Free Republic

In a Blog post addressing a letter written by Archbishop John Nienstedt to a mother explaining the Church's teaching regarding homosexual acts and the reception of the Holy Eucharist, Deacon Ryan Duns, the Jesuit seminarian who believes that "gay marriage" might be a movement of the Holy Spirit, said that the Archbishop's letter, "..serves only to reinforce the belief that the Catholic Church is a homophobic institution more concerned with obedience than human flourishing." See here. In his Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), Pope Benedict XVI writes, "It is characteristic of mature love that it calls into...

SAN PEDRO (CBSLA.com) — A good Samaritan walked three miles to get a dog that was left tied to a light post to an animal shelter. The abandoned 1-year-old pointer mix named Joey was found by Lisa Snyder wandering Point Fermin Park in San Pedro after breaking free from the light post. Joey had a handwritten note attached to his collar that stated: “My name is Joey. I am looking for a home. Please take care of me!!”

An OfficeMax call center in Peru is closing its doors, beginning layoffs in March, according to two sources. Layoffs should be completed in November. A news story in 2013 indicated 275 people worked at the Peru facility. Employees on Thursday were instructed not to speak to the media about the layoffs. OfficeMax merged with Office Depot in 2013. As previously reported, the combined company disappointed state lawmakers by locating its headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. (Office Depot’s longtime home) and pulling out of Naperville, where OfficeMax had been headquartered. OfficeMax workers have dealt with uncertainty about their jobs for the...

As noted here, "Immaculate Heart of Mary School of Still River, MA has withdrawn its marching band and float of Saint Patrick from this year’s Saint Patrick’s Day Parade after learning that a small homosexual activist group will be allowed to march while publicly identifying its homosexuality. The school is compelled by the teachings of the Catholic Church to pull out. According to the Principal, Brother Thomas Dalton, 'Catholics are forbidden to sponsor or even participate in an event which openly promotes unnatural and immoral behavior. The Church will never accept nor condone same sex marriage and the homosexual life...

A homeowner shot an intruder in North Carolina on Monday, February 23, 2015.  An accomplice escaped.   The pair broke in through a basement window, then broke down a door to gain access to the house.  The homeowner called 911.  He armed himself with a 12 gauge shotgun.  When the intruders kicked open the basement door and approached him in a hallway, the homeowner shot one once in the chest.  The intruder died at the scene.  The Sheriff, Coy Reid, had some advice for people who would consider breaking into homes.   From hickoryrecord.com: “The only thing I could advise these...

I'm coming to Tennessee for a week's vacation. I still don't know what I will be doing when I'm down there. What is there to do that is of interest to a visitor? Anything I shouldn't do that might get me killed by the locals? Any little places that are pleasant that most people don't know about? I'd appreciate any assistance for this.

The questions about whether Arkansas is a constitutional carry state are over.  The result was never in any real doubt.  On April 4th, 2013, the Governor of Arkansas signed Act 746.  The law clarified a definition in Arkansas law, that had been abused over the years.  The change likely returned the law to its original meaning.  I wrote about it on 25 April. I wrote: This change clarifies the meaning of the law to what was likely the original intent; that a person may not carry a weapon with the intent of using it for unlawful purposes. There does...

The above rally in Boise, on Saturday, 21 February, 2015, was attended by over 200 supporters of H0089.  The bill, which would remove a number of current restrictions on the carry of firearms in Idaho law.   The local media is said to have reported that there were "dozens" That is accurate but misleading.  After all, 300 people are also "dozens" of people.  Common usage is that once 200 items are reached, they are called "hundreds", not "dozens".  From ISSA facebook page: Watched Channel 2 and 7 news tonight. No surprise that coverage was sparse and biased. Good thing we...

The Second Amendment Foundation has won another significant court victory.  This one will help reverse the ever expanding list of people who have become "prohibited persons"; people who are not allowed to keep or carry arms.  The case was tried in the federal Middle District Court in Pennsylvania. The victory was obtained in the case Suarez vs Holder(pdf). Julio Suarez was convicted in Maryland 25 years ago of a misdemeanor for carrying a firearm without a license. Since then, he has led an exemplary life, but the conviction was enough to cost Suarez his ability to buy and keep...

