Free Republic

Baldwin County, Ala., fire chiefs fired a letter to BP and federal officials claiming that their departments were rebuffed in their efforts to help protect beaches and waterways from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The chiefs complained that a non-existent unified command stifled the county's 36 volunteer fire departments' ability to stave off shore-based oil slicks, said Gib Hixon, president of the Baldwin County Fire Chiefs Association. Hixon said such oil pollution would critically impact the county's river estuary system, which is a breeding ground for fish, shrimp, crabs, pelicans and ospreys. "It is a beautiful area," said Hixon, who...

'Stop messing with Texas!" That was the message Gov. Rick Perry bellowed on election night as he celebrated his victory over Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the GOP primary for governor. In his reference to the slogan, Perry was making a point applicable to national as well as Texas politics and addressed to Democratic politicians as well as Republicans. Read more at: NY Post.

Young lady I know is around twenty and wants to get a concealed carry permit. She knows the safety concepts and has been safely handling .22 rifles and other small arms for years. This would be her first handgun. In Texas, for a concealed carry permit, she must test with a caliber larger than .22. If she tests with a revolver, her carry permit is only good for a revolver. She is relatively small, so please no suggestions for .45s, .50 Desert Eagles, etc. (Like that ever stops anyone from suggesting them anyway ;o>).

It may be a little early to start this, but this is http://www.findagrave.com's annual list of notable people who have died during the current year(more info on each person at source link): Michael Jackson; musician, entertainer Patrick Swayze; actor, dancer Walter Cronkite; communist sympathizer (it doesn't say that on the site) Farrah Fawcett; actress Dom DeLuise; entertainer Edward Kennedy; US Senator and ... Paul Harvey; news commentator Beatrice Arthur; actress Ed McMahon; television personality Ricardo Montalban; actor Soupy Sales; comedian Karl Malden; actor David Carradine; actor Mary Travers; vocalist James Whitmore; actor Les Paul; musician Jim Owens; college football coach...

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library has launched iReagan, the official Ronald Reagan app for iPhone and iPod touch users. This FREE app, the first ever for a Presidential Library and for the National Archives, delivers Ronald Reagan right to your fingertips. Content includes: Full-length speeches including his famous Berlin Wall and "Evil Empire SpeechesIconic photos of President Reagan Stunning images and detailed descriptions of the Reagan Library's spectacular annual "Christmas Around the World" exhibit currently on display at the Library Inspirational quotes from "The Great Communicator"

I kicked up Google Earth to do some research and they had a notice that a new version was available. I've always liked Google Earth, but never really trusted the Google guys. Anyway, I downloaded it, and when I got ready to install it, a notice came up that said to continue using Google Earth I had to agree to their new terms of service, which includes allowing a Google updater to operate on my computer in the background. It said the updater would search my hard drive and update all Google products. I clicked on decline and dropped the...

Vanity request. On my photography site, I'm using a new album package that allows me to put music with the files. I'd like to use some Indy bands that would be willing to allow use of their music in exchange for a link back. The music needs to be of high quality. Most of my clients are young (high school and college), and cover a pretty broad range. Black, white, hispanic, country, alternative, rap, hip-hop, whatever. I can't use anything that has a lot of cursing, and nothing that's too sexually explicit. The site is http://stephencook.us. I've gotten about 90,000...

Please understand that this is not about what should be. It's my observation about what is happening. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and James Dobson have all come out not so much for Mitt Romney, but against John McCain. They’re placing a huge bet, and it will affect the Republican Party and conservatism for the next generation. I believe this is a watershed moment in party history, at least as important as the emergence of Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan realigned the political parties. He managed to create a coalition of the existing left/moderate Republican hierarchy (the country club Republicans)...

It doesn’t get much more serious than South Park. Not that the show is dull or somber. It simply has the most manic production schedule of any animated series on television — probably ever. “We work between 100 and 120 hours in a seven-day week to deliver the episodes,” says Frank Agnone, supervising producer at South Park Studios in Los Angeles. “We’re moving unbelievably fast right out of the gate.” Consider that an understatement. The South Park staff has been known to work around the clock — for nearly 24 hours — to turn out a show. And they don’t...

