Free Republic

Marie L. Yovanovitch—the American ambassador to Ukraine unceremoniously recalled in May 2019 for allegedly being out of touch with President Trump’s policies—is not the first American ambassador to be at odds with a president’s policy. Joseph Grew, America’s ambassador to Japan in the months before Pearl Harbor, experienced a similar frustration. Grew saw that U.S. economic sanctions were crippling the Japanese economy—rice was being rationed, the absence of gasoline meant that the few cars traversing Tokyo’s streets had been fitted with charcoal engines, and even imported coffee had been replaced by another questionable brew. Back in Washington, President Franklin D....

Today’s Cryptogram Y’L QYEEPXPHV, OHQ Y WOUP VS IP O COXXYSX VS IP VWOV COF. —RSWHHF CPYX 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 give the group on how...

The House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources recently approved HR 2854, the 2019 Protect Our Refuges Act, prohibiting the use of neonicotinoid insecticides in any of the nation’s 560 National Wildlife Refuges, some of which are the size of Delaware and even Indiana. The legislation will now be considered by the full House, while a companion bill (S 1856) makes its way through the Senate. The legislation is unnecessary, misguided and based on embarrassingly bad science. Rather than protecting our refuges, it would force farmers to use other insecticides that truly are harmful to bees, birds and other wildlife...

Last week we went to Somalia as American tourists. We stayed only a night, but that was plenty of time to wander unescorted through the local market, explore town in a battered Toyota station wagon, and even head out into the desert to admire some ancient cave paintings. It might seem an odd choice of vacation spot, given that Somalia, so long synonymous with "failed state," appears to be growing ever more dangerous. The insurgency against the American-backed Ethiopian occupation persists, and just last week it was reported that a particularly radical group has launched a campaign to murder relief...

Sen. Mazie Hirono (Democrat-HAWAII) said Democrats have a difficult time “connecting” with voters because of “how smart we are” that “we know so much.” Hirono was interviewed by journalist Dahlia Lithwick at the ‘Bend Towards Justice’ conference in Washington, D.C. “We’re really good at shoving out all the information that touch people here (points to head) but not here (points to heart),” Hirono said of Democrats. “I’ve been saying it at all of our Senate Democratic retreats that we need to speak to the heart not in a manipulative way, not in a way that brings forth everybody’s fears and...

<p>House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a prominent figure in the impeachment inquiry, has said that President Trump "doesn’t give a shit about what’s good for our country."</p> <p>Schiff, in an interview with The New Yorker, cited the impeachment testimony of diplomat David Holmes, who said he was told that Trump did not care about Ukraine and only cared about "big stuff" like an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.</p>

“This week, the Seahawks are proudly showing off their game shoes for the NFL’s annual Week 14 My Cause My Cleats initiative. Players across the league will be wearing special shoes customized to causes and charities of their choices during games," The News Tribune reported. "(Defensive end) Quinton Jefferson’s have Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Che Guevara and other revolutionaries stenciled into the side of his—drawn by King County teenagers rehabilitating from incarceration."  "It’s pretty cool that they were in touch with freedom fighters," Jefferson said. "So it was pretty dope.”(I’m guessing the term “dope!” has morphed from its traditional meaning....

Another American is coming home. Xiyue Wang, who has been held on false charges in Iran for over three years, has been released and is on his way back to the United States. Mr. Wang will soon be reunited with his wife and son, who have missed him dearly. We will not rest until we bring every American detained in Iran and around the world back home to their loved ones. We thank the Swiss government for facilitating the return of Mr. Wang, and are pleased the Iranian government has been constructive in this matter.

I HOPE THIS WILL PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART. This is a tribute to a man who DID make a difference. ON TURNING 70 'I still chase women, but only downhill.' ON TURNING 80 'That's the time of your life when even your birthday suit needs pressing.' ON TURNING 90 'You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.' ON TURNING 100 'I don't feel old. In fact, I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap.' ON GIVING UP HIS EARLY CAREER, BOXING 'I ruined my hands...

On Dec. 7, 1941, then-21-year-old Lauren Bruner was the second-to-last man to escape the burning wreckage of the USS Arizona after a Japanese plane dropped a bomb that ignited an enormous explosion in the battleship’s ammunition storage compartment. He lived to be 98 years old, marrying twice and outliving both wives. He worked for a refrigeration company for nearly four decades. This weekend, divers will place Bruner’s ashes inside the battleship’s wreckage, which sits in Pearl Harbor where it sank during the attack 78 years ago that thrust the United States into World War II. The Southern California man will...

