Free Republic

Hey Texans - hope you like 404 messages. The Texas CISPA-like bill, SB 1052 - is being debated today and may very well pass the Texas Legislature. The Texas CISPA bill could soon affect the ability of Texas users to access specific websites -- and every website and Internet provider in the country that serves data to Texans will be forced to comply with the law. Call Governor Rick Perry @ 512-463-1782 and tell him to veto the bill if it makes it to his desk.Supporters of the legislation have shortsightedly attempted to circumvent the national CISPA law by empowering...

Yesterday, Texas HB 48 passed the senate. It is now on its way to the governor for a signature. This means that there is no longer a requirement for renewal courses every five years to maintain a CHL. HB 48 would eliminate the requirement for a CHL holder to demonstrate handgun proficiency by taking a continuing education course to renew the license. The bill would repeal Government Code sections 411.188 (c) and 411.188 (j), which require a continuing education course for CHL renewal and would specify how DPS should adopt rules for this course. DPS would mail a notice of...

'Morality clause' forces them apart (Newser) – A lesbian couple in Texas is claiming discrimination after a judge told the pair they legally could not live together. Carolyn Compton and Page Price have been sharing a household with Compton's two daughters, ages 10 and 13. But the judge said Price would have to move out, because of a "morality clause" in the divorce papers Compton signed when she ended her 11-year heterosexual marriage, the Dallas Morning News reports. The fairly common clause forbids either parent from having romantic partners stay overnight while their kids are home. Getting re-married nullifies the...

House Bill 972, an important NRA-backed self-defense bill that would repeal the criminal prohibition on the possession of firearms on college campuses by Texas Concealed Handgun Licensees (CHL), is still pending in the Texas Senate – where final action must be taken on the measure by this Wednesday. Make no mistake: anti-gun Senators and gun control advocates are trying to run out the clock on this important reform bill, and it will die without a vote unless your state Senator hears from you TODAY! While HB 972 gives individual higher education institutions the authority to adopt administrative rules and regulations...

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- An attempted robbery just outside of downtown Houston erupted into a gunfight that left one suspect dead and the victim injured, police say. The shooting happened around 6:30am in the 2900 block of Pease. Police say a man coming home from a club was confronted by as many as five suspects. When the suspects tried to rob him, a shootout erupted.

Driving in the early morning hours to his job at a metal shop in Buda, Miguel Montanez at first thought the approaching lights were a school bus or a tow truck. But Montanez says it was a Hays County SWAT truck that rammed his car head-on. As they collided, another police vehicle pinned him from behind, he says. He heard a shot. “I saw my windshield crack, and I ducked down as low as possible,” Montanez said. “I really thought I was going to die.” Seconds later, he says, three deputies were pointing assault rifles at him. “That’s when I...

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...

BAYTOWN, TX (KTRK) -- Baytown police were investigating a shooting at a convenience store Saturday, and whether or not it's linked to other armed robberies in the area. The store at Alexander Food Store on North Alexander has been robbed before and that's why the clerk was prepared with a gun. Police say a confrontation between the gunman and a female store clerk around 11am ended with the alleged gunman in the hospital. "We heard, 'Pow! Pow!'" witness Christina Odom said. "He just fell backwards like that." Baytown police say a man in his 40s ran into the food mart...

Mini doc on Central Texas Tools of Abilene TX, 3 generations of machinists. 7:35

HOUSTON, TX (Catholic Online) - Finding that there is no law against what they were doing, a judge ruled that the cheerleaders violated no laws by holding banners during football games that made references to God. Koutnze Middle School cheerleaders say they have a tradition of making biblical and religious references on the banners which they hold at the end of halftime and the players run through when they return to the field. It's a widespread tradition practiced at schools across the nation. However, when the "Freedom from Religion Foundation" a litigious atheist organization whose purpose is to destroy any...

On Monday, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill that would bar state officials from enforcing any new federal gun laws.  Via Kevin Drum, I see that the MaddowBlog’s Steve Benen calls the bill “crazy.” In this case, Texas’ nullification bill effectively hopes to freeze the status quo of federal gun laws in place indefinitely. The state is prepared to honor federal laws as they currently exist, but if policymakers in Washington expanded current laws in any way, Texas would ignore those changes — based on the “because I say so” theory of modern jurisprudence.It wouldn’t matter if new...

