Free Republic

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2006 – Many U.S. pilots who patrolled the skies of Iraq after the 1991 Persian Gulf War would later put that experience to use during Operation Iraqi Freedom, an F-16 pilot who flew combat missions over Iraq early in the war said here yesterday. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the then-vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, brief reporters at the Pentagon on Sept. 30, 2002, about the continuing attempts by Iraq to shoot down coalition aircraft patrolling the no-fly zones in the north and south of the...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2006 – Through challenging the status quo and questioning old assumptions, the Defense Department is becoming a more capable force ready to face changing conflicts, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here yesterday. All the military services have made changes in equipment, practice, attitude and culture to make them more relevant to today's battlefield culture, Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon news briefing. "There's a clear awareness that our military must be ready for unforeseen eventualities while incorporating lessons learned from previous and current conflicts," he said. The Navy is a prime example of the benefits of these...

The events in New orleans last week reminded me of an incident a few years ago. There was a restaurant in a mountain resort that kept an eagle in a cage for many years. Patrons would feed the majestic bird, but were left with a feeling that it was wrong to keep the magnificent eagle confined to a cage where it was unable to fly free in the wild. Many called for the restaurant to free the bird and allow it to fly in the open skies the way nature intended. When pressure mounted, the owners relented and decided...

AL ASAD, Iraq - (Aug. 20, 2005) -- As the Black Knights of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 264 return home, HMM-266, the Fighting Griffins, have taken the helm and are supporting the forward deployed 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing in the Al Anbar province. The Fighting Griffins arrived Aug. 10 and has worked side-by-side with their predecessors for the past 10 days. The Black Knights have allowed the Fighting Griffins a chance to familiarize themselves with the region before turning over responsibility Aug. 20. “HMM-264 has been showing us what it takes to provide support for the entire II Marine Expeditionary...

A Chinese military official says Beijing will use nuclear weapons against the U.S. if the Americans attack the Asian nation in a fight over Taiwan. "If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition on to the target zone on China's territory, I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons," Zhu Chenghu, a major general in the People's Liberation Army, said at an official briefing, according to the Financial Times. Speaking at a function organized for foreign journalists, the official noted the definition of China's territory includes warships and aircraft. "If the Americans are determined to interfere [then]...

In a confidential report, Young Muslims and Extremism, prepared jointly by the Home and Foreign offices in mid-2004 and presented to Prime Minister Tony Blair, we learn something about the inner thinking of the British government. Leaked to the Sunday Times of London, the report is now available in four parts in .pdf format at the newspaper's site.Its goal is "to encourage moderate Muslim opinion to the detriment of extremism" and to that end proposes an "Operation Contest." Along the way, it contains much of interest in it, including these points: "A number of extremist groups are actively recruiting young...

CHARTED: Yoko Ono, 71, has the No. 1 single on the dance chart, "Every Man Has A Man Who Loves Him"/"Every Woman Has A Woman Who Loves Her," a mix of techno beats and her somewhat off-key vocals that delivers a message in favor of same-sex unions. "This is a victory not just for me but for all Americans who are against the administration's decision to ban gay marriage," Ono says about the success of the tune, as quoted by the BBC.

SANDWICH, England (Reuters) - American rookie Ben Curtis defied almost every notion of golfing logic to win the British Open Sunday, but in one respect he was the best-prepared player at Royal St George's. The 26-year-old from Ohio, a 300-1 outsider, had played just two rounds of links course golf before the start of the week and was ranked a lowly 396th in the world. But he got in more practice than anyone else by being the first player to arrive at Sandwich, the move paying off as he held on to win the world's oldest championship by a shot....

Army Chief Says Israel Prepared for Iraqi Attack Sun Sep 15, 7:39 AM ET By Megan Goldin JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli army chief Moshe Yaalon said Sunday that Israel was prepared for an attack by Iraq as a conflict with Baghdad loomed after Washington said it would act against Saddam Hussein with or without world support. Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles armed with conventional warheads at Israel during the 1991 U.S.-led Gulf War but Israeli officials fear this time Baghdad could fire non-conventional weapons if it feels the United States is about to oust Saddam. Yaalon said Israel's armed forces...

I WILL NOT FORGET I sat in a movie theater watching "Schindlers' List," and asked myself, "why didn't the Jews fight back?" Now I know why. I sat in a movie theater, watching "Pearl Harbor," and asked myself, "why weren't we prepared?" Now I know why. Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the actions of evil people. On September 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers allowed themselves to be overpowered by a handful of poorly armed terrorists because they did not comprehend the depth of hatred that motivated their captors. On September 11, thousands of innocent people were murdered...

I think this is the White House providing the story to MSNBC and the NBC Evening News.Cable channels higlighting it on the hour, no link yet.