Free Republic

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (June 28, 2006) -- When many people think of a field hospital, often scenes from the popular sitcom “M.A.S.H.” come to mind. For the sailors of Bravo Surgical Co., 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, a field hospital is serious business. “We are setting up an mock (Surgical/Shock Trauma Platoon) you would see set up as a quick reaction force,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Michael D. Whaley, the lead petty officer for Bravo Surgical Co. “This SSTP can provide everything from surgical to basic care and ancillary services such as X-ray and...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - State officials are desperately looking for ways to pay for spending programs they introduced during the economic bubble of the 1990s that have proven unaffordable in the current slow-growth era. States increased taxes by $9.1 billion in 2002 alone. Besides attempting to raise every tax imaginable, most states are aggressively lobbying on behalf of the "Streamlined Sales Tax Proposal" to tax every sale made over the Internet. The slick campaign - led in Washington by the National Governors' Association and National Conference of State Legislators - might lead a casual observer to believe that allowing states to...