Free Republic

Berkeley mayor announces re-election bid Tom Bates seeks third term By Doug OakleyStaff Writer Article Launched: 07/14/2008 05:35:31 PM PDT Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates announced his candidacy for a third term Monday on the steps of city hall surrounded by five other council members who are endorsing him.His challengers so far include former Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean and activist Zachary Running Wolf.Bates cited his record on fighting global warming, creating a "green economy," getting homeless people off the streets and supporting development near public transportation centers.He is endorsed by council members Gordon Wozniak, Linda Maio, Laurie Capitelli, Darryl Moore and Max...

Move America Forward raised $1.5 million in their recent Web telethon. News video from KCRA 3 features Melanie Morgan of Move America Forward

Friday, June 27, 2008 Posted By:Catherine MoyPermalinkTHANK YOU AMERICA!!!!! We’ve topped $1.1 Million for Our Troops!!!!! It is the day after our webathon and I am still numb from the stunning, selfless generosity of America. Our historic - and risky - webathon brought together the best in high-tech Ustream.tv, stars like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Gold Star parents and thousands upon thousands of Americans who REALLY support our troops. I want to apologize for failing to get a blog up as we went last night and yesterday. So many folks were participating on line that I...

FROM EMAIL from Doug Lyvere, Eagles Up -- ...Code Pink is on the ropes. The Marines have been welcomed by the Chamber of Commerce. More people, civilian's and businesses, have started showing their support for Veteran's. Everyone's efforts have started to pay off. Everyone should be proud. So this time we're going to do it a little differently. Last time we designated Berkeley a "No spend zone". Some said this had zero impact. I disagree - we made a point and whether or not a negative financial impact was felt, we got a response. This time, I think we should...

Telethon Breaks Records, Troops to Receive Largest Care Package Delivery in History Written by Melanie Morgan    Friday, 27 June 2008 The telethon exceeded my wildest expectations. I thought that if we were really lucky, really good, caught some major breaks -we might raise $400,000- tops. Instead, the final tally on the electronic tote board was $1,055,719. In reality, the total far exceeds the final number. The response was so overwhelming that our website could not keep up with the orders. When all is said and done, I am guessing that Move America Forward will have collected about  1.2...

Eeevil just providing another chat room for this historical and AWESOME movement for our troops! Move America Forward Webthon for the Troops http://www.ustream.tv/channel/from-the-frontlines http://www.moveamericaforward.org/

Saturday EaglesUp organized a Support The Troops Rally in Berkeley, CA on the street in front of the Marine Recruiting Office (Officially The Marine Corps Officer Selection Office)Melanie Morgan gave a great speech and Diane Nagy sang patriotic songs.There were several Gold Star Family members present, and one Gold Star Mother gave a moving speechJim Robinson-the creator of Free Republic- was there with his wife and one of his sons.Several hundered came by Motorcycle after meeting down the road in Emeryville. Melanie Morgan and Eagles Up's Doug Lyvere, SgtMaj, Marine ret

Since today is the 64 Anniversary of D-Day, thought I would post Erin Pyle's 3 columns from Normandy. Even across the gap of years, his words are incredibly powerful. Column 1 A Pure Miracle NORMANDY BEACHHEAD, June 12, 1944 - Due to a last-minute alteration in the arrangements, I didn’t arrive on the beachhead until the morning after D-day, after our first wave of assault troops had hit the shore. By the time we got here the beaches had been taken and the fighting had moved a couple of miles inland. All that remained on the beach was some sniping...

A US marine has been acquitted of charges that he ordered a cover up of the Haditha massacre, an incident in which 24 Iraqis were killed in cold blood in 2005. Lieutenant Andrew Grayson was declared "not guilty on all charges" by a military courtmartial after his defence accused the prosecution of relying on a botched and politically motivated investigation. The military intelligence official was the sixth of eight accused to be cleared over the controversial incident. The deaths of 24 people in the central Iraqi town ranks as one of the darkest incidents since the 2003 invasion. The killings...

