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ABOARD USS THACH, At Sea, Aug. 25, 2009 – The guided-missile frigate USS Thach has helped to protect Iraq's critical infrastructure since arriving on station in mid-July. The ship, assigned to Commander, Task Group Iraqi Maritime, is providing security for the Al Basrah Oil Terminal, an Iraqi oil platform that accounts for a significant percentage of the country's gross domestic product. "We're providing security here to help make sure that oil is able to flow freely from the platform to help Iraq's economy to continue to improve and flourish," said Navy Cmdr. David Haas, Thach's commanding officer. "If that stops,...

A San Francisco supervisor's proposed legislation would make it more difficult for officials to hand over undocumented youths suspected of crimes to federal immigration authorities, a policy that, if approved, could have far-reaching impacts. The proposed law would require that juvenile suspects be convicted of a felony before San Francisco officials contact federal immigration authorities - unless the suspect is charged as an adult. Currently, immigration authorities are contacted at the time of a felony arrest - a change implemented last year by Mayor Gavin Newsom after the city's sanctuary city policy made national headlines. Newsom's change angered many in...

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2009 – Combat operations some 4,000 Marines began last week in southern Afghanistan and an influx of additional forces represent a big step toward carrying out a more comprehensive U.S. strategy there, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addresses a National Press Club luncheon in Washington, D.C., July 8, 2009. Mullen discussed and took questions from the audience on a multitude of subjects including the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the fiscal year 2010 budget request and ongoing care for wounded warriors...

Washington, DC -- The Senate on Thursday night rejected an amendment from a pro-life senator that would have provided conscience protection on abortion for doctors and medical centers. The amendment comes at a time when President Barack Obama is considering overturning further protections.

TOKYO, Aug. 18, 2007 – When nations protect other countries’ freedoms, they also are strengthening their own, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday. Marine Gen. Peter Pace spoke with Japanese defense reporters at the American embassy here. The general is in Japan meeting U.S. troops based in the country. “I think that Japan, in helping to protect other people’s freedoms, is in fact helping to strengthen freedom at home in Japan,” Pace said. Japan has helped within the limits of its constitution in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The Japanese Maritime Self-defense Force has...

SIERRA VISTA — Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast said Tuesday that protecting the nation’s borders means bringing together the different cultures of federal agencies. The Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have different procedures because of the way they handle their missions, which must be broadened to be more effective, she told more than 100 people attending a three-day Secure Border Initiative Conference at The Palms. The military and other government agencies must look at integrating homeland security and homeland defense, said Fast, who commands the Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca. “Personally, I believe sealing our borders...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate is trying to reach a deal before recessing next week on a bill that would ban the practice of impersonating someone to get telephone records, aides said on Wednesday, in light of a scandal at Hewlett-Packard Co. over how it probed news leaks. The Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees were negotiating to finalize the language of a bill before the recess to campaign for November elections, they said. "We're working on a compromise bill that would hopefully satisfy all parties," one of the aides said. "We every have intention of getting it done before...

Silicon Valley Young Republicans Federation Weekly Alert September 9, 2006 Presidents Message Well the summer is over and the fall campaign begins. Before we get into the political season, lets reflect on the events of 9-11 and what would have happened if a Democrat was in the White House and not President Bush. Even in a place like the Bay Area where the name George W. Bush is the same as plague to many he is respected for the way he handled things during that difficult period. That is why I am resolved to help the Republican Party in November...

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (May 19, 2006) -- After spending more than two years protecting the commandant of the Marine Corps and then the President of the United States, one Marine is now adapting to life with the Marines of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, as they prepare to deploy to Iraq. Cpl. Richard R. Casper, a 21-year-old Washburn, Ill., native, said he never dreamed he would stand in the oval office or have his photograph taken with the president six times. “The whole experience was awesome,” said Casper, who now serves as...

California’s property owners, incensed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Kelo decision, are going on the offensive with a ballot initiative that aims to limit the government’s sweeping eminent domain powers. But powerful developers who benefit from the status quo are sure to put up a fight. The California Property Owners Protection Act would eliminate the state and local governments’ ability to take personal property for non-public uses. Public uses would be strictly defined as the building of roads, parks, and public edifices. Non-public uses include the transferring of an individual’s land to another person or private entity. The initiative,...

Protecting People from a Terrifying Toxin: Vaccine stimulates immune response against ricin Ben Harder In its first test in people, a vaccine against the toxin ricin appears safe and generates antibodies that are expected to be protective against the potential bioterrorism agent. Ricin comes from castor seeds and can cause lethal damage to the gut if swallowed or to the lungs if inhaled. Murderers and assassins have used it for centuries. The vaccine might be used to protect soldiers and first responders in advance of possible ricin exposure, says immunologist and study leader Ellen S. Vitetta of the University of...

Iran should not be threatened - Russian foreign minister ATHENS. Feb 6 (Interfax) - It is now of paramount importance not to threaten Iran in connection with its nuclear program, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a Monday press briefing in Athens.

