Free Republic

A sentencing date has been set for man accused of slaughtering more than 3,600 birds, including more than 118 protected eagles, during a years-long wildlife trafficking ring out West, new court documents show. Travis John Branson, 48, pleaded guilty in March to charges including conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and trafficking bald and golden eagles, in federal court in Montana. According to a sentencing memorandum filed Tuesday, Branson and his “crew” killed eagles and then sold them across the country for profit on the black market. “It was not uncommon for Branson to take upwards of nine eagles at a time,” prosecutors...

Authorities seized almost 1,200 birds as they broke up an alleged cockfighting ring in western Wisconsin. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals helped authorities remove the birds from four properties in Polk and St. Croix counties. Authorities executed search warrants to seize the birds Tuesday morning. The ASPCA says cockfighting paraphernalia was discovered on the properties, including a fighting pit and gaffs - long, dagger-like attachments used to maximum injury to birds. Tim Rickey, a lead investigator, said, "It's a very lucrative industry, there's a lot of money involved in raising and selling of birds and...

SAQLAWIYAH, Iraq (Nov. 28, 2006) -- Marines from 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment swooped down on unknowing insurgents recently. Marines netted 13 suspected insurgents and rescued two Iraqis held hostage by insurgents. Marines completed a search of a garage complex with the assistance of B Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment and assets assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, which included amphibious assault vehicles, tanks and air support. "There had been reports of insurgent activity in the area, so we went in and searched it," said Cpl. Rodrigo R. Santos, a 26-year-old rifleman from Yonkers, N.Y. "They were suspected of...

No stranger to the use of weapons and diplomacy, former Secretary of State George P. Shultz told an MIT audience that the U.S. must rely on both in its relations with Iraq and North Korea."As the Secretary of State, I was custodian of the Great Seal of the United States, said Shultz, describing the eagle with an olive branch in the talons of one foot and arrows in the other. The eagle is looking at the olive branch, rather than the arrows, to show that the U.S. seeks peace. But it holds on to the arrows to show that the...