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JESSICA YELLIN: Here's something you might not know about Sarah Palin. She held her baby shower for her fourth child at a shooting range. Even some of her friends laugh about that. They say that she's been able to juggle motherhood and politics because she needs very little sleep.

RHINEBECK - A neighbor of the Northern Dutchess Rod and Gun Club want state and federal environmental reviews of the Enterprise Road facility because of concerns that shot is landing in wetlands. Property owner Spero Chumas, a village resident who rents property near the range, spoke about the issue Tuesday as the sound of shots from the facility periodically rang out. Members are allowed to practice from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. (or dusk) on a disputed trap range that neighbors say is an ongoing disturbance. Members of the 75-year-old organization, which also uses the 340-acre facility for fishing and...

Wounded Soldier Re-enlists in Hospital Bed ‘Down Range’ Victim of an improvised explosive device gives the Army three more years. By Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte 13th Sustainment Command C(Expeditionary) BALAD, Iraq, March 27, 2007 — To hear Staff Sgt. Andrew S. McMann tell it, being sent to the Air Force Theater Hospital here, simply gave him the free time he needed to re-enlist.He didn't bring up that the reason he was in the hospital is that he survived an improvised explosive device just 48 hours previously. McMann, a squad leader with Company B, 321st Engineer Battalion, was leading...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2007 – An increase in the active-duty military and changes to the policies for reserve forces announced this month by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates are aimed to increase the military’s overall capabilities, a senior defense official said here today. “This build is about the whole range of capabilities that makes American military forces effective,” David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said at a Pentagon news conference. “Particularly, it is designed to relieve the pressure on units that are described as ‘high-demand, low-density,’ meaning in plain English, there aren’t enough.” Gates...

SINGAPORE, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than half a percent on Thursday as Iran looked set to defy the United Nations' deadline for halting nuclear enrichment, raising the risk of sanctions against the world's fourth-biggest exporter. U.S. oil prices climbed 40 cents to $70.43 a barrel after bouncing from a 10-week low $68.65 a barrel on Wednesday, shaking off an unexpected rise in gasoline and crude stocks. London Brent rose 52 cents to $70.70 a barrel. Later on Thursday the U.N. nuclear watchdog is likely to report that Iran has not complied with a U.N. demand to...

What would it take to win the Iraq War? From the perspective of Washington and London, victory is a unified and democratic Iraq capable of sustaining itself without major external military support. But Iraq has already broken up and is in the midst of a civil war. Kurdistan in the north is for all practical purposes a separate nation with its own government, army and flag. By Kurdistan law, the Iraqi Army cannot enter Kurdistan and the Iraqi flag does not fly. The Shia south is also ruled independently from Baghdad by religious parties and clerics who model their regime...

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States reaffirmed on Friday it expected Iran to give a formal reply to a package of incentives to curb its nuclear activities at a meeting between its chief negotiator and European officials on July 5. "We expect and hope that (Ali) Larijani will give us the answer," UnderSecretary of State Nicholas Burns told a news briefing, referring to Iran's chief nuclear negotiator. "We always said that this is a process of weeks not months," he said, adding that the offer put to Iran was "quite straightforward". He said the five permanent members of the U.N....

Lt. Col. Yashal Midhat Mohammed, the Iraqi Army's K1 executive officer, inspects each firing line. Lt. Col. Mohammed is in charge of the Iraqi Army's K1 training facility near Kirkuk, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Cassandra Groce Iraqi Army Runs Successful Firing Range Iraqi Army soldiers receive personal weapons firing instruction. By Spc. Cassandra Groce133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment KIRKUK, Iraq, June 12, 2006 — The weapons range is an important part of any soldier’s basic training. The Iraqi Army is no exception. "The Iraqis had a good command of the range. Each Iraqi Army officer is expected...

BERLIN, May 27 (Reuters) - Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted on Saturday as saying European nations should stand by his country in the dispute over its nuclear programme or suffer damages. According to an excerpt of an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel news magazine Ahmadinejad also said he still has not decided whether to visit Germany during next month's World Cup soccer tournament. "They are losing their reputation," Ahmadinejad said, referring to European nations that have worked with the United States to hinder Iran's nuclear ambitions. In the nuclear conflict, the Europeans "should stand on the side of Iran",...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iran would hit back against any U.S. attack, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said during a visit to Baghdad on Friday. "In the event that Americans attack Iran anywhere, Iran will respond with an attack in that place," he told a joint news conference with Iraq's speaker of parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani. Mottaki's remarks were translated into Arabic. But he suggested he did not believe the United States would attack Iran, saying: "We don't see that America is in a position where it would create a new crisis for the American tax payer." The United States and Iran...

