Free Republic

A Soviet-era plane that crashed in Russia’s Far East was nearly 50 years old and had recently had its lifespan extended by another decade, highlighting the country’s continued use of ageing passenger jets. The smoldering wreckage of the Angara Airlines An-24 airplane was found on Thursday in the remote Amur region, which borders China. Estimates of the number of people on board vary, but around 49 people, including crew members, are believed to have died. Officials, who have begun a criminal investigation into the circumstances of the disaster, said there were no survivors. The incident has laid bare Russia’s dependency...

The official Washington line on Vladimir Putin’s military action is as follows: It is a mistake, demonstrating Russian weakness, sure to get the Russian military stuck in a “quagmire,” according to President Obama. Josh Earnest, the president’s press secretary, took that observation one further, comparing Putin’s policies to those of the Bush administration (the sickest of White House burns) by arguing the Russians “will not succeed in imposing a military solution” just as the U.S. did not succeed in imposing one in Iraq. Adopting the characteristic snark of his boss, at a later press conference Earnest assessed Putin not to...

Their dreams of the Iron Bowl turned into a reality behind iron bars. What were supposed to be coveted tickets to the 2011 Alabama-Auburn football matchup turned out to be a trip to jail for at least a dozen deadbeat parents arrested Friday by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office as part of operation Iron Snare. One by one, suspects who were wanted by authorities for a total of more than $270,000 worth of unpaid child support were arrested after arriving at a festive, football-themed location on Second Avenue in Opelika, complete with balloons, streamers and highlights of the 2010 Iron...