Free Republic

BNP Petroleum given rights to erect well on Padre Island National Seashore SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A Coastal Bend energy company can begin drilling what will become the eighth natural gas well on Padre Island National Seashore, federal officials say. The National Park Service hopes to minimize the effect on visitors and the environment by limiting to 20 the number of total round trips that trucks from Corpus Christi-based BNP Petroleum can travel on the otherwise undeveloped barrier island, Darrell Echols, chief of science and resources management division at the national park, said Thursday. A national environmental group blamed President...

EL CAMPO - Of all the honors bestowed upon U.S. Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez of El Campo, his children said the naming of a U.S. Navy supply ship after him is by far the most appropriate and the one that would have given their father the most satisfaction. Currently on its maiden voyage, the USNS Benavidez is carrying supplies to Iraq to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. It sailed from the port of Beaumont on Dec. 17 carrying 13,574 tons of equipment and supplies, including tanks and Humvees. "It is ironic, I guess, that the U.S. Navy...

Adopt-A-Soldier for the holidays Please fill in the form with the requested information and we will mail you your soldier's info so that you may write to him/her. This is being done for security reasons. We do not email soldier's addresses.    Thank you, Frankie Mayo Your Name _________________ Street Address ______________      City _______________________   State ______________________    Zip code ___________________   Phone _____________________   Email ______________________ Adopt-A-Soldier For The Holidays

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO!!! See the video clip of the tiger attack on Roy Horn. Click Here Roy was attacked by his white tiger. See the picture of the tiger that mauled Roy. Click Here Casino owner Steve Wynn told Las Vegas television station KLAS-TV Wednesday that Montecore, the tiger who critically injured Roy Horn during a Siegfried & Roy performance last Friday, had been distracted by a woman in the audience with big hair. Click Here See the picture of a big haired women found in the audience. Click Here

Answer the following questions honestly! Q: Yes or No: Did you vote for Al Gore in the last election? Q: Yes or No: Have you ever had voluntary sexual relations with a person of the same sex? Q: Yes or No: Do you support gun control legislation? Q: Yes or No: Do you find yourself ever wishing Phil Donahue's show were still on the air? Q: Yes or No: When you think of President Bill Clinton, do you smile? Q: Yes or No: Envisioning a President Hillary, do you get all happy inside? Q: Yes or No: Are you relieved...

The ORIGINAL Internet Political Quiz Take the Quiz now and find out where you fit on the political map!

On Saturday, February 22, the Lightning will sponsor a pro-America rally at the Alamo, 1PM. It is NOT a pro or anti war rally. Nobody sane would relish a war. It is a nasty business. But sometimes it is necessary to avoid a greater evil. That decision will come in due course. We think it important simply to tell our troops and our President that we will support them, whatever road unfolds in front of us. That message appears to be lost in the flurry of anti-American demonstrations that are so prominently displayed in the media. If you would like...

Military equipment covering the land next to the port isn*t coming from just Fort Hood anymore, a two-star general said. There is more to come from outside Texas. Ten forts equipment eventually will be sent overseas to support the 4th Infantry Division, said Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno, commanding general of the division. Odierno visited the Port of Corpus Christi briefly Thursday. Although the division is headquartered in Killeen, tanks, artillery and other equipment will come from bases across the country to support Task Force Iron Horse, an Army operation that will send troops overseas. Also, the original estimate of 12,500...

Last-Ditch Attempt to Save Leadership Job Embattled Senator Trent Lott (R-Miss.) stood in front of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. today with a "KICK ME" sign attached to his trousers and invited passers-by to take their turns kicking him in the ass. Senator Lott's wearing of the "KICK ME" sign represents a significant upping of the ante in his ongoing campaign to show contrition for the unfortunate remarks he made at Senator Strom Thurmond's recent one hundredth birthday party. By inviting members of the public to kick his ass, Senator Lott may be setting an historic precedent in American...

Three ballot counters have been dismissed from the Bexar County recount process as charges of cheating and intimidation rocked the 10th day of the tense ballot review. Bexar County Elections Administrator Cliff Borofsky confirmed today that a ballot-counting team of three people has been dismissed from the recount process after officials confirmed there were "irregularities" in the ballot tallies from several precincts. Borofsky said a review of one box of ballots determined that 10 votes were tallied for the Democratic candidates that should have been tallied for the Republican candidates. District Clerk Reagan Greer, district judge candidate Jeff Mulliner and...

