Free Republic

In response to the savage mayhem wrought by Hamas on Israeli citizens, Israel has called up 300,000 reserves and begun punitive operations in Gaza. Their mission is to make good on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s grim statement, “Every Hamas terrorist is a dead man,” and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s pledge “we will wipe them off the face of the Earth.”Leftist activists in the U.S. and Europe, of course, have been trying to undermine the resolve of Israel and its allies. The functionally anti-Semitic UN has declared that Israel’s attempt to save Gazans’ lives by evacuating them is illegal under international...

Snip..... In what could be the biggest State Department scandal since State Department official and United Nations founder Alger Hiss was exposed as a Soviet spy, a top Clinton State Department official and former Time magazine journalist has been identified as having been a trusted contact of the Russian intelligence service. Snip... The sensational charge against Strobe Talbott is made in a new book based on interviews with a Russian defector. Snip... Talbott has been and continues to be a major foreign policy thinker. Back in 2000, when he was named head of the Yale Center for the Study of...

Only weeks after the White House made headlines with a directive urging prosecutors to get tougher on corporate crime, the Obama administration has moved to protect a convicted financial firm from punishment. The bank, Credit Suisse, has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to President Barack Obama’s political campaigns. It also employs the Podesta Group, a lobbying firm with family connections to the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. In 2014, Credit Suisse pleaded guilty to criminal charges for operating “an illegal cross-border banking business that knowingly and willfully aided and assisted thousands of U.S. clients in opening and...

NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Former Credit Suisse First Boston star banker Frank Quattrone surrendered to federal authorities Wednesday morning and will face criminal charges, prosecutors said. James Comey, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, will unveil the charges at a 1 p.m. ET press conference. Quattrone, a former star banker for CSFB, allegedly advised his colleagues in late 2000 to destroy documents while regulators were investigating the ways Wall Street investment banks were doling out shares of lucrative initial public offerings. The former banker is charged in a three-count criminal complaint with obstruction of justice, document destruction...

CBS released information on the Benghazi 9-11 massacre today that could potentially bring down the Obama Administration. Buried in their report (down in paragraph eight) CBS reported, “Throughout the night, sources say Americans on the ground in Libya at times felt helpless and abandoned… But they were told immediate help wasn’t available.” But, counterterrorism sources and internal emails reviewed by CBS News express frustration that key responders were ready to deploy, but were not called upon to help. CBS reported: Throughout the night, sources say Americans on the ground in Libya at times felt helpless and abandoned. “We relied on...

Hamburg First German Ship to Deploy in U.S. Carrier Strike Group By Lt. Timothy Gorman ABOARD FGS HAMBURG (F220) AT SEA (NNS) -- The German Sachsen-class frigate Hamburg (F220) is the first German ship to fully integrate and deploy with an American carrier strike group, and April 3 marks her second week of operating in the North Arabian Sea with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (IKE). The Hamburg will stay a part of the strike group until the group's completion of operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility. Both Rear Adm. Michael Manazir, commander CSG 8, and...

CBS News has learned that during the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi, the Obama Administration did not convene its top interagency counterterrorism resource: the Counterterrorism Security Group, (CSG). "The CSG is the one group that's supposed to know what resources every agency has. They know of multiple options and have the ability to coordinate counterterrorism assets across all the agencies," a high-ranking government official told CBS News. "They were not allowed to do their job. They were not called upon."

Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) will relieve the Dwight D. Eisenhower CSG as Commander, Task Force 50 July 2, beginning a routine deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR). Under Task Force 50, Truman CSG will conduct close air support missions in support of coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan while conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the AOR. Eisenhower CSG has operated in the 5th Fleet AOR since Jan. 25 with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 aircraft flying 2,970 combat sorties and 17,730 cumulative flight hours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)....

