Free Republic

Pittsburgh was treated to an impressive show the week of the recent G20 conference. A nice assortment of military choppers of various types and missions, along with odder aircraft difficult both to identify and explain. Both police and the National Guard were out in force, with downtown nearly sealed off. None of this hardware was used against the "3,000 - 4,000" (more like a few hundred) anarchist demonstrators when they turned their righteous wrath on a dozen Starbucks and a Whole Foods store. No serious confrontation was expected and none occurred. Because all of it - the Guard troops, the...

DALLAS – A 19-year-old Italy resident was arrested by federal authorities after he attempted to blow up a prominent downtown Dallas skyscraper last Thursday. Italy, a town of 2,000 located south of Waxahachie, was home to the Jordanian born Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, who worked at a Shell gas station on Interstate Highway 35 and lived in a Monolithic dome house in town. Smadi was arrested in a sting operation when the phony bombs the Federal Bureau of Investigations provided to him to detonate failed to go off. FBI agents, in widely reported news accounts, monitored Smadi for several months...

AJLOUN, Jordan – Hosam Maher Husein Smadi cradled his mother, weeping. Just 16 years old, the eldest of four children, he had dreaded this moment. During his mother’s 18-month fight with cancer, he had kept vigil by her bed. Now it was time to let her go. Along with his brother, Husein, and several loved ones, he gripped his mother’s cloth-wrapped body. They began to lower her into the freshly dug 3-foot-deep grave. Suddenly, he froze. Please, he implored of his uncle, a doctor. Check her pulse. Maybe she is still alive.

In an age when smoking has been outlawed in most public places – government buildings, bars and pool halls – a person's home is one of the few places you can puff in peace. Until now. A Dallas woman has filed a lawsuit seeking six figures from a former neighbor and landlord for damage she says was caused by cigarette smoke wafting through adjoining walls of her high-end townhome.

Younger Americans just starting out in their careers have always been willing to relocate, but with unemployment high and jobs hard to come by, this mobile generation has become more cautious about making just any move. As a result, cities with staying power and emerging industries may benefit the most once the recession lifts. Leading the list and sharing the number one spot are Washington D.C and Seattle. They're cities with long histories of government jobs and related industries. A Wall Street Journal panel ranked the cities based on job possibilities, affordability and quality of life. One big change, panelists...

Health officials have confirmed that a fifth person, a 16-year-old, has died from the swine flu in Dallas County. WFAA-TV reported that the teen was a student at Berkner High School in Richardson. A Richardson school district spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment this morning.

Dallas' lingerie football team smashes Denver in opener The Denver Dream loses to Dallas Desire 20-6 in Dallas Desire's season opener on Friday at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie. The teams are part of the Lingerie Football League.

A 19-year-old Jordanian citizen accused of trying to blow up a downtown Dallas skyscraper told a federal magistrate this morning at his first court appearance that he understands the charges against him. Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, who was provided a court-appointed attorney, is charged with trying to detonate a weapon of mass destruction. He is expected to enter a plea at a later hearing. Smadi was arrested Thursday after he parked a vehicle laden with government-supplied fake explosives in the underground parking garage of Fountain Place, a 60-story tower at Ross Avenue at Field Street, authorities said. [Hosam Maher Husein...

Terror Plot Targeting Dallas, Texas Skyscraper Foiled By FBI Well, if anyone still has any doubt that our borders aren't well protected, this should send a clear and decisive message that we need action NOW! The FBI reported that James T. Jacks, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, and Robert E. Casey, Jr., Special Agent in Charge for the Dallas Office of the FBI, announced today that Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, 19, has been arrested and charged in a federal criminal complaint with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Smadi, who was under continuous surveillance...

DALLAS - Dallas FBI agents arrested a Jordanian citizen Thursday afternoon for attempting to bomb a skyscraper in Downtown Dallas. According to the bureau, 19-year-old Mosam Maher Husein Smadi was arrested and charged for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Smadi had been under continuous FBI surveillance and was arrested after he allegedly placed and tried to detonate an inactive car bomb near Fountain Place, a 60-story glass office tower located at 1445 Ross Avenue, the FBI said.

