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FALLUJAH, Iraq, Oct. 9, 2008 – Four years ago in the poverty-stricken neighborhoods here, Marines were attacked within minutes of beginning routine foot patrols. Fallujah’s citizens were strongly opposed to the presence of coalition forces, and a vicious insurgency devastated the city. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin Swain, left, a corpsman with 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, and Marine Corps Maj. Jeffrey McCormack, operations officer for 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, stand at the site in Fallujah, Iraq, where Benjamin's brother, James, was killed in 2004. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Casey Jones...

An unhappy interlude is coming Yesterday's debate convinced me of one underlying fact: Barack Obama is likely to become our nation's 44th president, and if one looks at this through the prism of the long-term, that reality isn't such a bad occurrence for the nation or for the conservative movement for that matter. The last eight years has destroyed the conservative brand, saying nothing about what it has done to the Republican Party. While George W. Bush has espoused conservative principles, on many issues his actions looked more left-of-center in nature. On immigration, domestic spending and the like, the GOP...

I've written this to several bloggers, hoping they'll read it and pass it on to SOMEONE in the McCain camp.Harry Truman was unpopular, but ran against an even-more-unpopular Congress. He said he'd go back to Washington and knock heads together. The crowd would yell "Give 'em Hell, Harry!". His reply: "I'm just going to tell the truth...and they'll think it's Hell!". With Congress at 10% approval, McCain should emulate Truman. On McCain's proposed spending freeze, Obama says: "John wants to use a hatchet, but what we need is a scalpel". McCain should respond (passionately): "Scalpel? Hatchet?! No...we'll need an AXE!...

This reader out-Andies Andy: Well I have gone outside and pulled up my Mcain/Palin sign. This election is over. I will vote for Mcain but I know that come Nov. 5 Obama will be our president-elect. I feel sorry for Sarah Palin. A once promising career will be permanently connected to the landside loss of John McCain. I weep for my children and their families. Steady on. This next month is going to be a long month. Lots of things will happen. But McCain has to make some of them happen. His charge that Obama doesn't know the difference between...

Copyright issues prevent me from posting an announcement in www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/ that the 1st BCT of the 3rd Infantry Division that served in Iraq have started training in the U.S. as a permanent force to quell civil unrest in the wake of natural or man-made disasters. This appears to be a violation of Posse Comitatus and the Insurrection Law. The Feds plan to use American troops against their own people in a contingency. Hello, Soviet Union and People's Repubic of China!

Oil hit $86.05 earlier this morning.It's popped back uiup a it since then. But folks, the reason I bring it up, is that the lowest it's been in a *full* year. >8oD

"I have emailed everyone at Fox repeatedly, with no results, and called and got close to speaking to O'Reilly today on his show before one of his men, basically told me that O'Reilly is aware of the suit, but thought this whole thing was "internet garbage." I was told to call back on Friday in the second part of the show to try to get my comment in to O'Reilly, but if he thinks it is garbage to begin with, what chance would I have on-air. He is missing the biggest story of the year, or decade for that matter....

Evan Buffington knew what he had found as soon as he spotted it in the sand. The bottle was imbedded in a small island no more than 48 square miles called Middle Caicos, part of the British West Indies. Buffington found it while vacationing with his family in late August, on a hike with the men of the family. Buffington, a resident of Makanda, Ill., dug out the bottle and brushed off the sand. It was a clear glass Tab cola bottle, with a cork inside and an aluminum screw top to keep it sealed. Some moisture had seeped in,...

25 Years Later: We Came in Peace By Colonel Timothy J. Geraghty, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired) In a Proceedings exclusive, the commanding officer of the Marine unit devastated by the suicide bombing of its barracks in Beirut recounts the horror of that October day 25 years ago and calls it a seminal event in the war against Islamist extremists. On Sunday morning, 23 October 1983, I awoke as usual at dawn, dressed, and went below to the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit's Combat Operations Center to check the overnight communications traffic. I roamed outside my headquarters at Beirut International Airport to...

