Free Republic

As the geography narrows before us, it is important to remember the stakes and avoid the distractions. As a consequence, the baseline must be reaffirmed. It is critical to understand that both the DNC and RNC are private corporations with no affiliation to government. It is a difficult shift in thinking, but the party system in U.S. politics revolves around two distinct private corporations – two clubs that feed from the same corporate trough and position for influence and affluence within a political dynamic they control. The priority for both clubs, Republican and Democrat, is NOT politically or culturally ideological....

Finance ministers from the G7 group of leading economies are confident of striking a deal on taxing multinational companies at their meeting in London. The agreement is expected to include a global minimum rate of corporation tax. It would target tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft. German finance minister Olaf Scholz said the deal would "change the world". He said a 15% rate would help pay back debts that have built up during the pandemic - and that he was "absolutely confident" there would be an agreement. "If we agree on the minimum taxation for corporates, this will help...

The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate ReleaseNovember 16, 2016 Presidential Memorandum -- Eligibility of the Multinational Force and Observers to Receive Defense Articles and Defense Services MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE SUBJECT: Eligibility of the Multinational Force and Observers to Receive Defense Articles and Defense Services Under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 503(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and section 3(a)(1) of the Arms Export Control...

Whom did I picture yesterday when I heard that Budweiser will change its name to “America” on 12-ounce can and bottle labels from May 23 through Election Day? Donald Trump. The presidential candidate’s retrograde call to “make America great again” has gouged such a repetitive stress wound in my head that he’s all I can envision when anyone invokes the name of our nation. I believe that with the “America” rebrand, Anheuser-Busch InBev may be banking on this subliminal connection. The marketing campaign is coding in the same language of Trump’s Great America themes – a smart move considering how...

YOU probably haven’t heard of the BEPS project — but you soon will. Short for Base Erosion and Profit Shifting, the BEPS Project is the focus of a rapidly moving effort by the Group of 20 countries to create a new set of international tax principles designed to better capture tax revenue from multinational companies like Apple, Google and Starbucks. The Obama administration signed on to the BEPS Project in the expectation that it would strengthen the American tax base and enable Washington to hold on to more corporate tax revenues. But as the project heads for its end-of-year...

The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended protection for multinational companies from lawsuits in the United States over conduct that took place in other countries. The justices threw out a case in California that sought damages from Daimler AG for its alleged complicity in atrocities committed in Argentina’s 1976-to-1983 “Dirty War.” The company manufactures Mercedes-Benz automobiles and has a subsidiary, Mercedes-Benz USA, that does business in California and other states. But Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing for a unanimous court, said those connections were too tenuous to mean the company could be sued in U.S. courts. Ginsburg said that under the...

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran will target NATO's missile defense installations in Turkey if the U.S. or Israel attacks the Islamic Republic, a senior commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saturday. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guards' aerospace division, said the warning is part of a new defense strategy to counter what he described as an increase in threats from the U.S. and Israel.

A senior Foreign Office official says British government ministers have been told to expect Israeli military action in the wake of the UN watchdog report "as early as Christmas or very early in the new year," the London Daily Mail reported. The ministers were told that Israel would strike Iran's nuclear sites "sooner rather than later" – with "logistical support" from the US. According to the British paper, which has good military and intelligence ties in London, President Barack Obama would "have to support the Israelis or risk losing Jewish-American support in the next presidential election." The bigger concern is...

Iranians who are able to flee their country are doing so, fearing an Israeli attack, Voice of Israel state radio reported Sunday. Iranian business people who hold dual citizenship with passports from European nations are allegedly leaving in droves. They apparently fear that Israel is preparing to attack Iran's nuclear facilities to eliminate President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's oft-repeated threat to annihilate the Jewish State. In a radio interview, a Palestinian Authority business owner with strong ties in Iran reported that many Iranians fear a “major attack” by Israel that would cause “terrible damage,” especially in Tehran. The source had returned to...

Global Economy? 23 Facts Which Prove That Globalism Is Pushing The Standard Of Living Of The Middle Class Down To Third World Levels From now on, whenever you hear the term "the global economy" you should immediately equate it with the destruction of the U.S. middle class. Over the past several decades, the American economy has been slowly but surely merged into the emerging one world economic system. Unfortunately for the middle class, much of the rest of the world does not have the same minimum wage laws and worker protections that we do. Therefore, the massive global corporations that...

