Free Republic

The dissidents use pseudonyms and turn off their videos when they meet for clandestine Zoom calls. They are usually coordinating soccer practices and carpools, but now they come together to strategize. They say that they could face profound repercussions if anyone knew they were talking. But the situation of late has become too egregious for emails or complaining on conference calls. So one recent weekend, on a leafy street in West Los Angeles, they gathered in person and invited me to join. In a backyard behind a four-bedroom home, ten people sat in a circle of plastic Adirondack chairs, eating...

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Monday criticized certain Democrats for failing to support progressive demands for a $15 minimum wage, contending they are living in a “dystopian capitalist nightmare” and adding that the minimum wage should actually be $24 an hour.

The activist leading the leftist “dark money” group behind the Iowa Democratic Caucus app fiasco is trying to funnel millions into her gambit to fight conservative media. ACRONYM CEO and Democratic strategist Tara McGowan has been planning a “new $65 million effort to push progressive local news around the United States as part of an attempt to match the dominance of right-wing media,” according to Vox Recode. McGowan’s ACRONYM was behind “fake news” network Courier Newsroom that operated to influence the 2020 election. Recode stated that McGowan has “attracted controversy from journalism groups concerned that her advocacy efforts masquerade as...

The story of how Texas was brought to its knees by crippling cold weather leaving millions without power is a complex one, yet entirely predictable and avoidable. The details matter, so it is important to know the long story, but let’s start with the short version: For years, Texas’ grid operator (ERCOT) has overestimated the ability to maintain a reliable grid without a sufficient supply buffer, known as a “reserve margin.” That margin is the difference between demand for electricity and what the grid can produce. When demand exceeds production, you get blackouts. That buffer has been shrinking because reliable...

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday said coal and natural gas – NOT frozen wind turbines – caused the power grid failure in this week’s Texas cold snap. Texas got hit with a rare cold snap that spanned to the southern part of the state and the power grids gave out. .... Snip.... Millions of Texans suffered blackouts partly due to the frozen wind turbines. Psaki said reports suggesting renewables caused the power grid failure in Texas are inaccurate, rather it was renewables that came in to save the day. “Numerous reports show that it was failure in...

To the right-wing folks who are INCORRECTLY claiming greening the grid caused the power outages in Texas: YOU ARE WRONG! In fact ==> 1) If we had a ton of local rooftop solar on homes and businesses and on solar carport parking lot structures AND storage batteries in those places, including in our homes, a lot more people would have power RIGHT NOW in Texas! 2) The technology exists to allow people to bring electricity into their homes from an electric vehicle’s batteries for up to three to five days. This technology is not yet in widespread use, but it...

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said passing the Green New Deal would have helped to prevent the devastating power outages in Texas that have left millions struggling to find warmth in their homes amid a brutal winter storm and record-shattering cold temperatures.

The images of frozen wind turbines and solar panels brought to life how one of the most independent and powerful energy states in the country could fall to its knees when snow, ice, and frigid temperatures battered its power grid. It was imagery that tells a cautionary tale of what the future in this country could look like if the Biden administration continues its dismantling of fossil fuel and related infrastructure industries. In short, what happened in Texas could happen anywhere, whether under the strain of a winter storm in Texas and Oklahoma or a heat wave in California. The...

WASHINGTON — A devastating winter storm that has plunged Texas into an electricity crisis offers warning signs for the U.S. as the Biden administration seeks to prepare for a future in which extreme weather is a greater risk and America is almost entirely powered by renewable energy. Energy generation is one challenge. But an equally daunting task centers on storing power from renewable energy for extreme events like the one hammering Texas. Wind and solar, still fairly small slices of the state's energy mix, played only a minimal role in the sudden power shortage, utility officials said — contrary to...

Texas is a long way from New York and New England, but the Lone Star State’s experience with wind turbines is a cautionary tale for the northeast, where state political leaders are moving ahead with plans to construct thousands of megawatts of wind power off the Atlantic coast. Texas relies on wind turbines for one-fourth of its electric power. A brutal winter storm and record cold temperatures had plunged the state into darkness. The problem? Half of the state’s wind turbines were unable to generate electricity because of ice on their blades. Millions of Texans were left without power as...

The very green Germans have major concerns regarding their dependence on renewables:‘Die Welt’ Commentary: “Europe Can’t Bail Out The German Power Supply”…Calls Strategy “A Dangerous Miscalculation” Germany has seriously overestimated how much its neighboring countries are able to help out in the event wind and solar energy fail to deliver, thus putting its power supply at risk. By P. Gosselin on 11 September 2018Snow-covered solar panels don't work (file photo)Little attention is paid to the question of just how much "climate change" is a result of human activity, i.e., CO2 emissions into the atmosphere resulting from the burning of fossil...

Three teenage boys have been charged with the murder of a 17-year-old girl who was shot in the head while the group were robbing summer homes - despite none of them firing the gun which killed her. Scott Bryd, Dillon Tyree and Daniel Parnell, all 18, were indicted on felony murder charges on Wednesday by a grand jury after Summer Moody's death. Miss Moody was fatally injured after homeowners fired warning shots on Gravine Island, Alabama when they saw the group robbing cabins around 4am on April 15. She died in hospital ten days later. Byrd, Tyree and Parnell are...

The tea-party phenomenon is forcing possible Republican presidential candidates in 2012 to make early and potentially high-risk strategic gambles over how to harness the movement. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is traveling the country to build alliances with local tea-party activists in key presidential primary and caucus states. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is solidifying ties with traditional party leaders and organizations by helping them with fund raising and candidate endorsements. The two potential rivals are acting on opposing assumptions about the newly energized but volatile tea party-infused Republican base. The results of their decisions will show the impact that...