Free Republic

After 16 months of unimaginable discord, Wisconsin feels more divided than ever. But the underlying fault lines are not new. Gov. Scott Walker’s job performance is splitting the state along familiar political and demographic lines. Walker’s job rating is positive among men, married people, frequent church-goers, higher-income-earners, whites, non-union households and people without a college degree. Walker’s job rating is negative among women, people who aren’t married, people who don’t go to religious services, non-whites, lower-income-earners, union households, and people with a bachelors degree or higher. These patterns transcend the Wisconsin recall wars; they are basic features of today’s red-blue...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2006 – Iraqi army and coalition forces detained two suspected insurgents and captured a sizable cache Sept. 29 in a combined operation in Khan Bani Saad, Iraq, south of Baqubah, military officials reported. Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, and 1-68 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, made the find as part of ongoing operations in the town and surrounding villages. The cache consisted of a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher, four RPG rounds, one sniper rifle, three hand grenades, seven AK-47 assault rifles, several rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and...

Meth still No. 1 drug problem, study findsBy SAM HANANEL, Associated Press Writer 28 minutes ago A pouch containing crystalized methamphetamine and a homemade pipe are shown March 21, 2006 in Window Rock, Ariz. A survey says Meth abuse continues to fuel an increase in crimes like robbery and assault. (AP Photo/Matt York, FILE) WASHINGTON - Meth abuse continues to fuel an increase in crimes like robbery and assault, straining the workload of local police forces despite a drop in the number of meth lab seizures, according to a survey Tuesday. Nearly half of county law enforcement officials consider methamphetamine...

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2006 – Coalition forces in Afghanistan had a long string of successes against terrorists during the last two days, military officials reported. They killed four suspected terrorists today, attacked the safe house of a known Taliban commander last night, thwarted a terrorist attack from a hospital yesterday, and confiscated a large weapons cache yesterday. Coalition forces killed four suspected al Qaeda terrorists, detained three suspected al Qaeda terrorists and destroyed a weapons cache during an early morning raid today in Kwost province near the village of Pelan Kheyl. The operation was to capture or kill an al...

Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, and Iraqi troops with 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division conducted a dismounted patrol on the streets of Islah Zerla, recently. Their focus was to develop relations with Iraqis citizens, said Sgt. 1st Class David Dodson, platoon sergeant, 172nd Stryker Brigade. With the Iraqis patrolling along side them, it lets the people know their government and military care, and are taking steps toward freeing Iraq, he said. Since September, the Stryker Brigade has patrolled, searches in Islah Zerla, said Sgt. Justin Shaffer, a 172nd team leader. Their presence in the area gives them...

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, April 14, 2006) – In the Tigris River valley, Iraqi Army and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered four weapons caches during a combined operation April 13. Soldiers from the 6th Iraqi Army Division and U.S. 22nd Infantry Regiment conducted a two-phase search in southern Baghdad April 10. During the first phase of the operation, Iraqi Soldiers found pre-made roadside-bombs encased in concrete. In the second phase, the Iraqi and MND-B Soldiers air assaulted into the area and found additional caches. The caches from both phases contained rocket propelled grenade rounds, machine guns, mortar rounds, landmines,...

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, March 24, 2006) – Iraqi army and Coalition Forces kicked off Operation Northern Lights March 22 to disrupt anti-Iraqi forces, and find and destroy terrorist caches in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad. The joint and combined operation began with 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, moving to blocking positions by ground before Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, air assaulted onto the objective to conduct a cordon and search. By late afternoon, Soldiers from the 3rd Bde., 6th Iraqi Army...

TAJI, Iraq – During the recent, and highly publicized, sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shiite factions, a group of Iraqi and American Soldiers pushed aside the apprehension Feb. 23 to conduct a community health outreach program north of Baghdad. Soldiers from 1st Mechanized Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, along with Soldiers from elements of 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment and 4th Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted a combined operation to provide much needed medical care to a local Iraqi Sunni community, relieving tensions in the area while simultaneously fostering hope in a unified Iraq. Approximately...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2005 – A combined security patrol of Afghan National Army and coalition soldiers located and attacked enemy forces Nov. 20 northwest of Deh Rawood, military officials reported. The combined patrol called in close-air support, which engaged enemy positions. Initial battle damage assessment is being conducted to define enemy losses, officials said. No coalition or Afghan forces were killed or injured during the engagement. "The enemy cannot withstand or defeat Afghan and U.S. firepower," said Brig. Gen. James G. Champion, Combined Joint Task Force 76 deputy commanding general for operations. "These combined coalition patrols continue to build the...

10/24/2005 - DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz -- The Air Force broke ground on a new combined air operations center here. There was the sound of sledgehammers swinging when workers started the conversion of an old ground-launched cruise-missile facility into the new Falconer CAOC facility Oct. 17. The new operations center -- scheduled to open in July 2006 -- will be the only “continuously operational” facility in the United States and one of only five Falconer CAOC weapon systems used to support combatant commanders worldwide. The CAOC -- an $11.35 million construction project -- is part of an Air Force...

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti, Aug. 18, 2005 – Call it the prototype for a new method of warfare. The Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, headquartered here, is fighting the global war on terror with good deeds, not weapons. Task force commander Marine Maj. Gen. Timothy Ghormley very proudly tells one and all that no one in his command has "fired a shot in anger," but the command may have prevented hundreds of young men and women in the region from embracing the terrorist philosophy. "My combat forces are doctors, veterinarians, engineers and dentists," Ghormley said during an interview at...