Free Republic

Over the past several years, many on the Right, whether dissident or mainstream, have begun to wake up as to the true nature of the Left. While it has taken longer than it really should have, an increasing number of normiecons are starting to figure out some things, such as that people on the Left aren’t interested in “fair play” or “following the rules.” It’s taken so long because most conservatives, especially older ones, were habituated to a previously prevailing political climate in which there was at least an idealised public consensus that these traits were how you “did politics...

More than three months after President Trump granted his attorney general unprecedented power to declassify intelligence files, key U.S. intelligence agencies are still withholding documents related to the Trump-Russia affair... The source of the logjam: the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which Trump is in the process of shaking up after the resignations last month of its director, Dan Coats, and principal deputy, Sue Gordon. “Establishment” officials in that agency are still dragging their feet... Sources who have seen the documents generally described their contents to RealClearInvestigations. They said the material still under wraps includes: Evidence that President...

Over the last few weeks, we've been exploring the competing narratives about the US economy -- with the White House insisting that all is well, as many in the media hype up the possibility of a coming recession.  My general conclusion at this point has been that while there are some soft spots and genuine warning signs, the economy's fundamentals remain quite strong.  Unemployment has been quite low, the job market has been quite robust, and wage growth has broken free from years of frustrating stagnation.  We also recently received positive news on other indicators, including productivity, retail sales, and...

US bishops dismiss spokeswoman in wake of tweets praising Trump, opposing Democrats WASHINGTON, D.C., August 27, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has replaced its public affairs director a month after she was put on leave amid controversy over her criticism of Democrats and support for President Donald Trump on social media. Judy Keane was the USCCB’s public affairs director since 2016 until she shared pro-Trump tweets on her personal Twitter account that roiled “liberal” Catholics. The USCCB announced Thursday it had appointed the Archdiocese of Washington’s Director of Media and Public Relations, Chieko Noguchi, as Director of its Office...

Earlier this week, I met with some Christian friends who have lived and worked in China for many years. What they shared with me was chilling and sobering. (They are well-connected and not simply airing personal opinions.) First, the crackdown against Christian believers in the country (not to mention the crackdown against Muslims and others, which we did not discuss in detail), is getting increasingly severe. Just a few years ago, there were real signs of change. Persecution was lessening and liberties were increasing. But not today. There is a systematic attempt to purge the gospel from the nation. Even...

Before Joe Biden jumped into the 2020 race, this very columnist wrote a piece headlined: “Biden will run and Biden will win.” The premise of the brilliant piece was that while all the candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination moved hard left — offering socialist programs like free health care and free college and pushing trillion-dollar projects and 70% tax rates — Biden would waltz in, play the sane moderate, be embraced by the mainstream media, and sweep to victory. It all may still happen, but he’s certainly not running away with the race (one recent poll showed him statistically...

Prosecutors initially said the fire killed eight women and 15 men and injured 13 people. López Obrador said the death toll had risen to 25, but did not specify the gender of the victims or the number of injured. There was no immediate information on their condition. Veracruz state police said the Tuesday night attack targeted the “Bar Caballo Blanco,” though the bar’s name was in English on a sign outside: “The White Horse Nightclub.” It advertised “quality, security and service,” private rooms for $7.50 “all night,” ‘‘sexy girls” and a pole dance contest. Photos of the scene showed tables...

GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson to resign at end of year BY JORDAIN CARNEY - 08/28/19 10:41 AM EDT GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson to resign at end of year GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson (Ga.) announced Wednesday that he will step down from the Senate at the end of the year, citing health issues. "After much prayer and consultation with my family and my doctors, I have made the very tough decision to leave the U.S. Senate at the end of this year. I have informed Georgia Governor Brian Kemp today that I will resign my Senate seat effective December 31, 2019,"...

The owner of a San Francisco restaurant famous for hosting politicians claimed Sen. Bernie Sanders lost his vote in the 2020 presidential election after the Vermont Democratic candidate was “rude and cranky” to his servers, a report said. John Konstin, who owns the 111-year-old John’s Grill, told Politico many Democrats dined at his bistro while the Democratic National Committee was in town for a three-day event over the weekend. Sanders arrived for dinner with about 15 members of his campaign team and was not nice to any of the staff and didn’t want to shake hands or have his picture...

China's "social credit" system, a high-tech operation that tracks and assigns points in relation to the daily activities and behavior choices of its citizens, is being developed in Silicon Valley.The Communist government's digital efforts, which have been in place since 2014, to control the actions of the people has been extensively utilized to manipulate them into compliance with their preferred way of conduct.Reports indicate that it is increasingly common for Chinese people who refuse to go along with what the regime deems as good behavior to be denied the ability to travel by air or business class train tickets, among...

