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Join The Signers Of The Declaration Of Independence

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:19:34 -0700

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At the Bottom of this post there is a link that will lead you to a page where
you can sign your name to the Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence

[Adopted in Congress 4 July 1776]

The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy of the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levey war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

Join the signers of the Declaration of Independence
Sign your name to the Declaration of Independence

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The Declaration of Independence

nobody@vox.com(Humbled Infidel) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:12:42 -0700

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2/24 Motor T delivers; keeps ground combat element in the fight

nobody@vox.com(fearless1stmarines) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:28:45 -0700

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HABBANIYAH, Iraq (July 1, 2008) – Working from sunrise to sunset, repairing damaged vehicles and delivering essential supplies to the infantry companies is the name of the game for Motor Transportation (Motor-T) Marines in Iraq.

Marines with Combat Trains 1 and 2 of 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, have driven more than 9,000 miles during their five months in Iraq, helping to keep the battalion in the fight.

“We travel to about 20 different locations to re-supply the (infantrymen) with supplies that they need,” said 1st Lt. Nathan J. Loomis, the Motor-T officer-in-charge. “We deliver anything from fuel, water, food, supplies, repair parts… whatever the unit needs, we take it to them”

With infantry units relying more heavily on mobile patrols, Motor-T’s job has become even more important in accomplishing the battalion’s mission.

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“The (infantrymen) aren’t going on as many foot patrols as they have before, so if we weren’t there to fix-up the trucks, they wouldn’t be able to complete their mission as proficiently,” said Cpl. Anthony J. Kim, a 26-year-old maintenance shop chief from Chicago. “If they have a (vehicle) problem, we fix it. We are basically their mobility.”

Although the combat train’s have been in and out of Camp Habbaniyah several times per week during their first five months in Iraq, only one incident has occurred in the near 100 trips on the road, but the Marines stay alert and are confident they have the proper training if something were to happen again.

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“Because of the training we’ve (completed), if something were to happen, we would know exactly what to do,” said Lance Cpl. Brent C. Glays, a MK-19 gunner with Combat Train 2.

With their Iraq tour nearing the end, the Marines are excited about returning home, but are determined to finish out their deployment strong and go home knowing their mission in Iraq was accomplished and they brought everyone they came to Iraq with back home safely.

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"From the Frontline" Episode 5 on Youtube

nobody@vox.com(fearless1stmarines) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:22:34 -0700

This edition features stories on Police Transition Team 8 performing security patrols, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment Golf Company performing personal security, and 937th Engineer Company 5th Platoon performing a route clearance.

From The Frontline - July 1, Part 1

From The Frontline - July 1, Part 2

From The Frontline - July 1, Part 3

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Marines in Southern Afghanistan - Tour of Duty Extended for 30 Days

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:23:07 -0700

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some 2,200 U.S. Marines battling insurgents in southern Afghanistan have had their tour of duty extended by 30 days, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The move comes amid U.S. concern about rising violence in Afghanistan from Taliban Islamist militants and other groups. The Marines' departure date was shifted from October into November, officials said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the decision at the request of Army Gen. David McKiernan, commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Read the whole report here.

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Cheers - United States Independence Day

nobody@vox.com(Humbled Infidel) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:07:19 -0700

Happy Independence Day!

July 3, 2008

TMLC Friends and Supporters:

From Lexington and Valley Forge, to Iraq and Afghanistan, our soldiers have fought for Freedom and in defense our Nation. The Fourth of July is a time to remember the sacrifices of all our fighting men and women.

However, I want to take this time to especially remember the sacrifices made by LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, USMC, who served three tours of duty in Iraq, and is now being persecuted by the government he so loyally served and condemned by the press whose constitutional rights he fought to preserve.

I also want to remember the sacrifices of Captain Michael Martino, USMC, and Major Gerald Bloomfield, USMC, who died in defense of their country. Now the ACLU has filed a lawsuit to prevent their families from memorializing their sacrifices at the foot of the Mt Soledad Cross, a nationally recognized veterans’ memorial.

Marine chaplain Father Dennis Edward O’Brien eloquently spoke to both the courage and the irony in the role that our soldiers play in protecting our great nation:

It is the Soldier

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.

By: Father Dennis Edward O’Brien, United States Marine Corps

This is a time to pray for our Country and all our fighting men and women in harms way.

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday as we celebrate our Nation’s freedom.

May God continue to bless America.

Richard Thompson
Thomas More Law Center

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to receive emails from www.thomasmore.org. If you wish to unsubscribe, click here.

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Update on Helmand Province

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:00:53 -0700

Troops in Afghanistan Kill, Detain Enemy Fighters
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:38:00 -0500

Troops in Afghanistan Kill, Detain Enemy Fighters

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 3, 2008 - Coalition forces in Afghanistan killed several enemy fighters and detained eight others in recent days, military officials said.

Yesterday in Afghanistan:

-- An Afghan noncombatant was killed and several were wounded when a militant mortar attack directed at a coalition base in Konar province missed and struck near a group of local citizens. The militants, 300 meters inside Pakistan, repeatedly fired mortars at a coalition base and missed, officials said. Coalition forces returned artillery fire, and the militants retreated, officials added.

-- Three Taliban militants were detained in Ghazni province, where coalition forces were targeting a Taliban militant in the area.

