Free Republic

The United States has just endured the most expensive midterm elections in history. Most of us are tired of campaign commercials and are glad that they no longer run on television. But we fool ourselves if we think the commercials are really over or that the campaigning is limited to the two months leading up to election day. The commercials continue, if only in different forms. Political commercials have, somehow, taken over nearly every facet of our lives and every activity we experience. This infestation has happened so gradually that we barely notice how thorough the campaigning has become. We...

If you want to gauge how rabidly secular the left has become, look no further than “The Rachel Maddow Show” Wednesday evening. MSNBC’s flagship prime-time hour was guest-hosted by Joy Reid, who joined other hosts of color in housekeeping duties Thanksgiving week, filling in for their white host betters, most of whom were on vacation giving thanks, no doubt, that “the help” would do a serviceable job keeping their audiences enthused about the show trials beginning in the House of Representatives in January. And Joy Reid, at least, did not disappoint. She even managed to end the Thanksgiving Eve broadcast...

SAN DIEGO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials temporarily suspended all northbound and southbound crossings for both pedestrians and vehicles at the San Ysidro port of entry at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning.  As of 2 p.m., operations have not resumed. In preparation for multiple planned demonstrations on both sides of the border, CBP had deployed additional personnel to the San Ysidro port of entry on Sunday.  As the demonstrations on the Mexican side reached the border area, some members of the demonstration split off to head towards multiple locations along the border.  Some attempted to enter the U.S....

The Ukrainian president has proposed the imposition of martial law after Russian forces shot at and seized three Ukrainian navy vessels in the Black Sea, injuring six crew members according to Kiev, in a major escalation of tensions between the two countries. On Monday, Ukrainian MPs will vote on whether to declare nationwide martial law in response to the attack following an emergency war cabinet held by the president, Petro Poroshenko. He said that the imposition of martial law would not imply a declaration of war and is only intended for defensive purposes. Ukraine has also requested an emergency UN...

Stalin’s popularity among society in today’s Russia is rather superficial—Russians know little about the dictator and his life; they are rather nostalgic about the period of his rule and the achievements of his era. The image of the Soviet dictator as an outstanding leader is blended with Russians’ individual memories of repression and terror which affected almost every Russian family. These reminiscences however do not penetrate the public sphere at the mass level, which makes it possible for the state’s narrative to dominate it. The Kremlin has exploited the ambivalent and superficial attitude which Russians have to Stalin. Even though...

Embattled USC coach Clay Helton will return for his fourth season, USC athletic director Lynn Swann announced. The Trojans finished the season 5-7, their first losing year since 2000. "It is my firm belief that we have a good team returning next year and a solid foundation in place, and that Clay Helton is a good coach," Swann said in a statement. "Let me be clear to everyone, our players, our recruits and our fans. Clay Helton is our head coach and he will continue to be our head coach.

While the state may have chosen to expand its definition of marriage to accommodate for some of the above legal benefits normally given to a husband and wife, it is not necessary for the Church to change its definition or understanding of the sacrament of Holy Matrimony to match the State’s definition. It is time for the Church to stop functioning as an agent of the State in issuing marriage licenses.

Migrants approaching the U.S. border... were enveloped with tear gas Sunday after a few tried to breach the fence separating the two countries.... Honduran migrant Ana Zuniga, 23, said she saw migrants open a small hole in concertina wire at a gap on the Mexican side of a levee, at which point U.S. agents fired tear gas at them.... Mexico’s Milenio TV also showed images of several migrants at the border trying to jump over the fence.... U.S. Border Patrol helicopters flew overhead, while U.S. agents held vigil on foot beyond the wire fence.... ... several hundred Central American migrants...

Franciscan Media Image: St. Catherine with Angels | photo by Lawrence OP | flickr Saint Catherine of Alexandria Saint of the Day for November 25 (d. c. 310)  Saint Catherine of Alexandria’s Story According to the Legend of St. Catherine, this young woman converted to Christianity after receiving a vision. At the age of 18, she debated 50 pagan philosophers. Amazed at her wisdom and debating skills, they became Christians—as did about 200 soldiers and members of the emperor’s family. All of them were martyred.Sentenced to be executed on a spiked wheel, Catherine touched the wheel and it shattered....

