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HABBANIYAH — One Civil Affairs Group (CAG), although only recently arriving to Iraq, is already making improvements to the quality of life of the Iraqi people. During a routine mission March 17, CAG, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, stopped by the Habbaniyah mayor’s office for a meeting. They intended to discuss the quality of the water treatment facilities in the Coolie Camp area. “Unfortunately, the mayor wasn’t available. We were supposed to pick-up some documents from him, but he was called to Ramadi by the governor,” said 2nd Lt. Matt R. Ashton, the officer in charge....

As a black American, I would love to see a class action law suit against those responsible for the big lie,“Blacks can't make it in America”. Black America vs The Modern Civil Rights Movement. Big Civil Rights is guilty of an relentless and cruel self aggrandizing effort to instill victim and entitlement mindsets into black youths. Damages are extensive including an elevated percentage of black males in prison, school dropouts, illegitimate births, stolen dreams, racial hatred and anti-patriotism. My witnesses for the prosecution would begin with Oprah, Chris Gardner, portrayed in the movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness” and the roster...

SHARPSBURG - Antietam National Battlefield is one of the 10 most endangered battlefields in the United States, according to a list released Wednesday by the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT). The battlefield is "threatened with a 120-foot-tall cellular tower that would be visible from all of the battlefield's most famous vantage points," according to a CWPT press release. Monocacy National Battlefield near Frederick, Md., also is on the list, which also includes sites in several states from Virginia to Oklahoma. National Park Service officials were notified in December 2007 of a proposal to erect a stealth cell tower south of...

After Miami handyman Glenn Rudge was accused of shoplifting an $8 set of drill bits at Home Depot, he thought he'd settled the matter when he showed his receipt to prosecutors and they dropped the charge.But a few weeks later, a law firm hired by Home Depot began sending him letters demanding first $3,000, then a total of $6,000, implying he'd be sued if he didn't pay it. In an escalating battle against theft, retailers are going after anyone suspected of shoplifting, turning over their names to lawyers and collection firms, who pursue the suspects for stiff penalties and split...

How conservative is Mr. McCain? During his quarter century in Washington, the senator has assembled an 82% rating from the American Conservative Union, placing him 39th among senators in 2006, while drawing a 25% lifetime rating from the liberal American Civil Liberties Union. Hillary Clinton, by contrast, has a 75% ACLU lifetime rating. A scorecard by the antitax Club for Growth, a conservative political-action committee, ranked him 29th among 55 Republican senators in 2006.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2008 – Operation Phantom Phoenix, a series of division- and brigade-level strikes against al Qaeda and other extremists in Iraq, continues to disrupt terrorist safe havens and bases, a top military official said. The joint coalition-Iraqi forces operation, launched Jan. 8, also is achieving gains for Iraqi citizens, Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters today during a briefing at Camp Victory. in Baghdad. “This is a tough fight on many levels, and it will continue to be so,” he said. “But even as offensive operations pressure the extremist networks, there...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT (Music: When Johnny Comes Marching Home) RUSH: We'll start today with the Democrats, ladies and gentlemen. There's an uncivil war brewing on the left. On one side, African-Americans. On the other side, Clinton-Americans. And caught in the middle of this, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Clintons, ladies and gentlemen, plain for all to see, will do or say anything to win. But now the question: Will African-Americans take anything? Amazing to watch this, is it not? Clintonistas are saying about Obama -- and Obama saying about the Clintons -- what they have been saying for...

I guarantee you it’ll be looked back upon as pivotal in terms of Romney’s first run for President down the line in terms of political history. Keep in mind the following quote: Mitt Romney on Thursday called the failure of inner city schools “the great civil rights issue of our time.” This man impresses me more and more every day… Health Care, Race Relations, Immigration, Education…there isn’t one issue where he’s trumped by another candidate… LONDONDERRY, N.H. - Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Thursday called the failure of inner city schools “the great civil rights issue of our time.”...

US says Iraqi rebel head is an inventionTina Susman in Baghdad July 20, 2007 IN MARCH, he was declared captured. In May, he was declared killed, and his purported corpse was displayed on state-run TV. On Wednesday, Omar al-Baghdadi, the supposed leader of an al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Iraq, was declared non-existent by US military officials, who say he is a fictional character created to give an Iraqi face to a foreign-run terrorist group. In reality, said Brigadier-General Kevin Bergner, an Iraqi actor has read statements attributed to al-Baghdadi, who has been identified since October as the leader of the group,...

