Free Republic

In honor of my self-proclaimed "Socialist Dictactor-Free Day" (may his Kenyan/Indonesian/Muslim name not be mentioned) I finally joined the NRA. Anybody with me?

The 1/28/13 edition of TIME hits a new low with the "Gunfighters" lead story. I refuse to read this anti-gun dribble, but I fanned the article and looked at the graphics. The usual idiotic crap. The graphic on page 28 mistakenly identifies an AR-15 magazine as a "clip". On page 32 a picture of an AK syle rifle is mistakenly identified as an AR-15. The stupidest thing I have EVER seen is on page 41. In bold letters in the middle of the page it states "There are 600-round magazines that sell for as low as $25.95." 600 round mags....

Boy do I love Texas. I went to a high school football game last Friday. In the second half, members of the band broke out four large flags and proudly waved them for the rest of the game. One was the US flag, the second was a Texas flag, the third was the yellow Gadsen flag (Don't Tread On Me), and the fourth was the black and white "Come And Take It" flag with the cannon on it. Got a lump in my throat, I did.

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM)- More than 65,000 people filled Cowboys Stadium to see one of the most polarizing figures in America: Glenn Beck. Thousands of Beck supporters traveled from various states to hear his message.

I am at the Beck rally. I would guess crowd is somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000. Just getting started!!!

I heard on the radio this afternoon Glen Beck is hosting a rally at Texas Stadium tomorrow and all the hotels in the area are sold out. Anyone going? I am surprised this is not getting more publicity.

I was in Houston, stuck in traffic behind a cab. The cab had a big sign on the back. The sign indicated slavery was alive and well in Houston and to report all instances of slavery to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It listed an 800 number. It went on to say this ad paid for by a federal grant. Huh? My taxes are paying for this crap? What is up with this?

Anyone out there read Art Robinson's new book entitled "Common Sense in 2012"? I received a draft copy in the mail and think it is very impressive. Any comments welcome.

<p>The death of a lobbyist in a Capitol Hill garage fire last month has been ruled accidental by the D.C. medical examiner's office.</p> <p>An autopsy also found that "acute alcohol intoxication" contributed to her death, the office said.</p>

Ashley Turton, a former Democratic aide whose death last month shocked friends and colleagues on Capitol Hill, was under the influence of alcohol when she crashed her car into the family garage early on the morning of Jan. 10, an autopsy found. According to a statement released Friday by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia, Turton died from the “inhalation of products of combustion and thermal burns” caused by a fire after her car crashed into the garage of the Turton’s Capitol Hill home. Turton, a mother of three, was also under the influence...

Elizabeth Ashley Westbrook Turton (Ashley), Congressional Staffer - Salary Data House Office of the Speaker 07/01/07 - 09/21/07 Special Assistant $ 28,246.51 House Office of the Speaker 04/01/07 - 06/30/07 Special Assistant $ 31,385.01 House Office of the Speaker 03/01/07 03/31/07 Special Assistant $ 10,325.42

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will work directly with D.C. Police to determine how 37-year-old Ashley Westbrook Turton's SUV became engulfed in flames in the garage of her home early Monday. ...the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has finished an autopsy on Turton. D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Chief of Staff Beverly Fields says more testing needs to be done to determine the cause and manner of death.

The number of people on food stamps keeps hitting new all-time highs; as of September, nearly 43 million people were using the program, according to figures out this week. Of course, because of population growth, absolute numbers only tell part of the story. The best way to look at the numbers over a long period of time is as a percentage of the population. And when you do that, you see that we're also hitting new highs.

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL If you go to this web site, http://www.letssaythanks.com/ You can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Come on Freepers - Our soldiers...

"Freshman Rep.-elect Kristi Noem, R, SD, hasn’t even been sworn into the 112th Congress, but she is already set to lead her fellow freshman representatives."

China’s continued rapid growth should make it the main driver of the global economy next year as the U.S. slows down, the Conference Board said in a report published Wednesday. In just two years, the Asian country could even overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy — at least by one economic measure, the research group said in its annual global outlook. China’s economy should grow by 9.6% in 2011 after expanding by 10% this year. By contrast, the U.S. economy is seen slowing to just 1.2% growth next year from 2.6% in 2010.

In the following voicemail recording, Holmes Norton seeks a campaign contribution from the lobbyist and even mentions that she hadn’t previously asked for a donation. Such is the pressure Speaker Pelosi has placed on the members. But, it is the content of Holmes Norton’s message that is interesting. (Note: the first few seconds of the recording, where the name of the lobbyist is said by Holmes Norton, have been redacted by the source.)

A man drove a pickup truck loaded with ammunition into a suburban Dallas police station's parking lot on Tuesday, set the truck on fire and exchanged gunfire with police before he was found dead at the scene, officials said.

MEXICO CITY (Dow Jones)--U.S. automobile giant General Motors Co. said Tuesday it plans to invest close to $500 million in its Ramos Arizpe plant in northern Mexico to produce a new line of engines as well as a new vehicle. Of that amount, the company is investing $284 million to manufacture eight-cylinder engines with spark-ignition direct-injection technology, known as SIDI, Grace Lieblein, chief executive of GM de Mexico, said at an event. "We estimate that these technologies allow for a 9% improvement in fuel efficiency from current engines," Lieblein said, adding that the investment will directly create 390 jobs in...

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, already one of Washington's largest lobbying groups, is gearing up to play a major role in this year's midterm elections on a scale to rival the nation's two main political parties. Modeled in part on Barack Obama's 2008 campaign juggernaut, the group has built a grass-roots operation known as "Friends of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce." It has a member list of 6 million names, aimed at lobbying on legislation and swaying voters to back preferred candidates, primarily Republicans, in crucial battleground areas, officials said. With an overall budget of $200 million -- twice what...