Free Republic

We all know what an October Surprise is. It’s when a rival campaign or supporter releases information about an opponent at a point in October. The idea is to release the skeleton or some other damaging information at a point when it’s too late for the opposing candidate to recover, giving the candidate whose team released the information a clear path to victory. Always feared, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. As the number of inane indictments of Trump demonstrates, the Democrats will do virtually anything to keep Donald Trump from ever again occupying the White House and threatening...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former Trump administration appointee Connie Conway has advanced to a June runoff in a California special election to fill a U.S. House seat left vacant after Republican Rep. Devin Nunes resigned to lead former President Donald Trump’s media company. The race for the second runoff spot was too early to call, after election officials paused counting early Wednesday morning. Completing the vote count will take at least a week, as mail ballots can arrive as late as April 12. Officials said they would not release additional results until Thursday in Tulare County and Friday in Fresno...

Green Semidouble INTROIT Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quia sustinebit? quia apud te propitiato est, Deus Israel. If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord! who shall endure it? For with thee there is merciful forgiveness, O God of Israel! Ps. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Gloria Patri. Si iniquitates. Ps. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord: Lord! hear my voice. Glory, &c. If thou. We have just been rousing our confidence, by singing, that with God, there is merciful forgiveness. It is He himself who gives that loving...

Mayor Rudy Giuliani, also known as "America's Mayor," today endorsed George Phillips in his bid to unseat Congressman Maurice Hinchey in New York's 22nd Congressional District. "In today's troubled economic environment, more than ever we need government policies which promote a climate of entrepreneurship and job creation rather than the current Democratic plans for higher taxes and suppression of growth. Maurice Hinchey has clearly stated his intention to raise taxes on our nation's farmers and small to medium business owners if he is sent back to Congress for yet another term. George Phillips has pledged to provide relief to our...

To be followed by Civil War II.... H. J. Res. 5: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.

Maybe I'm just being too cynical, but somehow I doubt that Rep. Jose Serrano introduced HJ Res 5 in order to allow George W Bush to run for a third term in office. One week ago, the New York Democrat introduced a measure to repeal the 22nd Amendment, which provides the only term limit on federal office - the Presidency. The amendment, added in 1951, restricts anyone from seeking a third term in office, and Serrano wants that repealed. Why now? Apparently, the notion of Hope and Change has overwhelmed Serrano to the point that he just can't stand to...

We Need Your Help on Election Day Dear Friend, Thank you for all your help and support to this point. We are so close and we feel the positive momentum giving us a solid chance for victory. Today, I am asking you to work for my campaign as a poll worker on Election Day. As you know, I am a write-in candidate, and the poll worker gives help to those who have questions about voting for me. This is a critical role to ensure that District 22 has strong, credentialed Republican representation. Poll worker shifts can be as brief as...

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Elements of the USS Nassau (LHA 4) Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) including the dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), amphibious transport dock USS Austin (LPD 40) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71), carrying more than 2,700 Sailors, returned to Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek May 4, following a six-month deployment is support of the global war on terrorism. Nassau ESG ships, which deployed Nov. 7, conducted maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) and supported theater security cooperation in the U.S....

ABOARD USS NASSAU (April 24, 2006) -- As the Marines and sailors of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) prepare for the long journey home crossing the Atlantic, one Marine was able to get his homecoming a little early. Cpl. Phillip Ramirez, of Jacksonville, Fla., a squad leader with Weapon’s Co., Battalion Landing Team, 1st Bn., 2nd Marines, got the chance to meet his father during an underway replenishment at sea (unrep). Ramirez’s father, Leonardo, is the chief cook for USNS Patuxent, the Fleet Replenishment Oiler assigned to refuel the Nassau. “I was told a half hour ago...

AL ASAD AIR BASE, IRAQ (Feb. 18, 2006) -- In a modest encampment carved from ancient battlefields millennia old, the Marines and sailors of Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marines, assembled for a roll call three infantrymen of Charlie Company. would never answer. Cpl. Orville Gerena, Lance Cpl. David S. Parr and Pfc. Jacob D. Spann were tragically killed Feb. 6, in Hit, Iraq, when their Humvee was attacked by an improvised explosive device while returning from patrol. Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn, 2nd Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), assembled...

An AH-1W Super Cobra with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 (Reinforced) stays close to his wingman, a UH-1N Huey also from HMM-261 (Rein.) during a recent mission near Hit, Iraq. The squadron is the aviation combat element for the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit SOC (Special Operations Capable) which is conducting counterinsurgency operations with the 2nd Marine Division in Iraq’s Al Anbar province. Photo by: Sgt. Richard D. StephensAL ASAD AIR FIELD, Iraq (Feb. 15, 2006) -- In the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Marine AH-1W Super Cobra attack and UH-1N Huey utility helicopters prowled the skies of the Iraq...

