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President Obama has deployed combat troops to central Africa to aid in the fight against the Lord's Resistance Army. In a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner, Obama says 12 troops with "appropriate combat equipment" were deployed on October 12 and approximately 100 in total will be deployed including a second combat team and headquarters, communications and logistics personnel. The forces will provide information and advise and assist "select partner nation forces," Obama explains. The troops will not fight except in self-defense. The full letter is after the jump.

A prime complaint against Rick Perry is that some have attributed to him that he doesn't support the building of a border fence. This is not true. Perry is for a more comprehensive border security system that includes strategic fencing, better surveillance, and "boots on the ground." If you have ever visited the border regions of Texas, you will agree with me that constructing a fence along the entire 1,200 mile border is not only horribly expensive, but very disruptive to the environment, private property, and the Rio Grande.

A source on the Rick Perry campaign tells Hot Air that the Texas governor conducted some Texas-size fundraising in the third quarter. Coming in just a little over halfway through, Perry raised $17.1 million. That number would put Perry somewhere between $4-6 million ahead of Mitt Romney’s rumored total for Q3, according to this report last week from the Boston Globe. It’s also likely to far outpace Herman Cain’s fundraising or that of the other Republicans currently in the race. The pace is even more impressive. Perry had 49 days in which to raise funds, rather than the full 92...

The House on Thursday overwhelmingly voted to prohibit ground troops from being sent to Libya and only narrowly defeated a measure to force President Barack Obama to lay out plans to end the Afghanistan war, in moves that show the limits of congressional support for military involvement in overseas conflicts. The U.S. military's actions on three fronts—Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq—are wearing on the public, polls show, and lawmakers are leery of additional open-ended military commitments amid a severe budget crunch. The killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan last month is also adding to the reassessment of...

MATEHUALA, Mexico – The Mexican pointy boots that were said to have started by a certain “Cesar of Huizache” created a craze in Matehuala town in Mexico, international news reported. As noted from several news sites, it was said that the idea of having a pointed boots started when a customer only known as “Cesar of Huizache” made an odd request to Dario Calderon, a shoemaker, to create him a pair of boots with pointy toes. The pointy boots created by Calderon was seen being wore by Cesar of Huizache to Mesquit Rodeo nightclub, where he danced with a handkerchief...

British military officers will be sent to Libya to advise rebels fighting Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces, the UK government has said. Foreign Secretary William Hague said the group would be deployed to the opposition stronghold of Benghazi. The BBC understands 10 UK officers and a similar number from France will give logistics and intelligence training. Mr Hague said it was compatible with the UN resolution on Libya, which ruled out foreign military ground action. He stressed that the officers would not be involved in any fighting and the move was needed to help protect civilians.

We've seen Camp Lejuene marines in Iraq and Afghanistan and now they are joining the fight against Libya. 2200 marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, or 26th MEU will take part. Their mission is to help end the violence directed at the Libyan people. "In Libya right now they are doing exactly what we need them to do. They are doing what they are told and right now that's protecting Libyan people against Qadhafi forces," said Captain Timothy Patrick, a marine with the 26th MEU. A press release from the 26th MEU reads, in part: "Protecting the innocent and...

In a post I wrote regarding Michelle Obama and her plans to parent our children for us, I remarked about her $495 Tory Burch gardening boots. A few of the comments wondered why I brought them up, and why, as a capitalist, would I have a problem with pricey shoes? The boots were mentioned to remind readers of how out of touch with reality the First Lady is. The average American mama doesn’t have a single pair of shoes in her closet that cost that much, let alone gardening boots. When I’m inclined to work outdoors, I put on a...

