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KABUL – Al-Qaida's role in Afghanistan has faded after eight years of war. Gone is the once-formidable network of camps and safe houses where Osama bin Laden and his mostly Arab operatives trained thousands of young Muslims to wage a global jihad. The group is left with fewer than 100 core fighters, according to the Obama administration, likely operating small-scale bomb-making and tactics classes conducted by trainers who travel to and from Pakistan. President Barack Obama said Tuesday that al-Qaida has "lost operational capacity" after a series of military setbacks and vowed to continue the battle to cripple the terror...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2009 – Global climate change is a hotly debated topic, and the U.S. government is looking to Alaska to assess how it may affect the nation. White House and federal agency officials participating in the new Ocean Policy Task Force traveled throughout Alaska and the Arctic from Aug. 17 to 21 to observe activities in the region and meet with local leaders and industry representatives. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad W. Allen, who took part in the trip, discussed in a Sept. 1 “DoDLive” bloggers roundtable how the increasingly accessible and active Arctic region has significant security,...

The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney Book Excerpt & Commentary I recently finished THE SHACK by William P Young and HE LOVES ME by Wayne Jacobsen. I found both of them deeply moving, Biblical, edifying and helpful in drawing me closer to God. Subsequently, a Navy Friend/ Christian Bro of 30+ years read me the riot act about THE SHACK. I found his rants about “heresy” completely without substance. Turns out he had not read it. Sheesh. It is, after all, a NOVEL! And, I found it exceedingly Biblical. Some important Biblical truths, doctrines are affirmed with a sentence...

What Is Meant by the Spiritual Presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXIX, Article 7 by David Bromlow Copyright © 1997, All rights reserved. The debate over the presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper has its roots deeply embedded in the Reformation where it was a primary source of division among the Protestant churches. Without digging too deeply into the historical details, it is sufficient to say that in response to the (snip) of the Roman Catholic mass–the propitiatory sacrifice, transubstantiation, and the "reservation" of Christ’s body and blood...

In July of last year, Hillary Clinton gave an interview to New York Times reporter Michael Luo about her faith. It’s a fairly in depth interview. Well, for your listening pleasure, The Brody File found the actual audio from the interview and it’s real interesting. Reading the transcription of the interview is one thing but hearing Hillary Clinton talk about her faith is very different. Listen here. You can read the transcription here. At the time, the article got significant play but some of the quotes from the whole interview never got used in the article. Here are some key...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2007 – The government of Iraq appreciates the efforts and sacrifices of U.S. servicemembers engaged in the country’s fight against insurgents, and it desires a continued American troop presence as Iraqi security forces improve in numbers and capability, an Iraqi government spokesman said today. The U.S.-Iraq Declaration of Principles for Friendship and Cooperation signed by President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during a Nov. 26 videoconference signifies American recognition of Iraq’s sovereignty and also of the United States’ continued commitment of support for Iraq, Ali al-Dabbagh said during a conference call with online “bloggers” and...

(IsraelNN.com) Over 100 unauthorized Judea/Samaria outposts - slated to be tomorrow's new Jewish towns - are on a ministerial committee's agenda today (Sunday). The committee's chairman, Minister Chaim Ramon (Kadima), says that at least 26 outposts should be destroyed immediately. The timing of the session is acute, in that the State is due to give a response this week to the Supreme Court on a suit brought by Peace Now and a group of Arabs against the Jewish outpost/community of Migron. Peace Now, which has been working since 1978 to uproot all Jewish presence in Judea, Samaria and Gaza and...

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 7 -- The United Nations has offered to bolster its presence in Baghdad for the first time in more than three years, laying the groundwork for a more ambitious role in mediating the country's sectarian disputes. The move comes three weeks after President Bush delivered his second personal appeal to Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to help resolve some of Iraq's intractable religious and ethnic conflicts. The top U.N. political adviser, B. Lynn Pascoe, told the Security Council Tuesday that the United Nations would be prepared to increase the size of its mission in Baghdad by nearly...

