Free Republic

First things first: if you want to wear a mask, go ahead. Nobody is stopping you. If you believe they work, have at it.Obviously, people who wear masks think they provide protection from infection. And it is hard to imagine that anybody wearing masks to protect against COVID in 2023 isn’t vaxxed to the max. A new booster is coming out soon, too.You have your COVID armor, right?So why the push to reinstate mask mandates?It literally makes no sense if you believe that masks and vaccines work. And if you don’t believe they work, why push a mask mandate at...

How do you tell the difference between a Canadian Police Officer, an Australian Police Officer, an American Police Officer and a Scottish police officer? QUESTION:You're a policeman, on duty by yourself. You are walking on a deserted street late at night. Suddenly, an armed man with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you and screaming something that sounds like obscenities, raises the knife and lunges at you. You are carrying your truncheon and are an expert in using it. However, you have only a split second to react before he reaches you. What do you do?...

The World Economic Forum in Davos has quite the reputation for gathering industry and policy bigwigs together to discuss serious topics such as the climate crisis, as well as sharing ideas on pressing issues… and listen to weird singing, apparently. Singer-songwriter Achinoam Nini (also known as Noa) and guitarist Gil Dor, both from Israel, gave a (very) memorable performance on Thursday ahead of a conversation with climate advocate Carla Gomez Briones on the subject of “music as a catalyst for change”. The bizarre music featuring whistling and almost operatic singing from Noa has since gone viral online, with many wondering...

Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla has said he is working on the creation of a new vaccine against COVID-19 that could be taken annually in order for people to become more “compliant” in taking COVID vaccines. Bourla made the comment at a press briefing organized by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), which took place Wednesday and where he discussed the creation of a new COVID vaccine.An annual vaccine to boost ‘compliance’“What the world really needs is a vaccine that can last a year,” stated Bourla. The head of the pharmaceutical giant described this idea as “the optimal...

One of John Podesta's emails released by WikiLeaks this week exposes how progressive elites seek to exploit the unwashed masses. The email features one of Podesta's colleagues from the Center for American Progress admitting that the institutional left "conspires to produce an unaware and compliant citizenry," ostensibly to impose their radical agenda on us without much resistance. ....snip .. In the email from March of 2016, Ivey expresses concern about the rise of "opinionated blowhard" Trump and frets because the "citizenry" seems to be awakening. Well, we all thought the big problem for our US democracy was Citizens United/Koch Brothers...

Chicago city workers who don't have their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a group that includes about 2,800 cops, will be placed on nondisciplinary no-pay status on Sunday after the city won another court battle over its mandate last week. The city will consider disciplining workers on a case-by-base basis, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Friday. 'All city employees, including Chicago police officers, who fail to comply may also face disciplinary action, up to and including termination. These decisions will be addressed at an individual and department level, and are being undertaken in a manner that will not impact...

A compromised political elite is responding to a virus likely juiced up in a Chinese bioweapons lab by adopting scientifically unprecedented, Communist-style social controls. When Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called last year for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19, China retaliated with tariffs. Domestically, a cohort of Beijing-friendly former ambassadors, foreign and defense ministers, and state premiers dutifully reminded the public that China’s status as Australia’s biggest trading partner makes antagonizing the regime a risky business. Beijing sycophants have recycled versions of this talking point for years, rationalizing China’s contempt for Western universal values, territorial aggrandizement, repression of...

Vaccine passport deactivated. French residents over the age of 65 will have their vaccine passports deactivated if they do not take the booster shot when they are eligible. The vaccine passport is required to access most entertainment and leisure venues. The French government recently announced that booster shots are available. All people over 65 are eligible for the booster shots if it has been six months since their second dose of the vaccine. The government said seniors above the age of 65 who do not get their booster shot when they become eligible will have their vaccine passport deactivated and...

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki that President Joe Biden’s previous remarks about vaccinated individuals not needing to wear masks was related to “a very different strain of the virus” than the Delta variant. Psaki made the remarks in response to Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asking why Biden previously said, “If you’ve been fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask. Let me repeat: If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask.” “Well, Peter, I think we’re all dealing with an evolving virus where there’s no playbook and no historic precedent. And...

In 1961, future president Ronald Reagan said, “One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project, most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people who possibly can’t afford it.” Reagan reasoned that once a government or a tyrannical power has your medical information, it can dictate your life or diminish you. This is one of the possible agendas of the COVID vaccine, which by CDC’s own statistics there is less than...

