Free Republic

JP Liendo apologizes for DWI By KIRSTEN CROW, LAREDO MORNING TIMES 09/06/2006 Justiceof the Peace Hector Liendo said he doesn’t expect his weekend arrest to affect his job performance.“I apologize to my family and my constituents,” he said. “I would like the public to know that this will not affect my commitment to serving the community.” Liendo was charged Saturday with driving while intoxicated, a Class B misdemeanor, and an open alcoholic container, a Class C misdemeanor. Tela Mange, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman, said Liendo was pulled over at about 1:15 a.m. by a state trooper. “He...

Letter: Burns greatest senator in Montana's history Montanans have a great opportunity to keep Sen. Conrad Burns. Burns has done more for Montana than any other senator in the history of the state. He has funded veterans' clinics, well staffed with local MDs, and rural medical facilities throughout Montana. Burns is a passionate advocate for the citizens of Montana. He has common sense; is not afraid to say what is on his mind; and when he is wrong, he will admit it. Do Democrats do that? He is a true advocate for agriculture, small and large business, free markets, our...

Group plans walk to raise awareness of suicide By The Associated Press CASPER - A Natrona County group plans a walk this month to raise awareness of Wyoming's extraordinary suicide rate. The Natrona County Task Force for Suicide Prevention says the rate in Wyoming is about 22 suicides per 100,000 people, nearly twice the national average. Since 1999, more than 100 suicides have occurred in Natrona County alone. Raising awareness of the problem may encourage people to become involved in preventing suicides, members of the task force say. "It's not just to make sure people know it is a problem,"...

Democratic candidate Bell fires criticism at Perry ASSOCIATED PRESS IRVING (AP) - Democrat Chris Bell, the lone candidate for governor campaigning on Labor Day, didn't mince words in taking aim at Republican incumbent Rick Perry. "On issue after issue, category after category - education, health care, stem cell research, the environment, our state parks system - Rick Perry is an absolute miserable failure as governor," Bell said at the Dallas AFL-CIO Labor Day Breakfast. Bell made other stops Monday in Tyler, Galveston and Waco, each time stressing the need for the state to revamp a weak education system. Perry spent...

Democrats believe victory possible in GOP-dominated Texas ASSOCIATED PRESS SUGAR LAND (AP) - Texas Democrats rallied Sunday behind the idea they can win in November in a state that in recent history has been dominated by the GOP. "We can change Texas. But we're going to have to be willing to change ourselves. We have to learn to win again. That means getting past our defeatist attitude. We have to learn to win again because Texas needs us to lead again," gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell told a group of about 100 people who gathered at the Fort Bend County Democratic...

<p>HOUSTON (AP) - Five people filed the necessary paperwork by Friday's afternoon deadline to run in the special election to temporarily fill the seat vacated by former House Majority leader Tom DeLay, according to the secretary of state's Office.</p> <p>Gov. Rick Perry this week ordered the Nov. 7 special election to temporarily replace DeLay, who resigned in June although his term doesn't expire until January. The general election is also on Nov. 7.</p>

Hunkins denies role in GOP probe Freudenthal says statement untrue By Kevin Wingert rep3@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - The Republican gubernatorial candidate disavowed any responsibility for the actions of the Wyoming Republican Party on Thursday and said he wanted to be responsible for leading the party back into a Reagan-esque era of unity. "The request was not made on my watch, so it is neither fair play nor 'clean politics' to associate this records request with me in any way," Ray Hunkins said. "This same principle holds true with respect to the radio advertisement: It was created...

Story last updated at 4:20 a.m. Sunday, August 27, 2006 Candidates log West Texas miles in race for House seat BY D. LANCE LUNSFORD AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Across 15,104 square miles, House District 85 covers 16 counties and a population of more than 145,000 West Texans. It's 275 miles from the district's northern point to its southern. Reaching the edges of Abilene with its borders a few miles from Lubbock's and San Angelo's outskirts, the district's most metropolitan centers are Plainview and Big Spring. The two candidates looking to replace retiring state Rep. Pete Laney, D-Hale Center, have burned a path between...

Hunkins proposes 7 debates across state The Republican candidate said debates would carry his vision and the governor's to the people. By Kevin Wingert rep3@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - Republican gubernatorial candidate Ray Hunkins wants to relive a pivotal piece of U.S. history by engaging in seven debates throughout Wyoming with Democrat incumbent Gov. Dave Freudenthal. "We can raise the level of debate and make this truly a campaign about the issues," Hunkins wrote in a letter to Freudenthal, referencing the historic debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858. "To do it, we should engage...

Governor's spending lavish By Kevin Wingert rep3@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - The chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party leveled a charge Friday that Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal is living a "high-rolling lifestyle" at the expense of the residents of Wyoming. "We knew from his budget proposals that the governor was a big spender, but what we found he spends on VIP treatment of himself is unconscionable to Wyoming citizens," Drake Hill said in a release about the Democratic governor, who currently is running for re-election. "Who else do you know that has a $50,000 lawn ornament?" Hill...

