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If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over...

FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 12, 2009 – November 5 began and might have ended like any other day for Kanesha Howard, an Army spouse and mother of two. Instead, she found herself living a nightmare by midday, franticly wondering if she still had a husband. Eventually, she learned that Staff Sgt. Alvin Howard, a heavy-wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to the 20th Engineer Battalion, had been wounded in the massacre here, while preparing with other troops for their upcoming deployment. Since that fateful day, however, Howard has mustered the strength to smile again. Amid unimaginable frustration and destruction, Howard’s husband’s unit...

With a historic endorsement from the Mormon church, the Salt Lake City Council unanimously passed a pair of ordinances making it illegal to discriminate against gays in housing and employment. Tuesday's action was the first time the Utah-based church — which has been steadfast in its opposition to gay marriage — has publicly supported gay rights legislation. "The church supports these ordinances because they are fair and reasonable and do not do violence to the institution of marriage," Michael Otterson, the director of public affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said. The vote makes Salt Lake...

On Nov. 11, we observe Veterans Day to honor those who have served our country in the military and protected our way of life. Kansans can be proud that our state has a long history of supporting our country's veterans in gratitude for their service. These stories have and will continue to inspire people of our state, and nation, to do great things for those who sacrifice on our behalf. The Veterans Day holiday was founded by one of Kansas' own. Alvin King, of Emporia, proposed that Armistice Day be changed to recognize and honor veterans from all wars and...

CAMP TAJI — One U.S. Airman deployed here advises four Iraqi life support Airmen, making sure they maintain survival vests, body armor, crash helmets and night vision goggles for more than 200 helicopter air crew members. In addition to advising, Tech. Sgt. Kyle Richardson, 721st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron air crew flight equipment advisor, maintains the crucial equipment for Coalition forces. Previously, both life support offices were co-located on the Iraqi side of Camp Taji. Forty-five days into his deployment, the sergeant recognized the Iraqi's skills and decided they needed independence. "I'm here for anything they need," he said. "Their...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A year on from a historic election, the spirit of popular goodwill that yielded America's first black president has retreated to tepid support for Barack Obama as he presses his change agenda. Since the November 4 poll, Obama's visage has been everywhere, conspicuously on the streets of the nation's capital where millions of foreign and domestic tourists have visited over the past year, many of them snatching up poignant souvenirs. A quick look around downtown Washington confirms that Obama trinkets are still on sale, but several street hawkers have found little point in displaying the t-shirts, posters,...

Organizing for America (OFA) is the rebranded successor to Obama for America, the election campaign organization for Barack Obama in 2008. It works in partnership with the Democratic National Committee to mobilize support for Obama's policy agenda. Organizing for America is essentially a nation-wide lobby organization to promote and build support for Obama's political agenda, the latest incarnation of what some such as reporter Ari Melber have called "Obama 2.0" composed of his many millions of technologically-connected supporters and contributors linked by his having their 13 million email addresses and millions of cell phone numbers for instant text messages. The...

WASHINGTON – The top Senate Democrat says lawmakers of both parties assured President Barack Obama on Tuesday that they will rally behind whatever decision he makes on Afghanistan. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that both Democrats and Republicans told the president, basically, "Whatever decision you make, we'll support it." The comment came after Senate and House leaders of both parties met with Obama at the White House to discuss his war review. Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell put it differently. In his words: "I think Republicans will be able to make the decisions for themselves."

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2009 – Sometime around Thanksgiving some troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will receive boxes filled with gifts from a women’s group in Alexandria, Va. A child’s card stands among donated items at an Alexandria, Va., service project to fill boxes for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Sept. 26, 2009. Courtesy photo by Wendi Maney   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. For the first time in 15 years of doing fall service projects, the Mount Vernon Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated granola and energy bars, mints, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other...

