Free Republic

Heather Mac Donald, New York Times bestselling author and Thomas W Smith fellow at the Manhattan Institute, argues that our fearful response to the disease – the total shutdown of societies – is more dangerous than the disease itself. Brendan O’Neill: Do you think this is hysteria? Or do you think there is some justification to these extraordinary measures? Heather Mac Donald: I am, of course, absolutely in sympathy for people who are losing family members to this virus. But to be honest, I wake up every day and think maybe this will be the moment when I understand the...

Someone asked me overnight why I didn’t write something about the Land O Lakes label, and all I could think of was why in the world would I write about that? For those who are unaware, on Friday, management at Land O’ Lakes responded to pressure from Native American activists and removed the image of an Indian woman from its labels after using it for more than 100 years. God and Butter | Don't Worry, Be Mappy In a statement, a spokesman said it would now focus on the farmers that actually own the company: “As Land O’Lakes looks toward...

Germany traced its earliest community transmission of COVID-19 back to a salt shaker in a company canteen. The country's methodical search for transmission chains has so far resulted in some of the lowest death rates in Europe. But experts say more deaths in Germany are inevitable. One January lunchtime in a car parts company, a worker turned to a colleague and asked to borrow the salt. As well as the saltshaker, in that instant, they shared the new coronavirus, scientists have since concluded. That their exchange was documented at all is the result of intense scrutiny, part of a rare...

...Southeast of the ancient city of Laodicea, the mountainous region of Hierapolis contained hot mineral springs that were believed to have healing qualities...To the Northwest were the mountains of Colossae, out of which flowed streams of ice cold water that came from melting snow. Streams from both of these regions flowed down into pools outside of Laodicea, where they combined to form stagnant ponds of tepid water—neither hot (and good for bathing) nor cold (and good for drinking). Either hot or cold is good but lukewarm is no good for anybody. Just consider coffee. Is there anything better than a...

President Donald Trump said he will give a commencement speech at West Point, a U.S. military academy in New York.....Trump told reporters in Washington Friday that cadets will be spread out to comply with social distancing guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Vice President Mike Pence was traveling to Colorado Springs Saturday to deliver remarks at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation.....No spectators are allowed because of the pandemic....Pence was slated to give his speech online but it was changed to an in-person commencement on Tuesday. The speech will be live-streamed online starting at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. It will also...

There is one positive result of the pandemic crisis—the curtain has been pulled back on the abortion industry, and most of America does not like what they see. In response to COVID-19, governors across the country have banned non-essential medical procedures, which include abortion in several states. Following these statewide bans, Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers made their outrage known, going so far as attempting to recruit backup from the Supreme Court. Killing your baby is “constitutionally protected,” they protest, even amid a global pandemic that requires cooperation across multiple sectors to successfully squash. The irony of them battling...

NBC News anchor Chuck Todd said Democratic leaders could take blame for holding up billions of dollars in coronavirus relief just hours before a small business loan program ran out of cash. "The side that looks like they're holding up money, I think, is bad politics," Todd told radio host Hugh Hewitt, in remarks flagged by HotAir...."I think that small business money issue is something that's more front and center with the public than the issue of reimbursing the states," he said....

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday that she might ease some of the COVID-19 related restrictions May 1, the day her current stay-at-home order is set to expire.

Were Sam Blumenfeld (AlphaPhonics) & Alex Newman (Crimes of the Educators) wrong that miseducation was deliberate, just because they were John Birchers (New American)? I know a duplicitous guy who writes for the New American (John Birch Society). I looked up his articles; they were transparently manipulative, clumsily so. But not Blumenfeld or Newman. (My John Birch acquaintance is a real stinker, he divorced and remarried, on the pretext that his Catholic marriage to his wife was performed by a priest of "schismatic" Catholic group SSPX. But SSPX has been rehabilitated and now has full sacramental faculties. So where does...

I thought I would share what recently happened to me. About 10 days ago, I come out of a liquor store and in the parking lot I met an individual I have not seen for about 10 years. He was not wearing a mask but was wearing the surgical gloves. We talked a little, caught up on our families. As we parted I said I was going to go out as much as I can. He said he was going to huddle at home. I replied, "Not me. I'm a citizen, not a subject." Then we parted ways. Today my...