President Obama will travel to Austin Thursday to promote job creation, while profitable corporations are moving to Texas to escape his bad economic policies. Huge companies in the booming firearms industry are considering moving to the Lone Star State, where Gov. Rick Perry promises a welcoming business environment. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday that Mr. Obama’s trip to the Texas capital will highlight the need “to ensure that good jobs for the middle class are available here in this country — and that includes the kinds of improvements we’ve seen in manufacturing and in industries in manufacturing...

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney says the president is traveling to Texas tomorrow because while there’s lots of gridlock and partisan infighting in Washington, the Lone Star State is home to the kind of economic growth Obama wants to highlight. President Obama will tour a high-tech high school and a chip-machine manufacturer near Austin on Thursday. So, why Texas, where Rick Perry credits Republicans for the state’s economic success?

Houston, Tx --(Ammoland.com)- Today, May 6th 2013, two pro-gun bills finally passed in the Texas Legislature. SB 864 by Senator Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels), the Senate companion to HB 47 by Representative Dan Flynn (R-Van), is headed toward the Governor’s desk. SB 864 will reduce the number of hours for a concealed handgun license to “not less than four or more than six” and will not include time on the shooting range or the range proficiency exam.Rep. Flynn severs on the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety. He’s a long-time friend to TSRA and to Texas gun-owners. This...

EL PASO, Texas - Bishop Mark J. Seitz, who on Monday was named the Catholic Diocese of El Paso's new bishop, is a giving person in more ways than one. Read the 2009 article below about how he donated a kidney to a parishioner.A Texas woman in need of a kidney has received one from her parish priest. She has called the donation a “holy kidney,” while he says the gift of his kidney is an attempt to follow Christ’s life-giving example.Carrie Gehling, who has lost both legs to diabetes and has suffered four heart attacks, needed a kidney...

Vatican City, May 6, 2013 / 05:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has appointed Spanish-speaking Bishop Mark J. Seitz to lead the El Paso diocese in western Texas, placing him just across the border from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. “Since I entered the seminary here in Dallas as a young 18-year-old boy, I have loved Dallas and the Church of Dallas,� Bishop Seitz said in a May 6 statement. “But when I presented myself for ordination as a deacon, I gave my life to God’s service and I promised to be at the disposal of the Church. I accept this...

A Midland man died late Tuesday night from a shotgun wound he suffered after attempting to enter a neighbor’s home in the 2400 block of Brunson, according to a press release from the city’s public information officer. Midland police responded to a shooting at about midnight Tuesday and found Samuel Pompa, 32, with a shotgun wound to the chest. He was transported to Midland Memorial Hospital, where he died from his wounds, according to the release. Officers ascertained that Pompa had tried to break into the residence of a 19-year-old man who was living in a separate unit at the...

Can any Texas FReepers give us an idea of what situation is in the town of West Texas. I gotten some e-mails indicating that there is little to no help for the people there. Is it true or just a fund raising gimick?

President Obama is still not scheduled to visit the devastated community of West, Texas, where an explosion at a fertilizer plant five days ago killed 14 – including 11 emergency responders – and wounded approximately 200 people.

Rep. Michael Burgess slammed Obamacare as “bad news from top to bottom,” but he called for adding $4 billion to the program to take care of the 65,000 people with pre-existing conditions that are currently being denied coverage they were promised. In an interview with Newsmax TV, the Texas Republican said the extra money was needed after the pre-existing coverage program, a center piece of Obamacare, blew through its $5 billion budget in January and closed its doors to new members. …

"Texas Congressman Says Terrorists Taught to 'Act' Hispanic To Enter U.S." SNIPPET: ""We know that Al Qaeda has camps over with the drug cartels on the other side of the Mexican border,” U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert said on C-SPAN. “We know that people are being trained to come in and act like they're Hispanic when they're radical Islamist."" SNIPPET: "Gohmert, who is vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, said during the interview that while the United States should continue welcoming immigrants, it also needs to be highly vigilant about its borders."

