http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ground/ en-us Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:57:43 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2083755/posts It is difficult to screw up an appearance at Ground Zero on September 11th. You have to be either completely oblivious or completely indifferent. It is a signal feat of idiocy. And yet Barack Obama accomplished it. John McCain and Obama visited Ground Zero together. Obama and McCain entered the site. But while McCain took the time to shake hands with uniformed firefighters and a construction worker with an American flag helmet, Obama ignored them and stood around. But he wasn’t done yet. Both McCain and Obama brought roses to place on the makeshift 9/11 memorial. Obama casually tossed his... Familysecuritymatters.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2083755/posts#comment Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:57:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2079845/posts I bet each person living in New York City on September 11, 2001 can recall where they were and what they were doing when the terrorist attacks occurred. These assaults ruthlessly murdered close to 3,000 people within hours. If you weren’t directly affected, you knew someone who was. Our sense of security was severely damaged, so we stayed home glued to the television set. Many were in a state of shock, others outraged. We saw the posters, pictures and flyers of the “missing”. We suffered for weeks following, hoping for one survivor, out of the rubble that once was the... Political Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2079845/posts#comment Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:22:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056647/posts A patch of land in Ventura County's Los Padres Forest where the ground heated up to 812 degrees Friday continues to puzzle firefighters and geologists after a month and a half of monitoring. "It's a thermal anomaly," said Ron Oatman, spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. Firefighters first responded to the hot spot a month and a half ago, Oatman said. There were no visible flames, but they created a containment line about 2 feet wide and monitored the two-acre plot. Because the smoke was not going away, the containment line was widened to about 30 feet Friday, he... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056647/posts#comment Tue, 5 Aug 2008 05:31:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1985825/posts My bill, HF 498, known as the Castle Doctrine, is needed to clarify what law-abiding citizens can do to protect themselves and others in life-threatening situations. Contrary to what its critics say, it's a common-sense bill. Citizens have a right to protect themselves from criminals and to use deadly force when necessary. I'm concerned the current paranoia about guns has given law-breakers an edge. A few days ago, Don Samuels, a Minneapolis City Council member pioneer press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1985825/posts#comment Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:18:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1839952/posts BAGHDAD — Soldiers continue searching around the clock for their missing comrades throughout southern Baghdad Thursday. Although the 2nd Brigade Combat Team “Commandos,” 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) troops are sometimes trucking supplies out to their brothers and sisters in arms, they mainly rely on the 1st “Warriors” Air Cavalry Brigade’s aerial assets to get the job done, said Staff Sgt. Darren Larson, a brigade supply noncommissioned officer for 2-10th Mountain. “I know everybody down range really appreciates everything (1st ACB) is doing. We couldn’t have done it without (them),” he said. “(They’re) probably, by far, one of the biggest... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1839952/posts#comment Fri, 25 May 2007 23:48:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1816759/posts United they stood, not for glory, but because they were a band of brothers. Nobody was watching them, and no glory awaited them. They stood because they were men of honor and dignity. Lesson from the past. VIDEO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1816759/posts#comment Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:18:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814752/posts The hole in the ground that could connect Africa with Europe By Fiona Govan Last Updated: 1:03am BST 10/04/2007 Laden with fishing gear Mohammed Ahrare strolled past a rusting scaffold frame rigged with weights and pulleys on a cliff-top outside Tangier and set up his rod at his favourite fishing spot. The 16-year-old tilted his head at the insignificant looking structure and said with a certain amount of pride: "That is a very important spot. From there they will build the tunnel that will link Morocco to Spain." He gazed wistfully across the choppy waters where the coast of Spain... The Telegraph (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814752/posts#comment Tue, 10 Apr 2007 03:27:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1789574/posts 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... Defend America News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1789574/posts#comment Fri, 23 Feb 2007 01:51:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1749488/posts Fulgurites! The second is the world record holder. University of Florida Lightning Research Group http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1749488/posts#comment Wed, 6 Dec 2006 21:58:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1737672/posts When the towers first fell and, in practically the same moment, so many turned to imagining their replacement, I was appalled. Later, when I started to write about the site, I avoided proposing designs of my own, both because they were banal and impracticable—I thought it would be