Free Republic

Down on the border By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, January 29, 2006 If you ever happen to tag along with the Border Patrol after dark along the El Paso County, Texas, line and Mexico, be proficient in acronyms. And bring your night-vision paraphernalia. Because once you are at the border, you are briefed about OTMs, MS-13s and SIAs. And you're warned that no lights are allowed since it sort of draws unwanted attention from the federales, armed men with anger issues.

Big Ben raises his own expectations By The Tribune-Review Thursday, June 1, 2006 In the immediate aftermath of Super Bowl XL, Ben Roethlisberger momentarily lamented having completed just 9 of 21 passes for 123 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 22.6 in the Steelers' 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Ridge urges GOP to unite behind Swann By Mike Wereschagin TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, May 31, 2006 Former Gov. Tom Ridge urged Republicans to put aside their misgivings about Lynn Swann and unite behind him in his bid to unseat Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell.

Signatures rolling in to support Rock brewery By Eric Heyl TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, May 31, 2006 Rolling Rock about to be brewed in New Jersey? The thought struck Jeremy Evans as hard as the first rays of morning sunlight hitting the eyes of someone with a monstrous hangover.

Is GOP losing grip on power? By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, May 28, 2006 For the Republican Party, 1994 is the year that was. The "Republican Revolution" that year gave the GOP its first taste in more than 40 years of being the majority party in both houses of Congress. On that one election day, Republicans gained 54 seats in the House, 8 in the Senate and 12 in governors' mansions around the country. Now, 12 years later, Republican power -- majorities of 10 seats in the Senate and 20 in the House -- could unravel, or at least begin...

A sliver of hope for the Swann campaign? By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, May 28, 2006 The opposing team is befuddled. The media are bored. The electorate is disengaged. And the campaign team? Bush (with a small "b") league.

Pittsburgh's CIA chief honors 'family, country, God' By Francis Garland TRIBUNE-REVIEW Saturday, May 27, 2006 Harry Hayden's oldest son has been the source of much pride to his father since he stepped off the campus of Duquesne University and began jetting through the ranks of the U.S. Air Force in the late 1960s.

On the border with Steve McCraw By Bill Steigerwald TRIBUNE-REVIEW Saturday, May 27, 2006 Waves of illegal immigrants are the least of Steve McCraw's problems. Texas has the longest border with Mexico, and McCraw, the state's director of homeland security, has the difficult job of trying to keep some very nasty criminals and potential terrorists from crossing it. Appointed by Gov. Rick Perry, McCraw, 52, is a former FBI intelligence expert who oversees state and local police resources that have been deployed to make Texas safer and help the U.S. Border Patrol.

When hurricane season begins, Texas will be much-better prepared By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Friday, May 26, 2006 When the 2006 hurricane season begins June 1, Texas believes that it will be much-better prepared for disaster than it was when the state was battered last year. Texas, which sustained $2 billion in damage from Rita last year, can't stop Mother Nature, but it can minimize her effects on residents. Texas Gov. Rick Perry recognized that need five years ago. "He laid out a plan to build capabilities at the local level for catastrophic events. . First responders were his number one...

Swann alleges Rendell camp thwarts would-be donors By The Associated Press Friday, May 26, 2006 PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Republican gubernatorial hopeful Lynn Swann said Friday that some of his supporters are not contributing to his campaign because people in the Rendell administration or the governor's campaign have indicated it could jeopardize their state contracts or grants. "His party machinery is out there putting the squeeze on people, saying 'don't contribute to Swann's campaign,"' Swann told The Associated Press in his first extended interview with a Pennsylvania news organization.

Ridge to join Swann's campaign By David M. Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann hopes to get a boost by adding former Gov. Tom Ridge, a heavy hitter in Pennsylvania politics, to his campaign team.

Loose lips sink ships By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW When is it OK to sacrifice national security for personal gain or political one-upmanship? For the common-sense-challenged, the answer is: "Never." In the years since Sept. 11, an odd assembly of Capitol Hill-types, their staffers and disgruntled federal employees from myriad intelligence agencies have played the "gotcha game" with the White House's methods of protecting the citizenry.

'Earthquake in Pennsylvania' By Brad Bumsted and Debra Erdley TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, May 17, 2006 Angry taxpayers on Tuesday tossed out the two Republican Senate leaders who helped engineer last year's legislative pay raise, an issue that apparently cost 13 House members their jobs, too.

Pope names Bishop Wuerl as new archbishop of Washington By Brian C. Rittmeyer TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, May 16, 2006 Pittsburgh Bishop Donald W. Wuerl has been named archbishop of Washington, D.C., the Vatican announced this morning.

'Da Vinci' unlikely to pass Egypt censors By Betsy Hiel TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, May 14, 2006 CAIRO, Egypt - "The Da Vinci Code," the film based on Dan Brown's best-selling book, will not be seen in Egypt when it is released worldwide Friday. Nor will the long-awaited film play in Jordan or Lebanon, which banned Arabic translations of the book.

Here come the Virginians By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, May 14, 2006 Will the commonwealth of Virginia take center stage in 2008? It is not impossible that Virginia's Republican U.S. senator, George Allen, could square off against its former Democrat governor, Mark Warner, in the 2008 presidential election. Not since 1944, when Republican Gov. Thomas Dewey of New York ran against that state's former Democrat governor, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, have two men from the same state opposed each other for president.

Student weapons policy backfires By Eric Heyl TRIBUNE-REVIEW Friday, May 12, 2006 At least they didn't call in the SWAT team. Penn Hills School District officials, however, did react swiftly and harshly when Jokari Becker triggered a crisis of near-Columbine proportions by bringing a toy gun to school for a class project.

Gingrich: GOP can stop House loss By David M. Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW "Will they win? I think that's still up to the Republicans," Gingrich said Tuesday in a meeting with reporters and editors of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Probable CIA pick draws fire By staff and wire reports Monday, May 8, 2006 WASHINGTON -- Even before President Bush has named his choice to take over the CIA, the Air Force general who is the front-runner drew fire Sunday from lawmakers in the president's own party who say a military man should not lead the civilian spy agency. The criticism of the expected choice of Gen. Michael Hayden to head the CIA came from some influential Republicans in Congress as well as from Democrats.

Lawmaker's Flight 93 stance may be last straw By Robin Acton TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, May 7, 2006 ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Western North Carolina voters have supported U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor for 16 years, despite loan scandals at his bank, his acceptance of questionable campaign donations and his financial ties to Russia. In Pennsylvania, Taylor is know as the congressman who for two years blocked federal funding for a memorial to those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Somerset County. And that position hasn't gone over very well with some in his 11th Congressional...