Free Republic

Yesterday Sohaib Athar (@ReallyVirtual on Twitter) was just “an IT consultant taking a break from the rat-race by hiding in the mountains”, specifically Abbottabad, northern Pakistan. The IT contractor and graduate of Preston University also says he’s a ‘startup specialist’ on his LinkedIn profile, but now owns a coffee shop. But today he will become known as the guy who, while live-tweeting a series of helicopter flypasts and explosion, unwittingly covered the US forces helicopter raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound. And he knows it. Here’s a selection of his Tweets: [Update: it looks like @m0hcin was there too, read...

In the face of stagnating growth in MZM the Fed is pouring money into the system.

Monetary Base grows $300 billion. ... 40% in 6 weeks! ... 4000% at annual rates!

Monetary base growth over 600% at annual rates.

Monetary base jumps to 939.472 from 874.750 for two week period. From September 10 till the 24th the Fed added nearly $65 billion dollars in High Powered money. At an annual rate, this is a jump of more than 500%.

If the enemy of my enemy is my friend, then we're all friends of Casey Sheehan's mom.

DESPITE the smiling public appearances, angry Laura Bush has secretly split with the president and is shopping for her own home in Dallas, White House insiders tell GLOBE. In a blockbuster world exclusive, this week's issue blows the lid off the couple's final showdown as sources reveal where Laura is living and George Bush's bouts with whiskey! You won't want to miss a single word.

"Let's snatch defeat from the jaws of victory." "We never met an election we'd like to win." "Why get elected when you can be defeated!" These have been the mantras of the Democratic Party. Beginning with their stunning inability to defeat the most detested politician in American history, Richard Nixon, and continuing through their stunning inability to defeat the most detested politician in the world, George II, the Democrats are the masters of blowing it.

Without witnesses, documents, photographs or some form of irrefutable evidence pointing to the truth, news organizations will not endanger their own integrity.

John McCain will be the third Fighter Jock and second Naval Aviator to occupy the WH in the last 28 years.

Why does the world allow some counries to abuse their own people, attack others, and endanger the world? Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia and others have no legitimate elected government and their actions endanger the world. They should have their alleged sovereignty rejected by every civilized nation on earth. Can my fellow FreeReppers please help me compile a list of the worst of these? Thanks.

One of our colleagues here on FR has asked for an explanation of my comments about sexual preferences. Here's what I said. In the last two thousand years, the most important advance in moral and ethical practice and teaching is forgiveness. Christ embodied that virtue and risked - and lost - his life for it. No other single characteristic has so greatly transformed religion and society. It's the force that says to a criminal: "repent, make amends, and you can return to society." Forgiveness, even more importantly, liberates those who have been trespassed against, allowing them to move past the...

"That would include the willingness to escalate as far as we need to go to topple the regime if necessary." He said that an end to Baathist rule in Damascus could trigger a domino effect that would then bring down the Teheran regime. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the first since he left government, he argued that the United States had to be prepared to attack both Syria and Iran to prevent the spread of Islamic fundamentalism and nuclear proliferation in the Middle East that could result in a much wider war.

Fred needs a Vice President as competent as Dick Cheney, and as healthy as a horse.

It would be a miracle if the French cooperated with the US to save the situation in the Middle East. Here's how it would unfold. 1. Lebanon asks for French help. 2. France assembles a coalition to pacify Lebanon 3. US joins French coalition 4. France invades and cleans out Bekaa Valley 5. Syria provides a cause for war 6. France invades Syria from the South 7. US invades Syria from Iraq 8. Game over

Is there any doubt that the US failure to pursue an aggressive, offensive push against Syria has caused problems in the Middle East? Following a successful defeat of Iraq's military forces, the US failed to follow up victory with an aggressive push against opposition forces in neighboring countries. Had Pitt the elder been in charge as war czar, US armored forces would have driven Assad from power, cleaned out the Bekaa Valley, liberated Lebanon, and gone home. If the President wants to do something audacious, he should find a cause for war with Syria, invade, and get 'er done.

SURGE TROOPS TO LEAVE VIA SYRIA President Bush announced today that US troops would be leaving the area through the Syrian port of Lattakia. US Marines will secure the port of Lattakia in preparation for the arrival of US armored forces. In addition, the US Air Force has instituted a No-Fly zone for all of Syria until further notice. In a tactic reminiscent of Sherman's March to the Sea, US Central Command issued orders for armored forces to marshall in Northern Iraq in preparation for their exit from the theater via Syria. The US Navy is stationing both aircraft carriers...

The cargo was discovered when authorities checked containers on the train, which was attacked by separatist Kurdish guerrillas on May 25 near the town of Genc in southeastern Bingol province, Prosecutor Ismail Sari told reporters Wednesday. The bomb attack derailed seven of the train's cars, Sari said. Authorities were investigating the incident, and would also check cargo on the rest of the train, he said. The Iranian Embassy issued a statement Wednesday denying that the weapons belonged to Iran, and said the allegations were being made "by circles" aiming to disrupt Turkey's close relations with Iran.

If Sarkozy is serious about using French military power, he's got the perfect opportunity in Lebanon. With Lebanese encouragement and backing Sarkozy can introduce a strong French-backed European force of troops, planes, and ships to help resolve the Syrian-caused mess there. With this force, France can clean out the refugee camps. Next, the French-backed forces can clean out the Bekaa Valley. Third, Sarkozy will find a reason to attack Syria directly. Finally, as French forces invade from the south, in a coordinated action US armored forces sweep in from Iraq and march to the Mediterranean. While this is going on,...

The running battles triggered by a raid on suspected bank robbers on Sunday evening already rank as Lebanon’s worst internal violence since the 15-year civil war that ended in 1990. Yet a return to civil war is not the immediate risk faced by the vulnerable Government of the current Prime Minister, Fouad Siniora. Rather, he must confront a sustained effort, backed by Syria and fronted by the al-Qaeda offshoot known as Fatah al-Islam, to reverse the humiliating withdrawal forced on Damascus after the still-unsolved murder of Mr Hariri in 2005.