Federal authorities arrested a 19-year-old Jordanian citizen whom they said placed an inactive car bomb today at Fountain Place, a 60-story skyscraper in downtown Dallas.DMN File Fountain Place at 1445 Ross Avenue Hosam Maher Husein Smadi has repeatedly voiced his intent to serve Osama bin Laden and al-Qa’ida and commit “violent Jihad,” authorities said in a prepared statement. “Today’s arrest of Hosam Maher Husein Smadi underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to bring to justice persons who attempt to bring harm to citizens of this country and significant danger to this community,” special FBI agent in charge Robert E. Casey, Jr....

Channel 33 news is reporting that a suspected terrorist has been arrested along with an "inert" car bomb in downtown Dallas. The is a Muslim jihadi. Details as I find them.

The FBI says it arrested a Jordanian citizen for trying to bomb a Dallas skyscraper. As we were first to report here on CBS11TV.com, 19-year-old Hosam Maher Husein Smadi was arrested earlier today. The FBI says agents arrested Smadi today after he placed what he thought was a bomb at the base of Fountain Place, a 60-story skyscraper located at 1445 Ross Avenue in downtown Dallas. The FBI says undercover agents found out about Smadi's intent to commit violent attacks in Dallas. Undercover agents met with Smadi several times, they say. During one of those meetings, agents say Smadi decided...

Calling Texas Freepers! My husband and I lived in the Wichita Falls area several years ago (he was stationed at Sheppard AFB) and we absolutely fell in love with Texas. Since then, he has gotten out of the Army, had a great job, and gotten laid off. Now, 6 months and a whole lot of job searching later, he has 2 job opportunities in Texas. One in Dallas, the other in Houston. Both are excellent job opportunities with very similar salary packages. I have never been to Houston, and only into Dallas for the airport and Nascar track so really...

Four city health clinics in this fast-growing city are on the chopping block. So are some street-maintenance efforts, printed pay stubs and as many as 840 city paychecks -- including two for the guys who muck out mounted-police horse stalls. This North Texas city is struggling to close a $190 million gap in its $2.7 billion budget, joining major metropolises across the country that are reeling from the recession's impact on their tax revenue after years of expanding spending.

Just allowed to return to my desk, but haven't been able to find anything on the net yet about this. They sounded the ALL CLEAR about 30 minutes ago. Apparently someone left a suitcase on the sidewalk at the old Federal Reserve Building, and then called it in to DPD.

The Super Bowl XLV effort has been a celebrity draw, attracting everyone from football legends (Roger Staubach) to business legends (T. Boone Pickens). Now, the host committee has landed its biggest names yet: former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush. They will be co-chairs of an educational, community service and art project that's being described as the largest of its kind in the country aimed at elementary school children.

Woo hoo!! The Tea Party Express has a busy schedule today: 11:00 AM – Rally in Dallas, TX – Cape Buffalo Grille, 17717 Addison Rd, Dallas, TX 75287 2:45 PM – The Whistle Stop – Mile Marker 143; 1 hour and 45 minutes east of Dallas, TX; 170 miles east on Interstate 30; 4 miles west of Mt. Vernon, Franklin County, TX 6:00 PM – Rally in Little Rock, AR – State Capitol (North Grounds Near Liberty Bell) Woodlane & Capitol Ave, Little Rock, AR 72201 10:00 PM – Rally in Memphis, TN – Draper’s Catering (Parking Lot) 6116 Macon...

Dallas, Texas is our 13th stop on the Tea Party Express national bus tour. Date/Time: Friday, September 4th at 11:00am Rally Location: Cape Buffalo Grille 17717 Addison Road Dallas, TX 75287 Resources: Tea Party Express - Dallas Rally Flyer

Woo hoo!! The Tea Party Express to rally today in San Antonio and Waco!! We have a Tea Party in San Antonio at 11:00 am this morning at the Alamo and another at 5:00 pm in Waco!! Then it's all aboard for Dallas!! Woo hoo!! Thirty-five cities, thirty-five tea parties in sixteen days!! Be sure to check the tour schedule and join us when we get to a city near you: TeaPartyExpress.org!! And if you are going to DC for the big March on Washington and National Tea Party on 9/12, you won't want to miss our National Freeper Convention!!...