Former Swiss banker Rudolf Elmer on Monday gave WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange data on about 2,000 clients that he contends may have evaded taxes, published reports said. At a press conference in London, Elmer told reporters about 40 politicians and “pillars of society” were among the individuals he gave Assange information on, the reports said. Elmer told The Observer newspaper during the weekend that the individuals named in the data include “business people, politicians, people who have made their living in the arts and multinational conglomerates — from both sides of the Atlantic.” Elmer once headed the Cayman Islands office...

MANAMA, Bahrain, Jan. 8, 2009 – A new multinational task force is focusing solely on counter-piracy operations in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, the commander of the combined maritime forces in the region said. The force created the Maritime Security Patrol Area in the Gulf of Aden in August to support international efforts to combat piracy. Coalition efforts included Combined Task Force 150, which conducted maritime security operations -- such as the deterrence of drug smuggling and weapons trafficking. "Some navies in our coalition did not have the authority to conduct...

12/12/2008 - DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) -- More than 850 ground recovery forces and 51 aircraft from the Department of Defense and numerous other countries kicked off a personnel recovery and combat search and rescue exercise Dec. 8 here. The two week-long Angel Thunder 2008 exercise allows U.S. and international military forces and numerous national, multinational and interagency personnel recovery assets to train through the full spectrum of personnel recovery capabilities -- preparation, planning, execution and adaptation. "Angel Thunder is a very unique program, built by the combat search and rescue community from the grass roots level, that...

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, Nov. 15, 2006 -- Under the clear, morning skies of a promising new day in Baghdad, the 1st Cavalry Division took the reins for Multinational Division Baghdad from the 4th Infantry Division during a transfer of authority ceremony here today. Army Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil Jr., left, commanding general of 1st Cavalry Division; Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, center, commanding general of Multinational Corps Iraq; and Army Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman, commanding general of 4th Infantry Division, salute the American flag during the national anthem at a transfer of authority ceremony at Camp...

BAGHDAD — Coalition forces reiterated their commitment to the Iraqi security forces and the Government of Iraq on Monday, pledging to stand by them as they face the complex challenges inherent in building and protecting a new democracy. During a joint press conference, representatives of the Iraqi government and the multi-national Coalition discussed ongoing efforts to secure peace and prosperity throughout the country. Brig. Gen. Qassim Mousawi, spokesman for the general commander of the Iraqi Armed Forces, discussed the strength of Iraqi forces and the positive trend in the number of Iraqis who have volunteered to serve their country. “The...

Britain offers more troops for Afghanistan if allies refuse Mark Townsend, defence correspondent Sunday September 10, 2006 The Observer (UK) More British troops and helicopters are on standby for deployment to Afghanistan, a highly controversial development that will compound unease over UK operations in the increasingly volatile Helmand province. If other members of the Nato alliance refuse to supply the reinforcements of soldiers and equipment demanded by its military chief, Whitehall sources have conceded for the first time that extra UK troops will make up the shortfall. Despite concerns that the British army is being stretched too far, The Observer...

Hundreds more troops are needed to beat Taliban, warns Nato chief By Richard Westmacott in Kabul (Filed: 08/09/2006) Nato's senior military commander yesterday called for hundreds of reinforcements to combat the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, where he said fighting was reaching a "decisive moment". 35 British troops have died since 4,500 began arriving earlier this year US Gen James Jones said that the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, British Lt Gen David Richards, needed more troops soon. "We have to give the commander additional insurance in terms of some forces that can be there, perhaps temporarily, to make sure...

<p>Australia will boost its military force in Iraq by an extra 38 personnel and 4 Bushmaster troop carrying vehicles, Defense Minister Brendan Nelson said Monday.</p> <p>Nelson announced the extra troops in Canberra after returning from visiting Australian troops in Iraq and Afghanistan from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2.</p>

The Dutch defence ministry has confirmed that a Dutch F-16 fighter plane has crashed in Afghanistan, killing the 29-year-old pilot. It is thought the crash was an accident and not the result of hostile fire as the jet was flying at high altitude when it came down. The crash occurred in the province of Ghazni, which is directly north of Uruzgan province, where the Dutch mission in Afghanistan is based. A US rescue team has recovered the body and wreckage, and a Dutch team is investigating the incident.

NATO soldier, 3 coalition soldiers killed in Afghanistan Last Updated Fri, 11 Aug 2006 15:14:57 EDT CBC News A NATO soldier and three coalition soldiers were killed Friday in separate incidents in Afghanistan on Friday. There was no immediate information on the nationality of the soldiers. The NATO soldier was killed when a suicide bomber slammed into a military convoy, a NATO spokesman said. The attack happened on a highway in the southern part of Kandahar province, said Maj. Vincent Tassel, a NATO spokesman. A man claiming to be a Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the blast. Battle with extremists...