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2008 – Medal of Honor recipient Army Spc. Ross A. McGinnis joined a select group of military heroes during a Pentagon ceremony here today. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England hosted the event that added McGinnis’ name to the roster of other Army Medal of Honor recipients. Army Secretary Pete Geren and Gen. Richard R. Cody, the Army’s vice chief of staff, also attended the event at the library and conference center. Medal of Honor recipients “are our nation’s most-revered heroes,” England said. “And every time a name is added, that individual’s story enriches the significance of...

WASHINGTON — President Bush on Monday presented the nation's highest military award to a young soldier killed in Iraq when he threw himself on a hand grenade tossed into a Humvee where four other soldiers sat. Ross McGinnis of Knox, Pa., was 19 years old when he gave his life to save the lives of his colleagues. "The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest military distinction," the president said. "It's given for valor beyond anything that duty could require or a superior could command." Bush was joined at a White House ceremony by Vice President Dick Cheney and military...

Gen. David H. Petraeus said he expects to recommend further cuts in the size of U.S. forces in Iraq before he gives up command in September. The military is currently cutting its forces down to 15 brigades, or about 140,000 troops. That drawdown is scheduled to be concluded by July. Last month, President Bush endorsed Petraeus' call for a 45-day pause before the troop reduction. Petraeus noted those further cuts may be small but said that he always intended to make constant reassessments of force level requirements. "My sense is that I will be able to make a recommendation at...

Dem Leader: It's Not 'Practical' to Stop War-Funding Vote By Josiah Ryan CNSNews.com Staff Writer May 09, 2008 (CNSNews.com) - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told Cybercast News Service Thursday that he does not think it would be "practical" to stop the war in Iraq simply by not allowing a war-funding bill to come up for a vote on the House floor, something that it is within his power as Majority Leader to do. Hoyer also said that the troops in harm's way in Iraq need support from Congress. "I don't personally believe it's a practical alternative not to...

FBI To Address Attacks Dear Pro-Troop Supporters:I have some great news to share with you!! Please also pass along this information to others who will appreciate the good news.As you know there has sadly been an increasing campaign of violence against military recruiting centers across the nation - conducted by anti-military radicals (who are erroneously referred to as "peace activists" by a sympathetic media). We at Move America Forward researched the vast array of these incidents and compiled them together in "The Sedition Report" which we provided to members of Congress and law enforcement.Today Move America Forward's legal team received...

A court-martial panel on Friday found a Hawaii-based soldier not guilty in the killing of an unarmed Iraqi during a raid on a suspected insurgent hideout last year. Sgt. 1st Class Trey Corrales' friends and family erupted in cheers when the head of the military panel, or jury, read the verdict. The jury of nine soldiers acquitted Corrales of all three charges, including premeditated murder, after more than seven hours of deliberation. Corrales would have faced a minimum sentence of life in prison if he had been convicted. Corrales said it feels like a 200-pound weight had been lifted from...

Carrier launches are astonishing events. The plane is moved to within what seems like a bowling alley's length of the bow. A blast shield larger than any government building driveway Khomeini-flipper rises behind the fighter jet, and the jet's twin engines are cranked to maximum thrust. A slot-car slot runs down the middle of the bowling alley. The powered-up jet is held at the end of its slot by a steel shear pin smaller than a V-8 can. When the shear pin shears the jet is unleashed and so is a steam catapult that hurls the plane down the slot,...

Iraq: Democrats insisted the surge couldn't succeed. When it did, they claimed it failed because Iraqis weren't using the "political breathing space" it provided. In fact, Iraq's ongoing political progress is stunning.Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been called an incompetent incapable of achieving consensus in a country that has never known representative government. The nation he tries in vain to run, we've been told for years now, is in a state of civil war. The only thing President Bush accomplished in invading it, they say, was to send American troops into a hopeless quagmire. But speaking Tuesday in Kuwait to...