100,000 Germans occupied conquered France in 1941 The population of Germany was approximately 67 million The population of France was around 42 million Latin America has over 640 million people The United States 325 million There’s 7.7 billion people in the world Half of which wish to be in the U.S. The other half would dance at our demise The Southern Border is porous The Northern Border wide open The coastline is over 12,000 miles Today’s headlines are becoming a blueprint for a battle plan A war like no other War nonetheless Billions of dollars would gleefully fund it’s success...

If you study the history of NASA’s Apollo program in the 1960s, one thing you come to realize is that the tight timetable to reach the moon by the end of the decade meant that NASA didn’t have time to ossify into a bureaucracy, and they did things (i.e., took risks) in those days that would never be permitted today. But you knew NASA had slipped into the maw of the administrative state when President Obama told NASA administrator Charles Bolden in 2010 that “Muslim outreach” should be a primary mission for the space agency. Well now it appears NASA...

1) They were our best candidates. 2) They stepped unto the plate. Braun(Ind.) and Cramer(ND) CONFIRMED their states are red-Kavanaugh vote didn't matter. Hietkamp/McKaskill/Donnely were true to themselves knowing they were going to lose. James(MI) and Vukmir never had a chance. Don't kid yourselves. Az.-disappointment. Same with Mt. Put up our BEST candidates and the rest will take care of itself. Need I say more?

While Mueller has cast a shadow over Trump for 18 months now, he has been almost entirely silent since he was brought out of retirement as a special counsel tasked with picking up the FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election, and “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump”. The word integrity seems to be almost sewn into the fabric of his pin-striped suits. “It’s why [Deputy Attorney General] Rod Rosenstein brought him into this role of special counsel,” Graff said, “because he is probably the...

That must be why Barack Obama never won . . . With the midterm elections behind us, we are now into the 2020 silly-season guessing game. On her MSNBC show this morning, Joy Reid invited her guests to make their picks among the multitudinous Dem contenders. Said Tiffany Cross, co-founder of The Beat DC: "My number one ticket who can beat Donald Trump by a landslide: Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey."[snip] Reid replied: "We know racially-polarized voting is a real thing and people will say they'll vote for Oprah until she is on the ballot."Get the rest of the story...

Friends it's Sunday night again and time to relax. Warm up the tubes for another 4 hours of classic radio Americana. Listen Live Info *tonight's show will be available at the "Info" link starting tomorrow. Official OTR Blog of "The Big Broadcast" thread: http://kallmansalley.com/

Patents recently issued to Google provide a window into their development activities. While it’s no guarantee of a future product, it is a sure indication of what’s of interest to them. What we’ve given up in privacy to Google, Facebook, and others thus far is minuscule compared to what is coming if these companies get their way. These patents tell us that Google is developing smart-home products that are capable of eavesdropping on us throughout our home in order to learn more about us and better target us with advertising. It goes much further than the current Google Home speaker...

Authorities clashed with groups that are believed to be from the Central American migrant caravan Sunday after a group estimated to be in the hundreds stormed a US port of entry. Migrants walked from a makeshift shelter in Tijuana, Mexico to head to San Ysidro, the largest port of entry on the southern US border to confront border authorities and make asylum claims.The confrontation comes less than a day after President Donald Trump tweeted that the United States will no longer allow asylum-seekers to enter the country until their claims are approved by a judge. Authorities clashed with members of...

To hear the news report it, the migrant caravan is just a spontaneous uprising of women and children fleeing Honduran gangs, and the issue is one of Mexico and the U.S. diplomacy finding a way to accommodate them. What's lost is just how hard, hard, left the organizers of what has become this humanitarian disaster are. Even the leftist liberation-theology-oriented rifles-and-cassocks crowd are is getting concerned. Their agenda is hard-left, pro-Chavista, and drawing the fringiest leftwing groups. It's not a humanitarian mission in the slightest to them, it's a by-any-means-necessary political mission. A look at the caravan organizers and their...

The migrant caravan making its way from South America has reached a border wall between Mexico and the U.S.