Free Republic

The Shenyang J-15, China's first carrier-based fighter designed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, has entered mass production and has been received by various units of the PLA Navy Air Force, the Beijing-based Sina Military Network reported on Dec. 3. Citing a video clip released by Shenzhen Satellite Television, the Sina Military Network stated that the original yellow paint on the fuselage of J-15 had been replaced by light grey. In addition, a logo of a Flying Shark — a nickname for the aircraft — can be seen on the its tail. On the nose of four of the J-15 fighters shown...

Reuters) - In late October, flotillas of Chinese warships and submarines sliced through passages in the Japanese archipelago and out into the western Pacific for 15 days of war games. The drills, pitting a "red force" against a "blue force," were the first in this area, combining ships from China's main south, east and north fleets, according to the Chinese military. Land-based bombers and surveillance aircraft also flew missions past Japan to support the navy units. In official commentaries, senior People's Liberation Army (PLA) officers boasted their navy had "dismembered" the so-called first island chain - the arc of islands...

House Republicans are pouncing on President Obama’s apology for cancelled insurance plans to push him into backing legislation that would change ObamaCare. The president on Thursday said he was “sorry” that Americans were losing their healthcare plans despite his frequent assurances that individuals with insurance could keep them. Obama said he was seeking an administrative fix, but Republicans say they have a ready-made solution in the Keep Your Plan bill that they plan to bring up for a vote next week. A spokesman for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the president can’t address the problems plaguing the healthcare law through...

The firestorm over President Obama's "you can keep your plan" lie now threatens to singe vulnerable Democrats next year, so they're springing into action to try to force the administration to keep its word. Louisiana's Mary Landrieu -- an ardent Obamacare supporter -- is scrambling to undo one of the obvious consequences of a law she's voted to pass, fund, and retain: Sen. Mary Landrieu said Wednesday she would propose legislation to ensure all Americans could keep their existing insurance coverage under Obamacare, a fresh sign of the political problems the law’s rollout has created for congressional Democrats. Landrieu, a...

China decommissions first nuclear submarine BEIJING: China has decommissioned its first nuclear-powered submarine after more than 40 years of service amidst the maiden display of its fleet of atomic submarines. The Long March No.1's nuclear devices were properly disposed of and scientists have decontaminated the warehouse where atomic items were stored during the past 40 years, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily reported today. The submarine will be used as an exhibit after it is released from military service. China yesterday displayed its nuclear submarines for the first time to showcase their "excellent safety" record as part of a naval...

Senator Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) announced today that next week he will file legislation that will allow Americans to keep their previous health-insurance plans, as President Obama promised. The proposed bill, entitled the “If you Like Your Health Plan, You Can Keep It Act,” would, according to Johnson’s statement amend the Affordable Care Act “to make Obamacare live up to the promises of the politicians who sold the plan to the American public.” From the press release: One of the most important promises made by President Obama and Democrat congressional leadership to promote the Affordable Care Act was that Americans...

NPS Director Discussed Plan To Close Monuments With White House (October 16, 2013)

Mark Levin's Plan is excellent but how long do we have? Secession, civil war? Only OBAMA wants that to happen.

Experts have advice for women, such as Crews and Duff, when it comes to protecting yourself from a potential sexual assault or abduction. "Really some of the simplest techniques to use are just walk with confidence. Don't be a target in how you're walking. Don't close yourself off, hunch over, don't seem timid or scared from the environment. Walk with authority," said Tina Toth, who is a sexual assault counselor for the Rape Crisis Center. She adds that predators tend to act on opportunity, so finding ways to limit your vulnerability is important. Other safety and self-defense practices include having...

When U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Col.) got the word that he could opt out of Obamacare or keep his current health-care plan — which you might be surprised to learn is a private plan — he took a road some might say is less traveled…and then hit a big pileup:(Credit: Twitter via Twitchy) He breaks it down a bit more:(Credit: Twitter via Twitchy) Instead of heading down a woe-is-me path, Gardner harnessed his unfortunate news to get a conversation going about what’s happening to people’s health-care plans in the wake of

First Lady Michelle Obama's office is holding a conference call with reporters now to tout her "New Effort To Encourage Everyone to Drink More Water," according to the White House. The content of the call is "embargoed until 6:00AM ET on Thursday, September 12." "Today at 11:00AM ET, Executive Director of Let’s Move! Sam Kass, Partnership for a Healthier America President and CEO Lawrence A. Soler and industry representatives will join a conference call to preview First Lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Watertown, WI to announce a new nationwide effort to encourage everyone to drink more water. The call will...

