Free Republic

There is a lot of talk, during these pre-presidential election days, of whether Republicans should stick to fiscal policy issues or include social issues as well in their platforms. Liberals are attacking fiscal/social conservatives, and some “establishment” Republicans are also criticizing their socially conservative colleagues, fearful that Independents will be turned off by the thought that Republicans are appearing rigid, strict, and hard. Political strategy aside, however, what often strikes me about these debates, which always seem centered on how conservative Republicans are trying to force their social views on the nation, is that liberals do it all the time...

People magazine loves Obama. In the top right corner of the June 20 issue is a picture of the president tenderly sitting with younger daughter Sasha on the White House lawn and the words “President Obama On Being a Good Father: Plus Exclusive Family Photos.” Inside are five pages of pictures of adoring daughters getting moments with Daddy...by Obama’s White House photographer Pete Souza. The newest one’s from last August. The White House pictorial also comes with an essay titled “Being the Father I Never Had, by Barack Obama.”

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2008 – Wounded servicemembers are finding an unlikely resource for care at Arkansas State University in a new program officials there hope will catch on at other college campuses. Susan Tonymon, director of the Beck Pride Center at the university’s Jonesboro campus, described the program in an “ASY Live” interview on BlogTalkRadio.com. The university opened the center in October 2007 as a supplement to Veterans Affairs programs, Tonymon said. The campus is an ideal place to reach out to wounded troops, she said. “Arkansas State University is a very military-friendly campus,” Tonymon said. With a National...

8/21/2006 - BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- U.S. Army and coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan rely on a special team of Air Force officers to help provide airpower at the right time and place. The Air Component Coordination Element, or ACCE, is relatively new to operations involving more than one branch of service and other nations, but supports Combined Joint Task Force-76, which oversees Operation Enduring Freedom. "We help the CJTF planners integrate air and space power into the development of their campaign plan," said Brig. Gen. Christopher D. Miller, the ACCE director here. According to Air...

AL ASAD, Iraq (July 3, 2006) -- Traveling across the sands of Iraq can be a dangerous task for the service members and civilians who attempt it, but it is a necessary risk for them when they have a job to perform at their next destination. Without having to worry about improvised explosive devices or a 10-hour convoy trip, the service members and civilians have taken to the skies for quick and easy transportation to and from the different forward operating bases throughout the theater in Iraq. There are two main ways the service members can travel in theater --...

CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (July 3, 2006) -- People go to convenience stores to buy pampers and baby formula or stock up on chips and dip for the next day's big game. But in Iraq, military stores known as post exchanges, play a far more important role. At this sprawling logistics base centered between the restive cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, service members now have a brand new post exchange - PX for short - where they can stock up on goods ranging from basic hygiene items to 'high-tech' equipment like laptop computers and DVD players. Built in a former mess...

BETHESDA, Md., May 18, 2006 – It might not be a household name, like, say, the CIA, but the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is an integral part of the U.S. intelligence community. Satellite Image of Islamabad, Pakistan. Courtesy of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency   Geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT, is the collecting and analysis of satellite imagery of the earth's surface. The mission of the agency, headquartered here, is to provide that type of intelligence to support national security objectives. "If it's something manmade or natural on the face of the earth and it has national security implications, then we map it, chart...

Dr. Ahmed Sha, village doctor in Khas Uruzgan, checks the blood pressure of a fellow villager, April 17, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cain S. Claxton More Photos Joint Effort Provides Medical Care to Village Afghan soldiers, coalition forces and a medical doctor treated more than500 Afghan villagers and their animals during a two-day medical visit. By Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan KHAS URUZGAN, Afghanistan, May 2, 2006 — More than 500 people and 1,500 animals received medical care here April 17-18 during an operation combining the efforts of Afghan soldiers, coalition forces and a medical doctor. “What we wanted...

ABOARD USS PELELIU IN THE NORTHERN PERSIAN GULF, April 13, 2006 – A multinational task force is hard at work here, seeking to preserve the free and secure use of the northern Persian Gulf by legitimate mariners and to prevent terrorists from transporting personnel, weapons or other illicit material by sea. Combined Task Force 58 includes naval forces from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, including U.S. Coast Guard, as well as Iraqi sailors and marines. U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Carl B. Jensen, who leads Expeditionary Strike Group 3, took command of the task force April 10....

The bomb’s small size increases the number of weapons an aircraft can carry, therefore raising the amount of targets it can kill in one sortie. By Staff Sgt. Ryan Hansen / Air Armament Center Public Affairs EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., March 24, 2006 – There's an old saying that goes, "good things come in small packages." That saying rings true for the warfighter when looking at the capabilities of the small diameter bomb, the Air Force's newest precision guided munition.At just 5.9 feet long and 285 pounds, the bomb’s small size increases the number of weapons an aircraft...

