Free Republic

Ten years ago, Becket Cook was a gay man in Hollywood who had achieved great success as a set designer in the fashion industry. He worked with stars and supermodels, from Natalie Portman to Claudia Schiffer, traveling the world to design photo shoots for the likes of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. He attended award shows and parties at the homes of Paris Hilton and Prince. He spent summers swimming in Drew Barrymore’s pool. A decade later, Cook has moved on from that life—and he doesn’t miss it. What changed for Cook? He met Jesus. On a momentous day in September...

Doug Ogden doesn’t know what to do. The 75-year-old retired law enforcement officer is disgusted by President Donald Trump. But he can’t imagine voting for a Democrat in 2020, either. A self-described independent in South Carolina, Ogden doesn’t recognize the modern-day Democratic Party. “The state of the Democratic Party is wild against wilder,” says Ogden, standing with his arms crossed at a recent town hall meeting for Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg. “It scares me.” At the core of Ogden’s concern is a broader question about the direction of the Democratic Party and its values in the age of Trump....

AMERICAN Airlines passengers were left stunned after noticing a miniature HORSE had joined their flight. Evan Nowak said he noticed the animal, which had been brought onboard by a fellow traveller, while flying on an a service from Chicago to Omaha. He posted the footage to Twitter, which showed the horse calmly sitting near the front of the plane in an aisle seat. He added: "At this time we would like to begin boarding with any active duty military, families travelling with children under the age of 3, and horses..." Another passenger, Amberley Babbage, also spotted the animal at check...

“Impeachment August” is officially over, but with progressive groups reaching few of the goals they hoped to reach towards the impeachment of President Trump. Twelve groups had banded together in hopes of convincing lawmakers — particularly from swing districts — to back the impeachment of Trump during the August break, when members of Congress were back home and in front of constituents. However, during August, only one Democrat from a district rated a “toss up” by the Cook Political Report came out in favor of impeachment — Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), from Illinois’ 14th district.

New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez promoted a fundraiser for bail money for a group of counter-protesters that included Antifa members after a “Straight Pride” parade in Boston, Massachusetts, this weekend. “One way to support the local LGBTQ community impacted by Boston’s white supremacist parade? Contribute to the Bail Fund for the activists who put themselves on the line protecting the Boston community,” Rep. Ocasio-Cortez said in a social media post Saturday

Rep. Ilhan Omar dodged questions on Thursday about her alleged affair with a DC political consultant who’s on her payroll. The freshman Democratic congresswoman appeared ahead of a scheduled event at the University of Minnesota when a Post reporter asked her about claims she broke up the marriage of Tim and Beth Mynett. But instead of answering, Omar nervously made a beeline to make small talk with a police officer ... Omar has paid Tim Mynett’s E Street Group consulting firm $230,000 since 2018 — raising concerns of potential ethics violations.

LOS ANGELES - The 75-foot dive boat Conception was considered one of the best of its kind in the region, and both it and its operator, Truth Aquatics Inc., were in compliance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations. That all changed Monday in the flash of a predawn fire near Santa Cruz Island, when the Conception sank in flames, taking with it more than 30 people who were below deck in bunk beds, apparently unable to get out.

A teen in the UK who has eaten nothing but french fries, potato chips and white bread since elementary school is now blind because of vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition damage. The boy was taken to his doctor at 14 because he felt tired. He was diagnosed with macrocytic anemia and a vitamin B12 deficiency and prescribed supplements, according to a study published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. He neither stuck with the vitamins nor changed his diet, however, and his condition worsened.Three years later, he was taken to the Bristol Eye Hospital with reported vision loss.According to the...

Today’s Cryptogram ALG KHT HKY YL KEHTFP HTV KLTYULD ALGU DXRP, HTV YEP MULKPVGUP, YEP MULKPBB XB XYB LQT UPQHUV. –HJPDXH PHUEHUY You can find this little fun word game, to combat early dementia and senility in us baby boomers, in several daily publications. The way it works is a letter stands for another letter. For example: AXYDLBAAXR is LONGFELLOW (does not apply to today's cryptogram). Beware, the game is very addictive. If this is your first time, don't be intimidated. PLEASE DO NOT post the answer in general comments, but DO post your time and any tips you might...