A school diversity committee formed by Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to eliminate programs for gifted and talented students, claiming they perpetuate racial inequality because they’re comprised mostly of white and Asian students.The committee also recommended scrapping all forms of screening for students across the city.The report has no binding power, but de Blasio can implement the panel's recommendations if he wishes.New York Post: De Blasio only said of the report Monday, “Every child, regardless of ZIP code, has the right to attend a school where they can thrive. “I thank the School Diversity Advisory Group for all their...

Today's post is in honor of Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dennis H. Laffick of the Oklahoma National Guard who was killed on this day in 1995 when his OH-58 Kiowa helicopter struck power lines during a counter-drug operation in Bixby, Okla.. The 48-year-old Chicago native previously served with the 114th Aviation Helicopter Company in Vietnam and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. 1862: One year after the Confederacy's "glorious but dear-bought victory" over the Union in the First Battle of Bull Run, the two (significantly larger) armies meet again on the same battleground. 70,000 soldiers of Union Maj. Gen. John...

AMC's show Preacher has set a new record for irreverence, making Jesus Christ out to be an adulterer and mentally handicapped. Yet on Sunday, the show managed to become even more offensive. In one episode, the character portraying Jesus smokes a joint and imagines himself robbing a bank. Next episode, he will negotiate with Adolf Hitler regarding the apocalypse.Early in the episode, Tyson Ritter — whose character is listed as "Humperdoo, Jesus Christ, Jesus" on IMDB — smokes a joint with Ruth Negga, playing Tulip O'Hare. He reminisces about having sex with a married woman in the Garden of Gethsemane...

Dear FRiends, We need your help to get this FReepathon wrapped up. Prayers up for continuing progress and success. FR is funded solely by contributions made by the liberty loving patriots who love and use it. We are beholden to no political party. No advertisers, no outsiders, no sugar daddies, no corporate string pullers. Definitely no government subsidies or tax breaks. No 501c or other IRS non-profit status. This means no commercial ads. No annoying pop-ups. No ad tracking. No mail campaigns. No spam. No third-parties -- not even the IRS -- trying to control what we do or say....

[Catholic Caucus] Former papal nuncio demands women’s ordination at Mass, parishioners applaud COLINDRES, Cantabria, Spain, August 27, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) ― An archbishop and former papal nuncio to the United Kingdom has affirmed his support for women’s ordination.  On August 25, Archbishop Pablo Puente Buces, 88, announced during a Mass honoring a local saint that a letter would be sent to the pontiff on this subject the next day.  Miguel Ángel Revilla, 76, television personality and the president of the Spanish region of Cantabria, was present at the Mass. He reported the incident on Twitter: “During the Mass of San...

African migrants traveling to the United States attacked Mexican military police near the southern US border in Tapachula. VIDEO

The initial goal of invading Afghanistan in the immediate weeks after 9/11 could not have been more clear: Get Osama bin Laden and oust the Taliban regime that gave his fanatical pack of beards safe haven to plan and practice the deadly attacks.It was the first and so far only time NATO allies invoked the Article 5 mutual defense pact. That familiar mission creep, however, seeped in and with the best of naive intentions, the foreigners stuck around to attempt nation-building to protect the power vacuum they created.It’s had some good days (a new Constitution now gives equal rights...

In the shameless shambles that is Morning Joe, they can report on Ilhan Omar -- but only the parts where they think Republicans look ridiculous. On today's show, Joe Scarborough, with an assist from Eugene Scott of the Washington Post, whom the paper's official bio describes as a "reporter covering identity politics," criticized the Alabama Republican Party for adopting a resolution calling for the expulsion of Omar from Congress. Scarborough approvingly cited Omar's tweet in response to the resolution, in which she mockingly noted the 2016 Senate nomination of Roy Moore. Scarborough also quoted Scott to the effect that the...

Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis took several implicit swipes at President Trump’s leadership in an op-ed published Wednesday, warning about the fallout from fractured alliances and increasing divisiveness under the current administration. Mattis’ comments were included in a lengthy essay adapted from a forthcoming book and published in The Wall Street Journal. They amount to the most extensive remarks from him about his time in the Trump administration since he quietly resigned in January.

The Queen has approved Boris Johnson's request to suspend parliament from the middle of next month, which will restrict MPs' ability to block a no-deal Brexit. In a move prompting a furious political row, parliament will be prorogued in the week beginning 9 September until 14 October. This is the date on which a new Queen's Speech - detailing the legislative agenda of Mr Johnson's administration - will be held. ...The action will see parliament lose a number of sitting days prior to the UK's scheduled departure from the EU on 31 October. Asked if he was denying opposition MPs...