Well, maybe if it was raining like it usually does and is forecast for this coming Saturday. But we did have plenty of t-shirts. BELOW LEFT: Cindy_True_Supporter. BELOW RIGHT: Lurker Bill's daughter BELOW LEFT: Fraxinus's T-shirt BELOW RIGHT: My T-shirt says "Kill Them All, Let the Devil sort It Out" in case you couldn't read it as it wraps around my winter surge. The roll call of our 9 Patriots included Legionnaires Glenn (USMC - WWII), Newbie Ed (Army - WWII), Halsey (USMC - Korea), Lurker Bill and daughter, Cindy_True_Supporter, Fraxinus, [Mrs] Trooprally and myself, [Mr] T. All Pics by...

Players from competing teams in the Mahmudiyah Soccer Tournament line up on the field April 20. U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Christopher McKenna, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT). FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH — The Mahmudiyah Soccer Stadium officially opened April 20 with a 24-team, double-elimination tournament sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development. This was the first in a series of three tournaments scheduled over the next four months. Security for each event will be provided by the 25th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division.“Many people are excited about both the tournament and the stadium,� said Garbi Abbas, the...

A worker in the Mahmudiyah Chicken Hatchery sets eggs into trays April 21 to begin the incubation process. U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Christopher McKenna, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT). FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH — Eight months of preparation and planning paid off when the Mahmudiyah Chicken Hatchery received the first of three shipments of eggs for incubation April 21. The first batch contained 35,000 eggs shipped to Iraq from Holland. “The purpose in bringing in eggs from Holland is that they have a faster growing rate and they’re healthier than chickens from within this area,� said Maj. Alaric...

Residents unload fertilizer bags, April 10, at the Zambraniyah community center. Soldiers of Company B, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, delivered 180 bags of fertilizer to the center. DoD photo. FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Zambraniyah farmers got much-needed assistance for their crops recently with a delivery from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “Today we conducted a fertilizer distro for the farmers of Zambraniyah and I think this is something that definitely will continue helping to establish the foundation for economic growth in our sector,� said Capt. Cesar Santiago, a...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan, April 22, 2008 – Soldiers of Task Force Pacemaker, deployed from Fort Lewis, Wash., celebrated spring earlier this month with an organizational day. Soldiers bear the stains of taking part in a pie-eating contest during the “Spring Break 2008” festival at Forward Operating Base Sharana, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Dubbed “Spring Break 2008!,” the event gave soldiers a break from the rigors of their deployment and allowed them a chance to relax, hear live music, eat barbeque and even take part in a pie-eating contest. Soldiers enjoyed live...

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2008 – Army Spc. Pastor Paul Durano, originally from the Philippines, joined the ranks of his comrades and became an American citizen during a naturalization ceremony here earlier this month. Army Spc. Pastor Paul Durano became an American Citizen in Baghdad’s Al Faw Palace on April 12, 2008. Durano, a native of Cubu City, Philippines, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, participated in a naturalization ceremony for 259 deployed soldiers. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Durano, a member of 10th Mountain Division’s Headquarters and Headquarter Battery, 5th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, participated...

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2008 – Coalition forces killed a terrorist, detained suspects, and discovered homemade explosives during a series of operations today and yesterday. In a synchronized effort triggered by intelligence from an April 12 operation, coalition forces descended on targets in Salahuddin province to disrupt al-Qaida foreign terrorist leaders. The coordinated operations seized 21 individuals with alleged ties to the al-Qaida foreign terrorist network. As an operation in Sharqat began, one man rushed coalition forces, who responded to the hostile threat, killing the attacker. Coalition forces also found weapons inside the building and uncovered homemade explosives, which were safely...

