Free Republic

Dear Amy: This week, I discovered that my intelligent, hard-working, responsible 24-year-old daughter (who lives with me) is a gun owner! And it’s not a normal gun, either — it is a 40-caliber semi-automatic, and she has hollow-point bullets to go with it. Amy, this is the kind of weapon a criminal would possess! She says it is for emergencies. There have only been two home invasions in our neighborhood in the last 11 years. I’ve given her three choices: She can either give her weapon to me, sell it or move out in three weeks. I love my daughter...

A group called Americans for Prosperity in Nebraska gathered a crowd for a rally in Omaha to press Sen. Nelson on the reform bill. Anger over senator Ben Nelson's support of health care reform. Nearly 2,000 people rally in Omaha, hoping he's listening. The group's message is two fold -- reconsider your vote Senator Nelson and remember your decision when elections roll around. With their signs in hand, Nebraskans filled Omaha's Music Hall, rallying against the senate health care bill and Sen. Nelson's support for it. "I think that's why we're all here. To get him to listen to us,"...

The May 12 fatal traffic accident in Omaha involving Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa, a suspected illegal immigrant driving under a suspended license, has generated needed public attention. Police allege that a vehicle driven by Rangel-Ochoa ran a red light and collided with a vehicle driven by Jayme Bluhm and carrying her three children. The accident claimed the life of one of the children, 4-year-old Josie, and injured the other family members. Foremost, this is a tragedy for the Bluhm family. In addition, the case should raise red flags regarding two important public issues. The first issue deals with the incredible danger posed...

A 27-year-old Omaha man has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a collision that fatally injured a 4-year-old Omaha girl this week. Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa appeared in Douglas County Court on Friday to enter his plea on charges of misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide and felony driving under suspension. His bail has been set at $1 million. He also waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Police say he ran a red light and struck a minivan driven by Jayme Bluhm on a west Omaha street early Tuesday. Bluhm’s 4-year-old daughter, Josie, was thrown from the van and suffered critical injuries....

Gay couples seek marriage licenses BY ELIZABETH AHLIN WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER A group of same-sex couples was standing in line when the Douglas County Clerk's office opened for business this morning. In an act of protest against Nebraska law, the couples were there to apply for marriage licenses on the eve of Valentine's Day. rest of article is at.. http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10563362

the (relatively silent) majority of Americans feel(s) that the most compassionate treatment for Terri Schiavo - as well as the proper legal course of action - is to let her vegetative existence end, as advocated by her legal guardian, her husband. For Republicans who consider their party a captive of the religious right on matters like medical research and right-to-die legislation and now legislative intrusion into the judicial system, there is a way to at least feel more comfortable with their political consciences. That way is to leave a party whose leadership is currently attempting to leave behind in the...