Free Republic

It was the punch heard 'round the blogosphere. On Feb. 17, a Fredericksburg man with fervent anti-war feelings sought out, confronted, and is accused of assaulting a "College Republican" at the University of Mary Washington for supporting the war in Iraq. The tale of pacifist passion boiling over provided juice for political Web sites on both the right and the left. One conservative blogger cited it as an example of how hatred of President Bush is driving liberals to extremes.Interviews with the participants indicate the dispute isn't that clear-cut.The man accused in the attack refuses to call himself a Democrat...

An Army Ranger absent without leave after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan was captured on a remote mountaintop by military and local searchers who had been scouring the Mojave Desert region for days. Andrew Stone, 20, of Wisconsin abandoned his car Friday and took area maps into the wilderness. He was listed as AWOL by the Army and may face criminal charges in Georgia, where Stone is stationed, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said. Led by two Army Black Hawk helicopters, searchers on horseback and off-road vehicles found Stone on a peak Sunday south of the Mojave National Preserve,...

An Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan took maps of the Mojave Desert and abandoned his car late last week southwest of Needles, sheriffís officials said Sunday. But rescuers ó including volunteers from Redlands and Yucaipa ó helped find the young soldier alive and unhurt Sunday afternoon on a mountaintop south of the Mojave National Preserve, said San Bernardino County sheriffís Deputy Dave Pichotta, who was assigned to the search. Andrew Stone, 20, of Wisconsin was found alone and uninjured about 1:30 p.m. Sunday on a peak in the Sacramento Mountains, said Pichotta, a volunteer forces coordinator working...