Free Republic

Super-stealth sub powered by fuel cell From Frederik Pleitgen, CNN CNN's global series i-List takes you to a different country each month. In February, we visit Germany and look at changes shaping the country's economy, culture and social fabric. Eckernfoerde, Germany (CNN) -- It is almost totally silent, radiates virtually no heat and is constructed entirely from non-magnetic metals. Meet the U212A -- an ultra-advanced non-nuclear sub developed by German naval shipyard Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft, who claim it to be "the peak of German submarine technology." And few would argue. The super-stealth vessel is the first of its kind to...

Marco Ciavolino...is scheduled to be interviewed by Tom Kovach during tonight's "America's Summit" conference call.  Marco is also the webmaster for the site "Safeguarding Our Constitution", which has kept the plight of Dr. (LTC) Lakin in the public eye since the release of a video last March, in which Lakin explained that he would refuse military orders to deploy again to the war in Afghanistan until he was satisfied that those orders were issued lawfully.  Ciavolino also produced that video.   The call begins at 9 pm Eastern.   The call numbers can be found here:   http://www.aipnews.com/talk/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=7216&posts=7&start=1 Tom Kovach...

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak defends signing letter pushed by J Street calling for easing Gaza blockade. LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP – One day, months before the race to represent Pennsylvania in the US Senate entered the homestretch, Democratic candidate Joe Sestak arrived at his campaign office to find it practically empty. “Where is everybody?” Sestak told The Jerusalem Post he had asked at the time, only to be told it was Pessah. That’s how he found out that nearly half his staff was Jewish. But on Monday, the day before Americans finally head to the polls, Sestak’s headquarters in...

Alan Keyes and the Neocon Destruction of Third PartiesBy Maggie Bloom Sacramento Central Committee American Independent Party I’ve really come to dislike Alan Keyes. He says all the right conservative things but what he does is destructive to the Constitutional movement. I have trouble believing it is not planned. First time I noticed it was in 2006. Illegal immigration had finally hit the main stream media as an issue. Citizen border patrol groups sprang up and huge amounts of money were donated to build an Israeli style fence along the Mexican border. The money was all funneled through a non...

Recently I ran across a video interview in which Sarah Palin enthusiastically declares "I support Michael Steele…I think he's doing a great job. Michael Steele is an outsider. The machine, I think, is tough to penetrate--I think it's been good to have an independent outsider trying to create some change in the Republican Party." Michael Steele has from the first day of his tenure been a spokesman for the RINO, pro-abortion, amoral, 'money is god' elite minority that presently controls the Republican Party. The statement that Steele is an outsider is an outright lie. He has for some years now...

Tonight's call started a few minutes ago, at 9 am eastern The call-in number is: (218) 339-2222 and the conference ID is: 340794# It's also available for listen-only livestream at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AIPThere's also an online meeting room for chat-style text discussion at http://www.hotconference.com/conference,58542473

Tonight's call started a few minutes ago, at 9 am eastern In the candidate 'hot seat' tonight is Melissa Pehle-Hill, candidate for state legislature in Texas (district 4, east of Dallas) The call-in number is: (218) 339-2222 and the conference ID is: 340794# It's also available for listen-only livestream at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AIP There's also an online meeting room for chat-style text discussion at http://www.hotconference.com/conference,58542473

Tonight's call starts in a few minutes, at 9 am eastern The call-in number is: (218) 339-2222 and the conference ID is: 340794# It's also available for listen-only livestream at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AIPThere's also an online meeting room for chat-style text discussion at http://www.hotconference.com/conference,58542473

Tonight's call started a few minutes ago, at 9 am eastern The call-in number is: (218) 339-2222 and the conference ID is: 340794# It's also available for listen-only livestream at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AIPThere's also an online meeting room for chat-style text discussion at http://www.hotconference.com/conference,58542473

They say politics is local but the reality is; it is local, but many times Outside influences come into play on local matters and those influences were best displayed when Sarah Palin was chosen to be Senator John McCain’s running mate. Alaska for the most part, was viewed by many people in the Lower 48 as a place that was cold, was completely dark in the winter, people lived in Igloos and English was a second language. It wasn’t until Sarah Palin was chosen as the Vice Presidential candidate that people in the Lower 48, through the lens of the...