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2006 – A document released today outlines the Defense Department's strategy for combating weapons of mass destruction and will serve as the foundation for assigning specific responsibilities throughout DoD toward that goal, a senior military official said. The "National Military Strategy for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction" deals with "the greatest risk" confronting the United States and other free societies, Army Brig. Gen. Robert Caslen Jr., the Joint Staff's deputy director for the war on terror, said. "And that's weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists," he said. Caslen said there's no doubt that...

3/1/2006 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- The Air Force Theater Hospital here can do amazing things every day and is able to save lives through the hard work and dedication of the entire staff. But many of the life-saving procedures they perform would not be possible without the information and blood products the laboratory provides. “We can usually hear the helicopters coming in with someone injured,” said Capt. Donna Fox, officer in charge of the lab. “As soon as they arrive we take three samples of their blood and perform a different test on each.” The first test...

TIKRIT, Iraq , Feb. 13, 2006 – In battles fought on the frontlines today in Iraq, knowledge and communications are essential to facilitate interaction between U.S. troops on the ground, Iraqi Forces and coalition forces. A new database is now in place to provide dynamic communications for soldiers on the battlefield. “The quandary Army-wide is in instantaneous communications and information collaboration,” said U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Edwin K. Morris, battalion intelligence officer from the 445th Civil Affairs Battalion at Forward Operating Base Speicher. "The engagement tool in the network exchange is designed for anyone interacting with people, facilities and organizations."...

SANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 10, 2006 - In furthering its mission to assist military families in need, Operation Homefront has made ten mobile homes available to military families in the Gulfport, Mississippi area. Navy Seabee John Rench will be first among those receiving a home. Having lost everything and exhausting all other government and private sector resources, Rench will accept delivery of his mobile home even as the ruins of his former residence still remain. Also first in line is Seabea Amber Osteen who will move in along with her 4-month-old daughter and husband, who suffers from spina bifida. The...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2006 – In four years, "Operation Homefront" has grown from a local San Diego effort to a national presence, continually increasing its ability to help military families. Volunteers from the Washington chapter of Operation Homefront show off a baby quilt at Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Wash. The group regularly donates quilts to new mothers whose husbands are deployed overseas. Photo by Janice Buckley   Back in early 2002, amidst a flurry of troop deployments after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. a group of military wives saw a need. "We realized how many families...

ABOARD USS NASSAU, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Nassau (LHA 4) and embarked units provided assistance to a distressed vessel off the coast of Kenya Jan. 31 while conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in the area. Motor vessel Al Manara reported a need for provisions, engineering assistance and medical attention. The crew aboard Nassau responded as part of their MSO mission to provide supplies, medicine and assistance to the vessel’s crew. “We received a report from Coalition Task Force (CTF) 150 stating that the motor vessel Al Manara had suffered an engineering casualty approximately 680 miles off the coast of...

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq (Jan. 9, 2006) -- High above the street, Lance Cpl. Hunter L. Parker stands watch over the neighborhood below. In his view to the east is a carwash frequented by local residents. To his south is a small bridge that spans the Euphrates River. The 19-year-old, Darlington, S.C., native is part of the defense that separates the insurgents operating in Al Anbar’s provincial capital city and the Marine camp here. Since their arrival in August, the burden of protecting the Marines living and working inside the walls of the camp has been firmly placed...

NORFOLK, Va., Jan. 6, 2006 – As the Defense Department continues to transform to meet the threats and challenges of the 21st century, U.S. Joint Forces Command has the pivotal role of determining which forces will do which jobs, whether it's disaster relief, homeland defense or the global war on terrorism. As joint force provider, JFCOM's role is to identify and nominate the most ready and able forces to support the combatant commander, according to Army Brig. Gen. Michael Ferriter, the command's director for operations, plans, logistics and engineering. The supported commander identifies the needs, and JFCOM makes the force...

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales has taken 40 political and business trips in North America during the past four years, and every time he goes, San Jose taxpayers pick up an unusual cost: They pay for a city cop to accompany him. In a few cases, there are two. No other San Jose mayor has received such protection, a post-Sept. 11 precaution that Phoenix, San Antonio and Dallas -- all bigger than San Jose -- don't provide their mayors. The officers often leave a day in advance of Gonzales to set up logistics and have run up $60,000 in travel...

CAMP HABBANIYAH, Iraq (Dec. 21, 2005) -- Marines deployed on a combat tour to Iraq find many different ways to relax and spend their free time. They play video games, watch movies, read books and even take online college courses. One Marine, though, uses his free time to make a direct impact oh the mission to turn Iraq over to a stable government capable of protecting its citizens. Cpl. Russell R. Hall, a wire man assigned to a six-man communications detachment with the 2nd Marine Division Training Center here, spends his free time ‘instructing the instructors’ as members of the...