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Joe Biden says the president of the United States is preparing to take "executive actions" to deal with guns. BuzzFeed reports: Vice President Biden told White House allies in the gun control fight Thursday that President Obama will be announcing new executive actions on gun violence in the days after the Senate voted down a gun violence bill. On a conference call with "stakeholders," Biden told gun control advocates that the fight is not over and that eventual action on gun control will come. Press were not invited to the conference call; a participant provided BuzzFeed with access. "Look I...

President Barack Obama announces 23 executive actions on gun control, separately asks Congress to pass gun-control laws Obama asks Congress to pass laws that would: require background checks on all gun sales; restore a ban on "military-style assault weapons"; ban gun magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds; and toughen penalties on people who sell guns to those who can't have them Below are the latest updates as they come to us. Also, you can read our full story. [Updated at 12:43 p.m. ET] Senate Democratic leadership sources tell CNN that passing any new legislation will be extremely difficult...

J.D. Ellis, Vice Presidential Nominee,America's Party Conservative voters don't vote for liberal politicians. Both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are liberal politicians. As Mr. Hoefling has said many times, Republicans may be conservatives, or they may support Mitt Romney--but they may not do both. Principled patriotic American voters don't vote for candidates who are opposed to America's foundational principles. Both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney hold a number of positions that are directly opposed to America's foundational principles. Republicans may be principled patriotic Americans, or they may support Mitt Romney--they may not do both. Pro-life voters don't vote for pro-abortion...

Still, that sampling irregularity has no effect on the trend, which clearly shows that the U.S. recovery is deteriorating. Signs of a continued deceleration add to the pressure on President Barack Obama, who is putting the finishing touches on a highly anticipated jobs plan, and all but guarantees the Federal Reserve will try further measures as it struggles to fulfill its mandate to bolster hiring. America’s economy has failed to create enough jobs to keep up with natural increases in the labour force for four consecutive months, a number than economists say is about 100,000. Over that period, employers added...

2/11/2010 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) -- Nine 23rd Special Tactics Squadron combat controllers here were awarded 12 medals during a ceremony at Fresques Auditorium inside the Special Tactics Training Squadron here Feb. 5. A standing-room-only crowd was on-hand to witness the presentation of 10 Bronze Star medals, one with Valor, and three Air Force Combat Action medals by the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, Lt. Gen. Donald C. Wurster. "Today is a day to recognize the heroes among us, and I am here to tell you that you are making a difference," said General Wurster. "I am...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2008 – U.S. defense officials were very disturbed by the actions of Iranian attack boats in the Straits of Hormuz on Jan. 6, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today, and he dismissed Iranian charges that U.S. officials doctored a videotape to make the Iranians look bad. The five Iranian boats “buzzed” three U.S. Navy warships transiting the straits into the Persian Gulf. The boats approached within 500 yards of the ships and appeared to drop boxes into the water in the path of the U.S. ships. Officials released a video showing the boats and recordings...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2007 – On the sixth anniversary of al Qaeda’s attacks on U.S. soil, White House officials released a “fact sheet” that takes stock of actions the United States and other nations have taken to confront the terrorist threat. The document, posted on the White House Web site and distributed to media outlets, notes the sacrifices of the attacks’ victims and responders and pays tribute to the armed forces, the law enforcement and intelligence communities, “and the thousands of others at the local, State, and Federal levels who protect our country, secure our liberty, and work to...

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2007 – Iranian delegates advocated a peaceful and secure Iraq during a weekend meeting, but Iran’s actions on the ground aren’t in synch with its stated policies and principles, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker told reporters yesterday. Crocker said Iraq, Iran and the United States all expressed a common goal for Iraq during yesterday’s meeting in Baghdad, hosted by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. “There was pretty good congruence right down the line -- support for a secure, stable, democratic, federal Iraq, in control of its own security (and) at peace with its neighbors,” Crocker...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.— Captain Brian G. Cillessen, Company Commander, Company C, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, sits with his family after being awarded a Silver Star Medal here April 20, for actions in Afghanistan. The Silver Star Medal is the fourth highest military decoration awarded to service members. An Aztec, N.M., native, he was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom when a volley of rocket propelled grenades and machine gun fire disabled the lead vehicle in his convoy. Cillessen quickly directed the immediate action of the Afghan soldiers around him in what...

Soldier Earns Silver Star For Combat Actions Sergeant pulls wounded men from burning vehicle, during Ramadi attack. Multi-National Corps - Iraq Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory AR RAMADI, Iraq, Feb. 2, 2007 -- A soldier who helped pull his wounded men from a burning vehicle and ran alone through the streets of Ramadi to get them evacuated was awarded the Silver Star, Jan. 27. "I’m just glad I was there to take care of my soldiers and bring them home safely," Staff Sgt. David S. Anderson, a section leader with 1st Platoon, B Company, 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Staff...