The mother of a San Luis Obispo man who died after an attempted organ donation at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center last year claims she never gave hospital officials consent to take her son off life-support and was misinformed when agreeing to the organ harvest, according to a wrongful death lawsuit. Rosa Navarro also alleges in her June 29 civil lawsuit that a transplant surgeon misrepresented himself as her son’s doctor, an allegation the surgeon’s attorney strongly denies. She also said she agreed to the organ donation only because she believed her son had no chance of survival. Defendants in...

LSA ANACONDA, Iraq, May 31, 2007 – Rifles, pistols and tanks are a few tools of war. Active listening, patience and cooperation are a few of the tools used by Capt. Glen A. Stambone, a civil affairs officer with the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, starting at 8:30 a.m., the Civil Military Operations Center (CMOC) lets the people’s voices be heard. Most of those voices are speaking Arabic. In order to provide good customer service, the civil affairs office here uses two interpreters. Stambone said one is more of a “street smart” interpreter, the other is...

Point being: no matter what flags Americans have served under — or causes they have fought for — since initially choosing between the colonies and the Crown back in 1775, all are indeed Americans. ... U.S. Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur said in 1815, nearly a half-century before the Civil War: “Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong!” ... We remember those soldiers and sailors — right or wrong — in various annual observances, from Veterans Day to Armed Forces Day. This week, we remember the dead....

The liberals have used "civil disobedience" for decades. It has worked on occassion. Do you think such actions are right or wrong?

CONCORD, N.H. --Gov. John Lynch told The Associated Press on Thursday he will sign legislation establishing civil unions in New Hampshire. New Hampshire thus will become the fourth state to adopt civil unions and the first to do so without first having a court fight over denying gays the right to marry.

There is NO "civil war" in Iraq

I often wonder how we in the 21st-century would manage the tragedy surrounding the sinking of one of our ships at sea when in some cases, during World War II, thousands of sailors and Marines perished within minutes. After all, would it not have been "criminal" – by today's standards according to some political commentators – to send our young men to sea in ships not adequately protected from submarine attacks or suicide pilots?

Gaza on brink of civil war as cleric is killed By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem Last Updated: 2:00am GMT 06/01/2007 An unarmed Muslim cleric was shot dead as he drove home from leading prayers yesterday, the latest victim of the Gaza Strip violence that is threatening to spiral into all-out civil war. The funeral of Col Ghayeb saw a huge display of Fatah firepower on the streets of Gaza City Witnesses said Adel Nassar, 50, was murdered because, during his sermon, he dared criticise the killers of a Fatah security chief and seven of his bodyguards. That attack, on Thursday,...

Some major U.S. news networks are now describing the violence in Iraq as "civil war," but President Bush is refusing to go that far. At a news conference in Estonia Tuesday morning, President Bush said Iraq is engulfed in "sectarian violence" fomented by al Qaeda and other extremists who can't stand the idea of a democratic nation in the heart of the Middle East. "We've been in this phase for a while," Bush said. He said the recent bombings "are part of a pattern that has been going on for about nine months" - ever since the bombing of a...

Note that this came during a time when the tide was turning against the South. Note how the Southern soldier stands upright, with a broken sword underfoot, while the Northern Soldier is dejected and "broken"... (Where have we heard that before?) Note the phrase, "useless war." Should we have listened to the defeatists back then, and have allowed the odious practice of slavery to go on? Should we listen to the defeatists now, and allow Islamo-fascism to rule the day?

Muslims are waging civil war against us, claims police union By David Rennie, Europe Correspondent (Filed: 05/10/2006) Radical Muslims in France's housing estates are waging an undeclared "intifada" against the police, with violent clashes injuring an average of 14 officers each day. Interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy was warned of an 'intifada' As the interior ministry said that nearly 2,500 officers had been wounded this year, a police union declared that its members were "in a state of civil war" with Muslims in the most depressed "banlieue" estates which are heavily populated by unemployed youths of north African origin. It said...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2006 – Though violence and crime continue to hinder progress, the challenge in Afghanistan isn’t military in nature, the commander of coalition forces serving in that country said here today. “The coalition, NATO and Afghan national security forces dominate wherever they encounter the enemy,” Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry said at a Pentagon news conference. “The critical task at this stage is strengthening the government of Afghanistan, developing the economy, and helping to build Afghan civil society.” The general acknowledged that terrorists, militant extremists, drug traffickers and a determined criminal element have hindered progress. “Their influence has...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2006 – Despite a recent increase in violence in Baghdad, Iraq is not on a path toward civil war, the commander of U.S. Central Command said yesterday. Army Gen. John Abizaid recently visited Baghdad and talked with Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the highest-ranking military commander in Iraq, as well as Iraqi government officials. He also had the opportunity see the situation in Baghdad firsthand while moving around the city with coalition forces. Abizaid said he left confident that progress is being made on the Baghdad security plan. “It’s still too soon to say how the...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2006 – Iraq is not now and will never be in a civil war, the country’s prime minister told Wolf Blitzer today on “CNN Late Edition.” Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, speaking from Baghdad, praised strides being made in Iraq on the political, economic and security fronts and said that despite news reports to the contrary, violence is on the downswing and Iraq’s new government is succeeding. Maliki insisted that a spirit of reconciliation is taking hold in Iraq. “The violence is not increasing,” he said. “Iraq is not in a civil war. Iraq will never be in...

