Free Republic

Ofir Gendelman, the Arabic-language spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office, gave a statement today in which he emphasized that "the war could be over today." He gave two conditions for ending the war: the release of the hostages and the surrender and disbanding of Hamas. "If Hamas continues to fight, the residents of Gaza must know that it does not care for them," Gendelman stated. "Hamas prefers not to free the hostages instead of pursuing the best interests of the residents of Gaza." He also stated that IDF forces had begun their operations in the south of the Gaza Strip....

A boatful of illegal migrants invaded the elite playground of Malibu, California, where the average home sells for a jaw-dropping price of $3.4 million. ABC7.com reported the landing, which delivered roughly 25 illegal migrants into California: MALIBU, Calif. (KABC) — Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are investigating a panga boat that sunk off the Malibu coast on Wednesday. The U.S. Coast Guard got a call around 7:30 a.m. regarding the 25-foot-long vessel, which is often a type of boat used by human and drug smugglers. Authorities found a debris field with life jackets and gas cans, but...

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) -Florida Fish and Wildlife officers have arrested a Collier County man for five misdemeanor charges related to violations against endangered or threatened species. Officials say the incident occurred on Jan 9, on Marco Island. Officers say Renardo Stewart accelerated and ran a golf cart through a flock of black skimmers resting on the beach. Marco Island Police Department detained Stewart and he admitted to driving the golf cart through the flock of birds. The black skimmer is protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is also protected as State Threatened by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened...

Ok here it is, We are planning a Texas Trip next late summer(Early Sept) and my wife wants to go to a beach, what are the best Texas Beaches?

NANTUCKET, Mass. (AP) — Nantucket is a step closer to allowing anyone who chooses regardless of gender to go topless on the Massachusetts resort island’s beaches. The Gender Equality on Beaches bylaw amendment passed 327-242 at Tuesday night’s annual town meeting, according to published reports. The measure is not a done deal. It still requires approval from the state attorney general’s office. The bylaw was proposed by seventh-generation Nantucket resident Dorothy Stover and reads in part: “In order to promote equality for all persons, any person shall be allowed to be topless on any public or private beach” in town....

A proposal to tackle homelessness in Los Angeles with temporary homeless encampments at government-owned parks and beachfront lots is prompting fierce blowback from residents — who fear it’ll turn public spaces into hotbeds for crime without addressing the underlining issues causing homelessness.The plan put forth by Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin seeks to allow homeless people to pitch tents and receive social services at family-friendly outdoor spaces across the Westside — including Westchester Park, Mar Vista Park, Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey and Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades.The proposal, slated for a City Council vote later...

Variant COVID-19 infections skyrocketed following spring break in Florida and there have been more than 10,000 variant cases reported throughout the state, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported based on data from the Florida Department of Health. A total of 753 variant cases from three strains -- the B.1.1.7, the P.1, and the B. 1.3.5.1. -- were reported on March 14, according to variant infection data shared with ABC News.

I sense an attitude of friendliness, and camaraderie with strangers rather than fear of them. Normality is alive and well in Florida, as much as corporate media don’t want to admit it.If your perception of the world is based on what corporate media tells you, you might think Florida is overrun by wild spring break revelers who are running around killing people by flaunting COVID precautions. “How spring break in South Beach spun out of control,” the Washington Post blared. The Associated Press reported “deaths” and “violence,” while “police have arrested hundreds of partiers involved in violence and property destruction”...

The greenies have a new battle in the "war on climate change." They want to rid the world of sea walls. Sea walls are barriers that property owners put on the waterside of the beach to protect their property from encroaching waves. According to the environmentalists, though, sea walls exacerbate the way anthropogenic climate change and the resulting rise of the sea destroy beachfront property. I'm sure this a fine theory, except for the part about anthropogenic climate change causing the sea to rise.In fact, as this article from Watts Up With That explains with tremendous clarity, any sea level...

SANTA CRUZ — Beach closures are coming back to Santa Cruz County for Labor Day weekend as officials decide to take another crack at keeping crowds off the sand. Beaches will be closed from 5 a.m. Sept. 5, to 5 p.m. Sept. 7 — except for an open period from 4-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The closures come under an emergency regulation unanimously approved by county supervisors Tuesday. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office plans to increase patrols and “proactively” enforce the closures, according to spokeswoman Ashley Keehn. Compared to the prior closures, Keehn said the additional clarity around when...

