Free Republic

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan—The U.S. scrambled to step up contacts with the new government of Kyrgyzstan on Sunday as the deposed president of the strategically important Central Asian nation, now taking refuge in the south, remained steadfast in his refusal to resign. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke by phone with the head of the government over the weekend and dispatched a top aide, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake, to visit the Kyrgyz capital. Washington's ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, returned to the country ahead of schedule Sunday and issued a statement saying she would...

  Story by Pfc. Roy MerconCombined Joint Task Force - 82PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The scene was a spectacle for the children: Afghan commandos – the same ones in their comics and coloring books – came to their village, Lagmani Kuna in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, in Afghan helicopters in a precise and organized fashion, March 18. For most of these kids, this was the first time they had ever seen a helicopter up close, but not the first time they had seen soldiers. They knew what the arrival of soldiers meant – they were getting some presents today. The...

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2007 – Coalition military officials in Iraq are hoping to reach out to younger, broader audiences by posting clips of servicemembers in action on a popular video-sharing Web site. Clips of combat and support operations have been posted to the YouTube Web site in an effort to inform Americans of the successes of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers in Iraq, Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said during a phone interview today. “How do we reach out to those in mid-town America who don’t know someone serving here? How do they find out what’s...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's New Year's budget promises California a happy, handsome future with $222 billion in public works projects. But it is weak on just how that future will be delivered, and whether he is prepared to listen to his legislative partners - even if it means changing his position. We all know the state desperately needs new infrastructure investment for schools, highways, rail lines, urban parks and recreational facilities, port improvements and levees. We also know that after four dismal years, our state's economy is finally improving, producing record profits and enhanced tax receipts and other revenues. Schwarzenegger's 10-year...

<p>A sign at the Placer County Democratic Party booth was printed in Spanish inviting people to register to vote, but none of the volunteers spoke Spanish and all the voter registration cards were printed in English.</p> <p>The booth at the Hispanic Heritage Festival in Roseville attracted few people compared to the one a few feet away belonging to the Republicans.</p>