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2007 – The United States will retain some presence in Iraq for the foreseeable future, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq said today. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told Diane Sawyer on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the American people understand that the United States cannot completely “unhook” from Iraq. “The question is, ‘What is the nature of our support, and what is the level of that support?’” Petraeus said. The general said he is not an optimist or a pessimist. “I’m a realist,” he said. He noted there have been times for optimism in Iraq over...

RUTBAH, Iraq (June 26, 2007) -- Marines from Company B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Task Force Tarawa, are leaving their mark in the hearts and minds of the citizens here. The company, having been in the area for only a few months, has noticed a change in the people’s attitude toward coalition forces. “The people here are helping us out with information that is vital,” says Capt. Brent H. McClellan, the company commanding officer. “Especially, ever since the Iraqi police were put in place, we’ve had full support from them.” The Marines have made strenuous efforts to bring safety...

WASHINGTON - Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Thursday rejected the Bush administration's vision of a Korea-type, decades-long U.S. troop presence in Iraq and suggested a need for benchmarks to gauge progress. "Our objective would not be a Korea-type setting with 25-50,000 troops on a near permanent basis remaining in bases in Iraq," the former Massachusetts governor told the Associated Press. "I think we would hope to turn Iraq security over to their own military and their own security forces, and if presence in the region is important for us than we have other options that are nearby," Romney said....

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Police have been recognized for their determination across the nation this week, which included a ceremony in Ramadi Sunday. Iraqi Police across the country have improved security while providing humanitarian aid for children in cities such as Ramadi and Baghdad. “Every day I see Iraqi Police putting their lives on the line to protect the people of [Ramadi],” said U.S. Army Col. John Charlton, commander of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “It is because of their continued bravery that children can play outside and people can open shops and begin to live normal lives again.”...

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2007 – Despite a desire for U.S. forces to ultimately leave Iraq, Iraqi leaders recognize the need for international support until their military is capable of operating independently, the Iraqi government’s official spokesman said today. “The fight is beyond the capacity of the Iraqi troops,” Ali Aldabbagh told “bloggers” and online journalists during a conference call today. When members of Iraq’s national assembly state their opposition to the long-term presence of international forces, he said, they do so without specifying a particular time for their withdrawal. Any timetables they might prescribe, he noted, apply to the...

AL ASAD, Iraq, Sept. 22, 2006 — While growing up, Daniel and Anthony Martinez, U.S. Marines from Michigan's Bay City, were typical young brothers - they fought and argued. But when Daniel was injured last month after a suicide bomber attacked his unit's post in Iraq's Al Anbar Province, everything changed. For the two Marines, who are just one year apart in age and both stationed in Iraq, communication has been sparse at best - Anthony serves at this sprawling U.S. airbase, while Daniel serves on a much smaller outpost northwest of Al Asad. Plus, the brothers' daily duties leave...

On the Presence of Non-Chinese at Anyang by Kim Hayes It has now become clear that finds of chariot remains, metal knives and axes of northern provenance, and bronze mirrors of western provenance in the tombs of Anyang indicate that the Shang had at least indirect contact with people who were familiar with these things. Who were these people? Where did they live? When did they arrive? Following the discovery of the Tarim Mummies, we now know that the population of the earliest attested cultures of what is present-day Xinjiang were of northwestern or western derivation. According to the craniometric...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2006 – The coalition and Iraqi security forces presence in Baghdad is growing, and soon residents will notice an improvement, a senior defense official said here today. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the added U.S. and Iraqi forces in the capital should tamp down the sectarian violence that concerns leaders in the country. “Those forces will be applied to the current security challenge that exists in Baghdad in a way to bring some stability to the area,” Whitman said. “I think over time you will see the increased presence have an effect on the region.” The 172nd...

