Free Republic

It already appears, that there must be in every society of men superiors and inferiors, because God has laid in the constitution and course of nature the foundations of the distinction. -- John Adams (Thoughts on Government, 1776). Reference: The Works of John Adams, Charles Adams, ed., 427.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (March 2, 2006) -- A LaCygne, Kan. native was awarded the nation’s fourth highest distinction given for valor and meritorious service during a ceremony here March 1. Brig. Gen. Joseph J. McMenamin, 2nd Marine Division’s assistant commander, presented the Bronze Star Medal to Sgt. Maj. Ricky D. James, citing James’ superior leadership during his unit’s deployment to Iraq from January through June 2005. The 43-year-old James served as the senior enlisted man for 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment as they conducted six months worth of counterinsurgency operations in and around Fallujah. The unit arrived...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2005 – The U.S. is determined to deny radical groups the support and sanctuary of outlaw regimes like Syria and Iran, President Bush said here today. Speaking to the Joint Armed Forces Officers' Wives Luncheon at Bolling Air Force Base, Bush said that these governments have a long history of collaboration with terrorists and deserve no patience from the victims of terror. "Any government that chooses to be an ally of terror has chosen to be an enemy of civilization," Bush said. "The civilized world must hold those regimes to account." The U.N. Security Council will hear...

Senators, Representatives, honored guests, veterans. Welcome to the 2005 Veteran’s Awareness Day, sponsored by the Oklahoma Veteran’s Council. Thank you for allowing us this time to address you and speak of veteran’s issues in the State. I often am accused of being rather inflammatory in my speech. As an old Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant I have a tendency to be rather blunt and straightforward when I speak on issues I feel strongly about. So if I seem like a bull in a china closet, let me apologize in advance. I realize this time is valuable and limited so I will...

On November 8, 2004, a U.S. federal judge ruled that the Bush administration had improperly ignored the Geneva Conventions in establishing military commissions to try detainees at the Guantánamo Bay U.S. naval base as war criminals. Ted Lapkin's timely article delves into the complexities of the Geneva Conventions, and how much they should apply to the war on terrorism. —The Editors. From Manhattan to Mindanao, Islamist zealots draw no distinction between combatants and non-combatants. Jihadists target women, children, and the elderly without even the pretence of discrimination. In June 2004, an Al-Qaeda affiliated group distributed a video proudly documenting...