Free Republic

The Obama administration has the power to sanction key Russian arms sales to Iran, but has so far abstained from exercising this right under U.S. law, prompting some in Congress to question whether the administration is “acquiescing” to the arms sales in order to appease Iran, according to conversations with sources and recent congressional correspondence to the White House exclusively obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. President Barack Obama has the authority under U.S. law to designate as illegal Russia’s contested sale to Iran of the S-300 missile system, an advanced long-range weapon that would boost the Islamic Republic’s regional...

In a move that is raising concerns among some Vietnam War veterans, President Obama will discuss selling more U.S. arms to Hanoi during his visit to Vietnam that began Sunday night. Top White House advisers said Mr. Obama hasn’t made a decision whether to lift the partial U.S. embargo on sending military equipment to Vietnam, where more than 58,200 U.S. soldiers were killed before the fall of Saigon in 1975. But the administration sees advantages in easing the embargo, both as a warning to expansionist China and as leverage to compel the communist regime in Hanoi to improve its record...

The ethical questions surrounding foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation have entered a new arena: arms sales. According to the International Business Times, governments with appalling human rights records who donated to the Clinton Foundation received billions in arms deals approved by the Clinton State Department that far surpassed anything doled out by the Bush administration. A review of the 2009-2012 fiscal records by the IBT discovered the transactions:

Police in Bosnia have arrested five people suspected of trafficking arms to Islamists in Sweden and seized large amounts of weapons and military equipment, officials said on Friday, after a sixth person was held earlier in Sweden. The arrests were made on Thursday during raids on seven locations in northwestern Bosnia by a police counter-terrorism unit in Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic, said Mirna Miljanovic, head spokeswoman at the region's interior ministry. Miljanovic said the action was in cooperation with Swedish police as part of an international operation codenamed "Wolf RS". All five arrested on Thursday were Bosnian Serbs, and the...

A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has revealed that most of the world’s nations hiked their military budgets last year, marking the first increase in spending since the 2008 crisis. It seems that the only ones not taking part in this military spending hike are some of the world’s biggest oil producers. While the United States is still the country with the largest military budget at $596 billion spent in 2015, this figure was actually a decline on the previous year. Saudi Arabia, according to Bloomberg, would also have cut its military budget if not for the...

Under the terms of the Iranian nuclear sellout, the United Nations Security Council must approve the sale of certain conventional weapons to Iran. Since the United States has a veto in the Security Council, this means that the United States can veto such sales. It was recently announced that Iran intends to purchase the latest Sukhoi-30 warplanes from Russia. Those warplanes would need to be approved by the Security Council under the terms of the nuclear sellout. But under questioning before the House Foreign Affairs Committee by Representative Brad Sherman (D-Ca) on Thursday, Secretary of State Kerry refused to...

China has deployed the powerful HQ-9 air and missile defense system to Woody Island — also known as Yongxing — in the Parcel archipelago, marking a new level of escalation in Beijing’s quest to control the South China Sea. The disputed island — which has been inhabited by about 1,000 Chinese citizens since 1956 — is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. The addition of the HQ-9 — which was first reported by Fox News on Feb. 17 — would greatly increase the People’s Liberation Army’s air defense capabilities in the region. Like the Russian-made Almaz Antey S-300 air defense...

The ultimate goal of the antigun movement is this: the universal elimination of civilian firearms’ ownership and possession. This is true and incontrovertible. Everything the antigun movement does is directed to the attainment of that goal. Nothing the antigun movement does diverges from the path to that goal. When asked to admit the truth of the assertion, the antigun movement, and its sounding board, the mainstream corporate media, will deny it, curtly and vehemently. But, the antigun movement’s actions belie its blunt denial. Realization of the movement’s goal amounts to de facto repeal of the fundamental right of the people...

After two mass shootings in two weeks, the response from government officials has mainly been that we need to strip law-abiding citizens of their ability to defend themselves. Not so Sheriff Wayne Ivey of Brevard County, Florida, who says, “It’s time for America to get back to being America.” Ivey tells those licensed to carry firearms that they have a duty to protect themselves and others. “You and you alone may very well be the first line of defense for you, your family, and others around you in a terrorist or active-shooter-based scenario.” He has a few things to...

