Free Republic

ALITO delivered the opinion of the Court. Abortion presents a profound moral issue on which Amer- icans hold sharply conflicting views. Some believe fervently that a human person comes into being at conception and that abortion ends an innocent life. Others feel just as strongly that any regulation of abortion invades a woman’s right to control her own body and prevents women from achieving full equality. Still others in a third group think that abortion should be allowed under some but not all cir- cumstances, and those within this group hold a variety of views about the particular restrictions that...

Joe Biden’s former Department of Energy employee Sam Brinton this week pleaded no contest to misdemeanor theft for stealing luggage from a Las Vegas airport. Sam Brinton was originally charged with a felony but his charge was reduced to a misdemeanor and he will avoid jail time under a plea deal with prosecutors. Brinton received a ‘suspended jail sentence’ of 180 days and ordered to pay $3,670 to the victim. Fox 5 reported: Two Best-Loved MyPillow Products Get Major Updates A former Department of Energy official pleaded no contest Tuesday to stealing luggage from Harry Reid International Airport last July,...

The “Ghost of Kyiv” is a myth, Ukrainian officials admitted over the weekend. After several news outlets last week identified the legendary, mysterious, hero fighter pilot as a 29-year-old dad recently killed in battle with the Russians, military officials acknowledged Saturday that there was no such person. “The ghost of Kyiv is a superhero-legend, whose character was created by Ukrainians!” Ukraine’s Air Force Command wrote on Facebook. The reputed hero had been credited with taking out as many as 40 Russian aircraft until he was shot down March 13 while battling an “overwhelming” number of enemy forces, the Times of...

‘We will not allow anarchy to reign on our campuses’ The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will re-install a toppled monument to a Confederate soldier on its campus, a decision the university announced several days after a shrieking mob tore it down from its pedestal and vandalized it. The decision was announced by Thom Goolsby, a member of the university’s Board of Governors, who said that the monument will be reinstated as required by state law, according to the news website Wavy.com. “Criminals who destroyed state property at UNC and police who did nothing will be held accountable,”...

Chapel Hill, N.C. — At least seven people were arrested after a group of protesters gathered Saturday on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to demonstrate just days after the controversial Silent Sam statue was toppled. A small group began gathering on campus at about 10 a.m., and protesters chanted "no platform for white supremacists" after a man showed up in clothing reminiscent of a Confederate soldier. That man, Casey Becknell, came to the protest from Davidison County to show support for the Silent Sam statue that was torn down when about 300 people gathered...

CHAPEL HILL — Officials at UNC-Chapel Hill won’t say where they put Silent Sam, the statue of a Confederate soldier that protesters tore off its prominent pedestal at the state’s flagship university Monday night. The 105-year-old cast bronze figure crashed to the ground face first around 9:15 p.m., pulled down by a group of demonstrators with the help of a rope. Silent Sam was last seen in public about three hours later. After a couple of false starts, a backhoe loader lifted the statue from the mud and guided it into a flatbed dump truck. Workers loaded the long bamboo...

The Barak-8 missile is launched during a test. (photo credit: IAI) Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will provide advanced defense systems to Israel Navy’s new Sa’ar-6 corvettes to protect strategic maritime assets, the defense giant announced on Tuesday. The contract was led by the navy, the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) and the procurement administration in Israel’s Defense Ministry. The Barak-8 system was chosen after it was demonstrated to meet the operational requirements and future challenges faced by Israel’s navy. The systems will be used to protect Israel’s exclusive economic zone and strategic facilities that are faced with diversified...

Moscow offered two explanations on Monday as to why its Russian-made Pantsir S-1 missile defense system embarrassingly took a direct hit during an Israeli airstrike last week. "One is that it had already used up its ammunition reserve," Aytech Bizhev, the former deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force, said, according to RT. "The other is that it was simply turned off; it wasn't battle ready." Israeli fighter jets struck dozens of Iranian military sites in Syria last Thursday, killing at least 23 people, including 5 Syrian soldiers.

The Twitter account representing the Israeli Defense Forces, @IDFSpokesperson, posted a stunning video of an Israeli missile descending towards an SA22 Greyhound short range air defense system. According to Military Today, the SA22 is capable of shooting down cruise missiles and guided bombs. This one wasn't.

The NATO Sea Sparrow Consortium is decades old and still going very strong. The highly maneuverable RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) has been protecting allied surface combatants and their escorts for nearly 15 years now around the globe and is seen as a huge success. Before that, the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, itself an adaptation of the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile, had served since the mid 1970s, protecting everything from American supercarriers to allied frigates from airborne threats and short to medium-ranges. Now the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block II is on the way, with its first test firings having...

The CAMM missile is seen on its first flight from HMS Argyll. The missile’s clean aerodynamic design provides it with improved performance in the air, while also making it highly compact for installation onboard ship. Photo: MBDA The Sea Ceptor weapon system recently completed its first successfully firings from HMS Argyll. The frigate is one of three Royal Navy Type 23 frigates being modified with the Sea Ceptor system, replacing the older Sea Wolf. The test is a major milestone for the life-extension program of Type 23 frigates. HMS Argyll is the first Type 23 to undergo the life-extension program....