Kent International Inc., which imports bikes from China and also makes them at a plant in South Carolina, said sales of its low-priced bikes had surged over the past month. Kent is already out of stock on five of its top 20 models and expects that to rise to 10 by the end of the month, chief executive and chairman Arnold Kamler said. He noted supplies were flowing in from China, which has reopened much of its manufacturing base over the past month. Kamler said sales at most of the major retailers he supplies were up 30% last month and...

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) joined the growing list of Democrats who are calling on President Trump to not blame the Chinese Communist Party and the World Health Organization for the United States' epidemic of COVID-19. Schiff tweeted on Friday that states across the country are doing everything they can to get the protective personal equipment and medical supplies, but "that’s no substitute for national leadership. Stop blaming China, the WHO, or the states. Start acting like a President."

In normal times, the vice presidency is not supposed to be worth a warm bucket of, um, spit. But these are not normal times. A global plague has shut down much of American society. The virus is particularly deadly to the elderly, and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will turn 78 later this year. In November, voters will want more than anything a VP who is ready on a moment’s notice to lead the country out of a crisis. So the Democratic veepstakes is suddenly much more important than it otherwise would be.

“On May 27, NASA will once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil!”.... NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, 48, and Douglas Hurley, 52, will be flying on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station for an “extended stay,” the agency announced. The spacecraft is scheduled to lift off atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket at 4:32 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A in Florida—the same Kennedy Space Center launchpad that was used by the shuttle Atlantis in July 2011, which was the final mission of the Space Shuttle program. Astronauts have not launched...

A New Jersey man was arrested twice in the same day after going on violent rampages when he was told to wear a face mask while inside two different Wawa convenience stores, police said. Stephen Breza went into a Wawa store on Route 37 in Toms River shortly before 11 a.m. on April 11. When he was told he had to wear a mask inside the store, Breza starting screaming and cursing at employees while flailing his arms, according to police, and threatened a customer that he was going to beat him with a pipe.

Today's Quotefall Puzzle features a quote by Ephesians 11. Click puzzle (or click here) for full size rendition, then use your browser's print command to print puzzle. Out of Shadows is a documentary produced by a Hollywood stuntman. This movie has been banned by all the usual socials, but has been seen over a million times by people slowly waking up to the deceptions of the mainstream media, popular culture, academia, and elitists at large. All hints, along with the answer, are provided in the first reply comment below, using filtered font to prevent accidental spoilers. Please refrain from disclosing the full...

Afoot and light-hearted, they’re taking to the open road. Amid the global lockdowns to curb the spread of the coronavirus, striking images taken in South Africa’s popular Kruger National Park — which has remained shut since March 25 — show a pride of some 15 lions napping in the middle of an empty paved road. CNN reports that on any typical day, this area would be packed with tourists on safari excursions. But that doesn’t mean that the travelers would get to experience this sight. “This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do...

Hong Kong police arrested 14 veteran activists Sunday — including two prominent politicians and a millionaire media mogul — in the biggest crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement since mass protests began last year. Among those detained were Martin Lee, 81, founder of the Democratic Party founder and a senior barrister; publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, 71; and former legislator and barrister Margaret Ng, 72, the Associated Press reported.

For nearly a century, an illustration of a Native American woman with a feather in her hair has adorned the packaging of Land O’Lakes cheese and butter products. But not for much longer. The company, founded in 1921 by a group of Minnesota dairy farmers, is phasing in a new design ahead of its 100th anniversary. Instead of the depiction of the woman, some products will be labeled “Farmer-Owned” and feature an illustration of a field and lake, or photographs of its farmers, the company announced. The new design, which started appearing on tubs of butter spread, food service products...

What are the great lessons from Paul Revere's ride for us today as we face a health care crisis which we call a war? Is Donald Trump giving a wake-up call, as Paul Revere did with his midnight ride, in his willingness to try to get people back to work and buck the international trend of governments emphasizing "safety" and locking down?