Free Republic

Over the years I have returned repeatedly to the subject of the New York City Housing Authority, or NYCHA. Begun with great optimism prior to World War II, NYCHA expanded rapidly in the 1960s and 70s, until it housed around 500,000 people. The economic model was always pure unmodified socialism — the government owns everything, rents are tied to income (“to each according to his needs”), and any shortfalls in paying costs fall on the taxpayers. But after all, we will save oodles of money because there will be no profits for the evil developers. For a few of my...

EXCLUSIVE: More than two months have passed since women's fencer Stephanie Turner went viral after being punished by USA Fencing for kneeling in protest of a trans opponent. And after nine weeks of immense public and federal scrutiny against USA Fencing in the aftermath of the incident, the organization amended two of its most controversial policies last weekend. The organization's board of directors changed its rule to de-prioritized states with laws deemed "harmful" to the LGBTQ population and a rule that did not guarantee the national anthem be played before every event. Turner reacted to USA Fencing's recent policy changes...

NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House held deeply religious and politically conservative views, telling a congregation in Africa two years ago that the U.S. was in a “bad place” where most churches didn’t oppose abortion. Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was captured late Sunday following a two-day manhunt authorities described as the largest in the state’s history. Boelter is accused of impersonating a police officer and gunning down former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home outside Minneapolis. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz described the shooting as “a...

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimated Monday that it had destroyed one-third of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers in less than four days of fighting, even if Iran was still capable of firing large barrages at Israel. In a statement, IDF Spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said that Israel had destroyed 120 of the regime’s estimated 360 missile launchers across Iran. Though the Israeli government estimates that Iran still has “thousands” of ballistic missiles, it is limited in its ability to use them by the number of launchers, as well as by daylight: the Iranian military prefers not to maneuver when...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel’s “act of force” against Iran and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities when they spoke by phone on Monday, the Kremlin says. “Both sides expressed the most serious concern about the ongoing escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict, which has already led to a large number of casualties and is fraught with serious long-term consequences for the entire region,” a Kremlin statement says. “The leaders spoke in favor of an immediate cessation of hostilities and the settlement of contentious issues, including those related to the Iranian nuclear program, exclusively...

TEHRAN — Any qualified individuals or eager recent college graduates looking for work in the field of nuclear engineering will be happy to know that there are exciting opportunities that have just recently opened up in Iran. Suddenly and without warning, multiple exciting positions in the field of nuclear energy research became available, creating opportunities for experienced engineers to step in and start working immediately. "These vacancies just exploded onto the scene," said one job listing. "All experienced nuclear engineers are encouraged to apply." Some of the job openings posted in the last 48 hours included: Enriched Uranium Inspector: A...

Israel’s precision strikes on Iran aren’t endless war—they’re a rare case of strategic force serving global security without costing American lives or treasure. As a veteran who frequently rails against what I call “useless, endless wars,” I feel a duty to explain my seemingly contradictory position of supporting Israel’s recent kinetic actions in Iran. First, by “useless, endless wars,” I am specifically referring to the expenditure of American blood and/or treasure in a war that ultimately does not serve the national security interests of the USA. Examples: Squandering American lives in a futile and unwinnable effort to transform a medieval...

Donald Trump announced his candidacy on this day in 2015. I admit to not watching it live. As far as I knew he was a celebrity real estate mogul and that was that. I hadn’t watched any of his TV shows. While my family and I were initially Cruzers, we slowly warmed up to the incredibly successful Brooklyn guy who shared our common goals for America. After eight years of the muslim, Donald Trump was the right man at the right time in the nick of time. In fact, we didn’t view the speech until sometime in 2017. No matter,...

The current war between Israel and Iran, rooted in decades of irreconcilable differences, could be a “dry run” for a future conflict between Israel and Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is following a similar path as Iran’s ayatollahs: pursuing a domestic military industry, building a nuclear program under a civilian guise, and acting as a state sponsor of terror by supporting groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

“‘Do not judge so that you will not be judged’” (Matthew 7:1). Believers are not to make unrighteous and unmerciful judgment on others because it manifests a wrong view of God. With the phrase “so that you will not be judged,” Jesus reminds the scribes and Pharisees that they are not the final court. To judge another person’s motives or to stand in the place of condemnation is to play God. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). During the millennial kingdom Christ will share some of that judgment...

