Free Republic

This is a petition to honor Miss Elizabeth (the Fort Hood Hug Lady) by posthumously renaming the Fort Hood Deployment center the Elizabeth Laird Deployment Center. Miss Elizabeth has doled out more than half a million hugs to soldiers leaving and coming home from Ft. Hood. She's touched so many lives. For some, her's was the last hug that they had on this earth. For others, her's was the first good thing that happened to them when they got home. She was there days, nights, weekends, holidays... rain or shine, Miss Elizabeth was there for our troops. And she did...

On an outer Tahitian reef break known as Teahupo’o, Laird Hamilton road a wave so massive, so powerful, it redefined what big wave riders thought was possible. There may be more ways of pronouncing Teahupo’o than there are letters in the English alphabet. Two of the most common are Chee-yow-po and Cho-poo. No matter how it is pronounced, when there’s large surf, Teahupo’o’s reef break is one of the most dangerous that can be surfed. Unlike most of the world’s big wave spots that break as cresting waves in deep water, Teahupo’o is just a huge mass moving forward as...

Laird vs. Blakeslee-California 15th Senate District Special Election I couldn't find a thread for this race so I decided to create one. I feel so empowered.The race is tight so far at 0% to 0%

Ballots were still being counted late Tuesday in a high-stakes election along the Central Coast that could swing the balance of power in the state Senate. John Laird, a former Democratic assemblyman from Santa Cruz, and Sam Blakeslee, a Republican assemblyman from San Luis Obispo, continued to campaign as the polls closed Tuesday night, each capping a hard-fought bid that would strengthen their party's foothold in the state Legislature...

SACRAMENTO — The stakes are high and contrasts stark in Tuesday's special election to fill a vacant state Senate seat for a district that stretches from San Jose to Santa Maria, in Santa Barbara County. Democrats can inch closer to a two-thirds majority in the Senate with a victory, a prospect that has pitted powerful interests against each other in a bruising and costly battle over who controls the Capitol. The race features two candidates who represent the opposite ends of the partisan spectrum: former Assemblyman John Laird, an openly gay and liberal Democrat who is backed by labor unions...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called an Aug. 17 special election to fill the 15th Senate District seat vacated by Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado's appointment to that post. Schwarzenegger's move bucks both legislative Democrats and county election officials, who urged the governor to consolidate the contest with the November general election to save costs. Democrats, of course, also wanted a consolidation because they believe the higher turnout in a general election will boost their shots at picking up the seat.

For termed-out and defeated legislators or former high-ranking gubernatorial staffers in search of a soft landing, there is none softer than the California Integrated Waste Management Board. Appointees to the six-member board take home $132,000 a year, plus expenses and a car allowance. That's not bad for what amounts to four all-day meetings a month. Some them work hard between meetings; others don't. The waste board reeks of the government's stale status quo, a potent symbol of lawmakers who are out of touch. Even as California slips further into fiscal chaos, legislators and friends of the governor continue to enjoy...

For those with everything, how about a lordship for Christmas? Sat Dec 11, 5:36 PM ET LONDON (AFP) - For that friend who has everything but aristocratic stock, how about offering the title of lord or lady for Christmas? A British web site has put up for sale square-foot sections of the northeast Scottish estate of Glencairn, which come with the title of Lord or Lady of Glencairn. Precise followers of pedigree will scorn the offer, since the title does not actually confer peerage, but is a rather fancy way of advertising one's ownership of the handkerchief-sized land parcel. "The...

Dear Sierra Friends, A very good Friday afternoon to you all! In case you had not heard, I wanted to make sure you knew that the Sierra Nevada Conservancy bill, AB 2600, will be heard on the Senate Floor this coming Monday, August 23. Senator Bruce McPherson (R—Santa Cruz) will be presenting AB 2600 as the bill’s official floor jockey. Below, I am including material we’ve put together on the highlights of the consensus reached by Assemblyman Leslie and Assemblyman Laird and the Schwarzenegger Administration. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by phone or e mail....