Free Republic

OCEANSIDE, Calif. - Three 18-year-olds were behind bars Tuesday on suspicion of defacing American flags in a North County senior housing neighborhood last summer. Ruben Jimenez, Daniel Moran and Breanna Alexis Serrato allegedly spray-painted the three flags -- writing "(expletive) USA" on one of them -- in the 3800 block of Rosemary Way in Oceanside late on the evening of July 18, according to Lt. Leonard Cosby. A surveillance camera captured images of the crimes, he said.

A report of man carrying a rifle on the campus of Cal State University San Marcos prompted a campus-wide lockdown and search by local law enforcement officials Wednesday. Officials told NBC 7 they determined the man involved was carrying an umbrella, not a rifle.

MS. CROWLEY: Mr. President, could you address — because we did finally get to gas prices here — could you address what the governor said, which is: If your energy policy was working, the price of gasoline would not be $4 a gallon here. Is that true? PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, think about what the governor — think about what the governor just said. He said when I took office, the price of gasoline was 1.80 (dollars), 1.86 (dollars). Why is that? Because the economy was on the verge of collapse; because we were about to go through the worst recession...

A female Democratic lawmaker in footage released Sunday said that Congress could pass healthcare reform if female lawmakers "sent the men home." Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) said that both Republican and Democratic women members of Congress understand how to care for relatives and thus want the healthcare system to change.

EL CAJON — A gunman who attempted to rob a market in unincorporated El Cajon got cold feet and ran away empty-handed, authorities said today.snipThe clerk told the gunman most of the money was kept below the counter and began to reach in that direction, he said, adding that the would-be robber then ran away, possibly fearing the clerk was reaching for a weapon.

ENCINITAS — Francine Busby is telling supporters that Friday night's disruption by sheriff's deputies of a fund-raiser for her congressional campaign shows that she is a “right-wing” target. Busby is asking for campaign contributions to reach a goal of $200,000 by the end of Tuesday. “I am going to fight even harder to stop this hateful intimidation,” Busby said in a letter e-mailed to supporters late Monday. “I hope that I can count on you to fight this battle with me ... Your contribution will show that you aren't afraid to stand with me.”

WASHINGTON – Hey, kids, don't try this at home. Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk on Friday took a brief ride at the White House as part of a Father's Day celebration. Hawk, 41, skated in the grand foyer and the nearby Old Executive Office Building, with the permission of White House officials.

SACRAMENTO – A few weeks ago, a voter at a gathering organized by campaign consultants said he believed cutting schools, police and fire departments would be disastrous. But that didn't mean he was ready to vote for the budget-related measures on Tuesday's ballot. “The moderator said 'You just said these things would be horrible. How can you still vote no?' ” recalled Rick Claussen, chief strategist for the campaign in favor of Propositions 1A-1F. “He said, 'Because I'm mad and I want to send Sacramento a message and I want to punish the politicians.' ”

On April 27, The New York Times reported that the percentage of black Americans who believe race relations in America are generally good has doubled since July. This statistic forces me to ask: Why are African-Americans feeling so good about our country in a time of economic crisis and international conflict? It is not just the fact of a black president. Instead, with everyone analyzing the 100-day mark of Barack Obama's administration, I think the answer lies in understanding this historic moment through a black cultural lens. I believe African-Americans are feeling racially optimistic because they respect how our first...

MONTEREY, Calif.—A Monterey County man will be getting millions of dollars from the state for the injuries he received when he crashed his motorcycle after hitting a wild pig. Adam Rogers is confined to a wheelchair after hitting the pig on Highway 1 near Carmel late at night in September of 2003. He sued the state Department of Transportation, claiming the state was responsible for his injuries because it knew wild pigs were crossing the highway.

SACRAMENTO – Gil Moore has been steadily selling off his gas stations across the state, unwilling to risk hefty fines or shutdown orders for not replacing old nozzles that release unhealthy toxins with every gallon pumped. “What a nightmare,” said Moore, who has sold about two dozen stations in the San Diego area and may shed another three amid the additional costs in a tough economy. Moore is one of many gas station owners in California dreading Wednesday – a long-standing state deadline for retrofitting pumps with technology that's cleaner, but more expensive.