Two teachers resign amid test-cheating suspicions ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON (AP) - Two teachers at a school once lauded by President Bush and Oprah Winfrey for spectacular marks by its poor black students have resigned after being accused of giving fifth-graders answers to tests. Houston ISD officials said Sheryle Douglas, 55, and Shawn Manning, 39, admitted providing students the questions and answers to an earlier Stanford 10 Achievement Test as practice for this year's exam at Wesley Elementary School. Scores from that test partly decide which Houston teachers get bonuses in the nation's largest merit pay program, which awards up to...

Strayhorn drops 'Grandma' issue after judge's ruling AUSTIN (AP) - An independent candidate for Texas governor abruptly dropped her lawsuit Thursday to have "Grandma" listed as her nickname on the November ballot, saying the legal battle would distract from her campaign. Hours earlier, a judge delivered Carole Keeton Strayhorn a setback, ruling the nickname was the secretary of state's decision and the court lacked jurisdiction. Secretary of State Roger Williams denied Strayhorn's request to have her name listed as "Carole Keeton 'Grandma' Strayhorn" on the Nov. 7 ballot, saying "Grandma" is a slogan. During a brief hearing, Judge Suzanne Covington...

Still in the dark waiting Republicans' request for records unfulfilled By Kevin Wingert rep3@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - After seven weeks of waiting, the chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party says he has not received a response from all of the state government's departments to his public records request. "I just feel like I'm being strung along here," said Drake Hill, the Republican Party chairman. "The roadblocks that we are encountering are really within the governor's office, itself." On June 9, Hill filed a request at several state agencies, including the office of the governor. It covered...

Guest Workers Aren't Cheap; They're Expensive President Bush entered the White House in 2001 hoping he would be known in history books as the education president who improved public school standards with "No child left behind." It now looks like his legacy will really be "No illegal alien left behind." As President Bush's poll numbers drop even among his base, the question most frequently asked by angry Republicans is, why, oh why, is Bush so stubbornly rejecting the advice of his supporters even though that advice is consistent with the thunderous message from public opinion surveys? The reliable Rasmussen survey,...

Gubernatorial candidate Bell pays visit to Hub City BY BETH AARON AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Texas schools focus too much on standardized testing, and teacher salaries should be increased, gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell said. Speaking before members of the Texas Sheriff's Association on Monday, Bell, D-Houston, said the state needs to focus on reforming public education and health care and discussed why he supports stem cell research. "We do live in a big state with big dreams, but right now we face big challenges, he said from a podium in the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center Theater. "It's about a new way versus an...

Candidate Kinky holds court at Bleacher's Cafe RUTH BRADLEY AVALANCHE-JOURNAL When Kinky Friedman walked into Bleacher's Sports Cafe Sunday afternoon, a cigar in his mouth, he stopped for a moment to take a picture with a constituent before taking his place on stage next to a sign reading "Keep Austin weird, make Lubbock Kinky." This is not your typical gubernatorial candidate. And that's the way Friedman wants it. "I think that most of us have come to the conclusion that we could use a non-politician to run the state of Texas," he said, a cigar in one hand and a...

Hooper winner in bitter contest Wednesday, July 19, 2006 By BEN RAINES Staff Reporter Perry Hooper Jr. defeated John Amari in Tuesday's runoff election, earning the Republican nomination for the state Public Service Commission, Place 2. Hooper will face Democrat Susan Parker, a former state auditor, in the Nov. 7 general election. Amari and Hooper fought a bitter contest, notable for the rancor expended bashing each other, especially in the days before the June 6 primary. Hooper led the primary race, with Amari second and former PSC employee Jack Hornaday a close third. "I look forward to carrying my message...

'High-roller' gets prison for Y theft Susan Miller's charges from embezzling $20,000 from the YMCA is prefaced by a 17-year criminal history that brought her more than $300,000 in financial gain. By Juliette Rule rep9@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - Because she didn't learn her lesson the first time, the woman convicted of stealing money from the Cheyenne Family YMCA to support her high-roller gambler status will spend six to nine years in prison. Susan J. Miller, 42, heard those words from Laramie County District Judge Nicholas Kalokathis at her Tuesday morning sentencing hearing. In a fairly complicated...

Open Letter to the GOP by Alan Caruba Posted Jul 11, 2006 I recently received a direct mail notice from Ken Mehlman, Chairman of the Republican National Committee saying that, “Our records show we have not yet received your 2006 Republican National Committee membership contribution.” One assumes a lot of these notices have been mailed to folks like myself who have decided not to financially support the GOP this year. They won’t miss my donation because it’s always small. It’s not that I won’t vote the Republican ticket in November. I probably will, but that’s because the Democrats in my...

Bush's disconnect on illegal immigration -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: July 10, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com "We cannot kick people out who have been here for awhile." That's what President Bush said last week. And he means it. That is his policy toward those who have broken into our country, defied our immigration laws, cheapened our way of life and driven a stake through the heart of what it means to be an American. This is amnesty, no matter what the president says. If we "can't kick people out who have been here for awhile," then we have no alternative...