Free Republic

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front blamed Tuesday the Philippine government for the current crisis affecting peace negotiations between the GRP and MILF panels. In a statement, MILF Chaiman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim said the government should adhere to the consensus points and a draft proposal on the issue of ancestral domain. He added that such moves could avert the possible disintegration of the peace process and may spark another round of talks.

HELICOPTER gunships blasted Muslim rebel positions in the southern Philippines today after guerillas attacked an army outpost violating a two-year-old ceasefire. Fighting broke out late yesterday when about 100 guerillas of the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) attacked soldiers on the outskirts of Mamasapano town in central Mindanao. They used mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles, spokesmen for the military and MILF said. Fighting continued throughout the night and into today and two MG520 helicopters were called in to attack MILF positions. Extra troops were also deployed to prevent the rebels from overrunning the outpost, military spokesman Colonel...

End Of Road For GOTMILF License Plate"Offensive" vanity tag yanked by Washington officials JULY 21--This is the story of GOTMILF. In May 2002, Michael Syravong filed a "personalized license plate application"with Washington's Department of Licensing. GOTMILF was Syravong's first choice among the three possible personalized tags he listed on the state form (he would have settled for SUPL8EZ or RCKSTAR). Asked for the meaning of GOTMILF, Syravong wrote, "Manual Inline Lift Fluctuator," which he would later claim was some kind of automotive gizmo. The 25-year-old software engineer's license plate choice was, amazingly, approved by bureaucrats who obviously never saw the...