-- Coalition forces detained five militants while targeting a senior Taliban leader and homemade-bomb facilitator in Helmand province. During the search, forces discovered assault rifles and a cache of opium. The weapons and drugs were destroyed to prevent possible militant use.

In an operation June 30, several militants were killed during a reconnaissance patrol by Afghan national security forces and coalition forces in the Maywand district of Kandahar province. The militants attacked the patrol using rockets. The militants were pursued and were later killed with precision air strikes, officials said.

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 101 news releases.)

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Global Warming - A Political Science

nobody@vox.com(Truths In History) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:07:45 -0700

Posted on Youtube by LibertyPen

Global Warming. How much is science -- how much is politics?
A variety of viewpoints from both believers and skeptics
of catastrophic man-made global warming.

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Fire destroys post; Marines persevere

nobody@vox.com(fearless1stmarines) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:05:57 -0700

By Cpl. Chris Lyttle

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FALLUJAH, Iraq (July 1, 2008) – Marines with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat team 1 and Iraqi firemen with the Fallujah Fire Department teamed up to battle a fire that destroyed structures at Entry Control Point-5 (ECP-5) June 25.

The ECP controls traffic and safeguards entryways into the city of Fallujah.

No one was injured and the cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is suspected to have started from a faulty light fixture, said 1st Lt. Travis Bowden, the company’s executive officer, who was on duty as the watch officer when a Marine alerted him that one of the wooden structures at the ECP was engulfed in flames.

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“I contacted the battalion and they called the Fallujah Fire Department,” Bowden said. “They got on deck and started using their water trucks and everything they had.”

Marines said although the Iraqi firemen responded incredibly fast, nearly seven huts were already burning when they arrived. The first firemen to arrive fought the blaze with water cannons until they ran empty and Marines used every extinguisher available on post.

“The (Iraqi firemen) had maybe three or four trucks doing runs for about two hours trying to get all the water they had on the fire,” Bowden said. “Both Marines and the firefighters were on the hoses trying to get the flames down. Once that first hut went up (in flames), it was too much for any number of fire extinguishers to handle,” Bowden said.

Gunnery Sgt. Jason Armistead, Company L gunnery sergeant, described how quickly the fire took over every structure while he and others attempted to fight it.

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“We got about twenty fire extinguishers and (the fire) just kept spreading too fast,” Armistead said. “So then we grabbed some axes. About seven or eight of us were trying to chop down the side of a hooch (wooden hut) trying to keep it away from the other ones. The fire kept jumping from hooch to hooch and it was starting to go around us.”

At that point, Armistead told the Marines to get all of their personal gear from each hut that they could salvage, but because of the fire’s rapid growth, few items were saved.

Lance Cpl. Kyle Van Beekom, a heavy equipment operator with Combat Engineers Battalion, attached to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, without regard for his own safety, drove a forklift to the fire, and removed gasoline-fueled generators, a 200-gallon gas tank and moved the wooden buildings away from the flames to prevent it from spreading.

“The hooch we were trying to take an axe to; he (Beekom) rammed it about four or five times,” Armistead said. “He drove the (forklift) completely into the fire, trying to keep it pushed back and he kept the fire from jumping. Of course all of the hooches burned down, but that enabled us to get more gear out.”

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More than 90 Marines lost everything they owned, including personal possessions and issued equipment. The company immediately adjusted to logistical setbacks, living arrangements and daily operations continued seamlessly, Bowden said.

Although the fire created a setback for the Marines, there was a silver lining- the generosity from Iraqis and stateside supporters.

Bowden said in this case, the assistance role was reversed. After the fire, Iraqis helped clear the debris with dump trucks and others came to offer building materials. A nearby ice factory owner delivered ice and food to the Marines.

“It’s definitely different,” Bowden said. “It just shows a lot of progress we’ve made in helping them out so much that they’re willing to reciprocate that now. They’re lending us a hand when we’re down and out so that we can recover.”

Bowden added that stateside supporters have been in constant contact with the battalion, inquiring how to help the Marines.

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“Stateside (support) has been extraordinary,” Bowden said. “I don’t know how many emails and letters we’ve received. It’s just an outpouring of everyone trying to give a little bit. It has been overwhelming.”

Armistead described how the company is adjusting in the aftermath.

“Collectively, we all know it’s a bad situation, but no one’s complaining,” Armistead said. “We’re just doing what we need to do to continue on with the mission. We’re just accepting the fact that we’ve got to live on. The battalion is doing a good job of getting the military gear back that we lost. The response from the other units around us and the people back home has just been unreal. They gave us necessities so we could get by.”

Bowden added that the Marines are enduring the loss and looking ahead.

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“It has been tough on the Marines, but at the same time, it’s showing us how to be flexible,” Bowden said. “The good thing is that we were able keep up with operations we already had in place. We still accomplished everything that was planned before and we’re still right on track and moving forward. I just think the Marines did really well by being flexible and adaptable. They’re taking the situation, as bad as it is, and continuing on with (Iraq’s reconstruction) effort.”

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Senator Inhofe Wishes Oklahomans a Happy 4th of July And Thanks Our Troops

nobody@vox.com(Humbled Infidel) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:56:36 -0700

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Senator Jim Inhofe Praises Our Troops

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