Free Republic

SANTA FE, N.M. (CNS) -- Little did the Spanish conquistadors and Franciscans who came to what is now New Mexico in 1625 realize that the same wooden statue of Mary they brought with them to help instill the Catholic faith would still be a symbol of love and devotion today. Originally called the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the statue is little more than 3 feet high, made of wood and hollow in the middle -- so it might fit atop a staff when displayed on horseback -- but it continues to inspire the faithful as La Conquistadora. Her...

In 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Mexican peasant Juan Diego. To prove to all that the apparitions were real, the Virgin imprinted an image of herself on Juan Diego's tilma, a thin cloth made of cactus fibres. This type of tilma normally decays in 30 to 40 years. But Juan Diego's tilma is still miraculously intact and the same as it was when he wore it. Over the centuries, many have expressed doubts about the divinity of the image, but Prof. Victor Campa Mendoza has no doubt whatsoever. "This is not a human act but an act of God,"...

Bernabe Rivas of Carson City, Nevada, was busted for trafficking in methamphetamine, reports the Nevada Appeal. A felony. But rather than prosecute the illegal drug dealer on the felony charge, District Judge Bill Maddox sent him to drug court…over the objections of the drug court committee which reviews and approves such cases. By having his case heard in drug court, Rivas avoids the possibility of being convicted of a felony. Instead, he simply has to take frequent drug tests, keep a job and not get busted again for the next two years. Now here’s the kicker… The reason Judge Maddox...

The Air Force is reviewing plans to modernize the U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile force, now made up of 500 single-warhead Minuteman IIIs, including plans for a new ICBM. A report on the effort includes options for extending the life of the aging Minuteman III force through 2020, and building a new missile system as a replacement, said Air Force Gen. Lance Lord, commander of Air Force Space Command who took part in a study of the options for the ground-based ICBM force. A ceremony was held Monday to mark the deactivation of the last of 50 Peacekeeper 10-warhead ICBMs in...

<p>One of the suspects in the slaying of a Border Patrol agent stoned to death in Mexico this week had been released from jail Monday after serving 108 days on a drug smuggling charge.</p> <p>Jose Arturo Arreola Lopez, 17, pleaded guilty to attempted possession of marijuana for sale and was sentenced to time served and three years of unsupervised probation by Judge Stephen M. Desens of Cochise County Superior Court.</p>