Free Republic

Over the last one hundred years, the British Royal Family has generously provided the world with a parade of scandals more colorful and louder than the socks they wear with their kilts. But the Meghan and Harry rupture is fundamentally different from any previous crisis to befall the British monarchy. Prior to now, royal scandals have been cut from the same petticoats as any other public ignominies — i.e., the chin-wagging that follows uncovering some form of immoral conduct. All the throngs of poorly hidden mistresses, caddish boyfriends, toe-sucking on yachts, assignations in the deer park while the horses wait...

As director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Campus Free Expression Project, I am always eager to get beyond the DC beltway to learn how students understand free expression on their particular campus. So, to return to Duke University, my alma mater, was particularly welcome. Duke has a legacy of defending the expression of controversial views. In 1903, the school set a new standard in defending faculty academic freedom when the trustees voted to reject history professor John Bassett’s offer to resign after his praise of Booker T. Washington sparked controversy for the school—this only three years after Leland Stanford’s widow...

I love just about all Clint Eastwood movies, but Richard Jewell is in a class by itself. This one was personal. This one Clint Eastwood made for me. Only a handful of people in America know what it’s like to be Richard Jewell and unfortunately, I’m one of them. Mr. Eastwood got it right. Two thumbs up! I rarely ever go to the movies. Nearly seven years after my acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, I still have to be very cautious about where I go. A few years ago, a man took a shot at me and...

Post #26. With so many rats running for president in 2020 it's hard to keep up with who's in and who's out. Hopefully, this post will help. This thread will be posted each week, likely on Monday, with the dropouts from the previous week and newly declared candidates noted. Below is a list of declared candidates and their occupation. Below that is a list of dropouts, their occupation and the date they dropped from the race. Dropout(s) in the past week: Corey Booker. He's moving from the first list to the second list. Newly declared candidates from last week: Thankfully,...

Climate change poses two distinct risks for investors, and a special one for fund managers. The pledge last week by Larry Fink, CEO of fund giant BlackRock Inc., to push clients toward environmental, social and governance investing highlights another risk: that markets are shifting from harnessing the wisdom of crowds to the wisdom of a handful of powerful money-management executives. Leave the pros and cons of ESG aside for a moment. Whatever you think of Mr. Fink’s view, his letter highlights the power he wields over the direction of corporate America, thanks to the votes of BlackRock’s extensive holdings. Shareholders...

Question: in addition to her duties as an NBC correspondent, is Heidi Przybyla working overtime as a PR flack for the Biden campaign? You have to wonder after watching Przybyla's performance on today's Morning Joe. Przybyla didn't merely highlight the memo that the Biden campaign has put out as a pre-emptive response to charges of Ukraine corruption. She personally—and passionately—embraced the memo's findings. Get the rest of the story and view the video here.

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem (Music in The Bible) Psalm 92 Psalm 92[a] A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day. 1 It is good to praise the Lord     and make music to your name, O Most High, 2 proclaiming your love in the morning     and your faithfulness at night, 3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre     and the melody of the harp. 4 For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;     I sing for joy at what your hands have done. 5 How great are your works, Lord,     how profound your thoughts! 6 Senseless people do not know,     fools do not...

There are now more than 200 cases, mostly in Wuhan, though the respiratory illness has also been detected in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Three people have died. Japan, Thailand and South Korea have reported cases. The sharp rise comes as millions of Chinese prepare to travel for the Lunar New Year holidays. Health officials have identified the infection, which first appeared in Wuhan in December, as a strain of coronavirus. They say it has led to an outbreak of viral pneumonia, but much about it remains unknown. Although the outbreak is believed to have originated from a market, officials and...

The rather insipid and illogical slogan “Believe All Women” rose to prominence during the #MeToo movement, gaining momentum during Justice Kavanaugh’s turbulent and dramatic Supreme Court nomination hearings. While some see the phrase as an attempt to encourage accusations to be taken seriously and in good faith, more often than not it has become a lazy retort to the criticism of any form of accusation made by a women in public life. Those who dare to question the legitimacy of such accusations, or request evidence before leaping to judgement, are silenced as servants of toxic masculinity fueled by a desire...

