Free Republic

Are the bond markets going mad? It is a question that many investors might ask. For as anxiety has erupted in the eurozone, something striking has occurred with respect to US Treasuries and German Bunds. If you look at the credit derivatives market – the place where investors judge the risk of bond default – government bonds are getting riskier, not just in places such as Greece but in supposed havens such as Germany, too. Two years ago, for example, the credit default spread on a German Bund stood at 40 basis points – meaning that it cost €40,000 to...

Obama didn't wait long after Tuesday's devastating elections to give critics another reason to question his leadership, but this time the subject matter was more grim than a pair of governorships. After news broke out of the shooting at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas, the nation watched in horror as the toll of dead and injured climbed. The White House was notified immediately and by late afternoon, word went out that the president would speak about the incident prior to a previously scheduled appearance. At about 5 p.m., cable stations went to the president. The situation called for...

ELLINGTON FIELD, Texas -- More than 100 tons of relief supplies have left this airfield for hurricane-affected Gulf Coast areas via CH-47 Chinook helicopters since Sept. 24. The airfield, which is the central hub for Texas relief operations, is home to the 147th Fighter Wing and its fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcon jets. Wing leaders asked the 136th Airlift Wing at Fort Worth, Texas, to support operations. The Fort Worth wing’s tanker airlift control element has been controlling the airflow to and from the airfield since it opened the day Hurricane Rita passed. And the 136th Aerial Port Squadron has...