Free Republic

Yesterday’s State of the Union address issued by Donald Trump represented a refreshing break from the eight years of pusillanimous foreign policies pursued by past administration. Nowhere was this more evident than in the manner in which Trump described Iran’s repressive regime and attempts by the Iranian people to overthrow it through peaceful protest. When it comes to Iran’s governing authorities, the Trump administration is under no illusions about the nefarious nature of this fascist theocracy. “We are restoring clarity about our adversaries,” Trump stated in a not too subtle jibe at his predecessor who seemed to be in a...

U.S. forces are now simultaneously striking the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria from the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Gulf for the first time, the Navy announced Thursday. U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers embarked on the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer began striking ISIS from the Arabian Gulf on Thursday, joining U.S. aircraft striking ISIS from the carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Mediterranean Sea. "Today, U.S. naval forces are striking ISIL simultaneously from both the Mediterranean and the Arabian Gulf," said Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, using another acronym for ISIS....

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2009 – Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Ruggiero’s heroic actions more than five years ago saved lives and earned him the first Purple Heart awarded to a Coast Guardsman since the Vietnam War. Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Ruggiero became the first Coast Guardsmen since the Vietnam War to earn the Purple Heart for valor. Courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Ruggiero entered the service May 1, 2000, not knowing what the future would hold for him. His father, who served in the U.S. Marines in Vietnam, also served in the federal government for...

Turns out Google already had another cartographic controversy on its hands. Earlier this week we learned of an Israeli city's slander lawsuit against the search giant based upon Google's refusal to remove a user-generated Google Earth notation that identifies the community of Kiryat Yam as Arab Ghawarina. A Google spokesperson told me that the notation violated no aspect of the company's terms of use agreement, no matter how much it violated the sensibilities of Kiryat Yam officials. In this second controversy, however, Google does not have the "We didn't do it" card at its disposal. That's because Google itself has...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Navy forces in the Arabian Gulf are conducting maritime security operations and providing support to troops on the ground in Iraq, a Navy Strike Group commander said. Speaking to reporters from the USS Enterprise in the northern Arabian Sea, Navy Rear Adm. Raymond Spicer, commander of the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, said his unit is putting in long hours on many different missions in support of the war on terror. “Whether Enterprise strike group is protecting coalition troops on the ground, conducting planned strikes on known terrorist sites, or providing airborne command and control for our coalition...

Tehran, Iran, May 23 – Iran dismissed on Tuesday remarks by Saudi Arabian officials over its controversial nuclear activities as “unreal”. Saudi officials had raised concerns that Tehran’s nuclear program might have a military dimension and that it could spark a regional arms race. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said in a statement that he was astonished by the Saudi position. “Iran has never been after development of a nuclear bomb and has no need for it either”, Asefi said. “We expect Saudi officials to not to be influenced by others’ false claims”, he added. “It seems some have...

AT SEA ABOARD USS PEARL HARBOR IN THE ARABIAN GULF— The amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) conducted maritime security operations (MSO) in the Arabian Gulf Nov. 20 - Dec. 26. Pearl Harbor, assigned to Expeditionary Strike Group One (ESG-1), is on a regularly scheduled deployment to the 5th Fleet area of operations conducting MSO. MSO set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well as deny international terrorists use of the oceans as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material. A key component of 5 th Fleet...

National Geographic Society retreats The Marze Por Gohar Party is happy to announce that with the hard work of our compatriots for defending the Persian Gulf, the National Geographic Society has been forced to retreat from their earlier stance regarding the Persian Gulf. The National Geographic Society has reportedly removed the illegitimate name from its maps, however there is an asterisk now explaining that some countries use another (unrecognized) name to refer to the Persian Gulf. Though the Islamic Republic would like to have Iranians believe that the matter regarding the National Geographic’s use of an illegitimate name for the...

Nimitz Carrier Strike Group Joins Others Deployed to 5th Fleet Story Number: NNS030407-10 Release Date: 4/7/2003 4:01:00 PM By Journalist Seaman Kristine DeHoux, USS Nimitz Public Affairs USS NIMITZ, At Sea (NNS) -- The USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Carrier Strike Group recently entered the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility, making it the fourth carrier strike group in the region deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is accompanied by USS Chosin (CG 65), USS Princeton (CG 59), USS Benfold (DDG 65), USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG 60),...

<p>It's not quite man-bites-dog. But the day we have something nice to say about MTV sure comes close. And that day looks like today.</p> <p>While surfing through the news section of MTV's Web site, we happened to stumble across its "At War With Iraq" link, and it sure belies the cable network's spoiled, Generation Y image. For example, in an MTV poll attempting to distinguish between its viewers' support for the war and their support for the troops, the results were pretty amazing. An overwhelming 60% reported that they supported both the troops and the war. Some 37% answered that they opposed the war but nonetheless supported the troops. That left only a tiny 3% who oppose the troops as well as the war.</p>