Free Republic

I was speaking with Mrs. Hoagy62 this morning about some of the threads I was seeing here on FR. There is a LOT of things being said about defense in the face of tyranny, tactics to be used when going up against tyrannical forces, and general commentary about what one does in certain situations. One of the things that I found a little disturbing is the thought that one should target families of those who may be in the employ of the government/military/police forces on the opposite side of a possible CWII conflict. I refer to the comment on the...

The Egyptian Military just made a publc statement on Egyptian TV and it appears the country is close to another military coup: EGYPTIAN MILITARY SAYS WON'T BE PART OF POLITICS EGYPT MILITARY SAYS NATIONAL SECURITY SUBJECTED TO GRAVE DANGER EGYPTIAN MILITARY SAYS PROTESTS 'UNPRECEDENTED' EGYPTIAN MILITARY SAYS HOMELAND FACING DIRE SITUATION EGYPT'S MILITARY SAYS WILL NOT BE PARTY TO POLITICS OR POWER EGYPT MILITARY SAYS CALLS FOR MEETING THE DEMANDS OF THE PEOPLE EGYPT MILITARY MAY HAVE TO OFFER ROADMAP AFTER 48 HOURS In other words, do as the people want, calm this down now, or we will step in...

Once a year on August 1st, the people of Warsaw pay hommage to the fallen heroes that fought for freedom in 1944 during the Warsaw Uprising. The biggest rebellion against German Nazi occupation during WWII cost over 200 000 lives and destruction of the capital.

He just keeps going.

Reflections on the anniversary of Lexington and Warsaw... By April 19, 1775, the British armed forces had been occupying Boston, Massachusetts for almost seven years. Soldiers demanded room and board from the residents of this religious town, founded over a century before by immigrants seeking a safe and hospitable place to live and work and practice their quiet, respectable, honorable denomination. But the British grew ever more tyrannical in the 1760s, until soldiers were underfoot, on the corner, in the shops, in the Bostonians’ very homes. Their freedom – the liberty their ancestors had braved the dangers of ocean voyage...

Nearly a year after it began, the violence in Syria carries on. Despite tightening international sanctions, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops continue to attack opposition strongholds across the country. As the shelling of the city of Homs continues, fresh offensives have just started in the province of Idlib, where government troops reportedly fired artillery, mortars, and anti-aircraft guns at several towns. Over the weekend, the United States and European and Arab countries held a "friends of Syria" conference in Tunisia to work out a plan to end the violence. Talk of arming the opposition is muted, due to deep divisions...

Terror in Homs: more than 200 killed as Syrian forces fire mortar rounds, tank shells Agence France-Presse BEIRUT - Dazed and shocked residents of the battered Syrian protest hub of Homs emerged from their homes on Saturday after a night of terror to search the rubble for loved ones. Thousands of people flooded the streets of the flashpoint central city to bury more than 200 civilians who were killed in a barrage of mortar rounds and tank shells fired by regime forces, witnesses said. "Nearly 200 martyrs will be buried in Freedom Park," activist Hadi Abdullah of the General Commission...

Food and stability in North Korea Deprive and rule Why does North Korea’s dictatorship remain so entrenched despite causing such hunger and misery? Sep 17th 2011 | SEOUL | IF NOBODY else, at least Kim Jong Il, North Korea’s leader, appears to have found something to fill his belly with during the annual Chuseok harvest festival in North Korea this week. “His face beaming with a smile,” as his propaganda machine put it, he dropped into a shop in Pyongyang selling pancakes stuffed with meat. Outside the capital there are few such treats. Much of the rest of the country...

16,000 police to retake London: PM recalls Parliament as the police lose control of Britain's streets --Prime Minister David Cameron recalls Parliament on Thursday as Government tries to quell uprising --'Unprecedented' 16,000 police on duty in London - compared with just 6,000 last night --Man, 26, shot in Croydon last night dies in hospital England game against Netherlands at Wembley tomorrow called OFF --400% surge in 999 calls on night of violence with 20,800 dialling the emergency services in London --Cost of clean-up expected to run into 'tens of millions' --Metropolitan Police use armoured vehicles to push back 150 rioters...

Al Gore seems to think his opinion matters, but until he comes clean on the way he has fleeced the citizens of the world over GW, he will never ever be taken seriously again. Besides, the money George Soros plays with makes the Koch Brothers look like paupers. As for the non-violent uprising in Egypt by the Arab Spring that he wants to happen against the Tea Party, the part that is happening now is all controlled by the Islamic Brotherhood, which is a violent arm of Islam that is responsible for assassinations and assassination attempts throughout their existence....

