Free Republic

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. A tagger etched the characters "B1R" with a sharp tool on 11 glass and granite surfaces at the Crystal Cathedral, causing about $30,000 in damage to the Garden Grove landmark, officials said Tuesday. Police were called to the cathedral at 12141 Lewis St. Monday to investigate defaced areas including glass walls of the original chapel and prayer room, granite areas of floors and the memorial wall, said Garden Grove police Lt. Travis Whitman. Police said the damage occurred sometime between Friday and Saturday nights, Whitman said. The damage consists of the etched characters B1R, and initial investigation...

Strapped on a wooden frame, a prisoner braces himself for the brutal onslaught. Within moments of the first blow being struck by the cane-wielding official, the skin on his buttocks breaks and the raw wound begins to open. Lash after lash after lash follows until his flesh is reduced to a bloody mess. With each blow, the body flinches and there is a cry. The caning was meted out in a jail in Malaysia, where the authorities insist that it is a legitimate punishment. However, a video of the flogging has caused an outcry after it was posted on the...

Crime is an equal opportunity employer and now an exotic dancer is wanted for murder. The LAPD wants to know -- have you seen her? "We are speaking of a murder, somebody died," LAPD Detective Martin Mojarro says. "We believe that person and his family deserves justice." Wanted for murder by the LAPD -- Candy Ellen Srichandr. "She does have a criminal history," Mojarro says. Detectives believe this 29-year-old woman is part of an infamous and violent tagging crew. So-called taggers are graffiti vandals that spray paint their signature scrawl all over Southland buildings, billboards and overpasses, defacing public property...

WASHINGTON - Two months after Democrats took control of Congress, there isn't much to show for the switch in power — despite feverish efforts to weigh in on meaty matters, such as the war in Iraq.A Vermont park has a new name, a new board oversees the now-infamous House page program and a glitch has been fixed in minting $1 silver coins honoring Thomas Edison. Democrats also have gotten enacted into law modest boosts in veterans' benefits, health research and college loans, perhaps their biggest achievement during their time in power. That accomplishment came on a nearly half-trillion-dollar spending bill...

LOS ANGELES Officials say a high school student scribbled graffiti on a bus that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other dignitaries were riding while promoting a school safety plan. Witnesses say the boy tagged the rear exit of the bus with a marker as the officials rode around a South Los Angeles school to showcase efforts to improve student safety in the gang-plagued neighborhood. At least one news organization captured the tagger on camera. Villaraigosa was with L.A. Unified Superintendent David Brewer the Third, the school board president and others to announce that a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus would...

It's a case of "Tag, you're it!" Graffiti vandals, or taggers as they're known, are in the spotlight of law enforcement in Los Angeles County. Now is the time to keep up the pressure and shine the light even brighter. Graffiti costs taxpayers, business owners and even homeowners millions of dollars each year. But even worse than that is the look that it gives to a community - it's like a big sign that says, "Lowlifes, gang members and all manner of criminals welcome here!" Studies indicate crime goes up after graffiti comes in. Graffiti is how gang members mark...

An Iraqi soldier assigned to 1st Battalion, 4th Public Order Brigade, paints over graffiti in Horajeb, Nov. 15, 2005. Iraqi and America forces worked together to clean up a school and deliver supplies to the community. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dan Balda Iraqi Security Forces Paint the Town Clean Soldiers cover up graffiti on school walls and bring supplies to students. By U.S. Army Spc. Dan Balda 4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 21, 2005 — Armed with paint rollers and paint cans, Iraqi troops assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Public Order Brigade...