Free Republic

This week, the nation remembers Ross Perot for his success in business, his two independent White House bids and his no-nonsense, straight Texas talk. His love of country, larger-than-life personality and generosity are all part of his legacy that will live on. But there is another little-known part of the life of Ross Perot that should be told now that he is gone. He was a tireless, but private, supporter of our wounded veterans. During my time as governor of this great state, I had the honor and privilege of knowing countless warriors who stepped forward to serve in Iraq...

There are reports that Saudi Arabia is on lockdown as elite Clinton connections are being detained.

"RUSH: As for Trump, I have to... I was surprised. I was just a little stunned when Trump starts speaking positively... He didn't come out for single-payer health care, but he made it clear that when it comes to health care, he's closer to the Obama approach than to the traditional Republican. I was stunned. I was stunned when I saw what Trump had said on TV, literally taken aback by it. Anyway, we'll get into all this in detail as the program unfolds today. And, again, your host -- your beloved host -- is in a lion's share of...

The state of Texas is demanding the Federal Reserve in New York repatriate $1 billion in gold bullion after Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill establishing a state-run gold reserve in the Lone Star state. Abbott signed House Bill 483 into law last Friday, stating, “Today I signed HB 483 to provide a secure facility for the State of Texas, state agencies and Texas citizens to store gold bullion and other precious metals. With the passage of this bill, the Texas Bullion Depository will become the first state-level facility of its kind in the nation, increasing the security and stability...

Remember the Alamo? Phil Collins sure does. The British 1980s music icon was at the 1836 Battle of the Alamo and Texas Revolutionary shrine in downtown San Antonio on Thursday, announcing the donation of his collection of related artifacts — one so vast it's considered the world's largest such private collection. Collins, the 63-year-old Genesis singer-drummer, joked he'd spent "all the money that I made from music" on 200-plus pieces related to the battle where 1,500 Mexican troops laid siege to 200 Texans. He said he wanted to ensure the collection was better cared-for in the future. "Some people would...

***ACTION ALERT*** All Texas & National Militia Available Please Converge Immediately Status GO: Mission close down Laredo Crossing for starters ((All need to be closed)) Operation complete when border fence is in place and secure Name: Love's #298 Love's Travel Stop 28527 Interstate 35, Encinal, TX 78019 (956) 948-7044 Location: I 35 & Hwy 44, Encinal, TX Distance from Encino: 93.7 miles Contact numbers: for location and or pick up 580 889 1036 423 333 8872 Militia ***ACTION ALERT*** All Texas & National Militia Available Please Converge Immediately Status GO: Mission close down Laredo Crossing for starters ((All need to...

We had a computer serviceman here this morning and while he made the repairs I requested, now my computer doesn't look anything like it did and it is SO distracting, I can't stay focused on my work. On many websites, the text is blue, and on a spreadsheet the appearance is SO plain and I don't seem to be able to add color to the columns. The taskbar at the bottom is all different as well as the menu bar at the top. Should I try a 'restore'?

TESCCC Board decides to end CSCOPE lesson plans AUSTIN -- A letter signed by all 20 members of the Board released this morning (Monday, May 20) stated they will notify their 875 school district clients that all lesson plans will be removed from their website on August 31st, 2013 and that districts cannot use any lessons they currently have beyond that date. The August 31st date corresponds to the notice clause in their contracts with their districts. The letter goes on to say that the Regional Service Centers will not produce lesson plans in the future. The 20 Service Centers...

Abilene Police have released the following information about a fatal shooting this morning. "On 12-25-12 at 2014 hrs, APD responded to a disturbance call in the 1000 block of Minda Lane. Upon arrival, responding officers contacted Lawanda Taylor. She reported her estranged ex-boyfriend, Earnest Gonzales, came to the residence and attempted to gain entry by kicking a side door. Gonzales fled the scene after he discovered Taylor called the police. "On 12-26-12 at 0209 hrs, Gonzales returned to the residence and gained entry to the house by forcing open the front door, causing considerable damage. Gonzales entered the residence and...

The FBI withheld its findings about Gen. David Petreaus' affair from the White House and congressional leaders because the agency considered them the result of a criminal investigation that never reached the threshold of an intelligence probe, law enforcement sources said today. The sources said agents followed department guidelines that generally bar sharing information about developing criminal investigations. The FBI is also aware of its history under former director Herbert Hoover of playing politics and digging into the lives of public figures. As one official said, the rules are designed to protect people (both private and elected officials) when negative...