LONDON, May 16 (IranMania) - Iran is working to obtain long-range missiles which could threaten the whole of Europe, the former head of Israel's military intelligence said, AFP reported. "Iran already has surface-to-surface missiles capable of being equipped with nuclear warheads with a 1,500 (930 miles) kilometer range but it will in the future have missiles with a range of 5,000 kilometers, which will threaten the whole of Europe," Aharon Zeevi told a conference in Tel Aviv. Iranian President Mahmoud "Ahmadinejad is promising the end of history in two or three years' time and I suggest that we believe him,"...

UDAIRI RANGE, Kuwait, May 3, 2006 – Training never stops in the push to ensure American soldiers and Marines are ready for duty in Iraq. As part of a training scenario at Udairi Range, Kuwait, actors playing an Iraqi policeman and drivers argue at a traffic accident while an American convoy waits to enter the village. The scenario gives a realistic look at what challenges lie ahead for the soldiers when they move north into Iraq. Photo by Jim Garamone  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Servicemembers polish their skills here just prior to deployment "up north." Earlier this...

Iran's U.N. ambassador says Security Council not competent to deal with country's nuclear enrichment program and that Tehran is therefore not obliged to obey its decisions. Iranian nuke program 'nothing but peaceful,' ambassador states Iran will not comply with any Security Council resolution aimed at halting its nuclear enrichment program because its activities are legal and peaceful, and pose no threat to international security, Iran's U.N. Ambassador said. Ambassador Javad Zarif said he expects "a lot of pressure from the United States to impose another short-sighted decision on the Security Council" after Friday's release of a report by U.N. Nuclear...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Iran has received a first shipment of missiles from North Korea that are capable of reaching Europe, Israel's military intelligence chief was quoted on Thursday as saying. Known in the West as BM-25s, the Russian-designed missiles have a range of around 2,500 km (1,500 miles), giving them a longer reach than the Iranian-made Shihab-4 missiles which are capable of hitting Israel. The intelligence chief, Major-General Amos Yadlin, was quoted by Israel's Haaretz newspaper as saying in a lecture on Wednesday that some BM-25s had arrived in Iran. The BM-25 was originally manufactured in the Soviet Union, where...

When I was recently in Paris, a French diplomat explained to me why he--and many others in the French foreign ministry--thought the United States would, in the end, bomb Iran's nuclear-weapons facilities. Owing to Chinese and Russian obstreperousness, the United Nations would probably fail to agree on any sanctions, let alone a sanctions regime with sufficient bite to intimidate the mullahs. The Europeans--at least the French, Germans, and British if not the Italians--would do a bit better, primarily because the French, despite their laissez-passer cynicism and their Gaullist pride vis-à-vis the United States, have developed a strong distaste for the...

It is often said, every Marine is a rifleman. However, many Marines only get a chance to shoot only once a year when they qualify with the M-16A2 service rifle. This may not be enough to satisfy the warrior marksman within them. Station Marines can rest assured because Adair Park shooting range may be just what they are looking for if they enjoy shooting their personal firearms, said Cpl. Jesse D. Spurgeon, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron communications technician. The park is approximately 14 miles east of the station on Highway 95 and is the only out-door range in the state...

On June 8, 2005, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited President Bush in the White House. Among the topics the two discussed were freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. Speaking from the Oval Office, Bush declared Turkey's democracy to be "an important example for the people of the broader Middle East."Turkey remains an important ally of the United States despite recent bilateral tensions over the Iraq war and its aftermath. Both Republican and Democratic administrations have valued Turkey not only as a strategic military partner in the Cold War but also, in recent decades, as a democratic outpost...

/begin my translationTaiwan Develop a Cruise Missile Which Can Strike Mainland's Coastal Area Within Range(Beijing, Yonhap News) correspondent Cho Sung-dae -- Taiwan completed the operational testing & evaluation (OT&E) of 'Hsiung-feng 2E' cruise missile, which has Eastern coast of China within its range, and gears up for its mass production and deployment, according to July 4th issue of Wen-hui-bao in Hong Kong.  It reports that, at the end of  the last month(June, 2005,) Taiwan's Zhong-shan Science Institute completed OT&E of Hsiung-feng 2E at Jiu-peng base, Ping-dong. OT&E is to test an weapon system in a battlefield condition and evaluate its result in order to determine its operational efficiency and feasibility. Hsiung-feng 2E, a subsonic attack...

