A humanitarian group, No Greater Love, conducted a national survey, asking children why our nation celebrates Memorial Day. Sadly, as the results were tallied, most children thought it was just a long weekend of barbecues and parties. Some children were excited because many swimming pools would now be open for the hot summer days ahead.

All of those crosses mean more than picnics and parties.

As an American, I’ve always been free because of what our nation was willing to do….

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. John F. Kennedy

As an American, I’ve never seen a real battle, but for many, they’ll never forget the ones they fought of their comrades who died fighting. FULL POST

The United States Supreme Court Building

In 1803, the United States Supreme Court issued its opinion in Marbury v. Madison that established the doctrine of judicial review. This is the doctrine that enables the courts to determine whether the actions of the other two branches (most commonly the actions of Congress) are consistent with the U.S. Constitution. The doctrine has not been without criticism, but has been an accepted part of the American system for the past 200 years. It is this doctrine that makes the two cases dealing with the redefinition of marriage (Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor) the two most important cases in American history.

There is a long list of important U.S. Supreme Court cases. The Court’s opinions have shaped the system, the culture, and the society in which we live in ways that are often far-reaching and complex. Opinions have two critical aspects. First, the holding is the way in which the controversy before the Court is resolved—the holding identifies the winner and the loser. Second, the reasoning is the way in which the Court reached its conclusion about who the winner and the loser should be. Almost always the reasoning is much more important and has many unintended consequences for future generations and it is not uncommon to see cases in which the Court has declared the right winner and the right loser, but have stumbled upon this in a way that future havoc is inevitable. It is quite probable that the no matter the holding, Hollingsworth and Windsor will prove to be complete disasters for this nation. FULL POST

"Those promoting the agenda to change what the Boy Scouts have always been won't rest until there is complete acceptance of any sexual preference for both leaders and members. With its decision today, BSA has rejected its freedom to promote and practice the values that have served to shape our nation's boys into leaders for the last century." - David Cortman, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel

FULL STORY: Boy Scouts Decision to Accept Any Sexual Orientation a Rejection of Values, Says Christian Law Group

This opinion column originally appeared on townhall.com on 5/22/2013.

Author: Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Michael Norton

Guilty as charged. That was a Philadelphia jury’s verdict against abortionist Kermit Gosnell for multiple murders of babies in his Pennsylvania abortion facility. The jury also convicted Gosnell of hundreds of lesser criminal offenses. To avoid the death penalty, Gosnell agreed to serve the rest of his life in prison. This sordid chapter in the battle for the life on the unborn child is now over.

Virtually everyone who observed, participated in, or reported on the Gosnell trial was struck by Gosnell’s unspeakable acts—acts recounted by witnesses under oath during the trial. Those horrors were the most gruesome, but not the only “horrors” from this case.

Read full column.

By Paul Rondeau

Just as the IRS, Benghazi, and Associated Press scandals seem to be spinning beyond the control of the White House, there is yet another revelation: Fox News Channel reporter James Rosen was named as a criminal co-conspirator by the FBI in 2009. Rosen, who is Fox News’ chief Washington correspondent, had published a story about North Korea that year.

One can only wonder if the timing of this latest revelation is a warning shot to news media outlets that finally seem interested in providing some substantive coverage of these scandals. But no one should wonder whether the IRS targeting of conservative groups was merely a “rogue” operation.

As the Daily Caller reports, “[M]any prominent Democrats — including Montana Sen. Max Baucus, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and the New York Times editorial board — had been publicly calling for tighter restrictions on 501(c)(4) groups affiliated with the [T]ea [P]arty and conservatives. FULL POST