2/3/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Just as the fall of the Soviet Union led to changes in how the U.S. military is organized and operates, the post-Sept. 11 world requires continuation of that process, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here Feb. 1. At a Pentagon news conference, Mr. Rumsfeld and Navy Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, talked about next week's anticipated delivery of the Quadrennial Defense Review, or QDR, to Congress. "More than a decade has passed since the Cold War ended and the Soviet empire went, as was once predicted, into the...

AP) — All it takes is cash and time. Given enough money, engineers agree that they could eventually build a system of levees and other flood control structures sufficient to protect New Orleans from another Katrina or even a stronger hurricane. But it would cost billions, and the work might not be completed for up to 30 years. The question is, and always has been, how much the federal government is willing to pay for that protection.

Once again, Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo is speaking for the majority of sane Americans. And once again, liberals, terrorist sympathizers (is there an echo in here?), and cowards across the country want him rebuked and repudiated. Democrats, some Muslim groups, and the partisan media are boo-hooing over comments Tancredo made regarding the war on terror. Specifically, they’re upset over his response to a question by radio interviewer Pat Campbell—who asked Tancredo what the appropriate response would be to a nuclear terror threat against America. Tancredo said the following: “What if you said something like, ‘If this happens in the United...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Protecting the California tiger salamander as a threatened species will cost the state $367 million in lost development opportunities over the next two decades, federal wildlife officials said Friday. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service analysis estimated the economic impact of designating about 382,000 acres in 20 California counties as the salamander's "critical habitat" where development would be restricted. The critical habitat designations for the California tiger salamander's central population - which includes populations in the San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast and San Francisco Bay area - were proposed in August last year, and a final rule...

Terri Schiavo's death is expected to have major political ramifications as pro-lifers declare war on the judiciary and galvanize for the coming fight over Supreme Court vacancies. "We will look at an arrogant, out-of-control, unaccountable judiciary that thumbed their nose at Congress and the president," said House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Texas Republican. "We will look into that." The Rev. Flip Benham, director of Operation Rescue, lamented, "The courts of this land have become the tool, in the hands of the devil, by which the culture of death has found access." Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh bluntly blamed the...

GENEVA - The United Nations (news - web sites) is failing to protect millions of people displaced by conflict in Sudan's Darfur region and violence in other hotspots around the world, a U.N. report said Friday. The world body's approach to the problem of people who have fled their homes but not crossed any international borders "is still largely ad hoc and driven more by the personalities and convictions of individuals on the ground than by an institutional, systemwide agenda," the report said. The U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank,...

To our Vietnam Veterans: We can never begin to express the pride and honor that we have for ALL of you, for protecting our country in the hour of need. You are THE difference in this election. YOU fought the battle and were victorious! HOLD YOUR HEADS HIGH!!! Because of YOU your comrades did not die in vain! WE LOVE YOU AND APPRECIATE YOU!!! Please accept this SALUTE on our behalf!

  Guys in Pajamas bust CBS John Fund of the Wall Street Journal opined about what he considers to be “a watershed media moment” [LINK.] Referring to the CBS/Bush memos debate last Friday on FoxNews between former vice president of CBS News Jonathan Klein and The Weekly Standard writer Stephen Hayes, Fund writes:   Mr. Klein dismissed the bloggers who are raising questions about the authenticity of the memos: "You couldn't have a starker contrast between the multiple layers of check and balances [at '60 Minutes'] and a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas writing." He...

Fussy eaters 'may be protecting themselves' Children who won't eat their fruit and vegetables could be demonstrating an evolutionary trait designed to protect them from harm. Cancer Research UK scientists found fussy children were particularly wary of certain types of foods such as greens, fruit and meat. The authors, writing in the journal Appetite, suggest children may have evolved a natural suspicion of foods with the potential to upset their stomachs. The researchers hope that by understanding the reasons behind children's fussiness, ways can be found to encourage them to eat more healthily. Scientists at University College London questioned whether...

WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- The pro-abortion group NARAL is attempting to mobilize their supporters in opposition to several pieces of legislation under consideration in the upcoming session of Congress. Labeling September as "anti-choice month," NARAL warns supporters in an e-mail to "speak out and try and stop" measures that would protect the lives of unborn children. The NARAL e-mail, with the subject "Please Protect a Woman's Right to Choose," was sent to abortion supporters to be distributed to Congressmen regarding the upcoming legislative debate on abortion legislation. The e-mail expresses "serious concern" regarding "numerous attacks in Congress on privacy rights...

As a cop, I was taught that deadly force is permitted to protect one’s own life or the lives of others. That simple precept of justice seems to have been forgotten by King’s County (Brooklyn) District Attorney Charles Hynes. Hynes conducted not a prosecution, but a persecution, of Ronald Dixon - a man who acted within the tenets of the law to protect his family from a criminal. Awakened in the middle of the night by a burglar Dixon did the only thing he could do: He shot him with a legally purchased a handgun. However, that firearm was legally...

Who's Protecting the President? By Steven C. Baker FrontPageMagazine.com | May 6, 2003 Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. wrote that "The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer." If this is true, then there should be some serious political reverberations as a result of President Bush's decision to kiss Imam Hassan Qazwini after speaking to an Arab-American community in Dearborn, Michigan on Monday. This continues a well-noted trend of placing the President in the company of purported leaders of the Muslim community who do not share the President's...