The Cowboys and Tony Romo came out gunning in the first quarter. Mixing up running and passing plays, they made their way down field almost at will. The 49er defense had no answers for the dominating play of the offensive line. That was the key for Romo and company throughout the entire first half. On a few pass plays Romo dropped back and took some long looks before he decided where to execute. On one play Austin was so wide open for so long it looked like the defense did'nt even know he was there untill he made a sliding...

Here is a video report from Dallas on what appears to be a "cat butcher" on the loose. Four cats have been found killed and sliced apart in front yards in a neighborhood area of Dallas. At first, people thought it might be the work of animals, but now stab wounds have been detected and police believe someone is going after cats. . . . . (Watch Video)

DALLAS -- Mexican authorities are investigating allegations of corruption and improper behavior at the Mexican consulate here, triggering calls from political leaders on both sides of the border for an ethics review at Mexico's consular offices in the U.S. The head of Mexico's Foreign Affairs Ministry, which oversees all diplomatic outposts abroad, said Mexican authorities are probing the Dallas consulate in connection with irregularities in the collection of passport fees. Enrique Hubbard, the Dallas consul general, said he launched an investigation after he discovered irregularities in the collection of passport fees, but declined to provide details. Senior diplomats familiar with...

As far as divorces go, Dr. Susan Diamond's divorce beginning in February of 1999 with her husband, Rick San Soucie, got rather nasty. Diamond was (and continues to be) a successful doctor specializing in patients with the HIV virus. San Soucie found his own financial success in business. Beyond that, Diamond already had four children with San Soucie and a fifth on the way when the divorce started.

DALLAS - An investigation has been launched into a passport scheme involving the Mexican consul in Dallas. Mexico's foreign minister has reassigned Consul General Enrique Hubbard while the investigation continues. While working at the Dallas Mexican consulate, Hubbard allegedly allowed staff members to personally profit from selling passport-size photos and permitted employees to skim money from passport fees. The irregularities in the fees charged were detected by internal controls.

Pete Sessions Irving Town Hall Meeting WEDNESDAY(98 Attending) Wednesday, August 19 at 5:00 pm Ends : Wednesday, August 19 at 8:30 pm Location: Ranchview High School Address: 8401 Valley Ranch Pkwy, Irving, Texas 75063 Map it PLEASE NOTE: The venue for this event has changed, and we've received word that MoveOn.org is specifically targeting this event. Knowing that we have the majority on our side, MoveOn.org and their allies in ACORN and OFA have adopted a NEW TACTIC : show up extra-early and invite the news cameras to show up early. They hope to generate news footage of lots of...

A question for DFW-area residents......do DART police have the authority to issue traffic tickets in areas not under the oversight of DART? About DART Police I was coming in to work this morning on I75, driving in the regular lane, not the DART-patrolled HOV lane. I passed a car while I was driving about 75mph when I noticed the car was a DART police car. He chirped at me, so I slowed down, and it was cool. But not 30 seconds later a mini-van shot past both of us, going probably 85mph. The police car immediately turned on the rollers...

They passed their TAKS exit exams and collected their high school diplomas – yet a troubling number of Texas students struggle their first year in college. At some North Texas high schools, half or more of graduates who go to college earn less than a C average their first year, based on a Dallas Morning News analysis of state data. < snip > ...Some changes ahead: The state will replace TAKS tests with more rigorous end-of-course exams starting with freshmen in 2011-12. Students also now need four years of math and science to graduate, which means they can't blow off...

IBD Exclusive Series: Government-Run Healthcare: A Prescription For Failure Discourse: At a town hall last week in Dallas, an elderly "mob" with "manufactured" outrage questioned AARP's support for nationalized health care, asking: "Do you work for us or do we work for you?"There were no swastika-wearing grannies at Tuesday's meeting, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi might claim. Nor were they "taking their cues from talk show hosts, Internet rumor-mongers . . . and insurance rackets," as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said. But they were mad as hell at the perception that AARP was selling them out in the...

