Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2007 – Two Afghan nationals and five American soldiers received recognition from President Bush and U.S. Central Command’s top officer for heroism in preventing a driver from carrying out a suicide bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, in January. Army Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, recognizes Task Force Phoenix soldiers for heroic efforts in preventing a vehicle loaded with explosives from detonating inside the front gate of Camp Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan. From left are Army Staff Sgt. William Strobeck, Sgts. Brian Bailey and Mathew Sisson, and Spcs. Justin Carry and Linza Hampton. U.S....

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2007 – The troop-support group SemperComm is asking for nominations for its 2007 awards program recognizing the morale-raising efforts of troops stationed throughout the world. This is the fourth year of the awards program highlighting the personal contributions of troops who go the extra mile for their fellow servicemembers. The deadline for entries is Feb. 26. “The SemperComm Award recognizes the valuable contributions of military men and women based in out-of-the-way overseas locations where there often isn’t much to do that could be considered recreational,” said Lara Coffee, SemperComm executive director, in a news release. “Keeping...

Hope for a Middle East peace breakthrough faded on Friday when the militant group Hamas contradicted President Mahmoud Abbas's declaration that a new Palestinian unity government would recognize Israel. Speaking at the United Nations on Thursday, Abbas said a coalition being negotiated between his Fatah party and Hamas, the militant group that heads the Palestinian government, would recognize the Jewish state. Such a move would be a huge reversal for Hamas, which is formally dedicated to the destruction of Israel. On Friday, Hamas political advisor Ahmed Yousef told the Associated Press that "there won't be a national unity government if...

UNITED NATIONS - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday that the planned national unity government will recognize Israel. Read more

Turkmenistan Officials Recognize Coalition Rescue, Recovery TeamBy Sgt. Stephanie van Geete, USASpecial to American Forces Press Service BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2006 – Nine Task Force Centaur aviators were among 21 U.S. soldiers and airmen recognized yesterday by the government of Turkmenistan for efforts in recovering a Turkmenistan Red Cross helicopter that crashed in eastern Afghanistan earlier this year. Task Force Centaur Commander Army Lt. Col. William Metheny (left) accepts a plaque of appreciation Aug. 15 from Turkmenistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Aman Yaranov. Nine Centaur soldiers were recognized for their part in the recovery of a Turkmen...

RAMALLAH, West Bank - President Mahmoud Abbas said he hoped talks between Palestinian factions to begin Sunday would resolve critical disagreements and make his plan to call a referendum recognizing Israel's right to exist unnecessary. The Palestinian government has been internationally isolated and is suffering a crippling economic boycott since the Islamic militant group Hamas won Jan. 25 parliamentary elections. The United States and European Union have demanded Hamas renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist if it wants the aid restored. Hamas has refused. In a bold move intended to force Hamas to moderate its position, Abbas, who...

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 11, 2006 – The Afghan National Police recently took major strides toward recognizing the equal rights of men and women, as well as the important contributions made by its female officers. Gen. Aziza Nazeri (center), the Afghan National Police''s most senior female officer, presides over the Gender Awareness Day conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 8, as Gen. Ahmad Madadzai and Jerilyn Glick Holsapple look on. Madadzai is head of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Interior, and Holsapple is a special agent with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Photo by Staff...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bottlenose dolphins can call each other by name when they whistle, making them the only animals besides humans known to recognize such identity information, scientists reported on Monday. Scientists have long known that dolphins' whistling calls include repeated information thought to be their names, but a new study indicates dolphins recognize these names even when voice cues are removed from the sound. For example, a dolphin might be expected to recognize its name if called by its mother, but the new study found most dolphins recognized names -- their signature whistles -- even when emitted without inflection...

An American member of the Christian Peacemaker Team, Tom Fox, was found murdered in Iraq today. He was kidnapped by the Islamist-oriented group known as the Swords of Righteousness Brigades on November 26. Iraqi police reported that Fox had "gunshots to his head and chest and signs of torture on his body." This incident begs the question: Do the Islamist terrorists respect all the appeasement offered them by leftist peace activists like Tom Fox? The answer is a categorical "no," "non," "nein," "nyet," "nr." After all that has happened, the Left still ignores the threat of Islamism, appeasing militant Muslims...

Last update - 01:05 27/02/2006 Hamas lawmakers say will not recognize Israel, hold talks By Haaretz Service and agencies SOUTHERN SHUNEH, Jordan - Two Hamas lawmakers on Sunday dismissed any future peace talks with Israel, calling past negotiations "a failed experiment" and said Arab nations had rejected U.S. pressure to force the militant Palestinian movement to moderate. Hamas leaders Mahmoud Zahar and Saeed Syiam made the comments during a gathering of Arab parliamentarians on the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea. Speaking to The Associated Press on the sidelines of the conference, Zahar asserted that Hamas' recent upset victory in...

How much do you hate Israel? By Diana Appelbaum, November 18, 2003 Home   Search   Forum   Terms How much do you hate Israel? Enough to go every day to www.petitiononline.com and type hate-filled remarks into all petitions supportive of Israel? Somebody out there hates Israel that much. I recently mounted a modest petition campaign, A Call to the King of Saudi Arabia to Recognize Israel. My hope is to shame Saudi Arabia into recognizing Israel by presenting the collected signatures to Saudi Embassies around the world on Israel Independence Day, May 2004. It is, after all, uncommon for countries not to have diplomatic...

Israel is insisting that the Palestinians recognize its right to exist as a Jewish state at the outset of negotiations on the U.S.-backed 'road map' for peace in the Middle East, which could be released as early as next week. Interviewed on CNN on Friday, Israel's consul-general in New York, Alon Pinkas, said that while Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat had recognized Israel's existence as a fact, he had never recognized its right to exist as a Jewish state. Meanwhile, as part of a list of measures it intends to implement after the swearing in of new Palestinian Authority Prime...

From their homepage: The veterans, citizens and businesses of South Florida (Monroe, Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties) and Tampa Bay (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and Pasco counties) are grateful for the sacrifice our National Guardsmen and Reservists' families are making on behalf of America. MISSION To assist families of activated Florida National Guard and Reserve units South Florida ( Monroe, Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties) and Tampa Bay (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and Pasco counties). GOAL To provide $25 per month for each minor child of an activated service member during their call-up to active duty. THE PLAN Purchase $25...