The state House approved a bill Thursday to expand Arizona's trespassing law to make illegal immigrants' presence in Arizona a crime and to enable local authorities to arrest them. Under the bill, an illegal immigrant anywhere in Arizona would be guilty of a felony. A law officer arresting someone for investigation of a crime also would be authorized to question the person's immigration status.

AS A NEW YEAR BEGINS SO DOES CHANCE TO START 2006 WITH 'FIRST-FRIDAY' DEVOTIONSBy Susan TassoneOnce, while St. Margaret Mary was praying before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, she saw a vision of Jesus in glory, with His five wounds shining like suns. He then showed her His Heart on fire with love for mankind, a love that, unfortunately, too often, has been ignored or treated with contempt. According to St. Margaret, whose revelations inspired the Sacred Heart devotion, the Lord asked her to make up for this coldness and ingratitude by receiving Holy Communion as often as she was allowed, and...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2005 – Operations that have been ongoing in the Iraq's Anbar province since September have had a significant impact nationwide and have limited the ability of terrorists to conduct suicide attacks, a U.S. military spokesman said today in Baghdad. Since operations began, 700 terrorists have been killed and 1,500 have been detained in Anbar, said Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. Also, 243 weapons caches have been found and 440 mines and improvised explosive devices have been found and cleared, he said. The U.S. and Iraqi militaries have left behind a persistent presence in...

SACRAMENTO — For the first time since the Capitol's "Shrimpgate" scandal more than a decade ago, California legislators open their session today knowing that the FBI is hovering not far away. By issuing subpoenas, conducting searches and convening grand juries in Oakland and Sacramento, the feds have made their presence unmistakable as they investigate dealings by the new state Senate leader, Don Perata, and Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, a former legislator. Both men are Democrats. The scope of the inquiries, which are not connected, is not known. But interviews and documents that have become public suggest that the FBI...

   by Grace MacKinnon Other Articles by Grace MacKinnonContact this Author True Food and True Drink 12/14/04 Dear Grace, Some of my friends have questioned me about why and how I can believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Host which we receive at Communion in Mass. Sometimes I am not sure exactly how to explain it well enough so that it will be understood. Can you help? It is true that some people consider the Catholic Church’s belief about the Eucharist to be totally unbelievable and almost outrageous. Catholics actually believe that when a priest, during the Eucharistic...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

9 French troops and a U.S. citizen were killed when Ivory Coast fighter planes bombed a rebel position in the north of that country. The French have hit back, destroying 5 Ivorian helicopters and 2 bombers near the capital city of Yamoussoukro. Ivorians aren’t happy with France’s reprisals. Angry mobs are rioting, looting French properties, and yelling “Everybody get your Frenchman!” and “French go home!” Well, well, well, isn’t France’s criticism of the U.S. Coalition presence in Iraq a bit like the pot calling the kettle black? Listen to the French government’s words, as reported by the BBC: President Jacques...

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's defense minister expressed his government's disquiet about the U.S. troop presence in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan, and hinted that some Iranian generals believe they should strike first if they sense an imminent U.S. threat. In an interview with pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera, Ali Shamkhani was asked how Iran would respond if America were to attack its nuclear facilities. "We will not sit to wait for what others will do to us," he said. "There are differences of opinion among military commanders (in Iran). Some commanders believe preventive operations is not a model created by Americans...

A poster in another thread said she saw a report of a poll that Iraqi citizens support our troop presence by about 65-70%. She wasn't sure where she saw it, but thought it was either Fox or MSNBC today, June 20. Did anyone else see that or know where I can obtain the details of that poll? Thanks!

It is difficult to get a handle on the real Charlton Heston. On the one hand, he is the towering actor who starred in some of the biggest films of the 20th century — The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, Planet of the Apes. On the other hand, Heston has become one of the country's most polarizing figures as the fiery spokesman for the National Rifle Association. In August, Heston, now 79, announced that he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He invited Peter Jennings to his home for what may be his last opportunity to go on record in an in-depth...