Free Republic

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush is foisting upon the people of Texas a horrible and disrespectful plan for the Alamo. He has consistently thwarted or ignored every objection by the citizens of this State and all attempts to stop it.The current plan for the Alamo is a looming disaster that must be prevented.

Paul Ryan brags about the appropriations bill being a big win because of the lifting of the crude oil export ban. But the win is for Paul Ryan's family. This is corruption. Ryan sold us out to line his own pockets. And it isn't the first time. See Ryan's Shrewd Budget Payday. In short, Ryan's wife and in-laws have made millions with Oklahoma oil and gas leases. This lifting of the crude export ban is a financial windfall for this family. Paul Ryan Justifies Oil Exports: 'Like Having 100 Keystone Pipelines'

Governor Susana Martinez says she regrets the way she handled a late-night phone call to Santa Fe police following a noise complaint involving a party for the governor's staff held at a posh Santa Fe hotel. Recordings of the phone call obtained by KRQE News 13 reveal a conversation between emergency dispatchers and the governor, as she tries to convince police that there's no need for them to respond to the complaint early Sunday morning. On several occasions, Martinez pressures the dispatcher and hotel staff to reveal the identity of who made the complaint. The dispatcher and hotel staff refuse....

The creators of “South Park” are branching out beyond the underpants business...

A billboard that sparked a protest in Indiana because of its reference to the Navy Seals, and removing the President from office, has appeared along I-35 in North Texas. The ad in Gainesville depicts two men in camouflage holding weapons. The text next to the picture, in a military style font, says “The Seals removed one threat to America,” a reference to the killing of Osama bin Laden. It continues, “Remove the other in November.”

The Ron Paul campaign has consistently maintained that it has won far more delegates than is generally reported by the media. The Associated Press projects Romney’s delegate count to be well over 600, more than ten times their projections for Ron Paul. However, Colorado has provided some evidence that the Paul campaign’s demise has been greatly exaggerated. Colorado completed its state convention yesterday. Under the headline, “Romney lost Colo. caucuses, gets most delegates,” Real Clear Politics reported the results this way. “GOP has chosen 13 Romney delegates and six Santorum delegates. The remaining 17 delegates are unpledged, meaning they are...

A controversial Queens statue, featured as an "Eyesore Next Door" in the Daily News, should be sold through an online classifieds site, according to a group of elected officials. U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner said the city should ditch the statue, "Triumph of Civic Virtue," because it is "sexist."

...Giuliani is seen by Pringle resurrecting California as a significant player for both the nomination and election. What seemed fanciful in March looks more realistic in October. Giuliani has maintained double-digit California leads over other Republicans all year. With the state primary moved up to Feb. 5 and voting beginning a month earlier, its results could negate the outcome in early small state primaries. Giuliani's popularity here with political leaders such as Pringle is based on the belief he is the only Republican who can challenge Hillary Clinton in blue states -- New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well...

Is it true that a capitalist will sell you the rope to hang him? That question now hits cyberspace with a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute. According to MEMRI, RealWebHost is hosting on servers in Texas an Islamist site, Alhesbah Forum, which has apparently posted a report titled “The Excellent Summary of the Rules of the Art of Kidnapping Americans.” MEMRI states that if negotiations fail, the guide recommends hanging or poisoning the hostages in order to (a) prevent an honorable death and (b) avoid those messy bloodstains. Who knew there was terrorist etiquette? Perhaps they’re trying...

...My bosses knew me as Mike and had no idea I was a transsexual. 'But almost as soon as I told them I was changing my name to Vikki-Marie and entering the transition stage of my gender reassignment things changed. I started getting hurtful comments and my shifts started being cancelled without warning. 'In the end I realised I could no longer go into work, it was too painful...

Rudy Giuliani, whose positions on abortion and homosexuality mark him as the most socially liberal Republican presidential candidate in more than a generation, is so far winning the contest for the support of social conservatives, according to a new analysis of recent polls.

If Congress were to pass the new proposed comprehensive immigration bill, Bush administration sources say Sen. Ted Kennedy will get naming rights to George W. Bush’s future presidential library as part of the deal. “It’s only fair, since Teddy’s the architect of the Bush legacy,” said an unnamed White House source. “Sen. Kennedy was the driving force behind the ‘No Child Left Behind’ act, and now this measure to legalize illegal immigration. Historians will remember these as the watersheds of Bush-Kennedy years.” The president has already expressed enthusiasm for the Kennedy-sponsored bill, which supporters dubbed the “No Hard Feelings Immigration...

It is now over two months since I first heard a well-informed, well-connected conservative offer it as his private opinion that the next president of the United States will be Al Gore. I have since heard the same thing from three or four other insider types. I’m starting to think that President Gore is getting to be conventional wisdom. At the time I first heard it, though, I was shocked. Me: “You can’t possibly be serious. Gore is long past his sell-by date.” He: “No more than Nixon in ’68. A narrow loss — which some said was actually a...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad led a raucous anti-American rally in the United Arab Emirates a day after a low-key visit by US Vice President Dick Cheney there in an attempt to counter Tehran's influence in the region. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a cheering Dubai crowd Sunday that America was to blame for creating instability and robbing the region of its wealth. ''Every time your name is mentioned, hatred builds up,'' Ahmadinejad said of the United States to a crowd of thousands, mostly Iranian expatriates. ''Go fix yourself. This is Iran's advice to you. Leave the region... The nations of the region...

...Mr. Romney promised that evangelicals could listen to all eight of his future State of the Union addresses and never get a clue that his Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches the following: – God is not eternal, but was once a man on another planet – God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children – Jesus is the “spirit brother” of Lucifer and all humans are their siblings – The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three separate gods – The Father and the Son each have separate, physical bodies – The...

As each day passes, it becomes increasingly clear that the Democrats will win the White House next year. It's not quite 1932, but it's getting close to a sure thing. All the energy is on their side, they are raising more money from more contributors, and there is little if any enthusiasm for the Republican candidates -- even among Republicans... At some point, politically sophisticated conservatives will have to recognize that no Republican can win in 2008 and that their only choice is to support the most conservative Democrat for the nomination. Call me crazy, but I think that person...

...But conservatives who claim that the war trumps everything but won't even consider pulling the lever for McCain have some growing up to do.

Rep. Sam Johnson, a veteran and former POW in Vietnam, speaks out on the congressional vote to begin bringing troops home from Iraq.

Scott Ott apparently announces his candidacy for the presidency. Video link here. 

An Arizona rancher who has waged a five-year campaign to stop a flood of illegal aliens from crossing his property has been ordered by a civil jury to pay nearly $100,000 for a 2004 incident during which he confronted a family hunting on his land. Roger Barnett, 62, who began rounding up illegal aliens after he said they destroyed his property, killed calves and broke into his home, was ordered to pay Ronald Morales, his father, his two young daughters and their friend on claims of negligence, false imprisonment and emotional distress. ...