Free Republic

There is precedent in Scripture for godly people saying no to the governing authorities. There are times when, to use the words of Peter, “We must obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29). Is today one of those times? One of the slogans of the American Revolution was, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” Is our government being tyrannical when it forbids us to gather? Is this the right time to rebel, despite the Bible’s clear teaching that, generally speaking, we are called to obey the authorities? (See Romans 13.) Let’s examine this from several angles. First, are local...

The GHS Index is the first comprehensive assessment of global health security capabilities in 195 countries. Read more about the Index and the international panel that helped develop it, download the report and data model, and watch our introductory video. The average overall GHS Index score is 40.2 out of a possible 100. While high-income countries report an average score of 51.9, the Index shows that collectively, international preparedness for epidemics and pandemics remains very weak. The GHS Index assesses countries’ health security and capabilities across six categories, 34 indicators, and 85 sub-indicators. The findings are drawn from open source...

For about 36 hours there, my heart was hooked up to Twitter by a Pavlovian on/off switch. I'd see "The WHO" (click!) then realize, sadly, that whoeveritwas just meant the World Health Organization (cluck) and not the band. So annoying. Being a writer means I'm normally the annoyer rather than the annoyed, although predicting precisely what will provoke readers defies algorithmic domestication. Having written hundreds of thousands of words insulting every race and religion, my most "controversial" piece, judging by the resulting "Great Wave Off Kanagawa" blowback, was called "The Who Is Better Than That Stupid Band You Like." I'm...

When the CNN debuted in 1980, it soon earned a reputation as the top source for quick information 24 hours a day, all week long. That was 40 years ago and objective journalism is hard to find on the network in 2020. The liberal station has since fallen so far in the ratings that it was unable to generate even one program in the top 20 list during the first three months of 2020, which has been labeled “a dismal first quarter.”

It symbolic that the upsurge in the coronavirus epidemic COVID-19 has coincided with the Jewish festival of Passover that commemorates the liberation of Jews more than 3,000 years ago from an enemy determined to liquidate them. Individuals are now conscious that the world today is fighting an invisible enemy determine to exterminate them, and which so far has claimed 58,000 deaths and more than one million infected. The parallel between today and the Jewish historical experience is enticing in at least five ways. One is the visible fight for liberation and the end of their slavery in Egypt against an...

Students already nearing graduation will now be able to fulfill up to half of their clinical requirements through simulations and lab-based training, the Department of Consumer Affairs announced. Previously, simulations could only account for a quarter of that training. Nursing schools had clamored for the change since early March as the virus began to sweep the nation. New York and other states already allow up to half of a nursing student’s clinical hours to come from simulations that mimic a wide variety of scenarios, such as childbirth. Other states this month also relaxed rules to allow nurses to graduate and...

No media or Nancy Pelosi false narratives or phony Joe Biden campaign ad can change the truth about the real chronology of the coronavirus. The leftist national media incessantly reports that the spread of the coronavirus is, well, President Trump’s fault. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, always good for the most incendiary and least helpful comments in any difficult situation, said on Sunday, “[T]he president — his denial at the beginning was deadly.” Then in Joe Biden’s latest effort to be relevant, his campaign has released an ad attacking President Trump for not being sufficiently responsive to the threats of the...

Right now, most of the pitched battles between Muslims and Jews in Jerusalem concerns Jews trying to pray in the vicinity of the spurious Al-Aqsa. I say spurious since any competent historian, with only the must rudimentary knowledge, could dismiss Muslim claims in five minutes or less. The Muslims assert that Mohammed rode al-Buraq -- a mule with the face of a woman -- to Al Aqsa (the Furthest Mosque), in Jerusalem, where from thence, he ascended to heaven. The ascent to heaven is called: al-Miraj, from where we get the word: mirage. A more ridiculous and fantabulous story could...

But the three judges invited inmates’ attorneys to file a new motion with either or both of two individual judges who oversee major class action lawsuits over inmate medical and mental health care. Both judges are members of the three-judge panel, which also includes a federal appellate judge. The judges virtually laid out a pathway for the inmates’ attorneys to seek help from the individual judges, and perhaps come back to the special panel after they lay the proper groundwork. The third judge, U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller of Sacramento, agreed on legal grounds but said she thought the special...