In July 2017, the Department of Justice’s inspector general (IG) began an investigation into whether former FBI Director James Comey improperly handled and shared government memos, including some containing classified information. The IG’s now-issued report found Comey guilty of multiple violations and referred him for possible prosecution. The Justice Department declined to prosecute. After the IG report was issued, Comey declared exoneration and asked for apologies via Twitter: “I don’t need a public apology from those who defamed me, but a quick message with a ‘sorry we lied about you’ would be nice.” However, almost the entirety of the IG’s...

he Duke of Sussex today insisted he flew by private jet four times in 11 days to keep his family safe as he launched a new sustainable travel initiative. Prince Harry said he hopes the new 'Travalyst' scheme will better protect tourist destinations and their local communities for generations to come. The Duke flew to Amsterdam by a commercial flight yesterday to launch the project this morning, and told an audience: 'We could all do better.'

NFL Live Thread: Week 1 Thursday, September 5, 2019 (All Times Eastern) Green Bay at Chicago 8:20 pm NBC Soldier Field Sunday, September 8, 2019 Buffalo at N.Y. Jets 1:00 pm CBS MetLife Stadium Baltimore at Miami 1:00 pm CBS Hard Rock Stadium Kansas City at Jacksonville 1:00 pm CBS TIAA Bank Field Tennessee at Cleveland 1:00 pm CBS FirstEnergy Stadium Washington at Philadelphia 1:00 pm FOX Lincoln Financial Field Atlanta at Minnesota 1:00 pm FOX U.S. Bank Stadium L.A. Rams at Carolina 1:00 pm FOX Bank of America Stadium Indianapolis at L.A. Chargers 4:05 pm CBS Dignity Health Sports...

We missed Swingin' Monday, so we'll swing today with Bob Wills & Mel Tillis on I Wish I Felt This Way At Home. THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

I know it’s nice to have warning in order to prepare, but for our friends in Florida, Georgia, South – and now North – Carolina, along with their anxious relatives elsewhere, in must seem as if they’ve been waiting on Dorian for a month now. Being caught in a real life Groundhog Day is exhausting. To all who find themselves in the path of the storm, I’m certain your fellow MOTI will keep you in their prayers.So for today’s diversion I’m just going to assemble my panzanella salad for you. I made this last Friday, when the weather was perfect...

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Monday that the suspected gunman who killed at least seven people and injured 22 others in a shooting over the weekend had failed a gun background check. “Not only did the gunman have a criminal history … he also previously failed a gun purchase background check in Texas,” Abbott tweeted, “& he didn’t go thru a background check for the gun he used in Odessa. We must keep guns out of criminals’ hands.” It is unclear how the gunman, identified Sunday as 36-year-old Seth Aaron Ator, obtained the AR-style rifle he used when he...

The sun was still beating down when, one late afternoon earlier this year, I arrived at a dust bowl of baked earth where there should have been water. Lake Abbe, a soda lake on the border between Ethiopia and Djibouti, wasn’t where it was supposed to be. The local Afar people told me that an Ethiopian dam had stanched its inflow to irrigate a sugarcane plantation, and now the shore had receded to the horizon. Lake Abbe is the endpoint of the Awash River, a vital source of water in an ecosystem that is growing drier as local temperatures rise...

Are black women’s lives worth $348,000? This is the current debate in the California Assembly Appropriations Committee as they decide whether to support Senate Bill 464, the California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act

Good Morning And WELCOME To The Kuhner Report!

“‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few’” (Matthew 9:37). As Jesus changes the metaphor from shepherding to harvesting, He gives another motive for His ministry. He ministered because people face God’s final judgment. Jesus ministered compassionately and tirelessly because He could see the ultimate consummation of divine judgment toward which every person was headed—every one in the multitudes who did not trust in Him. Paul said, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11). In 2 Thessalonians, Paul paints a vivid picture of God’s judgment: “The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven...

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