Free Republic

It's Fourth of July weekend, and restless patriots want to finally get out of their houses and go to the beach. But they'll have no such luck in Florida's Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner said it would be highly irresponsible to open the beaches, while Broward Mayor Dale V.C. Holness argued it was imperative to keep people safe, considering any open beaches have the potential to draw people from other counties. This is not something we are taking lightly,” Holness said. “We don’t like taking away the freedom of people to go to...

WASHINGTON, July 3, 2008 – More than 1,100 servicemembers stationed in Iraq will celebrate the nation’s birthday tomorrow by re-enlisting, the senior enlisted leader for Multinational Force Iraq said today. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin L. Hill said 1,157 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines will re-enlist at the Al Faw Palace at Camp Victory, in Baghdad. This may be the largest re-enlistment ceremony since the all-volunteer force began in 1973, Hill said via phone from Baghdad. This is becoming an annual blockbuster event for the command. Last year, 588 servicemembers re-enlisted. “We are extremely proud of the accomplishments we have...

IT'S NOT easy being an Atlanticist these days. Turn on the BBC or read almost any newspaper and it seems all but certain that you will find some pundit quietly, if rarely openly, rejoicing in George Bush's difficulties in Iraq. Many of the thousands of protestors gathering in Edinburgh this week will not be so coy. You know the script: Bush This is curious as only the US president and Tony Blair among western leaders appear still to believe in the existence of Kipling's "white man's burden". That politically incorrect term is nonetheless an apt description of US-UK policy and...

Comet-hitting probe tweaks its course to target NASA NEWS RELEASE Posted: May 15, 2005 Fifty-nine days before going head-to-head with comet Tempel 1, NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft successfully executed the second trajectory correction maneuver of the mission. The burn further refined the spacecraft's trajectory, or flight path, and also moved forward the expected time of the Independence Day comet encounter so impact would be visible by ground- and space-based observatories. The 95-second burn - the longest remaining firing of the spacecraft's motors prior to comet encounter -- was executed on May 4. It changed Deep Impact's speed by 18.2 kilometers...

West Virginia State Capitol GroundsCharleston, West VirginiaTHE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. They got the best seat in the house. (Laughter.) Glad you all are here. Thanks for coming. Happy 4th of July. (Applause.) I am thrilled to be back in your great state to celebrate once again Independence Day -- (applause) -- this time in the capital of the Mountain State, the great city of Charleston, West Virginia. (Applause.) I appreciate the good people of this state. You work hard, you look after your neighbors, and you love your country. (Applause.) And you sure know how to make a President...