Free Republic

AUSTIN Two of the legislative session’s highest-profile bills were temporarily derailed by technical glitches Tuesday — one to allow Texans to openly carry holstered handguns and the other to limit local restrictions on hydraulic fracturing. Opponents of both measures say any delay gives them hope that they can kill the bills. But supporters dismiss that as wishful thinking, saying this is not even close to a death sentence for the proposals. “It’s just delaying the inevitable,” said Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth. “I think both will still pass, according to the mood of the floor.” Both bills were sent back...

Mars has liquid water just below its surface, according to new measurements by NASA's Curiosity rover, The Guardian reports. Until now, scientists had thought that conditions on the red planet were too cold and arid for liquid water to exist, although there were known to be deposits of ice. Professor Andrew Coates, head of planetary science at the Mullard Space Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, said, "The evidence so far is that any water would be in the form of permafrost. It's the first time we've had evidence of liquid water there now." The latest findings suggest that...

YAKIMA, Wash. — A 32-year-old man who was shopping with at least three children at a Yakima Wal-Mart was the victim of an unprovoked assault when a stranger picked up a metal tee-ball bat and struck him, according to Yakima police. The victim was not injured, but he did have a concealed weapons permit, which he immediately put to use, police said.A store security officer reported hearing a man in the sporting goods department yelling “Get on the ground!” and found one man pointing a pistol at another, who was lying on the floor.Police arrived a short time later and...

  Hillary Clinton has embarked on a tour through Iowa in the "Scooby Doo" van. We've gotten an idea of how coverage of Hillary Clinton is going to go courtesy of CNN (via Weasel Zippers). BREAKING CNN NEWS: Hillary Clinton Talks To 19-year-Old At Gas Station…  Naturally, ABC News faithfully recounted her meal choice: The newly-minted presidential candidate ordered a chicken bowl with guacamole, a chicken salad and fruit juice, according to Wright. She's in a three car motorcade but no one in the media seems able to find it. This road trip is being called a "low-key listening tour."...

Let's all go "Off the Record" for a minute. I don't care who you vote for. That is so just your business. But I do have a thought about Campaign 2016 and those poisonous negative ads - basically obnoxious conduct by adults that we would never condone by children. Adult politicians saying the worst things about each other and then, of course, we're all guilty - we all watch. And I don't know about you, but I'm not looking for the candidate who can say the meanest thing, make up the biggest lie about their opponent or smear the opponent...

BLM issued a cease and desist order without a court order and without 'Coordination Authorization'....with local authorities. Federal officials acting lawlessly. Possible federal land grab to seize gold rich property on behalf of Chinese government. snip Galice Mining District, JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON-The next Bundy Ranch incident is developing in Josephine County, Oregon. The BLM has served notice to gold miners that they have until April 25, 2015 to stop gold mining….Oath Keepers are on site…Militia on the way. BLM DID NOT seek ‘Coordination Authorization’ with the local community….Sheriff Dave Daniel is NOT considered to be a Consitutional Sheriff. Josephine County...

(CNN)The marriage apocalypse may be coming. Talk to any millennial and you can envision an America virtually marriage-free, with everyone happily single. I did. And I do. Recently, I talked about marriage with a group of journalism students from my alma mater, Kent State University. They came to me for career advice, which I gave them, but I also picked their brains about politics, religion and marriage. Their views on marriage intrigued me the most. 'Cause, guess what? They don't care what your generation thinks -- they'll get married if and when they want. "I didn't go to college for...

Three people are recovering from being shot after a routine traffic stop turned into a bizarre cop-car hijacking and police chase this morning. The incident started around 9 a.m. when a Miami police officer stopped a cab driver for speeding near NE 79th Street and Fourth Avenue. During the stop, the cab driver got out of the car with an assault rifle and began shooting according to NBC Miami. "The offender attempted to murder our law enforcement brother," reads a statement from Fraternal Order of the Police president Javier Ortiz. "Our officer returned fire and a good samaritan provided cover...

If there’s one thing today’s secular progressive enjoys, it’s telling Christians how to be Christians. It feels funny when it happens. A bit like getting combat training from Jane Fonda or Cindy Sheehan. But they mean well. And they know a verse. Their favorite verse is Matthew 7:1, which says “judge not lest ye also be judged.” They quote it every time a Christian expresses an opinion because their years of deep theological study have shown them that Matthew 7:1 means it’s wrong to have an opinion. About anything. After all, an opinion is a judgment and you can’t do...

