Free Republic

The Texas state dish is chili, its tree is the pecan and its fish is the Guadalupe bass. And soon, Texas may have an explosive addition to its set of official symbols: plans are afoot for a state gun. Though Texas lawmakers through the years have seen fit to designate dozens of symbols, including an official pollinator (the western honey bee), cooking implement (the cast-iron Dutch oven) and shell (the lightning whelk), they have not yet given the seal of approval to a weapon, despite the state’s famous fondness for arms.

Emergency responders in most states are prevented from carrying defensive firearms. This is a result of governmental employee rules and regulations, or, in some cases, private employment rules. In some states, lawmakers are seeking to reform those rules. In Texas, a reform bill, HB 435, would allow first responders to carry defensive arms if they have a concealed carry permit. From everythinglubbock.com: Currently, there is no state law that addresses this issue, policies are set at the local level and vary by location. “You need to be able to exercise your Second Amendment right,” Flynn said. The legislation looks...

On March 30, in the Second Judicial District Court of Cherokee County, a jury found Kevin Ray Morris Sr. Guilty of 34 counts of child sexual abuse including, aggravated sexual assault of a child, sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. The Honorable Judge R. Chris Day ordered all possible counts stacked, and told the Defendant after sentencing, “Mr. Morris, there is really no other way to put it, you are a monster.” The Judge went on to say, “Mr. Morris, if I could give you more time to serve, I would.”

<p>The owner of the Olive Garden is making a cheesy acquisition. And investors love it.</p> <p>Darden Restaurants announced late Monday that it was buying Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, a casual dining chain with 165 restaurants in 28 states, for $780 million cash. The company also announced earnings and sales that topped forecasts.</p>

On a Saturday morning in Dallas, Texas, my daughter and I decided to eat breakfast out. My grandson mentioned pancakes, so my daughter decided on a Denny's that was reasonably close, at 4567 Frankford Road. It took about five minutes to load up a one year old and a two year old into the car, in the proper car seats, and another five minutes to drive to the restaurant. On the way in, I noticed the 30.07 sign that banned open carry in the restaurant. The 30.07 sign is required by Texas law, if a private property owner decides...

Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade, Passes Away: She Never Had an Abortion and Became Pro-Life National   Steven Ertelt   Feb 18, 2017   |   2:10PM    Washington, DC Share this story: Norma McCorvey, who was the Jane Roe of the infamous Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court case legalizing virtually unlimited abortions, passed away today. McCorvey never had an abortion and eventually became pro-life and dedicated her life to overturning the horrible Supreme Court decision that bared her pseudonym. McCorvey died today at an assisted-living facility in Katy, Texas. She was 69.McCorvey never wanted an...

Exactly 20,008 students were absent in the school district Thursday, compared to only 4,216 the previous day. AISD says they have 83,591 students in 130 schools — that’s almost 24 percent of their students marked as absent...Pflugerville ISD say they experienced a higher than normal number of absences Thursday. While they are still gathering their attendance data, only a handful of schools had attendance below 70 percent. Friday, students in Manor walked out of classes and caused traffic delays while protesting on US 290. The district said around 50 students at Manor High School were part of the protest; no...

AUSTIN, Texas — Enforcement actions underway in Texas as part of the nationwide Operation Cross Check have landed 44 criminal aliens in federal detention this week.

A mysterious sickness is causing a growing crisis at a North Arlington junior high school. The principal has been replaced; however, as many as 60 teachers and an untold number of students have reported a similar sickness while at the school. Teachers and students from Nichols Junior High have all reported a similar sickness, including dizziness, nausea and difficulty concentrating. It is reported that many teachers have passed out during class. According to sources, some are refusing to return to work, while others request immediate transfers. Some teachers have even begun to hold classes outside, for the safety of the...

After Gov. Greg Abbott yanked $1.5 million in state grant funding to Travis County over its new sanctuary policy, state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez on Friday announced a new initiative to raise money from the private sector to make up for the loss. The initiative, called Travis County #StrongerTogether, will allow people to donate tax-deductible funds to the county in an effort to keep afloat the formerly grant-funded programs, such as a special veteran’s court and drug diversion program, through the Austin Community Foundation.

