Free Republic

Vermont may sue to stop tire burn November 6, 2005 By Darren M Allen Staff Writer MONTPELIER — If New York environmental officials choose to disregard Vermont's opposition to plans by International Paper Co. to burn up to 72 tons of shredded tires at its Ticonderoga, N.Y., paper mill for a two-week test, Vermont will likely take the matter to court. Gov. James Douglas and his administration, in cooperation with the Vermont Attorney General's Office, are prepared to exercise every legal avenue at their disposal, the governor's press secretary said last week. "Gov. Douglas has asked the Agency of Administration...

The Sunday Times November 06, 2005 Iraq battle stress worse than WWII MICHAEL SMITH SENIOR army doctors have warned that troops in Iraq are suffering levels of battle stress not experienced since the second world war because of fears that if they shoot an insurgent, they will end up in court. The two senior Royal Army Medical Corps officers, one of whom is a psychologist, have recently returned from Basra, where they said they counselled young soldiers who feared a military police investigation as much as they did the insurgents. The revelations follow the collapse last week of the court...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2005 – The New York Times, one of the country's leading daily newspapers, joined thousands of employers nationwide demonstrating support for the National Guard and Reserve employees here Nov. 3. Guy "Doc" Holliday, vice president for advertising, represented the Times in making an official declaration of support for the reserve components and their role in the nation's defense during a ceremony at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. Holliday, an Army Reserve major who was mobilized for more than a year as part of the war on terror, signed a statement of support for the...

Iraq — There’s a story that has made its rounds here in Iraq. A Blackhawk helicopter is hovering low, running a mission in the Sunni Triangle. Alone in a field there’s a unkempt child of about twelveold. The boy, acting on everything his father has told him, looks up at the chopper with hatred in his eyes, picks up a rock and cocks his arm, ready to throw. But the gunner in the Blackhawk has something in his hand too, and he’s a bit quicker. Whoosh! A soccer ball flies out of the door of the chopper. The boy stands...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2005 – Re-enlistment rates for the Army and Marine Corps are the highest they've been in a long time, specifically in units with high deployment tempos, military leaders told the House Armed Services Committee here today. Testifying at a committee hearing, titled "Your Troops: Their Story," the leaders said that soldiers and Marines re-enlist because they believe in the mission they are performing, and they feel comfortable knowing their families will be taken care of while they are deployed. "Our soldiers know that while they're deployed, while they're forward, they don't have to worry about what's going...

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Nov. 2, 2005) -- Over 200,000 Iraqi people in Al Anbar Province recently made their way to polling sites for Iraq’s Constitutional Referendum. The voters safely made their voices heard without even seeing the forces that were instrumental in making it possible. In response to a request from the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq and the Ministry of Interior, the 2nd Marine Division deployed several election support elements comprised of Marines, Sailors and Soldiers throughout the province. These teams provided behind-the-scenes logistics support and ensured poll workers and material moved unimpeded between polling sites. According to the...

The police chief welcomes visitors to Suq Ash Skuk Police Station. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Suzanne Fournier Station Renovations Support Iraqi Police, Residents Currently, 19 of the 31 (or 61 percent) of the police facility projects planned for the Thi Qar governorate are complete. By Suzanne M. Fournier Gulf Region South U.S. Army Corps of Engineers BASE CAMP ADDER (ALI BASE), Iraq, Nov. 2, 2005 — Completed reconstruction of a police station project in Suq Ash Skukh, Iraq, will serve to support and provide increased protection for both the police assigned to it and the town's...

Liberal media and Democrats are trying to make it appear as if the Republican Party is splintered. Not so. It’s a family. Family has conflict at times. Yet family with a moral base does not split altogether. So it is with the Republicans standing alongside their US President George W. Bush. As The Washington Times’ Donald Lambro and Ralph Z. Hallow report, ". . . conservatives said the family quarrel was over. . ." The quarrel of course focused on Harriet Miers. But now that issue is over and out. On with the family unity. And it is there. There...

Diverted by weather to a deployed base housing both airmen and soldiers, the F-16 pilots had the opportunity to see the troops they support from the air. By U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Paul Dean 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs ALI BASE, Iraq, Oct. 28, 2005 — The sky above Balad Air Base, Iraq, was thick with dust and sand when four F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots completed another mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.They were headed to their deployment “home” in Balad when they were eventually diverted here Oct. 17. "There’s no simulator that can teach you...

A Public Policy Institute of California polls shows none of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's initiatives on the Nov. 8 special election ballot with majority support. The poll also found voters also dissatisfied with the job performance of the governor, the state Legislature and President Bush. All results are from the sampling of likely voters. _ Proposition 73, the parental notification initiative, had support of 42 percent of likely voters but was opposed by 48 percent. _ Proposition 74, the teacher tenure initiative, was supported by 46 percent of likely voters and opposed by 48 percent. _ Proposition 75, the union dues...