FORT RILEY, Kan. -- Spc. Ronnie Wheat wears a Combat Action Badge, proof he survived a life-threatening encounter while deployed in Iraq. Now he wears a Soldier's Medal, proof the 70th Engineer Battalion Soldier helped save two civilians from a life-threatening accident on a highway between Fort Benning, Ga., and Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Col. Norbert Jocz, 3rd Brigade commander, presented the medal Nov. 17 in front of a battalion formation on the Kodiak Parade Field on Custer Hill. “It's pretty neat,” the Oklahoma native said about getting the medal. “I never expected to get anything like this.” The...

Democrats have a tough job in protecting their recent election gains because "now it's what we do and not what we say," national chairman Howard Dean told party leaders Saturday. "It's what happens in Congress that will determine our message more than anything I say or what they say in Congress," Dean said. Democrats, who will run both the House and Senate come January, have outlined an agenda that includes overhauling ethics, raising the minimum wage and making college more affordable. Dean said Democrats must prove to people in conservative and swing districts that they can earn the voters' trust....

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Air Force is working to gain complete control of support operations from Coalition forces to add to the maintenance operations already under its charge. Formerly located at Ali Air Base near the city of An Nasiriyah in south central Iraq, the 23rd Squadron has not only changed its location to New Al Muthanna Air Base in Baghdad, but also the focus of its operations tempo. “When the squadron was at Ali base, the training was just on aircraft qualification,” explained U.S. Air Force Maj. Dave Osterhout, Coalition Air Force Assistance Transition Team operations chief. “Iraqi airmen...

President Bush's veto of a bill to ease restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem-cell research will hinder California's $3 billion voter-approved effort to turn stem cells into cures, backers of the state-funded research effort said Wednesday. Bush's rejection of the legislation -- his first-ever veto in his 5 1/2 years in office -- shows his continued support for those who oppose, on moral grounds, destroying human embryos to create stem cells in research intended to develop new treatments for grave conditions such as Parkinson's, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. --snip-- The veto was a crushing blow for advocates who hoped...

Soldiers Recall Actions After IED Detonation Humvee was struck by an improvised-explosive device, while on patrol, causing the vehicle to rollover. By U.S. Army Pfc. Paul Ondik 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq, July 14, 2006 -- “I looked across the vehicle, which was now upside-down,” recalled the soldier. “My gunner was actually pinned between the gun and the roof from the dog tags up. My door was blown open.” It was a scene straight out of a soldier’s nightmare, but it is exactly what happened to the humvee 1st Sgt. James Westover,...

May 12, 2006 — Americans by nearly a 2-1 ratio call the surveillance of telephone records an acceptable way for the federal government to investigate possible terrorist threats, expressing broad unconcern even if their own calling patterns are scrutinized. Lending support to the administration's defense of its anti-terrorism intelligence efforts, 63 percent in this ABC News/Washington Post poll say the secret program, disclosed Thursday by USA Today, is justified, while far fewer, 35 percent, call it unjustified. Indeed, 51 percent approve of the way President Bush is handling the protection of privacy rights, while 47 percent disapprove — hardly a...

WASHINGTON, April 14, 2006 – The international community must focus on the actions of the Iranian regime and not just on the rhetoric of its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday. "We have to focus not just on what he's saying," Rice told Sean Hannity, host of a nationally syndicated radio program that bears his name. "We have to focus on the behavior of the Iranian regime, and thus far, every time the international community has said, 'Iran, you must do this,' Iran has done just the opposite." Iran claimed earlier this week that it has...

MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (Feb. 24, 2006) -- Most people cannot remember what they were doing the day of June 3, 2004, but for Staff Sgt. Anthony Viggiani, the past is as clear as the present. Viggiani, a 3rd Recruit Training Battalion drill instructor, was awarded the Navy Cross February 24 for his actions in Afghanistan on June 3, 2004. Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) were conducting cordon-and-knock operations in a village when a pair of Army Apache helicopters spotted approximately 20-armed insurgents fleeing to the hills. Charlie Company immediately pursued on foot. "On that...

Stations Of The CrossFast and Abstinence Pope Benedict XVI Lenten Message April Reflections     Click here for clickable March calendar

U.S. Army Gen. John Abizaid, U.S. Central Command commander, speaks to U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Combined Task Force Bayonet after an awards presentation held Nov. 30, 2005, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Sgt. Jose Mondragon, 74th Long Range Surveillance Detachment, was one of three soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade presented a Purple Heart during the ceremony. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell More Photos Sky Soldiers Honored for Actions in Combat Three Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts were presented to the soldiers fo actions taken and injuries sustained during Operation Enduring Freedom VI. By U.S....

Shh ! People From a Parallel Universe at Work ! Some say there are people who look like us, and walk amongst us:people from a strange parallel universe ! Tijuana : A motorcylist , roaring through downtown Tijuana ,lost control while rounding a curve, crashed his bike , and fled on foot – leaving his helmet-wearing passenger behind. When police checked the passenger, they discovered he had been dead for at least six hours. There were cuts and other wounds on his head ; and ligature marks suggested he had been strangled. The deceased had bindles of methamphetamine in a...

