Free Republic

NEW YORK (CNN) -- An American has been indicted on charges that he aided al Qaeda and helped attack a U.S. military base in Afghanistan, court documents show. Bryant Neal Vinas fired rockets at the military base along with others during a September 2008 attack, according to a federal indictment returned Wednesday.

BUTLER, Mo. — Buy a truck and get a free AK-47 gun. That's the deal a Missouri truck dealer is offering new customers who buy a pick-up truck in August. Mark Muller, owner of Max Motors in Butler, says he knows people will be bothered by the promotion. But not to worry, Muller is not handing out free guns. Instead, he will give buyers a voucher to use at a gun store after they obtain a license to carry a concealed weapon. The AK-47 is an upgrade on a previous promotion in which Muller gave away vouchers for the price...

At last, there's a place in America where tax cutting to promote growth and attract jobs is back in fashion. Who would have thought it would be Maine? ... One question is how Democrats in Augusta were able to withstand the cries by interest groups of "tax cuts for the rich?" Mr. Baldacci's snappy reply: "Without employers, you don't have employees." He adds: "The best social services program is a job." Wise and timely advice for both Democrats and Republicans as the recession rolls on and budgets get squeezed. Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A13

Former President Jimmy Carter’s grandson limped into a Fayette County courthouse Friday and admitted to a Superior Court judge that he swiped an Xbox video game system from a friend’s house and hid marijuana in his shoe while under the influence of alcohol. Jeremy Davis Carter, 17, of 311 Spear Road, Peachtree City, appeared in court about 8:30 a.m. Friday to enter a guilty plea in connection with a Dec. 4-5 incident. Carter was accompanied by his attorney Joe Saia of Peachtree City. In exchange for Carter’s admission of guilt, Griffin Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Johnnie Caldwell Jr. ordered...

An open letter to Senator John F. Kerry: My wife had rotator cuff surgery earlier this year and the recovery is terribly painful. Then she developed staph-epi infection, and they had to cut the same scar open and operate on her again. Just thinking about the pain and anxiety of facing that painful surgery a second time in the same scar makes me cringe. That experience, however pales in comparison to what I am going through right now in my heart. The old hurts are surfacing and the feelings of betrayal by fellow citizens, and their leader stirring them up,...

Is there a Veterinarian still awake? Please help! By mistake, I gave my kitty 1 ml of Betadine by mouth instead of an oral pain medication (Torbuterol elixir). I'm an idiot! I wasn't paying enough attention and the bottles are similar. Help! What should I do? The emergency vet is not open until around 8 a.m. I don't want to lose my furbaby. Please help. Thanks.

Friends of Lt. Col. Charles H. "Chad" Buehring on Monday reacted with sorrow to news of his death Sunday in Iraq. Buehring The 40-year-old officer was fatally injured during a rocket-propelled grenade attack on the Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad. Buehring and his family left Fayetteville this summer after he had been assigned to Fort Bragg for several years. "It comes as quite a shock," said Vince Maffia, who knew Buehring through the Army and through Westminster Presbyterian Church at 2505 Village Drive. "It is an immeasurable loss, not only to the military but to his family and to our church...

Washington D.C. - 10/25/03 Counter-protesters were harassed, threatened, and some assaulted by security personnel of the anti-Iraq Occupation rally (International A.N.S.W.E.R.) before police appeared and relocated the counter-protesters in Washington D.C. today. No arrests were reported, but there was one unconfirmed report of a pregnant female counter-protester being injured in the fracas. The counter-protesters, consisting of members of the web-based ProtestWarrior.com and FreeRepublic.com, arrived at the protest at approximately 1:30PM carry pro-America signs and positioned themselves just north of the stage area on Constitution Avenue, N.W. They had no permit to organize as a group. The counter-protesters stood quietly holding...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2003 -- The Defense Department's unquenchable quest to make troops less vulnerable and more lethal has led to a concept called "horizontal fusion." Horizontal fusion is a DoD transformation initiative focused on enabling "net- centric" warfare. DoD officials said net-centric warfare is a concept of operations with information superiority and the ability to make sense of that information as its foundation. The idea is to increase combat power by utilizing all assets in the field and at home to link decision makers and shooters electronically. With access to the same information at the same time, they achieve...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2003 -- It's not easy being a kid whose mom or dad is deployed overseas to a combat zone. It can be confusing and lonely, and sometimes, downright scary. That's why a California-based nonprofit group wants to put into every affected military child's hands that quintessentially American yet internationally understood symbol of comfort and friendship: the teddy bear. Operation TeddyCare, the labor of love of a disabled Vietnam veteran and his wife, already has donated 2,500 teddy bears to military children of deployed service members. Each bear, presented through military family service centers, comes with a personalized...

