Free Republic

SAN ANTONIO—Gay rights victories in Texas haven’t come at the Capitol but at city hall. While nondiscrimination bills in the Legislature languish, Houston has a lesbian mayor and Austin offers health benefits for same-sex couples. But in San Antonio, conservatives are pushing back against one proposed stride—an ordinance that’s virtually identical to measures adopted in every other major Texas city. The San Antonio City Council is expected to vote today on amending its nondiscrimination code to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. The local issue has drawn top-line Republican opposition from such heavyweights as U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz...

When you add two even numbers and your answer is an odd number, you have to suspect you are wrong. When you conclude the Syrian government launched the sarin gas attack, you get an odd number, you have to wonder why the answer is also odd. Carla Del Ponte., speaking of the first gas attack, told the UN that her investigation revealed concrete suspicions that the rebels had actually launched the attack. “ "Our investigators have been in neighboring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are...

<p>The three men behind an “open carry” demonstration conducted outside of a San Antonio Starbucks are each facing charges of “disorderly conduct” because some observers reportedly complained about the stunt.</p> <p>The group posted video of the entire demonstration, which included a disagreement with police officers, on YouTube. The men were seemingly well within their rights.Under Texas law, open carrying a rifle is not illegal as long as the gun is not loaded.</p>

In between bowls of chicken poodle soup and deciding to provide air cover for al-Qaeda in Syria, our Dear Leader, Barack Hussein Obama, found time to meet with mayors from our crumbling major cities. From Justin Sink of The Hill: *** "President Obama told a collection of big-city mayors Tuesday at the White House that he would continue to use executive actions to combat gun violence plaguing major cities. In the meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder and the mayors of 18 cities from across the nation, Obama discussed commonly applicable strategies to reduce youth violence. 'He also vowed to...

SAN ANTONIO - A social justice organization working for equal rights of gay Texans issued a warning on Tuesday. GetEQUAL Texas sent out a travel alert on Tuesday for any lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers headed to San Antonio. Mitsue McCoy, a member of GetEQUAL Texas, said they felt the alert was necessary because of the heated meetings at city council over the city's proposed nondiscrimination ordinance and because Councilwoman Elisa Chan has been vocal in her opposition. "We feel like we have a responsibility to let people (who) are coming in to the city, visiting or people that...

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Close your eyes for a moment and imagine it's the summer of 2016. Fresh off her victory in the primaries, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is searching for a running mate. If the 68-year-old Clinton of three years from now were to play the role of Dr. Frankenstein in crafting the politically ideal VP pick, relative youth likely would be a key trait in order to balance the ticket. And, perhaps facing a general election campaign against the first Hispanic presidential or vice-presidential nominee (think Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, or Susana Martinez), she might also...

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine it's the summer of 2016. Fresh off her victory in the primaries, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is searching for a running mate. If the 68-year-old Clinton of three years from now were to play the role of Dr. Frankenstein in crafting the politically ideal VP pick, relative youth likely would be a key trait in order to balance the ticket. And, perhaps facing a general election campaign against the first Hispanic presidential or vice-presidential nominee (think Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, or Susana Martinez), she might also look to a Latino...

San Antonio City Councilwoman District 9 Elisa Chan enters a briefing room for a press conference at City Hall, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013. In a secret recording by former staff member James Stevens on May 21, Chan condemned homosexuality and described it as "disgusting". At the press conference, Chan reiterated her rights to free speech and personal opinions. "Political correctness will not win this dayÉ.I stand strong in my First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech," she said.     GetEQUAL Texas has issued a travel advisory for LGBT people considering visiting San Antonio. “GetEQUAL TX alerts those traveling...

In San Antonio, where the mayor is rising Democratic star Julian Castro, a broad new anti-discrimination ordinance under consideration may catch opponents of same-sex marriage in its net, in what opponents consider a disturbing infringement on liberty of conscience. The ordinance would prohibit bias toward people on account of sexual orientation. Opponents are concerned that opposition to same-sex marriage or other viewpoints about homosexuality would be considered bias. “If you, for instance, oppose same-sex marriage, that’s going to be interpreted as opposing someone based on sexual orientation,” explains Jeff Mateer, general counsel for the Liberty Institute, an organization that focuses...

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake jetted to San Antonio, Texas, to deliver a speech last night to the national convention of the Young Democrats of America, a group closely tied to the Democratic National Committee. Rawlings-Blake denounced the Republican Party for its positions on immigration reform and other issues in what was described as “a great keynote speech” on the YDA’s twitter feed. The frequency of the mayor’s absences from Baltimore have accelerated since her appointment in January as secretary of the DNC and her parallel rise within the nonpartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors. Frequent Flyer Since late May, she he has...