As we first reported last week, in an article that was met with much original skepticism, the Pentagon has now confirmed that a fleet of 12 warships has passed the Suez Canal, and is now likely awaiting orders to support the escalation in the Persian Gulf. The attached image from Stratfor shows the latest positioning of US aircraft carrier groups as of June 23: the USS Harry Truman (CVN-75) is now right next to USS Eisenhower (CVN 69), both of which areAs for the catalyst the two carriers may be anticipating, we provide the following update from the Gulf Daily...

Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) entered the 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) June 18 after completing a successful transit through the Suez Canal. Truman CSG is relieving Dwight D. Eisenhower CSG as part of a routine rotation of forces during a scheduled deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Maritime Security Operations (MSO) and theater security cooperation (TSC) efforts in the region. "I am very proud of the men and women of the Truman Carrier Strike Group as we join the 5th Fleet," said Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, commander, Carrier Strike Group 10. "We have trained hard...

ABOARD USS RONALD REAGAN (NNS) -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 concluded military operations as part of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 7 in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO) May 29. The nearly 6,000 Sailors assigned to the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group supported operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, as well as conducted maritime security operations (MSO) in the region. MSO set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. MSO deny international...

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The Navy is deploying USS George Washington (CVN 73) Carrier Strike Group (GW CSG), April 4, to participate in the “Partnership of the Americas” in the Caribbean Sea. Partnership of the Americas will enhance regional maritime security and strengthen ties through operations and exercises with Caribbean and Latin American partner nations. “Partnership of the Americas is designed to foster goodwill among partner nations through communications, operations, and training,” said Vice Adm. Mark Fitzgerald, commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet. “Furthermore, this exercise allows for participating units to sharpen their skills to be better trained and prepared to respond...

Story Number: NNS040311-10 Release Date: 3/12/2004 10:02:00 AM From Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet Public Affairs NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) will make a four-day port visit to Pensacola, Fla., starting March 17. The ship will be open to the public for general visiting. “Pensacola is a great Navy city that, over the years, has been central to naval training. We are extremely pleased to be able to have the JFK visit Pensacola,” said Vice Adm. Gary Roughead, Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic. The arrival of John F. Kennedy, commanded by...

Story Number: NNS040305-01 Release Date: 3/5/2004 9:40:00 AM From Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet Public Affairs NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Ships and aircraft of the USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) are in the midst of their Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX). The exercise, which began Feb. 21, is scheduled to run through mid-March, and will use the Virginia Capes and Jacksonville, Fla., operating areas and training ranges along the East Coast and Gulf Coast of Florida. Additionally, the exercise will involve complex strike group training events, naval surface fire support training and air-to-ground events. COMPTUEX is...

(Atlanta, Tuesday, February 25) -- The SB1 substitute Stealth Triggerlock bill has picked up steam and could come before the full Senate Judiciary Committee for a crucial vote on Wed. Feb. 26 at 2:30 pm. Over the weekend, gun owners across Georgia did an outstanding job in turning up the heat on Senate boss Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) for cutting a deal to advance the so-called SB1 "Child Endangerment" bill being pushed by Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor (D-Atlanta). If you assisted with this, give yourself a pat on the back for helping flush him out. CSG members reported several conflicting...

Atlanta, Monday, February 10) -- If you are one of the many gun owners who flooded the Georgia House Judiciary Committee members with phone calls today, you are a hero, a least for one day.Heavy pressure from Georgia gun owners forced an unprecedented delay in consideration of the HB197 Stealth Triggerlock Bill earlier today.A so-called "victory cruise" for anti-gunners controlling the House Judiciary Committee bogged down as Representatives faced off over the Massey Self-Defense Amendment to exempt gun owners who want to keep their guns unlocked so they are ready for self-defense.A veteran lobbyist with more than 22 years of...

By now, most Americans understand that President Bush did not receive a "warning" of an impending attack by al-Qaida when he was briefed by the Central Intelligence Agency in August. Though some partisans continue to "ask questions" about what the president knew, it's clear that the intelligence community just didn't have specific information about an attack - only vague, general bits of information suggesting that Osama bin Laden wanted to hurt Americans some time, some place, somehow. Our intelligence agencies collect an enormous amount of information, most of it too general to be of much use. Much of it is...