On Oct. 16 at an Army airfield in Indiana, Suzette Boler wrapped her arms around her husband and through tears wished him the best. Army Spc. Jerry Boler, 45, was bound for Fort Dix, N.J., and duty in Iraq. He expects to put his life on the line guarding convoys from insurgent attacks. Suzette Boler, of Caledonia, returned home that Sunday night and prepared the next day to return to her receptionist job at a small Caledonia employee benefits firm. She had taken four unpaid days off to see her husband of 22 years off to war. Late Monday afternoon,...

We conservatives are united behind the president to appoint strict constructionists to the court. He has stated that he most admires Justices Scalia and Thomas. We will fight with him to the bitter end to get such nominees confirmed through the Senate. This is a historical once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape the court and start the constitutional restoration process for America! I am proud to stand behind the president in this effort and pledge my full unwavering support to this battle. Never give in, never retreat, never surrender!! God bless President Bush! God bless America!!

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2005 – The U.S. is determined to deny radical groups the support and sanctuary of outlaw regimes like Syria and Iran, President Bush said here today. Speaking to the Joint Armed Forces Officers' Wives Luncheon at Bolling Air Force Base, Bush said that these governments have a long history of collaboration with terrorists and deserve no patience from the victims of terror. "Any government that chooses to be an ally of terror has chosen to be an enemy of civilization," Bush said. "The civilized world must hold those regimes to account." The U.N. Security Council will hear...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2005 – U.S. troops serving in the war against terrorism "all rely on the love and support of their families," President Bush said at a gathering of military spouses at Bolling Air Force Base here today. Military members are deployed worldwide defending "our freedom and our security in the first war of the 21st century," Bush said. American servicemembers are performing dangerous missions in places like Afghanistan and Iraq "with skill and courage and compassion," Bush said. All of America "is proud of the men and women who wear our uniform," Bush said, adding, "And so am...

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia, Oct. 22, 2005 – A group of almost 200 Mongolian Army soldiers got a personal thank you today from U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rumsfeld, who made a stop here during an eight-day trip to China, South Korea and Lithuania, praised Mongolia for its support in the war on terror. "You are a sovereign nation and you made a choice," Rumsfeld told the group, assembled in an auditorium in Mongolia's Government House. "It showed political courage and it showed personal courage on the part of your troops." But that decision, he...

82nd Training Wing Public Affairs 10/19/2005 - SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Heather Wagner watched intently as the dramatic scene played out on her television screen. A Soldier was deploying. And there by the departure gate, his wife and children hugged and kissed their goodbyes as tears cascaded down their faces.  As Heather's gaze drifted from the television to her husband, Tech. Sgt. James Wagner, she could tell the difficulties of saying goodbye on his upcoming deployment weighed heavily on his heart.  "I don't want you to look at this and think this is what we're going to be doing," she said to her husband of seven years.  Despite...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2005 – Jan Packwood was a strong supporter of the Guard and Reserve long before he became president and chief executive officer of IdaCorp and Idaho Power, a commitment that's deepened since he watched several employees and his two sons deploy to Iraq. Packwood, a retired Army Reserve colonel, understands the contribution the reserve components make to national security and the risks members face in the process. He also knows firsthand the difficulties the families they leave behind often face during long deployments, from emotional and financial stresses to problems getting to military medical facilities or doctors...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2005 – Defense officials have lauded Sears, Roebuck and Co. for the many benefits they provide employees who have been called to the colors. The war on terror demands much of reserve-component military personnel. The sacrifices they and their families make are legion. But increasingly, the war is demanding much of reserve-component servicemembers' civilian employers. The National Committee for Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve presented companies that go the extra mile for reservists with the Freedom Award during a ceremony here Oct. 15. The Freedom Awards are the highest given by the organization. A Guard...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2005 – U.S military forces in Iraq are staying on the offensive after completing security operations in support of that country's landmark, Oct. 15 constitutional referendum, officials said. Coalition forces reportedly killed several terrorists in a raid on a terrorist safe house in Karabilah, in western Iraq, on Oct. 16. The raid was part of a large-scale anti-terrorist operation that, apparently, had multiple intelligence sources. The safe house was being used to attack local Iraqi citizens, Iraqi security forces and coalition forces, officials said. When they arrived at the suspected safe house, coalition forces reportedly were engaged...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2005 – Representatives of the nation's top organizations in supporting their Reserve and National Guard employees are here today to meet President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and to receive the 2005 Secretary of Defense Freedom Award. The award, to be presented here during an Oct. 15 ceremony, publicly recognizes employers for exceptional support above what the law requires. The Freedom Award is the highest in a series of Defense Department employer awards that include the Patriot Award, the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Above and Beyond Award, and the Pro Patria Award....