Free Republic

Following the most recent school mass shooting – this time in Santa Fe, Texas, where 10 students and teachers were killed and 10 were wounded Friday – family members, friends and investigators find themselves searching for illusive answers. Why did this happen? How do you make sense of such a senseless tragedy? Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pointed out that unlike other recent mass shootings, “there were not those types of warning signs. The red-flag warnings were either nonexistent or very imperceptible.” The accused shooter’s parents said the media reports of the shooting seemed “incompatible with the boy (they) love,” and...

Hillary Clinton headlined her first post-2016 fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee this week, which should help the DNC pay its bills to . . . her. Clinton, you see, is insisting the Democratic Party pay her group, Onward Together, $1.65 million for access to the Hillary for America email list, voter data and software from the 2016 campaign. And that, The Intercept reports, is on top of the more than $700,000 the DNC has already paid to rent the list. Indeed, the Republican National Committee notes (meow!) that Clinton only did this first fundraiser after the DNC stopped its payments to...

Full Title: Obscure pre-WWII law allowed Alabama sheriff Todd Entrekin to LEGALLY pocket at least $750,000 in taxpayer funds GADSDEN, Ala. — An Alabama sheriff legally used more than $750,000 of funds meant to feed inmates to purchase a beach house. Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin told The Birmingham News he follows a state law passed before World War II that allows sheriffs to keep “excess” inmate-feeding funds for themselves. Entrekin reported on state ethics forms that he made “more than $250,000” each of the past three years through the funds. The sheriff’s annual salary is more than $93,000. He...

The Seven Deadly Sins: Greed Msgr. Charles Pope • February 22, 2018 • One of the more underreported sins is greed. It is easy to conclude that greed is something manifested by “that other person,” who has more than I do. Yes, that rich guy over there, the one who earns a dollar more per hour than I do; he’s greedy, but I’m not.Honestly, does any one of us ever come to a point in our life when we say, “I earn more than enough money. I’ll just give the rest away”? Not on your life!Almost never would such...

And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to...

Twitter has joined Facebook and YouTube in restricting social media accounts of popular dissident Chinese businessman Guo Wengui, in the face of intense Chinese pressure. Guo, a New York-based billionaire and critic of corruption among senior Chinese leaders, said several Twitter accounts he used to reach more than 700,000 followers had been suspended. A Twitter spokeswoman declined to comment citing a policy of not commenting on individual accounts. Earlier, YouTube restricted Guo's live streaming from his widely-watched channel used to post hour-long videos revealing tantalizing details of high-level corruption among Chinese leaders. Guo spent 28 years as an entrepreneur in...

French President Emmanuel Macron and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar say they are ready to discuss the contentious issue of taxing internet giants after a meeting in Paris. Macron is leading the tax charge in Europe, saying it’s not fair that internet companies don’t pay taxes where they make most of their money. Countries that serve as tax shelters for companies like Apple, including Ireland, have resisted the proposed measure. …

Corny Capitalism: This is one campaign promise we wish President Trump would break. But alas, he just told his EPA to give up any thought of cutting back on the federal government's anti-consumer, anti-environment ethanol mandate. Sad. The story begins in 2005, when President Bush approved the Renewable Fuel Standard program as part of an energy bill, which required oil refiners to blend in predetermined amounts of "biofuels" into their gasoline, starting at 4 billion gallons in 2006. A revised version of the RFS, which Bush signed in 2007, expanding the program, requiring ethanol levels to climb steadily to 36...

The Obama Presidential Library revealed that it won’t be providing any original documents written by Obama. Instead of having the former president’s manuscripts, documents and letters from his tenure in office—items presidential centers around the country all have—the Obama Library will have space for outdoor functions and picnics, a basketball court, recording studio, sledding hill, children’s play garden, and more. The decision has scholars puzzled and disappointed. University of Chicago Professor of Black Studies Richard Buttkiss could hardly contain his dismay that “the written words of the greatest man to ever walk the Earth will not be available for historians...

SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) — California Gov. Jerry Brown warns that catastrophic wildfires will keep ripping through the state as the climate warms. **SNIP** He said a warming climate has contributed to catastrophic wildfires. “That’s the way it is with a warming climate, dry weather and reducing moisture.” said Brown. “These kind of catastrophes have happened and they’ll continue to happen, and we have to be prepared to do everything we can to mitigate.” The governor has positioned himself as a leader in the fight against climate change.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, accompanied by three Miami Dolphins players, visited a middle school in North Miami to lead a discussion on anti-bullying and community policing... ....Goodell, who spoke out against NFL players protesting during the national anthem, was joined by the Dolphins players, all of whom who have either kneeled during the anthem or skipped the singing of the anthem....

