Free Republic

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is slated to hold a private roundtable meeting with local officials Monday to discuss border security issues as well as related economic and community issues, according to former Pharr commissioner A. Jimmy Garza. After the meeting, the former Florida governor is set to have a news conference at 2:30 p.m. inside Palenque Grill, 606 E. Expressway 83 in McAllen, where he plans to touch on the discussions he’ll have with the undisclosed officials, said Garza, who’s a Republican. Bush is also planning a private luncheon at noon, which costs at least $1,000 to attend. Those...

Casting himself as a tax-cutting, passionate government reformer, Jeb Bush drew merely polite applause Friday from thousands of the nation's most-active tea party conservatives gathered at the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers' summit. Only when the Republican presidential candidate wrapped up his 20-minute speech by calling for a military buildup did the more than 3,000 conservatives from around the nation join in a sustained cheer for Bush, a familiar face in American politics but a newcomer in front of the tea party crowd.

Immigration is not going anywhere as a political issue, as much as some would like it to. Although Democrats and the media whine over the term “anchor baby” and the concept of our national sovereignty, adults have to address real problems, and millions of people in the country illegally is a problem. So let’s address it, shall we? Big business and big government love the idea of amnesty; cheap labor for one, a dependent voting bloc for the other. To that end, both agree to the lie that amnesty would be a boon to the economy. Somehow we’re meant to...

Senator Hutchison cool to SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch; concerns remain about Obama NASA policy June 5, 8:25 AMHouston Space News ExaminerMark Whittington Falcon 9 Courtesy NASA The near universal acclaim that SpaceX has acquired for the successful launch of the first Falcon 9 is not shared within the United States Congress, which is still skeptical of many aspects of the Obama space plan, which includes reliance on companies like SpaceX for Earth to Low Earth Orbit transportation. The reaction illustrates for all the technical triumph that SpaceX has accomplished with the Falcon 9 launch, it still faces political problems. Typical...

Hey, remember Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the guy who threw needless layers of bureaucracy at SpaceX because the private space company was doing its job of launching rockets into space a little too well? Well, it looks like he’s being joined by gentlemen from the other side of the Capitol: Three congressmen are trying to do the same thing.

Political commentator and author Michelle Malkin dropped by to talk about her new book, “Who Built That,” the 2016 presidential field, Iraq and more. Michelle told Brian that she feels Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is the most intriguing candidate on the GOP side because of his intelligence and he practices what he preaches. Michelle also explained that before we can make a real decision we have to see them tested in the arena.Video at link.

Ron Paul revels in the fact that he is the presidential candidate of America's small donors, receiving more contributions under $200 than any other Republican seeking the White House in 2012. But, like every other GOP presidential contender, he also has a mega-millionaire "sugar daddy" helping to fund a super PAC that is promoting Paul's candidacy. Yet while Newt Gingrich underwriter Sheldon Adelson and Rick Santorum super-supporter Foster Friess have shared the campaign stage - and the national political spotlight - with their candidates, Paul's benefactor, San Francisco entrepreneur Peter Thiel, has never met the Texas congressman he's aiding.

Ron Paul revels in the fact that he is the presidential candidate of America's small donors, receiving more contributions under $200 than any other Republican seeking the White House in 2012.But, like every other GOP presidential contender, he also has a mega-millionaire "sugar daddy" helping to fund a super PAC that is promoting Paul's candidacy.Yet while Newt Gingrich underwriter Sheldon Adelson and Rick Santorum super-supporter Foster Friess have shared the campaign stage - and the national political spotlight - with their candidates, Paul's benefactor, San Francisco entrepreneur Peter Thiel, has never met the Texas congressman he's aiding.Who is this mystery...

Barry Matsumori, formerly the senior vice president of sales and business development at SpaceX, has joined Virgin Galactic's satellite launch team. With Virgin Galactic, Matsumori holds the title of senior vice president of business development and advanced concepts for LauncherOne, the company's small satellite launch vehicle. Prior to SpaceX, Matsumori held a leadership role at Qualcomm as vice president of wireless connectivity where he was responsible for the development of mobile telecom module products as well as satellite communication infrastructure and terminals. He has held positions at Space Systems Loral (SSL) and General Dynamics, and has experience with early-stage technology...

Exciting news! Our very own Senator Ted Cruz will be in Fort Worth for a 2016 Presidential campaign rally! Thursday, Sept. 3rd - Doors Open at 10:00am - Rally at 11:00am - Fort Worth Stock Yards - Free parking available Click here to RSVP for this free event! [Go to web site to RSVP for free tickets.] I’ve proudly endorsed Senator Cruz for President and I am so excited to have him come to SD10 during his Presidential campaign! The momentum behind #Cruz2016 is growing every day! Whether you're a Ted Cruz supporter like me, or undecided, I encourage you...