(February 23, 2007)— Oliver Tomlinson, 71, the father of San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson was killed in a traffic accident Friday afternoon at the intersection of FM 2643 and FM 434 near the town of Asa east of Waco. Tomlinson’s brother, Ronald C. McClain, 48, was injured in the crash

EULESS -- For at least one customer, Tom Bodett probably won't be leaving the light on. A thief took two cotton towels, two hand towels and an ashtray from a Motel 6 in the 100 block of Airport Freeway on Monday. A police report did not have the dollar loss in the theft. Bodett, the longtime spokesman for Motel 6, uses his trademark promise that "We'll leave the light on for you" to entice customers to the economy motels. But Bodett won't be losing sleep over the Euless theft.

I made a screwup, and need to contact a moderator. A guy signed up with the screen name Dr. Richard Kimball. I posted to him, asking him to pick another name, as there might be confusion as to which of us had posted. He was very nice, and did. After making two posts with his new screen name, his privileges were revoked. I think it was because of signing up with multiple screen names. I feel badly about it, because he seems like a nice guy, and I think I accidentally got him banned. Anyway, I didn't want to flag...

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There’s an old saying that if your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. I have a sinking suspicion that the solutions the government will propose for dealing with future Hurricane Katrinas will confirm the saying. I’ve been watching the coverage of Katrina, the accusations, the problems, the drownings, the recovery and everything else. Congress will have hearings, the hearings will result in modifications of our response plans, extra funding and ultimately, probably the same sad results next time around. A recent article confirms my fears. The government has funded another 2500 coordinators, and is concerned...

NDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush might not land with the Houston Texans after all. Texans general manager Charley Casserly said Sunday that the Texans have been talking to teams about possibly trading the first pick in the 2006 draft. It has been widely speculated that the Heisman Trophy winning running back out of Southern California would end up with the Texans because they recently gave quarterback David Carr a three-year contract extension.

Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams might miss another season ... and this time it apparently won't be his decision. According to a broadcast report in Miami, which was later confirmed by two sources in a story posted Sunday on the Miami Herald's Web site, the Dolphins running back will be suspended for at least the entire 2006 season after failing a drug test for the fourth time in his career.

SALT LAKE CITY — A soldier wounded in Afghanistan and the widow of his slain comrade were awarded a $102.6 million judgment from the estate of a suspected Al Qaeda financier. U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell said the lawsuit may be the first filed by an American soldier against terrorists under the Patriot Act. But Sgt. Layne Morris, of West Jordan, and the family of medic Christopher Speer, could have a difficult time collecting their award, because the assets of the suspected financier are unknown. Other soldiers have difficulty identifying their attackers, making it difficult to hold individuals responsible.

Kyocera Corporation (President: Yasuo Nishiguchi, hereafter called "Kyocera") has decided to terminate CONTAX-branded camera business. Although Carl Zeiss and Kyocera have entered into a long term co-operation regarding the development, production and sale of CONTAX-branded cameras, Kyocera has decided to terminate such business due to difficulties in catching up with the recent rapid market changes. Consequently, Kyocera will terminate the shipment of CONTAX-branded cameras, and the exclusive lenses and accessories in September, 2005, except for the CONTAX 645 camera system, the shipment of which to some markets will come to an end in December, 2005. Kyocera will continue to provide...

I sent a pretty scathing email to Doug Wead. To my surprise, he sent back an actual, personal, note. Here is the text of his message: I was wrong to tape the president without his permission.  wish I could live my life over and do things differently. Actually, I think the released tapes made him look good, that unlike other tape stories this was not about catching someone doing something wrong but catching someone doing something right. and the media just reacted knee jerk to the word "tapes."   Actually, started taping him in 1988 - with his permission -...

The Crawford Pirates (President Bush's) hometown team are still on a rampage in the Class 2A high school playoffs. This week, we played the Celina Bobcats. Most people figured we were dead meat. Celina has been the class of 2A for years. They had not lost a 2A game since October 16, 1998. Their record during this streak is recorded here, http://www.texashsfootball.com/news/perspectives/celina2a70.htm. On top of this, Celina spent the last two years in 3A, which is for schools above 400 students. Crawford is one of the smallest 2A schools in the state, with 192 students, five students above being a...