Iran bet on bluff and delay—but lost its proxies, deterrence, and leverage, leaving a regime rich in threats but bankrupt in power. Iran apparently had not adjusted to its new 2025 status—or maybe it had. Most of its bought terrorists are currently either destroyed or anemic. There is no more ascendant Iranian “Shia crescent” in the Middle East. Russia is no longer a Middle East power, patron, and protector. The Assad dynasty imploded, flipping Syria from an Iranian proxy into a likely Iranian enemy. Hezbollah, once supposedly the most fearsome of all the Iranian terrorist tentacles, was humiliated and neutered...

16 June 2025Monday of week 11 in Ordinary Time Catholic church St Benno - MunichReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: C(I).First reading2 Corinthians 6:1-10How we prove that we are God's servantsAs his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation. We do nothing that people might object to, so as not to bring discredit on...

Suspected political assassin Vance Luther Boelter was captured Sunday following an intense manhunt for the gunman accused of murdering a Minnesota state lawmaker and wounding another, state officials announced. Boelter, a 57-year-old former appointee of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, was sought by police for allegedly wounding Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, and killing former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband. “After a two-day manhunt and two sleepless nights, law enforcement have apprehended Vance Boelter,” Walz said during a press briefing.

I’ve been shooting for a half century and have spent considerable time and money to get the best training available. Over the years I’ve earned eight instructor’s certifications and developed a high degree of skill. But if one gains a bit of wisdom with age, one realizes two things: (1) there is so very much you don’t know and will never know, and (2) there are always those younger, better looking, bigger, faster, smarter and more capable. I was recently reminded of both. In my youth, I was fortunate to take classes from Chuck Taylor, a man with a well-earned...

“If I can’t build a church in their country, why do they have the right to everything here?” — With that cry, the people of Samora Corrêa took to the streets to reject the construction of an Islamic mosque, warning that Islam brings war, persecution, and the destruction of nations wherever it takes root. On Portugal’s national day—a day meant to celebrate the country’s proud heritage and enduring identity—hundreds of brave citizens in Samora Correia, a peaceful town in the Santarém district, took to the streets not with fanfare, but with a clear and defiant message: No to the mosque....

Democrats insist that Republicans and MAGA supporters are Nazis, but cold, hard facts establish that Democrat values and tactics echo that evil movement. Over the past twenty-five years, both sides of the political spectrum have accused the other of being captive to fascism or its offshoot Nazism. With the Democrat party’s unabashed promotion of riots and violence in America’s cities, ostensibly on behalf of criminal illegal immigrants, and rampant antisemitism, it can no longer be denied that the party is captive to the tenets of fascism and its progenitor, Marxism, and utilizes the tactics the Nazi’s employed to seize and...

Last night on Agenda Free TV, Steve Lookner quoted the Fox News reporter, Trey Yingst, as claiming a significant new development about yesterday’s Iran missile attack would be announced in the next few hours. I’ve looked everywhere I can think of to find out what that might have been. I came up empty. Does anyone know what this was about?

On June 12, a BFI Film on Film Festival audience in London sat down for a familiar favorite, but when the opening crawl announced it was taking them to a “galaxy far, far away,” something different happened. Instead of seeing the title “Episode IV: A New Hope,” the crowd was greeted with simply “Star Wars.” The rare print was the original 1977 cut of the space opera, and BFI’s chief executive stressed it was a “miracle” the print was even screenable. On hand for the rare event was Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who made clear to the audience just how...

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Over the past twenty-five years, both sides of the political spectrum have accused the other of being captive to fascism or its offshoot Nazism. With the Democrat party’s unabashed promotion of riots and violence in America’s cities, ostensibly on behalf of criminal illegal immigrants, and rampant antisemitism, it can no longer be denied that the party is captive to the tenets of fascism and its progenitor, Marxism, and utilizes the tactics the Nazi’s employed to seize and retain power in perpetuity. While there are a number of inescapable and disturbing ways in the which the Democrat party emulates the Nazis,...