cool to flood the bathtub—and because I felt such activities were beyond the scope of a responsible critic. I would often say, however—as I think I wrote or at least implied here once—two things: that the ultimate form of the reconstruction was unimportant as long as the process to achieve it, from... Businessweek http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1737672/posts#comment Mon, 13 Nov 2006 12:38:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1698955/posts SIERRA VISTA — A lot of lives were changed that day. Jennifer Wojtanowski’s was one of them. “You can watch 9-11 coverage on TV all you want, but until you are actually there, you have no idea what it’s really like,” Wojtanowski said of her experience at Ground Zero. “The smells, the sounds, the family members. It was just overwhelming.” As a 19-year-old who had just gone through her initial military training, Wojtanowski was assigned to the New York Army National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division at the time of the attacks. Now, five years later, the 24-year-old vividly recalls the... Sierra Vista Herald, Sierra Vista Arizona http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1698955/posts#comment Sun, 10 Sep 2006 19:38:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1675523/posts JERUSALEM - Israel's prime minister declared Monday there would be no cease-fire with Hezbollah guerrillas, saying "we will not give up on our goal to live a life free of terror." His Security Cabinet approved widening the ground offensive. Although Israel suspended most airstrikes on south Lebanon for 48 hours, its warplanes struck deep inside the country early Tuesday. They hit an area that is a stronghold of Hezbollah guerrillas, witnesses said. Warplanes also hit Hezbollah fighters battling with soldiers near the border as the guerrillas fired mortars into Israel. The cutback in Israeli airstrikes and a pause by the... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1675523/posts#comment Tue, 1 Aug 2006 04:53:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1670391/posts Foxnews Alert! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1670391/posts#comment Sat, 22 Jul 2006 12:23:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1667474/posts MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (July 13, 2006) -- Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Glen Wesley and his family spent the afternoon July 13 sharing the Stanley Cup with II Marine Expeditionary Force wounded warriors. Wesley brought the fabled hockey icon to the Wounded Warrior Barracks to raise spirits and pay respect to veterans of the current War on Terrorism. Amid a crowd of excited sports fanatics and combat veterans, the silver trophy was brought in and given a place of honor so all could gaze upon the 114-year-old artifact, touched by hundreds of National Hockey League legends. “I’ve been a... Marine Corps News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1667474/posts#comment Mon, 17 Jul 2006 23:15:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1654642/posts German Archeologists to Excavate Salt Men's Burial Ground in Iran Jun 20, 2006 Following the visit of two Iranian archeologists to Germany and Austria, the condition for a joint cooperation between Iranian and German archeologists was prepared and a team of archeologists of Bochum Mining Museum of Germany is to come to Iran to carry out excavations in Chehr Abad historical salt mine, the burial ground of the discovered famous salt men in Zanjan province. After signing a memorandum of understanding between Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) and Germany's Bochum Mining Museum and defining the budget for this... Persian Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1654642/posts#comment Fri, 23 Jun 2006 23:24:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1642936/posts Killing ground Published: Saturday, June 03, 2006 PURPLE SPRINGS, Alta. - Buried deep below a shallow southeastern Alberta valley, punctuated by wind-swept sand dunes, vast grassland and aging cow manure, lies evidence of a slaughter that took place 2,500 years ago. What was once little more than leased Crown land now doubles as a precious archeological dig, which, with each turn of the trowel, is teaching University of Lethbridge researchers what one of Alberta's few known bison kill sites can tell us about our past. Listening to archeology professor Shawn Bubel tell the story of how a roaming herd met... National Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1642936/posts#comment Sat, 3 Jun 2006 21:54:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1639062/posts WASHINGTON, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Friday urged Russia to reconsider its decision to honor its commitment to sell Iran the Tor-M1 air defense missile system. "We would hope that Russia would take a second look at this issue," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told a news briefing. Russia said earlier in the day that it would fulfill a contract to supply its sophisticated Tor-M1 air defense systems to Iran. "Russia has signed a contract with Iran for the supply of Tor-M1 close-range air defense systems to Iran," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said. "The contract will... Xinhua News Agency (government owned) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1639062/posts#comment Fri, 26 May 2006 23:43:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1627577/posts AL ASAD, Iraq (May 5, 2006) -- A distinctive beating is heard overhead as two attack helicopters circle ground forces patrolling the western Al Anbar Province of Iraq. The slim, grasshopper-like powerhouses and barrel-chested gunships belong to the pioneers of close air combat support, the Gunrunners of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. Both the AH-1W Super Cobra and the UH-1N Huey, are organic to the squadron. The aircraft, as a team, are capable of distributing