Thousands of Virginians, as well as other Americans, are expected to be in Richmond Monday for the Virginia Citizens Defense League’s (VCDL) pro-Second Amendment rally. The group has been coming to the state Capitol for the event associated with Virginia’s annual Lobby Day every January since 2003 without so much as a hiccup, VCDL’s Philip Van Cleave told CNN. But this year, tensions are high as state Democrats push for comprehensive gun control in the commonwealth.

Trump was right, part 13,811. – As the Senate trial of President Donald Trump (I still never tire of typing those three glorious words) cranks up, it is important for everyone to remember how and why we arrived at this sorry point in the Democrat/media/Deep State’s neverending coup d’etat. As fortune would have it, a very timely and relevant reminder of the President’s good judgment popped up over the weekend in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. First, Ukraine, which has served as the fulcrum for the idiotic Pelosi/Schiff impeachment scam. This entire thing is based on a phone call...

The early Super Bowl 54 odds indicate an even matchup between Chiefs and 49ers. Betonline.ag listed the Chiefs as a 1 1/2-point favorite on the strength of their AFC title game victory over the Titans, even though the 49ers put on a similarly dominant display against the Packers. Because the game is considered almost a pick 'em, there is also little difference in the moneylines; early straight-up bettors would need to wager $125 to win $100 on the Chiefs, while 49ers backers could get even money (plus-105) on their side. Separately, oddsmakers are showing respect for the respective offenses led...

If you raise money for a nonprofit, but don’t finish all of the projects you were raising it for, you could go to prison for 10 years. This is no exaggeration. This is what happened to former Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas. Earlier this month, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a conviction against him for that very reason. Two of the three judges on the panel were Obama appointees. The third judge, who wrote the opinion, is 82 and was so ill he never showed up for oral arguments. Shockingly, he wrote a politically charged opinion, evidenced right...

Its Swingin' Monday and we feature Rex Allen and his 1946 recording of Texas Tornado. THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

some live youtube broadcasts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tXg8BZS1Cs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U2LzBrkZjs

Bernie Sanders is a self-described socialist—but don’t worry, he promises it’s not the same kind of socialism that slaughtered tens of millions of people in China and the Soviet Union, or the kind of socialism that created the economic and political turmoil now rampant in Venezuela. According to Sanders and other socialists, their form of socialism is kinder, gentler, and respects the rights of everyone. But as a recent hidden video recording of a Sanders campaign staff reveals, by “everyone,” many American socialists only mean those people who agree with their command-and-control agenda. Earlier this week, James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas...

Latin American migrants eager to enter the United States but held in Mexico are praying for President Trump’s election defeat in 2020, believing that a Democratic president will open the borders again. “I want Trump out,” said Honduran Katherine Cabrera, who is being held in Tapachula, Mexico, with her baby. “Once Trump is defeated, and the Democrats take over, things are going to get better,” added El Salvadoran Brenda Ramos. The comments from Ramos and Cabrera and others were included in a Center for Immigration Studies border report on the attitudes held by migrants under the U.S.-Mexico initiative to stop...

"You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance" (Eph. 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit is GodÂ’s first installment on your eternal inheritance. The Holy Spirit's ministry in your life is multifaceted and profound. Among other things He brings salvation, conviction, guidance, and strength. He indwells and equips you for spiritual service and gives assurance of your salvation. He is your Helper and Advocate. He is the Spirit of promise, who seals you until the day when your redemption is fully realized (Eph. 4:30). Sealing speaks of security, authenticity, ownership,...

Florida Republican Congressman Greg Steube reports that not a single Democrat voted in favor of a bill that would protect women’s sports from biological males who claim to be transgender women. Steube, a former Army JAG officer and Iraq War veteran, recently introduced a bill that would have banned “schools from using Title IX federal funds to support women sports if biological men are allowed to compete with them.” “We are completely eroding what women sports are if we are going to allow biological men to compete with women in women’s collegiate activities. I filed pretty much what my bill...

The Democratic Party may be shocked to hear this, but we live in a country where citizens say who gets an elected position, not a political party. The 2016 election proved that democratic principles are alive and well when then-candidate Trump beat Hillary Clinton. The left has never been able to accept the defeat. The Democrat-led House of Representatives voted along party lines to impeach President Trump, but over what? Hurt feelings? We live in a country where our voting voices should be held in high regard. Democracy gives citizens a way to speak out against the government and their...