Free Republic

Three Texas residents allegedly blew fentanyl smoke into the face of a 19-day-old baby to “pacify her cries,” police said. Police in Abilene stopped Robert Lee Mason Jr., Jennifer Trevino, Aracely Daniella Rocha and the newborn in a vehicle Jan. 25 in front of Frontier Inn & Suites, where they were staying, KVII reported. Deputies with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office discovered fentanyl in the vehicle, including in the baby’s diaper bag, according to the outlet. When they searched the suspects’ hotel room, they were overcome by a cloud of smoke and had to don breathing masks to enter.

---SNIP--- On Jan. 30, the AG's Office said, the mailman had parked his mail truck on Harding Avenue in Morton to deliver mail to homes in the area. That's when the driver of a Nissan vehicle pulled up and stopped directly in front of the mail truck. As the mailman got out of his vehicle, the Nissan driver complained that the mailman was blocking the road and yelled, "This is my hood," authorities said. Later, as the mailman tried to walk by, one of the occupants in the Nissan slapped a piece of mail from the carrier's hand, the AG's...

The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday morning that it has named one of its new ships after Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta, a San Diego native who died a hero in Iraq in 2004. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced the move, saying a new guided-missile destroyer will be named the USS Rafael Peralta. A Pentagon statement said Mabus named that ship and two other new destroyers after Navy and Marine Corps heroes whose actions occurred during different conflicts but "were united in their uncommon valor." Peralta was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross after using his body to shield fellow Marines from an...

President Obama is throwing billions of dollars at a federal education program with an unproven record of success. And for educational programs with a proven track record, such as Upward Bound, funded by the Department of Education’s TRIO program, he is cutting funding. Upward Bound is a successful pre-college access program that was established in 1967 and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The program recruits and provides educational, social and cultural services to potential first-generation college students.

1/3/2008 - BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- Three Airmen deployed here from the 110th Fighter Wing at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Mich., received a welcome holiday message recently. Staff Sergeants Bryce Moore, Kevin Rynbrandt and James Liston received word on Dec. 21 that they all were selected for pilot training. "Our supervisor must have been pretty confident we would get accepted," Sergeant Rynbrandt said. "He purchased cigars ahead of time to celebrate." For the three selectees, it was the culmination of nearly three years of preparation. "I starting working on my package in college, and decided toward the...

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2006 – Inspired by a severely injured veteran of the war in Iraq, three men set out on a nearly 1,600-mile motorcycle ride today that will raise awareness and money to help injured servicemembers. Bob Loy (left), Joe Kurnos (center), and Tom Donegan get ready to hit the road on a nearly 1,600-mile trek May 15. The journey, meant to raise awareness of servicemembers' sacrifices as well as money for the troop support organization Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, will take the trio from Fairfax, Va., to San Antonio in five days. Photo by Samantha L....

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2005 – A Dallas-based band has looked to the Civil War to honor today's servicemembers fighting in the global war on terrorism. TrueHeart, an adult contemporary/urban folk band, was invited to perform at a Christmas benefit for a local hospital last year. But the band's trio of siblings disagreed on what carols to play. Ross Vick said that he and his brother, Patrick, and sister, Karen Vick Cavazos, couldn't settle on what Christmas songs to play. So he wrote three songs, including a new arrangement of the 19th century hymn, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."...

Stepping up his attack on the state bureaucracy, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday he wants to use his budget plan to "starve the public sector" without raising taxes "because we don't want to feed the monster." In an hourlong interview with The Bee editorial board, Schwarzenegger also called a trio of Democratic constitutional officers "the Three Stooges" for criticizing his budget approach, and said legislative Democrats are focused on the "wrong things." The spending controls he has proposed and his aversion to new taxes, he added, are "not locked into eternity." "Right now, we need drastic measures," Schwarzenegger said. "We...

Interesting Trio.

When Will Iraq Go Pop? by Jason Gay They now have Americans troops patrolling their neighborhoods, American-supplied radio on their airwaves, and pretty soon they’ll have Tom Brokaw, too, stentorially rhapsodizing on their rabbit-eared televisions. But is Iraq ready for Seinfeld? The American media campaign in Iraq is well underway, of course, even without Jerry. It began with psychological-warfare radio messages urging Iraqi soldiers to lay down their weapons and surrender. After Baghdad fell, a specially outfitted military aircraft continued to fly over the region, broadcasting public-service announcements and reassuring, look-into-your-eyeballs addresses from President George W. Bush and British Prime...