For many months, AIP affiliates all across the nation have been pursuing the truth about whether or not Barack Obama is constitutionally qualified to be President of the United States. In addition to several key court challenges filed by leaders in the party, our people - regular constitution-loving, freedom-loving, patriotic citizens - have persistently kept this critically-important story alive. They are proving the practicality and viability of our goal of 'becoming the media.' To date, the American people have been deprived by the Obama faction of every key document that could settle this supremely important controversy once and for all....

Israel gets two more German submarines (AFP) – 14 hours ago JERUSALEM — Israel has taken delivery of two German submarines ordered four years ago, a military spokesman said on Tuesday. "We have received two Dolphin-class submarines built in Germany," he said, on condition of anonymity. The submarines, called U212s, can launch cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads, although when it confirmed the sale in 2006 the German government said the two vessels were not equipped to carry nuclear weapons. The subs were ordered in 2005 and delivery was initially expected in 2010. Including the two new ones, Israel has five...

Stealthy Italian submarine will train with U.S. Navy The ITS Scire is paying a visit to Mayport to take part in a Joint Task Force Exercise. By Timothy J. Gibbons From its high-tech fuel cell engine to its automated torpedo loading system, the ITS Scire proudly shows off the advanced technology crammed into its narrow body. But being on the crew of a cutting-edge fighting vessel doesn't mean one has to ignore the comforts of life - which perhaps is why cans of extra virgin olive oil manage to find a corner amid the fearsome torpedoes. From the espresso machine...

(IsraelNN.com) 'Tea parties', tax revolts, and a general disillusionment with political parties which they say are based in socialism are leading some Americans to find political refuge in a party which claims dedication to America's traditional moral values. The AIP, America's Independent Party, says it is a haven for the American patriot, and is determined to maintain what it sees as Biblically-based principles, including support for the State of Israel. It claims to already be the third largest political party in the United States. Tom Kovach, Tennessee state party chairman and National Outreach Communication Director of AIP, told Israel...

Dear California Voter, Here are the American Independent Party of California's recommendations for the May 19th Special Election.* ** Prop 1A. Extend the Tax Increases. NO. This measure extends the recent tax increases for up to two additional years to the already overtaxed people of California. Prop 1B. Increases Public School Spending $9.3 Billion. NO. This measure promotes irresponsible budget management, obligating future payments to public schools in exchange for not making certain mandated budget expenditures over the next two years. Prop 1C. Lottery Rip-Off. NO. This measure moves lottery money that was designated for schools to the general fund...

This video is well worth watching! It was taken by well-known pro-life activist and blogger Jill Stanek from a CBR Truth Truck (driven by AIP of Florida Vice-Chairman Carl Bibeau). What you'll see is mile after mile of pro-lifers lining all of the approaches to Notre Dame University yesterday as the supposedly Catholic Institution of Higher Learning proved itself to be nothing of the sort. Amazing footage!

Watch video HERE

(CNN) — John McCain’s general election campaign began as “the strategic equivalent of throwing a football through a tire at 50 yards” – and was doomed weeks before Election Day, his former chief strategist said Thursday. “We were running a campaign under extra difficult circumstances — the state of the Republican Party, the president’s unpopularity, the economy — a lot of issues that were not John McCain’s fault, but were John McCain’s problem in this race,” Schmidt told an audience at the University of Delaware, according to Politico. “When Lehman Brothers collapsed in the fall I knew pretty much right...

If you need your patriotic batteries recharged, your faith renewed, and your vision rekindled, watch these two videos:Part 1 Part 2

Gingrich Warns of Conservative 3rd Party in 2012 Friday, April 3, 2009 8:53 AM Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich warns that conservatives could leave the GOP and form a third party in 2012 if Republicans don’t do more to rein in government spending. “If the Republicans can’t break out of being the right wing party of big government, then I think you would see a third party movement in 2012, Gingrich said during an address to students at the College of the Ozarks in Missouri. http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/gingrich_third_party/2009/04/03/199346.html?s=al&promo_code=7D64-1

For those who don't know, the primaries will be held tomorrow for the special election to fill Rahn Emmanuel's vacant 5th District Congressional seat. Longtime FReeper Rosanna Pulido is one of the candidates! Many of our AIP volunteers have been working hard campaigning for her, and this heart-warming story came from one of them today. I though you might enjoy it: From "cajunwaterbaby": GOOD NEWS! Now this is a candidate!! I was calling voters in the troubled State of Illinois about the election tomorrow, and I spoke with a lovely man who said he'd love to go to vote, but...

$1 million/day since Jesus.