PENSACOLA — A small, Alabama-based Indian tribe that wants to expand its casinos into the Sunshine State might adopt a hardball negotiating stance: Let us offer gambling in a few Florida locations, or we could consider growing and selling marijuana on our property. The prospect of selling pot is just one "what if" scenario that tribal leaders say is possible. But what the Poarch Creek Band of Indians want now is for Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-controlled Legislature to take them seriously and approve a compact with the tribe that would allow a casino....

When Rudy Giuliani accused President Obama of not loving America, was he expressing a form of racism? If not, what was Giuliani saying? I have argued, controversially to some on the left, that it is important to grapple with ideas on their own terms before merely analyzing their motivations. American conservatism is historically intertwined with white racism in such a way that nearly any conservative idea could plausibly be understood as an appeal to racism, but most of those ideas can be expressed and justified in non-racial terms, and deserve to be taken at face value. The trouble with Giuliani’s...

In what is probably a statistical quirk, five of eleven homicides in 2015 have been self defense shootings.  Calling them 'victims' seems a little odd when the people shot were the aggressors.  From tulsaworld.com: Of the 11 homicide victims so far this year, five have been killed by civilians or security guards in shootings Tulsa police have deemed self-defense. For comparison’s sake, only eight such homicides occurred in all of 2014, and six of those involved Tulsa police officers. Tulsa police have not been involved in a shooting yet this year.  “It’s been an odd year,” Walker said. “I’m...

     In St. Louis, Missouri, before Ferguson, the police arrested an 18-year-old on gun and drug charges.   An officer turned off the dashcam video of the event, and because of that, the prosecutor dropped all charges. Link to video Here: From kfor.com:  Police drop gun charge because of video. Police say they found marijuana and a loaded handgun in Bufford’s pocket. The police report says an officer noticed it before the tazing and announced, “He has a gun.” The report continues, “In an attempt to prevent (Bufford) from reaching the weapon, (an officer) administered one foot strike.” Schwartz said,...

A Wisconsin woman who works for the Oconomowoc School District is being harassed over the possession of an electrical stun gun in her vehicle's glove box.  She may be criminally charged.  In most of the country, this would not be an issue.  But Wisconsin is a swing state.   In the 90's, Democrats dominated, and passed a law that seemed designed to snare legal gun owners, modeled after the Federal gun free school zone act.   The act has been an abysmal failure nationally.   School shooting shot up after the act passed.    The federal law was ruled unconstitutional in 1995, and...

FORT HUACHUCA — A time-honored Army tradition officially marked the return of the 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion to its home post in Arizona Friday morning. Signifying its return, the battalion stood on Brown Parade Field as the unit’s flag, held by Spc. Jessica Mortimer, was uncased and unfurled by the battalion’s commander, Lt. Col. David Thomas, and Command Sgt. Maj. John Reinburg.

...Kayla Mueller was a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) who spent at least two years working with that terrorist support group. She was involved in demonstrations against the Jews in Sheikh Jarrah (part of East Jerusalem) after a 20 year long court decision recognized the Jews' legal rights to homes they were chased from in earlier wars launched by the Arabs. She also participated in demonstrations to interfere with the IDF demolishing the homes of terrorists and suicide bombers after the courts okayed the demolitions. Just as with Rachel Corrie, the press tries to paint Kayla as a...

Matthew Haight survived an encounter with a burglar, but not by much.  He acknowledges that he made mistakes, and they cost him a great deal. Link to video at kirotv.com: Haight come home from watching the Superbowl on Sunday night, the 1st of February, 2015 in Snohomish County, Washington State.   When he walked up the stairs to his apartment, he discovered that something was not right.  The door was unlocked.  That is when he made a mistake.  He went inside to investigate.  This is an easy mistake to make.  Sometimes people forget to lock doors.  Sometimes they give keys...

