Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 - The Defense Department, which controls 28 million acres of land across the nation that it uses for combat exercises and weapons testing, has been moving on a variety of fronts to reduce requirements that it safeguard the environment on that land. In Congress, the Pentagon has won exemptions in the last two years from parts of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It has sought in recent years to exempt military activities, for three years, from compliance with parts of the Clean Air Act. Also, the Pentagon, which controls about 140 of...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.In recent years Puerto Rico received much publicity as its islanders insisted on ending more than 60 years of U.S. Navy bombing on Vieques. For many, these often-confrontational efforts have hurt the U.S. territory's relationship with the United States, exposing the existence of a volatile bond between the two. National Geographic magazine fell victim to the U.S. -- Puerto Rico drama in reporting on this phenomenon as the Navy prepares to withdraw from Vieques island in May. In its March issue, the feature True Colors: Divided Loyalties in Puerto Rico generated great...