Our Wednesday night town-hall-style Maryland Independent Party conference call this week will focus on amending our state Constitution. Delegate Don Dwyer of Glen Burnie in Anne Arundel County plans to introduce a bill in the Maryland House of Delegates soon, and this call is a great way to help ensure that the language he proposes is as strong as can be. He envisions the amendment as adding an article to the "Declaration of Rights" section of the Constitution. All the articles of that section share the following introductory root: "We, the People of the State of Maryland, grateful to Almighty...

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) supported by Barack Obama is the product of the culture of death that reigns in America. We agree with opponents of FOCA that the evil of abortion should be opposed. However, opposing evil is only half of the equation. Scripture says, "Depart from evil and do good" (Psalm 34:14). We need a positive alternative. Our nation has drifted far from God, who says clearly, "You shall not murder." The founding fathers understood the self-evident truth "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among...

Quite recently, it struck me that it’s not that the MSM has done everything in its considerable power to spin, deny or conceal, all the unpleasant truths about ACORN, Rev. Wright, Tony Rezko, Bill Ayers and the Annenberg Challenge, that upsets me the most. The thing that truly depresses me is that millions of my fellow Americans know the truth, but simply don’t seem to care. They also don’t seem too concerned that in a 2001 radio interview, Obama declared that his problem with the Warren Court was that although it ruled in favor of Civil Rights, it was not...

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Email a Friend Email to a Friend Republican Senator Ted Stevens has fallen eight points behind Democrat Mark Begich in his bid for re-election, and most Alaska voters now believe Stevens should resign from office. The latest Rasmussen Reports survey of Alaska voters, conducted a day after Stevens was found guilty of filing false financial disclosure forms, finds that 52% plan to vote for Begich while 44% support Stevens. Alaskan Independence Party candidate Bob Bird picks up three percent (3%) of the vote while two percent (2%) remain undecided.

Conservative-friendly media better get ready. Should Barack Obama win the presidency and the Democrats control Congress, as now seems likely, they will launch a full-scale war to drive critics — especially on political talk radio — right out of legitimate public debate. Signs of what the new environment will be like for the right are already evident: • When the National Rifle Association recently released television and radio ads in Pennsylvania targeting Obama's history of anti-gun votes, the Obama campaign's general counsel fired off bullying letters to stations that ran the spots, implying that they may have violated public-interest obligations....

This is a 3rd party ad by The American Issues Project (AIP). They are sort of like a 527 group, though they fall under 501(c)4, which allows non-profits to advocate on issues, but not for a candidate. McCain is running on two tracks in the last month of the campaign; hitting Obama on his lack of character and judgment, and trying to connect with voters on the economy. This one does a nice job of nailing the Democrats to the wall on Fannie and Freddie.

"My government is my worst enemy. I'm going to fight them with any means at hand." This was former revolutionary terrorist Bill Ayers back in his old Weather Underground days, right? Imagine what Sarah Palin is going to do with this incendiary quote as she tears into Barack Obama this week. Only one problem. The quote is from Joe Vogler, the raging anti-American who founded the Alaska Independence Party. Inconveniently for Palin, that's the very same secessionist party that her husband, Todd, belonged to for seven years and that she sent a shout-out to as Alaska governor earlier this year....

From http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/ The Washington Post Reports That the WMD is Coming On Playing with the Obama campaign’s frail mental state, the stealthy, cocky, fat-cat American Issues Project (AIP) has managed to grab a feature in the occasionally hysterical and for-rent Washington Post about what it plans to do in the next fifty days. AIP fired the first Bill Ayers ad in August in four critical states, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, and it did damage. The facts in the ad are inarguable. Ayers was a rascal decades ago, participating in the Weatherman, the underground, the bombings in New York and...

A new group financed by a Texas billionaire and organized by some of the same political operatives and donors behind the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign against Sen. John F. Kerry in 2004 plans to begin running television ads attacking Barack Obama, a signal that independent groups may play a larger role than anticipated in the closing days of the presidential race. The American Issues Project has amassed a multimillion-dollar fund, and the group is putting the final touches on an eleventh-hour campaign targeting the Democratic presidential nominee, sources said.

The chairwoman of an Alaskan political party that advocates a vote on the state’s succession from the union said Tuesday that she had been mistaken when she said Gov. Sarah Palin was a member of the group. A front-page story in The New York Times on Tuesday and articles in other news media reported that Ms. Palin was a member of the Alaska Independence Party for two years in the 1990’s. The information in the Times article was based on a statement issued Monday night by Lynette Clark, the party’s chairwoman, who said that Ms. Palin joined the party in...

