Free Republic

The Democratic presidential field is down to two old, white males, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Though they are said to represent two polar-opposite wings of the party, on one issue, they are in complete agreement. They both have solemnly pledged to destroy millions of blue-collar jobs across Middle America's oil patch. Each has pledged to stop oil and gas development dead in its tracks. This anti-shale and gas movement has the zeal of a religious crusade. If that green agenda comes to pass, it will reverse the economic renaissance in states such as New Mexico,...

Pastor Victor Couzens of the Inspirational Bible Church in Cincinnati, Ohio is starring in a real-life episode of Greenleaf. His megachurch is facing foreclosure after having dwindled from 5,000 members to just 200, cheating accusations and criminal charges. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Thursday that the Inspirational Baptist Church went into foreclosure two weeks ago, owing $4.6 million. Furthermore, the almost 60,000-square-foot building is listed for sale. In a phone interview with the newspaper, the 43-year-old pastor would not directly address the financial well-being of his covenant. “Much of this is in-house stuff that I don’t have anything to say about...

President Barack Obama released a video on Monday ahead of the 10th anniversary of the signing of Obamacare, celebrating it as “the closest we’ve ever come to universal coverage in America.” In truth, Obamacare expanded access to health insurance, primarily for the working poor, but at a massive cost to middle-class budgets. It also changed American politics for the worse, turning it into a zero-sum game in which compromise is nearly impossible.

Chinese authorities have confirmed an outbreak of hepatitis A in northeastern China, in the coastal city of Dalian and in the border city of Dandong, not far from North Korea. Chinese news service Jiemian News reported Tuesday the cities have witnessed a rise in hepatitis A cases, amid an ongoing state effort to contain the new strain of coronavirus. Chinese health authorities confirmed the latest epidemic after people began to raise concerns about a hepatitis A outbreak on social media. Authorities also described the outbreak as "scattered," or "sporadic," indicating the cases were small in number, while not disclosing statistics....

Morning "In my prosperity I said I shall never be moved." Psalm 30:6 "Moab settled on his lees, he hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel." Give a man wealth; let his ships bring home continually rich freights; let the winds and waves appear to be his servants to bear his vessels across the bosom of the mighty deep; let his lands yield abundantly: let the weather be propitious to his crops; let uninterrupted success attend him; let him stand among men as a successful merchant; let him enjoy continued health; allow him with braced nerve and brilliant eye...

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) took her Trump Derangement Syndrome to a melodramatic new level on Monday when she claimed that “civilization as we know it is at stake” in the 2020 election. Pelosi reportedly made this comment during a speaking engagement at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, according to Breitbart News. Pelosi touched on many topics in her speech, including on women in politics. “Just generally, I usually always cast my vote for a woman. I just do,” Pelosi told the crowd. When asked by an audience member about the possibility of the first woman president being...

Chinese President Xi Jinping made a surprise visit on Tuesday to Wuhan, ground zero of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, as the number of COVID-19 infections nationwide continues to drop. China's official media The People's Daily reported that Xi arrived Tuesday morning in Wuhan, a city of some 11 million people that has been under lockdown for over a month due to the COVID-19 outbreak, to inspect work being done to contain the virus' spread. Xi was also scheduled to visit medical workers, military commanders, soldiers, patients and residents of Wuhan during his visit, the paper said.

Christians in the United States should not underestimate the potential consequences of the present, national fascination with socialism. Socialism was creeping into American life already, but now it is the policy du jour of the persistent Senator from Vermont who stands very possibly as the Democratic nominee for president, Bernie Sanders. Defined as political and economic theory that favors government control and regulation, socialism has a dark history. In 1848, the Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was published. This radical political document advocated for a socialist revolution between classes, with the working classes becoming conquerors. The...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem (Music in The Bible) Psalms Psalm 120 A song of ascents. 1 I call on the Lord in my distress,     and he answers me. 2 Save me, Lord,     from lying lips     and from deceitful tongues. 3 What will he do to you,     and what more besides,     you deceitful tongue? 4 He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,     with burning coals of the broom bush. 5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek,     that I live among the tents of Kedar! 6 Too long have I lived     among those who hate peace. 7 I am for peace;     but...

A group of Americans will present evidence in June to a second jury that their employer deliberately discriminated against them by hiring Indian H-1B workers — even though the Indians cost more money.The Americans persuaded their first jury in a June 2019 trial against Molina Healthcare Inc. — but the judge quickly declared a mistrial before the jury could announce its verdict […]The judge “said that the evidence was too prejudicial — 0f course it is; we won!” Otto said, adding, “I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh when he said it — it was so stupid. No matter...