[translated by google] 05-09-13.-The army of China on Thursday sent warships to the Syrian coast to observe the actions of U.S. vessels. UU. and Russia as tensions grow before a military attack against Syria. According to the Russian news website Telegrafist, the Chinese army sent Jinggangshan amphibious ship was seen sailing in the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. The report indicates that the vessel was not sent to participate in an action of aggression but is there to observe the actions of the U.S. warships. UU. and Russia. No clutch Jinggangshan equipped for fighting. The report also notes that...

Richmond's controversial plan to seize underwater mortgages through eminent domain includes loans for at least two homes purchased for over $1 million as well as other high-end properties - a revelation that appears to undermine the city's argument that the plan would combat blight. The city is pursuing mortgages with balances ranging from $98,000 to $1.12 million, according to data collected by Marc Joffe, an analyst who received the property addresses, loan balances, offer amounts and other information through a California public records request and shared them with The Chronicle. --SNIP-- Eminent domain is the seizure of private property for...

The recommendations in the Department of Defense’s latest strategic review would produce both a hollow and aging military unable to engage in simultaneous conflicts involving U.S. interests, defense budget experts said Tuesday. The experts spoke at the Brookings Institution about the Pentagon’s efforts to prepare for $500 billion in spending cuts during the next decade due to budget sequestration. Mackenzie Eaglen, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, noted that the sequestration cuts come on the heels of about $1 trillion in military spending reductions already enacted under President Barack Obama’s administration. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel discussed the...

Today's China Military Review pronouncement regarding the construction going on at Changxing Island could indicates that the vessel is in fact a large, LHA Amphibious Assault vessel. This is the first "semi-official," type indication that the vessel and structures we see there at Changxing Island are in fact a PLAN LHA. I have come up with to explain what we are seeing. PLAN Type 75 LHA Under Construction at Changxing Island(Click for a high-res image) PLAN Type 75 Construction at Changxing Island Explanation(Click for a high-res image) From this, it is clear to me that the PLAN is constructimg its...

After a children’s magician said he was harassed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture over a permit for the rabbit he used in his act a few years back, Marty Hahne probably figured it couldn’t get any more intrusive than that. USDA Reportedly Orders Childrens Magician to Produce Disaster Plan for His...Rabbit (Credit: Marty Hahne web site) Silly, Marty… Now the Ozark, Mo.-based illusionist is saying the trick’s allegedly on him, as he notes in an email to blogger, Bob McCarty (emphasis added): My USDA rabbit license requirement has taken another ridiculous twist. I just received an 8 page letter...

Though noting that his determination to take action is on the tardy side, congressional Republicans said they’re ready to work with the White House on helping Syrian civilians in the fight versus Bashar al-Assad. “Nearly two years ago, President Obama called for Syrian dictator Bashar Assad to go. A year later, the president laid down a clear red line, threatening serious consequences if Assad used or transferred chemical weapons. For months we’ve seen reports of such use, and today the White House finally confirmed it. It’s increasingly clear the president does not have a coherent plan

A specter has been haunting the Western Hemisphere since mid-summer 2012, the specter of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) routinely patrolling the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. At first sight, it might seem that Beijing is truly laying the groundwork for its foothold in the Atlantic Rim. Not least, Chinese government signed a free-trade agreement with Iceland in April and PLAN vessels recently made a month-long trip in the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Atlantic. Even so, China's strategic projection in the Atlantic is still far from becoming reality. The whole psychodrama unfolded at the end of June 2012, when...

President Obama and I were college classmate at Columbia University, class of ’83. I know all too well how mindlessly liberal the students and faculty of that institution can be, and Barack Obama is certainly no exception. My time at Columbia made it crystal clear: liberals always believe they are morally superior. While they publicly state that their mission is to save the world from prejudice, patriotism, racism, greed, and inequality, they are, in fact, hostile and resentful towards anyone who has achieved self-made success through American values. It is in this cesspool of intolerance that Obama and his Marxist...

Confiscating the customer deposits in Cyprus banks, it seems, was not a one-off, desperate idea of a few Eurozone “troika” officials scrambling to salvage their balance sheets. A joint paper by the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Bank of England dated December 10, 2012, shows that these plans have been long in the making; that they originated with the G20 Financial Stability Board in Basel, Switzerland (discussed earlier here); and that the result will be to deliver clear title to the banks of depositor funds. New Zealand has a similar directive, discussed in my last article here, indicating...