PARIS — The French government on Wednesday dropped its public support for Roman Polanski, saying the Oscar-winning director held in Switzerland over a three-decade-old child sex case was not "above the law." "Roman Polanski is neither above nor beneath the law," said government spokesman Luc Chatel. "We have a judicial procedure under way, for a serious affair, the rape of a minor, on which the American and Swiss legal systems are doing their job," he told reporters. He added: "One can understand the emotion that this belated arrest, more than 30 years after the incident, and the method of the...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, Sept. 25, 2009 – Army Sgt. Maj. Virginia Stickler enjoys serving up drinks and snacks, as well as a bit of advice, to her fellow soldiers here at a coffee shop that speaks volumes about her deployment. Army Sgt. Maj. Virginia Stickler, a member of the Kansas National Guard’s 287th Sustainment Brigade, is the manager of God’s Grounds, a coffee shop on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, that serves free drinks, snacks and movies -- as well as advice -- for soldiers. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

ORIGINAL TITLE: "Obama-Støttegruppe Felt Av Falsk Hore Og Hhallik"Norwegian news outlet Dabgladet carries a HUGE, above the fold story on the ACORN STING including a link to the video.Here is the English quick automatic translation from the Norwegian:(TRANSLATION): "Obama-Support Group Helps Fake Whore and Pimp Tips: Tip: Send tips til Dagbladet.no MMS/SMS: 2400 Tlf: 2400 0000 e-post: 2400@db.no Send tips to Dagbladet.no MMS / SMS: 2400 Tel: 2400 0000 e-mail: 2400@db.no ACORN activists working to improve conditions for low-and mellominnteksamerikanere. The two pictured here demonstrating against what they perceive as the financial industry's gambling with the housing market, and is...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2009 – When reserve-component troops are called away for military duties, their civilian employers work hard to pick up the slack in their absence. That is especially true for the Mid American Kidney Stone Association, a research group of only 10 staff members in Kansas City, Mo. However, the small association gladly makes do and continues to support its part-time troops despite the heavy workload and small team, said Army Reserve Col. Harold DeLaughder, a citizen-soldier and Mid American nurse. “When one of its employees has to perform military duties away from their civilian job, it is...

HEIDELBERG, Germany -- Three weeks before returning to Germany after a 15-month tour in Anbar province with the 1st Armored Division, then-Sgt. Richard Ranno was closing the door of a Conex being used as an arms room when a mortar round slammed through the roof, throwing the doors off their hinges and turning the container into a watermelon shape. Ranno was also thrown to the pavement. To this day, Ranno is not sure if it was this incident or the various improvised explosive devises he encountered as an infantry Soldier that caused his current list of injuries. Ranno suffers from...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2009 – The past five years have been “the most exciting, dynamic and rewarding” of Brad Sams’ professional career, not because of his success as an attorney, but because of the military opportunities his employer has enabled him to pursue, the Air National Guard major said. “They create a culture that celebrates my involvement and service to this nation, its ideals, its dreams for a better world,” Sams said of his employer, the Marks, O’Neil, O’Brien and Courtney law firm in Wilmington, Del. The firm is recognized as one of the nation’s most supportive employers of National...

SACRAMENTO — Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner would just as well bury his past support for taxes as he seeks the Republican gubernatorial nomination amid fears that levies could be on the table as the state remains mired in an economic funk. The problem for him is that his previous life as a moderate who considered taxes as a way to improve education is making it hard for conservative talk radio hosts and red-state bloggers — and presumably grass-roots followers — to swallow Poizner's newfound conservative pitch. "I absolutely do not buy his sudden fiscal conservatism," conservative blogger Warner Todd Huston...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2009 – The Santa Ana, Calif., police department will receive the Defense Department's top employer-support award for providing exceptional financial and emotional support to its employees who deploy as National Guard or Reserve members. The police department provides its deployed members with differential pay and continued family health benefits, among other accommodations that go beyond what the law requires. For example, military liaisons stay in touch with deployed employees to let them know what’s happening back at the department and to see if they need anything, Cmdr. Bill Nimmo said. The department recognizes its employees’ military service...

(IsraelNN.com) Many American Jewish organizations have publicly offered words of support for U.S. President Barack Obama's He told the religious leaders, "I need you to spread the facts and speak the truth." healthcare nationalization plans. However, some expressed serious reservations over certain aspects of the likely reforms. On Wednesday, Obama devoted a single conference call to non-Orthodox Jewish religious leaders before addressing over 140,000 other American religious leaders to promote his ideas on healthcare. In his first conference call of the day, President Obama spoke with over 1,000 rabbis and lay leaders from the Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist movements