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- The command chief for U.S. Central Command wants everyone who has deployed to go back to their bases and share their experiences. Chief Master Sgt. Curtis Brownhill also wants people to remember that their individual actions have a far-reaching effect. During his visit to the CENTOM area of responsibility, Chief Brownhill said he wants every Airman, Marine, Sailor and Soldier to see how “their contribution here is much larger” than their individual specialties. He said it is easy to draw a direct line from the individual providing a support function to the servicemember on the ground...

SHANGHAI, July 4 -- The Chinese government on Monday sharply criticized the United States for threatening to erect barriers aimed at preventing the attempted takeover of the American oil company Unocal by one of China's three largest energy firms, CNOOC Ltd.Four days after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a resolution urging the Bush administration to block the proposed transaction as a threat to national security, China's Foreign Ministry excoriated Congress for injecting politics into what it characterized as a standard business matter. "We demand that the U.S. Congress correct its mistaken ways of politicizing economic and trade issues...

Republicans vow retaliation in ethics feud Democrats are told to expect rash of inquiries into actions By KAREN MacPHERSON BLADE WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON - Angry House Republicans yesterday warned their Democratic colleagues to expect a spate of inquiries into possible ethics violations in retaliation for forcing GOP leaders to jettison controversial new rules for ethics probes. The Republican admonitions came a day after House GOP leaders, under intense pressure from Democrats, made a rare policy reversal and grudgingly scrapped ethics rules they had pushed through the House only a few months ago. Republicans contended the rules made the ethics process...

A Santa Clara County criminal grand jury will begin an inquiry next month to determine if San Jose Councilman Terry Gregory should be indicted for allegedly coercing gifts and contributions from local businessmen and others, according to a subpoena obtained by the Mercury News. The document also reveals, for the first time, that investigators intend to examine loans made to the councilman during the past two years. Gregory has been under fire since May for allegedly pressuring businesses and individuals for contributions and gifts -- accusations he has denied. Last week, the city council held a censure hearing and formally...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

12.8% Teachers Shove it White rasins He married even more up than the president Understanding corn Wendy's menu From Mozambique so African American ...

Were Arnold Schwarzenegger the bold reformer he purports to be, were he truly committed to "blowing up boxes" and obliterating "politics as usual," he would have vetoed Assembly Bill 1077 and signed Assembly Bill 2106. But he did exactly the opposite, thus perpetuating - and even solidifying - two aspects of state government that epitomize its dysfunction. AB 1077, the bill Schwarzenegger signed last month, originally dealt with complaints against police officers, but a few days before the 2004 session ended, Assemblyman Herb Wesson, D-Los Angeles, did a classic "gut and amend," stripping out the original contents and inserting authorization...

SACRAMENTO – When times get tough, California's action-hero governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, resorts to a surefire way to pump up his power. He ridicules the state Legislature as a dysfunctional band of children who fritter away their time and then, cowed by special interests, rush through "strange bills" in the dead of night. But as this year's legislative session crashed to a close last month, it was Schwarzenegger opening his doors wide to special interests and rolling out what was widely considered a last-minute, half-baked legislative agenda with almost no public scrutiny. As a result, far from Schwarzenegger's promise of "action,...

Bills signed Thursday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: 911 EMERGENCIES: - People who knowingly use the 911 emergency number for calls other than emergencies would be warned for the first two violations, fined $50 for a third violation, $100 for fourth violation and $200 for a fifth violation. AB911, by Assemblyman John Longville, D-Rialto. TOURISM: - Budgets $55,000 to re-establish statewide network of visitor information centers known as California Welcome Centers. AB1356, by Assemblywoman Rebecca Cohn, D-Saratoga. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: - Courts could make perpetrators of spousal domestic violence pay a judgment of civil damages from their half of community property during...

Some of the bills voted on Wednesday by California legislators: MEXICAN DEPORTATION: - People would have a two-year period to file claims against the state for the alleged deportation or coerced emigration of U.S. citizens and residents of Mexican descent from 1929 to 1944. The Senate, by a 30-8 vote, approved Assembly amendments to the legislation, SB37 by Sen. Joe Dunn, D-Garden Grove, and sent it to the governor. VOTING: - Touch-screen voting machines would have to provide voters with receipts confirming how they voted and provide election officials with vote printouts that could be used in recounts. The measure,...

Are there any people who are righteous? That is, specifically, righteous prior to the sacrifice of Yeshua (Jesus) and thus, not possessing His righteousness.The following four passages are often used, to show that there neither was, is, nor can ever be, someone who is righteous, except those regenerated by Yeshua:[all verses taken from the New American Standard Bible] Romans 3 10 as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; 12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,...

<p>In the latest crackdown on illicit practices during the technology-stock boom, regulators fined the parent of San Francisco investment bank Hambrecht & Quist $6 million for accepting what amounted to kickbacks from customers eager to get hot stock in initial public offerings.</p>