Churches across San Antonio are expressing outrage over a proposed anti-discrimination law that would protect LGBT workers but would not provide a religious exemption and would effectively prohibit anyone who opposes homosexuality from holding public office or getting a city contract. The proposed change would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the city’s discrimination ordinance. It would protect gays, lesbians, transgender, and veterans – a move that had critics accusing the council of playing politics with the military. “No person shall be appointed to a position if the city council finds that such person has, prior to such proposed...

The San Antonio City Council is doing some housecleaning to combine all of its anti-discrimination rules and ordinances into one. The consolidated ordinance states a desire to adopt a “comprehensive and expanded non-discrimination policy with revisions to outdated terminology.” According to Pastor Charles Flowers of Faith Outreach International, the city leaders want to add two categories to the policy: sexual orientation and gender identity. - See more at: http://onenewsnow.com/culture/2013/07/23/%E2%80%98unprecedented%E2%80%99-language-targets-those-with-traditional-values#.Ue9HYFMmTOV

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (CN) - A police officer for a Texas school district may have used excessive force in fatally shooting a teenager who fled the scene of a fistfight, a federal judge ruled. Denys Lopez Moreno sued Officer Daniel Alvarado, Police Chief John Page and the Northisde Independent School District in September 2011 for the death of her 14-year-old son, Derek Lopez. The incident unfolded on Nov. 12, 2010, when Lopez allegedly exited a school bus and, in view of Alvardo, punched another student. Lopez ignored Alvarado's order to freeze and fled the scene with the school officer tailing...

In a dramatic end to a case that has unwinded for over a year, George Zimmerman was found not guilty of any charges related to the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager who was shot by Zimmerman.The case wasn't just a fascination for the broader American public, but for politicians as well. This was especially true after President Obama said in March, 2012 that, if he had a son, "he'd look like Trayvon." On Saturday night, the reactions from D.C. started coming in soon after the not-guilty verdict was reached.The first came from Rep. Corrine Brown, who represents...

"Defense attorney Mark O'Mara may incite a riot by his arrogance alone. Talk about adding insult to injury."Serving Texas Congressional District 20 in the U.S. House of Representatives San Antonio, Texascastro.house.gov

Even as reports break about the size and scope of the National Security Agency’s vast data storage center in Utah, new details are emerging about a second massive NSA center in San Antonio, Texas. According to the Houston Chronicle, “Satellite and aerial imagery show that massive air conditioning units and backup generators have been added to the facility, which is now ringed by barbed-wire fencing. City permits and property tax records show that the complex has been dramatically expanded.” According to sources, the plant will supposedly translate intercepted communications from the NSA; the communications are then forwarded to Maryland for...

SAN ANTONIO -- A father was tazed by San Antonio police while trying to save his infant boy from a house fire. The incident occurred at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday during a house fire in the 100 block of Morningview Drive. Investigators said the parents of the eight-month-old boy had dropped off their children at their grandparents' house. Somehow, a fire got started inside the home shortly thereafter. The grandparents managed to grab one boy and rush to safety. That's when they realized one boy was still trapped inside. Emergency crews and the children's parents arrived on the scene at...

Torrential rains swamped San Antonio with flash floods on Saturday, leaving at least two people dead as emergency workers rushed to rescue more than 200 residents stranded in cars and homes. “It was pretty crazy,” said Gera Hinojosa, a valet parking cars downtown after the storm. “It was pretty unexpected. We hardly got any warning about it.” For two women, the storm turned fatal. …

The FBI has arrested a San Antonio man on charges that he lied to get into the United States and tried to get a sensitive Defense Department position. Wissam Allouche, 44, appeared for an initial hearing Friday afternoon, and shook his head when U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad read the charges leveled in a federal indictment. The judge ordered him held pending a bail hearing and his arraignment on Tuesday. “He allegedly tried to cover up his affiliation with Hezbollah,” said special agent Erik Vasys, spokesman for the FBI in San Antonio. “It is believed he was looking to secure...

A north side man will not face charges after he shot a man who was smashing the windshield of his car in the driveway of his home, 1200 WOAI news reports.  Police say the homeowner, who is in his fifties, looked out the window of his house in the 1400 block of Thorain, which is near Basse and Blanco after he heard the sound of glass breaking.  It happened about 1:30 this morning.  He saw a man smashing the windshield, grabbed a gun, and opened fire, striking the vandal in the chest.  The vandal, who turned out to be the...