But a Super Bowl appearance is a priceless opportunity for Obama or any president to sell himself as a regular guy. It's just harder for Harvard alums because they are so much smarter than others and so unsuccessful at hiding it. And making a favorable impression on chewing Americans couldn't hurt the Democrat, given his deeply faded job approval since the early post-inaugural days and the rapidly melting 639 days remaining before American voters give him the Jimmy Carter one-term boot or extend his lease at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

SIERRA VISTA — Living next door to Fort Huachuca, there aren’t many communities like ours that offer such a large variety of programs to support veterans, the military and their families. From providing food vouchers to helping with post traumatic stress or combating homelessness among the state’s veterans, there is no lack of organizations to aid current and former service members. However, this means that there seems to be a perpetual thin spread of money to go around to these programs. For this reason, Boots For Our Troops, a nonprofit organization that helps raise money on behalf of veterans’ organizations,...

LONDON, - High-heeled shoes for men appear to be making a comeback, British shoe purveyors say. The London department store Selfridges reports sales are good for boots that combine pointed toes with a Cuban heel, The Times of London says. Sam Lobban, a Selfridges buyer, calls the style "flamboyant, but in an edgy, cool way." "Heeled boots are the epitome of this and seem a natural turn for our customer -- rock'n'roll twinned with elegance," he said. James Taylor & Sons reports its customers want the extra inches a "man heel" provides without any obvious fashion statement. Owner Peter Schweiger...

E.O. “Coots” Matthews, the famed oil well firefighter and founding partner of Houston-based Boots & Coots — a company legendary for putting out some of the world’s most spectacular fires — died at an advanced age on Wednesday of natural causes. Matthews, whose age was not immediately available, [86 by another article] was raised in Porter. He began his oil field career with Halliburton in 1947, after serving as a tail gunner on a B-17 during World War II in Europe. Later that year, he joined M.M. Kinley Co., where he met Asger “Boots” Hansen and Red Adair to...

A man, they say, can be judged by his friends. If that's the case, then Barack Obama can surely be judged by George Clooney. The UK Daily Mail reported this week that the "Ocean's Eleven" actor regularly speaks with and text messages the presumptive Democratic nominee, advising him on everything from fashion to foreign policy. "George has been giving him advice on things such as presentation, public speaking and body language and he also emails him constantly about policy, especially the Middle East," stated a Democratic Party insider. "George is pushing him to be more 'balanced' on issues such as...

Suede shoes are timeless footwear. For Fall 2008, they are making a triumphal return with metals, trim, and even fringe. What can be more glamorous than a pair of slouchy suede booties and ankle boots?

(You can’t get much happier than a pig in muck, or so we are told. But when this little piggy arrived in the farmyard she showed a marked reluctance to get her trotters dirty. While her six brothers and sisters messed around in the mire, she stayed on the edge shaking. It is thought she might have mysophobia - a fear of dirt.) A pig, fearing dirt. That’s like a dog fearing social interaction, a cat fearing afternoon naps or Rosie O'Donnell fearing an all you can eat buffet. It’s unheard of. (Owners Debbie and Andrew Keeble were at a...

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Halfway across the continent from where Buffalo Bill roamed and Custer made his last stand, the mayor of this debt-ridden city spent millions in public money on everything from six-shooters to covered wagons for a museum about cowboys, Indians and the Wild West. And he did it without telling the City Council, whose members felt as if they had been hit by the swinging doors of a frontier saloon when they found out from a reporter in 2003. On Saturday, the other dusty cowboy boot will drop when hundreds of the items go on the auction...

Deputy Mayor of the Moscow government Petr Biryukov has promised that the city authorities will pay compensation for winter boots if they are spoiled by anti-ice reagents used on the streets of the Russian capital. “If it is the reagents to blame for spoiled boots we will return you money”, Biryukov said at a press-conference on Thursday. According to his words, new-generation reagents have been used in Moscow for several years already and they are less harmful than the reagents that were used in the past (salt, for instance). “Old reagents are still being used in some Russian cities, but...

Bill Clinton has surrounded himself with criminals Bill Clinton and Al Gore met with known criminals who either gave large amounts of money to the Democrats or were brought in by those giving huge sums of money to the Democrats. These people included convicted drug dealer Jorge Cabrera; a Chinese arms dealer named Wang Jun; and Grigory Lutchansky, whose company, Nordex, was on Clinton's CIA watch list and who was denied entry into Canada because he failed a background check. There was also the appearance of foreign policy quid pro quos involving Indonesia, Paraguay, Guam, Vietnam and China. Even more...