As we took off from London for New York a few days ago, our three over-excited children asked if there was any chance of the plane being blown up. I explained that the likelihood of that happening was virtually zero, and wondered how we were going to maintain some semblance of order during the flight. One did not wish the sedate American passengers by whom we were surrounded to form the impression that British parents are unable or unwilling to impart the rudiments of good manners.

The good news about nuclear destruction Posted: August 24, 20061:00 a.m. Eastern By Shane Connor What possible good news could there ever be about nuclear destruction coming to America, whether it is dirty bombs, terrorist nukes or ICBMs from afar? In a word, they are all survivable for the vast majority of American families, if they know what to do beforehand and have made even the most modest preparations. Tragically, though, most Americans today won't give much credence to this good news, much less seek out such vital life-saving instruction, as they have been jaded by our culture's pervasive myths...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2006 – Iraq is experiencing some localized sectarian strife, but it’s not embroiled in a full-blown civil war as reported by some news media, a senior coalition officer said here today. “In my judgment, we are not in a situation of civil war,” said British Royal Marine Lt. Gen. Robert Fry, deputy commander of Multinational Force Iraq and the senior British military representative in Iraq. He spoke to Pentagon reporters via a satellite connection from his Baghdad headquarters. Fry acknowledged a “very intense sectarian conflict” in Iraq and said violence is mostly occurring in an area that...

MOSUL, Iraq (Army News Service, Aug. 21, 2006) – Three towns west of Mosul in northern Iraq are benefiting from several newly completed projects as a result of cooperation between local leadership, and members of the 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion. Local contractors completed construction of a new courthouse for the citizens of Sununi on Aug. 7. The month-long project employed 35 local workers and is expected to make the adjudication of laws easier for the judges in the Sunini sub-district by providing a place for judges to meet and hear cases. When inspecting the work, coalition force personnel assessed the...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (NNS) -- The 354th Civil Affairs Brigade (CAB), the first civil affairs brigade in Iraq made up primarily of Sailors, completed its first four months here, Aug. 16, as the primary administrative controlling manager for civil affairs units throughout Iraq. During the first months of its year-long deployment to Baghdad, the 354 CAB coordinated and ensured the successful completion of numerous community-oriented projects. Among the active-duty individual augmentees and Reservists called upon to deploy with the unit, more than 75 percent of the brigade headquarters is Navy. Army Col. Vernon Harris, 354th CAB's commander, said working in a...

Lt. Col. Albert Zakaib, the 3rd Corps Support Command officer in charge, holds an Iraqi baby who survived a vehicle collision on May 20. On May 29, after a diligent search, Marines and Armed Forces delivered the orphaned baby (by Iraqi cultural standards) to his mother. Story and photo by by Sgt. Judith Dacosta 3rd Combat Support Command Public Affairs On the evening of May 20, two individuals, a five-month-old boy and an adult male, were injured in a collision. Troops brought both individuals to a checkpoint manned by Iraqi army forces and U.S. Marines. Once the patients arrived at...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Soldiers from Company A, 425th Civil Affairs Battalion, part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, distributed about 100 blankets, 50 hygiene kits and a box of soccer balls to Iraqi families Saturday during a humanitarian assistance mission in Karkh. Nearly three months ago, a rocket was fired at a building within the International Zone in central Baghdad . The rocket misfired however and hit the residential area, destroying many homes. Initially, Coalition Forces went into the area following the attack and distributed clothing, food and water. They did not have enough materials to distribute...

