Free Republic

California Gov. Jerry Brown's Christmas granted 143 pardons and 131 commutations for Christmas, including a handful of refugees and immigrants that he hopes to spare from deportation by scrubbing their criminal histories. Brown also responded to the clemency request of Kevin Cooper -- a death-row inmate convicted of killing four members of a Chino Hills, Calif., family at their home with a hatchet, knife and ice pick in 1983 after escaping from a nearby prison -- by ordering new DNA tests on four pieces of evidence including the hatchet handle and sheath. Brown stressed in the order that he takes...

(Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law on Monday a bill allowing illegal immigrants to receive privately funded scholarships to attend the state's public colleges and universities. The bill, dubbed the California Dream Act, passed the state Legislature earlier this month and aims at helping illegal immigrants who have earned a high school diploma after attending at least three years of high school in the state. "At the end of the day, if we're going to continue as a powerful, equal-opportunity society, we're going to have to invest in our people," Brown, a Democrat, said at the signing...

First New Jersey, now California. The cash-strapped state, which begged for, and got, a "bridge" loan from JP Morgan as recently as October 2010 (the same bank that recently bailed out Chris Christie), is asking for another bridge to the old bridge loan, ergo a "bridge bridge" loan. The excuse: the potential upcoming government shutdown, which would lock California out of the muni market. Surely the fact that it already has little to no cash left was not a part of the equation.

Trashing the muscular dystrophy telethon is like dissing Christmas. It ticks people off. Even if the offender is a former Jerry's Kid. Laura Hershey was born with a form of MD and spent her poster childhood appearing helpless at fundraisers. She became a celebrity in the '70s as the face of the condition in Colorado. She remembers being a prop in the TV studio that was broadcasting local parts of the telethon. "To whole families driving by to drop their contributions in a giant fishbowl outside the studio; to the camera's blinking red light; to the anchorman who squatted next...

Parcells bolsters his staff by adding NY's Payton Giants offensive coordinator to become assistant head coach 01/10/2003 By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News New York Giants offensive coordinator Sean Payton has agreed to come to Dallas as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach under Bill Parcells, according to two sources close to the negotiations. The move gives the Cowboys a young offensive innovator. And it gives Payton, a Jon Gruden disciple, a chance to bounce back from having his offensive play-calling taken away by Giants coach Jim Fassel midway through this season. Parcells and Payton couldn't be...

'My job is to get them to play to their potential' 01/07/2003 By CHIP BROWN and JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells has been busy the last four days meeting with Jerry Jones, trying to put his coaching staff together and watching playoff football games at friend Pat Summerall's house – not to mention looking for a good, New York-style bagel shop. The big news from Mr. Parcells on Monday was that he had retained Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to run Dallas' defense next season and had hired Detroit offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon,...

<p>As you can see, we have had another visit from this pest. We go through this every day, generally several times.</p> <p>When we dust him immediately, we get people telling us we should leave them for people to tear into. When we don't, we get people telling us to get this crap off of FR and to "not have another repeat of yesterday's nonsense".</p> <p>I have decided to hijack this thread and use it to get opinions. What do you all think? Should this troll be nuked each time he shows up, or should we let him post?</p>