Free Republic

A crowd of about 40 protesters fed up with illegal drug use in their Alaska village gathered along the Galena airport runway on Wednesday and presented a choice to a suspected methamphetamine dealer who had just landed, residents said... A village resident chosen as a spokesperson climbed aboard and discreetly delivered the message: Stay in the village and have every move scrutinized. Or, leave town and we’ll cover your ticket home. The woman chose option two, and never left the plane. It marked a victory for an Interior village trying to keep out drugs, but with few options for doing...

As the crisis in Hong Kong deepens, many Americans are asking: Should the United States intervene and stand by Hong Kong protesters? How can the United States effectively intervene without committing its military and resources to another long, expensive, and futile nation-building effort?Before answering these questions, we should establish several key understandings about Hong Kong. Since the 1997 handover, Beijing exercises sovereignty over Hong Kong. But Hong Kong is different from every other Chinese city. “The One Country, Two Systems” agreement signed by both the U.K. and China when the former stopped ruling Hong Kong stated that while China...

It can be argued that Kurdistan’s regional government (KRG) was ill advised to hold a referendum last week on creating an independent state. It may be the case that Masoud Barzani, veteran leader of the Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq, is a foolish dreamer whose desire to bequeath a personal legacy has trumped common sense. It is conceivable that, had Barzani backed down, the government in Baghdad would have abandoned decades of hostility to Kurdish aspirations and entered into good-faith negotiations. This is the Middle East, after all. Anything is possible.

Sounds like the very definition of elitism. The elites in Washington DC, most of whom have never set foot in Nevada (outside a casino), controlling what the local citizens can or cannot do on the land within their state boundaries? This is not the way America was intended to be governed. Ever heard of local control? Self-government? States rights? To many of us out here in the West, pursuit of happiness means ranching, farming, logging, mining, drilling, hunting, fishing, or just living in and enjoying God's great outdoors. It's un-American and unconstitutional for unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats in Washington DC to...

Peacefully grant the State of Georgia to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government. As the founding fathers of the United States of America made clear in the Declaration of Independence in 1776: "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they...

On the eve of his first trip to the United States as Egypt’s new Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi said the United States needed to fundamentally change its approach to the Arab world, showing greater respect for its values and helping build a Palestinian state, if it hoped to overcome decades of pent-up anger. In a 90-minute interview with The New York Times on Saturday, Morsi said it was up to Washington to repair relations with the Arab world and to revitalize the alliance with Egypt, long a cornerstone of regional stability. If Washington is asking Egypt to honor its treaty...

BAGHDAD — The historic Ibn Sina Hospital will return to Iraqi Government control this fall. In accordance with the Iraq Security Agreement, U.S. forces are scheduled to return the facility to the Iraqis, October 1. Currently operated by the U.S. Army’s 10th Combat Support Hospital (CSH), the staff will continue to provide quality healthcare for all patients throughout the next two months of transition. Col. Raphael De Jesus, 10th CSH Commander, wants to reassure servicemembers and civilians that they need not worry about care. "The mission of the 10th CSH is sustaining,” says De Jesus. “Our ability to provide excellent...

Democracy -- or rule by majority vote -- is a genuine political good. So is republicanism -- or rule by legitimate representatives. Both have considerable social and economic value to the individual and the nation. Similarly, autonomy and self-rule are governmental goods and values which a given society finds very much worth having. And it's even worth while for that civilization to enjoy non-violation of their national soverignty and non-interference in their internal affairs by non-citizens. But none of these political goods and values are anywhere near as important as freedom. In the life of the person and his nation,...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, June 30, 2009 – In accordance with Article 5 of the security agreement between the U.S. and Iraqi governments, Iraqi security forces now have full ownership of security in their cities, towns and villages. Army Capt. Rich Turvey, commander of 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, signs over Joint Security Station Salaam to Iraqi army 1st Lt. Jassim Abbas at a transfer ceremony near Numaniyah, Iraq, June 20, 2009. In accordance with the U.S.-Iraqi security agreement, Iraqi security forces took full ownership of security in their cities, towns and villages on June 30, 2009. U.S....

For once the loud explosions piercing the Baghdad night are the sounds of celebration rather than violence and bloodshed, as a new national holiday is announced to mark US troops leaving Iraq's towns and cities.

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2009 – As the security agreement deadline looms, U.S. and Iraqi forces celebrated the transition of security in Iraq’s cities from coalition to Iraqi control and commemorated the transfer of a combat outpost and security station. Sameer Al-Haddad, receivership secretariat and representative to the prime minister, and Army Capt. Timothy Stephenson commemorate the signing over of Joint Security Station Aziziyah to the Iraqi army in Wasit province, Iraq, June 23, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Allison Churchill  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The U.S.-Iraq security agreement calls for the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from...