massive amounts of firepower to both ground and air opposing forces. The Gunrunners returned to... Marine Corps News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1627577/posts#comment Fri, 5 May 2006 23:16:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1615322/posts 4/13/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- “It’s so frustrating to come under attack, and see another one of our soldiers hurt,” said “AJ,” a Joint Terminal Attack Controller who supports the U.S. Army infantry in Iraq. “This time one of our guys lost a leg and several fingers,” said the major. “But it could have been worse if the Strike Eagles hadn’t arrived on the scene.” While hundreds of F-15E sorties fly through the Iraqi skies in any given week supporting troops on the ground, this recent mission stands out in two 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron crews’ minds as particularly memorable.... Air Force Links http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1615322/posts#comment Sat, 15 Apr 2006 00:05:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1608607/posts BAGHDAD (Army News Service, April 3, 2006) – The Iraqi army has proven that they're trained and capable of protecting the Iraqi people, and their nation recognizes that, according to Multinational Division – Baghdad Commander Maj. Gen. James Thurman in a teleconference with the Pentagon press corps March 31. Thurman assumed command of MND-B on January 7, 2006. He leads Coalition operations, which include U.S. forces and those from the Republic of Georgia, Macedonia, Estonia and about 33,000 Iraqi security forces. As the 4th Infantry division arrives at the 90-day mark in theater, Thurman pointed out key strategies and successes... ARNEWS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1608607/posts#comment Tue, 4 Apr 2006 00:24:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1605179/posts Overview To better understand the distribution of shaking and damage that accompanied the great 1906 earthquake, seismologists have constructed new computer models to recreate the ground motions. The simulations show how ground moved on the two sides of the San Andreas fault and how seismic waves radiated away from the fault to produce the shaking. The earthquake, which began 2 miles offshore from the City of San Francisco, ultimately grew to cause shaking and damage along more than 300 miles of the San Andreas Fault. The movies and snapshots available here portray the shaking over a 155 mile by 70... USGS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1605179/posts#comment Wed, 29 Mar 2006 06:19:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1591217/posts ARLINGTON, Texas (March 6, 2006) -- Marines from Recruiting Station Fort Worth participated in a recent ground breaking ceremony for a military veteran’s memorial to be constructed at Veterans Park in Arlington, Texas. The recruiting station provided a color guard, including members Sgts. Fernando Duran, William Lemoir, Chris Simms and Robert Bell. All four are recruiters assigned to the station. Also on hand for the ceremony were RS Fort Worth’s Commanding Officer, Maj. William Gray and Sgt. Maj. Mitchell Nared. The memorial project is scheduled to be completed in late spring 2006. Marine Corps News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1591217/posts#comment Mon, 6 Mar 2006 23:16:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1589746/posts Iran refuses to give ground over nuclear 'research' By David Rennie in Brussels (Filed: 04/03/2006) European Union negotiators yesterday walked away empty handed from talks with Iran two days before its nuclear programme is due to be discussed by the United Nations nuclear watchdog. The eleventh hour meeting was attended by a senior Foreign Office official, the French and German foreign ministers and the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, at Iran's request. Iran's Ali Larijani listens to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana The Iranians reiterated their demand to be allowed to continue "laboratory research" into uranium enrichment, a... The Telegraph (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1589746/posts#comment Sat, 4 Mar 2006 02:49:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1588165/posts 3/1/2006 - KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) -- When launched in 2010, a football-field-in-length demonstrator radar antenna, weighing more than 5 tons, will serve as the forerunner for the future of America's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets in space. Administered by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate here, the innovative space-based radar antenna technology, or ISAT, program focuses on developing systems to deploy extremely large (up to 300 yards) electronically scanning radar antennas flying 5,700 miles above the Earth's surface and providing improved ground target detection to the warfighter. "These huge antennas will enable the revolutionary performance... Air Force Links http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1588165/posts#comment Thu, 2 Mar 2006 00:57:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1585988/posts /24/2006 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- High over Iraq, an E-8C Joint STARS aircraft surveys hundreds of miles of the country at a time, looking for insurgent activity, controlling those situations and taking action if needed. The aircraft's crew ultimately keeps ground troops safer by communicating with convoys and directing air power to quell the enemy. The Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System mission has two parts. The first is to radio relay with convoys throughout Iraq. Through radio and a text-messaging system, convoys can contact Joint STARS for help. Air National Guard Maj. Thomas Grabowski, senior... Air Force Links http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1585988/posts#comment Sun, 26 Feb 2006 21:55:44 GMT