Virginia Dads Take To The StreetsTom Porter, founder of Vision4Children, and Ron Jagannathan, board member of Fathers For Virginia, took their message to Virginia commuters on July 8, 2006. "We plan on demonstrating on a regular basis," said Porter, "We encourage all local parents who feel letdown by the family courts to join us." Porter added, "Vision4Children.org will be online this week." Australian Dads Speak Out On TVNZ(VIDEO)Take a look at this July 9, 2006 television newscast on tvnz.co.nz called The "F" Word. This video lasts about 15 minutes and shows interviews with distraught Australian fathers. It also includes...

'"No Southern man is complete without a tenure under military rule." That one sentence penned by author Pat Conroy in his best-selling novel The Lords of Discipline , is utter truth spoken to the heart of any Southern boy or man. It does not mean all Southern men serve, have served, or will serve their country. But it does mean that deep down in the well of the soul of the Southern American male there is a sense of duty and martial responsibility that cries out to be acted upon. I’ve chosen Southerners as an example, because I am Southern....

TEAR GAS!What's the difference between Iraq and Vietnam? - Sand  How many suicide bombers does it take to screw in a light bulb? - No one knows suicide bombers don't last as long as a light bulb!   catch the video of my new act Stand-Up Saddam here:Stand-Up Saddam

AL QA’IM, Iraq (May 15, 2006) -- A 28-year-old Iraqi woman has told Marines and sailors in region of western Al Anbar Province that all she wants is to be able to walk again. The woman from Karabilah, Iraq, is missing both of her legs. But the Marines of the 3rd Civil Affairs Group – a U.S. military unit responsible for assisting Iraqi communities with rebuilding local government infrastructure, commerce and economies – are doing something about it. They’re jumpstarting the lengthy process of finding aid for the woman, who lost both of her legs during combat operations conducted by...

In early 1846, Pres. James K. Polk dispatched an expeditionary force to the border hoping to provoke hostilities. It worked. In April, Mexico declared war. The American Army won two back-to-back victories. The U.S. formally declared war in May, and – after a series of very bloody battles – Mexico was defeated in 1848. America's victory resulted in the vast acquisition of new U.S. territories stretching to the Pacific: A bone of contention for some Mexicans (and other Hispanics) in the current immigration reform debate.

Court Denies Felons Voting Rights ArgumentBy LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press Writer Last update: May 05, 2006 – 2:23 AM NEW YORK (AP) - A landmark civil rights law cannot be used to argue that barring felons from voting discriminates against minorities because they are imprisoned at a higher rate, a federal court ruled Thursday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which removed barriers to black voters, was not an avenue of relief for 21 plaintiffs, which include six current prisoners. The plaintiffs sued the state in November 2000. Judge Jose A. Cabranes, who...

The President "lied" us into war. Much of the pre-war intelligence was wrong. The civilian defense chief was detested as "brusque, domineering and unbearably unpleasant to work with." Civil liberties were abridged. And many embittered Democrats, claiming the war had been an utter failure, demanded that the administration bring the troops home. George Bush? Well, yes - but also a President who looms far larger in American history, Abraham Lincoln. One is struck by the parallels in reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's masterful new book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

4/20/2006 - MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) -- Almost nothing changed on the outside of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing headquarters here until the final week of the renovation. There was always something indicating work -- trenches, heavy machinery, dusty workers taking a quick break at the gazebo. But the metal exterior itself didn’t give any indication of the work going on inside until the end. “You couldn’t see any difference on the outside,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Williams. “People were probably watching this whole time thinking -- what have those guys been doing all day?” What they’ve been doing...

Iraq civil war could spread, say Saudis By Anton La Guardia in Riyadh (Filed: 20/04/2006) Saudi Arabia issued a stark warning yesterday that Iraq was in the grip of civil war which threatened to "suck in" neighbouring countries. On a day when at least 17 more people were killed across Iraq, Riyadh expressed alarm that events were spiralling out of control. Prince Saud al-Faisal:b at odds with Britain over Iraq "Civil war is a war between civilians and there is already war between civilians," Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, said. "The threat of break-up in Iraq is a...

The Golden Mosque in Samarra, Iraq, days after anti-Iraqi forces bombed the national landmark. The U.S. has offered to help the locals rebuild the mosque, but the Samarra government wants to accomplish it on their own. U.S. Army photo Civil Affairs Wears Many Hats in Samarra The Civil Affairs team in Samarra is working on 30 different projects. By U.S. Army Sgt. Waine D. Haley 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment SAMARRA, Iraq, March 27, 2006 — Welcome to the world of Civil Affairs, where in one minute you could be drinking Chai tea with the mayor and the next...

