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LAST night, Australian forces were involved in dangerous covert reconnaissance deep inside Iraq providing vital support to bombing raids in a prelude to a massive invasion. Special forces troops were dropped deep behind enemy lines in northern and southern Iraq in an effort to identify Saddam's weapons of mass destruction sites and targets for coalition bombers such as missile launchers. Operating in small bands, members of the Special Air Service Regiment's 150-man squadron are airlifted by helicopter deep into Iraq, where they can operate independently for weeks at a time if required. RAAF F/A-18 fighters based in Kuwait were providing...

10 Of The Greatest Pieces Of Conservative WisdomBy John HawkinsFriday, March 21, 2008 "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -- P.J. O'RourkeWe have gotten to a point in our society where people can pursue courses of action that we know, they know, that everyone knows are highly likely to end in disaster. But then, when the aforementioned tragedy inevitably occurs, there is a demand that the federal government "fix the problem." But what's wrong with saying,...

Cuius Regio, Eius Religio - this Latin saying applies to Europe, and to the principle that ended religious warfare: “Whose region (it is), whose religion (shall predominate)”. But it sprang to mind when seeing this map of the US, showing the leading church bodies per county. The map demonstrates the important link between region and religion, or to put it more precisely: where you live is a predictive factor as to where you worship. The map highlights 8 major Christian denominations, showing where they represent a plurality (and in counties marked with a + at least 50%) of the...

Many heads turned in Ringgold Wednesday when they saw an African-American man dressed in a Confederate soldier's uniform, carrying a Confederate flag. It wasn't a joke. H.K. Edgerton came to Ringgold to make a bold statement - he opposes city leader's removing the Confederate flag from the city's flag pole. Edgerton says the Confederate flag is misunderstood, feared and hated because people are trying to be politically correct - which he says desecrates the honor and real meaning of the Civil War era emblem. "I'm here because your town council climbed into bed with all the politically correct folks who...

BEIJING - China might bar live television broadcasts from Tiananmen Square during the Beijing Olympics, apparently unnerved by the recent outburst of unrest among Tibetans and fearful of protests in the heart of the Chinese capital. A ban on live broadcasts would wreck the plans of NBC and other major international networks, who have paid hundreds of millions of dollars to broadcast the Aug. 8-24 games and are counting on eye-pleasing live shots from the iconic square. The rethinking of Beijing's earlier promise to broadcasters comes as the government has poured troops into Tibetan areas wracked by anti-government protests this...

For the first time in ages, the sale of new PCs with Windows as a percentage of the PC market is declining sharply. The new winner is the Mac, but, while no one does a good job of tracking the still-new, pre-installed Linux desktop market, it's also clear that Linux is finally making impressive inroads into Windows' once unchallenged market share. The Mac numbers are especially revealing. NPD, a global market research company, has revealed that Apple's share of the U.S. computer market jumped to 14 percent in February 2008. This was up from 9 percent in February 2007. In...

TOLEDO, Iowa — An Illinois man was arrested after police chased a stolen delivery van loaded with doughnuts across two Iowa counties at speeds of up to 100 mph. The van, owned by Donut Delite, of Moline, Ill., was stolen early Thursday while the driver was making deliveries at a hospital in nearby Rock Island. More than 100 miles later in Iowa, a Benton County sheriff's deputy spotted the van about 9:30 a.m. — and the chase began. Other officers joined in, and the chase stretched into Tama County. Authorities finally cornered the van in Toledo and arrested the driver,...

Barack Obama has not finished even one term in the US Senate. He hasn't even finished one half of a term. This isn't enough time to learn hardly anything about foreign policy. That's why Obama says foolish thinks about wanting to invade Pakistan. This isn't enough time to learn anything about the military....which is why Obama talks of immediately pulling out of Iraq. But, apparently, one-half of one term is enough to learn how to play the corruption game. Under pressure to release his list of pork barrel earmarks, Obama's crew unwittingly released this: "One million dollars for a hospital...

WHICH economy has enjoyed the best economic performance over the past five years: America's or Japan's? Most people will pick America. The popular perception is that America's vibrant economy was sprinting ahead (albeit fuelled by credit and housing bubbles that have now painfully burst), whereas Japan crawled along at a snail's pace. And it is true that America's average annual real GDP growth of 2.9% was much faster than Japan's 2.1%. However, the single best gauge of economic performance is not growth in GDP, but GDP per person, which is a rough guide to average living standards. It tells a...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - Are you contemplating cosmetic surgery, but phobic about a surgeon's scalpel? Try a jab of Botox instead to give those sagging breast a lift as it's not just for smoothing facial wrinkles anymore. Worried about sweaty armpits at a big event? Botox them. Earlobes drooping or tired feet from wearing stiletto heels to look sexy? Some doctors now recommend dermal fillers to plump sore feet or sad-looking earlobes. Americans are increasingly turning to treatments like Botox and dermal fillers as alternatives to cosmetic surgery, with doctors reporting a rising demand for injectable treatments that a...