Hi all! I'm looking for a specific picture to print and display as I teach a homeschool class on Veterans' Day. We're doing the class in October in preparation for building a VDay float in November. The pic I want is of an elderly veteran (probably WWII) hugging an injured Marine (in dress uniform) - the Marine has lost an arm and has a hook/prosthetic device. It is a wonderfully illustrative pic for those who have sacrificed - young and old. If anyone could find this pic for me, Freepers can. And yes,I have googled but am exhausted and was...

Rep. Brad Sherman says Congress threatened with Martial Law if bill is not passed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaG9d_4zij8

We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings to be fruitful. — C.S. Lewis At long last, the chickens have come home to roost. And what a mess they're making. From Wall Street to Main Street you can hear wailing and gnashing of teeth as investors—big and small—review the balances in their stock portfolios and 401(k) plans. Corporations are failing, the government is bailing, and white-knuckled investors are holding their breath wondering when and where the market...

It is further ordered that the following Discover is turned over to plaintiffs within three (3) days: 1. Obama's vault version (certified copy of his "original" version) Birth Certificate and 2. A certified copy of Obama's Certification of Citizenship 3. A certified copy of Obama's Oath of Allegiance.

LAS VEGAS (AP) - O.J. Simpson, who went from American sports idol to celebrity-in-exile after he was acquitted of murder in 1995, was found guilty Friday of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room. Simpson, 61, could spend the rest of his life in prison. Sentenced was set for Dec. 5. A weary and somber Simpson released a heavy sigh as the charges were read by the clerk in Clark County District Court. He was immediately taken into custody. The Hall of Fame football star was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and 10 other charges...

Jury finds O.J. Simpson guilty on all charges in armed robbery and kidnapping trial in Las Vegas; former football star could spend the rest of his life in prison.

ST. LOUIS –- Fox News’ Carl Cameron conducted the first post-debate interview with Sarah Palin this morning. The extensive interview went over last night’s Vice-Presidential face off, her debate prep, campaign strategy, media access and the hits she has been getting for not having more access to the media, and of course the much talked about and criticized interview she did with CBS’s Katie Couric. Palin told Carl that she was “annoyed” at some of the interviews she has done, “Ok I’ll tell you honestly the Sarah Palin in those interviews is a little bit annoyed because it’s man no...

Here come another of those "Guilt by Associations" that Senator Barack Obama will try to weasel himself out of. As you may know, Philip Berg is suing Senator Obama in Civil Court. Berg wants Obama to Produce his real birth certificate to prove that he meets the citizenship requirements to be President. Rather than just product the birth certificate (is he trying to hide something?) Obama's legal team filed a motion to dismiss. One of the Lawyers filing the motion was Joe Sandler (sandler@sandlerreiff.com) of the Washington law firm Sandler, Reiff, and Young (see the document below). If Mr. Sandler's...

For one afternoon this week, it was possible to obtain a reliable estimate for how many people were watching the Fox Business Network, at least at home. That figure was 81,000, and it represented the average number of people watching for any given hour from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday, according to Nielsen Media Research. The figure is a milestone for the nearly year-old channel, which had never drawn an audience large enough to be considered statistically reliable by Nielsen for an extended time period.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian firebrand who made his mark in the Republican presidential primaries thanks to grassroots support and strong online fund-raising, has endorsed Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin for president. As Paul makes clear with a statement on his website, his decision is also a pointed non-endorsement of the Libertarian Party’s candidate Bob Barr, who was expected to benefit from enthusiasm for Paul’s message but has riled the Texas congressman in recent weeks. When Paul endorsed several third party candidates this month, Barr dropped out of the event at the last minute, holding his own press conference...

