Free Republic

Iraq thanks Bush for vetoing defense billThu Jan 3, 11:56 AM ET BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq thanked U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday for vetoing a defense bill that would have let companies and people win compensation from the new Iraqi government for actions by ousted leader Saddam Hussein. Bush announced his decision to veto the bill last week, after concluding that the provision allowing lawsuits against Iraq would pose a "grave financial risk" to the country. "The Iraqi government has expressed its gratitude and appreciation for the efforts of President George Bush in using his veto against the...

This year I received a police scanner for my Christmas present. I wasn’t sure if my wife would “ok” this, or consider it a “waste of money”, but nevertheless I kept mentioning that I wanted one since I had a police scanner about twenty years ago and enjoyed it very much. Recently, a movie in which a police scanner was featured in several of the scenes reminded me of my interest in scanners, and so I decided that is what I wanted for Christmas this year. Well, I got the police scanner. And I couldn’t wait to try it out....

ANKARA Abdullah Gül, the Turkish President, praised the US for providing military intelligence as Turkey confirmed its third airstrike in ten days against Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq. The attack on Nirvorokan in Dohuk province was the third against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq that the military has confirmed since December 16, in addition to a cross-border ground operation. The Turkish general staff said that six PKK militants were killed in mountains inside Turkey, bringing to 11 the death toll from a two-day security operation in the area. The PKK has waged a bloody campaign for...

Senator Fred Thompson had this video produced to thank our troops for their courage and sacrifice, and to let them know they are not forgotten as they are away from their loved ones during the Christmas holiday.

 Destroying CIA Tapes Deserves a Thank You By Linda Chavez Friday, December 21, 2007 His name isn't yet familiar to most Americans, but I expect it will be by the end of 2008: Jose A. Rodriguez Jr. He is the man, according to recent press reports, who ordered the destruction of interrogation tapes made by the CIA, which allegedly show the effects of waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques" used against terrorists Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. In the next few months, his name will likely be dragged through the mud, and he will be vilified as a rogue official...

As Americans prepare for the holidays with their families and loved ones, we have many challenges to face but also many reasons to be thankful. We are thankful we live in a nation that is still a land of freedom, hope and opportunity. And we can be thankful that President Bush has kept us safe. Too often our politicians in Washington and on the campaign trail seem to have forgotten this simple fact. It was disheartening when Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) questioned the sworn testimony of General David Petraeus, the troop commander of our forces in Iraq, when he reported...

U.S. sailors and Marines on a humanitarian mission to Bangladesh are being met with extreme gratitude as they work to prevent and treat waterborne illnesses and meet basic needs in the aftermath of a Nov. 15 cyclone, a U.S. commander there said today. “With all of our deliveries, we’ve been greeted warmly and with gratitude by the Bangladesh people,” Rear Adm. Carol M. Pottenger, commander of Navy Task Force 76, said in a news briefing broadcast from the USS Kearsarge. Upon receiving medical treatment, one local man told American troops, “In the eyes of my village, you are the face...

As fiery debris rained down on them, two city cops rushed through a pair of Bronx homes engulfed in flames Sunday and helped rescue 12 people, including two infants. Officers Michael Welsh and Christopher Scott kicked down doors and screamed to wake people as the blaze devoured 374 Bronx Park Ave. in West Farms. After they emerged from the inferno, they busted into the neighboring house, which was already spewing plumes of black smoke into the air. The cops suffered minor injuries, but no one else was hurt because of their heroic efforts while on patrol about 9:15 a.m., officials...

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has conceded defeat in the national election as the Labour Party assumes control of Parliament. Perhaps America's staunchest defender of the global war on terror among world leaders, Howard now gives way to Kevin Rudd, and may find himself out of government altogether. Howard may be the first PM to lose his own seat in almost 80 years: Australian prime minister John Howard's 11 year reign has ended with a landslide election victory for the opposition Labour Party. Kevin Rudd, the former diplomat, was set to become Australia's 26th prime minister, less than a year...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2007 – Since 6 a.m. Nov. 17, thousands of Americans across the country paused to text a message of gratitude to the nation’s servicemembers for their sacrifices through the “Giving Thanks” text messaging program. “It already feels like a terrific, successful campaign, because from the thousands and thousands of messages that have come in already, we’re seeing that the American people really just want a chance to say ‘Thanks,’” said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communication and public liaison, of the America Supports You initiative. America Supports You is a Defense Department...