A new forecast from the University of Washington's pandemic forecasting team is frightening. Even in a best-case scenario, close to another 200,000 Americans are likely to die between now and May 1. More than 430,000 Americans have already died in the pandemic, and even if the entire population started doing everything right -- wearing masks, avoiding gatherings, staying two arms' lengths away from one another -- the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts at least 130,000 more people would die in the next three months. And now the new variants are here. Virologists predicted from the beginning that the...

Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O...

New York Giants backup quarterback Kyle Lauletta — who many fans believe should replace Eli Manning as the team’s starter — was busted in New Jersey on Tuesday morning for allegedly nearly hitting a police officer with his car, according to a report. The 23-year-old rookie from the University of Richmond was on his way to Big Blue’s practice facility in East Rutherford when he failed to obey an officer’s directions in Weehawken, NJ.com reported. He came close to striking the cop with his car.

If Janice the Elder – God rest her soul – were still with us we would have been schooled on this 4chan phenomenon months ago. Gamers were the first to note the birth of the NPC meme, understand and advance the reference. As it is now running the internet - and I note some of you have posted some of the funnier memes here for our enjoyment - it is time we school ourselves thoroughly.In a nutshell ‘NPC’ stands for non-player character – as in a video game. They serve as bots, programed with algorithms to provide canned responses...

WASHINGTON – The extraordinarily large number of senior military officials being relieved of duty during the Obama administration – nine generals and flag officers this year alone and close to 200 senior officers over the last five years – is part of the creation of a “compliant officer class,” according to a U.S. Army intelligence official. Since WND’s ongoing coverage of what some top generals are openly calling a “purge” of senior military officers who run afoul of Obama or his agenda, some military personnel have been speaking out. According to a veteran Army intelligence official who spoke to WND...

“WE’VE ALL BEEN CONTENT TO DEMEAN GOVERNMENT, DROP CIVICS AND CONSPIRE TO PRODUCE AN UNAWARE AND COMPLIANT CITIZENRY…UNAWARENESS REMAINS STRONG BUT COMPLIANCE IS... FADING RAPIDLY. This problem demands some serious, serious thinking - and not just poll driven, demographically-inspired messaging..."

In a presidential election year, there will, of course, be political biographies. But political biographies for children? This month three children's books about one candidate — Hillary Clinton — hit the shelves. Aimed at a variety of age groups, the books deliver a similar message of female strength, though admittedly one likely to go down easier in Democratic-leaning households. Jonah Winter's picture book "Hillary" (Schwartz & Wade, ages 4 to 8) begins with a slightly tongue-in-cheek overview of history's notably strong women: Queen Elizabeth, Joan of Arc ("she was kind of intense"), Rosie the Riveter, "and now there is Hillary."...

...A 2014 study conducted by Princeton and Northwestern University concluded that the U.S. government does not represent the majority of American citizens. Instead, the study found that the government is ruled by the rich and powerful, or the so-called “economic elite.” Moreover, the researchers concluded that policies enacted by this governmental elite nearly always favor special interests and lobbying groups. In other words, we are being ruled by an oligarchy disguised as a democracy, and arguably on our way towards fascism—a form of government where private corporate interests rule, money calls the shots, and the people are seen as mere...

Who will control your doctor? Yesterday the U.S. Energy and Commerce House health subcommittee voted to pass a version of the bipartisan 70-page draft "SGR repeal" bill that will change the way Medicare pays your doctor and other clinicians. The bill repeals a longstanding contentious system of yearly payment cuts under a law called the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) -- but then it puts government in charge of doctors. Congress has regularly passed annual "doc fix" bills to stop the SGR pay cuts. Thus, if the SGR cuts were finally allowed to take effect next year, Medicare payments to doctors...

Graffiti artist Shepard Fairey’s message was heard loud and clear in the silence of a Sanford, Fla. courtroom during the search of an impartial jury for the George Zimmerman trial. On the first day of jury duty, a Seminole County teen wore one of Fairey’s trendy black caps with the “OBEY” logo known worldwide. When it was his turn to be questioned in the courtroom Thursday, the recent high-school graduate wore an "OBEY" tank top. “I can’t help but see that you have something written on your shirt,” said defense attorney Don West, who looked puzzled in a navy blue...