Free Republic

Okay folks. The reason I had to post this "article" is because it explains, what I think, is exactly what we are fighting and why the Republican party is what it is today. I think people like this SJ, sorry, correction, SHEEPLE like this SJ have bought our party down. "A true Republican is going to hold their nose and Vote the Elephant. They may be the way we are right now, a noisy, fighting family, but in the end you Vote the Elephant. Someone who is an ideologue responds like an Ann Coulter, a Rush Limbaugh, or a Kevin...

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany, Nov. 25, 2007 – Positive permanent changes in the Iraqi people are beginning to show, said Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright during his visit to the Central Command area of operations Nov. 21 to 24. Cartwright traveled to Afghanistan, Iraq and Djibouti to visit deployed troops and receive updates on operations in the region. He said Iraq has seen the most notable change in operations. “You listen to the commanders and they’re really talking about what’s changing. What they see is opportunity, with caution that at any...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2007 – Coalition forces have positively identified a terrorist killed in a recent operation as al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Duha, coalition officials announced today. Coalition and Iraqi forces also discovered arms caches and improvised explosive devices and distributed food to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The enemy continued to launch attacks aimed at civilians and Iraqi security forces. Duha was responsible for attacks in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city. The terrorist was involved in a number of criminal activities to include kidnapping, officials said. During the raid Oct. 13, Duha fired a...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2007 – Operations in Baqubah, Iraq, are transitioning to the “hold” phase of the “secure, hold, build” strategy, the commander of coalition forces in northern Iraq said today. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of Multinational Division North, told military analysts that coalition and Iraqi forces are building joint security stations and combat outposts in the city. “We have a number of large operations planed over the next 30 days to address the threat in the city,” he said. Elsewhere in his area of operations, Mixon has recommended that Ninewah province -- the capital of which is...

How music lessons hold the key to brainier children By Roger Highfield, Science Editor (Filed: 20/09/2006) Young children who take music lessons show more advanced brain development and improved memory than those who do not, according to a study published today. Suzuki pupils in concert: research shows evidence of early musical learning being linked to advanced brain development Researchers claim to have found the first evidence of musical training being linked to greater attention skills. After a year, musically trained children performed better in a memory test that is correlated with general intelligence skills such as literacy, verbal memory, mathematics...

'First of All, I'm an Honest Guy' Jack Bogle's advice: Buy the market. Hold for the long term. Keep costs low. Jack Bogle, founder of Vanguard, has earned his fame as the man who taught the small investor how to make the stock market work for him. He'll also be remembered as the guy who left $20 billion on the table. The story has been told of how, as the young president of Wellington Management Co., he lost a power struggle and was relegated to running the back end of one of the early mutual fund companies. It was ordained...

8/18/2006 - MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers broke training camp Thursday and in an unprecedented move for the team, held its day-before-game walk-through at MacDill AFB, Fla. The Buccaneers, who play their second pre-season game against the Miami Dolphins Saturday, have a long-standing relationship and community partnership with the military here. "You guys have no idea what a great morale booster it is for you to come out and do this," said Col. Maggie Woodward, 6th Air Mobility Wing commander. "It means a lot that you think enough of us to do this." Friday's...

A local Iraqi casts his vote during the Diyara Agricultural Union elections Aug. 12. The 1,200 member union elected seven councilmen to decide the direction of the union, which will enable farmers in the southern Baghdad and northern Babil province region to make profits they haven't seen in years. DoD photo by Cpl. Michael Molinaro. FOB KALSU – The Diyara Agricultural Union held its first elections in the history of the program at the Diyara secondary school Aug. 12.Farmers from the region voted for seven members to sit on the board of directors that will be depended upon to...

Peace deal on hold as 20 die in bitter fighting By Colin Freeman in Beirut and Harry De Quetteville on the Lebanon-Israel border (Filed: 13/08/2006) At least 20 people were killed in southern Lebanon yesterday as Israel made the deepest incursion of its month-long campaign into Hezbollah-controlled areas, even as both sides indicated a willingness to accept a freshly minted United Nations peace deal. Within hours of the UN Security Council's unanimous approval of a ceasefire resolution on Friday night, Israel launched fresh air strikes across Lebanon. More than 20,000 Israeli soldiers crossed the border in a race for the...

Cats could hold key to spread of avian flu virus By Roger Highfield, Science Editor (Filed: 13/06/2006) Cats should become a new focus of efforts to understand and prevent the spread of avian flu, according to government advisers. In a review of the science underpinning the contingency plans drawn up by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), Prof Jeffrey Waage, a member of Defra's Science Advisory Group's Epidemic Diseases sub-group, said: "The ability of mammals to contract and transmit the avian influenza virus has important human health implications. "We know about cats as a potential host for...

HAMANDIYAH, Iraq, May 16, 2006 — U.S. Marines from 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment along with soldiers from the Iraqi Army held a medical operation here May 6. “I think the Iraqi soldiers did pretty well. I think we really made a difference for these people today. I hope we will be able to do more projects like this.” U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Robert M. Linares More than 300 Iraqi men, women and children were diagnosed and treated for a variety of illnesses during the medical clinic. “I think the ‘med op’ went pretty good,” said U.S. Marine Corps...