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born October 1, 1924) was the thirty-ninth President of the United States from 1977 to 1981, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Prior to becoming president, Carter served two terms in the Georgia Senate, and was the 76th Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. During Carter's presidency the United States was beset by stagflation, suffered massive fuel shortages, and struggled through several major crises including the invasion of the American Embassy in Tehran, the subsequent holding of embassy personnel as hostages by Islamic Radicals, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. His...

We should rejoice in the fact that our Congressional representation actually listened to us and not the corrupt party leadership as they defeated the bailout. We might have cut our own throats, but at least for once they listened.

G*d Bless America!!!! I had my doubts. I really did. I forgot that this is still America and there are still enough Americans who know what that word means! We should all now support a pro-growth alternative that reaffirms fundamental American political and economic principles and reinforces our economy's inherent strengths and advantages. Get free-market economists together to advise on a solution that softens the necessary adjustment, prevents us from ever going down this road ever again -- a solution that strengthens American political and economic principles instead of compromising them. A Rescue Plan that solves the problem without socialism,...

OK folks, the first curtain goes up globally.9:00 a.m. local here Monday. 8:00 p.m. Sunday Eastern.Your mileage may vary.

I sure hope so.

The Founding Fathers said we have given you a Republic if you can hold on to it. In the midst of the financial ruin, the corruption of our leaders, the endemic voter fraud and the worldwide destruction of the faith in America, we are done. The open abuse of the press has violated the very foundation of Freedom of the Press and is nothing more than a propaganda machine geared towards abject socialism for this country. President Reagan's policy destroyed the Soviet Union by crippling their economy and bringing them to their knees, is it unrealistic, to see this is...

I know there must be a lotta beer homebrewers out there looking for those hard-to-find hop rhizomes such as Amarillo, Simcoe, Columbus, Warrior, Tomahawk, etc., etc. Let me know if anyone finds 'em, please! Dick Gaines GunnyGATgmail.com

This is the message I got when I posted it. Your message is not complete: 1. The following objectionable words were found in your message: Bracelet

LONG ODDS ON SI'S 'FORECLOSURE ST.' The success of the government's $700B plan to buy toxic mortgages depends on a gamble - that foreclosed homes will sell for enough money to pay back taxpayers. But if one troubled street is any indication, the bailout is up against long odds. On Staten Island's "Foreclosure Street," two tiny, tree-lined blocks, 15 houses are in or had been in foreclosure proceedings this year: * Seven homes are in the process of being foreclosed upon. * Six have been repossessed by banks and are languishing on the market. * Only two foreclosed homes have...

Sharratt suit seeks 'justice' By Michael Jones, Staff writermjones@observer-reporter.com PITTSBURGH - Hours after filing a federal slander lawsuit against Congressman John Murtha, 24-year-old Justin Sharratt coolly described in one word what he wants from the man who said he and his fellow Marines killed "innocent civilians in cold blood." "Justice," Sharratt said without flinching. "Basically, just showing America that a congressman can't get on TV and say anything he wants." Sharratt, of Canonsburg, was charged in 2006 with three counts of unpremeditated murder after a battle on Nov. 19, 2005, in Haditha that left 24 Iraqis dead. The charges were...

“It's a terrible idea. It's undemocratic. It's bad economic policy, and it's bad social policy. And it has a very little chance of solving the problem in a meaningful way.” -- Allan Meltzer, Carnegie-Mellon University Beware of politicians or business leaders who say, “I’m a firm believer in the free market, but…” “But” thinkers have come out of the woodwork during this financial crisis: Conservative economist Bruce Bartlett proposes tax increases…..Patrick Byrne, the new CEO of the Milton and Rose Friedman Foundation who calls himself a “classical liberal,” demands that Congress impose a transactions tax on every stock market transaction...

Market observers have plenty to be puzzled about as of late. The federal government reverses itself and bails out AIG. The credit markets suddenly dry up, and the Fed issues more liquidity. Then, the feds unleash a plan to bail out billions of dollars in troubled mortgages. Amid this backdrop of financial mishaps, the market is having a tumultuous week, falling dramatically, and then recovering to close the week basically flat. Virtually everyone agrees that the events of the past 10 days are unparalleled, but to explain the reasons behind it is even more problematic. Some market observers and participants...

