Free Republic

Delegates at the Republican Party of Texas convention on Saturday voted to approve platform planks endorsing marijuana decriminalization, medical cannabis and industrial hemp. They are also calling for a change in cannabis's classification by the federal government. "We support a change in the law to make it a civil, and not a criminal, offense for legal adults only to possess one ounce or less of marijuana for personal use, punishable by a fine of up to $100, but without jail time," reads one of the party's new positions. "Congress should remove cannabis from the list of Schedule 1," says another....

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Lone Star State lawmakers are cracking down after recent recent attacks carried out against police officers. Abbott on Monday announced the Police Protection Act, which
 aims to strengthen penalties for crimes committed against police officers.

"....What looked like a three-candidate race coming out of South Carolina looks more like a two-person race in Texas, with Cruz and Trump almost certainly in position to split the state's 155 Republican delegates. Among likely Republican primary voters who identify with the Tea Party, Cruz leads Trump 56 percent to 26 percent in the UT/TT Poll. Among voters who identify as Republicans when given the choice to bolt for the Tea Party, the candidates were relatively even: Cruz had 32 percent to Trump's 30 percent. Rubio had 18 percent of those voters, and 8 percent of those who identify...

<p>Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto blames the state of California for Toyota Motor's decision to relocate its North American headquarters from the city to Plano, Texas.</p> <p>"The state of California lost Toyota," Scotto said on "Power Lunch" Tuesday.</p> <p>He pointed to a number of issues in the Golden State that negatively affect companies' bottom line: tax structure, workers' compensation and liability insurance.</p>

With early voting about to commence in the March 2 gubernatorial primaries, Gov. Rick Perry holds a commanding lead over his two Republican rivals, but he may be unable to avoid a runoff, according to a newly released poll for the Star-Telegram and other major Texas newspapers. The survey shows Perry with 45 percent support among likely Republican voters, while 29 percent back U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Wharton County businesswoman Debra Medina had 17 percent, drawing especially strong support from the Fort Worth metropolitan region, where she is running ahead of Hutchison but behind Perry. Perry leads Hutchison 40...

California: While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger worries about rising seas, his state sinks below the waves. Don't mess with Texas, they say. But California and the nation could follow its lead. Last Wednesday, Gov. Schwarzenegger released a new report based on research compiled by the California Energy Commission claiming that by 2100 San Francisco Bay would be more bay than San Francisco, with Fisherman's Wharf and Treasure Island under the rising waters of climate change. His show-and-tell, which included a new Google Earth application the commission spent $150,000 to help develop, goes a long way toward explaining the once-Golden State's slide...

ATTENTION TEXAS FREEPERS, there is a severe case of RINOitis going on in the Austin right now. Word is coming from Austin that there will be a vote, maybe as early as Wednesday March 9th or Thursday March 10th, on HB 2 and HB 3. The vote will happen with in the next week to two weeks for sure. Part of the legislation involves a PAYROLL TAX! A payroll tax will hurt small businesses as well has harm the job market for the State of Texas. It would drain money from businesses that could go to new hires as well...

Okay, okay... I know this is late for The Birthday, but I just received it.  I checked snopes and they don't seem to have it yet.  The e-mail came from a woman whose brother went to high school with Bum at French High School (Beaumont, Tx), so I'm thinking he really wrote it.  It sure sounds like him, anyway.  Does anyone know him personally so we can verify? HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEXAS -- FROM BUM PHILLIPS  Being Texan by Bum PhillipsDear Friends,   Last year, I wrote a small piece about what it means to me to be a Texan. My...