BRYAN COUNTY, Oklahoma - A 12-year-old girl took matters into her own hands during a home invasion in southeast Oklahoma. It happened on Wednesday when the girl was home alone. She told police a stranger rang the doorbell, then went around to the back door and kicked it in. She called her mom, Debra St. Clair, who told her to get the family gun, hide in a closet and call 911. That was when St. Clair dropped what she doing and raced home. "I drove home at a really fast pace to try to get to her, and when I...

I am trying to connect 3 VoIP phones for our office and the 'help' line tells me I need a 'switch' to connect to our router (because all the ports are full). When I asked her how the other 2 phones will be connected to the internet, she says they have to be physically plugged into the switch as well. This will leave a mess of phone lines running along the floor! Surely there's a better way?

For some time now I have been complaining to my parents that I really DID try to call them on the weekend (I work for them at the office on their ranch during the week) to check on them, but couldn't get through. I often get a recording saying the phone number is no longer a working number, thought they've had the same number for decades. Now we've noticed the office is as quiet as a tomb and people are calling our cells saying they can't get through and faxes are not always being received. I called the local company...

My parents are donating daily to these people. My father has Parkinson's & is SO worried about 0bama ruining the country that he donates to nearly everything he gets. Fortunately, my Mom gives the mail to me and I select (with her approval) which ones are forwarded, saving them a pile of money & more mail that is caused by each donation. Today I have FOURTEEN of them!

You don't have to go to Africa to hunt exotic animals. In fact, Texas may have more of some endangered exotics than live in the wild. That's because breeding them is a billion dollar business in Texas, where over 100 species roam large ranches and can be hunted for sport. The hunters and the ranchers they pay to hunt the trophy animals say the money generated by hunting these animals is helping to save them. They claim only 10 percent of any species can be killed annually. But to animal rights people fighting to shut them down, they're nothing more...

Dana LoEsch, a CNN contributor and conservative radio host, said on her show that she thinks the Marines who were videoed urinating on Taliban corpses are cool and that she wants "a million cool points for these guys." Loesch is also the editor-in-chief of Big Journalism, a conservative Web site and the co-founder of the St. Louis Tea Party. The Huffington Post reported that the Riverfront Times said that Loesch left the group in December. Loesch played a news clip explaining that the U.S. military is investigating the video that shows what appears to be Marines urinating on the dead...

DUBLIN, Texas — Dublin Dr Pepper is no more. The Dublin Dr Pepper Bottling Company has sold its rights to produce the iconic beverage in a settlement over a long-running feud. The plant opened more than a century ago, filling containers with Dr Pepper made with pure cane sugar. But the oldest Dr Pepper bottler in the world has now produced its final "pick me up." The development is cutting deep, stripping the very identity of this small Erath County town 75 miles southwest of Fort Worth. It is the conclusion of a lawsuit pitting Plano-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group...

While tablets are at the cutting edge of modern technology, Samsung Mobile Display wants to make the iPad look about as modern as the Ford Model T. This week we got our hands on a Samsung commercial released in Korea for a see-through, flexible tablet that's unlike anything we've ever seen here at This Could Be Big, and we knew we had to find out more. The big question is, could this thing be real? Looking at the commercial it looks like it's out of a preview for the new Mission Impossible movie. It's a thin piece of glass that's...

The number of illegal immigrant college students paying in-state tuition and receiving financial aid at Texas' public colleges and universities continues to climb, according to state higher education records. During the fall semester, 12,138 students - about 1 percent of all Texas college students - benefited from the state law granting in-state tuition, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Most of the immigrants among those students are illegal, and some others are not legal permanent residents or U.S. citizens. Texas awarded about $33.6 million in state and institutional financial aid to those students between fall 2004 and summer...

I come from a pretty rough bunch. As a child, I remember my great-grandfather (PawPaw) casually telling me a story about stabbing a man in the top of the shoulder during a fight at a dance. He stabbed him with an old Barlow knife that he’d broken the tip off of - he said the man had squealed like a little girl. When I asked him why he’d done it, he growled, “it was the only knife I had,” as if I had somehow insulted his cutlery. Did I mention we were poor?