Yesterday, a train derailed in West Virginia — and exploded. It was carrying more than 100 tons of crude oil, and it burst into flames after going off the rails outside of Charleston. Miraculously, no one was killed, though hundreds were evacuated and one man was hospitalized. Social media users were understandably alarmed by the magnitude of the fire, and photos of the incident quickly spread — looking more like a scene from an action film than anything else. The crash, which could contaminate the entire local water supply, is more than just a West Virginia-specific disaster: It's a reminder...

Last night Federal District Court Judge Andrew S Hanen issued a preliminary injunction at least temporarily (and we would add theoretically) stopping the implementation of President Obama’s immigration executive order referred to as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents” (DAPA). That and Obama’s extension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program were temporarily enjoined. Identified agencies would be in violation of the judge’s order should they proceed to implement Obama’s directives. Obama’s executive order are intended to legalize the presence of illegal aliens and their parents and in combination with other provisions of law...

NM AG's Office supports Obama's executive order on immigration, joins other states in opposition of Texas judge's ruling Updated: 02/17/2015 10:23 PM | Created: 02/17/2015 6:44 PM By: KOB.com Web Staff The New Mexico Attorney General's Office submitted an amicus brief saying it disagrees with a ruling by a Texas federal judge Monday that President Obama and his administration had exceeded its authority by issuing an executive order that allows undocumented immigrants to apply for work permits and delay deportation. Read the brief here in its entirety. The amicus brief filed by AG Hector Balderas's office stands in support of...

As Trayvon Martin is remembered almost three years after his death at the hands of George Zimmerman, some are using his name to describe how Muslim Americans might feel after the Chapel Hill shooting. But friends and family only want to focus on ending racism, and some believe the focus should be on unity and not what divides. In a related report by the Inquisitr, some people thought the St. Louis hoodie ban law was a Trayvon Martin backlash and claimed racial discrimination. Speaking on MSNBC, Chris Hayes gave this thoughts on the recent killing of three Muslim students in...

Mind control: bury logic, bury imagination By Jon Rappoport February 17, 2015 http://www.nomorefakenews.com Here are several notes from the years 1999-2010, while I was preparing my collection, The Matrix Revealed. They take up the subject of reality-construction, mind control, mind freedom, and creative power. “You have to understand that there are dimensions. In the dimension we call the world, a person needs logic. He needs it badly. He needs to be able to analyze and take apart things and put them back together again. He needs to identify flaws in reasoning and discover deceptions. He needs to recognize formal arguments...

Link to YouTube Video of Rite-Aid Confrontation The Rite-Aid shooting saga has just resulted in another mistrial for Bernell Benn.  In the video, Benn is the large black man on the cell phone.   Colorado is the white man in white shorts and dark short sleeved shirt.  From the recent article at wavy.com: Benn has claimed he acted in self-defense during the altercation with Ramon Colorado in which investigators say both men had guns and began shooting at each other. During a jailhouse interview with WAVY.com after his August 16 arrest, Benn said Colorado jumped ahead of him in line...

As second amendment supporters appear close restoring some of the freedom to open carry modern handguns, the Dallas Morning news has published an article, just before the crucial vote on the issue.  The paper has an editorial policy against open carry reform. This illustrates that the media has a great effect on the outcome of political decisions.  The article seems designed to lessen the force of one of the most important facts of the open carry movement: most states already have it, and do not have problems.  The article attempts to reduce the impact of that fact; but the...

The Hennepin County district attorney's office determined Jeffrey P. Rice, 40, of St. Paul, did not show criminal intent when he drove through a crowd of people last November, consequently striking a 16-year-old girl with his car. Police said Rice was trying to flee the crowd that was damaging his vehicle. (VIDEO-AT-LINK)A Minnesota man who drove through a Ferguson protest last fall and dragged a woman with his car will not face felony charges. Jeffrey P. Rice. 40, of St. Paul, did not reflect criminal intent when he drove through a crowd of people at a Minneapolis intersection last year,...

REFLEXIVELY, as if in lockstep, westerners look on in horror when citizens are gunned down. Agreed, this is a natural response. Not only that, when the “other” is the victim, well, the wailing increases to an exponential level. Nevertheless, it is good (western) advice to take a pause, to reflect on who’s who and what’s what. In other words, when addicts are eliminated by their pushers; when prostitutes fall victim to their pimps; and when Mafia thugs are buried by their bosses, are said deaths the same as the truly innocent? Get real. Skells. IN light of certain (disinfecting) truths,...