WASHINGTON – Colin Powell will have a role as a top presidential adviser in an Obama administration, the Democratic White House hopeful said Monday. "He will have a role as one of my advisers," Barack Obama said on NBC's "Today" in an interview aired Monday, a day after Powell, a four-star general and President Bush's former secretary of state, endorsed him.

SAN MARCOS – After being banned by the Cal State San Marcos president, Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore will speak to students in North County after all. The announcement came yesterday during a rare student protest at the 15-year-old university that drew more than 250 students and faculty who accused the university administration of censorship. "This is the most people I've ever seen in one place in my entire time at this school. It's a beautiful thing," said senior Chris Irving, who said he cut his favorite class, human sexuality, to protest. Junior Jason E. Williams, who attended with fellow track...

VISTA – Jurors began deliberating yesterday in the case of a Poway lawyer accused of not stopping for a CHP officer because she wanted to get her child to school on time. Stacy Taylor, 44, a patent lawyer, is charged with misdemeanor counts of evading a peace officer with reckless driving, child endangerment and resisting an officer. The charges stem from an incident Jan. 16 that started near the gated entrance to Fairbanks Ranch. At some point, Taylor drove away from a traffic stop at Circa del Norte and San Dieguito Road and drove about five miles to Del Mar...

A harmless yet sinister-looking cardboard tube was discovered taped to the undercarriage of a car at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot yesterday, triggering an emergency response plan and snarling traffic around the base for hours. While Navy bomb squad members worked cautiously to determine the nature of the object, San Diego police halted traffic around the base to keep civilians clear of any danger. "When a potential threat is detected we have to take the appropriate measures to ensure the safety of people," said Maj. Joe Kloppel, a base spokesman. "That's what happened in this occasion." The military and civilian...

Cal State San Marcos is the first university in the nation to dump Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore, and he plans to sue if administrators don't let him speak. "If they don't do the right thing, follow through on the contract – and we have a written contract and an oral one – then we will take legal action," Moore said yesterday. The issue has become a matter of principle to Moore, who said he believed university officials were sending the wrong message to students by reversing their stand and revoking their invitation to him to speak Oct. 13. Although students...

Within the next two years, San Diego County's white population will officially become a minority, as increasing numbers of Latinos and Asians transform the region into one in which there is no majority racial or ethnic group. New projections released yesterday by state demographers revealed that the changeover from majority to minority status for non-Hispanic whites by 2006 is happening 12 years earlier than had originally been predicted. Six years ago, when the state last compiled population projections, whites were not expected to become a minority in San Diego County until 2018. They now make up a little more than...

LOS ANGELES – A man who had six nails driven into his head by a nail gun in a construction accident said Wednesday that he is lucky to be alive. Doctors said he should make a full recovery. Isidro Mejia, 39, made his first public appearance since he was taken to the hospital on April 19. Sitting in a wheelchair, the Lancaster man said in Spanish that he didn't remember much about the accident. "He says that he's very happy to be alive," said Dr. Rafael Quinonez, a neurosurgeon who removed the nails at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center...

Photo courtesy of WGBH Boston "Frontline" examines President Bush's religiosity in tonight's segment, "The Jesus Factor." It also shows how his religious views mirror those of the country's buregoning evangelical movement. Public television tonight takes a look at "the most openly religious president in recent times." But don't expect an hour of diatribes against President George W. Bush and his blending of faith and politics. What you'll see tonight on "Frontline," which airs at 9 p.m. on KPBS/Channel 15 with some repeats, is an evenhanded, even cautious, examination of the former Texas governor who years ago told a group...

AMMAN, Jordan – A long row of battered taxicabs lined a street yesterday in downtown Amman, waiting to carry eager young Iraqi exiles home to battle. Emboldened by news accounts of Islamic militiamen fighting U.S.-led forces, many Iraqis said they were keen to replenish the uprising that has left hundreds of their countrymen and at least 47 coalition troops dead this week. Shiite and Sunni Muslims, age-old rivals, taunted one another about which sect was punishing the Americans more. "You always boast about what's happening in Fallujah," a young Shiite man shouted to a Sunni. "But look what we're doing...