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2009 – The Yellow Ribbon Program is “off and running,” said the program’s deputy executive director, James “Scotty” Scott. The program’s goal is to prepare servicemembers and their families for mobilization, sustain families during mobilization, and reintegrate soldiers with their families, communities and employers upon redeployment. During the first nine months of fiscal 2009, reserve components have hosted more than 1,367 Yellow Ribbon events across the 54 U.S. states and territories. Through these events, more than 133,000 reservists and their family members have received valuable training and information about support services available to them before, during and...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2009 – While building its capabilities from the ground up, Afghanistan’s National Army Air Corps is deeply involved in an operational mission in direct support of the upcoming elections: ferrying candidates and election materials around the country and helping to provide security. “The air corps has been very heavily involved in the run-up to the elections in several ways,” U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Walter D. Givhan, commander of the Combined Air Power Transition Force in Afghanistan, told Pentagon reporters today via satellite feed from his Kabul headquarters. The Afghan national government tasked its fledging air corps...

It is often said that ridiculing Christians and their beliefs is the last acceptable form of bigotry. Ultra-secular critics on the left, of course, usually scoff at this notion. But sometimes an example of anti-Christian bile comes along that is so blatant, misleading and littered with judgmental smugness, that I find it difficult to remain silent. Consider the left-wing organization J Street, which claims to be a pro-Israel advocacy group, but which, oddly enough, never misses a chance to slam Israeli policies, particularly when the Jewish State dares defend itself against Islamic terrorism.

7/30/2009 - CAMP TAJI, Iraq (AFNS) -- American Airmen don't run dining facilities for the Iraqi military here. They don't pump fuel and they don't make runs to ammunition storage points. At least not any more. All of these daily tasks that require the utmost attention to detail to supporting mission readiness are handled directly by Iraqi soldiers. "We're just here to advise them now," said Tech. Sgt. Willie Moorer, who provides "a safety net" for the Iraqi soldiers who run a dining facility that feeds more than 400 troops per meal. "My goal is to work myself out of...

CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan, July 29, 2009 – Marine Corps Maj. Richard “Bart” Bartolomea says he feels at home serving with his brother, Bill, in an operational environment. Marine Corps Majs. William and Richard Bartolomea pose in front of an AH-1W Super Cobra, June 12, 2009. The brothers are deployed to Afghanistan. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Samuel Nasso   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "It's awesome," he said. "I brought the board games, but haven't had the chance to break them out yet." The officer in charge of the Scan Eagle detachment from Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle...

NEW YORK – Could it be that President Barack Obama's Midas touch is starting to dull a bit, even among members of his own party?

Support For Health Overhaul SlippingMain Category: Public Health Article Date: 15 Jul 2009 - 4:00 PDT A USA Today/Gallup Poll found that "most Americans say it's important to overhaul health care this year," but "they are less enthusiastic about some of the proposals to pay for it," USA Today reports. "And while a majority say controlling costs should be the legislation's top goal, more than nine in 10 oppose limits on getting whatever tests or treatments they and their doctors think are necessary." But some good news for President Obama: "A third of those surveyed say they trust him and...

A heavily publicized U.S. Supreme Court reversal of an appeals court ruling by Judge Sonia Sotomayor has at least temporarily diminished public support for President Obama's first Supreme Court nominee.

Navy Lt. Lawrence Sproul (center), Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Nolen and Lt. Cmdr. John Brooks (right), all of the Multi-National Force - West Health Services Section, look through a care package sent by Sproul's son's kindergarten class, June 16. Photo by Cpl. Meg Murray, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd). AL ASAD AIR BASE — Things have changed throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom, but one thing has not – the support U.S. citizens show their forward-deployed servicemembers. Troops with Multi National Force - West, stationed in Anbar province, continue to daily receive thank-you notes, care packages and well-wishes from places like...

Yes, I know that the saying is "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," from the United States Declaration of Independence. As the title suggests, this post is not about independence in the US. It is about the kind of life, relative lack of liberty, and the 'pursuit" of death on the streets of Tehran, that I am seeing playing out on the television. I saw a woman die on the streets of Tehran. She "pursued" death and it caught her. Why am I describing the killing of this woman as her "pursuit" of death? This is my roundabout way...

The Obama Administration insistently reiterated its support for Israel this weekend after a Jerusalem Post poll found that only 6 percent of Jewish Israelis now consider Barack Obama's presidency to be pro-Israel. The poll, which has a margin of error of 4.5%, was conducted by Smith Research among a representative sample of 500 Israeli Jewish adults last week.