PARIS - Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain said Friday that China is harming its world image with its crackdown in Tibet and expressed hope Beijing would seek a peaceful solution to the crisis. McCain did not discuss the issue during a 45-minute meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, but told reporters later the subject was "one of the first things I would talk about if I were president of the United States today." China's crackdown "is not correct," McCain said in the courtyard of the French presidential Elysee Palace. "The people there are being subjected to mistreatment that is...

North Myrtle Beach Times - page 8, Thursday, March 20, 2008Jenerette Completes School KATHERINE JENERETTE GRADUATES from US ARMY AIRBORNE SCHOOL Former North Myrtle Beach Planning Commissioner, U.S. Army Lieutenant Katherine Jenerette recently graduated from the U.S. Army's Airborne school at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Airborne officers are considered to be among the Army's most valuable combat officers. Every member of the Rangers and Special Forces - two of the Army's most elite corps - is airborne qualified.Information about the Airborne school states: Throughout the fast-moving course of instruction, mental alertness and physical conditioning are emphasized and Airborne School is...

"European bankers and the dollar holocaust" OK, this article isn't finished yet, but I was thinking like "why not publish what I've written so far beforehand, the topic is a highly important one and people here on Free Republic aren't whiners, sure they'll forgive me for saving this draft for later forum abuse and instead I could go treat my sore European intellect to some Absolut and b-movies". I'm on holiday, actually. The unfinished article (please comment!!): "Personally, I'm not born of banking stock. My forebears here in Sweden (yes, I am, again, trying to write an article in English...

Russian steelmaker to buy Sparrows Point OAO Severstal says it has agreed to purchase Balto. Co. mill for $810 million Russian steelmaker OAO Severstal said early this morning that it has reached an agreement to purchase the Sparrows Point steel mill in Baltimore County for $810 million. It will be the plant's fourth owner in four years. The 119-year old steel mill employs 2,450 hourly and salaried workers and has the capacity to produce 3.6 million tons of steel a year. The sale, which faces several regulatory approvals, is expected to close during the second quarter of the year. Related...

And now today Playgirl, seemingly seriously, offered money and pubic publicity to the unemployed ex-governor to join its glossy pages of naked hunks and show off his huge chin. "Seriously," the magazine's website announced today, "get in touch with us. We're ready to make you a very attractive offer." It's going to be hard to top all that in this election year. Maybe if Oprah ran off with Ron Paul?

Some 50 delegates were reportedly poised to unite behind Barack Obama if he had won by even 1 point in Texas. He lost the popular vote by 100,000 ballots, and now we learn that 100,000 Republicans voted for Hillary Clinton, probably not because of some change in party allegiance but because they thought she would be the easier candidate to beat. This kind of strategic voting often backfires (think Ralph Nader). The Texas crossovers are winners. By helping to prolong the Democratic race, they can claim credit for weakening the eventual nominee, whoever it turns out to be. Obama has...

American Taxpayers Beware By John Boehner Friday, March 21, 2008 House Republicans have taken a stand against wasteful Washington spending by calling for a complete freeze on all "earmarks" and pork-barrel projects. While our challenge has largely fallen on deaf ears — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, could shut down the earmark process tomorrow if she wanted to — our cause has a strong ally in Sen. John McCain. Mr. McCain has been a leader in the quest to end pork-barrel spending and has led by example — the senator, like myself, doesn't request earmarks. He strongly supported a...

Our Jeremiah By Melissa Harris-Lacewell Why Obama's pastor matters. Type Size March 17, 2008--A black orator stood before a rapt audience, his voice rising to a crescendo as he made this fiery statement: "Statesmen of America beware what you do! The soil is in readiness, and the seed-time has come. Nations, not less than individuals, reap as they sow. The dreadful calamities of the past few years came not by accident, nor unbidden, from the ground. You shudder today at the harvest of blood sown in the springtime of the Republic by your patriot fathers." Sound familiar? These are not...

WTVN AM, Osage Beach, MO FairTax National Spokesman, Bill Phelps, will appear on "The Morning Magazine" with Michael McSorley on KRMS radio, 1150 AM at 10:00 am CDT. The radio station is in Osage Beach, MO and the program will stream from KRMS's Web site. Connect here >>Date: Saturday, March 22, 2008 Time: 10:00 AM

PARIS -- John McCain wrapped up his five-country swing to the Middle East and Europe by meeting with two familiar faces- one old and one new. In London this morning, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and McCain had breakfast together at the swanky Mandarin Oriental hotel. A quick photo-op for reporters before the official visit quickly became a reflection of McCain's recent travels. On the friendship with Britain, McCain said, "What I've learned from our trip is that our alliance and our relationship is still strong. There are areas such as climate change, transparency of international financial institutions, Israeli-Palestinian peace...