A 12-year-old girl was arrested on aggravated sexual assault charges Sunday, accused of coercing four younger children to perform sex acts on one another. Dallas police say she told the children – two girls 5 and 7, and two boys 4 and 5 – that she would shut them in a closet Saturday afternoon if they didn't do as she said.

Lawyer Leads Local Fight Against Illegal Immigration JULIA PRESTON July 20, 2009 DALLAS — On a recent morning, Kris W. Kobach, a conservative law professor, rushed late into a federal courtroom here with his suit slightly rumpled and little more than a laptop under his arm. His mission was to persuade the judge to uphold an ordinance adopted by a Dallas suburb that would bar landlords from renting housing to illegal immigrants. Kris Kobach outside the Dallas courthouse, where he argued that an ordinance barring landlords from renting to illegal immigrants should be upheld. A team of lawyers from a...

Here is a video report about a shocking story out of Dallas, where three children have been rescued from a home, where police say they were being starved in a locked bathroom. The children were finally rescued when the mother called police saying she was afraid of her husband, the children's step-father. But when police saw the children, they were taken to a children's advocacy center and examined by a doctor, who said they were "severely emaciated," and that their nutritional status was "life threatening." They have since been treated at a hospital and are now in foster care. Both...

Heads up for Dallas Freepers...Small road side protest going on in Dallas on North West HWY in front of the North Park Mall (North Park Center) against 0buma Healthcare.....Drive by and join or just give a honk and a wave.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - A day after a warrant was issued stemming from his $822,500 in gambling debts, Antoine Walker was arrested in Harrah's Casino in South Lake Tahoe, Nev., on Wednesday night. Walker was led out of the building in handcuffs, and is in Douglas County Jail with bail set at $87,000. Walker is accused of three felony counts of writing bad checks. County prosecutors say he failed to make good on 10 checks totaling $1 million written to Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and the Red Rock Resort Walker’s lawyer in Las Vegas, Jonathan Powell, didn’t immediately respond...

<p>Dallas has scaled back some of the police protection it was providing at the home of former President George W. Bush — a cut some said was due to financial constraints.</p> <p>The city has been struggling with a $190 million budget deficit.</p>

Local newsy sings off late night anchor duty in tearful "goodbye;" professes love for fellow anchor. It's a demotion in cost cutting move, but he tries to put a happy face on it. Oh, and he'll still work with her on the 6pm broadcast daily, so how self-indulgent is this? Here's the vid and you'll need to catch the last 60 seconds or so for the really cheesy stuff. Not for weak stomachs.

Dan Probst, a retired restaurateur who raises chickens in Hunt County, says his urban sales have risen fivefold since last year. Hens typically cost between $15 and $40. At their peak, they can lay an egg a day. "Explosive growth," he said. A pastime once limited to the occasional overachieving gardener, backyard chicken farming has caught fire among suburbanites craving a slice of the countryside and the promise of fresh eggs. Not all are enamored of the trend, which some view as but an eco-friendly fad. Concerns about noise, odors and sanitation abound. (Supporters say those worries are unfounded.) And...

Unfortunately I am unable to attend this event at Southfork Ranch (yes, JR Ewing's place!) due to the high temps (100 degrees at this moment 4:45 pm) but Breitbart has provided live video stream of the events there.

ust as many North Texans are flying U.S. flags in anticipation of the Fourth of July, vandals are torching them in a far North Dallas neighborhood. A far North Dallas man says all that remains of his flags is a pile of charred fabric. A pile of charred fabric is all that remains of the two flags that once flew outside Ed Jordan's house in a quaint cul-de-sac off Spring Valley and Preston roads. "I think this border might have been the American flag," Jordan said as he sifted through the scorched remains. On Friday, he hung a flag honoring...

The prosecution in the corruption trial of former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill and others gave jurors a tantalizing glimpse of what authorities called a web of intrigue in which black leaders solicited bribes from white developers because, they said, it was time for those developers to pay. “The game has done changed,” defendant Darren Reagan is heard saying on an audio tape played during opening statements by the prosecution. Defense opening statements were taking place this afternoon. In a surprising development, Hill's attorney, Ray Jackson, said his client would take the stand during the trial. Prosecutors say Reagan...