GILBERT, Minn. - Promoting this town's proud history is one thing. Naming the town's festival Gilbert Whorehouse Days is another thing entirely. A group of angry citizens showed up at a City Council meeting Tuesday to protest the event. The festival's name refers to a time when Gilbert was known for its bars, gambling and "working girls" during Prohibition. "The damage has been done," resident Fran Marolt said. "This is not a family-oriented activity." The event doesn't include any of the activities that gave the festival its name, but City Council members still don't approve. "It would give us a...

Burnsville Pistol Range owner Roger Hird is fired up about the possibility of doubling the size of his business. Because of homeland security issues and a growing number of Minnesota gun permit holders in recent years, he and other shooting-range owners are seeing an increased demand for their facilities by law enforcement and community members alike. As a result, Hird wants to expand the size of his indoor facility to include six rifle lanes in addition to the existing 12 available for pistol shooting. The $600,000 project also would expand a classroom to accommodate groups of 30 people rather than...

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!

Do the media give aid and comfort to terrorists by giving their violence maximum exposure and impact at times while sanitizing the perpetrators and tainting their victims at others? It is standard procedure for many media outlets to describe the perpetrators of terrorist acts - the premeditated slaughter of civilians - with a range of euphemisms, "militants" being the most common. Thus, The New York Times can headline a report on the killing of a hostage as "Iraq Militants Said to Behead a Truck Driver From Bulgaria." Similarly, terrorists killed in a military strike can be described in another as...

DULUTH -- In a part of Minnesota where many sportsmen distrust Sen. John Kerry and many union workers distrust President Bush, their running mates sought to shore up support and ease uncertainty Thursday.

Technology and Funds to Drive "Smart Highways"

(Tallahassee-AP) -- House Speaker Johnnie Byrd says he would consider a proposal to make gun owners pay for the cleanup of shooting ranges that have resulted in environmental damage. But Byrd was quick to point out Friday that the idea did not come from his office. Byrd said Thursday that some sort of charge levied on ammunition or guns could be one of the primary sources of money for the cleanups. A House bill would give people associated with the ranges immunity from environmental regulators' lawsuits for pollution caused by bullets. The state would be responsible for the cleanup. But...

German Archeologist suggests exploring ancient civilization in Pakistani Salt Range CHAKWAL (NNI): German Archeologist Madam Karron Wednesday said that salt range area is the heaven of archeology and fascinating for the western tourists. The people of this area are the custodian of old human civilization and this area has a very strong cultural and historical back ground, she remarked while visiting Ban Amir Khatoon the fossils site area where more than 30 millions old fossils were discovered. The wife of the ambassador of Hungry based at Islamabad Mrs. Vera Sozlunki was also accompanying her. Local Geologist Malik Muhammad Riaz briefed...

US identifies nuclear testing range in North Korea By David Rennie in Washington (Filed: 02/07/2003) American spy satellites have found what looks like an advanced nuclear testing range in North Korea, it was reported yesterday. An intelligence assessment, which has been shared with Japan, South Korea and other East Asian nations, identifies a previously unknown range of the type needed to produce a nuclear missile warhead, the New York Times said. The satellite images from the Youngdoktong area appear to show tests of sophisticated conventional explosives, designed to simulate a compact nuclear detonation. Intelligence officials in the United States have...

Thursday, November 21, 2002 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Bill permitting shooting range passes  STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU  Click image for an enlargement     WASHINGTON -- The Senate approved legislation early Wednesday that permits Clark County to build a public shooting range on federal land just north of Las Vegas. The bill, authored by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has the backing of county recreation officials, gun enthusiasts and law enforcement officers. The bill conveys 2,880 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management to Clark County, which is drafting plans to build a public range for recreational shooting...

nbsp; Stray bullets bounce off ILM worker San Rafael Officers Marc La Plante (left) and Scott Eberle use the roof of a restaurant while investigating the origins of a stray bullet.Photo: Jeff Vendsel By Keri Brenner Two shooting ranges at San Quentin State Prison were shut down yesterday after two stray bullets grazed a man in San Rafael's Canal Area, more than a mile away - near where at least a dozen bullets apparently rained down earlier. The incident occurred just after 9:30 a.m., when an employee of Industrial Light amp; Magic felt a sudden pain in his right arm...