Arizona representatives have introduced a bill to require 'gun free zones' in public buildings to have teeth.   If the public officials are not willing to insure that the buildings actually prevent people from bringing guns into them, then people who are licensed to carry concealed weapons will not be required to disarm, merely by 'gun free' signs.  The theory is simple.  Mere signage will not stop people who have evil intent from carrying concealed weapons into public buildings.   By placing signage, but without significant enforcement mechanisms, the signs effectively screen out the most law abiding, while doing little to...

Using Agitprop and elements of the Delphi propaganda method (3), lethal Home Owners Associations (HOAs) are moving north out of huge Miami-Fort Lauderdale territories up along Florida’s I-95 corridor to take over more and more personal property rights of unsuspecting homeowners in gated, HOA communities. And the effects are not pretty! “Resetting the default position. . .exploits the structure of the choice to encourage a more desirable option,” says Cass R. Sunstein, author of the book NUDGE. (1) Employed by the Obama Administration as a regulatory czar, it was Sunstein’s job to have the American people do what the government...

Texas moved a bit closer to passing campus carry and open carry bills out of the Texas Senate yesterday, February 12.   The Senate has been the bottleneck for these bills because a  super majority is needed to get them out of the Senate.  That majority used to be 21 votes out of 31.   It was amended early this session to become 19 votes out of 31.   It is still a high hurdle, but Lt. Governor Dan Patrick heads the Texas Senate.  He has promised to pass both campus and open carry.  I am convinced that he is working hard...

by Jon Rappoport February 14, 2015 http://www.nomorefakenews.com “The news is all about artificially manipulating the context of stories. The thinner the context, the thinner the mind must become to accept it. If you want to visualize this, imagine a rectangular solid. The news covers the top surface. Therefore, the mind is trained to work in only two dimensions. Then it can’t fathom depth, and it certainly can’t appreciate the fact that the whole rectangular solid moves through time, the fourth dimension.” (The Underground, Jon Rappoport) Focus on the network evening news. This is where the staging is done well. First,...

Gun Control Supporters (2015) Updated on 2-13-15 Data from cross-referencing these sites:http://www.rmgo.org/?view=featured Andhttp://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2015A/csl.nsf/MainBills?OpenFrameSet SB15-032 (Constitutional Carry) Lucia Guzman (D) District 34 Denver County (Opposed) Michael Merrifield (D) District 11 El Paso County (Opposed) Waiting for hearing on 2-13-15 __________________________________________________ SB15-006 (Concerning Limitations on Forfeiture Actions) Laid over, in rewrite, waiting for assignment. __________________________________________________ SB15-086 (Repeal Expanded Background Checks) Passed Judiciary 3-2; Sent to to Finance. __________________________________________________ HB15-1009 (Repeal the Magazine Ban) Killed in committee by: Mike Foote (D) District 12 Boulder County Susan Lontine (D) District 1 Denver, Jefferson Counties Dianne Primavera (D) District 33 Boulder, Broomfield Counties Max Tyler...

An interesting variation on constitutional carry has been introduced in the 2015 Utah legislature.  Constitutional carry, that is, concealed or open carry of a weapon without the requirement to first obtain permission from the government, passed with veto proof majorities in 2013.  It was vetoed by Governor Herbert, and the 2013 legislature did not have the political will to hold an override session.   Now the same legislator,  Curtis Oda, pictured above, has introduced the same bill under a new number.    Utah has a unique requirement in its open carry law.  Open carry is accepted with a peculiar twist: the...

The Texas Tribune is a left wing publication out of Austin, Texas, so it is not surprising that it takes a disarmist position against open carry.  Still, it is interesting to see how it is done.  All of the state wide office holders involved came out for open carry during the election.  While she did not become an office holder, even the Democrat candidate for governor, Wendy Davis, came out in favor of it.  This helps explain why the left wing media in Texas were not too outspoken against open carry during the election.   Now that the election is...

