Free Republic

BRAWLEY — A long-haul trucker escaped major injury Monday when he lost control of his big rig, jumped over a parkway along eastbound Main Street and burst into flames here, authorities said. The 18-wheel truck driven by Efrain Aguilar Cabrera, 27, of Mexicali, skidded more than 150 feet during the 4:32 p.m. incident. The rig struck a palm tree and had its fuel tank sheared off when its bottom portion impacted with the parkway’s curb, said Brawley Fire Lt. Chuck Peraza. The incident occurred near Marjorie Avenue. Cabrera, who suffered a cut finger to his left hand, said one of...

WashingtonJourneys have cost taxpayers more than $187,000 since 1999 BY CHRIS CASTEEL Published: December 21, 2008 WASHINGTON — In the past decade, Sen. Jim Inhofe of Tulsa has made at least 20 trips to Africa as part of a mission that he frequently describes in religious terms. Sen. Jim Inhofe Inhofe’s African trips have cost taxpayers more than $187,000 since 1999, according to a review of expenses Inhofe and staff members have submitted through the Armed Services Committee. Some of the trips have been taken on military planes that cost thousands of dollars an hour to operate. The military does...

Contrarian that I am, I'm voting for John McCain. I'm not talking about bucking the polls or the media consensus that it's over before it's over. I'm talking about bucking the rush of wet-fingered conservatives leaping to Barack Obama before they're left out in the cold without a single state dinner for the next four years. I stand athwart the rush of conservative ship-jumpers of every stripe -- neo (Ken Adelman), moderate (Colin Powell), genetic/ironic (Christopher Buckley) and socialist/atheist (Christopher Hitchens) -- yelling "Stop!" I shall have no part of this motley crew. I will go down with the McCain...

There’s only one way to make sure that there is some accountability in the current financial crisis. Americans need to insist on absolute transparency. Now that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s failures have forced the federal government to put both into conservatorship — costing taxpayers some $200 billion — Americans, who now own the two entities, are entitled to know what role the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) played in creating this mess. The public needs to see every relevant scrap of paper: every balance sheet, expense report, and executive pay stub — and most importantly, every lobbying contract, memo related to...

A youthful attempt to party their way to popularity and some exaggerated MySpace boasting have turned into a $320,000 tax nightmare for five current and former University of Central Oklahoma students. “This is crazy,” said Julius Baroi, co-founder of Kegheadz, a loosely organized Edmond-based party business. “The Tax Commission claims we owe more than $300,000. We don't have enough money between us to pay $6,000 to hire an attorney. They won't listen to us.” Paula Ross, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Tax Commission, said she couldn't comment on an individual taxpayer's case. Although the Tax Commission wants to tax Kegheadz like...

I want to share this with you. Life is Beautiful! Hi, My son Joe just did a commercial for John McCain. Please pass this on. Thanks Bob Cook http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8

Dear Friend, We have to find new sources of energy - here at home. It is difficult for a family to save and nearly impossible to plan long term if they don't know what the price of gasoline will be to fuel their cars when they wake up in the morning. It's clear we need to find more sources of energy. We also need to use less. As you know, Oklahoma native T. Boone Pickens has made news recently promoting wind farms across the great middle of our country. I recently introduced legislation in the Senate to promote the use...

Tulsa athlete Micheal Thomas swears he never met Lawton drug user Tiffany Dickson. Paternity Mistake DHS falsely accused Micheal Thomas of being the father of a baby whose mother... Dickson says she never met him. That didn't stop the Oklahoma Department of Human Services from getting Thomas declared the father of Dickson's baby daughter and badgering him until he dropped out of college, forfeiting a football scholarship. It also didn't stop DHS from taking a portion of his biweekly paychecks and seizing his $290 state and federal tax refunds. "This is unbelievable. This is crazy,” said Thomas, 21, a former...

The conflict culminated yesterday with the announcement that Gen. Sergio Aponte Polito, the outspoken commander of military forces in Baja California, is being transferred to Mexico City. The general's supporters worry they are losing a fierce opponent of corruption and organized crime, In a 21-page letter delivered to reporters Sunday, Aponte accused state law enforcement agents of corruption and said their bosses are upset that his military forces have upstaged them in the struggle against drug traffickers. During his 20 months in Baja California, El General Aponte, as he is commonly known, cut a powerful public figure. Inside a tightly...