(IsraelNN.com) The U.S. State Department Tuesday refused to state whether the Obama administration will honor a promise by the previous government that Israel will retain sovereignty over large Jewish areas in Judea and Samaria, in the event that a new Palestinian Authority state is created.

Victims' Relatives Say Justice Dept. Bid To Shield Royal Family From Lawsuit Undermines Fight Against Terror. Relatives of Sept. 11 victims say they're angry that the Justice Department is supporting the Saudi royal family's bid to be removed from a 9/11 lawsuit. The families of some victims have accused the royal family of financially backing terror groups that carried out the 2001 attack. Their complaint alleges that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi High Commission for Relief to Bosnia and Herzegovina (SHC), and four Saudi Princes (acting in both official and personal capacities) made donations to charitable organizations with...

NEW YORK (AP) — Relatives of Sept. 11 victims say they're angry that the Justice Department is supporting the Saudi royal family's bid to be removed from a 9/11 lawsuit. The families of some victims have accused the royal family of financially backing terrorist groups that carried out the 2001 attacks.

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2009 – Operation Gratitude will receive $232,948 from Target as part of the company's first online giving campaign. The California-based troop-support group was one of 10 charities selected by Target to receive a percentage of $3 million based on votes cast in its online "Bullseye Gives" contest, hosted by the social-networking Web site Facebook. "I would like to thank everyone who voted for Operation Gratitude,” Carolyn Blashek, Operation Gratitude founder, said. “Each vote paid to send an additional care package to our deployed troops. Target and our voters have truly made a difference to the men...

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine election officials on Tuesday approved the question that would appear on the ballot if opponents of the recently enacted same-sex marriage law collect enough signatures. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced that the question that will appear on petitions is “Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?” Groups seeking to overturn the law, including the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland; the Maine Family Policy Council of Maine, formerly the Christian Civic League of Maine; and Maine Marriage Initiative...

After reading Newt's Newsletter this morning, and particularly his article about Nancy Pelosi, I think a protest is in order. She's "invalidated" herself as third in line to the Presidency, according to Newt. He's being generous and more polite than I would be. I will be placing a home-made sign on my car today. It will say, "I've got your 6." Almost every person who has served in any military capacity will recognize it and understand it. Far fewer Liberals will get it, which suits me fine. If a lot of these pop up across the country, perhaps a few...

NESHANIK STATION, N.J., May 18, 2009 – Mike Corrado, the Marine recording artist whose 2005 hit song “On My Watch Tonight” was featured on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” and has become an anthem for servicemembers worldwide, is one of the headliners in Rolling Thunder’s “Saluting the Troops” program in Washington, D.C., May 23. Vietnam Memorial Founder and veterans’ activist Jan Scruggs also will be a featured speaker at the event, which will be held from noon to 5 p.m. at the reflecting pool at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. In addition to Corrado, musical guests include national recording...

Sarah Palin is the hope of our nation. She is a self made politician, had no silver Republican spoon in her mouth, her shadow never graced the vaunted halls of liberal ivy league academe. That is a HUGE plus. She has the skills gleaned from her youth, of a frontier woman. She has common sense, reflects the values of our nation of steadfast patriotism, frugality of budgeting,compassion for the unborn, all the positive attributes of a Mother of our nation. She has faced corruption in her own state government and within the Alaskan Republican party and cleaned it up, and...

WASHINGTON — Amid a wave of publicity about drug-related gun violence along the Mexican border and police killings in U.S. cities, more Americans than ever oppose new government efforts to regulate guns. Recent polls show shrinking support for new gun control measures and strong public sentiment for enforcing existing laws instead. So strong is the shift in public opinion that a proposed assault-weapons ban — once backed by three in four Americans — now rates barely one in two. Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll, told reporters Tuesday that “every bit of data is showing us that...

New Poll Shows Support for Legal Abortion Drops to Lowest Level in 15 Years Washington, DC -- A new poll conducted by Pew Research finds the support for legal abortions has dropped to its lowest level in 15 years. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted March 31-April 21 among 1,521 adults, finds President Barack Obama could be sparking a shift to the pro-life side of the abortion debate. The Pew poll found 46 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in most cases (28%) or all cases (18%) and...