Lawsuit over McCain citizenship should be tossed, GOP lawyers say By Josh Richman Oakland Tribune Article Launched: 08/28/2008 06:19:23 PM PDT Lawyers for John McCain and the state and national Republican Party on Thursday asked a federal judge in San Francisco to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the candidate's place on California's Nov. 4 ballot. Markham Robinson of Vacaville, chairman-elect of California's American Independent Party, sued McCain, the GOP and California Secretary of State Debra Bowen on Aug. 11, arguing the presidential candidate's birth 72 years ago today in the Panama Canal Zone means he's not a "natural-born citizen" — a...

An intense "she said"/"she said" has emerged over whether Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was ever a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, the third-largest political party in the 49th state. The AIP wants Alaskans to get an opportunity to vote on whether or not they will remain a state, or become a commonwealth, or split off as an independent nation. Officials of the AIP say Palin was once a member, but the McCain campaign -- providing what it says is complete voter registration documentation -- says Palin has been according to official records a lifelong Republican. (Which to be honest...

The campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., likes to herald the independence of its new running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Officials of the Alaskan Independence Party say that Palin was once so independent, she was once a member of their party, which, since the 1970s, has been pushing for a legal vote for Alaskans to decide whether or not residents of the 49th state can secede from the United States. And while McCain's motto -- as seen in a new TV ad -- is "Country First," the AIP's motto is the exact opposite -- "Alaska First -- Alaska Always."...

The campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., likes to herald the independence of its new running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Officials of the Alaskan Independence Party say that Palin was once so independent, she was once a member of their party, which, since the 1970s, has been pushing for a legal vote for Alaskans to decide whether or not residents of the 49th state can secede from the United States. And while McCain's motto -- as seen in a new TV ad -- is "Country First," the AIP's motto is the exact opposite -- "Alaska First -- Alaska Always."

By Michelle Malkin  •  August 27, 2008 12:55 PM Just obtained the latest counterpunch from American Issues Project, the independent group running the ad about Bill Ayers that the Obama campaign doesn’t want you to see. (Embedded again at the end of this post. Keep passing it around.) As I’ve pointed out repeatedly over the past few days, Obama’s attempt to bully TV stations airing the ad and stop scrutiny of his radical ties is part and parcel of a larger campaign to chill the free speech of conservative political activists and donors.AIP sends the same message to the DOJ’s Deputy Assistant...

MSNBC just showed a segment called "Swiftboating" Obama? They referred to it as an independent attack ad aired by AIP. Obama is trying to blocking the ad, they say. They showed a clip of Obama's response ad, but not the original ad. The lawyer John Decker was being questioned asked if Obama's response is really the best response, that most Americans don't like lawsuits. This isn't criminal, he basically said. He said they should respond with their own hardhitting ad, not file lawsuits. "'Terror attack ad' Vietnam War radical Bill Ayers was Responsible for Bombings " was displayed on the...

August 13, 2008 Tonight's Maryland Independent Party conference call was a humdinger We had some guests from out-of-state on tonight's Maryland state conference call, including Markham Robinson of California. I invited Markham to join us and discuss the lawsuit announced today which contends that John McCain is ineligible to serve as president, and thus should not be allowed to be placed on the ballot in California. Callers had many questions and comments, and Markham answered all comers with scholarship and good humor. Listen to the mp3 recording of the call by clicking here -- http://www.marylandindependentparty.org/archive/Maryland_Independent_Party-conf_call-20080813.mp3 It's a tad over an...

SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline)-A John McCain presidency would be illegal because the Arizona senator was not born in the United States, says a lawsuit filed by the American Independent Party. The minor party says it wants McCain's name removed from ballots in California because federal law would bar the former Vietnam War POW from taking office were he to be elected in November, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Article II of the U.S. Constitution disqualifies McCain from assuming office because he was born in the Commonwealth of Panama in 1936, while his father...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Media inquiries: contact@aipnc.com Fenton, MI – July 23, 2008 – In a statement released today by America’s Independent Party, Chairman Tom Hoefling welcomed California’s American Independent Party to the growing ranks of AIP state affiliates. Hoefling, commenting in the wake of a statement from the office of the California Secretary of State recognizing Edward C. Noonan as the rightful chairman of the American Independent Party and the legitimacy of the actions of the July 5th State Convention in Sacramento, said, “We gratefully accept the AIP State Central Committee’s decision to affiliate nationally with us. We share a...

