Free Republic

The fervent push from Brussels to admit Ukraine into the European Union would see €186 billion transferred to Kyiv from other member states in addition to the billions poured into the country to subsidise the war effort against Russia. According to leaked internal assessments from the secretariat of the EU Council of the cost of admitting nine new countries into the bloc, many states that hitherto were net beneficiaries of wealth transfers would need to begin sending their limited resources abroad and wealthier economies such as France, Germany, and The Netherlands would need to significantly increase their foreign contributions

Five eastern Oregon counties voted Tuesday to consider joining Idaho, the biggest victory to date for the movement to split off from the Democrat-controlled blue state by redrawing state lines. Citizens for Greater Idaho said that the five rural counties — Sherman, Lake, Grant, Baker and Malheur — approved measures directing county commissioners to promote the concept of border relocation, joining two other counties, Union and Jefferson, that did so in November. The Nov. 3 election also saw two other counties defeat the Greater Idaho proposal, but on Tuesday, all five counties with the initiatives on the ballot passed them....

As Operation Protective Edge holds in a temporary ceasefire, evidence has come out revealing the extent of the extremist Sunni group Islamic State's (IS, formerly ISIS) involvement in the terror war against Israel from the Hamas stronghold of Gaza. Terror organizations associated with IS and Al Qaeda have been proven to be joining the fight against Israel in Gaza, firing rockets on Israeli civilian population centers and attacking IDF troops. On Sunday the Abdullah Azzam Brigades declared it had fired a Grad missile towards the Israeli town of Mivtahim located near southern Gaza. The announcement comes after similar ones last...

The most striking thing about the “Save our NHS” protests is how small they are.[Snip]It’s an institution whose staff are now openly described by government officials as “agents of persuasion” (formerly known as “agents of the state”) who should seek to “reshape” people’s lifestyles. It’s an institution whose contempt for Joe Public is perfectly demonstrated in those ubiquitous posters in hospital waiting rooms warning us not to beat up nurses or doctors. It’s an institution that feverishly looks upon everyday human relationships as dirty and degraded, where midwives are encouraged to interrogate pregnant women over whether they are being domestically

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A classified Pentagon assessment shows one in five detainees released from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay has joined or is suspected of joining militant groups like al Qaeda, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. The disclosure comes amid revelations that former detainees were playing a leadership role in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula -- a Yemen-based group believed to be behind a failed plot to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day. Under pressure to increase safeguards, President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday he had suspended the transfer of additional Guantanamo detainees to Yemen,...

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2009 – During this season of graduation celebrations, high school seniors heading off to college normally are held in high regard by their teachers, families and friends. Sometimes overlooked are those seniors choosing to bypass college to serve their country. A man from Camden, N.J., started a crusade in his community to make sure these seniors also were recognized for their “honorable” career choice of joining the U.S. military. “To join the military and serve your country is an awesome feat,” said Ken Hartman, founder of Our Community Salutes, a troop-support group. “To serve your country at...

Lawless region's vote on joining Russia rattles West By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow (Filed: 18/09/2006) Moldova's breakaway region of Trans-dniestr voted yesterday in an internationally unrecognised referendum to decide whether one of Europe's most lawless corners will become part of Russia. Western officials fear the vote could sour relations with Moscow, spread instability in the former Soviet Union and hamper efforts to diminish the access of terrorists to a vast stockpile of unmonitored weapons. The result, due today, is expected to confirm that the territory in eastern Moldova — about twice the size of Luxembourg — will maintain its separatist...

FORT MEADE, August 2, 2006 – The young and not-so-young men and women processing into the military earlier this week at the Military Entrance Processing Station here offer a snapshot of the armed forces of the future. Most are between 18 and 20, and men outnumber women. But beyond those generalizations, no common thread runs through the group. They represent all colors and a broad range of ethnic groups, come from a variety of backgrounds, and express a wide range of motivations for joining the military. Among the youngest processing through the Baltimore MEPS July 31 was 17-year-old Bethany Wade,...

PHOENIX — Arizona National Guardsmen, including soldiers from Sierra Vista and Huachuca City, are being called up for security duty in Iraq, according to a Guard spokesman. President George W. Bush has federalized the 259th Security Force Company for up to 545 days in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Maj. Gen. David P. Rataczak, adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard. An initial element of 25 soldiers, of the 170 being called up, is scheduled to depart this morning, said Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Aguirre. The remainder of the company is scheduled to...

A few years ago, I wrote an article discussing the ways in which libertarians and conservatives have common cause on a number of policy issues -- and how the Blogosphere can work to bring libertarians and conservatives closer together. Along somewhat similar lines, we have seen articles by people like Kenneth Silber who have discussed the fusion between libertarian and conservative ideas, and Stephen Stanton, whose analysis of "South Park Republicans" helps further identify people who are comfortable as libertarian-conservatives -- people like me. My status as a libertarian-conservative is why I took interest in a recent debate concerning whether...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

Turkey's Islamists make joining EU top priority Owen Bowcott in Ankara Monday November 4, 2002 The Guardian Turkey's moderate Islamic party promised to make joining the European Union a priority, as voters went to the polls in an election overshadowed by an economic crisis and accusations of political corruption. In a statement designed to reassure Ankara's nervous establishment, Yasar Yakis, the vice-chairman of the Justice and Development party (AKP), promised to accelerate preparations to meet the criteria for EU membership ahead of a crucial European summit in Copenhagen next month. The AKP - formed last year mainly by deputies from...