Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Burke: Francis' "Personal Opinions" Are Not Catholic Teaching Francis’ condemnation of capital punishment is Pope Francis' "personal opinion as a man,” Cardinal Raymond Burke explained. During a July 21 question and answer session for the Marian Catechists in La Crosse, Wisconsin (full audio below), he invited his audience to buy a copy of the Catechism "as it is now and keep it in a safe place“ [laughter]. Burke noticed that in former days the popes spoke little and avoided expressing personal opinions not to cause confusion. Now, "we have the situation of a Pope who speaks a...

An assistant police chief for the Bakersfield Police Department has been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and placed on administrative leave, according to a BPD news release. Evan Demestihas surrendered himself to the Taft City Jail Wednesday. He was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic assault.

This is how England and Australia lost their freedom. This is what the dems/gun-grabbers have planned for America. Only by staying united and vocal can we hope to defeat them (again).

Andrew McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI, who was fired over allegations related to unauthorized leaks to the media and could face indictment, will headline a fund-raiser for Pennsylvania Democrats this month. His keynote address for the Lancaster County Democrats is teased on the group’s website as “sure to be one of the most interesting events we’ve ever had!

Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera accused AR-15 rifle owners of using the gun to compensate for small penis size. Responding to comedian Sarah Silverman's tweet that mocked hunters for possessing similar insecurities, Rivera said, "AR15 are the symptom of small penises." Claiming "their products are used for their only intended purpose: to mimic military assault weapons to kill and maim people," Rivera had said earlier that companies manufacturing AR-15 rifles should be sued for damages, much like opioid makers and tobacco companies.

It's been 88 years since a Republican served as mayor, and there is exactly one Republican serving on the 50-member City Council (compared to five Democratic Socialists, four independents, and 40 Democrats).

So says Claudia Rosett, writing in the Wall Street Journal. She should know. She has been present for both. It’s true that the two showdowns are 30 years apart and arise in different venues. But in both cases, China’s control of a major city was challenged by a population seeking freedom. In the first case, rather than give in to legitimate demands, the Communist Party resorted to guns and mass violence. In the second, it’s preparing to do so. In Hong Kong: [T]he millions of protesters. . .have been doing the world a heroic service. Like their predecessors at Tiananmen,...

America’s largest retailer, Walmart, is the next to succumb to the anti-gun movement following the high-profile shootings over the past few weeks. Walmart has decided to remove all “handgun” and “short barreled rifle” ammunition from their shelves in order to focus their sales on ammunition more appropriate for hunting purposes. This should not be a surprise considering the recent push to appease voters in the Democrat primary battleground, along with the relentlessly anti-gun focused media coverage of these killings. The firearms industry will not suffer as a result of Walmart’s decision. There are plenty of available outlets for purchasing ammunition....

Jacob Wohl, a conservative activist who once attempted to smear special counsel Robert Mueller with false sexual assault allegations, was charged in California for the illegal sale of securities. Wohl allegedly tried to sell unqualified securities in July and August of 2016, according to a criminal complaint filed against him on August 19. The disgraced hedge fund manager turned pro-Trump conspiracy theorist was charged along with his former business partner, Matthew Johnson. The Daily Beast, which first broke the story, reported the allegation stems from securities sold for one of Wohl’s financial companies, Montgomery Assets. Prosecutors had to file by...

Haverford Township said Wednesday that one of its five companies had been “relieved of duty indefinitely” after officials were told by the volunteer organization that it would not dismiss a volunteer who admitted he had been in the process of joining the Proud Boys, a controversial far-right men’s group. According to the township, the volunteer, whom officials did not name, admitted to the township in mid-August that he had attended “several social gatherings” for the Proud Boys and passed two out of the four steps in the initiation process, which included hazing.

It is obvious that Republicans in Congress don’t understand America’s gun problem. But Sen. Ted Cruz has taken that ignorance to a new level. The GOP loves to point out, erroneously, that Chicago has the toughest gun laws in the nation, yet the murder rate is the highest. Neither point is accurate, but that hasn’t stopped Republicans, including Donald Trump, from spreading the lie. Chicagoans are used to being the scapegoat for lawmakers who don’t have the guts to do the right thing when it comes to passing sensible gun legislation. But when self-serving politicians try to shirk their responsibility...