Greed: A Meditation on an Underreported Sin Msgr. Charles Pope • July 20, 2017 • One of the more underreported sins is greed. It is easy to conclude that greed is something manifested by “that other person,” who has more than I do. Yes, that rich guy over there, the one who earns a dollar more per hour than I do; he’s greedy, but I’m not.But honestly, does any one of us ever come to a point in our life when we say, “I earn more than enough money. I’ll just give the rest away”? Not on your life!Almost...

Amazon (AMZN) may be in hot water with consumers over the price of water. Some are reporting sharply higher prices for bottled water on Amazon as Hurricane Irma approaches Florida. Customers there were reporting packages of Nestle water selling for $25 on Amazon, yet prices for those in the Northeast showed a 24-case pack of Nestle water selling for $18.50. Amazon uses so-called "dynamic pricing," also known as surge pricing. In this model, items that are in demand receive price tweaks, thanks to Amazon's pricing algorithms. As demand spikes, prices go higher.

Imagine that you were elected to a federal office several years ago and had a safe seat with all the perks attached, including salary, expense account, and influence with corporate CEOs and other titans of industry.  Suppose further that you knew that the future would be prosperous when you left office because the connections you made would make you a fortune as a lobbyist.  Moreover, since unseating an incumbent is a herculean task, you felt that you were set for life.  In fact, as soon as you got elected, you began raising money and preparing for re-election.  Governing and legislating...

RUSH: Those of you driving a Prius, those of you who have ordered a Tesla, those of you who think that you are saving the planet before it climate change or other horrible acts of nature because you are purchasing an electric car, which means that you are engaging in sustainable, renewable energy, this story is for you. ItÂ’s from the U.K. Daily Mail. Now, weÂ’re gonna link to this story at RushLimbaugh.com, and I want those of you out there to pass this story on to everybody you know that drives an electric car or a hybrid. I donÂ’t...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) its July 2017 Porker of the Month for advocating for taxpayer-funded housing for members of Congress.During an interview with The Hill on June 26, 2017, then-Rep. Chaffetz said, “I really do believe Congress would be much better served if there was a housing allowance for members of Congress.” He admitted that the current political climate made such a proposal legislatively arduous, but claimed that, “A $2,500 housing allowance would be appropriate and a real help to have at least a decent quality of life in...

.... Broward County school board is suing the State of Florida over a new education bill that they say is a weapon.... ....redirects more than 400 million state dollars to charter schools. Back in May, 7News reported on Mater Academy, a charter school in Hialeah Gardens, for directing their students to write letters in support of the bill and in return, they would receive extra credit.... .... Broward County Schools is the only district that has filed a lawsuit and board members hope other districts will follow, including Miami-Dade...

A former State Department employee was arrested Thursday and charged with espionage for allegedly transmitting Top Secret and Secret documents to a Chinese government agent, according to an affidavit filed with the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, VA.Kevin Mallory, 60, of Leesburg is a self-employed consultant who speaks fluent Chinese. Court filings show that Mallory was an Army veteran who worked as a special agent for U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service from 1987 to 1990. Since then, Mallory has worked for various government agencies and defense contractors, maintaining a Top Secret security clearance. The Washington Post reports that Mallory...

Weddings can be an expensive business, especially if the couple are tying the knot in an exotic location abroad.  But one woman was left in a state of shock after being invited to a wedding 'week' in the US, costing £5,500 to attend - including five separate events with different guest codes and chipping in for the bride's accommodation the night before the big day.  On top of all that, guests have been invited to pick out a gift from an Amazon wishlist where the cheapest item is a snip at £300.

The Vatican is still trying to get hold of the patrimony of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, which Pope Francis put under a commissioner without giving a reason for the harsh measure. In the past, the Vatican tried in vain to pocket the assets through legal ways. They belong to a lay association and comprise, among other things, 59 buildings. Marco Tosatti writes on his blog that two weeks ago, the founder of the order, Father Stefano Manelli (83), who is under ecclesiastical house arrest, received a letter from the Congregation for Religious, which again asked him to hand...