AMERICAN political leaders last night agreed in principle an extraordinary $700 billion (£367 billion) deal that financiers hope will save the economies of the western world from collapse. Democrat and Republican chiefs accepted the general outline of an agreement on the controversial multi-billion-dollar bail-out of United States financial institutions – equivalent to $2,333 (£1,270) for every US taxpayer – although there is still work to be done on the detail. And doubts emerged late last night over the deal as a senior senator, Richard Shelby, emerged from a White House meeting that included President George Bush, both presidential candidates and...

THE $700 BILLION DOLLAR DISCONNECT There is a serious, fundamental disconnect between the reality and the perception of the Hank Paulson plan. Treasury Secretary Paulson, whom I admire along with Chairman Ben Bernanke, are not politicians. Make no mistake about it, their stature is enormous, but their ability to “sell policy” like a used car salesman to the public is second-rate at best. By comparison, Congressional leaders who stay in perpetual office by peddling themselves every election year on empty rhetoric, are much more able to convey sentiment but often fail in delivering real solutions. Lack of eloquence does not...

A Marine from Washington County today plans to sue U.S. Rep. John Murtha for publicly claiming his unit slaughtered innocent Iraqi civilians, according to the man's attorney. A lawyer for Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, 24, of Canonsburg on Wednesday announced plans to sue Murtha, D-Johnstown, for comments he made to news outlets concerning the November 2005 killing of about two dozen people in Haditha. Murtha repeatedly said Sharratt and seven fellow Marines "committed cold-blooded murder of innocent women and children," according to lawyer Noah Geary, who scheduled a news conference for 1:30 p.m. today to announce the lawsuit.

Bush Warns "Entire Economy Is In Danger" Media reports are casting President Bush's televised address last night as both a warning to the nation on the severity of the financial crisis and an attempt to push Congress into passing his proposed bailout. A number of the stories remark on Bush's stark warnings about the health of the economy. Roll Call, for example, says Bush "sketched a frightening view of the economic danger," and used "unusually blunt and even dramatic language." The New York Times reports Bush told the country that "'a long and painful recession' could occur if Congress does...

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' decision to award Sgt. Rafael Peralta a Navy Cross instead of a Medal of Honor makes no sense. Either Peralta grabbed a grenade to protect his fellow Marines or he did not. If Peralta grabbed the grenade then he deserves a Medal of Honor. If he did not grab the grenade than there is no reason to award him a Navy Cross. Peralta was born in Mexico and joined the Marines as soon as he received a green card. He subsequently became a U.S. citizen while serving in the Marines. On November 15, 2004, while...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Prosecutors want to drop contempt proceedings against two Marines who refused to testify against their former squad leader when he was being tried for the killings of four unarmed Iraqi detainees. Los Angeles-based U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien filed the motion Monday, asking U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson to drop the charges against Sgt. Ryan Weemer and Sgt. Jermaine Nelson. They refused to testify at the civilian trial of former Marine Jose Luis Nazario Jr., who was found not guilty of charges that he killed or caused others to kill four detainees in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. Weemer...

SAN FRANCISCO, September 22, 2008 (LifeSitNews.com) - Last year, after horrified Americans bombarded the beer company with complaints, decision makers at the Miller Brewing Company chose to pull the company logo from an offensive advertisement for the Folsom Street Fair, an event which includes full nudity and public sadomasochistic sex acts.  Miller, however, has now flip-flopped on their decision and is once again endorsing the homosexual event, having paid for a full-page advertisement in the 2008 Folsom Street Fair Program Guide.The brewers landed themselves in hot water last Fall after their logo appeared on the highly controversial front page of the...

