Free Republic

Professor Stephen Bainbridge is getting a lot of well deserved attention and praise for staring for staring down the academic diversity mafia and throwing its own rhetoric back in its face. Required to submit to what amounts to a loyalty oath to "diversity" in order to qualify for a merit raise at UCLA Law School, he spoke truth to power and discussed his devotion to intellectual diversity — documenting it with footnotes. I take the liberty of reprinting it in its entirety below, taken from his blog, ProfessorBainbridge.com:

Aerial flood maps of Britain are revealing more than just at-risk regions - they have also led to the discovery of several Roman roads. Amateur archaeologists have been able to use the flood-mapping technology to trace the paths of Roman roads which have remained buried under the land for some 1,600 years. The aerial flood maps were created by aircraft equipped with laser scanners which measure the distance between the aircraft and the ground. Using light detection and ranging (Lidar) technology, the Environment Agency was able to detect the areas of Britain which are most at risk of flooding. The...

GARRETTSVILLE, Ohio - Firefighters are battling a massive 3-alarm blaze in the Village of Garrettsville. Flames swept throughout Garrettsville’s historic downtown buildings and businesses on Route 82 (Main Street), just east of the Route 88 intersection, around 1:15 p.m. Saturday. The blaze is not under control, but spreading. Buildings from the 1800's are a total loss. Sources tell NewsChannel 5 that water is being pulled from the Silver Creek River to help battle the massive fire. A person witnessing the blaze said that it feels like the whole downtown portion of the village is on fire. Auburn, Aurora, Bainbridge, Boardman,...

  Cryonics. Neural implants. Designer babies. Welcome to the future of transhumanism. This energetic movement, comprising thousands of adherents, actively promotes the enhancement of humans via cybernetics, genetics, medicine, surgery, nanotechnology, and a full panoply of other scientific advancements. This enhancement would, according to Nick Bostrom's "Transhumanist Declaration," seek to advocate "the moral right for those who wish to do so to extend their mental and physical (including reproductive) capacities and to improve their control over their own lives. [They] seek personal growth beyond [their] current biological limitations" (see www.transhumanism.org).   This may sound like science fiction, but the...

There's an email whipping around the internet, supposedly written by a Navy SEAL who complains that President Obama delayed decisions to deploy the Navy SEALs because he wanted to resolve the hostage standoff with Captain Richard Phillips "peacefully." There's enough background detail in the email to suggest it was in fact written by a SEAL, but several senior military officials who were involved in the direct planning and execution of the mission -- including in consultations with the White House and President Obama -- tell NBC News the claims are bogus.

When duty called and the world was watching the pirate hostage situation unfold, Cmdr. Francis X. Castellano performed his job with honor and distinction. As the commander of the destroyer USS Bainbridge, Castellano was on the front line of the rescue operation that freed Capt. Richard Phillips from the grips of the Somali pirates, who had boarded his merchant ship Maersk-Alabama, and taken him hostage four days earlier. The rescue on Easter Sunday, April 12, involved Navy snipers who killed three of the pirates holding Capt. Phillips on a covered lifeboat after they left the recovered Maersk-Alabama. “We all worked...

Here is a video report about another U.S. Cargo ship, the Liberty Sun, being attacked by Somali Pirates last night who failed to take control of the ship. The USS Bainbridge was in the vicinity and responded to calls for help. The Pirates attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire. The Bainbridge was able to drive the Pirates away and is now escorting the ship. No one was injured. . . . . . (Watch Video)

Somali pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at a US cargo ship yesterday but failed to hijack it. None of the 20 American crewmen on The Liberty Sun was injured in the brazen midday attack in international waters off Somalia, but the vessel sustained unspecified damage, according to its owner, Liberty Maritime of Long Island. "We are under attack by pirates, we are being hit by rockets. Also bullets," crewman Thomas Urbik wrote his mother in an e-mail. "We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no one is hurt. [A] rocket penetrated the bulkhead but the...

Reports indicate that pirates holding American Cargo Ship Captain Richard Phillips hostage, fired on sailors from the USS Bainbridge who had approached the pirates' lifeboat in a small vessel attempting to communicate with them. Having been fired on, the sailors reportedly retreated back to the Bainbridge, not wanting to cause harm to Captain Phillips. This standoff is now in it's fourth day. The pirates are demanding $2 million ransom and safe passage in exchange for Phillips. . . . . . (Watch Video)

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, Bainbridge (DDG 96), will be commissioned Nov. 12 in an 11 a.m. EST ceremony at Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Rep. E. Clay Shaw, 22nd District, state of Florida, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Susan Bainbridge Hay will serve as sponsor of the ship named for her great-great-great-grandfather. In a time-honored Navy tradition, she will give the first order to "man our ship and bring her to life!" The new guided-missile destroyer honors the outstanding and heroic service of Commodore William Bainbridge, who served in the Navy from 1789 to...

Bainbridge Island has done the right thing. Finally. The mayor of the community, six miles west of Seattle, has apologized for the way a U.S. veteran of the Iraq war was treated during a holiday parade there.

Think about the Seattle area -- Bainbridge Island to be exact -- and you think scenic views and liberal-minded tolerance. At least the killer views are still there.The bucolic island's deep reputation for civility got a gut check this week during the annual Grand Old Fourth of July celebration. That's when Jason Gilson, a 23-year-old military veteran who served in Iraq, marched in the local event. He wore his medals with pride and carried a sign that said "Veterans for Bush." Walking the parade route with his mom, younger siblings and politically conservative friends, Jason heard words from the crowd...

Jason Gilson, a 23-year-old military veteran who served in Iraq, marched in the [annual Bainbridge Island, Washington Grand Old Fourth of July parade]. He wore his medals with pride and carried a sign that said "Veterans for Bush." Walking the parade route with his mom, younger siblings and politically conservative friends, Jason heard words from the crowd that felt like a thousand daggers to the heart. "Baby killer!" "Murderer!" "Boooo!"