BAGHDAD, Feb. 22, 2007 — Like any advancing society, the roads in Baghdad are like the arteries of a heart, pumping vital supplies and equipment throughout the city. Similarly if troops can't travel on the roads, the heart stops beating. Insurgents have preyed on that fact by placing deadly roadside bombs along routes used by all, making driving on the roads increasingly dangerous. "It's going to put pressure on the bad guys, because we're out there all the time, and they know we're going to be looking for them," Sgt. Eric Meinhardt, a squad leader with Battery B. But in...

It's doubtful any of you will be weatherproofing boots at this time of the year,but I thought I'd pass along this warning: certain silicone-based sprays can cause very severe respiratory problems if improperly used. During February 2005-February 2006, 6 regional poison control centers in 5 states were consulted regarding 172 human and 19 animal (i.e., pet cat or dog) exposures to shoe or boot leather protection or sealant products resulting in respiratory illness. One product was associated with 126 cases of human illness and another product with 7 cases. An ongoing investigation, begun in December 2005, is being conducted by...

Casey Sheehan's Combat Boots to Leave Philadelphia for Return to Grieving 'Peace Mom' in Crawford, Texas 8/22/2005 10:40:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor Contact: Janis D. Shields of American Friends Service Committee, 215-241-7060 or jshields@afsc.org News Advisory: On Monday, August 22, at 11 a.m., Marq Anderson, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) national tour manager, will outline plans to remove the military combat boots worn in Iraq by Casey Sheehan from the exhibition "Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War," which is currently in Philadelphia. Anderson will return the boots to Casey's grieving mother, Cindy Sheehan, in Crawford,...

I am a Afghan war veteran and a former interrogator who worked at the Bagram Collection Point in Afghanistan. Although I do not condone any kind of abuse, we have to remember why these people are being detained - for terrorism and supporting those responsible for terrorism. I never saw anyone abuse our detainees. If I had, I would have confronted him or her. Abusing detainees does not improve the information we obtain from prisoners; instead it can cause false information to be given. I believe too many people are more concerned with how the world views the United States,...

I'm thinking of purchasing a pair of combat boots - I want something durable, comfortable, and suitable for extended walking. I'm in Texas, so heat is a greater environmental challenge than cold. In this instance, price is not a concern. Quality, durability, and functionality are critical. Altama seems to have some good products; Magnum has some strong advocates. Corcoran has some proponents - one model is here Danner has an interesting model here So, as I asked earlier...what is your favorite? Which would you never use? And why? Quite possibly I'm not aware of the best brands or models, so...

Marine's Mom Eva Savage's Message "Son Did Not Die In Vain."/ "Moore Does Not Speak For Them"

As many of you heard, Lt. Bryan Suits wants to collect boots and warm socks to hand out to the Iraqi kids. Most of them are still wearing sandals although the weather has grown colder and it rains a lot. If you would like to help out Bryan, you can by sending him children's -sized rubber rain boots and wool socks. Packages can be mailed directly to Bryan at: Lieutenant Bryan Suits C CO, TF161INF 3BCT, 1CavDiv APO AE 09348 Thanks for supporting Boots for Suits!

The old sergeant was continually on his men about the importance of taking care of their feet and thus their boots. He had just noticed that one of his men was wearing a pair of boots about 2 sizes too small and it irritated him. He had been on this particular soldier many times about his boots but every time he saw him he had on a new pair but they never seem to fit.

Americans seem to suffer a disconnect between what logic dictates is good for their health and what they do. They exercise, but they also sunbathe. They eat large salads instead of dinner, but snack on high-calorie, high-cholesterol junk foods. This habit extends down to the toes, or at least the toes of many women. Just ask the podiatrists and foot and ankle surgeons who do a brisk business in repairing feet wounded by the fashion industry's love affair with high-heeled shoes. "The current trend in fashion is very bad for women's feet," said Dr. Lloyd Smith, president of the American...