It's Fourth of July weekend, and restless patriots want to finally get out of their houses and go to the beach. But they'll have no such luck in Florida's Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner said it would be highly irresponsible to open the beaches, while Broward Mayor Dale V.C. Holness argued it was imperative to keep people safe, considering any open beaches have the potential to draw people from other counties. This is not something we are taking lightly,” Holness said. “We don’t like taking away the freedom of people to go to...

Three weeks ago, 100,000 gathered for LA’s BLM protests. Now, for some strange reason, the LA area is seeing a surge in coronavirus cases....Despite the fact the experts now deem that the virus can no longer be contained, California Governor Gavin Newsom is pulling the COVID-trigger. He canceled fireworks and other activities enjoyed by millions of non-protesting and social-distance-practicing Californians ahead of the July 4th holiday... Los Angeles County beaches will also be closed during the holiday. However, many good people are tired of the clearly useless and political restrictions and are beginning to push back against the new rules….including...

Because of COVID-19, beaches in Miami-Dade County will be closed for the 4th of July weekend: ... But you can still get a lap dance at a strip club: ... For real. Confirmed via an email with Deputy Mayor Jennifer Moon: ... If you want people to stop taking everything the government says on corona seriously, well then, this is a pretty good place to start.

Fourth of July revelers have been advised to stay away from Los Angeles County beaches as coronavirus cases skyrocketed. The temporary closures affects all beaches, piers, parking lots, beach bike paths, and beach access points beginning on Friday at 12:01 a.m., and lasting through 5 a.m. on Monday, L.A. County officials announced. Fireworks displays are also off-limits over the weekend in an effort to prevent gathering.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man is charged with providing material support to the Islamic State extremist group, including attempting to buy multiple weapons and scouting potential targets for an attack in the Tampa Bay area, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. A criminal complaint charges Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The charge carries a potential 20-year prison term. **SNIP** According to the affidavit, Al-Azhari scouted a number of targets in the Tampa Bay region, including beaches, parks and even the Tampa FBI field...

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that the Big Apple’s beaches will be open for Memorial Day weekend — but warned there won’t be a whole lot of fun in the sun allowed. “You can walk on the beach. You can hang out on the beach, but do it in a manner that is consistent with everything we’ve been talking about,” de Blasio said. “You go out for the amount of time you need, then you get back home.” With no lifeguards on duty, de Blasio said, beachgoers can forget about one of the main attractions — hitting the waves....

De Blasio said that New York City will begin installing fencing along the city’s beaches and asked residents to avoid large gatherings, and playing sports. Lifeguards will also be prohibited from being on duty. “Anyone tries to get in the water, they’ll be taken right out of the water,” De Blasio said. “It’s a dangerous situation to ever go in the water if there are no lifeguards present,” he added. Though Big Apple beaches are closed for Memorial Day weekend, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will allow beaches in other parts of the state to open. Beaches in Connecticut, Delaware,...

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday morning that the Big Apple's beaches will not open on Memorial Day and he's not comfortable with people gathering outside bars. After giving updates about the coronavirus in the city, de Blasio addressed questions about beaches reopening in the city. 'There's obviously a huge interest in the beaches and the state of New York has said that different localities can make different choices and some are deciding in the metropolitan area to open beaches for Memorial Day - the traditional start of the beach season. 'I've said before and I'll say...

Florida’s COVID-19 response has been a tremendous success story. Much like Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp resisted the Cult of Eternal Lockdown, the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, delayed issuing a statewide lockdown order and was one of the first governors to lift the order. As I have explained elsewhere, most Florida counties were handling their own coronavirus outbreaks with local policies, so DeSantis didn’t feel a statewide lockdown was necessary, especially because there were so many counties with very few cases, but finally he gave in to the political pressure. And as soon as May 1 arrived, DeSantis...

“Social distancing ambassadors” will be prowling popular New Jersey boardwalks this summer to make sure beachgoers don’t get too close. The teams will be dispatched donning special vests to Wildwood, Ocean City and other summer hangouts through Cape May County’s new coronavirus campaign, “Six Feet Saves Lives.” “As public places begin to reopen it is important to continue to take proper precautions, such as wearing a mask, washing hands frequently, and social distancing,” said Kevin Thomas, Cape May County Health Officer, in a statement.