Free Republic

For decades the CIA has undertaken operations all over the world to support right wing regimes. In Latin America and elsewhere there tho it seems thier efforts often led to massive amounts of death of civilians with the US govt often looking the other way. Would you folks say the ends justified the means regarding the many regimes the CIA propped up and supported in the name of 'anticommunism'? I dont beleive the idea of imperialism was at play,but its clear the safety of US interests (political and economic) were clearly the goal in these operations

So with all the uproar and subsequent political fallout from the Generals take on our president and his staff, Ive seen some bashing of the McChrystal beginning to arise. Specifically theres the Tillman issue which bothers me and is easy pickings for those wishing to disparage the man. At one point in my reading this morning someone made note of the fact he was promoted (May 1 2004) to Maj Gen just days after Tillmans death (April 22 2004)...alluding to a conspiracy of some sort I suppose. I did however see upon further study that he was recommended for two...

Im curious.....when we hear of a NATO airstrike is it anyone else besides the US physically dropping the bombs? Even when the Germans called in the strike to blow up the Talibans hijacked fuel truck a few months ago it was US warplane that engaged the target.

Oliver Wahlstrom's shootout attempt in the Boston Bruins "TD Bank Mini 1-on-1" competition begins as expected: Deliberate skating to the puck before picking up speed into the zone. But once he gets between the faceoff circles ... well, let's just say we wouldn't have been shocked to see him pull a rabbit out of his helmet before sawing a woman in half. This is hockey magic.

Im wondering if anyones heard specifics about the casualties.Have friends in the 4BCT which are deployed in this area. Thanks.

I was eating lunch when CNN propped up a teaser about the sweet Acorn videos and their makers.The hook was something like....."Im sure youve seen the ACORN videos about pimps and prostitutes by now BUT what does the man behind them have on HIS agenda?"......I had to go before seeing the actual article and was wondering if it ended up being some kind of hit piece on him....anyone see it? Thanks in advance.

Afghan and NATO forces uncovered the weapons cache on Aug. 29 in Herat. It included a small number of Iranian-made "explosively formed penetrators," hyper-powerful roadside bombs similar to the weapons used to kill U.S. forces in Iraq, a senior U.S. Defense Official told FOX News. Also seized during the raid were 107 Iranian-made BM-1 rockets and dozens of blocks of Iranian C4 plastic explosives.

Im curious.Its seems like to Treasury put the screws to the CEOS of these 9 big banks.The question I have is what happens if the CEOs that didnt want the TARP money simply walked away.Then when the regulators come upon them telling theyre going to have to tkae,thay also say no thanks. Can someone enlighten me to the sanctions/punishments this action might bring on the banks that defiantly declined?

Bad Link? Memorial Ties Iraq War, 9/11 October 14, 2008 Albuquerque Journal A plan to etch the words and images of 9/11 on a monument to Soldiers who fell in Iraq has ignited a debate about whether the publicly funded memorial links the war in Iraq to the 2001 terrorist attacks. The $300,000 war memorial officially broke ground Oct. 5 at the New Mexico Veterans' Memorial Park in Albuquerque. Supporters hope to complete the project by May 30.

Obama Objects By Amir Taheri New York Post | Thursday, September 18, 2008 IN Monday's Post, I discussed how Barack Obama, during his July trip, had asked Iraqi leaders not to finalize an agreement vital to the future of US forces in Iraq - and how the effect of such a delay would be to postpone the departure of the US from Iraq beyond the time Obama himself calls for. The Obama campaign has objected. While its statement says my article was "filled with distortions," the rebuttal actually centers on a technical point: the differences between two Iraqi-US accords under...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMxp5UkeGCc

>While walking down the street one day, a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance. > >"Welcome to heaven," says St. Pete. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you." > >"No problem, just let me in," says the senator. > >"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26012717

Blix: West approach on Iran 'hypocritical' Wed, 14 May 2008 17:53:20 Former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix hammers world powers for their 'hypocritical' approach to the Islamic Republic's nuclear issue. In a recent interview with Channel Four News, Blix said the West's approach to Tehran's nuclear standoff is in marked contrast to that of North Korea. "The North Koreans have been offered guarantees against any attacks from outside, the Iranians have not been offered this as far as we know, nor have they been offered diplomatic relations which the North Koreans have been," said the former IAEA chief. "When you...

At Camp Victory, Counting Blessings — and Days by John McChesney Morning Edition, April 30, 2008 · On their last tour in Iraq, the soldiers of the Arkansas National Guard's 39th Combat Brigade Team saw heavy combat on a street in Baghdad known as "Purple Heart Boulevard." Now, in a short turnaround from that 2004-05 deployment, the Guardsmen are back. "You probably won't find anybody out there that was, you know, thrilled about the prospect of coming back. But there was very little in the way of soldiers ... being overly concerned about coming back," says Col. Kendall Penn, commander...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alarming 20% increase from last year numbers.Poor people signed up to go into the environment,something they may love to do but we must acknowledge the danger of them doing it,however voluntarily.We must protect them.Pull them out now.Theyre accomplishing nothing. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h...lvoBgD909KG480 Crisis time.As we know crisis is the catchword of the day,its overkilled usage intended to provoke panic and then the requisite call for more regulation,bureaucracy,more govt and less rationality. Stop them now before another person dies.

How We'll Know When We've Won A definition of success in Iraq. by Frederick W. Kagan 05/05/2008, Volume 013, Issue 32 The president's nomination of generals David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno to take command of U.S. Central Command and Multinational Force-Iraq, respectively, was obviously the right decision. By experience and temperament and demonstrated success, both men are perfectly suited to these jobs. Given the political climate in Washington, however, their nominations are likely to be attacked with the same tired arguments war critics used to try to drown out reports of progress in Iraq during the recent Petraeus-Crocker hearings. So...

Two Sides of the COIN in Iraq Proving Grounds Theory One of the popularly noted negative affects of the war in Iraq has been that it would be a training ground for jihadists to gain real-world terrorist experience that would enable them to return to their home countries more lethally trained. This, of course, is true for those that make it out and back to their original homes (or next stops abroad.) But, as Europe is now realizing, fewer of its own are getting in - much less making it back out - and far fewer than feared are making...

Discredited NIE report In 2007, yet another confusing picture was presented to the world. The US intelligence community had appeared to be wholeheartedly, both in public and in many private off-the-record media briefings, behind the George W Bush administration's contention that Iran had a dedicated nuclear weapon research program up and running. However, in late 2007, the flawed and now largely discredited NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) report, "Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities", was published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in Washington and simply discarded years of supposedly hard intelligence. Tehran, it seemed, had placed its...

David Ray Griffin on the 9/11 Truth Movement and Bush-Cheney’s “stupid” imperialism By Matthew Singer 03/27/2008 When David Ray Griffin conceived his first book regarding the events of Sept. 11, 2001, his interpretation of what transpired that day revolved around the concept of blowback, that the attacks were a byproduct of America’s decades of aggressive foreign policy toward the Middle East. In short, at the time, he bought the official story of 9/11. He wasn’t letting the United States government off the hook for their role in the attacks, but he wasn’t placing culpability where he would eventually place it:...