HOUSTON, Texas – After seeing more than 2,500 attend Friday’s Rally for Religious Liberty in Des Moines, IA, the Cruz for President campaign announced that there were more than 200 watch parties held around the country to view the rally. Those hosting the parties were given special access to watch online and invite their friends and neighbors to their homes or churches.“It was important for us to have our nationwide leadership use this opportunity to invite their communities to hear more about religious liberty from Senator Cruz,” said Campaign Manger Jeff Roe. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the response....

DES MOINES – Senator Ted Cruz on Friday night drew one of the largest crowds in Iowa of any candidate this year: some 2,300 Christian conservatives, who turned out for an unusual program featuring people Mr. Cruz called “victims of government persecution.” The eight people included bakers, a florist, wedding planners and others from several states. All of them said they had been sued, fined or fired for refusing service to same-sex couples or for expressing opposition to homosexuality. Several of them were well known to audiences of right-leaning news media. Seated in a chair facing Betty Odgaard of Iowa,...

DES MOINES - Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) declared people of faith under assault Friday, rallying evangelical voters at an hours-long event and sparring with an Academy-Award nominated actress over gay rights at the Iowa state fair. --- "Is the next victim of persecution your pastor?" Cruz asked. "Your charity, where you volunteer your time at a crisis pregnancy center?" --- Here in Iowa, 57 percent of Republican caucus-goers identified as evangelical Christians, according to entrance polls. Cruz has been courting faith leaders here, dispatching his father Rafael, a pastor, to speak at events around the state and announcing Friday that...

Nebraska attorney Dave Begley continues his series of reports for us on the appearances of presidential candidate in Iowa. Here is his report on the appearance of Ted Cruz yesterday, covered here by the Des Moines Register:I could not pass up the chance to see the champion college debater and Supreme Court advocate in action, so I drove to see Ted Cruz in Des Moines at the Rally for Religious Liberty. He made a brilliant presentation to his target audience. I was impressed.Cruz drew on emotion, logic, drama, rhetoric, and related multimedia presentations to drive his message home with great...

Over 2,500 Iowans Rally for Religious LibertyHOUSTON, Texas — Last night, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, hosted a Rally for Religious Liberty in Des Moines, IA, calling attention to the religious persecution of Christian business owners and employees who have been sanctioned by their government because of their religious beliefs. Joining Sen. Cruz at the rally were: Dick and Betty Odgaard, Barronelle Stutzman, Aaron and Melissa Klein, Blaine Adamson, Senior Master Sergeant (Retired) Phillip Monk, Former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran, and Naghmeh Abedini. Video of the rally is available here. A roundup of press coverage of the rally appears...

DES MOINES, Iowa – GOP presidential contender Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) closed out a memorable day in Iowa with a massive rally for religious liberty in downtown Des Moines Friday evening. The overflow crowd of 3,000 Cruz supporters gathered to hear the conservative torch bearer draw attention to the persecution of Christian business owners. --- The enthusiastic crowd heard Cruz passionately defend the rights of Christian business owners. He was joined on stage by Dick and Betty Odgaard, owners of a wedding chapel business in Grimes, Iowa that was forced to close due to the legal and financial repercussions of...

While innocently grilling some pork, Ted Cruz was ambushed by lesbian activist Ellen Page, who tried to shame him for not supporting homosexual marriage.  But instead of Cruz being shamed, it was Page who was tongue-tied while Cruz turned the tables on her. Page claimed that a florist who refused to serve a homosexual wedding was bigoted, but Cruz turned her attention to the Middle East, and asked her why liberals were "completely silent" about the execution of gays, and why Obama is turning over 100 billion dollars to Iran when they are hanging homosexuals.  When Page claimed that Christians...

‘Peter and Ellie Yang,” the subjects of Benjamin Carlson’s fascinating new Rolling Stone essay, “Welcome to Maternity Hotel California,” paid $35,000 to have their second child in the United States. In 2012 Chinese state media reported 10,000 “tourist births” by Chinese couples in the United States; other estimates skew as high as 60,000. Following Donald Trump’s call for an end to birthright citizenship, and renewed attention on “anchor babies,” Carlson’s exposé on “birth tourism” seems to confirm that the current interpretation of the 14th Amendment works as a magnet for at least some parents across the globe. But just...

Donald Trump stoked the immigration fires that are burning up the Republican party by proposing an end to birthright citizenship. This week he claimed that children of aliens who are born on U.S. territory “do not have American citizenship” and that their right is “not going to hold up in court.” Trump’s argument runs headlong into the Constitution. His proposal shows, once again, that while he may be running as a Republican, he is not running as a conservative. Conservatives believe in following the Constitution’s text, as understood by those who wrote and ratified it and with due regard for...

Alternative headline: “Actress from That One Movie about Roller Derby Confronts Princeton Debate Champ — Goes about as You Might Expect.”CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO In preparation for his religious liberty rally in Des Moines this evening, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz spent a few minutes today debating the subject with a not-too-friendly interlocutor: Juno star Ellen Page, now traversing the country for her Vice documentary program, “Gaycation.” Page accused Cruz of supporting “discrimination” against LGBT citizens. Cruz parried that the debate that has ensnared florists and photographers and pizzerias of late is not about discrimination, but about religious...