WACO (April 17, 2013)--West EMS Director Dr. George Smith says as many as 60 or 70 people died and at least 100 were injured Wednesday night in a fertilizer plant explosion in West. A rescuer earlier said he knew of five deaths. West Mayor Tommy Muska said at a news conference however, that he doesn't yet know how many people were hurt or killed in the blast explosion. He said there was a fire at the West Fertilizer plant before the explosion.

Explosions rocked a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, Wednesday evening as firefighters were battling a fire, causing multiple injuries, authorities said. Dani Moore, dispatcher with the Texas Department of Pubic Safety, said she did not know how many were injured or the extent of their injuries. "The fertilizer plant was on fire. Firefighters were on the scene. There was an explosion ... followed by a second explosion,'' she said. She said there were multiple damages to structures and vehicles. She said she had no information on the cause of the blasts or fire. WFAA.com reported at least 10 structures were...

A would-be robber was shot dead by a person with a concealed handgun license outside a Metro PCS store in Ft. Worth on Tuesday afternoon. The suspect reportedly tried to rob a man in the parking lot outside the store. The man with the CHL was shot in the arm and the hand by the robber, but the robber was shot multiple times in the chest. The robber was dead at the scene.

AUSTIN (CN) - A Texas Senate committee unanimously approved a bill that will make it easier to get a concealed-handgun license. The Senate Criminal Justice Committee voted 7-0 to send Senate Bill 864 to the full state Senate. It will reduce from 10 to 4 the minimum number of classroom hours needed to get a concealed-carry permit - and let people take classes online to renew their permits. The maximum classroom time will be reduced from 15 to 6 hours. To get a license to carry a concealed gun, applicants must complete the portion of the course and get instruction...

After striking again early Sunday morning, a Beaumont serial robber has finally been caught, but not before he targeted a victim who fought back. Beaumont and Lumberton Police collectively captured 21-year-old Scott Allen Willis Sunday after he committed two more robberies in Lumberton. Police say Willis, along with the help of 22-year-old Malik Washington and 21-year-old Ariel Malveaux, first abducted a woman in the 200 block of Village Creek Parkway. They drove her to an ATM and made her withdraw money before releasing her. Then they attempted to rob two women at their home in the 100 block of Dennis...

This weekend Knife Rights issued an alert regarding a repeal of the ban on switchblades in Texas. They are asking that those who reside, work, or travel to Texas contact the legislators below urging their support for HB 1862 which would repeal the ban. I'm glad to see that Knife Rights is working so hard on the second front for the Second Amendment. In Texas, Knife Rights supported HB1862 has been scheduled for a hearing this Tuesday, April 9, before the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence. HB1862, sponsored by Representative Harold Dutton Jr., will repeal the antiquated, senseless ban...

KENNEDALE -- After a spring break cruise, Leah Smith and her family returned home to find their garage door dented and backyard fence smashed. Police confirmed that their Grand Prairie home had been the target of an unsuccessful break-in. "That was a wake-up call," said Smith, a gun owner for the past decade. "We got lucky this time, but we knew we needed to better arm ourselves." So when the first-grade teacher heard that a free concealed-handgun-license class -- largely prompted by the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. -- was being offered to Texas educators, she immediately signed up. Billed...

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s threat to filibuster any new gun restrictions is gathering steam, as a dozen of his Republican colleagues have now signed onto his plan. The Kentucky Republican and Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) first wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid late last month to warn him of their intention to try to tie up the Senate if, as planned, Reid moved forward with legislation that would expand background checks and attempt to crack down on interstate gun trafficking. Reid is expected to bring a gun-control bill to the floor as early as next...

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Tuesday vowed to use every means necessary to fight the “dangerous” United Nations global arms treaty that was overwhelmingly approved by the General Assembly on Tuesday. Speaking to a group of reporters on a conference call, Abbott warned that the arms treaty “raises a red warning flag to anyone concerned about the liberties guaranteed to all Americans under the United States Constitution.” “That flag was raised when the United States agreed to the passage of the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty,” he added. “This treaty is a dangerous threat, not only to Second Amendment...

