Free Republic

Colorado Rep. Mike Coffman says it's time the U.S. took more aggressive action on the seas. He recommends arming merchant ships with military personnel. Coffman says the pirating problem is only going to get worse. "They may be less interested in taking hostages when the situation may be somewhat precarious for them to do so," Coffman said. "I think they are going to be more aggressive in their actions." Coffman says arming American merchant vessels with military personnel is also nothing new. "We did that in World War II, we posted military personnel on U.S.-flagged merchant vessels to provide protection....

State Sen. Steve Ward will join the crowded field running for retiring U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo's seat, he said in a phone interview Friday from Iraq. "I definitely want to be a candidate, certainly," Ward said from Fallujah, where he is serving as a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. "I make no bones about that." The 20-year Marine's candidacy would throw a wrench into Secretary of State Mike Coffman's rationale for leaving his post to seek the office, against his party's wishes. Coffman, who served in the first Gulf War as well as in Iraq last year, has...