REFUGIO - A Refugio County jury Friday sentenced a 33-year-old Woodsboro man to 75 years in prison for striking a peace officer. Robert Lee Ortega was sentenced after the jury found him guilty of striking Woodsboro police officer Doug Carter. The officer testified that Ortega used his hand to strike him in the chest and twice in the face. The assault came when Carter attempted to arrest Ortega after his car sped away during a traffic stop in Woodsboro. Terry Breen, the prosecuting district attorney, said the penalty for assault of a public servant is normally a third degree felony...

<p>The U.S. economy, knocked down by last year's recession and terror attacks, surged in the first quarter at the fastest pace in more than two years as consumers spent solidly and a year-long trend of sharp business cutbacks tapered off, the Commerce Department reported Friday.</p>

In the wake of shock and anger following Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt pressed his military planners for a strike against Tokyo. Intended as revenge for Pearl Harbor, and an act of defiance in the face of a triumphant Japanese military, such a raid presented acute problems in execution. No working Allied air base was close enough to Japan. A carrier would have to approach within three hundred miles of the home islands for its planes to reach. Sending surface ships so close to Japan at that time would practically assure their destruction, if not from Japan's own surface forces, then...

KENEDY -- Kenedy school district Superintendent Joe N. Garza was arrested Thursday after a Karnes County grand jury indicted him on five charges in connection with misapplication of the district's property for his own use. On Wednesday, the grand jury indicted Garza on two charges of tampering with a government record and three counts of aggravated perjury. All five charges are third degree felonies, each punishable upon conviction by two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, said Karnes County District Attorney Lynn Ellison. Following his arrest Thursday by Karnes County Sheriff's officials, Garza was free...

SUMMARY: The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Friday that transsexual J'Noel Gardiner is legally male, and was never married by law to her late husband. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Friday that 44-year-old transsexual J'Noel Gardiner is legally male, and was never married by law to her late husband, Marshall Gardiner. The decision means that Marshall Gardiner's $2.5 million estate will go to his son, Joe. J'Noel Gardiner, a professor at Park University in Missouri, had sex reassignment surgery in 1994 and married her husband in the fall of 1998. Marshall Gardiner, who was 85 at the time of the marriage,...

Al-Fuqra tied to Colorado crimes Leader owned land in Buena Vista; followers convicted in bombing of Krishna temple By Charlie Brennan, News Staff Writer The radical Islamic leader linked to the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl has been tied to a wide range of illegal activity throughout Colorado. Through a broad-based investigation launched in 1989, Colorado authorities convicted four members of the al-Fuqra movement on a series of felonies including racketeering, forgery, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and the 1984 firebombing of a Hare Krishna temple in Denver. Those who helped lead those investigations said the Pakistani-based ...

He went in for routine surgery. But when David Autrey woke up, instead of being on the road to recovery, he was destined for death. Now, a TroubleShooter investigation raises new questions about the safety of our blood supply. "I'm just an old cowboy," says Autrey. "It's all I've ever known." For half a century, Autrey lived the part. A descendant of the legendary Gene Autry, he led trail rides for children. He raised a family, and looked forward to watching his 11 grandchildren learn to ride. "I did everything. I could do everything," said Autrey of his past. But ...

<p>WASHINGTON -- As members of Congress turn in their annual financial disclosure reports this week, big questions loom, including whether the recent crop of rich senators is a harbinger of more wealthy candidates.</p> <p>Others wonder whether the past year's stock market decline has hit the bottom line of enough members of Congress to raise serious doubts about President Bush's plans to allow workers to put part of their Social Security taxes in private investments.</p>

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence jumped for a second straight month in January, a research group said on Tuesday, as Americans saw better prospects for jobs and business, supporting expectations that resilient consumer spending will bolster an economic recovery. A separate U.S. Commerce Department report showing orders for big-ticket manufactured goods rose by 2.0 percent to $176.4 billion in December after a sharp 6.0 percent decline offered hope that the nation's factories will soon recover and help lift the economy from recession. The Conference Board, a New York-based research group, said its closely watched index of consumer confidence ...

WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - A key forecasting gauge for the U.S. economy rose 1.2 percent in December, its largest gain in almost six years, a private research firm said on Tuesday, suggesting the economy could recover in the months ahead. The Conference Board reported that the U.S. index of leading economic indicators rose 1.2 percent in December after an increase of 0.8 percent in November. The December rise was the largest since February 1996, the board said. The December rise exceeded expectations of Wall Street economists who had forecast the index to grow by 0.8 percent, as the economy ...