The new battle-cry to save a disappearing Republic should begin with the words: “Set our children free”. ...Millions of parents with school-age children will never know their children have been captured and led away. The name of the program set up for the kidnap of all time is so innocent sounding: Common Core. But in typical Marxist fashion, the name can be morphed into a myriad of others when it becomes expedient to keep parents in the dark.... Middlemen advocates in the progressive infrastructure are now trying to palm off the universal standards of Common Core as a “state-led” initiative....

John Dieter, a concealed carry permit holder from Houston Texas, had engaged in a defensive gun use (DGU) against robbers almost two years ago. Even though Mr. Dieter hadn’t been charged with a crime, the Harris County Sheriff confiscated and refused to return his pistol. That was until Mr. Dieter contacted the Second Amendment Foundation. The e-mail below from Mr. Dieter details the story. rom: John Dieter Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 3:07 PM Subject: I got my gun back! Ok, you guys know I NEVER send out group emails and such. But… Long story short: The Harris county sheriff...

SAN ANTONIO -- The battle for same-sex marriage equality took an interesting turn in San Antonio late Wednesday night as gay rights advocates ambushed a Chick-fil-A with signs and posters. More than two dozen Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) messages covered the windows of the fast food restaurant in the 1300 block of Austin Highway. Workers at the business weren't aware of the signs until they arrived for work Thursday morning. They had no comment. Some of the signs which were taped to the chicken franchise's window read, "Government can not dictate love," "Support love note hate," and "Your...

HOUSTON — Authorities were investigating an attempted robbery scene in north Texas on Thursday where two Oklahoma teenagers were found fatally shot — possibly by self-inflicted gunshots — and the local sheriff praised the armed homeowner who fired on the suspected intruders.

The 18-year-old boy was home alone when he noticed “a male standing by the shed outside the house,” the report says. “He approached the male with a shotgun, and when he got the male’s attention, he was about 20 yards away from him. He said the male then started to raise a pistol toward him, so he shot at him with a 410 bird shot.” The intruder then took off running, heading south.

In February, Texas announced that the state, along with the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum (TESCCC,) would enact major changes to the controversial curriculum management system dubbed CSCOPE. The system received a litany of complaints from faculty members and parents alike concerning its lack of transparency (parents were allegedly not permitted to review lesson-plans), lack of oversight from the State Board of Education, and for allegedly imposing oppressive working conditions for faculty members. CSCOPE was created so that teachers could frame their year around teaching points required by the state. Lessons, which are written by CSCOPE staff and current and...

An education technology conference this week in Austin, Texas, will clang with bells and whistles as startups eagerly show off their latest wares. But the most influential new product may be the least flashy: a $100 million database built to chart the academic paths of public school students from kindergarten through high school. In operation just three months, the database already holds files on millions of children identified by name, address and sometimes social security number. Learning disabilities are documented, test scores recorded, attendance noted. In some cases, the database tracks student hobbies, career goals, attitudes toward school - even...

A 27-year-old League City man was sleeping in the back seat of an extended-cab pickup while his wife went inside the bank, said Sgt. Tamara Spencer of the League City Police Department. The man driving the Buick pulled up next to the pickup and punched out the front passenger-seat window, Spencer said. "Window punches are loud," she said. "Our victim initially thought he'd been shot at." Because the incident happened in the League City business district, police are hopeful it might have been captured on surveillance video. "There are a ton of businesses there and some have surveillance cameras," Spencer...

HOUSTON – A man came home Wednesday morning to find three juvenile suspects inside his northwest Houston home, police said. It happened at about 8:30 a.m. in the 5500 block of Bent Bough near Maple Tree. When Randy Magdeleno entered his home he said he heard voices. “So I grabbed my rifle and I came around through here in my kitchen,” he said. “It was scary, I didn’t know what I was walking into and hearing people running around inside my house at the same time. I didn’t know if they were carrying weapons around or not.”

A Slaton family survived an encounter with a burglar late Saturday night. The man who law enforcement has not been able to identify yet was shot in the leg by the male homeowner in the 6000 block of CR 7920. Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Bryan Taylor said the homeowner heard a crashing sound, got up to check on his family and retrieved his firearm to investigate further. All family members were in place but that’s when the homeowner confronted a burglar. The homeowner gave the intruder several commands to get on the ground but the intruder refused to comply....