BLACKSBURG -- Several thousands people gathered on Virginia Tech’s Drillfield this morning to form a giant message of thanks to the world for its support after the April 16 massacre. Photos of the event are posted on hokiesthanktheworld.org. Dressed in the school colors of maroon and orange, and surrounded by fall foliage of the same hues along the Blue Ridge Mountains, the crowd was arranged to form Tech’s "VT" logo, and under it, "THANKS YOU." At 11:10 a.m., a satellite aimed to capture the image as the thousands waved up at the sky.

So Americans should be thankful they have one of the last functioning nation-states. Europeans, because they've been so inept at exercising it, no longer believe in national sovereignty, whereas it would never occur to Americans not to. This profoundly different attitude to the nation-state underpins, in turn, Euro-American attitudes to transnational institutions such as the United Nations. But on this Thanksgiving the rest of the world ought to give thanks to American national sovereignty, too. When something terrible and destructive happens – a tsunami hits Indonesia, an earthquake devastates Pakistan – the United States can project itself anywhere on the...

Mark Steyn: World should give thanks for America November 17, 2007 Speaking as a misfit unassimilated foreigner, I think of Thanksgiving as the most American of holidays. Christmas is celebrated elsewhere, even if there are significant local variations: In Continental Europe, naughty children get left rods to be flayed with and lumps of coal; in Britain, Christmas lasts from Dec. 22 to mid-January and celebrates the ancient cultural traditions of massive alcohol intake and watching the telly till you pass out in a pool of your own vomit. All part of the rich diversity of our world. But Thanksgiving (excepting...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2007 – Just in time for the holidays, 13 major recording artists have created a musical “Thank You” for the troops. “CD for the Troops” is a compilation of songs from 13 of today’s top music artists. Active-duty servicemembers and veterans with a valid military identification card will be able to download the CD from the Army and Air Force Service Exchange Web site for no cost beginning Nov. 17, 2007.  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “CD for the Troops” will be available for anyone with a valid military identification card to download at no...

On the day the British call Remembrance Day, marking the end of the First World War, Harry Patch, 109, recalled his bloody days in the trenches. But in a message that will also resonate with American citizens and troops, Patch exhorted listeners to honor those serving in today's conflicts, and not wait years before doing so. We were the PBI. That's what we called ourselves. The poor bloody infantry. We didn't know whether we'd be dead or alive the next day, the next hour or the next minute. We weren't heroes. We didn't want to be there. We were scared....

<p>During the course of this country's history brave men and women have stepped forward from time to time, answering the country's call to fight against would-be tyrants, dictators and despots,  and to defend the individual freedom that is our birthright.</p>

Veterans Day will be observed on Monday, November 12. Sadly for many in the population, Monday will be just another day that the banks and post office will be closed. Most offices will be open for business and the main reminder of what day it is will be the local car dealer will be advertising their annual Veterans Day sale. In our busy lives it becomes easy to forget that men and women have served, fought, and died for the freedoms that we enjoy. Veterans Day was originally celebrated as Armistice Day. It commemorated the 11th day, of the 11th...

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea expressed rare gratitude Thursday for U.S. help in ending a high-seas standoff with Somali pirates, a sign of warming ties between the longtime foes fostered by progress on Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament. The U.S. Navy's aid to North Korean sailors last week was unprecedented in the half century of hostility between the Cold War enemies, according to the Naval Historical Center in Washington. The North's Korean Central News Agency hailed the maritime collaboration as a "symbol of cooperation" between the two countries "in the struggle against terrorism." "The pirates' recent armed attack on our trading...

In Honor of... All Veterans!  Veteran's Day is dedicated to honor all men and women, both living and deceased, who have served in the nation's armed forces. It is a legal federal holiday in the United States. Veteran's Day is always celebrated on November 11th, regardless of the day of the week on which it falls. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I, which took place at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. Congress changed the name to Veteran's Day in 1954....

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2007 – President Bush praised contributions made by military support groups and veterans organizations at a morning gathering on the White House’s South Lawn today. “I want to thank the service organizations and those who have come together to support our families and our troops,” said Bush, who was accompanied by first lady Laura Bush and a group of senior administration officials that included Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson, Army Secretary Pete Geren, Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter, and Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright. The Veterans...