Free Republic

Should the grand jury have been transparent or secretive --- concerning the evidence presented by the district attorney, etcetera? Once again, we have a Travis County grand jury indicting yet another high-profile Republican. One was Tom Delay (then House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005) and now presidential aspirant Rick Perry, governor of Texas. The evidence that is presented is under the discretion of the district/prosecuting attorney. This attorney has strong control over the process and the room itself, and there is no one present to provide counter argument(s), and, finally, there is no judge present. If you are a...

Gov. Rick Perry has been booked on two felony counts of abuse of power for carrying out a threat to veto funding to state public corruption prosecutors. Perry, who is mulling a second presidential run in 2016, turned himself in Tuesday at the Travis County courthouse. He vowed he'd fight the charges "with every fiber of my being." The Republican is accused of coercion and official oppression for publicly promising to veto $7.5 million for the state public integrity unit run by the Travis County district attorney's office.

Remember the laughter and snarky comments from the Left and its Ministry of Information when Texas governor Rick Perry activated one thousand Texas National Guard soldiers for duty at the southern border? “Ha ha they’ll just stand around like wooden Indians and watch ‘undocumented immigrants’ walk by,” we heard from people Beltway liberals who hate conservatives, especially conservatives with a drawl. The Left is about to get another lesson about underestimating those who live in “fly over country.” There is a local website (callthecops.net) that is reporting what Perry’s plan actually involves. Contrary to what has been postulated – even...

Sovereignty loving patriots from Stop the Magnet joined with Overpasses SE- Texas to call for a Special Session since Governor Perry has never managed to successfully usher immigration enforcement bills through the legislature. The never-ending tide of primarily Central American OTM's (other than Mexicans) minors, many of whom are gang-bangers or cartel lackies, mothers with children and even unaccompanied toddlers will bring a huge strain on our Texas infrastructures and budgets.

An Advanced Placement World Geography teacher at a Texas high school who encouraged students to dress in Islamic clothing also instructed them to refer to the 9-11 hijackers not as terrorists – but as “freedom fighters,” according to students who were in the class. Students at Lumberton High School were also told to stop referring to the Holocaust as Genocide – instead they were told to use the term “ethnic cleansing.” John Valastro, the superintendent of the Lumberton Independent School District, tells me that the teacher did absolutely nothing wrong. “What is more dangerous – fear and ignorance or education...

The Governor of Texas, along with other high ranking Republican officials, will be stopping by Southeast Texas soon. They will be coming here to endorse State Representative James White in his re-election big to the Texas House of Representatives against Mike Hamilton in the HD 19 Primary Race which includes Hardin County, Polk County, Tyler County, Jasper County and Newton County. Texas Comptroller Susan Combs has already endorsed James White. James White is one of the few minority (black) elected officials in the Texas Legislature. That is not why he is getting so much support though. James White is...

Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to overturn a district judge's injunction against Texas' sonogram law: "Today's ruling is a victory for all who stand in defense of life. Every life lost to abortion is a tragedy, and this important sonogram legislation ensures that every Texas woman seeking an abortion has all the facts about the life she is carrying, and understands the devastating impact of such a life-ending decision. We will continue to fight any attempt to limit our state's laws that value and protect the unborn."

Statement by Gov. Rick Perry on Obama Administration’s Decision to Slash Number of National Guard troops at U.S.-Mexico Border Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement regarding the Obama Administration's decision to cut the number of National Guard troops at the U.S.-Mexico border: "President Obama's decision to slash the number of National Guard troops patrolling and securing our southern border is proof that this administration has no intention to truly secure the border or listen to the American citizens, communities and law enforcement who care about border security and public safety. "After spending billions on failed federal stimulus and...

Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's decision to hear a case relating to Obamacare: "The Supreme Court's decision to hear this case quickly is encouraging news for Texas, which faces massive cost explosions under Obamacare, and for Americans everywhere who don't want the federal government forcing them to buy specific goods and services. I'm hopeful the Supreme Court will confirm what other federal courts have already recognized: that Obamacare is an unprecedented overreach and an unconstitutional infringement upon individual liberties." Texas and 25 other states have challenged the constitutionality of Congress' authority to force...

As we give thanks, remember our brave men and women fighting overseas to preserve our freedoms and to secure the American dream. See Marcus' story on the video at link.

