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LODI -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld apparently doesn't know they turn the lights off each night at Lodi's R.E. Services. Rumsfeld recently told disgruntled National Guard troops in Kuwait the reason there isn't more armor on military vehicles in Iraq is because it can't be made fast enough. "There's no capacity is what Rumsfeld said," said Mark Frater, chief executive officer at R.E. Services, which began making lightweight armor for military vehicles earlier this year. "I'm just running one shift. I've got capacity. I could run around the clock if they gave me the orders." Frater's company makes laminated plates...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

LAST NOVEMBER, suicide bombers killed 19 Italians stationed at a military police barracks in Nasiriyah, southern Iraq. It was the largest single-incident loss of life for the Italian military since the Second World War, and the shock and pain that reverberated through the country was palpable. Hundreds of thousands of mourners paid tribute at a memorial service in Rome. President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi cut short a visit to the United States to return home.Inevitably, the tragedy led some Italian politicians to call for the withdrawal of the country's forces from Iraq. The war was never popular with Italians, and such...

Many on the left, most visibly Presidential contender John Kerry, often claim that the "coalition of the willing" is weak and that participation from the international community has been minimal if anything. Opponents of President Bush use such claims in order to discredit the legitimacy of this noble endeavor for freedom. It may not be such a bad idea to look at the state of our coalition, not in an effort to attack President Bush, but rather to conduct a healthy reassessment and critique of the coalition and our allies. Several weeks ago, Michael Rubin returned from the Coalition Provisional...

Four Jordanian men were freed but the fate of three others is unclear The US says all 32 countries in the multinational force in Iraq have agreed not to give in to the demands of hostage-takers. "We are united in our resolve to make no concessions to terrorists," the state department announced. This is a clear message to militants that seizing foreigners to put pressure on governments to withdraw their troops will not work, correspondents say. Six Jordanian and Turkish hostages were released earlier on Wednesday. The US announcement came as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the force...

APRIL 2003 was a great month for those who believed the people of Iraq should be freed from the grip of tyranny, and that if they were it would make the world a safer place. April 2004 has so far been a great month for those who believed they shouldn't, and that it wouldn't. In the former camp are the governments of the US, Britain, Australia, Poland and the other nations who form the coalition of the willing - along with the majority of Iraqis, who still tell pollsters their lives are better now than under Saddam Hussein. In the...

<p>Despite fears that it could promote anti-Semitism, the new film by Mel Gibson "The Passion of the Christ'' may have made Americans less likely to blame Jews for the death of Jesus, according to a new survey.</p> <p>Among those interviewed for a new national poll who had seen or knew about the film, 83 percent said the movie and its surrounding controversy had no effect on the extent they believe contemporary Jews are responsible for the death of Jesus. Only 2 percent said the movie made them more likely to blame Jews, while 9 percent said the movie made them less likely to hold Jews responsible.</p>

LOUDON, N.H. -- Jerry Nadeau may have lost some feeling in the left side of his body, but he hasn't lost his sense of humor. Asked what he's learned about himself since the accident May 2 at Richmond International Raceway that left him with critical injuries, Nadeau said: "I've got a hard head." Later, Nadeau was asked about his vision. "Am I cross-eyed?" Nadeau said. No, he's not cross-eyed, though Nadeau said Friday he feels like he's cross-eyed. That's the by-product of a serious head injury, where your "mind is playing some tricks," Nadeau said. Nadeau was back at a...

Nor deny to any person… The Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision regarding Grutter and Gratz has had the country abuzz for the past week. And while either side of the argument may lay claim to victory, I believe the country has been dealt a significant defeat. The decision, besides striking down the University of Michigan’s undergraduate admissions policy, left much to be desired. The only thing clear when the two cases are viewed side by side is the incoherence of the decisions, particularly when one reads the opinions of Justice O’Connor’s. She apparently desired to be everything to all people;...

Questions unanswered, questions raised By Kimani Jefferson On Monday the Supreme Court did very little to define what role affirmative action ought to play in our society. In the end, the result was mixed. On the one hand, the University of Michigan's undergraduate program was struck down 6-3, ending a policy of equating simply being a minority with a perfect SAT score (and them some). On the other hand, it upheld the university's Law School program, allowing minorities a "plus" status. My opinion is unequivocal, whether it be a "plus" or an outright absurdity, any affirmative action program that uses...

Here is a way to send a message to Prime Minister Tony Blair thanking him for his courageous stand in the matter of Iraq. True, we aren't his constituents, but he might well appreciate a few words of support from a former colony.

"Saddam Hussein, if he doesn't leave the country, will make his final mistake." President Bush (CBS) Thirty nations have joined with the United States in a "coalition of the willing" to bring down Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and another 15 quietly have promised their support, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday. At the same time, Powell said Saddam so far had rejected President Bush's demand that he leave Iraq, but that a number of countries were still trying to persuade the Iraqi president to go into exile. ] "He has essentially dismissed the message," Powell said. Mr. Bush gave...

A big thank you to the members of what the New York Times calls "A motley collection." God Bless 'Em, One And All... Tony Blair Australian PM John Howard Jose Maria Aznar Silvio Berlusconi

Flash 21 News in Japanese today states that US Secretary of State Powell has sent an urgent message of THANKS to both Prime Minister Koizumi and Foreign Minister Kawaguchi of Japan for Japan's statement on 20 February 2003 in STRONG support of the United States on the Iraq issue, vowing to back up the United States if force is eventually required to disarm Saddam Hussein per United Nations disarmament resolutions that have already been passed.Powell is heading to Japan very shortly and will also relay the appreciation of the American people.

Libya 'willing' to pay Lockerbie compensation Libya says it is willing in principle to pay compensation to relatives of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing. But a minister in Colonel Gaddafi's government said it is still considering the amount. African affairs minister Ali al-Treiki said Libya is now considering how to comply with the UN resolution that it accepts responsibility for the bombing. Speaking to the pan-Arab Al Hayat newspaper in New York, al-Treiki said that "as a matter of principle" Libya accepted the idea of compensating victims' families because it was a demand of the UN Security Council. But...