The New Jersey man who masterminded a plot to scam GoFundMe donors with a hoax story about his ex-girlfriend helping a homeless man pleaded guilty Friday and must now serve five years behind bars. Mark D’Amico pleaded guilty in Burlington County court to state charges of misapplication of entrusted property. As part of his plea deal, D’Amico agreed to a five-year jail sentence. His ultimate sentence could be higher; he is still facing additional, yet-resolved federal charges for the 2017 scam. His accomplices - ex-girlfriend Katelyn McClure and homeless vet Johnny Bobbitt - have each pleaded guilty to state and...

You might never know their names. But you need to hear their stories. Two more pastors have been killed for their faith in India, yet the work they started continues. It is very true that persecution is intensifying in India.But the gospel cannot be stopped. Not by mob violence. Not by government opposition. Not by intimidation. Not by bloodshed. In the midst of many deadly challenges, the name of Jesus is being proclaimed.Let me tell you the story.I am just now returning from my 27th trip to India, a country I love dearly and a country I visit annually to spend time...

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was slammed on Friday night over what critics say is a "misleading" tweet touting a new report about Amazon bringing jobs to New York City. Last summer, Ocasio-Cortez waged war against Amazon after the retail giant struck a deal with the state of New York to open a second headquarters in New York City, which would have brought 25,000 jobs to the city, in exchange for $3 billion in state and local subsidies. Ultimately, Amazon backed out of the deal. However, it was reported Friday that Amazon was leasing a 335,000-square-foot office space in Manhattan that...

This will be a weekly post. Count is now 170 judges confirmed. 120 District Court judges 48 Circuit Court judges 2 Supreme Court justices Trump has now appointed 20% of the judiciary. Cloture has been scheduled next week on two 9th circuit nominees. When they are confirmed, Trump will will have FIFTY circuit court judges confirmed in THREE years. By comparison, Obama had 55 in EIGHT years. With a Senate impeachment trial now likely, once this year closes we may not see any more confirmations till February. In addition to the two 9th circuit nominees previously mentioned, there are 18...

One would hope that Google would understand the value and importance of copyrights. After all, the search engine giant handles about 2 million copyright takedown notices each day. “Copyrightability” is clearly a fundamental aspect of the company’s business model—a fact that makes some of Google’s recent decisions all the more surprising. Currently, the search engine company is embroiled in a high stakes legal battle over the very issue of copyright protection. Headed for a showdown at the United States Supreme Court, the lawsuit—Google LLC v. Oracle America Inc.—will no doubt establish lasting precedent about the relationship between businesses and their intellectual property....

The 1989 Cher song "If I Could Turn Back Time" comes to mind when I think about the end of the Kamala Harris's campaign to be the Democratic candidate for president. Maybe you remember the song -- "If I could turn back time/if I could find a way/I'd take back those words that've hurt you and you'd stay." Well, if Sen. Harris had a time machine, I suspect she would go back to about exactly a year ago, when she decided to attack a federal district court nominee regarding his membership in the Knights of Columbus. Here's one of the...

As he takes aim at President Trump, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is also taking some jabs at his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination. Explaining in an interview with CBS This Morning why he launched a White House bid late last month - with just two months to go until the start of the primary and caucus nominating calendar – the multibillionaire business and media mogul said “I watched all the candidates and I thought to myself, 'Donald Trump would just eat them up'.” “Let me rephrase it. I think that I would do the best job...

I got a kick out of a letter to the editor I saw about my last column. It was from another bitter liberal -- Is there any other kind? -- who complained that I'm a liar. The writer argued that President Donald Trump's economy is not so great and said it's actually worse than the economy under former Presidents Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter. This just shows that the more liberals say, the better Trump looks to voters. The November jobs report came out Friday. Set aside the fact that Trump has produced one of the greatest stock markets...

Welcome to the first installment of the World War II Chronicle at Unto the Breach. Each day (except Sunday) we will publish clippings from the newspaper 78 years ago, transporting readers back in time so they can witness the second world war as it happened. Click below to continue reading about the early accounts of the Pearl Harbor attacks when reports — some accurate, some not — were still streaming in.

Another chapter in the House impeachment melodrama unfolded this week. The proceedings shifted from Adam Schiff's Intel Committee to the Judiciary Committee, which is run by another Democratic member of Congress, Jerry Nadler of New York. Last month Schiff's failed approach was to bring down the president by bringing in a whole cavalcade of intelligence and foreign policy professionals and having them explain how their feelings had been hurt by the bad Orange man. Jerry Nadler tried a new approach. His strategy was to treat impeachment like a faculty meeting at Wesleyan. He produced a long line of academics with...