Free Republic

The lavish villas of Nordelta have for years hosted bucolic getaways for Argentina’s wealthy, protected in an enclave where industry titans and soccer stars seek escape from the torments of city life. Yet even an exclusive gated community can’t keep out the world’s biggest rodent. “The problem is that their population is out of control, and people are too scared to do anything. No one wants to look like they’re opposed to nature.” Mr. Iglesias’s lakeside garden gets a daily serving of jumbo scat ... The big rodents, which typically live in family units of as many as 40 animals,...

The late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in the mid-2000s attempted to coordinate with Colombian guerrillas to flood the United States with cocaine, according to federal prosecutors' documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal. According to the documents, former Venezuelan Supreme Court Magistrate Eladio Aponte took part in a meeting where Chávez in 2005 convened his closest advisers to draw up plans to ship cocaine to the United States with the help of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). SNIP “During the meeting, Chávez urged the group, in substance and in part, to promote his policy objectives, including to combat...

A shoving match and war of words nearly turned into a fistfight on the Texas House floor Monday, the final day of a bitterly contentious 140-day legislative session. "This session has been very, very difficult," said Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin. "There are enough of us here who remember a time in Texas when respect and decorum ruled the day." Those rules flew out the House door when a group of protesters crashed the chamber's gallery Monday, chanting opposition to the so-called sanctuary cities ban. Legislators approved a bill this year that would force local governments to enforce federal immigration laws,...

Two of at least four levels of Sanctuary City Proponents Disrupting Texas Legislature A Texas legislature called Immigration and Customs Enforcement on disruptors at the Texas Legislature who claimed to be illegal immigrants. When he told other legislators of his action, a scuffle broke out on the floor.  This video shows the level of disruption that occurred before the scuffle. The "protest" was against a bill that had been signed into law days before. Link to video There are conflicting versions of events. Rinaldi, the Republican who Called ICE, said he was assaulted and threatened by Romero and other...

Texas Democratic state representative Alfonso "Poncho" Nevárez was caught on video surveillance dropping an envelope containing cocaine at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The Texas Department of Public Safety filed an affidavit on Oct. 29 detailing surveillance footage that revealed Nevárez "dropping a white paper object" as he walked out of the airport on Sept. 6. Two Texas Department of Transportation employees found the white envelope, prompting an investigation. Inside the sealed envelope were four "small clear plastic baggies" containing cocaine. Nevárez, who is chairman of the state house Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee, told the Texas Tribune on Thursday "the...

(Pictured: Texas State Representatives Panco Nevarez (Left) and Matt Rinaldi (Right) Came To Blows On The House Floor Over Illegal Immigration)We’ve repeatedly warned that the division festering among the Left and Right could soon lead to violence across America and the real possibility of a civil war. Earlier this year we reported that Anti-Fascist groups were beginning to arm themselves for physical violence after taking a beat down in Berkeley.And while attacks have thus far been limited to protesters clashing on college campuses and speaking venues for Republicans, things have now taken a drastic turn.Hours ago, as supporters of...

Dressed in a military uniform with a gas mask covering his face, the figure, known as 'Le Loyon', is said to have been haunting the woods for the past decade. He apparently walks the same route every day. However, there was no evidence of his existence until local news website Le Matin published the first known photograph of the mystery man last month, and now police are trying to track him down. But is it for real? "He had a military cape, boots and an army gas mark - an antique type, I think. He measured more than 1.9m. He...

The rise of the lowly poncho From the poorest Indians to the President himself - this traditional garment fits all, writes Daniel Hannan You never forget your first poncho. I wore mine on Toribia, the sweetest-natured mare I have ever ridden, in a horse show near Lima. I was 11. Universal appeal: George W Bush dons a poncho in Chile Like everyone else, I accompanied it with a white shirt and trousers, a red neckerchief and a broad-brimmed straw-hat: standard uniform when riding a caballo de paso, that stately symbol of rural Peru. The great thing about the poncho is...