Free Republic

Hillary Clinton had endorsed forcing women to register for a draft. Now the issue is taking on new urgency. Despite the left's anti-draft posturing, it has fond memories of its protests during the Vietnam War and it is the biggest supporter of bringing back the draft. Proposals to move to a draft army invariably come from Democrats in Congress and left-wing pundits who believe that a draft will create a higher barrier to any future conflict. Forcing women to register raises the barrier even higher. And anything that makes it harder for the military to function properly is also part...

Mainly because he refuses to really fight. Please note that there is a difference between the confident language of victory and the smug language of triumphalism. Barack Obama’s got the latter down pat. With a smirk on your face and your nose in the air, you remind everyone that you won, and you’re going to do what you want to do - and even if you’re not supposed to do it, who’s going to stop you? We’ve always known he can talk like that. But the language of victory? Sure, you can cite the whole oceans-rising-planet-healing thing, but even there...

29:00 [click on picture then click on red dot to listen]

The leader of Islamic State has declared 'Islam is the religion of fighting' in a rare audio message which called on all Muslims to 'fight for the caliphate'. Islamic State released the message yesterday claiming it was from its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the extremist group executed 26 civilians before reaching the gates of an ancient Syrian city amid fears they could destroy it. The audio message posted on militant websites features a voice that sounds like al-Baghdadi's exhorting all Muslims to take up arms and fight on behalf of the group's self-styled caliphate. In it the leader, who...

RT has two cameras on a split screeen, overlooking Gaza. You can hear the 'crump' of mortars or artillery, and the whine of at least two drones in the air. It is just before the dawn there. You can hear the call to prayer in the background, right now.

A top military commander of Hezbollah, which is helping Syrian troops battle rebels, has died in fighting in Syria, a Lebanese security source said. "Ali Bazzi, a high-ranking Hezbollah military commander, was killed today in a combat zone," said the source on Sunday, without specifying the location. Sources have confirmed the death of Bazzi to Al Jazeera. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported earlier that Hezbollah fighters died Sunday during battles in Nabuk, one of the last rebel-held areas in the Qalamoun region bordering Lebanon. "There is fierce fighting in Nabuk between government forces, backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters,...

A hearing was held this evening, concluding just before 10 p.m., on the attempt of the defense to introduce expert testimony as to text messages regarding fighting found on Trayvon Martin’s cell phone. The judge previously had ruled that such social media evidence could not be mentioned in jury selection or opening statements. A large group of texts and photos were released in late May, but only some of them are at issue now. [video] The judge expressed concern (full embed below) about admissibility on ground of authentication, that the defense could prove that the texts were to and from...

A senior Hizbullah terrorist was among 20 members of the group who were killed in intense fighting in Syria on Sunday, Al Arabiya reports. According to the report, the Hizbullah terrorists were killed in the Syrian town of Qusayr, following clashes between Syrian rebels and regime forces who attempted to enter the town earlier in the day. Sources also told Al Arabiya that dozens of Hizbullah members were wounded during the fight and had been taken to hospitals in Beirut, Lebanon for treatment. .....

European intelligence agencies are worried that European Muslims fighting in Syria will return to carry out terrorist attacks because of their contacts built with al-Qaida, the BBC reported on Wednesday. The UK, Ireland and France are the Western countries believed to have the most fighters in Syria, according to the report, which quotes EU anti-terror chief Gilles de Kerchove as saying that about 500 Muslims from Europe are fighting with the rebels. However, according to Soeren Kern, a senior fellow for the New York-based Gatestone Institute, and a longtime observer of Islam in Europe, more than 1,000 European Muslims are...

Fighting Back: How to fight the radicals who play by the “Rules for Radicals” Here is the complete list from Alinsky. * RULE 1: “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.” Power is derived from 2 main sources – money and people. “Have-Nots” must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which there is a plentiful supply. Government and corporations always have a difficult time appealing to people, and usually do so almost exclusively with economic arguments.)  Rule 1: Radicals are your enemy.  They think you have power over...

Israel was drawn into the Syrian civil war for the first time on Sunday, firing warning shots into the neighboring country after a stray mortar shell from across the border hit an Israeli military post. The Israeli military said the mortar fire caused no injuries or damage at the post in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and then annexed. But in recent weeks, incidents of errant fire from Syria to the north have multiplied, leading Israel to warn that it holds Syria responsible for fire on Israeli-held territory.