BAGHDAD — Iraqi soldiers took control of the last bastions of the cleric Moktada al-Sadr’s militia in Basra on Saturday, and Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad strongly endorsed the Iraqi government’s monthlong military operation against the fighters. By Saturday evening, Basra was calm, but only after air and artillery strikes by American and British forces cleared the way for Iraqi troops to move into the Hayaniya district and other remaining Mahdi Army militia strongholds and begin house-to house searches, Iraqi officials said. Iraqi troops were meeting little resistance, said Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, the spokesman for the Iraqi Interior Ministry in...

BAGHDAD - CD shops sell love songs again. Some women emerge from their homes without veils, and alcohol sellers are coming out of hiding in the southern city of Basra — where religious vigilantes have long enforced strict Islamic codes. The changes in recent weeks mark a surprising show of government sway — at least for now — after an Iraqi-led military crackdown that was plagued by desertions, ragged planning and ended in a virtual stalemate with Shiite militias in Iraq's second-largest city. But it's unclear whether the new tone in parts of Basra represents a permanent tilt toward the...

Idol contestant, Kristy Lee Cook, brings down the American Idol House tonight with rendition of Lee Greenwood's mega hit: God Bless the USA"Simon says: "Brilliant "

The commander of forces in far western Iraq said April 15 the enemy his Marines and their Iraqi counterparts now confront is in disarray -- a smattering of foreign malcontents ruled by local thugs with little community support. Disillusioned foreigners from Yemen, Algeria, Syria and Saudi Arabia are coming to Iraq with dreams of "jihad" in fewer numbers than they were a year ago, arrive under-equipped and are poorly led once they infiltrate the province. "These are very often young to middle aged males who are kind of malcontents and misfits from their society," said Col. Patrick Malay, commander of...

Iraq's major Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties have closed ranks to force anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to disband his Mahdi Army militia or leave politics, lawmakers and officials involved in the effort said Sunday. Such a bold move risks a violent backlash by al-Sadr's Shiite militia. But if it succeeds it could cause a major realignment of Iraq's political landscape. The first step will be adding language to a draft election bill banning parties that operate militias from fielding candidates in provincial balloting this fall, the officials and lawmakers said. The government intends to send the draft to parliament within...

Sen. Biden: Troop buildup is failure 16 minutes ago A leading Democrat on Saturday declared last year's troop buildup in Iraq a failure. Sen. Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the military push didn't succeed because U.S. troops remain committed there in large numbers and political reconciliation has not been achieved. "The purpose of the surge was to bring violence in Iraq down so that its leaders could come together politically," said Biden, D-Del., in this week's Democratic radio address. "Violence has come down, but the Iraqis have not come together." He later added, "There is...

Congressional Democrats are warning U.S. Iraq commander General David Petraeus, and the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, not to attempt to minimize the seriousness of the situation in Iraq when they testify to Congress next week. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill. A few days before General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker appear before House and Senate committees to deliver their latest update on Iraq, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi makes clear what she hopes they will not say. In a news conference together with the chairmen of the House committees on Armed Services and Foreign Affairs, she refers to the recent...

U.S. officials say a new U.S. intelligence report on Iraq shows that conditions there are improving and that progress is being made toward healing political rifts. U.S. media cited government officials as saying the latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq provides a more upbeat analysis of conditions than the last assessment made in August. However, the officials said the classified document did not include the recent deadly fighting between Iraqi forces and Shi'ite militias. The report, a collaboration by 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, has been released to top administration staffers as well as members of the U.S. Congress. Some of...

I t was two weeks ago that I received a phone call from my son. He is a college student so when the telephone rings and I see his number there are always two immediate feelings. First, I hope that everything is all right as he attends college in Baltimore, a hotbed of crime and violence, or, second, how much money does he need. Once I hear his voice and know that he is OK, I can most certainly guarantee that the call is for money. That's when I give the telephone to his father. This call two weeks ago...

