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"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matt. 5:9). Christ’s atonement made it possible for man to be at peace with God. After World War II the United Nations was created to promote world peace. But since its inception in 1945 there has not been a single day of global peace. That's a sad commentary on man's inability to make peace. In fact, someone once quipped that Washington D.C. has so many peace monuments because they build one after every war! It hasn't always been that way. Prior to the Fall of man peace reigned...

In the clashing commentary about whether lockdowns and stay-at-home orders should continue, or whether businesses and stores should be reopened, one senses a yearning for consensus. Why can't everybody just agree? One reason is that we continue to be ignorant on many important points. How many people have been infected with the disease? Some fragmentary evidence has come in, but since many infected people are asymptomatic, no one knows the death rate per infection. How is the virus disseminated in different environments? No one really knows. Some attribute the high number of deaths in New York to transmission in the...

A scattering of protests aimed at state lockdowns erupted across the country last week, sparked not by social distancing guidelines but by politicians' unilaterally dictating what products citizens are permitted to purchase in box stores, attempting to shut down drive-in Masses at churches and closing parks and beaches, among other ill-conceived and gratuitous intrusions. Like any protest movement, this one is a mixed bag: some of the protesters are acting in bad faith, some are idealists, and some are merely terrified of losing their livelihoods, their homes and their careers while waiting around for a government check that might never...

Evidence that the virus is much less deadly than people feared weakens the case for maintaining lockdowns.... The way Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer framed the study's results raises a question that policy makers across the country will confront as they consider when and how to loosen sweeping restrictions aimed at curtailing the COVID-19 epidemic. Will they be guided by emerging evidence, or will they use it to support the policies they already favored?.. The Los Angeles County study, conducted by University of Southern California researchers in collaboration with Ferrer's department, tested a representative sample of 863 adults...

The Rolling Stones haven’t had a number 1 hit probably since 1981’s “Start Me Up.” They’ve had scattershot singles since then– they were never a great singles chart band. They certainly have never had a number 1 hit on iTunes, a relatively new service. But this morning the nearly 60 year old Best Rock and Roll Band in the world is number with “Living in a Ghost Town.” The single was dropped yesterday to great acclaim. With a nod to the Specials’ “Ghost Town,” the song by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards couldn’t be more timely. Ironically. the group recorded...

Prayers up for all the families suffering from the impact of this virus. And we're still praying that the spread starts fading with the warmer Spring weather and that an effective treatment and vaccine are developed before the next flu season starts. And we pray that our people are allowed to go back to work very soon and that our economy comes roaring back. Meanwhile, we may be hurt and slowed down somewhat, but we have faith in the long-run that "what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger." God willing, America will survive and we will survive and we...

New York Magazine writer and Twitter hot-taker Jonathan Chait shared a New York Times article over the weekend, describing it as a “portrait of a man killed by Fox News.” That tweet got around quite a bit, quote retweeted by dozens of blue check media personalities, ratioed by Twitter users at large, and ultimately becoming a de facto headline for the article, which was actually written by New York Times columnist Ginia Bellafante.

Scully, 92, called Dodgers games for 67 seasons, spanning 13 National League pennants, six World Series championships, and a move across the country. He began in 1950 when the team was in Brooklyn. He retired at the end of the 2016 season after 59 years in Los Angeles. Vin Scully took a fall in his home on Tuesday afternoon. He is hospitalized and is resting comfortably.

On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day -- something of an ecological feast day -- journalistic, philanthropic and religious leaders echoed the spirit of the original celebration: The human race is a cancer on the planet. In the sternly reinforced quiet of stay-at-home orders, this Team Earth reveled in how the world is such a better, cleaner, calmer place when most humans can't commute or commit tourism. CBS reporter John Blackstone found a silver lining in the pandemic, saying, "From goats in a deserted town in Wales to lions lounging on a road in South Africa, nature seems to be...