During the joint French-Egyptian naval exercises "Cleopatra 2017" held from 8 to 11 July 2017, a video released by the Egyptian MoD shows the Anwar El-Sadat (Mistral-class) LHD with four US-made AN/TWQ-1 Avenger on the flight deck acting as point short-range air defence systems. Cleopatra 2017 Mistral LHD AN TWQ 1 AvengerBoeing AN/TWQ-1 Avenger (fitted with Raytheon FIM-92 Stinger missiles) on the flight deck of the Mistral-class LHD Anwar El-Sadat (L 1020) during the joint French-Egyptian naval exercise "Cleopatra 2017". Picture: Ministry of Defense of Egypt The Avenger AN/TWQ-1 Air Defense System vehicle is a missile mounted system which provides...

A Barak-8 launcher on display at the Paris Air Show in June 2015 (Photo: AIN). Inset: a trial firing of an LRSAM in September last year. (Photo: IAI) Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) signed a “mega-contract” worth $1.6 billion with India for medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) systems. The deal is the largest-ever export deal secured by the Israeli defense industry, according to the company. After a joint development with IAI’s own Elta division plus Rafael and the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) that started in 2009, IAI will supply phased-array radars, command and control, mobile launchers and missiles with...

State-owned Russian-language news channel "Russia 24" published an interesting video showing at-sea test of a Russian Army Tor-M2KM air defense missile system from the Project 11356 frigate Admiral Grigorovich. The 9K331MKM module can be seen fitted on the helicopter pad of the frigate. Video: Russian Navy Tests Tor-M2KM air defense missile system from Admiral Grigorovich FrigateLaunch of a 9M331M surface to air missile from the self-contained combat module 9K331MKM short-range missile system Tor-M2KM, placed on the helicopter deck of the head frigate Admiral Grigorovich of Project 11356. Screenshot from "Russia 24" video (via bmpd.livejournal.com). The tests were conducted in the...

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – South Africa is seeking to sell surface-to-air missile system to the Islamic Republic of Iran, a report said. According to the report carried by mybroadband website on Saturday, South Africa has applied to the United Nations Security Council to sell missiles worth R1.5 billion ($118 million) to Iran. The report added that this will be the biggest deal yet for Denel’s Umkhonto surface-to-air missile system. The Umkhonto vertical launch surface-to-air missile was developed for the South African’s Navy’s Meko A200 class frigates, and has been in service since 2001. The missile is high-velocity and infrared homing, providing...

Ipana Troubadours "When The Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin' Along" on Columbia 662-D May 25, 1926 Conducted by Sam Lanin

The U.S. Defense Department announced on Dec. 9, 2016 that the U.S. Army had awarded an Alabama-based company $23 million to build components for the Taiwanese militaryÂ’s Chaparral air-defense missile systems. The contract award was routine. What was news to many observers is that Taiwan still operates Chaparrals. The 1960s-vintage missiles probably wonÂ’t make a dent in Chinese forces in the event China invades the island country. The U.S. Army launched development of the MIM-72 Chaparral air-defense system in 1965 after a more ambitious surface-to-air missile launcher, the MIM-46 Mauler, proved to be impractical. The Chaparral was an expedient. It...

The Japanese Ministry of Defense allocated funds to develop a surface launched variant of the Mitsubishi AAM-4 (Type 99 air-to-air missile) effectively resurecting the canceled XRIM-4 project. Image: Japan MoD The Mitsubishi AAM-4 is a medium-range active radar homing air-to-air missile operational since 1999. The new funding is for the development of a boosted, surface launched variant for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The missile could have two variant: A long range one (with booster) to replace SM-2 and a short range one (no booster) to replace ESSM. Story via JSF

(Full title): Trump co-chairman tells GOP to get behind their nominee or 'shut the hell up' as Trump warns Republican dissenters to 'be quiet' or he'll 'do it alone' The co-chairman of Donald Trump's campaign has a message for the Republican Party's elites: Jump aboard the Trump train or 'shut the hell up.' Sam Clovis told CNN's audience Thursday morning on the 'New Day' program that Trumpworld is getting tired of hearing GOP leaders bad-mouth the man who crushed a field of traditional candidates in their primary season. 'What we're saying is, the Republican party, the leadership of the Republican...

Within hours of the crash of TWA Flight 800 off the Long Island coast on July 17, 1996, the FBI seized control of the investigation from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Although illegal, this was done in full view of an indifferent media. What the media did not see was the CIA’s illegal seizure of the investigation from both the NTSB and FBI. We know about this quiet coup now thanks to a treasure trove of CIA documents recently unearthed through the Freedom of Information Act separately by attorney John Clarke and physicist Tom Stalcup. In a July 30,...