WARDAK PROVINCE, Afghanistan, April 21, 2009 – The Afghan National Police worked with U.S. soldiers serving in Task Force Spartan recently to provide 25 women and their families here with humanitarian aid packages. The police, working with the 10th Mountain Division’s 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, distributed the packages, containing food and stuffed animals, at the Wardak Women’s Center. Afghan National Police and soldiers from 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force Spartan, helped to distribute humanitarian aid at Wardak Women’s Center in Afghanistan’s Wardak province, April 8, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Christopher Baker  (Click photo...

WASHINGTON -- As a senator, Barack Obama led the charge last year to pass a bill allowing black farmers to seek new discrimination claims against the Agriculture Department. Now he is president, and his administration so far is acting like it wants the potentially budget-busting lawsuits to go away. The change isn't sitting well with black farmers who thought they'd get a friendlier reception from Obama after years of resistance from President George W. Bush.

The Anti-Defamation League released a poll Monday that contradicted findings from a similar poll of American Jews conducted last month by J Street, a left-wing lobbying group. Compared to the J Street survey, the ADL found that a smaller percentage of the American Jewish community supports US President Barack Obama's current Israeli-Palestinian policy, prefers a two-state solution, and knows and dislikes Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

“His numbers are still high.” “People like him.” “The President has the strong support of a majority of Americans.” These observations are common throughout the blogosphere and within the punditocracy to describe the current standing of President Obama. Trouble is, they rely upon a very thin and limited measurement: presidential approval ratings. Most polls currently have President Obama’s “approval ratings” around 60%. That is not surprising, and likely will remain there or increase in the coming weeks. He’s likeable. Much of his campaign was built on his personal appeal. Plenty of the nearly 70 million people who voted for him...

WASHINGTON, April 14, 2009 – Navigating the federal job application process can be mindboggling, but veterans can have a personal guide thanks to a new Military Order of the Purple Heart Web site. MOPH offers veterans its new Vetsjobs.net site as the answer to the puzzle, given that the Labor Department estimates 100,000 new federal jobs will open in the federal sector, the group’s national veteran employment officer said. “There are lots of places that you can go to get information. However, this is one place that you can gather enough information to intelligently apply for a federal job,”...

Noble Warriors!! I must confess I can no longer remain silent, stand by and watch. We have banded together in the face of adversity before and once more we will. There is a new battlefield!! Too many of us are bringing the enemy home; distressing our loved ones. .....Are you Stressed? Depressed? Isolated, Angry and full of Resentment? Who will take care of us if we don’t? There is no need to struggle alone, and in darkness.....

FORT BELVOIR, Va., April 9, 2009 – While many children are spending their spring break away from the schoolhouse on the couch watching television or playing video games, some spent part of their week off this year volunteering and giving back to their military community. Rebecca Stoffer, right, places a USO care package into a shipping box for deployed troops during a care package party April 9, 2009, at Fort Belvoir, Va. Stoffer and her two children were among 70 volunteers, including more than 50 children ages 3 to 17, who spent the day filling care packages with toiletries...

I'd like to start a thread for folks wanting to stop smoking due to the new tax increases that started today. I'm protesting and know I'll require support from others out there who are ready to drop the habit as well.

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2009 – An Air Force reserve unit in Massachusetts does its utmost to support family members of deployed servicemembers, a noncommissioned officer assigned to the unit’s family readiness center said today. “We keep connected with the families while their loved ones are deployed,” said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Margaret Sullivan, one of five military members who work at the 439th Airlift Wing’s Airman and Family Readiness Center. The center, Sullivan said, also has a student hire and a full-time volunteer. Based at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, Mass., just north of Springfield, the 439th Airlift...

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday declared Washington's "unshakeable" support for Israel as she heralded a dramatic escalation in the US's involvement in the Middle East. In her first visit to Israel as the US's senior diplomat, Ms Clinton immediately announced that Washington was sending two officials to Damascus for talks with Syria -- closely aligned with Iran and a country with which the previous administration had no official contact.

I suppose this is what some call vanity? I'll come to my point first. Do you think it would do any good to be able to see and know that there are others like you with the same concerns? Real people that are more real than a keyboard and a computer screen? Do you think there are people who would become active if they had a little push? People who aren't like Freepers that dwell on this site and ones like it? What if someone, anyone and anyplace said, "I'll be at the Walmart, Lowes, HomeDepot parking lot in the...