Free Republic

Some people have told me that in South Dakota, there's an unspoken rule about so-called 'negative ads.' Instead, political negativity is doled out in the form of retribution by those in power or in whisper campaigns, conducted one whisper at a time. Obviously, Mike Round's record is fair game. The story we're reminding viewers of in my new TV commercial has been covered in the news.

Asking for opinions on the best budget tablet. Something big enough for me to work on -- i.e., be able to type easily and see the display without holding it six inches from my face. Not worried about communications -- as long as it's got WiFi built in (which I'm sure they all do), I can use my cellphone as a mobile hotspot to transfer/send files. This is intended to be a replacement for a working laptop/notebook. And again -- "budget" is the keyword. Thanks all!.

One of the nine bystanders hit by gunfire when police shot and killed Jeffrey Johnson near the Empire State Building last week says an inch probably made the difference between life and death for him. In his first television interview Tuesday, Alberto Ramos of the Bronx told NBC 4 New York he was shot through his left foot, and that a bullet also came close to hitting his head.

A 21-year-old woman has accused the bouncers at her local pub of discrimination after she was banned from dancing on the bar because she was told she was too fat. ABC News reports Jordan Ramos, a student at the University of Iowa, who describes herself as 'plus-sized', says she was with friends at Union Bar in Iowa City last month when she tried to climb onto the bar. Miss Ramos says she was told to get back on the floor because she 'was not pretty enough' and was 'obviously pregnant'. ABC reports the bouncer told Miss Ramos the bar was...

Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was abducted by gunmen Wednesday from his home in his native Venezuela. Ramos, 24, was taken away in an SUV by four armed men in Santa Ines in central Carabobo state, Kathe Vilera, spokeswoman for the catcher's Venezuelan League team, said through her official Twitter account. "This is sad, worrisome and true that Wilson Ramos has been kidnapped," she said. Ramos was playing winter ball with the Aragua Tigers. She said the rising Major League Baseball star was kidnapped at 6:45 p.m. local time (2315 GMT) and that police have been notified. Santa Ines lies...

Justice: Another border patrol agent faces prison after arresting an illegal alien smuggling drugs. When not being killed by guns funneled into Mexico by their own government, they are prosecuted for doing their job. In a case reminiscent of an earlier injustice against those protecting our borders, Border Patrol Agent Jesus E. "Chito" Diaz Jr. has been sentenced to two years in prison by U.S. District Judge Alia Moses Ludlum in San Antonio. The illegal alien he arrested for drug smuggling goes free. In November 2009, Diaz was named in a federal grand jury indictment after an October 2008 arrest...

A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been sentenced to two years in prison for improperly handling a teenager he had handcuffed the boy, a smuggling suspect. Prosecutors claimed agent Jesus “Chito” Diaz was responsible for the bruises sustained by a 15-year-old boy during an October 2008 arrest near the Ro Grande in Texas. Diaz, 31, was charged with depriving the teenager of his constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force when he lifted the boy improperly by his arms, and put his knee in his back. Diaz’s attorneys said that no injuries were sustained from a...

Bexar Co. Democrats remove Ramos as chairman over comments about gaysby KENS 5 staff Posted on May 4, 2011 at 9:00 AM Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Dan Ramos was removed from office after a vote of the party's executive committee Tuesday night. Ramos has been under fire for comments he made about gays in the county party. He had resisted calls from county party members to apologize for his remarks. That prompted party members to initiate a process that would lead to his ouster. He was found guilty of violations in an administrative trial in April. No replacement was...

County chair removal bill gets hearingLegislation would allow a state party committee to judge competency. By John W. Gonzalez Published 02:04 a.m., Tuesday, April 12, 2011 Legislation that would allow the forced removal of a county’s incompetent political party chairman drew mixed reviews Monday in Austin at the House Elections Committee. The measure by state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, would apply to either major party and drew support from both sides of the aisle, but it was left pending amid GOP concerns that it would nullify the will of voters who choose county chairs. Martinez Fisher didn’t mention...

More Democratic leaders condemn party chairVoices added to call for Ramos to resign. By John W. Gonzalez Updated 02:06 a.m., Friday, March 25, 2011 Twenty top leaders of the Bexar County Democratic Party are demanding the resignation of Chairman Dan Ramos because of his controversial comments about fellow partisans. **SNIP** “His hateful, bigoted comments have no place in the Democratic Party. ... We condemn and disavow the comments and opinions he expressed,” the open letter said. “Mr. Ramos has proven he does not support nor represent our party's ideas and, therefore, we call upon him to resign immediately,” it added....

