Free Republic

Leaders of the veterans group Rolling Thunder are poised to roar back to Washington to defend President Trump if Democrats move to impeach him. They say Trump hasn't changed their mind about ending their annual massive Memorial Day biker gathering. But some bikers will be back to demand House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., halt impeaching proceedings if she cranks them up. “I think he's doing a great job, and I wish Nancy Pelosi and her cronies would get off his back,” executive director Artie Muller said Thursday after returning to New Jersey from the group’s final planned national gathering in...

Today’s Campaign Update (Because The Campaign Never Ends) As of today, in the wake of Robert Mueller’s exit from the sedition stage, the Democrat Party is left with two choices: They can either do what the hotheads in their demented voter base and congressional caucus want, and move down the fool’s gold-paved road to impeachment, or they can have a shot at maintaining their majority in the House of Representatives in the 2020 elections. They can’t have both. See, San Fran Nan is not quite as dumb as she looks (and granted, she looks awfully dumb most of the time)....

A young ventriloquist is touring Norway and puts on a show in a small fishing town. With his dummy on his knee, he starts going through his usual dumb blonde jokes. Suddenly, a blonde woman in the fourth row stands on her chair and starts shouting, "I've heard enough of your stupid blonde jokes. What makes you think you can stereotype Norwegian blonde women that way? What does the colour of a woman's hair have to do with her worth as a human being? Its men like you who keep women like me from being respected at work and in...

An orthodox evangelical church has closed down following a series of historical cases of sexual abuse. Six men from the Jesus Fellowship Church - formerly known as the Jesus Army - have so far been sentenced for the indecent and sexual assault of 11 victims between the 1970s and 1990s. Northamptonshire Police said about 200 complaints of various types of abuse were made. Its investigations continue. The JFC said it was "appalled" by the abuse and apologised to those affected. A lawyer representing two alleged victims said he was concerned the closures may mean his clients do not receive compensation....

TGIFF! Its Fiddle Friday and we have Snowbird In The Ashbank by E. J. Hopkins (1974). THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

ORLANDO, Fla. - Attorneys for two victims abused by Orlando Seventh-day Adventists pastor Billy Leveille have filed a lawsuit against the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, alleging the church was negligent after the Orlando pastor was convicted of sexual activity with a minor and child abuse. The women who wanted to be named and tell their stories had attended Bethel Elise Haitienne Des Adventists Church in Orlando, where Leveille was the senior pastor. Kenia Gilles said she was 16 years old and Jeny Desronvil said she was 21 when the abuse began, shortly after they were both elected and appointed...

Few companies appeal to more disparate corners of American society than the Walt Disney Co. , so count us among the bewildered to see Disney CEO Bob Iger march to the front lines of the culture wars. Mr. Iger told Reuters this week that it would be “very difficult” for Disney to continue filming its movie and television content in Georgia if a new state abortion law takes effect. “I think many people who work for us will not want to work there, and we will have to heed their wishes in that regard. Right now we are watching it...

With several septuagenarians competing for the presidency, the ghost of the 1990s looms over the 2020 race. Joe Biden has faced criticism for his sponsorship of the 1994 crime bill. President Donald Trump tweeted, "Anyone associated with the 1994 Crime Bill will not have a chance of being elected." Here's some context. Violent crime rates in the United States began a steep climb in the mid-1960s and reached their peak in the early 1990s. Americans were extremely worried. Donald Trump, for example, recommended bringing back New York's death penalty in response to a much-publicized Central Park attack. Politicians listened. Many...

You didn’t expect us to just let Uncle Joe coast to victory, did you? Where’s the fun without the Sturm und Drang? In case you missed it, a media narrative developed this week to give pragmatic Democrats something new to worry about: Joe Biden’s “enthusiasm gap.” The story goes like this: “He’s dominating in the polls, his fundraising is going gangbusters and he’s showing broad support from key political players in the early presidential states,” observed Politico this week. “So where are the big energetic crowds, the lines around the block to get into Joe Biden’s events?” This raises several...

With his latest blockbuster, "Unfreedom of the Press," Mark Levin presents a unique indictment of the liberal media today -- something I doubted could be done, given the plethora of material already written on this subject. It is sweepingly comprehensive, covering the history of the American press from before the nation's founding through modern times, yet accessibly succinct -- 226 pages, excluding the acknowledgments and notes. It is tough on the mainstream media but is anything but a ranting screed. A passionate patriot, Levin says this book's purpose "is to jump-start a long-overdue and hopefully productive dialogue among the American...

For the first time in 30 years, membership with Southern Baptist Churches is at a record low. New numbers from Southern Baptist Churches show that membership fell from approximately 15 million to 14.8 million in 2018. This is the first time in 30 years that it's been below 15 million. The denomination will hold its annual meeting in Birmingham, Alabama in two weeks where the decline will be discussed. Other talking points at the convention will be abuse, racism and women in the church. President of the Southern Baptists' Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Dr. Russell Moore confirmed that membership...