HOUSTON –A 21-year-old man sprang into action to protect his family Thursday night when three suspects barged into their northwest Harris County home. The young man was home with his mother and father in the 3900 block of Brook Garden when the armed men forced their way into the house around 8 p.m., according to Harris County Sheriff’s deputies. The family was in the middle of baking a cake, when there was a knock at the door. “I see a young boy and I think it is a friend of my son so I open it a little bit,” the...

Police say a homeowner fired a gun after coming face to face with a thief at a home near Ray Ellison and Five Palms drive. It started after a man and woman ran off during an attempted robbery at a nearby CVS pharmacy this morning. Police say during a foot chase the man ran into the homeowner's house. Investigators say the homeowner warned the suspect and fired his weapon.

A homeowner fatally shot a man as he climbed through a window and into his home Monday afternoon, Dallas police say. The shooting took place at a home on the 2200 block of Morrell Avenue at about 4:15 p.m. Police said the homeowner heard a noise inside his residence and shot a man, later identified as 33-year-old Deyfon Pipkins, aka BJ, as he climbed through the window. "The homeowner heard a noise. He came around the corner, saw the individual trying to climb into the window and according to the law, the castle doctrine, he used deadly force," said Sgt....

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Harris County deputies say they are investigating a shooting death that occurred Friday at an apartment complex on Barker Cypress near Western Pass. A man was shot and killed on the doorstep of a third-floor apartment at 10 p.m. Friday night, said deputies. Deputies believe he was shot when he tried to force his way into the apartment. They said he knocked on the door, and when the people inside refused to open it, he may have pushed his way inside the apartment. Deputies believe this is when he was killed.

HOUSTON - A suspected robber is in the hospital Tuesday after a homeowner shot him twice after he caught him climbing over his back fence. The suspect ignored a “no trespassing” sign on the fence and climbed over the fence into the bed of a truck. That is when the homeowner came out to investigate. -------------------cut--------------------------------- From the comments, Greg Thompson writes: "KHOU he did not shoot him for climbing into the yard as your headline states, he shot the POS because he was trespassing and he feared for his safety. You morons. "

Houston, Tx --(Ammoland.com)- U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, & Human Rights : The Senate committee listed above will take up the subject of “Proposals to Reduce Gun Violence: Protecting Our Communities While Respecting the Second Amendment” next Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. Senator Cruz is the Ranking Member of this subcommittee. Senator Cruz is asking for your help. Please be willing to submit your thoughts on a relevant topic for Sen.Cruz and the committee to consider in the form of a formal letter to the committee which makes either a pro 2nd Amendment...

Police arrested a 39-year-old man Monday night after a homeowner shot and wounded him while he was trying to break into a house in north Houston, officials said. Kenneth Wayne Shepherd is charged with attempted burglary of a home in connection with the shooting about 9:40 p.m. in the 200 block of Janisch near Werner, said Jodi Silva, a spokeswoman for the Houston Police Department.

Authorities in Eagle Pass shut down the two international bridges there Tuesday night after shootouts in its sister city of Piedras Negras. One female police officer was killed and six people were wounded during the fighting, and prosecutors in the border state of Coahuila said a wounded officer is in serious condition. Traffic to Mexico was shut down on both bridges about 9 p.m., according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Traffic from Mexico at the city's larger bridge, the Camino Real International, was rerouted overnight to the Eagle Pass International Bridge. Both resumed normal operation Wednesday at 7:40 a.m.,...

AUSTIN – You know America is changing when leftists have even infiltrated Texas schools. According to the website txcscopereview.com, a lesson plan for 6th graders in government schools reads as follows: Notice socialist/communist nations use symbolism on their flags representing various aspects of their economic system. Imagine a new socialist nation is creating a flag and you have been put in charge of creating a flag. Use symbolism to represent aspects of socialism/communism on your flag. What kind of symbolism/colors would you use?

Former congressman and libertarian icon Ron Paul tweeted a startling reaction to the death of SEAL sniper Chris Kyle on Monday: Chris Kyle's death seems to confirm that "he who lives by the sword dies by the sword." Treating PTSD at a firing range doesn't make sense