants, who have no loyalty to our constitution, I have a modest proposal for Freeperdom to consider. How about restricting donations to political campaigns only to those who can vote for the candidate? If we did this, it takes out the corruption and brings back the citizen politician. I have heard this idea kicked about by a few of my friends. Is there anyone else who thinks this is a good idea. Or, do other Freepers know why this could be a...

FIRST, USA NATIONAL swimmer Matt Grevers won a gold medal in the Missouri Grand Prix. Then, he proposed to his girlfriend and swim teammate from the medal podium. Grevers dropped to his knee in front of TV cameras and cheering fans to ask Annie Chandler – who had just congratulated him on his win – to marry him. He was helped along the way by his elder brother, who sneaked him the diamond ring while he stood on the stand.

President Obama's proposal to severely restrict "deferral" will cause a significant tax increase on American companies trying to earn market share in other nations. For all intents and purposes, the White House plan is protectionism, but the target is American companies rather than their foreign rivals. This Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation video explains why this misguided policy will reduce exports from America and reduce jobs in America. For more information: www.freedomandprosperity.org

My girlfriend Ginny gets taken to the movie theater to see "Fast Five". After a preview for the Hangover 2, a trailer for a movie comes on. A trailer I made of her father and I where I ask her father for her hand in marriage...

ANDECHS, Germany (AFP) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that 2022 was "a good time" for Germany to end nuclear power, backing a proposal by the Bavarian wing of her party. ... Following the earthquake and tsunami which wrecked the Japanese nuclear plant of Fukushima in March, Merkel ordered the closure for three months of Germany's seven oldest reactors. She also announced a moratorium for the same period of an earlier decision by her government to extend the lifetime of Germany's 17 reactors by an average of 12 years.

This romantic had clearly put in a lot of effort to propose to his girlfriend. He had picked out the ring, rehearsed a song, practised a touching speech and had even took his beloved back to the place where they met so he could pop the question. But as he met her outside a fast food shop in a shopping mall, perhaps he should have guessed that getting down on bended knee in front of whooping shoppers might not strike quite the right note. He is joined by a guitarist, who accompanies him as he bursts into song, serenading the...