As disputes over homosexuality continue to stir within the worldwide Anglican Communion, conservative African bishops say they will boycott a decennial gathering of top clerics next summer unless what the Africans consider godly order is restored. After delaying the Lambeth Conference, normally held once a decade, for two years, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the global leader of Anglicanism, has invited all active bishops and their spouses to the United Kingdom in July and August of 2020 — except the spouses of bishops who are in same-sex unions. But the African bishops object to the invitation of bishops in the...

The Latvian parliament will on Wednesday choose the Baltic state's next president, with long-time European Court of Justice judge and former Soviet dissident Egils Levits the frontrunner. The German-educated 63-year-old, is the candidate of the governing coalition parties for the largely ceremonial role and has the backing of at least 55 members in the 100-seat parliament. .. Levits and his parents, Latvian patriots of Jewish origin, were expelled from the Soviet Union in 1972 because the KGB viewed them as a threat to the Communist regime. The family settled in Germany, where Levits obtained law and political science degrees before...

Irish brewery Guinness has elected to change the colours of its famous gates in Dublin for only the second time in its history in order to support the forthcoming 2019 Union Cup rugby union competition. The Guinness Union Cup Gates will support the brewery’s partnership with Europe’s biggest LGBT+ inclusive rugby tournament, which takes place in the Irish capital for the first time from 8th to 9th June. The Guinness Gates are passed by two million tourists each year, with the brewery seeking to use their popularity to help showcase the Union Cup and encourage people to attend the matches.

McALLEN — U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said Wednesday that he would not vote to impeach President Trump following building pressure on House Democrats to move forward with impeachment proceedings, especially after Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III spoke publicly for the first time following his two-year-long investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. “The short answer is: Would I vote right now to impeach the president? No,” Cuellar said at a luncheon at the DoubleTree hotel in McAllen during a legislative update panel alongside Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez and moderator Davis Rankin, the KURV radio host....

Steve Zelnak, the former CEO and chairman of the board at Raleigh-based Martin Marietta Materials, donated $5,000 to Sen. Thom Tillis in February. The donations weren’t shocking: He’d given to Tillis in 2014 and 2018. On Wednesday night, however, Zelnak and his wife Judy will serve as chairmen for the first fundraiser for Tillis’ 2020 Republican challenger — Garland Tucker. It costs $5,600 per couple to be listed as a chairman for the event at the Carolina Country Club in Raleigh, according to an invitation obtained by McClatchy.

TOKYO -- As Japan buys more U.S.-made F-35 stealth fighter aircraft, domestic jet engine builder IHI faces a risk to its most lucrative business. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has budgeted 701.3 billion yen ($6.41 billion) in fiscal 2019 for purchases through the U.S. foreign military sales program, up 70% from the previous year. Much of the outlay will go toward 105 Lockheed Martin F-35s, a transaction highlighted by President Donald Trump during his recent visit to Japan. "This purchase would give Japan the largest fleet of F-35s of any of our allies," Trump said Tuesday aboard the Kaga, a...

Qualifying for the first Democratic presidential debate was the easy part. Now comes the challenge of preparing for it. With the debate in Miami less than a month away, at least a half-dozen major candidates have begun to block out time or lighten their schedules to prepare. On telephone calls and in conference rooms, advisers are peppering them with potential questions. The candidates are practicing tightening their answers, cognizant of the 7 to 10 minutes of total speaking time they expect to be allotted. And they are watching clips of the 2016 Republican presidential primary debates to familiarize themselves with...

Netflix is threatening to “rethink” its Georgia productions after the state approved new restrictions on abortion. But, in a country that’s split on the issue of abortion, the streaming giant may want to “rethink” its proposition.In light of its past decisions, Netflix’s warning comes as no surprise. The company has a history with abortion and, in particular, the nation’s largest abortion provider. Not only have multiple Netflix shows worked together with Planned Parenthood, but also, Netflix employees have donated tens of thousands to the organization.Netflix’s Georgia comments came shortly after Governor Brian Kemp signed into law a bill prohibiting abortion...

Televangelist Todd Coontz has a well-worn routine: he dresses in a suit, pulls out a Bible and urges viewers to pledge a very specific amount of money. "Don't delay, don't delay," he urges, calmly but emphatically. It sounds simple, absurdly so, but Coontz knows his audience extremely well. He broadcasts on Christian cable channels, often late into the night, drawing in viewers who lack financial literacy and are desperate for change. "I understand the laws that govern insurance, stocks and bonds and all that is involved with Wall Street," he once said, looking directly into the camera. "God has called...