HESPERIA, Calif. (KABC) -- A 4-year-old boy's foot had to be amputated after he was attacked by his father's police dog in Hesperia. Authorities say a neighbor heard a child screaming in the backyard of a house Sunday afternoon and called 911. That neighbor also shouted for help from others nearby.

Arutz Sheba reports: An Algerian cleric recently sought to explain the claims by some Muslims that Jews are descendants of apes and pigs. The cleric, Chemseddine el Djazairi, spoke on Ennahar TV on February 8. The clip was translated and uploaded to YouTube by the Middle East Media. According to el Djazairi, contemporary Jews are not descendants of apes and pigs. However, he went on to say, some Jews may have been transformed to these animals in the past - but this line has been severed. "Contemporary Jews are of the seed of Adam, not of the apes and pigs,...

Job seekers and Michigan employers can connect with each other through a state-sponsored virtual career fair on Wednesday, Feb. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pure Michigan Talent Connect’sMiVirtualCareerFairs bring together Michigan employers and talent from across the state and the globe in an online, virtual environment. Since 2012 more than 189 employers and 27,063 job seekers have been connected through the state’s fourteen sponsored events. With assistance from the Michigan Works! System and event partner Capital Area Michigan Works!, 345 jobs with 50 Michigan employers in varying industries will be featured in the February event, making it the...

The pattern never changes: in the wake of a jihad terror attack or plot, Muslims in the West do not do what they should do: redouble their efforts against jihadis in their own communities, and their cooperation with law enforcement officials. Instead, they claim that they are being victimized by a “backlash” and try to deflect attention away from the jihad plot by seizing the spotlight as victims. The mainstream media aids and abets this. Laura Shay of KMOV.com here has nothing at all — not a single incident, not even some idiot yelling at a poor victimized and noble...

The Idaho Second Amendment Alliance (ISAA) has organized a rally in support of the constitutional carry bill introduced into the House, H0089.  The rally is scheduled to take place on 21 February at 3:30 p.m. at the Capitol in Boise.  From the ISAA facebook page: We will be meeting at the Center on the Grove (850 W Front St) and marching up to the capitol building. Several speakers will give a few brief words on the capitol steps. We will have a table setup at the Center on the Grove where you can buy hats, window decals, and signup...

The space-time continuum called The News by Jon Rappoport February 10, 2015 http://www.nomorefakenews.com “The news isn’t a just a thing, a person, a message. It’s a hallucination pretending to be real, as if a dreamer has suddenly risen and broken through the surface of the ocean, and now he can see the shore and the glittering buildings…and when he reaches the beach, he can walk into the city and actually watch very important people doing very important things all around him…and that’s supposed to be the up-to-the-minute news. But actually, it’s the reverse. The news is the dream, not the...

Activist leaders in Missouri hoping to sign up 250 people for week of ‘community service and civic engagement’ as movement moves beyond protests and ‘die-ins’College students are being urged to scrap plans for beer bongs on sunny beaches, in favour of a serious-minded spring break in Ferguson, the Missouri town that was roiled by protests and unrest following the fatal police shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old. Six months after the death of Michael Brown, activist leaders in the St Louis suburb are looking to sign up 250 young people for a grittier week of “community service and civic engagement” including...

Gospel songs rang through the sanctuary of a Florida church Sunday afternoon just before Trayvon Martin’s father exhorted the congregation to combat gun violence in black communities or risk losing a generation of young adults. Tracy Martin told a “Black Lives Matter” ceremony at the Praise and Deliverance Church of God By Faith that while police shootings of young black men is a serious issue, it’s not the biggest one in black neighborhoods. A far larger problem, Martin said, is the current generation of African-American children growing up without adult guidance and parental love. While acknowledging America’s intransigent racial divide....

Idaho has introduced a constitutional carry bill to restore the right to carry a weapon without a permit, along with other reforms.  The constitutional carry portion of the bill is an incremental reform, as legal, non-felon residents of Idaho already have the right to carry weapons openly and concealed without a permit in 99 percent of the state.  The changes include the removal of restrictions on the legal carry of loaded, concealed handguns in vehicles and the ability to carry of concealed weapons without a permit in public places.  The law removes the section that lists all of those...

