Free Republic

Red China on the March The People’s Republic moves onto Grenada. By Steven W. Mosher In January 2005, Grenada established diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China, breaking off its longstanding relationship with Taiwan in the process. The sudden move followed a hotly contested election in which the ruling party won by the smallest of margins. The PRC has opened a substantial embassy in the tiny island nation — Ambassador Shen Hongshun and entourage arrived in April — and is rebuilding, at considerable expense, the national soccer stadium that was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. Other aid...

This is one of those rare moments when it might be better if I were not a former Marine. Don't misunderstand me, I'm incredibly proud of my prior service as one of America's "few good men." But I'm afraid I may now come across as being somewhat less-than objective when I attempt to blast Navy fawning James F. Dunnigan out of the water (no pun intended). Here's why: Last month, Dunnigan, acclaimed author and the editor in chief of Strategy Page, wrote a piece, "Why the U.S. Navy Is Creating a New Marine Corps," in which he said, "the toughest...

Nothing tougher than an American Marine By W. Thomas Smith Jr. This is one of those rare moments when it might be better if I were not a former Marine. Don't misunderstand me, I'm incredibly proud of my prior service as one of America's "few good men." But I'm afraid I may now come across as being somewhat less-than objective when I attempt to blast Navy fawning James F. Dunnigan out of the water (no pun intended). Here's why: Last month, Dunnigan, acclaimed author and the editor in chief of Strategy Page, wrote a piece, "Why the U.S. Navy Is...

This early summer is the 230th anniversary of when American Colonists and British soldiers clashed outside Boston and began the American Revolution in 1775. On June 14 that same year the Continental Congress officially recognized the armed New England farmers and militiamen that had spontaneously gathered at Cambridge, Mass., as a Continental Army and named George Washington its commander. On this day every year, soldiers around the world commemorate June 14 as the birthday of the United States Army, and remember when Gen. Washington established its standards of honor, discipline and professionalism. These traits have carried the Army through the...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

John Kerry continues to invoke the name of Ronald Reagan when criticizing what he calls George W. Bush's "go it alone" use of force. Kerry's decision to name-drop Reagan is curious, especially in light of an event that happened nearly two decades ago this week. On October 25, 1983, some 5,000 U.S. troops stormed the Caribbean island of Grenada, where renegade Marxists murdered Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. A violent Marxist military council trained by Cuba put itself in charge, shot and jailed Bishop's supporters, enacted martial law, and imposed a shoot-on-sight, 24-hour curfew that threatened everyone living on the...

BUSH'S US$50M BAILOUT Grenada, Jamaica, Haiti on rescue list Thursday, September 30th 2004 Victims in hurricane-ravaged islands such as Grenada, Jamaica and Haiti may soon have something to smile about, if a request from US President George Bush for $50 million to aid in international disaster and famine relief is granted by the US Congress. In a press release yesterday, the United States Embassy said the funds for the Caribbean formed part of a $7.1 billion supplemental budget request to assist US and international regions which were heavily damaged this hurricane season. So far, the United States has provided US$3.8...

ZCZC MIATCPAT4 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE IVAN ADVISORY NUMBER 25 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 11 AM AST WED SEP 08 2004 ...Dangerous Hurricane Ivan heading for the central Caribbean Sea... A hurricane warning remains in effect for Aruba...Bonaire...and Curacao. A hurricane watch and a Tropical Storm Warning remain in effect for The Guarjira Peninsula of Columbia...and for the entire Northern Coast of Venezuela. At 11 AM AST...1500z...the Government of Haiti has issued a Hurricane Watch for the entire Southwest peninsula of Haiti from the border of the Dominican Republic Westward...including Port Au Prince. A Tropical Storm...

HAVANA -- A former political prisoner whose case was highlighted by President Bush urged Cuba's government Friday to hold a referendum on whether to change the communist island's political system. In a 10-page report called "The Cuba We Want," Leonardo Bruzon Avila and fellow dissident Carlos Rios Otero called for the referendum and laid out a plan for Cuba's transition to a multiparty, democratic system and free-market economy. The report was delivered Friday to the offices of Cuban Justice Minister Roberto Diaz Sotolongo. There was no public reaction by the President Fidel Castro's government to the recommendations. The proposal echoed...

Constantine Menges was one of the champions of freedom and an "unsung hero of the Cold War," former director of Voice of America Robert Reilly told NewsMax.com. Reilly, who served with Dr. Menges during the Reagan administration, remembered fondly his colleague and friend who passed away Sunday. "He played some very key roles in the liberation of Grenada and the policy in Central America and the defeat of the Sandinistas and the Communists in El Salvador," Reilly recounted. "He had a very keen strategic sense, a very powerful and analytical ability which together allowed him to predict a great deal...