December 23, 2007: A U.S. firm (UTC Power) is teaming with Spanish submarine builder Navantia to produce 300 kilowatt fuel cells for the new S-80 submarines AIP (Air-Independent Propulsion) system. The UTC fuel cell design uses ethanol and pure oxygen. There are several other fuel cell designs out there, and AIP is becoming increasingly popular. It costs another $200 million or so to turn a half billion dollar diesel-electric sub into an AIP model that can stay underwater for a week or more at a time. This gives non-nuclear boats the same underwater endurance edge that nuclear powered boats have...

Russia's Sevmash shipyard at the Arctic city of Severodvinsk has completed a hybrid submarine powered by a diesel-electric plant and a small nuclear reactor. Designated B-90 and named Sarov, the submarine was completed on 17 December. a "teakettle" -- to keep a charge on the battery, providing essentially unlimited underwater endurance on relatively quiet electric propulsion. In effect, this is an Air-Indpendent Propulsion (AIP) system. There is no available information on the size of the B-90 program... Today several navies are operating AIP submarines, with the U.S. Navy having "borrowed" the Swedish AIP submarine Gotland in 2005-2007 to serve as...

Alarmed at the chance that the Republican party might pick Rudolph Giuliani as its presidential nominee despite his support for abortion rights, a coalition of influential Christian conservatives is threatening to back a third-party candidate in an attempt to stop him. The group making the threat, which came together Saturday in Salt Lake City during a break-away gathering during a meeting of the secretive Council for National Policy, includes Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, who is perhaps the most influential of the group, as well as Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, the direct mail pioneer...

Turkey to purchase ghost subs Evren Deger - The New Anatolian / Ankara 16 January 2007 The Turkish Naval Forces has recently initiated a process to purchase six submarines with the highest technology possible. The submarines are to include an "air-independent propulsion" system and will be able to roam under water for 50 days and will be difficult to detect due to stealth technology, which currently grants several military vehicles ghostlike mobility. The Defense Industry Undersecretariat is reportedly accepting bids until May 4 from firms that have prior experience building submarines. The undersecretariat wants the firms to subcontract Turkish firms...

German shipbuilders reject Greek criticism of high-tech submarine Published: 11/16/2006 Hamburg - A German shipbuilding company rejected on Thursday Greek criticism of an advanced fuel-cell-powered submarine, the Papanikolis, that has been bought by the Greek Navy. An Athens official said earlier in the day Greece was refusing to take delivery of the 65-metre-long submarine, which has a displacement of 1,700 tons, because it did not meet "international standards." In Hamburg, the ThyssenKrupp company said the Papanikolis had been the prototype of the new Type 214 series and various problems had emerged during a year and a half of testing it...

DCN Aims at Expanding the Market for SSKs (Source: meretmarines.com; published Oct. 23, 2006) PARIS --- At this week’s Euronaval exhibition, France’s DCN shipyards group has unveiled two new submarine designs for the export market: the Marlin, an updated variant of the Scorpene design, and the SMX-23 oastal submarine. Already offered to potential customers, the SMX-23 is a small boat, displacing 855 metric tons and 48.8 meters long. “Industry has tended to aim for high-performance submarine designs, while naval budgets are shrinking,” says Jean Gauthier, a DCN naval architect specialized in conventional submarines. Recent export contracts, such as those concluded...

UTC Power to Design Fuel Cell for Spanish Submarine Wednesday July 19, 8:49 am ET SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., July 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- UTC Power, a United Technologies (NYSE: UTX - News) company, today announced that its UTC Fuel Cells unit will design and develop a 300 kW proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell power module for the Spanish shipbuilder NAVANTIA, S.A. for use in the Spanish Navy's S-80 submarine. The 300 kW PEM fuel cell will be designed to operate on reformed ethanol and pure oxygen. The Spanish Navy will install the new fuel cell power modules on its S-80...

U.S. striving to detect diesel submarines The Navy is concentrating its efforts to find the quiet, difficult-to-detect crafts in Asia and the Pacific region. Eric Rosenberg Hearst Newspapers Last update: July 08, 2006 – 11:00 PM WASHINGTON - The U.S. Navy is stepping up its program for detecting new diesel-powered submarines that are extremely quiet, hard to find and increasingly relied upon by China, Iran and North Korea.