Jihad Unspun (which the U.S. State Department has decried as playing a "major role in disinformation") also published, as one of its bylined features, a speech by former Vice President Al Gore. A portion of that feature reads, "So long as their big flamboyant lie remains an established fact in the public's mind, President Bush will be seen as justified in taking for himself the power to make war on his whim." Does that mean Jihad Unspun's editors feel some ideological kinship with both Gore and some obscure writer who suggests nations should arm themselves with nuclear weapons? I cannot...

Rumsfeld: We're trying to figure out what to do if Iraq falls into civil war By James Langton in Washington (Filed: 19/03/2006) America has begun making plans to deal with a civil war in Iraq, three years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. As sectarian violence continues to claim lives every day, Donald Rumsfeld, the American defence secretary, has disclosed that United States military intelligence is holding war games to predict what might happen in such a situation. Donald Rumsfeld: War games Mr Rumsfeld's admission that "the intelligence community are thinking about this and analysing it" comes despite the...

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2006 – Iraq is not on the verge of a civil war, and sectarian issues in the country are controllable, the commander of U.S. Central Command told the House Armed Services Committee here today. Army Gen. John Abizaid testified about CENTCOM's posture. He told the representatives he believes a government of national unity will emerge in Iraq and that the Iraqi security forces will continue to improve. Abizaid said he was concerned about sectarian violence in Iraq since the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra on Feb. 22. He said he believes fugitive Jordanian terrorist Abu...

....This state of beautiful mountains and popular ski resorts, once a magnet for back-to-the-landers, is losing young people at a precipitous clip.... Vermont, with a population of about 620,000, now has the lowest birth rate among states....The total number of 20- to 34-year-olds in Vermont has shrunk by 19 percent since 1990. [CLIP] While Vermont's population of young people shrinks, the number of older residents is multiplying because Vermont increasingly attracts retirees from other states. [CLIP] Fewer babies are being born in part because Vermont has few immigrants, who tend to have larger families...There is also a serious housing shortage,...

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2006 – The United States is doing all it can to prevent civil war from breaking out in Iraq, but it's ultimately up to Iraqis to maintain political and security progress, President Bush said here today. Bush said he believes Iraqis have chosen democracy as their preferred path, as evidenced by their three successful elections in 2005. "It wasn't all that long ago that 11 million people went to the polls, ... that people defied assassins, car bombers, threats, and said: 'We want a democracy,'" Bush said at a conference of the National Newspaper Association. Iraqis recently...

US envoy warns of Iraq civil war Holy sites in Iraq are being protected after recent attacks The US ambassador to Iraq has said that continuing sectarian violence there had the potential to turn into civil war. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Zalmay Khalilzad indicated that the US had little choice but to keep a strong military presence in Iraq. He added that the dangers of conflict would be lessened if Iraqis agreed on a national unity government. But US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the media had exaggerated the severity of recent violence. At a Pentagon...

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2006 – The Iraqi people responded to terrorist outrages by pulling back from the abyss of a civil war, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said on NBC's Meet the Press today. Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the February 22 bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, was an act of desperation on the part of the terrorists. The growth of democracy and the political progress leaders of the country are making in forming a government has made terrorists desperate. "So desperate that they would destroy one of their own most sacred shrines in...

3/2/2006 - KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Civil engineers wage the war on terrorism by stepping outside the wire and bringing the fight into the streets. They are the only Air Force unit in Iraq who come with armored dump trucks, excavators and concrete, repairing the many craters pitting the roads in Kirkuk and surrounding area. The primary mission of Detachment 10 of the 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron is twofold. While road repair goes a long way in rebuilding the damaged infrastructure of the country, and in turn the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, the reason...

BAGHDAD, Feb. 27, 2006 — Last Wednesday terrorists blasted the golden dome of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra north of Baghdad, heavily damaging one of Islam's most significant religious sites. America and other countries have vowed to assist in the restoration of this important shrine to its former glory as a main symbol in Iraqi culture. It is clear the effort of the terrorists was to provoke the anger of Shiites and drag Iraq into a sectarian war. It is also clear that the terrorists again grossly misjudged the character and spirit of the Iraqi people - and their will...

I love history. I’m proud of my Southern heritage. But for me to be angry to the point of protesting a moment in Southern history that happened nearly a century-and-a-half ago would be just, well, nonsensical. And would in some ways tarnish that heritage.