Free Republic

Regardless of what President-elect Donald Trump’s plans are for immigration, President Barack Obama says there will be “inevitable” changes to the demographics of the United States. “If you stopped all immigration today, just by virtue of birth rates, this is going to be a browner country,” Obama told NPR’s Steve Inskeep in an interview that aired Monday. “And if we’re not thinking right now about how we make sure that next generation is getting a good education and are instilled with a common creed and the values that make America so special and are cared for and nurtured and loved...

As a harrowing economic crisis makes food scarce for millions of Venezuelans, many families cannot buy their children Christmas presents, decorate their home, or even host a holiday dinner. The oil-rich country is suffering the third year of a recession that has sparked product shortages and galloping inflation. With a recent currency depreciation pumping up prices even higher, some parents are simply canceling Christmas.

The Democrats have a simple explanation for Hillary Clinton’s loss — the Russians did it. The party that has had a decades-long soft spot toward Moscow and has been reluctant to believe the Kremlin might have aggressive intentions or, say, cheat on an arms-control agreement, is in a frenzy over Russian hacking that supposedly denied Hillary the victory that was rightfully hers. John Podesta, the chairman of a Hillary campaign that considered accepting the results of an election part of American writ as of about two months ago, refused several times on “Meet the Press” Sunday to say the presidential...

With a commanding lead over his competitors, it appears Holland's anti-Islam, anti-migration Geert Wilders is willing to make his point more aggressively after yesterday's deadly attacks across Europe. In a shocking tweet, he summed up his (and we suspect many Germans) feelings... After being convicted for incitement to discrimination (and insulting an ethnic group), we can only imagine what punishment the European bureaucrats will mete out for such a tweet.

Berlin is renowned for holding a number of LGBT festivals each year, including Christopher Street Day celebrations dating back to 1979, and Berlin Pride. Hundreds of thousands partake in these events each year. The city’s commitment to the LGBT community has also shown through in its care for refugees from war-torn countries, establishing Germany’s first major gay asylum centre in February.

On his nationally syndicated radio show Wednesday, host Sean Hannity discussed with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich the Left’s onslaught on Trump and his administration’s legitimacy, Gingrich explaining, “They’re facing the end of their way of life.” “We’re talking here about the end of their world,” said former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. “You know, Donald Trump is the real deal. He is the first decisive change since 1932, much bigger, much deeper than Ronald Reagan, and the Left knows it. And they’re facing, you know, they’re facing the end of their way of life.” Sound clip...

Something they threw together in the spirit of the season to remind us that racial and gender stereotypes are bad, with one exception. As a billion people on Twitter noted this afternoon as this dopey clip made the rounds, it is indeed basically a campaign ad for Trump 2020. I wrote a few days ago that I dislike the term “virtue-signaling” but what else is this strange little PSA except that? It’s an attempt to equate right-thinking with cheerful, casual contempt for “white guys.” That’s the most annoying thing about it — it doesn’t even muster real indignation. It’s tribal...

On 14 December, 2016, a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the District Court ruling in Silvester v. Harris.  In the original decision, the District Court ruled that requiring a gun owner who had already passed a background check, and who either already owned a registered gun or had a concealed carry permit, was an infringement on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The Ninth Circuit held that a 10 day waiting period was a "reasonable safety precaution".  From the decision at uscourts.gov(pdf): The panel reversed the district court’s bench trial...

The electoral college makes it official! I'm feeling almost as chipper as I was on the morning of November 9th. I can't believe I spent the better part of a year worrying when most of FR was having fun.

Trump-backing artist blacklisted from art show puts on his own f—ing event December 20, 2016 Scott LoBaido is an outspoken artist from Staten Island and the star of our series "Diary of a Mad White Patriot." In this installment, Scott wages war over a decision to not feature his art at an event for political reasons, and stages a yuge, super-sexy, hyper-patriotic art show of his own.

Germany is facing the biggest rise in right-wing support since the 1930s

The Washington Post blamed the Electoral College for making so-called man-made global warming nearly impossible to “thwart.” The last two U.S. presidents who lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College have actively worked against efforts to end global warming, Todd Cort, the co-director of the Yale Center for Business and the Environment, wrote Monday in an editorial for The Washington Post. “At the very least, the impact of the 2000 electoral college vote was a delay of four years in addressing climate change (and it is arguable that even though Bush won his second term with the popular...

A few days ago, DJT, in his farewell tour, was remarking about learning that 70K businesses had been off-shored, and said he thought it was a typo, 7,000, ok maybe, but 70,000? Tariffs are terrible, except when they're not, and have been long been necessary to protect infant industries until the rest of Caesar's laws in Caesar's world toughens them up to fly solo. Well, I submit that the industries offshored over the last 20 years ARE infant industries when we re-start them using tariffs. Most of the employees of closed factories are still here and could presumably start up...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem The Book of Psalms (Psalm 55) Psalm 55[a] For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil[b] of David. 1 Listen to my prayer, O God,     do not ignore my plea; 2     hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught 3     because of what my enemy is saying,     because of the threats of the wicked; for they bring down suffering on me     and assail me in their anger. 4 My heart is in anguish within me;     the terrors of death have fallen on me. 5 Fear and trembling have beset me;     horror...

In advance of taking office in January, Donald Trump's transition team has people surveying the Texas-Mexico border for places to build a wall. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, says while some areas don't want the structure, they're being told to submit ideas anyway. Click through to see images of the border being patrolled and the current security.

Michelle Obama is looking forward to getting her “anonymity” back. The first lady complained in an interview that aired Monday night with Oprah Winfrey on CBS that her biggest sacrifice while Barack Obama served as president was giving up her ability to be anonymous. But soon, she believes, that’ll change. “You know, there’s nowhere I can go in the world and just sit at a table and have a cup of coffee and watch the world,” Obama said in what is expected to be her final sit-down interview. Oprah doubted Obama will get her anonymity back — but the outgoing...

Singer Jackie Evancho has received online backlash for agreeing to perform during Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day ceremony. On Twitter, some users attacked her and her sister. “Nothing says #careersuicide like Jackie Evancho performing at the Inauguration. Her career is failing already. She’ll never live this down,” It’s worth noting that she’s performed twice for President Obama.

o, if the wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University get their way, this is the last time a story lead like this will ever make it into print or broadcast. Answering a question by beginning with the word "so" is just one of a dozen forms of wordplay that made it onto LSSU's 41st annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness. The tradition created by the late W. T. Rabe, former public relations director at Lake Superior State University, is now in its fifth decade. Compilers hope this year's list will be...

In the wake of yesterday’s terror attacks, including the one in Berlin in which 12 people were killed and many more injured, Donald Trump tweeted that the civilized world must “change thinking.” A disdainful Joe Scarborough reacted on today’s Morning Joe: “I don’t know exactly what the civilized world is going to do about trucks, unless we’re going to ban trucks. But again, some of the deadliest attacks have been with vehicles.” But the driver of the truck in Berlin yesterday was reportedly a Pakistani “refugee.” And the truck in the Nice attack that killed 86 people was driven by...

Gun sales in Austria have “quadrupled” as citizens of that nation seek to secure means of self-defense in response to the “immigrant crisis” that has enveloped Europe. Earlier in 2016, the crisis led Austria to “began limiting the number of asylum applications it would receive.” But gun sales began to skyrocket prior to this move being made.