Bexar Democrats' leader likens foes to insectsBy John W. Gonzalez Updated 10:39 p.m., Thursday, March 17, 2011 Calling his detractors worms, jerks, morons, idiots and liars, Bexar County Democratic Chairman Dan Ramos said Thursday that he'd resign “when hell freezes over” despite demands he quit immediately due to his harsh words about fellow Democrats. Denying allegations that he has disparaged gay party members and others, Ramos cast himself as an old friend of minorities. But he also compared gay Democrats to insects, called several local elected Democrats “yo-yos,” and found a common denominator among the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus, the...

Demands Grow For Resignation Of Bexar County Democratic ChairPublished Statements By Dan Ramos 'Stunned' Party Leaders Jessie Degollado, KSAT 12 News Reporter POSTED: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 SAN ANTONIO -- A spokeswoman for the Bexar County Democratic Party said its chairman, Dan Ramos, will be holding a news conference on Thursday morning after his published statements in the San Antonio Current and increasing demands for resignation. Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie, members of the Bexar County Democratic Party Executive Committee and the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus have called for Ramos to step down. In their statement, the executive committee...

Bexar County Democratic leader accused of bigotryReported by: Melissa Garcia Published: 3/15 5:48 pm SAN ANTONIO -- Bexar County Democratic Chair Dan Ramos is in hot water after comments referring to gays, blacks, whites, and Jews outraged the community. The Texas Democratic Party Chairman, Boyd Richie, asked Ramos to resign. Richie accused Ramos of bigotry and creating chaos since his election a year ago. On Friday, Ramos was quoted in the San Antonio Current. "He called Stonewall Democrats Nazi termites that have wormed their way into the party hierarchy," explained Dee Villarrubia, an openly gay Bexar County Democratic Deputy Chair...

Democratic leader ignores resignation demandBy John W. Gonzalez Published 05:15 p.m., Monday, March 14, 2011 The head of the Texas Democratic Party is demanding the resignation of Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Dan Ramos, accusing him of bigotry and creating chaos since his election a year ago. Citing complaints from local partisans, state Chairman Boyd Richie said Ramos should step aside so the party can “move forward with new, more unifying leadership.” Richie rescinded a request to meet with Ramos, saying that would not be useful. Richie issued his statement Saturday, the day after a news blog posted comments by...

NOGALES, Ariz. - Teams of border officers combed through the Arizona desert about 10 miles north of Mexico on Thursday in search of the lone outstanding suspect in the fatal shooting of a Border Patrol agent. They were on horseback and all-terrain vehicles searching rugged, hard-to-reach spots in a mountainous area just north of Nogales in southeastern Arizona. Officers in patrol cars were searching the perimeter. The suspect could be in Mexico, or could have tried his luck in Nogales or a nearby town, but he also could be hiding behind the next bush. ...authorities have four suspects in custody...

Mexico is demanding answers from Washington over the fatal shooting of a teenager by a U.S. border patrol agent and has sent a formal complaint over the incident, Mexico's foreign minister said. At a wake on Wednesday, grieving relatives wept over the body of Sergio Hernandez, shot on the Mexican side of the border in the frontier city of Ciudad Juarez as he and other youths were running from U.S. border patrol agents.

Former Border Patrol Agent Ignacio Ramos says new evidence has surfaced since he went to prison over the 2005 shooting of a Mexican drug smuggler and he wants a retrial. "I know I'm rolling the dice," said Ramos, adding that a new trial could result in additional charges. Ramos said his attorney would file the documents within two months. He offered no details on any new evidence, the Houston Chronicle reported Monday. Ramos and another convicted former agent, Jose Compean, were freed Feb. 17, 2008, weeks after then-President George W. Bush commuted their sentences. Ramos returned to El Paso for...

Last Christmas, Ignacio Ramos was in a cramped cell at a federal penitentiary in Arizona, listening to Christmas songs on a small radio and wondering what his wife and children were doing. A lot has changed in a year for the former Border Patrol agent, who became a cause célebre among conservative lawmakers after jurors handed him an 11-year sentence in 2006 for shooting a Mexican drug smuggler near El Paso. In January, George W. Bush commuted his sentence during his last full day in office. Ramos then moved his family from El Paso to Houston, where he began the...

Friday Night Dinner Meeting October 2, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. Featuring: Former Border Patrol Agent Ignacio Ramos with his father-in-law Joe Loya & San Diego Radio Talk Show Host Rick Amato (KCBQ 1170 AM) Location: Temeku Hills Clubhouse (www.temekuhills.com) 41687 Temeku Drive, Temecula, CA 92591 RSVP at the link provided.