The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation allowing commercial casino gaming in Virginia. The legislation, which still requires Gov. Ralph Northam's signature to become law, follows two years of deliberation on whether to legalize casinos in the state. Voters in the cities will also have to approve casinos during a referendum this November. It allows for casinos in five cities including Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Danville, and Bristol. "This is for economically depressed cities," said Del. Barry Knight (R-Virginia Beach).

You'd think this would be a very good sign we're not about to plunge into recession. Johnson Redbook publishes same-store sales figures each week. Last week (ending March 7), reported sales were up over 6% from last year. That's the highest year-over-year sales gains since the Christmas rush, and stronger than just about any time during the entire Obama presidency. And that's on top of huge gains in housing construction last month. Now, the Redbook index has its limitations. It's only a survey, so it's bound to have its statistical noise. And it measure same-stores sales which have overestimate sales...

I know, I know: the sky is still falling, along with the Dow. The Coronavirus is still causing runs on hand sanitizer, toilet paper and sanity. Joey B is still threatening to get the old band back together and Bernie is still insisting that “democratic socialism” is way different than “authoritarian communism” – although they are notoriously known for cross-breeding.I sent my absentee ballot in for Michigan’s primary several weeks ago and I always have at least a 2 week supply of paper products and food on hand. Therefore I’m suspending my deep concern for the future of the country,...

Gunnery Sergeant Diego Pongo and Captain Moises Navas are the first US service members killed in Iraq since August The U.S. Defense Department on Tuesday, March 10 identified two Marines killed near Makhmour, Iraq during an mission against Islamic State. Gunnery Sergeant Diego D. Pongo, 34, and Captain Moises A. Navas, 34, both of 2nd Marine Raiders Battalion, Marine Special Operations Command, were killed on Sunday. The two Marines were accompanying Iraqi security forces “during a mission to eliminate an ISIS terrorist stronghold in a mountainous area of north central Iraq,” a Defense Department statement read. It took six hours...

Ever since I was a little boy, I can remember spending many days with my grandpa. His name was Ray. It was actually Walter Ray, but he simply went by Ray. I would spend summers with him at the beach fishing, digging clams and an occasional trip shooting. I can still remember the smell of his den. It always had the aroma of Hoppe’s #9, the gun-cleaning solvent. He had a desk set up to reload, and his rifles were stacked in a gun cabinet. It was in this room I learned many things. I learned to assemble cartridges, how...

Passengers of the Grand Princess cruise ship have begun disembarking after 21 of the ship's 2,400 crew and guests tested positive for coronavirus. One couple is filing a lawsuit against the cruise line, arguing it put their health at risk after 12 coronavirus cases and one death occurred as a result of the ship's previous trip. "My condition is not the best. I have a pacemaker, a defibrillator in my chest," passenger Ron Weissberger told CBS News' Carter Evans. Weissberger and his wife are suing the cruise line's parent company because they claim it continued to sail "knowing that some...

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday opened the door to constitutional changes that would allow him to remain in power until 2036 if he chose to do so, despite saying he had misgivings about the legal amendments. Putin, who in January unveiled a major shake-up of Russian politics and a constitutional overhaul, is required by the constitution to step down in 2024 when his second sequential and fourth presidential term ends. But addressing the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, Putin on Tuesday gave what he suggested was his reluctant blessing to a proposed change to the...

Is this is what its come down to for the Democrat party? Two losers, whose greatest political achievements have been entering politics without the proverbial chamber pot used for micturition, and in Sanders’ case nor the window to throw same out of, who’ve amassed personal fortunes beyond the dreams of avarice. With Hillary Clinton lurking in the shadows, watching for any opportunity to inject herself into the contest. Hoping that a third opportunity would be the magic amulet that turns her dreams of being president into more than the nocturnal enuresis she experiences dreaming about her failure past efforts. Sanders...

The USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) is the new North American trade agreement and is commonly considered to be the replacement of NAFTA. It indeed carries on much of the legacy of the earlier agreement. However, as an agreement updated for the 2020s and beyond, USMCA is set to provide significant benefits to the nearshore outsourcing industry throughout North America. In this article, NearShore Technology discusses how USMCA promotes nearshoring for American companies in all industries.How the USMCA Updates NAFTA The USMCA was negotiated in order to replace NAFTA, which had been in place since 1994. While the Trump administration negotiated...

............. More than 18,000 Americans have died from this season’s generic flu so far, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2018, the CDC estimated, there were 80,000 flu deaths. That’s against 19 coronavirus deaths so far, from about 470 cases. Worldwide, there have been about 3,400 coronavirus deaths, out of about 100,000 identified cases. Flu, by comparison, grimly reaps about 291,000 to 646,000 annually. China is the origin of the virus and still accounts for over 80 percent of cases and deaths. But its cases peaked and began ­declining more than a...