Published Wednesday, June 16, 2004 Grenada Parliament Honors Ronald Reagan By LOREN BROWN Associated Press Writer ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada Grenada's Parliament held a special session Wednesday to honor Ronald Reagan for ordering the 1983 U.S. invasion that followed a bloody coup on the Caribbean island. Prime Minister Keith Mitchell was among the legislators lauding the former president, who died June 5 at age 93. Lawmakers approved a motion saying Reagan played a significant role in restoring peace and democracy. The Caribbean island became a point of contention in the Cold War after Maurice Bishop led a bloodless coup and installed...

Was Reagan the 1st neoconservative? Posted: June 14, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 Creators Syndicate, Inc. Would Ronald Reagan have invaded Iraq? Would he have declared a doctrine of preventive war to keep any rival nation from rising to where it might challenge us? Would he have crusaded for "world democratic revolution"? Was Reagan the first neoconservative? This claim has been entered in the wake of his death. Yet, it seems bogus, a patent forgery, a fabricated claim to the Reagan legacy, worked up in the same shop where they made the documents proving Saddam was buying up all...

U.S. News & World Report November 7, 1983 Why the Surprise Move in Grenada-and What Next? The U.S. has foiled Cuban plans to turn the tiny nation into a Marxist puppet. The task now: Bring back democracy. POINT SALINES, Grenada In the most dramatic move of his Presidency, Ronald Reagan sent in the Marines and Army to pluck to safety hundreds of Americans from this troubled island and to halt Cuban-Soviet advances in the hemisphere. The invasion ends the Cuban presence on Grenada and takes out of commission a controversial airfield that the U.S. believed would have allowed Havana and...

New forensic evidence on the bombings has raised an uncomfortable question for Spaniards. Is Osama bin Laden dreaming of exacting revenge for the loss of Al-Andalus, the ancient Moorish kingdom in Iberia? A group close to bin Laden's al-Qa'eda network, the Brigade of Abu Hafs al-Masri, sent a message to a London-based Arabic newspaper explaining the reasons for attacking Spain. "This is part of settling old accounts with Spain, the crusader and America's ally in its war against Islam," the statement said. While the authentiticy of the message is open to doubt, there is no question that it reflects the...

Misguided Mission It's clear that the president's brain is occupied by the neoconservatives who surround him. It's clear from their writings and policy statements that the neoconservatives believe the United States can become the dominant power on Earth. This is a bad judgment that is dangerous and could become lethal. This is why thoughtful people believe it is imperative to defeat George Bush in the 2004 elections. This wrongheaded policy, cooked up by academics and journalists, is not one that will merely embarrass the United States. It is a wrongheaded policy that could have dire consequences for the American people....

It was 20 years ago this week, on October 25, 1983, that US armed forces stormed onto the small Caribbean island nation of Grenada, toppling its radical Marxist government and securing the lives of hundreds of American medical students who were based there. Though the operation was mocked at the time by various observers, and provided late-night television hosts with plenty of fodder for their comedy routines, the Grenada campaign in fact proved to be a turning point in the Cold War. It marked the first time since Vietnam that Washington had been willing to employ military force to roll...

An Islamic conference in the Spanish city of Granada has called on Muslims around the world to help bring about the end of the capitalist system. The call came at a conference titled 'Islam in Europe' attended by about 2,000 Muslims. Earlier this week Granada saw the first official opening of a mosque in Spain for more than 500 years. The keynote speaker at the conference was Umar Ibrahim Vadillo, leader of the worldwide Muslim group known as Murabitun. The group is strongly opposed to capitalism. Mr Vadillo said America's economic interests had become the religion of the world and...

TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) - U.S. soldiers raided a dozen buildings in Saddam Hussein's home town Friday, killing one Iraqi and detaining about 20. U.S. officials also announced the capture in Baghdad of one of Saddam's most trusted aides. The aide, Mizban Khadr Hadi, was a member of Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council and had been an adviser to Saddam since the early 1980s. Captured Thursday, Hadi was ranked No. 41 on the U.S. most-wanted list of 55 regime leaders. Even with U.S. President George W. Bush declaring an end to "major combat operations," the raid in Tikrit was the latest of...

I paid attention at the time to the invasion of Grenada --- Urgent Fury. For those who didn't or were too young, here is what happened. At dawn, on October 25, 1983, US Marines, Army Rangers, Navy SEAL commandos and elements of the 82nd Airborne Division invaded Grenada, a member of the British Commonwealth. The announced mission of the American suprise attack, in which troops from a number of Caribbean nations took part, was to ensure the safety of some 1,000 Americans, whose presence on Grenada (most were medical students) was considered endangered by the new marxist military government that...

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood...