Free Republic

U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez joined local and state Republican political leaders in Ontario on Friday as part of an effort to build support among Latinos for Sen. John McCain's presidential bid. In his speech to about 100 people at Ontario's Doubletree Hotel, Gutierrez focused on broad economic issues and McCain's experiences as a prisoner of war and in Congress to make the case for why McCain is a better choice for president than Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. Gutierrez did not stick to Latino-specific themes but talked instead about McCain's proposals on taxes, trade and energy. He said McCain, R-Ariz.,...

EL PASO, Texas - A NASCAR race car, sponsored by the U.S. Border Patrol. Billboards hundreds of miles from the Rio Grande, promoting a career as a border agent. TV commercials for the federal agency, aired during Dallas Cowboys games. With the Border Patrol undergoing an unprecedented hiring boom, the agency is going to extraordinary lengths to compete with police departments around the country for an unusually small pool of qualified applicants. "We've not done anything this ambitious before," said Assistant Chief Michael Olsen. "Our biggest task, our biggest hurdle, is just getting our message out to parts of the...

WASHINGTON, April 14, 2006 – Officials at the Fisher House Foundation, administrator of Operation Hero Miles, have 123 million reasons to smile today. Jeff Ziegel from Metamora, Ill., addresses reporters at an April 13 news conference announcing that United Airlines has donated 123 million frequent flyer miles to Operation Hero Miles. Ziegel is the father of Marine Corps Cpl. Tyler Ziegel, who was wounded in Iraq. Also participating are (from left) Jim Weiskopf, of Fisher House Foundation; Gloria Berndl, managing director of Mileage Plus programs for United Airlines; and Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. Photo courtesy of state of...

BERLIN (Reuters) - Why has Osama bin Laden gone silent? While his lieutenant in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has not only stepped up the insurgency there but also claimed responsibility for three suicide bombs in Jordan this week, the al Qaeda leader has released no audio message since last December and has not been seen on video for over a year. Bin Laden's longest public silence since the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 is unlikely to be because he has suddenly gone shy, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld remarked ironically to German magazine Der Spiegel last...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 8, 2005) – “Canada stands with you – as friends and as family” said Canada’s Ambassador to the United States Frank McKenna, while his embassy staffers raised more than $20,000 for the Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Canadian Embassy held an all-day fundraiser for the hurricane victims Sept 7. The U.S. Army joined the Canadian Armed Forces at the embassy event. A color guard from the 3rd U.S. Infantry (the Old Guard) and a combo from the U.S. Army Band (Pershing’s Own) participated in the opening outdoor breakfast benefit. Other U.S....

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration Friday stepped up its call for tribes to negotiate their gambling agreements with the state after one tribe gave $10 million to a ballot initiative the governor wants to defeat. In his ongoing talks with tribes to share casino profits in exchange for expanded gambling rights, the governor last month struck new deals with five tribes. The Pala Band of Mission Indians, the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians, the United Auburn Indian Community, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians and the Pauma Band of Mission Indians will give the state a one-time...