Free Republic

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The Town of Huntsville will be applying to the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP) to fund a large-scale mock disaster in 2009." ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Hernen explained that typically a JEPP application involves a 50/50 spending commitment between the program and the municipality or organization making the application. However, in light of the upcoming 2010 G8 Summit being held at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Hernen said, “they’re willing to look at a different funding formula for us,” and that the town would be applying for a grant to cover 100 per cent of the cost."

HUNTSVILLE, ONT. — ARTICLE SNIPPET: "On Friday, Aug. 8, a vehicle pulled into the Pow Wow parking lot and discharged six men, all dressed in what the locals would call "city clothes" - including dark slacks and leather-soled dress shoes. Without bothering to check with the office, they went down to the beach and began taking photographs of each other, each time with Deerhurst - including the cupola that rides over the main building - in the background." ARTICLE SNIPPET: "These six English-speaking men appeared to be of Middle-Eastern origin. But what really set them apart was their complete unfamiliarity...

Pentagon Makes Fighting Extremism Top Priority Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Pentagon on Thursday officially named "the long war" against global extremism as its top priority and pledged to avert any conventional military threat from China or Russia through dialogue. The Defense Department, in a new national defense strategy, also emphasized the need to subordinate military operations to "soft power" initiatives to undermine Islamist militancy by promoting economic, political and social development in vulnerable corners of the world. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he hoped the change would help establish permanent institutional support for counterinsurgency skills...