Pope Francis Says It’s an ‘Honor’ to be Criticized by Americans His throwaway remark, made in connection with a new book that claims influential American Catholics want him to step down, generated surprise aboard the papal flight today to Mozambique. ON THE PAPAL PLANE — A quip by Pope Francis aboard the papal plane this morning raised a few eyebrows of those traveling with him — and sent his press handlers scrambling. After takeoff on his way to the Mozambique capital of Maputo, the Pope customarily greeted journalists on the papal plane. Among those he met was Nicolas Seneze, Rome correspondent...

Steamboat has erupted 34 times as of Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey. That breaks last year's record of 32 eruptions -- the largest number ever recorded in a year. The record before that was 29 eruptions in 1964. June's outbursts smashed the record for the shortest interval between eruptions -- just over three days. Scientists aren't sure what's behind the recent increase in activity, but the short answer is that this is just how geysers work. It's a popular misconception that geyser eruptions are related to earthquake activity, but Poland said visitors to the national park have nothing...

American conservatives who loathe his outreach to migrants and China, his denunciation of free-market capitalism, his environmental concerns and his relaxation of church rules on the death penalty and sacraments for civilly remarried Catholics. Some have gone so far as to accuse Francis of heresy. The pope’s most outspoken conservative critics in the U.S. include Cardinal Raymond Burke, who Francis ousted as a Vatican supreme court justice, and former White House adviser Steve Bannon. Well-funded, right-wing Catholic media amplified their disapproval. Wealthy Catholics are putting money behind initiatives to discredit Francis’ allies with the goal of electing a conservative, doctrine-minded...

How Much Money Each State Saves Thanks to Homeschooling As many recognize, homeschooling has been booming in recent years and promises to keep growing. The most recent numbers from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) hail from 2012 and suggest that 1.8 million children are now educated at home.Compared to public school students, studies suggest that homeschoolers perform up to 30 percentile points better on standardized tests, have higher college GPAs and completion rates, and may even be better adjusted socially. Judging from these numbers, it would seem that homeschooling definitely benefits the individual student.But what about the nation...

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., ripped into President Trump during Wednesday's episode of "The View" and claimed that he was probably the "most dangerous" president in the history of the United States. His comments came after host Joy Behar asked him about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., seemingly preferring a moderate to challenge Trump in 2020. "I love Nancy but she and I disagree on this issue," Sanders said. "I think the way you beat Donald Trump — and I must say that in my view, Donald Trump is the most dangerous president probably in the history of this country." "We...

he Trump administration has prepared draft legislation to expedite capital cases against mass shooters, it announced Monday. Marc Short, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, told reporters to expect the legislation as part of a larger gun control proposal from the White House, Fox News reports. The total legislative package is expected after Congress returns from its August recess on September 9th. The announcement comes after a mass shooting in Odessa, Texas, in which a gunman killed five and injured 22 people. On Sunday, President Donald Trump called the shooter "another very sick person," and said that shootings were...

Nancy Pelosi voices fury at Donald Trump getting $3.6 billion of military building cash diverted to build his Mexican wall as Pentagon prepares to come clean on what projects it is taking it from Nancy Pelosi slammed the Pentagon's plan to divert $3.6 billion in military construction projects to build Donald Trump's border wall She said lawmakers will 'fight this unacceptable and deeply dangerous decision in the Courts, in the Congress and in the court of public opinion' Defense Secretary Mark Esper informed congressional leaders on Tuesday A full list of the 127 projects affected will be released later this...

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Local social media is abuzz over efforts in Pittsburgh to identify and boycott businesses owned by supporters of President Donald Trump. “I think it’s important because people have a right to know where their money is going,” Pittsburgh blogger Brian Broome told KDKA political editor Jon Delano on Tuesday. In a recent Facebook post, a page identified only as “Ban Kenny Chesney from Pittsburgh” says there’s a list of almost 100 local businesses owned by Trump supporters which will soon be disclosed on a new website.

Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson (D) revealed that she did not think the left was “so mean” and “lied like this” until she ran for president as an outsider candidate. “I know this sounds naive. I didn’t think the left was so mean. I didn’t think the left lied like this,” Williamson told the New Yorker’s David Remnick in an interview. “I thought the right did that. I thought we were better.” Williamson accused the left of lying about her use of crystals and “crystal gazing,” telling Remnick that there has “never been a crystal on stage” at any of her...