Free Republic

".....As of publication time, Republican Johnny Tacherra is leading longtime Democratic lawmaker Jim Costa in the yet-to-be-decided race for the Golden State’s 16th congressional district. With provisional ballots still to be counted, and with a 700-plus-vote cushion, Tacherra is confident that he will survive. He and his wife are heading to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to take part in freshmen-member orientation on Capitol Hill....... ....The New York Times put the race on its “Democrats Are Expected to Win Easily” list, and the Cook Political Report labeled the seat as “Solid Democrat,” or uncompetitive. Republican national committees and organizations stayed out...

A mountain lion found devouring a deer in a Boulder backyard has been relocated to the mountains northwest of the city. State wildlife officers tranquilized the 90 lb. cat and released it Thursday. A man who saw the mountain lion in his neighbor's backyard called wildlife officers. He had noticed that the deer were acting strangely. The man's wife told officers that the cat just stared at her husband. It's not unusual for mountain lions to be seen in Boulder...

Insect could help fight spread of tamarisk. residents who have battled with the invasive tamarisk, or salt cedar, could find relief in the form of a beetle. The Colorado Department of Agriculture is introducing a beetle - the only known natural enemy of the tamarisk. The beetle comes from Asia, where tamarisk first originated. The tamarisk is an invasive, nonnative plant that was originally brought to the United States from Asia to control erosion. But the noxious shrub is said to cover 10,000 acres in Montezuma County. It can have roots that run as deep as 100 feet and can...

In a scene from Star Trek VI, Spock quotes a Vulcan proverb, "Only Nixon Could Go To China." At The Independent Online, Geoffrey Lean is wondering if George W. Bush is preparing to make such a Nixonian move in a dramatic turnaround in his environmental policy. Sources say that the most likely moment is the President's State of the Union address in January. Environmentalists expect the measures to fall far short of what is needed, but say this does not matter. "The very fact that Bush would reverse his position will liberate many Republicans to vote for meaningful pollution cuts,"...

South Boulder Elementary Schools Send Warning Notes Home To Parents... Mountain lion sightings are common along the foothills, but officials said these cases are unusual because a number of people have reported seeing the big cats in packs of three or four. The sightings have been reported as far south as Eldorado Springs.

A mountain lion ran into a home Tuesday and escaped through a window about an hour later. Soon after he arrived home from work, Clifton Sanches said he heard his dogs barking loudly outside. "I got up to shut the dogs up and a mountain lion came through my window, it came right through my screen door," ... He went to a neighbor's house to call for help and he and sheriff's deputies waited outside the house. About an hour later, the big cat butted its head against a screened window before breaking through and running away.

What is it with the halos following the hybrids? There you are, in a group of folks having a perfectly rational discussion, then one person announces she's looking into getting a hybrid car - that environmentally correct model that uses both gas and electricity - and everyone sort of says, "wow, really?" and "good for you!" as if the person has just scored eternally usable brownie points for helping to rescue the planet. The cars are given all sorts of special status. Their buyers get tax breaks. In many parts of the country, they get a free pass to drive...

That secular/New Age environmentalists are untroubled by the natural destruction of the environment and animal rights activists are moved only by human cruelty suggests that environmentalists are less interested in conserving the environment than in destroying the works of man and that animal rights activists are motivated more by hatred of people than love of animals.