A township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has put up signs proudly announcing that it is not a gun free zone. Conoy Township had put up four signs and was planning on putting up 10 more. From wgal.com: Township officials said the signs are meant to deter crime. Police in the township aren't taking a position on the signs themselves, but say they're for anything that deters crime. Comments at the facebook page are overwhelmingly approving of the measure. Here are a few: Carol White I am a resident and I don't mind at all that money was used for...

A 67-Year-Old CCW permit holder stopped a crime spree and a budding criminal career on Wednesday, 4 February, 2015 in Cobbs Creek Park in Pennsylvania.   The victim was walking along a path when the assailant, wearing a mask and brandishing a pistol, ran up to him, demanding that he "Give it up, give me all you got" according to the Upper Darby Police. The intended victim did not play the expected role.  He used a classic defensive technique, grabbing the assailant's gun while drawing his own.  The 67-Year-Old fired one shot to the attacker's head, killing him and ending...

L On January 15, 2015, Michigan's Governor Rick Snyder vetoed gun reform legislation that had strong support in the legislature.   Snyder cited concerns that were drummed up in a media campaign by the bill's opponents.  The bills sponsors consistently said that the complaints were baseless.  To obtain the governor's signature, the new legislature has removed the small bit of the legislation that Governor Snyder objected to, and passed the new bill, known as SB34 with over a 3-1 vote.  From mlive.com: LANSING, MI -- Michigan's Republican-led Senate on Tuesday, in its first official vote of the 2015-16 session, approved...

Wisconsin concealed carry permits topped 240,000 in 2014, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.  From the jsonline.com: Nearly 34,000 were issued permits, raising the total number in Wisconsin to 242,488, according to an annual report from the Department of Justice. The permits have been a success by most observers standards, following the pattern in other states.  The first permits were issued late in 2011.  Only one person with a permit has been convicted of a homicide since that time.   Wisconsin has an adult population (21 or over) of about 4.3 million.   Thus, people with permits are about...

Lynn Mitchell is at it again. This time standing up for disgraced 5th District GOP Chairman Jon Berkley. Let’s run through her arguments methodically, to be fair. Her arguments: Berkley was a good Chairman. Berkley did nothing to deserve his removal. Berkley had “overwhelming support” within his committee. All three arguments are intellectually dishonest on their face- and Ms. Mitchell should know better. Let’s review. The facts: “Berkley was a good Chairman.” Mitchell’s two arguments seem to be that Robert Hurt won his district in 2014, and that he raised $10,000 for the 5th CD Committee. Well, first off, 2014...

Shooting through a door is usually a bad idea.  Your ability to see the target is often obscured or nonexistent, and it may be difficult to show that you believed that you were confronting a deadly threat.   Shooting through an inside door may be less problematic than one that is an entrance to a building that you are defending. Interior doors  are usually of flimsy construction.  A person who has retreated to a bedroom or bathroom and who has locked the door may have less options than someone who is defending an entrance door.   If someone has already...

During my three years at Dartmouth, I often complained about the lack of practical education dispensed by various courses and professors. I would still argue that I had a phenomenal academic experience at the college, but be that as it may, it was sometimes painfully clear to me that a liberal arts education was not exactly synonymous with developing an applicable, workforce-ready skill set. But when it comes to the intersection of the theoretical and the real world, I can think of few better subject matters than Black Lives Matter, the namesake of a new course Dartmouth College will offer...

Mind-control media: Brian Williams, fake science, and the reality egg Brian William caught in his own trap Cracking the reality egg Notes and thoughts By Jon Rappoport February 5, 2015 www.nomorefakenews.com "If you want a winning role, act like a scientist. Talk like a scientist. Imagine that everything you say is backed by a study published in a peer-reviewed journal." (The Underground, Jon Rappoport) Objectivity. What more could you want? What could be more objective than science? What could be less open to dispute? Who could be more authoritative than a scientist? What could influence public opinion more thoroughly than...