FReepers with web sites, you're invited to join the FReeper Web Ring I started. You must include your FR screenname with your application, so I can verify you qualify to join. <==== Click

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sanjay Gupta, CNN's medical correspondent and a neurosurgeon, performed emergency brain surgery on Thursday in a vain effort to save the life of a 2-year-old Iraqi boy wounded at a U.S. Marine checkpoint south of Baghdad. CNN issued a statement saying the network applauded Gupta's decision, on humanitarian grounds, to cross the line between journalists and the U.S. armed forces unit he was "embedded" with, to participate in the operation.

NORTHERN KUWAIT (AP) - They gave away much of their food to Iraqis. They drew "SOS" in the sand. One of them passed the time writing poems to his wife back home. For a week, two American soldiers were stranded in the Iraqi desert. They survived - hungry, thirsty and tired, but eager to get back to their unit and back to the war. In a dispatch Sunday from a reporter embedded with the Army's 75th Exploitation Task Force, The New York Times Web site reported the story of Specialist Jeffrey Klein, 20, of Independence, Ky., and Sgt. Matthew Koppi,...

From the FAQs on the Defenselink.mil website: Question: What can I do to support our troops? Answer: Thank you for thinking of our troops! Thousands of Americans are asking what they can do to show their support for servicemembers, especially those serving overseas in this time of war. Please do not flood the military mail system with letters, cards, and gifts. Due to security concerns and transportation constraints, the Department cannot accept items to be mailed to "Any Servicemember." Some people have tried to avoid this prohibition by sending large numbers of packages to an individual servicemember's address, which however...

Thanks to USN Veteran and American Legionare Paul True, we have images of 3 Support Our Troops Rallies held in Southern Maine last Weekend. There were other Rallies in Auburn and other locations, and hopefully we will have reports and images of them to share as well.

To the Men and Women of the Armed Forces I send holiday greetings and salute our men and women who wear the uniform of our Armed Forces, serving our country with skill, honor, and dedication. All of you, our brave men and women who devote your lives to our Armed Forces, help protect the ideals that make our Nation strong. You deserve every American's gratitude and full support. America's military will continue to receive the best training, equipment, and resources. I am honored to be your Commander-in-Chief, and I join all Americans in expressing our gratitude for your sacrifice and...

WASHINGTON, -- The U.S. military has stepped up its information campaign to inform the Iraqi people and military forces of their leader's treachery and the consequences of supporting him. U.S. Air Force EC-130E Command Solo planes since Dec. 12 have been broadcasting messages into Iraq. A Defense Department spokesman stressed the planes are not flying in Iraqi airspace, not even in the no-fly zones in the country's north and south. At least nine separate messages are being broadcast at various times of day. Leaflets dropped over the country advise people what frequencies to tune into. Messages aimed at Iraqi soldiers...

Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England has selected the name Bainbridge for its newest destroyer, DDG 96. As the U.S. Navy continues to recognize the 100th anniversary of the development of the destroyer type of warship (1902-2002) the Bainbridge will be a state of the art warship built at Bath Iron Works, a General Dynamics Company in Maine. In 1902 the Navy introduced its first destroyer DD-1, also named Bainbridge. The new ship will honor the outstanding and heroic service of Commodore William Bainbridge who served in the Navy from 1789-1833. The U.S. Navy has previously named four ships...

The Retired Services Office at Watervliet Arsenal, which provides service to military retirees and family members residing in an 11 county area of New York state, has been operating an informational web site for about a year to better serve retirees inside and outside the area. The counties are: Albany, Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Rensselaer, Colombia, Green, Schoharie, Schenectady, Fulton and Montgomery. According to retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Marv Shiro, the volunteer retiree services officer, the Watervliet site, is designed for both local and world wide interest, so members of the military retiree community outside New York may find information of...