"No humanity left in Syria" Syrian troops reportedly entering Deraa, Syria this morning (YouTube) The British government has now advised UK nationals to "get out of Syria while the airlines are still flying" as the utterly ruthless Baathist-military regime seeks to destroy the uprising without a trace of mercy.Over one-hundred civilian protesters were slaughtered on Friday in what appears to have been a turning point for government opponents, as they're quickly ramping-up their demands from simply increased freedom/rights to a complete overthrow and inglorious end to the vile Assad dynasty. Following government snipers' potshots on funeral goers on Saturday -killing...

Taking a cue from Bugs Bunny knocking Hitler in the head with a mallet, YouTube user Egor Zhgun created a short animated piece based on the recent revolts in the Arab world. The short video, entitled 'Three Big Pigs', uses melodies from Walt Disney's The Three Little Pigs and characters from Angry Birds to re-enact the rebellions in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. With the public as the birds in the spoof, the pigs are represented by Tunisian ex-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Egyptian ex-president Hosni Mubarak, and Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi. After outing the former Tunisian and Egyptian leaders,...

JERUSALEM – A Facebook page calling on Palestinians to take up arms against Israel has been removed from the social-networking site after a high-profile Israeli appeal. Entitled "Third Palestinian Intifada," the page had more than 350,000 fans before it was taken down. Facebook didn't comment the removal on Tuesday. Israeli Cabinet Minister Yuli Edelstein said in a letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that the page included calls to kill Jews and for "liberating" Jerusalem through violence.

As the Arab world convulses, much of the American discussion is focused on whom we should help, whom we should help topple, how much it will cost, how will it affect our already-taxed military personnel, and whether our leaders in Washington have any kind of plan for dealing with the changing regimes and allegiances. All valid issues. But a wider view of the changes shows that the ouster of rulers in Tunisia and Egypt, the possible fall of Gadhafi in Libya and Saleh in Yemen, and the upheaval in Bahrain and even Syria, could create a climate for a move...

Here's a question about the Mideast turmoil for future historians: How much did food inflation contribute? We know some basic facts. Middle East countries import 50 percent or more of their wheat, a staple food for many. Beginning in mid-2010, world grain prices exploded. At $8.56 a bushel in February, wheat prices had doubled in eight months. Despite massive subsidies, some higher prices filtered through to consumers. Did that create a tinderbox for protest? "In both Tunisia and Egypt, women in TV interviews screamed about food prices," says Laurie Garrett of the Council on Foreign Relations. "Food inflation was a...

Had another very interesting phone call with an old retired CIA friend/source this evening. He said "All your reporter friends are failing to ask the most important question. 'Who is payinng the rebels in Libya?" Following the direction of the old truths. "No bucks, no Buck Rogers" and "Follow the money and you follow the crime;" I asked myself, who is paying these guys? Forget about ammunition and other items that can be "liberated." Who is providing their food? Who is feeding the families? Who is providing all the other hugely expensive things life amd war demands? The list of...

"War looks over but for the mass executions  and the climb-down by EU leadership..." As has become typical, Barack Obama's endorsement was the kiss of death... this time for Libyan rebels most thought would  be overrunning Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli by now.  Seems serial ineptitude emanating from both US and EU 'leadership' quickly extinguished any hope the opposition initially held of conquering this vile regime. And with zero effective aid to the rebels from Obama and the lily-livered Europeans, what was "Gaddafi must step-down" supposed to mean without any consequences to back it up... when he then predictably told them to shove...

March 3, 2011 Libya’s Hidden Wealth May Be Next Battle By LANDON THOMAS Jr. LONDON — As the battle for Libya rages on, the struggle over control of the country’s sovereign wealth fund and its $70 billion in assets has just begun. With a sizable pot of ready cash and stakes in a few elite European companies — including the British publisher Pearson and the Italian soccer club Juventus — the fund served as an emphatic calling card for its founder, Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, a son of the Libyan ruler who was once regarded as the reformer in the family....

Kim Jong-il Makes 1st Appearance in Days North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reappeared in public on Sunday after vanishing from view since Feb. 17. Until then he had undertaken 27 of his so-called on-the-spot guidance trips this year, one every 1.92 days on average. Observers believe the dictator hunkered down due to the Jasmine Revolutions in the Middle East, which unseated leaders who like him had had an iron grip on power for decades. Kim was seen again at a concert by an orchestra of the People's Internal Security Forces, escorted by his son and heir Jong-un. The forces are...

China says media must 'cooperate' after clampdown by Marianne Barriaux Tue Mar 1, 3:35 am ET BEIJING (AFP) – China on Tuesday told journalists they must "cooperate" with police and respect the country's laws, after several foreign reporters were roughed up in a crackdown on calls for anti-government protests. Beijing has launched a massive security clampdown in response to the calls inspired by the "Jasmine revolution" in Tunisia which sparked a wave of unrest against authoritarian regimes in the Arab world. US and EU diplomats in China as well as media groups have condemned the tough police handling of some...