Cattle's Call of the Wild: Domestication may hold complex genetic tale Bruce Bower A new investigation of DNA that was obtained from modern cattle and from fossils of their ancient, wild ancestors puts scientists on the horns of a domestication dilemma. The new data challenge the mainstream idea, based on earlier genetic and archaeological evidence, that herding and farming groups in southeastern Turkey or adjacent Near Eastern regions domesticated cattle perhaps 11,000 years ago. According to that view, these groups then introduced the animals throughout Europe, so current European cattle breeds would trace their ancestry directly back to early Near...

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2006 – About 3,500 active-duty soldiers who were slated to begin their deployment to Iraq in the coming days will remain at their base in Schweinfurt, Germany, until further notice, defense officials announced today. Members of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, were officially notified within recent days that they won't deploy early this month, as scheduled, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld approved the adjustment, which was recommended by Gen. George W. Casey Jr., commander of Multinational Force Iraq, Whitman said. Whitman emphasized that the decision doesn't signal the start...

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2006 – This summer, one chapter of the famous "Rolling Thunder" protest movement will take their message out to the ballgame. Rolling Thunder members from New York Chapter 3 march in the Hudson Valley St. Patrick's Day parade March 5. From left, Sue Orts, Chapter Board Chairman Bill Palmer, Secretary Mary Lewis, Treasurer Tony Hilinski, President Ron Orts, and Dave Hansen. Courtesy photo   Paul Schneeberger, the event's coordinator, and other volunteers with Rolling Thunder's New York Chapter 3, will hold a military appreciation night at Dutchess Stadium, in Hudson Valley, N.Y., July 1. "The whole idea...

Muslims and Christians Hold Dueling Rallies at RCCApr 27, 2006 8:03 pm US/Pacific (CBS) RIVERSIDE Members of a Christian evangelical group and Muslim students engaged in a brief shouting match Thursday at an otherwise peaceful rally and counter-rally at Riverside Community College. Dr. Robert Morey is the organizer of a Christian evangelical group called Faith Defenders and teaches Islamic studies at the fledgling Irvine-based California Biblical University and Seminary. The university began taking admissions last September. Faith Defenders spreads Christian teachings and distributes literature and videos critical of Islam. Morey held a lecture and rally at the campus quad, which...

Students at the Al-Secuty secondary school in Obeid, Iraq eagerly wait to receive soccer balls from Iraqi highway patrolmen April 19. The IHP went to the school and held a "Career Day" to talk about their jobs, the children's future and hand out school supplies and soccer balls. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Michael Molinaro Iraqi Highway Patrol Hold 'Career Day' Iraqi Highway Patrol members visit a secondary school and talk to students about the duties and responsibilities of their job and about the future of Iraq. By U.S. Army Cpl. Michael Molinaro 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry...

Black Activists Support Judge's Ruling to Hold New Orleans Elections on TimeFri Mar 31, 5:26 PM ET To: National Desk Contact: David Almasi of Project 21, 202-543-4110 ext. 11 or Project21@nationalcenter.org WASHINGTON, March 31 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As the Reverend Jesse Jackson and others prepare to march in opposition to scheduled city government elections in New Orleans, members of the black leadership network Project 21 are supportive of a New Orleans- based federal judge's ruling clearing the way for voting to be held on and leading up to April 22. In his March 27 ruling, U.S. District Court judge Ivan...

Democrats hold camp to train election activistsBy Lisa Vorderbrueggen CONTRA COSTA TIMES Posted on Sat, Mar. 18, 2006 Jim Dean, brother of ex-presidential candidate and Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean, will deliver opening remarks today at a campaign activist training camp in Stockton, a site chosen because it's in one of a dozen congressional districts that Democrats hope to seize from Republicans this year. "Absolutely, we're in Stockton for a reason and that's Richard Pombo," said program director and East Bay Democracy for America volunteer Kathy Klein, referring to the seven-term incumbent Republican congressman. Nearly 200 people have signed up...

Schools close as week-long Arctic storm takes hold By Auslan Cramb Scottish Correspondent (Filed: 01/03/2006) More than 150 schools were closed yesterday and dozens of roads were blocked by snow as Arctic weather hit parts of Britain. Walkers brave the elements at Scarborough, North Yorks, where a severe weather warning had been issued While many central areas enjoyed uninterrupted winter sunshine, the north of Scotland and the East Coast experienced some of the heaviest snowfall of the winter. The northerly air stream, which is expected to last for most of the week, hit Orkney and Shetland, where all schools were...

China and India 'hold the world in balance' 23:00 11 January 2006 NewScientist.com news service Fred Pearce “The choices these two countries make in the next few years will lead the world either towards growing ecological and political instability – or down a development path based on efficiency and better stewardship of resources,” says a report from the Worldwatch Institute in Washington DC, US. One in every two tonnes of cement poured today will be in China – such is the country’s breakneck pace of economic development. The country also uses one-quarter of all the world’s steel, eats one-third of...