Near the end of his over hour-long speech, Adler went off script for a moment to remind those in the city his stance on immigrants coming to Austin. “In this community, they should feel welcome and safe,” said Adler. Prior to that, he said last year Austin accepted 600 refugees from Iran, Syria and Afghanistan; most of them women and children. He anticipated another over 600 refugees in the city this year, and said almost one in four Austinites weren’t born in the U.S.

University of Oklahoma defensive back and former La Vega High School football player Parrish Cobb turned himself into police Tuesday night, after being accused of three armed robberies in Central Texas, according to Waco Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Patrick Swanton. Cobb, 19, is facing an aggravated robbery charge for an armed robbery that happened near the Baylor campus on Jan. 10. He's also accused of being involved in the armed robbery that happened on campus outside the McLane Student Life Center on Jan. 7. The Bellmead Police Department had also issued a warrant for his arrest after an armed robbery...

According to police, a caller said that three armed black males forced their way into the game room and, once inside, shot people before leaving. After the shooting, police were notified that a black female had been dropped off at St. David's Hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen by a black, 4-door Volvo with temporary tags on the back and no front license plate. A black male was driving and a black female was in the front passenger seat. The victim, later identified as Shalonda, was taken out of the back and left at the ER door. The...

<p>In 2016, students at the University of Texas at Austin staged a protest involving the public carry of sex toys. The protest was supposed to somehow change people’s minds about the exercise of Second Amendment rights on Campus. The protest made national news for a day or two. No discernible effect was noticed at any administrative or legislative level.</p>

Image courtesy Mando Martinez Just after midnight on 1 January, 2017, Texas Representative Amando "Mando" Martinez was struck on the head by a bullet or bullet fragment. It seems most likely that it was celebratory gunfire, and a "spent" projectile.  From themonitor.com: The incident, which is being investigated by the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office, reportedly occurred just after midnight Sunday, when Martinez was celebrating the New Year with family and friends outside a residence located north of Weslaco in the 5400 block of Sago. The sheriff said Martinez felt something on top of his head and was rushed to a...

Just three months after the Boeing-Saab consortium unveiled their candidate for the USAF’s T-X program, the clean-sheet design has taken to the skies for the first time. The sleek GE-F404 powered jet took to the skies over St. Louis on a 55 minute test flight with veteran test pilot Steve 'Bull' Schmidt at its controls. Boeing says the flight went as planned and “validated key aspects of the single-engine jet and demonstrated the performance of the low-risk design.” This inaugural sortie came just days after it was discovered that Northrop Grumman had quietly been flying their Model 400 T-X contender...

KLBJ radio in Austin, TX discussion right now. The city Parks Dept. is hanging bags in trees filled with condoms and lubricant. They're promoting public sex. Children sex. Homosexual sex.

Many people view Texas as an extremely gun friendly state. Texas has been becoming gun friendly, but the image has not been entirely deserved. The Texas Legislature only restored partial open carry rights last year, after banning most open carry for a hundred and thirty years after Reconstruction.  Open carry still requires a permit from the state. The permit fee is $140, putting it out of the reach of many people.  State Representative Jonathan Stickland wants to change that. From caller.com: “It’s time in Texas to restore our Second Amendment rights to their originally intended level,” said state Rep....

Since Donald Trump's election, environmental zealots have mostly had a very rough two weeks — and Donald Trump has had nothing to do with any of it. Two developments they consider really bad (meaning good for the rest of us) far outweigh the single item they're celebrating. First, in Wyoming, just two days after the election, their "fracking is bad" Exhibit A in Pavillion, Wyoming was completely discredited. Second, in Texas this week, a huge oil discovery was reported — so big and unprecedented that the only commenter at the Associated Press's coverage of the story at the Washington Post...

One of the problems with excessive hyperbole in propaganda is when people experience the reality of what was hyped. They realize someone lied to them. A level of credibility has been lost.  This has happened over and over again, with a repetition that has become boring, as the right to bear arms in self defense is being restored and ... nothing happens. It happened at the University of Texas in El Paso. From kfoxtv.com: Claster contacted the University to find out if anything has happened regarding Campus Carry, or if there have even been any calls to campus police...