By today’s safety standards, every baby boomer should have been dead by the time we were 12. We defied danger on a daily basis. We never knew that we were doing risky things, of course; we just thought that we were having fun. Nonetheless, we spent our days immersed in activities that we’d never for a second allow our children or grandchildren to do. Or even think about doing. Here are some of the ways we courted trouble:

There was nothing routine about a sentencing hearing Tuesday in Atlanta that wrote the final legal chapter of one of the most massive school cheating scandals in the country. Educators were convicted April 1 of racketeering and other lesser crimes related to inflating test scores of children from struggling schools. One teacher was acquitted.

Three months after they voted against John Boehner's third term as speaker, two Republicans have been removed from a key committee in retaliation for their dissent. The House Rules Committee announced on Tuesday that they have filled two positions temporarily vacated by Reps. Richard Nugent and Daniel Webster, who were taken off the panel after they joined 24 conservative Republicans in voting against Boehner in January. Reps. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala., and Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., will fill the positions, meaning that Webster and Nugent have been permanently ousted. The two lawmakers served on the Rules Committee in the 113th Congress, but...

“I was dreamin’ when I wrote this Forgive me if it goes astray… But when I woke up this morning Could’ve sworn it was Judgment Day. The sky was all purple, There were people runnin’ everywhere Tryin’ to run from the destruction You know I didn’t even care ‘Cuz they say 2000 zero zero party over, oops, out of time!” So begins the classic Prince song “1999.” Although it’s Monday morning as I’m writing this, yesterday was Judgment Day for conservatives throughout America. Hillary Rodham Clinton – former First Lady, former distinguished Senator from the great state of New...

Barack Obama's time as a sitting American President is running out. If he plans to do something big and bold, now, or within the next 19 months will be time to do it. We already see that he has softened the borders, in definition and in purpose. There are tens of thousands of illegal aliens pouring in across the southern borders of our country, day after day, week after frustrating week. Operation Choke Point quietly continues to convince banks to refuse the accounts of gun stores, resulting in these stores being shut down. Lois Lerner is still free to walk...

One can’t help but be impressed by the seemingly great strides solar energy has been making of late. Bullish reports abound of added capacity, aggressive expansion, technical advances and a solar jobs boom. Industry elites engage in bold financial maneuvers that would make Gordon Gekko proud. But don dark enough shades to see through the media-generated glare, and the picture looks less sunny -- and sometimes maybe a little shady. The boom -- some might even call it a “bubble” -- America’s solar energy industry is enjoying stems neither from overwhelming competitive-market success nor from long-promised technological breakthroughs that finally...

At a gala ceremony in Philadelphia on September 10, 2013, former Governor Jeb Bush honored former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton with the prestigious Liberty Medal on behalf of the National Constitution Center. The medal was presented ”in recognition of her lifelong career in public service and for her ongoing advocacy efforts on behalf of women and girls around the globe.” Said the National Constitution Center chairman, Governor Jeb Bush: Former Secretary Clinton has dedicated her life to serving and engaging people across the world in democracy. These efforts as a citizen, an activist, and a leader have earned Secretary

Construction project is believed to be under consideration and is part of proposed extension to link China with Nepal by railChina is considering extending a railway line linking the country to Nepal via a tunnel under Mount Everest, according to Chinese state media. The proposal is the latest in a series of ambitious rail schemes Beijing is reportedly examining. It comes amid scepticism about whether some of the projects will ever get off the ground and at a time of a growing Chinese presence in Nepal, which has caused some concern in rival regional power India. The Qinghai-Tibet railway already...

<p>Greece is threatening to withhold payments to the IMF in in May and June. This time it does not sound like a bluff. And if it's not a bluff, we will finally know precisely when midnight occurs.</p> <p>The Financial Times reports Greece prepares for Debt Default if Talks with Creditors Fail.</p>

April 14, 2015 MONTICELLO, Iowa—Hillary Clinton may have been speaking to just 22 people here at her Iowa kickoff event, but the now-official 2016 candidate was looking far beyond the voters in the room when she outlined in the clearest terms yet the rationale for her campaign. "A lot of people in the last few days have asked me, 'Why do you want to do this?' and 'What motivates you?'" Clinton said at the event. "And I've thought a lot about it, and I guess the short answer is, I've been fighting for children and families my entire life. ......

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN 6) — Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, spoke in Portland Monday night about the loss of her son and the message she hopes his legacy will instill in others. The free event was sponsored by the YWCA of Greater Portland at Marantha Church on Northeast 12th Avenue. Fulton, whose teenage son was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in an incident that sparked a nationwide debate about race, talked about transforming the tragedy into social change. “It’s not a speech, it’s not a lecture,” Fulton said. “It’s a message.” The mother of two shared the...