All I Really Need To Know I Learned At Ft. Benning BCT Shut Up and pay attention...keep your boots shiny...don't wear your hat indoors...treat leaders with respect...we are NOT an Army of one...never leave a fellow soldier behind...EVERYTHING and ANYONE can kill you...don't spit...never damage government property (including yourself)...the body can get by on very, very little sleep...in you are hungry enough, you will eat anything...if it ain't raining, we ain't training...go ahead and eat that cake private, we'll work it off (calories in, calories out)...taking three breaths of mustard gas is very painful...writing letters home after lights out is...

I am an Army public affairs officer stationed in Iraq. We have unfortunately done several memorial stories that we send back to hometown newspapers. In each one we mention the memorial display of the boots, upturned rifle and helmet. I heard a beautiful explanation of the history and significance of that display at a VFW Memorial Day ceremony last year, but cannot locate the words anywhere.

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The trusty old “black Cadillacs” that get Marines where they’re going are taking a hike soon, and the Marine Corps is trying to make sure replacements are plentiful. The Corps slowly has been phasing in new suede combat boots. The cutoff date for Marines to own one pair of both the temperate and hot-weather versions is Oct. 1, according to Kristy Chaplin, project officer at Marine Corps Systems Command. Once the mandatory date to own the new boots rolls around, Marines no longer will be able to wear the “black Cadillac” combat boots or jungle boots,...

Prehistoric 'shoes' better than modern hiking boots Prehistoric 'shoes' made out of bearskin and hay are better for mountain walks than modern hiking boots, claims an expert. Shoe specialist Petr Hlavacek has been studying the shoes found on the feet of a prehistoric iceman whose mummified body was found in an Alpine glacier in 1991. Mr Hlavacek, who reconstructed a pair of the shoes, said they kept the foot at an optimal temperature, allowed sweat to evaporate and dried quickly if they got wet. The footwear engineer's version went on display this week at the Leather Museum in Offenbach. Christian...

Motorised boots to go into production in Russia Walking boots fitted with tiny combustion engines are set for production in Russia. Inventor Viktor Gordejev, from Ufa in the Ural Mountains, says the boots cut the energy of walking by about 70%. As soon as the wearer steps forward with one foot, the engines propel the other one forward. Mr Gordejev says inspiration came 30 years ago when he was serving in the Soviet army. He explained: "I always wished my boots had engines as we had to walk miles every day. That's how I came up with the idea." The...

LONDON - British troops training for possible war in Iraq have been forced to wear sneakers because the military is short of boots, a lawmaker said Thursday. Opposition Conservative Party legislator James Gray said soldiers had told him of the problem when he visited a regiment recently. "They said to me, 'This is ridiculous. Why can't we get proper boots?'" he said. "They said it was all right if you're a size 1 or a size 12, but if you are 8, 9 or 10, as most people are, then there is a real problem." "It is simply extraordinary," he...

<p>President Bush received several pairs of cowboy boots and other Western gear during his first year in office, courtesy of foreign officials who clearly took into account the president's taste for things Texan.</p> <p>There's a pair of black ostrich-skin boots that President Vicente Fox kicked in, so to speak, when Bush visited Mexico in February 2001. And a fancier pair Fox offered a month later, made of navy blue ostrich skin and stitched with Bush's initials, U.S. and Mexican flags and the year "2001."</p>

WASHINGTON -- ABC's decision to cut an angry anti-terrorism song from its July 4 television special has prompted a smelly protest from Georgia Sen. Zell Miller, an avid country music fan. The Democratic senator announced Wednesday that he would mail a pair of his own boots to ABC News anchor Peter Jennings in retaliation for the network's decision to remove country artist Toby Keith's song from the concert. "This is a disgrace and the rankest kind of hypocrisy from these so-called advocates of free speech," Miller said in a floor speech. The network deemed the song, entitled "Courtesy of the...

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