Civil disobedience with guns. (Please read entire post before commenting.) Preppers unite! Stand alone preppers will be easily neutralized by fascist or violent forces. For example, look at this prep list from CheaperThanDirt.com. Can you see what's missing?A: Strength in numbers. This strategy of remaining underground in your own country will be fatal. If you wait until they come before you organize, you're dead. The success of the Bundy Ranch standoff (the Federal Government backing off without one shot fired) is proof of concept - the power of a community armed and unwavering will succeed against overreaching powers. United We...

Shotguns have 'virtually sold out' in Austria as citizens rush to buy arms amid fears of a massive influx of migrants, dealers claim Weapon sales are soaring in Austria as citizens of the small Alpine nation become paranoid over the numbers of refugees crowding into their country. In a country of 8.5 million people, there are now an estimated 900,000 firearms in homes. And gun dealers report that it is women driving the sales rush. This year alone, police say 70,000 guns have been sold. 'Virtually all shotguns are currently sold out, because you need no permit for them', said...

On September 24, Pope Francis scolded Congress for guns and weapons which are manufactured in America and sold around the world.He said he was determined “to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world,” as he addressed the billion-dollar sales from American companies that he sees as a contributing factor to conflicts abroad. According to The Intercept, Pope Francis said: Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply...

Link only due to copyright issues: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-09-18/carly-fiorina-stands-on-sarah-palin-s-shoulders

Rut Roh – A “Refugee Relief Supply” cargo container arrives In Greece devoid of “Refugee Relief Supplies”… Watch the video to see what the “aid for Syrian refugees” was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn-UCR5p0y0#t=10

During the Hundred Years' War, England had a centralized, state-controlled organization for manufacturing arrows in bulk. These were then issued as required to the soldiers on campaign. In June 1413, for example, Henry V appointed Nicholas Mynot to be “keeper of the king's arrows,” based in the Tower of London. Mynot was responsible for making arrows, but the royal fletchers alone could not supply the total need, so additional orders were placed with outside suppliers. In August 1413, for example, London-based fletcher Stephen Seler was paid for 12,000 arrows. We have some total figures available. In 1418, Henry V's government...

Gov. Scott Walker has issued an executive order allowing Wisconsin National Guard members to carry weapons while they are on duty. The move comes less than a week after a gunman in Chattanooga, Tennessee, opened fire on a military recruiting center, then drove to a Navy operations support center and launched a second attack, killing four Marines and a sailor. "Safety must be our top priority, especially in light of the horrific attack in Chattanooga," Walker said in a written statement. "Allowing our National Guard members to carry weapons while on duty gives them the tools they need to serve...

Does President Obama even want to defeat ISIS?  If so, why is the United States blocking shipments of heavy armaments to the Kurds?  They should be our best friends in the Muslim world and have demonstrated their capacity as excellent fighters with boots on the ground in fighting ISIS.  Which, not so incidentally, wants to kill their men and make sex slaves of their women. Con Coughlin of the U.K. Telegraph reports: The United States has blocked attempts by its Middle East allies to fly heavy weapons directly to the Kurds fighting Islamic State jihadists in Iraq, The Telegraph...

Over the weekend, Pope Francis made a statement that should be of deep interest to the many thousands of faithful Catholics who work in the American defense industry or to the countless more who’ve invested in American arms companies. Speaking Sunday, the pope said, “If you trust only men, you have lost.” He continued, “It makes me think of . . . people, managers, businessmen who call themselves Christian and they manufacture weapons. That leads to a bit of a distrust doesn’t it?” Interestingly, in that same speech the pope wondered aloud why the Allies didn’t do more to stop...

War, what's it good for? Aside from countless deaths of innocent civilians of course, it means a GDP boost for the biggest exporter of weapons on earth, the United States, and even more profits for the US military-industrial complex. Profits which mean the shareholders of America's arms manufacturers get even richer. Which is why following months of middle-eastern sabre ratling and numerous quasi-wars already raging in the region, moments ago the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 10 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to Saudi Arabia for $1.9 billion, the first step in "a major multibillion-dollar modernization of the Saudi...

Destroyed warehouses allegedly stockpiled weapons purchased by Iran for Hamas An Israeli air force jet allegedly bombed warehouses in Libya placed in a small airfield in the south of the country, according to Arab media citing unnamed Libyan security sources. According to the reports, the warehouses, which were completely destroyed, stockpiled weaponry purchased by Iran from Africa and were intended to be smuggled to Hamas in Gaza.