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2009 – The withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from all Iraqi cities and towns was completed over the weekend and ahead of tomorrow’s deadline, a Pentagon spokesman said on a cable TV news show today. “Overall, the security situation is stable enough for Iraqi security forces to take on this added responsibility,” Geoff Morrell said on CNN’s “Newsroom.” “It’s one that they want, and it’s one that the commanders on the ground feel they are capable of taking on. “It has to be OK because there’s a legal agreement, which forces us to abide by these timelines,”...

BAGHDAD – Iraqi forces assumed formal control of Baghdad and other cities Tuesday after American troops handed over security in urban areas in a defining step toward ending the U.S. combat role in the country. A countdown clock broadcast on Iraqi TV ticked to zero as the midnight deadline passed for U.S. combat troops to finish their pullback to bases outside cities. "The withdrawal of American troops is completed now from all cities after everything they sacrificed for the sake of security," said Sadiq al-Rikabi, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "We are now celebrating the restoration of...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. troops pulled out of Baghdad on Monday, triggering jubilation among Iraqis hopeful that foreign military occupation is ending six years after the invasion to depose Saddam Hussein. Iraqi soldiers paraded through the streets in their American-made vehicles draped with Iraqi flags and flowers, chanting, dancing and calling the pullout a "victory." One drove a motorcycle with party streamers on it; another, a Humvee with a garland of plastic roses on the grill. U.S. combat troops must pull out of Iraq's urban centers by midnight on Tuesday under a bilateral security pact that also requires all troops...

Lt. Col. Timothy Karcher, commander, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, presents Sameer al Haddad, a representative from the Office of the Prime Minister of Iraq, a symbolic key signifying the transfer of responsibility of Joint Security Station Sadr City in northeast Baghdad during the official ceremony, June 20. Photo by Sgt. Shejal Pulivarti, 1st Cavalry Division. BAGHDAD — A common sense of triumph and accomplishment drifted in the air during a ceremony in northeast Baghdad’s Sadr City district June 20, as U.S. Soldiers returned Joint Security Station (JSS) Sadr City to the Iraqi Army (IA), in accordance with the U.S.-Iraq...

An Iraqi Soldier hoists the Iraqi flag during a transfer of authority ceremony to signify the opening of the Balad Joint Coordination Center, which was previously Forward Operating Base Paliwoda, June 15. Photo by Spc. Jazz Burney, 25th Infantry Division. TIKRIT — U.S. Soldiers lowered the American flag and Iraqi Soldiers raised the Iraqi flag to signify the reclassification of Forward Operating Base Paliwoda into the Iraqi-led Balad Joint Coordination Center during a ceremony near Balad, June 15. The Balad JCC combines Iraqi Army and Police coordination elements, along with civilian emergency response functions together in one center. A small...

BASRAH — British forces handed over a former Coalition headquarters to Iraqi officials during a ceremony at the Basrah International Airport Hotel here, June 15. The handover of the hotel is part of the ongoing withdrawal of British forces from Iraq in accordance with the United Kingdom's security agreement with the Iraqi government. "Military and civilian personnel, both Iraqi and Coalition, have worked within the hotel to achieve the conditions that have allowed us to celebrate many days just like this – the return of functions and facilities to the Basrawis," said Group Captain Richard Hill, deputy commander of British...

Capt. Adam Ropelewski, commander, Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, signs over control of Joint Security Station Mutanabe to Capt. 'Ali Abdual Zaharra Hussain, 4th Company, 3rd Battalion, 32nd Iraqi Army Brigade, at a transfer ceremony, May 28. Photo by Sgt. Joe Thompson, Multi-National Division-South. FOB DELTA — U.S. forces handed over the responsibility of Joint Security Station Mutanabe in the Wasit province to the Iraqi Army (IA) in a ceremony here, May 28. Capt. Adam Ropelewski, commander of Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Fires Brigade, signed over the JSS to Capt. Ali Abdual...

After bashing the Iraq War from Great Britain to Turkey Barack Obama further insulted the troops today by telling them that now was the time to start transferring sovereignty to the Iraqis. Iraqi Aswat Aliraq News reported: “The coming 18 months may pose a danger to Iraq, and the time has come to transfer ‘sovereignty’ to Iraqis to run their own affairs,” Obama said. What was completely missed by Obama was that 13 of 18 provinces are already completely under Iraqi control.

Abu Ghraib prison is reopening under Iraqi control(video). Abu Ghraib prison is reopening under Iraqi control. The prison was closed in 2006. It was handed over to the Iraqis and never used in any significant way until now. Abu Ghraib will now be called the "Baghdad Central Prison". We can all sleep well knowing the Iraqis treat their prisoners in a more humane manner than the Americans did. If you believe that, you have stopped drinking the Cool-aid and started eating the powder straight from the package.