GyG: Next To Last Newsletter, Marine Richard Keech…. By Gunny G | September 22, 2008 GyG: I received this e-mail from Richards cousin, Joan Page Keech…. ~~~~~ "jpagespann@aol.com" Sunday, September 21, 2008 This is my next to last Richard Keech Newsletter. I am too filled with emotion to make any comments of my own. So here is an e-mail I received recently from Richard's daughter, Nancy and a copy of a letter to his dad from his son, Steven, a letter so beautiful and honest that it portrays Richard as I have never been able to. Hello Joan, ....My dad...

As part of our special investigation "Mission Creep: US Military Presence Worldwide," we asked a host of military thinkers to contribute their two cents on topics relating to global Pentagon strategy. (You can access the archive here.) The following dispatch comes from Katherine T. McCaffrey, an assistant professor of anthropology at Montclair State University in New Jersey and author of "Military Power and Popular Protest: The US Navy in Vieques, Puerto Rico".

September 18, 2008 For G-d's Sake, Give This Deceased American Hero His Medal! By Debbie Schlussel Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta is a role model for all Americans, whether they are immigrants like him or native born. He made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life to save those of his fellow Marines. Sadly, nitpickers in our military are denying him and his grieving family the Medal of Honor. It's a travesty. This late patriot deserves the honor. He earned it in blood and gutted limbs. This is the kind of one-time illegal alien I wish we had more of in America....

I love Megyn Kendall - First off, she's quite the "looker" - she's smart and most importantly, she doesn't let crap like this fly without ripping into it! Go Megyn!

NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street surged higher Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrials up more than 400 points after a report that the federal government is considering creation of a repository for banks' bad debt. CNBC said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is considering creation of an entity like the Resolution Trust Corp. that was formed after the failure of savings and loan banks in the 1980s.

They all laughed at him. Then they panicked and went looking for gold. Gold's huge rally — prices shot up over 8 percent — came as the government moved overnight to rescue troubled insurer American International Group Inc. with an $85 million bailout loan. The Federal Reserve stepped in after AIG, teetering on collapse from losses tied to the subprime crisis and the credit crisis, failed to find adequate capital in the private sector. Fearing more tightening of credit markets, investors reacted swiftly and began dumping stocks and socking money into gold, silver and other safe-haven commodities. Gold is especially...

I dug up another quote by Sarah Palin and I thought readers should consider just how deeply offensive appeals to God during war time are. It has been fun watching the Democrats and the media gun for Governor Sarah Palin. And when they dug up that terrible dirt about her claiming our troops fighting in Iraq were doing God's work, I was appalled. So I dug up another quote by Palin and I thought readers should consider just how deeply offensive appeals to God during war time are. Well, I will tell you how it was. In the pinch of...

Regulation: As the financial crisis spreads, denials on Capitol Hill grow more shrill. Blame an aloof President Bush, greedy Wall Street, risky capitalism — anybody but those in Congress who wrote the banking rules.

Cavuto just handed Oreilly his arse on oil companies and banking.it was kind of funny to watch. Cavuto told Oreilly to quit yelling at him...LOL

The chair of the Connecticut College history department, Catherine McNicol Stock, has suggested that Sarah Palin is somehow associated with Pacific Northwest hate groups such as Posse Comitatus and the Aryan Nations. Her proof? Well, because Palin lived in areas with low "diversity." I kid you not. Here is the professor's "learned thesis" presented in a Philadelphia Inquirer opinion column melodramatically titled, "Intolerance thrives in Palin's Pacific Northwest" (emphasis mine): Despite her efforts to portray herself as an average, small-town, "folksy" American, Sarah Palin's political views - ardently pro-gun, pro-censorship, antichoice and antigay - make John McCain's conservative credentials pale...

WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence. According to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Obama made his demand for delay a key theme of his discussions with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad in July. "He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington," Zebari said in an interview. Obama insisted that Congress should be involved in...