The prosecution in the corruption trial of former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill and others gave jurors a tantalizing glimpse of what authorities called a web of intrigue in which black leaders solicited bribes from white developers because, they said, it was time for those developers to pay. “The game has done changed,” defendant Darren Reagan is heard saying on an audio tape played during opening statements by the prosecution. Defense opening statements were taking place this afternoon. In a surprising development, Hill's attorney, Ray Jackson, said his client would take the stand during the trial. Prosecutors say Reagan...

Video at link.. Civilian employees with the City of Dallas are worried about impending layoffs and they are asking the city council to look for other ways to cut the city's budget. In all, nearly 800 could lose their jobs, effective October 1st. Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm's current budget proposal doesn't include laying off any sworn personnel - such as police officers and firefighter/paramedics.

Just reported. No link yet. My son told me a friend of his was at Love Field when it happened and a security person told him that they had found explosives. There were police everywhere according to my son's friend and the airport traffic was shut down. The news is reporting that a security dog hit on an unattended package but the authorities are not releasing any info yet on whether or not is was explosives.

Gil Brandt selects his All-’60s Dallas Cowboys Team By RAY BUCK rbuck@star-telegram.com -SNIP- Brandt’s All-’60s Cowboys Team — that is, pre-Super Bowl appearance No. 1 — won’t surprise you because these selections include some of the most storied names in franchise history. -SNIP- But the fact that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon before the Cowboys could win the "big game" tormented Bob Lilly and his "Next Year’s Team" teammates for an entire decade. These Cowboys rosters over the first 10 years of the franchise included four future Hall of Famers: Lilly, Mel Renfro, Rayfield Wright and Bob Hayes, plus...

DALLAS - Dallas police on Wednesday issued an Amber Alert for Daisja Weaver after her pregnant mother reported that the infant was kidnapped from the family home about 12 hours earlier. The 20-year-old mother told officers that someone snatched her baby from the far North Dallas apartment in the 5800 block of Preston Oaks Road at about midnight. She said the man tried to sexually assault her and that she fought him off, police said. They said the woman reported that the intruder grabbed 9-month-old Daisja Weaver, who was sleeping in a car seat, and took off.

Tens of thousands of citizens from Texas and around the region are expected to turn out on July 4, 2009 for America’s Tea Party, a rally and fireworks show to be held at the famous Southfork Ranch near Dallas, TX. Southfork is internationally known as the film location for the legendary “Dallas” television series. America’s Tea Party, to take place from 3pm to midnight on Independence Day, will feature a full lineup including nationally-known speakers and entertainment, plus games, vendors, prizes, food and drinks for purchase, a 21-minute fireworks program, and more. Speakers at the event will focus on the...

Cindy Sheehan, who drew national attention for camping outside former President George W. Bush's ranch in protest of the Iraq War, is following him to Dallas. Sheehan will lead a demonstration Monday, June 8, 2009 protesting "crimes against humanity." "We can't allow George Bush's crimes to be forgotten just because he is not in office anymore," she said in an e-mail. While most people in Preston Hollow have gone out of their way to welcome the former president and first lady home, they're not exactly rolling out the welcome mat for Sheehan. "Go away," resident Kathie Taub said. "Go back!...

Patrick Bibb, a 19-year-old from Dallas, glanced at his cell phone. He was in the middle of his economics class at Texas Christian University on a February morning. His caller ID read withheld. He decided not to answer. When class ended, he checked his messages and found that George W. Bush had been trying to reach him. The sophomore listened to the voice mail. He heard the former president of the United States thank him at least four times. Bush was happy that the teenager had been selling welcome home george & laura signs for $20 to people all over...

The afternoon practice ended in horrifying fashion when the Cowboys' indoor facility collapsed. While a violent thunderstorm pounded rain down on the roof, the lights started shaking back and forth. Then chaos broke out, as the facility collapsed and players, coaches, reporters and team personnel scrambled for safety. Several people were trapped under the wreckage. Police and emergency personnel have arrived on the scene. More to come.

Cowboys training bubble with team inside collapese during storm. Several injuries...Breaking now...