[…] More than two centuries ago, bold and courageous visionaries pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor in signing the Declaration of Independence. Guided by ancient and eternal truths, our forefathers proclaimed to the world that liberty was the natural right of all mankind and in doing so began one of the greatest chapters in human history. On the Fourth of July, our country commemorates the great achievements of these heroes and reaffirms its unwavering confidence in the power of freedom.

[…] The ultimate arbiter of whether a state law or local ordinance adheres to the standards established in the Constitution, the supreme law of the land, is the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that the Second Amendment, part of the 10-amendment Bill of Rights adopted shortly after the Constitution itself, guarantees the right of individual U.S. citizens to possess and use firearms for traditionally lawful purposes. “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” the amendment states.

[…] Good morning. Next week I'm going to travel to Japan for the eighth and final G8 summit of my presidency.
At recent summits, G8 countries have made pledges to help developing nations address challenges, from health care to education, to corruption.
Now we need to show the world that the G8 can be accountable for its promises and deliver results. As I said the other day, we need people who not only make promises, but write checks, for the sake of human rights and human dignity, and for the sake of peace.

[…] Agence France Presse (AFP) reports the state broadcasting system offers only pro-government news and the regime is restricting access to other sources. On June 24, AFP said Mugabe supporters forced Zimbabweans to remove their television satellite dishes and the government imposed import duties on foreign newspapers, making them prohibitively expensive. “We are starved of entertainment and we need real news … not the dreary ZBC,” AFP quoted one resident as saying.

[…] As the Six-Party Talks approach a new phase, stepped up diplomatic engagement will be key to realizing a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula and improved regional security, said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a June 29 press conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing. “We, I believe, stand at the threshold of turning an area that has been a source of conflict into a source of cooperation.”

[…] To begin with, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Madame Secretary once again. Shortly after Secretary Rice arrived in China, she went to the quake-hit area in Sichuan and met the affected people in the area. She also had cordial exchanges with the affected people in Sichuan and visited a project using assistance from the United States.

[…] The United States has no illusions about the regime in Pyongyang. We remain deeply concerned about North Korea's human rights abuses, uranium enrichment activities, nuclear testing and proliferation, ballistic missile programs, and the threat it continues to pose to South Korea and its neighbors. Yet we welcome today's development as one step in the multi-step process laid out by the six-party talks between North Korea, China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States.

[…] President Bush welcomed North Korea’s delivery of information about its past nuclear activities and announced the United States will lift key trade sanctions and remove Pyongyang from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. “This can be a moment of opportunity for North Korea,” Bush said at a June 26 White House news briefing. “If North Korea continues to make the right choices, it can repair its relationship with the international community, much as Libya has done over the past few years.”

[…] He, as Italian Contingent Commander, guided 70 units among officials of the Italian Army and of Carabinieri Corp in the NATO Training Mission-Iraq Headquarter, at Camp Dublin Base and at Ar Rustamiyah Academy Base.
At the last All Hands update, General Pompegnani was publicised that he has been awarded the NATO Meritorious Service Medal issued by the NATO International Military Staff.
The medal will be delivered to him in the next few weeks for the great achievements during his appointment for NATO in Baghdad, Iraq.

[…] Security and the rule of law represent the foundations of any successful state, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, citing $242.3 million in total new aid pledged to revamp the Palestinian justice system, which is an essential ingredient in the Middle East peace process. “To feel invested in a future state, Palestinians must have confidence that their police, courts and penal system are dedicated to upholding the rule of law and respecting human rights,”

[…] I would like to begin by saying that I was deeply saddened to hear that Peter Mackler died. And he, of course, was with us on a number of trips, a truly good guy. And – yes, he was, and a great journalist. And I think, really, did a great service in organizing the foreign service – the foreign correspondence for the State Department.

[…] The conference brought together internationally known experts who discussed the challenges faced by the United States and Italy and cooperation strategies for today’s world.

[…] The United States and China have signed a framework for cooperation on energy and environmental issues and will launch negotiations on an investment treaty, says U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Paulson and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan completed two days of meetings at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, June 18, and signed a 10-year Energy and Environment Cooperation Framework.

[…] In order to seek a comprehensive, long-term and proper solution of the Iranian nuclear issue consistent with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and building further upon the proposal presented to Iran in June 2006, which remains on the table, the elements below are proposed as topics for negotiations between China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, joined by the High Representative of the European Union

[…] The Pew Research Center on Thursday issued its new Global Attitudes survey, and there's some good news. "America's image has improved over the past year in many countries," says Pew. For 16 of the 20 countries that were polled both this year and last, U.S. favorability ratings are up. There were increases in five of the six majority-Muslim nations surveyed. In many cases, however, the numbers are still very disturbing.

[…] Individuals detained as illegal combatants in the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have a constitutional right to challenge their detention, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 12. The 5-4 decision in the case of Boumediene v. Bush was hailed by many within and outside the United States as a reaffirmation of U.S. legal values and a demonstration of the United States’ commitment to rule of law.

[…] As the Marshall Plan brought new hope to the people of postwar Europe, a new generation on both sides of the Atlantic must now come together to support others seeking the peace and prosperity that democracy can bring, says President Bush. “Europe and America must stand with reformers and democratic leaders and millions of ordinary people across the Middle East who seek a future of hope and liberty and peace,” Bush said in a June 13 speech at the Paris headquarters of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

[…] When President Bush touched down in Slovenia June 9 for his last major visit to Europe, he set foot on a continent that has reinvented itself. From the devastation and division of World War II to the thriving European Union of today, Europe has experienced a renewal that has roots 60 years ago in the American Marshall Plan. On April 3, 1948, U.S. President Harry Truman signed the Economic Recovery Act of 1948, which became known as the Marshall Plan after a speech given at Harvard University by Secretary of State George Marshall.

[…] The President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Europe from June 9 to June 16, 2008, to strengthen the trans-Atlantic partnership and to celebrate the enduring friendship between our nations based on shared democratic values. The President and Mrs. Bush's visit will also commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and the Berlin Airlift, underscoring the historic and continuing U.S. role in supporting a Europe increasingly whole, free, and at peace.