Berkeley mayor, chamber on good terms By Doug Oakley STAFF WRITER Article Launched: 03/19/2008 03:00:38 AM PDT The love is back between Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates and the city's Chamber of Commerce. Just a month after the chamber released a letter saying that Bates and the City Council hurt business by telling the Marine Corps and its recruiting center to get out of town, the mayor is back in the group's good graces. During a lunch Tuesday billed as "A Conversation with Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates," chamber board member Mark McLeod introduced Bates as "our mayor and our friend." Afterward, chamber...

A Hundred Thousand Motorcycle Riders (Well quite a few hundred) infiltrated Berkeley along with hundreds of others who drove cages and used other forms of transportation (Tunnels with Trains) in Support of our Troops and the Marine Officer Selection Recritiment Office in the California town that is trying to withdraw from the human race and The United States Of America.Well, that's my take on the actions of Berkeley whose very existance depends on our country being well armed and manned by Military Personell.I arrived about 11AM, although my camera thought it was 10The speakers were scheduled to speak in an...

Troop Support Rally Ok folks, this is the call to arms. It doesn't matter where you live, Northern California, the Western States, east coast, where ever - tell everyone you know, forward this email, call them, whatever - get the word out. It doesn't matter if you ride a bike or drive a cage. This is a call to arms for all veterans, all patriots, and all that truly respect the military. Please forward this email to every veteran you know, every organization you know, every post you know. Assume you are the only one that has received this email...

We took on the local chapter of MoveOn today in Greeley Colorado. We found this out after the rally when searching on a other thread about Move ON activies in the country.

While http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987246/postsOlney was being held down by regular FReepers iMacMan and Eager, and 5 Legionnaires from a local Post, the rest of the Chapter headed to D.C. All pics are by [Mrs] T. She and Lurker Ethel couldn't make the whole march so they cut out at 7th Street and waited for us at our post-march gathering location and got some good pics. BELOW: Some pics that you may not have seen on all the blogs and other postings covering the march. BELOW LEFT: Laura Youngblood, Gold Star Wife, and good friend, with Fraxinus. BELOW LEFT: A familiar "face" from...

About 150 people -- those opposed to the Iraq War and those supporting it -- gathered noisily outside a Tacoma Mall office building on Saturday. A group known as World Can't Wait had organized an anti-war protest to mark the coming fifth anniversary of the Iraq War. But long before their protest was scheduled to begin, counter-protesters arrived. The counter-protesters surrounded an office building that houses military recruiting offices, which anti-war protesters had said they planned to "shut down." They shouted "God bless our troops" and waved American flags.

E-Ticket to D.C., Ready or Not, Here We Come Written by Melanie Morgan    Wednesday, 12 March 2008 Forgive me for being redundant on this website (but since it's my own I feel 'entitled' to repeat myself.) I have thrown my four-ounce tube of toothpaste and small liquid bottles in my suitcase, a couple pair of jeans, a few sweaters and tons of files, documents and visuals I will need for Move America Forward's National Press Conference on Friday at 12:30 pdt in Washington, D.C. Plus a can of lavender aerosol (my personal favorite) to spray on smelly hippies taking...

Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Posted By:Catherine MoyPermalinkMarines Save Iraqi child, then raise money for Heart Surgery Marines Save Iraqi child, then raise money for Heart Surgery You know the U.S. Marines, the ones Berkeley ingrates don’t want in their town? Well, they found a little girl in Iraq during a house visit whose fingers were blue. They got her help, then determined that she needed an expensive heart surgery. So they raised money - $30,000 – sent her to America (yes, that, bad, bad, country) and had her healed. “These types of missions demonstrate our willingness to partner with the...

Teaming rain, thick soupy fog, miserable weather .......... Gathering of Eagles descended on Times Square and it was great! 100 strong came out to the bombed recruiting station at Times Square to show our soldiers big love. GORGEOUS, all of it. Shiny, happy people. How beautiful is that? The Great One!