Fighting involving armored vehicles broke out on Friday between Jordanian and Syrian troops at a border region that has been used as a passage for refugees fleeing Syria, a Syrian opposition activist who witnessed the incident told Reuters. The fighting occurred in the Tel Shihab-Turra area after a number of Syrian refugees attempted to cross into Jordan, the activist said. A Jordanian source later confirmed that fighting broke out between Jordanian and Syrian forces in the Tel Shehab-Turra border region, but said there appeared to have been no Jordanian deaths. “The Syrian side fired across the border and fighting ensued....

BISMARCK, N.D. -- University of North Dakota teams risk forfeiting any post-season games if their athletes, cheerleaders or band wear or display the school's Fighting Sioux nickname and American Indian head logo, an NCAA official said Wednesday. Bernard Franklin, an NCAA executive vice president, said in a letter to university provost Paul LeBel that the university "must forfeit competition" if "it has not adhered to this requirement" in any post-season games that UND teams have been invited to play in. "We ask that the university take measures to minimize or eliminate the presence of the imagery or nickname brought to...

Spirit Lake Tribal Council representatives announced this morning that legal action has been taken against the NCAA over the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. According to attorney Reed Soderstrom, representing the Committee of Understanding and Respect, and Archie Fool Bear, individually and on behalf of 1,004 petitioners from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the lawsuit against the NCAA was filed in response to their ruling on the nickname and subsequent sanctions. The lawsuit involves 12 counts, including copyright infringement, lack of jurisdiction and “intentional infliction of emotional distress on the Sioux people.”

The White House continued its embrace of the Occupy Wall Street protests on Sunday, using the strongest terms yet to identify President Barack Obama with the growing movement. In a call previewing Obama's upcoming bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama "will continue to acknowledge the frustration that he himself shares," about Washington's laggard response to the financial crisis. Earnest added that while on the trip, Obama will make it clear that he is fighting to make certain that the "interests of 99 percent of Americans are well represented" — the first time...

A fight broke out between two Arab clans, Hebrew-language newspaper Yediot Achronot reported. One person was lightly injured. Four people have been arrested after dozens allegedly scuffled near the Shechem (Damascus) Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem leading into the Muslim Quarter. Police fired shots in the air to break up the fighting.

As part of our ongoing research effort into the smear-campaign conducted against Sodexo, we recently came accross a – sizeable – bit of information that might be of interest to all party in this affair. It so happens that there is an online record of all financial activities at the SEIU. While it would be a laudable step towards transparency if it could be found anywhere else than on a federal website, it does have the merit of telling us a bit more about SEIU than its official communication – for which it spends hefty sums – will let you...

MOGADISHU, Somalia -African Union peacekeepers who launched an offensive seven weeks ago have expanded their control of Mogadishu to around half the Somali capital. They've gotten so close to Islamic insurgents that the soldiers can hear them cock their rifles before counterattacks. But the campaign has come at a dear cost. Officials tell The Associated Press that more than 50 peacekeepers have been killed, along with an unknown number of Somali dead. The casualty rate is so high that the AU has not announced it, saying that is the responsibility of Uganda and Burundi, the two countries that currently contribute...

Although emasculated spiders can no longer be lovers, they are better fighters, a new study says. In many spider species, males have sex using two appendages known as pedipalps. But males will often lose one or both pedipalps during the act—behavior that might seem like a bad idea evolutionarily, since it renders the male sterile. (Related pictures: "'Torture' Phalluses Give Beetles Breeding Boost.") Scientists have proposed that such genital amputation plugs up a female to help ensure that other males don't successfully impregnate her. To learn more about why male spiders become eunuchs, scientists examined the mating behaviors of the...

Greetings from S. Korea! I wrote a article about K21 IFV in my blog. there aren't much explanation about K21 IFV, but lots of pics and videos instead. this is the article: http://shutwho.blogspot.com/2010/03/k21-ifv-aka-nifv.html I spent almost a month to search infos about K21. and if you don't have broadband internet service, I advise you do not click that link. lots of traffic. Regards, S. J. Kim a.k.a blue_shark