President Trump on Friday signed legislation providing $484 billion to replenish a popular small business lending program and support hospitals and COVID-19 testing amid the coronavirus pandemic. The measure includes an additional $310 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), $60 billion of which is reserved for community banks and small lenders; $75 billion for hospitals; $25 billion to support testing efforts; and $60 billion for emergency disaster loans and grants. Trump signed the legislative package during an Oval Office ceremony. The legislation came out of several days of negotiations between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and congressional Democrats....

MIAMI — A shipment of 1 million face masks en route to South Florida for firefighters was confiscated last week by the federal government, Miami-Dade’s top emergency management official said. Frank Rollason, the director of emergency management for Miami-Dade County, told WLRN on Wednesday that the masks were for firefighters who planned to begin at-home new coronavirus testing for homebound Miami-Dade residents who can't make it to drive-thru testing sites.

When the COVID-19 crisis began, it induced panic because of a lack of information about the disease and how deadly it was. Since then, data has been collected while much of the country has remained in lockdown. That data now appears to support the case that the worst is past us and it is time to re-open America. A huge national contingent of people make a vague claim that the lockdown "saves lives" yet never quantify it. So let’s do that. Using data from the LA County Department of Health and the NY City Health Department, the odds of catching...

“We’ve been competing against other states, against other nations, against our own federal government for PPE — coveralls, masks, shields, N95 masks — and we’re not waiting around any longer. And we’re no longer interested in the progress that we were seeing in the past.” That was California governor Gavin Newsom in an April 7 MSNBC appearance with Rachel Maddow. As Newsom added, “In the last 48 hours we have secured –through a consortia of nonprofits and a manufacturer here in the state of California – upwards of 200 million masks on a monthly basis that we’re confident we can...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning doctors against prescribing a malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus outside of hospitals or research settings. In an alert Friday, regulators flagged reports of serious side effects and death among patients taking hydroxychloroquine and the related drug chloroquine. The drugs, also prescribed for lupus, can cause a number of side effects, including heart rhythm problems, severely low blood pressure and muscle or nerve damage.

video at link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0nfRlkEW3w

"War is the health of the state," wrote the progressive Randolph Bourne during the First World War, after which he succumbed to the Spanish flu. America's war on the coronavirus pandemic promises to be no exception to the axiom. However long this war requires, the gargantuan state will almost surely emerge triumphant. Currently, the major expenditures of the U.S. government, as well as a growing share of total federal spending, are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. None of these programs will be curtailed or reduced this year or next. And if the Democrats win in November, the nation will likely...

First off, I pay $25 a month to support Free Republic and maybe that gives me one free vanity a month :) Second - I don't need anyone telling me that free advice is worthless so go away if that's you. Third - I appreciate the wisdom and experience of FReepers everywhere and I know that in between beebers and manatees will be some genuine help. Thank you.

Today, we join the global community in memorializing the lives lost during the Meds Yeghern, one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century.  Beginning in 1915, 1 and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.  On this day of remembrance, we pay respect to those who suffered and lost their lives, while also renewing our commitment to fostering a more humane and peaceful world.Every year on April 24, we reflect on the strong and enduring ties between the American and Armenian peoples.  We are proud of the founders of the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief, a ground-breaking effort established in...

Arbor Day is an opportunity for all Americans to acknowledge the important role that our Nation’s forests and woodlands play in supporting our economy, health, and environment. Today, we celebrate the remarkable contributions that America’s wide variety of trees make to our way of life. Let us also use this day to reflect on the sacrifices that Americans have made during these difficult times, and to look forward to the days—in the near future—when we will once again spend time outdoors with our friends and families. In this spirit, the First Lady and I planted a maple tree on the...

Since Fakebook and our Social Media overlords have determined to squelch any talk of rebellion, I thought FR should probably start a daily thread to act as sort of a clearinghouse on protests going on at the state and local level. Presuming the management is OK with that, post your reports here.