It’s Palm Sunday.  Who needs a break?I thought so. These times are not conducive to much of anything. I mean seriously, my major accomplishment yesterday was perfecting Instant Pot popcorn. I followed the directions to the letter but added 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the huge bowlful it produced, as well as an extra half teaspoon of Flavocol, sprinkled from on high. There was still a small bowl left this morning that I ate with my first cup of coffee so it’s all gone.Raj made something a bit less ethereal - homemade kielbasa.  We’ve discovered kielbasa is the perfect...

In the U.K., Queen Elizabeth II will be making a rare and stately message to rally the nation, in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, a brave move for the nation fighting rising COVID-19 cases, doubly so in light of London's historic legacy of plagues. But back at No.10, things are a bit more redolent of something different from the classics -- a human comedy. Poor Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been hit hard by the coronavirus. Assuming he's going to get through this, what he's doing now is certain to endear him to the British public, who will all recognize not just Boris being Boris, but things relatable in...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem (Music in The Bible) Psalms Psalm 146 1 Praise the Lord.[a] Praise the Lord, my soul. 2 I will praise the Lord all my life;     I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes,     in human beings, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;     on that very day their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,     whose hope is in the Lord their God. 6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,     the...

A small group of Bernie Sanders' top aides and allies - including his campaign manager and his longtime strategist - have encouraged the independent senator from Vermont to consider withdrawing from the presidential race, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. The group includes campaign manager Faiz Shakir and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., a top Sanders surrogate and ally, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive private discussions. Sanders himself has become more open to the prospect of dropping out, according to one of the people with knowledge of the situation...

Joe Biden said Sunday that the Democratic National Convention may need to be held virtually. The former vice president and 2020 Democratic frontrunner told ABC’s “This Week” that his party's convention is “necessary,” but added it may not be possible to bring thousands of people to one location safely amid the pandemic. “Well, we’re gonna have to do a convention,” Biden said. “We may have to do a virtual convention. I know I think we should be thinking about that right now.” “What we do between now and then is gonna dictate a lot of that as well,” he added....

The Mylan plant in Morgantown, West Virginia will restart production of hydroxychloroquine this week. The drug was touted by researchers, doctors and President Trump in the treatment of the COVID-19 virus. Generic Drug Company Teva in Israel is also mass-producing the drug to save lives. Many of the drugs will come from a plant in Morgantown W. Va., in case any are worried about Chinese sourcing. — Stephen Smoot (@S_A_Smoot) March 22, 2020 The Dominion Post reported: Mylan’s Morgantown plant is restarting production of an anti-malaria medication that is under study as a potential treatment for the COVID-19 virus. The...

The White House announced Friday that it plans to designate $100 billion in emergency spending approved by Congress to reimburse hospitals and other health care providers for treating the estimated 28 million people who are uninsured in the United States. The decision comes amid the fast-moving novel coronavirus pandemic that has left many Americans furloughed or fired and without health insurance. The situation has become so urgent that Trump administration officials who once vilified the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, are now turning to the law as a workable option. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said...

Lord Bath has died at the age of 87 after contracting coronavirus. Longleat, the park and home he ran, announced on Twitter the 7th Marquess of Bath died on Saturday at the Royal Bath United Hospital. He was admitted there on 28 March where it was confirmed he had the virus. In the statement, his family appealed for privacy and thanked the medical team which "cared so professionally and compassionately" for him in his final days.

A day after he was abruptly fired by President Trump, outgoing Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson spoke on the phone with Senate Minority Chuck Schumer. The New York Democrat said Saturday evening that he told the independent watchdog, whom defenders fear was removed to settle a score stemming from the impeachment saga, he will be remembered as a "hero." "I spoke to Inspector General Michael Atkinson tonight, thanked him for his service, and told him that history will remember him as a hero and those who retaliated against him as scoundrels," Schumer tweeted.

A reasonable observer would expect a minimum level of professionalism from New York City health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot. One wouldn't expect that someone charged with protecting New York City's public health would instead endanger the well-being of New Yorkers by ignoring the severe health ramifications and the real danger of the coronavirus. However, while most of the Democratic leadership of New York City was busy criticizing President Trump for deciding to impose travel restrictions on those entering the United States and dismissing the incoming threat of the coronavirus in February, this health commissioner was quoted stating the following on...

Our gospel tune today is Branded by Wylie Gustafson (Wylie & The Wild West) (1996). THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/