Dear Friend, I don't need to tell you that gas prices are high, but there is someone I do need to tell... Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. ...and I need your help to do it. Please mail me your gas receipts and a short note about what your family has had to sacrifice because of out-of-control prices at the pump. I'll bundle together all the receipts and stories I receive and send them to Senator Reid. Together, we will send a message to Washington and show Harry Reid that high gas prices are hurting Oklahomans. Please mail your gas receipts...

I'm standing while typing this, so consider it a writer's rendition of a standing ovation. Presumably, this standing "O” is for Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops. Perhaps it should be directed at OU president David Boren, or to Stoops and Boren. Maybe athletic director Joe Castiglione is in there somewhere. Whoever is responsible for dismissing freshman wide receiver Josh Jarboe, bravo. Jarboe was allowed to keep his scholarship after felony gun charges were lowered to misdemeanors in Superior Court at DeKalb County, Ga. Jarboe pleaded guilty to bringing a gun to school and carrying a pistol without a license last...

It’s not the audacity of hope. It’s just plain audacity. This Barack Obama fellow acts as if he is someone important, as if he has ideas that we should hear. Now that is audacious, as is everything he does. That’s why I call him “The Audacious O,” a nickname I’ve decided to popularize. Earlier this month, for example, the Audacious O said he thought it was admirable that when Europeans come to this country, they can speak our language plus one or two others. When Americans travel to France, the Audacious O said, all we can say is, “Merci beaucoup,”...

CALEXICO — In the past four months this border city’s officials have traveled into Mexicali about 60 times, attended meetings with their industrial commissions and chambers of commerce and met with potential Chinese, German, Spanish and Indian investors. The activity is all in the pursuit of economically stimulating the city that shares a border with a Mexican metropolis. Since making economic development its priority last year, amid a budget deficit, a screeching slowdown in the housing market (once a major revenue maker for the city because of processing fees) and the increasing need for city amenities such as parks, Calexico...

My wife and I agree to disagree on many topics like finances, parenting, the in-laws, toothpaste tubes and even dining out. Can you imagine, “She doesn’t like Chinese food!” But do I hate her? No. Am I bothered? Yes. Kobe Bryant of the Lakers really upset me when he cheated on his wife and in the playoffs, after losing one of the games, he suggested “drinking a bunch of shots.” Sorry, Laker fans, but Kobe bugs me. Do I hate the Lakers? No, I like Phil Jackson, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton and many others. I will root for the Lakers...

When unveiling new performance models, car companies usually boast about horsepower, engine size and expected zero-to-60 times. But when General Motors unveiled the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Monday afternoon, it was the car's fuel economy numbers that were front and center. It's the return of a once-popular model that has been out of production since the 2002 model year. V6 versions, which GM expects will be the biggest sellers, are expected to get 26 miles per gallon on the highway. That's about the same as a V6 Ford Mustang, while boasting the same horsepower output as a V8 Mustang. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/autos/0807/gallery.2010_chevrolet_camaro/index.html

snip -Saddled with payments on a gas-guzzling truck and SUV and facing escalating food and gasoline costs, the Poway couple expect they'll be left with few options to economize should gasoline prices continue their rapid ascent. For now, their $925 monthly rent is reasonable, but any increase could be financially debilitating. snip-In extreme cases, some could even face homelessness, financial counselors fear, as surging oil prices snowball into higher costs for everything from utilities to a carton of milk. Less calamitous but still worrisome is the economic fallout facing middle-income families, many of them unaccustomed to adhering to strict budgets...

I’m worried about you, George Bush. Mr. President you look — to use a phrase I’m sure you are familiar with — tuckered out. You are certainly looking worse for wear these days. Who can blame you? You are heading into your final months in office with historically low poll numbers, the economy is in the dumps, former pals are ripping on you and you’re almost out of a job. It’s enough to make a former drinker like you head for the Jack Daniels. SNIP Congress? Mr. President, surely you jest! As far as I can tell, the Democratic leadership...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/01/lynching.investigation/index.html

People are lining up for licenses, including locally, now that California is allowing same-sex marriages. I doesn't affect me, I don't care. (102 Votes, 14%) Didn't the people vote to outlaw this? (230 Votes, 32%) This must be stopped (135 Votes, 19%) As long as they love each other, what's the problem? (248 Votes, 35%) Close this Window

<p>Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff issued a strongly worded statement Wednesday on the release of a Mexican man suspected of killing a Yuma Sector Border Patrol agent in the Imperial Sand Dunes west of Winterhaven. SNIP The 22-year-old Navarro Montes, an alleged narcotics smuggler, is suspected of running over 32-year-old Agent Luis Aguilar in a Hummer while fleeing agents on the morning of Jan. 19.</p>