Just a few minutes earlier, he was standing in front of plant workers in eastern Iowa, vowing to shake up Washington by creating a part-time Congress, ending lifetime appointments for federal judges and shuttering dysfunctional agencies. Now, speech concluded, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is seated on the edge of a platform on the factory floor, scrolling through his smartphone to show 5-year-old Izzie Insisiengmay photos of the Perry family dogs. Izzie is way too young to vote. But her mom, standing nearby, is a strong bet to attend the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses. For the moment, Stacey Insisiengmay of Davenport...

In a surprise move, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., tried to get a House vote Thursday on a resolution condemning Texas Gov. Rick Perry for a racial slur once painted on a rock at his family's leased West Texas hunting ranch. Jackson, who earlier in the week had spoken to the House Democratic Caucus about a resolution critical of Perry, was unsuccessful. But he said on the House floor that the West Texas ranch's name, "N---rhead," was offensive. The African-American lawmaker, son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said, "N---r is offensive." "N---rhead is offensive. And for a governor of one...

Gov. Rick Perry today received the endorsement of 25 elected officials and conservative leaders in Arkansas, including 19 state lawmakers, four GOP county chairs, Land Commissioner John Thurston, and National Committeewoman Reta Hamilton. “The support of these principled conservative leaders will be instrumental in this campaign and I am honored to have their endorsement,” said Gov. Perry. “I look forward to partnering with them as I travel the country sharing my vision for how to get America working again so that we can create the jobs our nation needs and put the country back on track to prosperity.” “Gov. Perry’s...

ATLANTA – Texas Gov. Rick Perry today received the endorsement of 45 Republican Georgia lawmakers in his campaign for president. This represents more than one-third of the state’s Republican lawmakers, including well over half of state Senate Republicans. “Rick Perry is the candidate who will get America working again,” said Economic Development Chairman and Governor Deal’s Floor Leader, State Senator Ronnie Chance. “Under his leadership, Texas gained more than one million net new jobs. Gov. Perry’s record proves that he is the right choice for our nation.” “Rick Perry doesn’t just talk about conservative reform, he backs it up with...

News flash: @RickPerry is not running for President. Instead he's the motorcycle-riding pastor at Haven of Hope, a small Pentecostal church near Yale University in West Haven, CT. Ever since Rick Perry the Texas Governor (whose Twitter handle is @GovernorPerry) declared a presidential run, Rick Perry the Pastor's inbox and Twitter feed have been flooded with messages, some of support, others of outrage. At first @RickPerry refused TIME's calls, thinking we were his friends playing yet another presidential joke. “I even sent one friend an email yesterday that said, 'Nice try!'” he explained. “I'm sorry I assumed you were a...

Rick Perry's keynote speech at today's National Conference of State Legislatures Summit details his views on governments, growth, fiscal responsibility, and what we can learn from current events, the S&P Downgrade, and this administration's policies. Calling for fiscal discipline, a change from federal overreaching to broadened state and local government, and and a determination to build a strong country for a better tomorrow, Rick Perry lays it out and shows you who he is, what he does, and how he does it. "Our fiscal house is on shifting sand", says Rick Perry. "Some say we are seeing America in decline,...

We'll wrap up the Texas Governor Primary coverage with an interview with Kelsey Orr from the Perry campaign. Plus+ Supersonic Rumor Generation, our lost milliseconds, and here come the Oscars - with twice as many movies to complain about. Live at 3pmE/2pmTX/NoonP Listen live here. Call-in number: 347-327-9710

I had the opportunity to ask the Governor a few questions on Saturday. We discussed his support for the Tea Party movement and his 2010 primary challengers. Video here.

Well I had the privilege to chitchat a bit with the Governor last evening... he had just returned from the shooting range with a bunch of bloggers (around for the Perry Blogger Summit [pdf]) and supporters where he had fired his own weapon that he personally carries (paraphrase: "I know I have a bunch of guys around, but if something goes down I'm gonna be in on the action"). We also discussed (along with Robbie Cooper of urbangrounds.com) Texas's lack of open-carry freedoms (the Governor personally has nothing against it, 'though prefers concealed carry "I don't want the bad...

The city of Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and it has a new defender: Texas Governor Rick Perry.