Why return to the Air Force Academy after Winter Break? So after our sunburns have faded and the memories of our winter break have been reduced to pictures we've pinned on our deskboards, and once again we've exchanged T-shirts and swim suits for flight suits and camouflage, there still remains the question that every cadet at U.S.Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs has asked themselves at some point: Why did we come back? Why, after spending two weeks with our family would we return to one of the most demanding lifestyles in the country? After listening to our 'friends' who...

Saturday, March 08, 2008 Posted By:Catherine MoyPermalinkArmy: Bombing of N.Y. Recruiters was a “fruitless effort” The deviant who bombed the Times Square recruiting station and the punks who harass and attack recruiters in Berkeley and elsewhere should understand something: The United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines don’t flinch when it comes to firebombs, Nazis, despots, Commies, IEDs, or smelly hippies. The Times Square recruiters are back to work. But only a mental weakling would have thought anything different. Army Captain Charles Jaquillard said the incident was like a touch of inclement weather, according to the New...

Tom the Red Environmental Wacko and Fraxinus the Tree Hugger It was a dark and stormy rainy drizzly night. It must've been raining Bacardi because Tom the Red Hunter seemed a little inebriated. He babbled something about favoring high mileage standards for cars, the dictatorship of the SUV, the exploitation of the subcompact, and the class struggle for parking spaces. I was appalled. We argued heatedly about CAFE standards, the Caribou, ethanol, and the like. But there's no arguing with someone who's had too much rain to drink. I quickly alerted everyone, "Do NOT drink the rain!" At least...

WASHINGTON - A law enforcement official says police are investigating letters sent to Capitol Hill offices showing pictures of a Times Square military recruiting station that was bombed. According to the official, who was briefed on the investigation, the letters included words to the effect of, "We did it." The official did not know which offices received the letters. The small bomb caused minor damage to the New York military recruiting station before dawn Thursday and police were searching for a hooded bicyclist seen on a surveillance video peddling away.

<p>Written and posted in haste, it contained even more grammatical slips than usual webspeak. But it didn't miss its target: "The Drudge Report is a Heap of Shit US-based news aggregation website run by Matt Drudge, Who is a C***... Occasionally Drudge authors news stories himself, such as the one about prince harry being deployed. what a tit."</p>

Update from Eamon Kelly Written by Melanie Morgan    Wednesday, 27 February 2008 Eamon Kelley, the young Marine who is featured in Move America Forward's TV commercial that ran on Fox News earlier this week, spent his day today in Berkeley, Calif. in front of the Marine recruiting offices. Another national/local ad blitz begins on Monday. Meanwhile, CodePink has set up a virtual blockade at the recruiting center, expanding it's efforts to harass our troops and turn back young Americans looking to enlist. (The Berkeley City Council stubbornly refuses to apologize and continues subsidizing free parking for CodePink efforts to drive our...

WE TUMBLED OUT of two Black Hawks onto a shrub-dusted mountainside. It was a windy, cold October evening. A half-moon illuminated the tall pines and peaks. Through night-vision goggles the soldiers and landscape glowed in a blurry green-and-white static. Just across the valley, lights flickered from a few homes nestled in the terraced farmlands of Yaka China, a notorious village in the Korengal River valley in Afghanistan’s northeastern province of Kunar. Yaka China was just a few villages south and around a bend in the river from the Americans’ small mountain outposts, but the area’s reputation among the soldiers was...

Nubs, a wiry German-shepherd-border collie mix named for nubby ears that were sliced off as a puppy, will stay in Chicago with the family of one of his Marine colleagues until a final hop to San Diego, where a Marine fighter pilot stationed at Camp Pendleton has been given permission to care for the dog until Maj. Brian Dennis arrives home from his second combat tour. More Photos "Touchdown" was the first celebratory word in an e-mail Marsha Cargo received from her son Maj. Brian Dennis, after a dog who survived a 70-mile Hail Mary trek through war-torn Iraqi...