AL ASAD AIRFIELD, Iraq (Feb. 9, 2006) -- By the time Lance Cpl. Blake Rowe was born in 1983, the aircraft on which he today so carefully labors had already been flying for nearly two decades, and shows no sign of touching the ground. Like the Colt .45 pistol (introduced in 1911) and the M-2 .50-caliber machine gun (around since 1919), the venerable CH-46E Sea Knight medium lift assault helicopter has become one of those tools of war whose dependability and utility has ensured its lifespan exceeds the careers of those who use it. Used primarily in the assault support...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HIT, Iraq (Jan. 25, 2006) -- Rolling through treacherous terrain, convoys or combat logistics patrols of the Marine Expeditionary Unit Service Support Group 22 are constantly on the move delivering supplies and transporting Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines throughout the Al Anbar province of Iraq. Aboard the convoys leaving Forward Operating Base Hit, every Marine and sailor knows their role. Some are prepared to counter small arms fire from insurgents and all are vigilant of the improvised explosive device threat. “On convoys, everyone has a job to do,” said Capt. Troy M. Pugh, the Baltimore native and...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HIT, Iraq, Jan. 23, 2006 – Eight days of back-breaking searches through villages and fields along the western Euphrates River Valley have yielded thousands of pieces of ordnance as Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines continue Operation Koa Canyon in Iraq's Anbar province. Aimed at isolating insurgents and their weapons, the combined Iraqi and U.S. force began the latest sweep Jan. 15 and have uncovered a staggering amount of weaponry. The soldiers and Marines are making their way inch by inch through caves, fields, wadis and islands in an attempt to disrupt the insurgents. So far, the combined...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HIT, Iraq (Jan. 17, 2006) -- In the middle of a relaxed game of soccer, the frantic call for counter-fire brings the fun to an abrupt end. While the ball continues to roll, Marines of the 81mm mortar platoon race to their guns and scramble into Kevlar helmets and dusty flak jackets. “We [the 81mm mortar platoon] can do all types of missions,” said Lance Cpl. Jesse L. Evans, of Clifton Springs, N.Y., a mortarman with Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines. “We fire counter-fire missions against insurgent mortar teams, fire illumination missions, or even mark...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HIT, Iraq (Jan. 13, 2006) -- Perched high atop one of the buildings that is currently home to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), a small satellite transmitter dish is the first step in a process used to keep the American public informed of the unit’s role in Operation Iraqi Freedom. As part of a network dubbed the Digital Video Imagery Distribution System, or DVIDS, the satellite transmitter enables the MEU to send video footage, photographs, and stories to media outlets in the United States without tying up tactical communications networks. A small group of...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HIT, Iraq (Jan. 8, 2006) -- As part of their tour of Marine forces in Iraq, a small delegation from Washington, D.C. recently visited the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) at Forward Operating Base Hit, Iraq. Among the group was General Robert Magnus, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Lt. Gen. Jan C. Huly, the Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations, and Col. Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (USMC, Ret.), the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Reserve Affairs). After an update on the MEU’s ongoing and planned counterinsurgency efforts with the 2nd Marine Division...

HIT, Iraq (Jan. 9, 2006) -- Hand in hand with combating insurgents around the ancient city of Hit, the Marines of B Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marine Regiment, are looking to build bridges between Coalition forces and the Iraqi people. First Lt. Chris Richardella and a handful of his Marines were recently able to deliver school supplies and sports items to children in neighborhoods surrounding their combat outpost. “Our first mission is to provide security and stability,” said B Company's executive officer. “But when we get the chance, we try to start on our secondary mission, improving...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HIT, Iraq (Jan. 5, 2006) -- While on a long deployment overseas, Marines look forward to from letters from home, the occasional phone call or photos sent from their loved ones. These are the times where it’s the little things that matter so much – showers, a warm place to sleep and hot chow. To add one more item to this list, Marines from the 2nd Marine Logistics Group’s Food Service Company recently set up a Field Food Service System to support the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) at the unit’s base of operations, Forward...

KUBAYSAH, Iraq (Jan. 4, 2006) -- As their families and friends were preparing to celebrate the New Year, the Marines and sailors of the Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marine Regiment were recuperating after a long, hard day of patrolling the streets in Kubaysah, Iraq during Operation Moon River. The goal of the one-day operation, undertaken by elements of the 22nd MEU (SOC) and the Iraqi army, was to assess the status of essential civil services in the city and show a coalition presence in a city that has seen very little conventional military in recent months. “We wanted...