Free Republic

Riot police in California are protecting the mansion of Gov. Newsom (D-Calif.) amid threats of violent protests.

ANGELA MERKEL is facing the end of her political career at the helm of Germany, with more than 1,000 members of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party voting on a new leader - with Armin Laschet, chairman of the North Rhine-Westphalia, emerging victorious.

The Hugo Awards turn into a participation trophy of sorts ...

Former NBC Today star and CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric toed her usual partisan Democrat line in an appearance on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. Most notably, she insist Mitt Romney "seems like Nelson Mandela at this point." Joe Biden said Romney wanted to put "y'all back in chains" back in 2012, but now he's a secular saint.

This was an FM staple back in the mid 1970s. Lake - Time BombThis was a German band so most of their names are hard to spell and especially hard to pronounce. But back in the day, they were pretty big. They recorded for Columbia! You can do a lot worse.

This article was posted on Free Republic years ago and considering the state of the Nation, I think it's worth posting again. It illustrates the mathematical techniques that would have been used by the British to identify the "conspirators" during the Revolutionary war, if cell phones existed. Don't think for a moment that this is not occurring today and possibly with us.London, 1772.I have been asked by my superiors to give a brief demonstration of the surprising effectiveness of even the simplest techniques of the new-fangled Social Networke Analysis in the pursuit of those who would seek to undermine the...

If you know one thing about Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, chances are it’s the phrase “military-industrial complex.” But the military-industrial complex was only part of his warning. Indeed, he saw that the massive military establishment and armaments industry were the results of a larger “technological revolution” that was still unfolding. Even if we were to radically cut defense spending, or somehow reconvert our permanent armaments industry to the production of ploughshares—which would themselves be hamfisted ways of correcting our policies—we would miss the root causes of these dysfunctions. Now, sixty years later, is as good a time as any to revisit...

This was an utterly massive hit back in 1979. I saw a deer outside my condo this morning. This is what prompted me to post this.

Obviously in an ideal world, the "base" would assert control over the Republican Party and flush out the swamp creatures who seem to form the majority of its executive and prominent elected representatives. But assuming that movement never takes off or gains any traction, what third party options exist and what are their chances for electoral success by 2024? The range of possibilities would seem to include these: (a) Declare the existence of an alternative GOP, calling it something very similar to the Republican Party (with the word Republican in the name, such as Conservative-Republican, Constitutional-Republican, Free Republican? hmm) ......

An FBI office in Virginia issued an explicit warning that extremists were planning to travel to Washington, D.C., to commit violence and “war” the day before the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to an internal report obtained by The Washington Post, directly contradicting the bureau’s previous claim that it had no intelligence to predict last Wednesday’s siege. The previously unreported details undercut the assertion by a top FBI official that officials had no indication that violence was a possibility, and they add to questions about what intelligence authorities had reviewed before the Capitol riot, which led to the...

I think I finally beat Wikipedia on this one.

The Biden administration has already unrolled its plan to return to the 2015 nuclear deal and has begun holding quiet talks with Iran, an Israeli TV station reported Saturday. Officials for the incoming administration have also updated Israel about the conversations, Channel 12 News said. A separate report by the Israel Hayom daily said Israel, wary of Biden’s promise to return to the deal, is crafting military options to “undermine Iran’s nuclear efforts or, if need be, counter Iranian aggression, which will soon be presented to the government.” The paper also quoted Defense Minister Benny Gantz as saying: “Israel needs...

California may have sent out $10 billion in fraudulent unemployment benefits, with some of the funds even going to organized crime organizations in China and Russia. California hired Blake Hall’s ID.me to investigate fraud in October, and he said that at least 10% of unemployment claims before that month were fraudulent. Hall puts the amount of fraud sent out at around $9.8 billion, from March to September 2020. Hall added in his interview with the Los Angeles Times that a good amount of the fraud is due to organized crime gangs in foreign countries. "When the Russians and the Nigerians...

So many satellites are moving and sitting over our heads, and the numbers are ever increasing. Using low cost software defined radio (SDR) and low cost DIY antennas you can make from materials at your local hardware store or garage, a world of fun can be explored. This is a beginners guide on how to get up and running. Exploring which projects to tackle first, from weather satellites, data over Inmarsat and Iridium, to listening to amateur radio and cube satellites. Learn about some hardware you can make or scout for online and use at home. A quick tour of...

315 years ago, on January 17th, 1706, Benjamin Franklin came into our world. He would go on to do amazing things, things which it is not my intent to spend another 50000 words re-telling. What I wanted to do instead was invite you and invite everybody to celebrate his life and legacy, and take the time to get to know him a little better on a more personal level. This can be done. There is a fantastic free open source public domain audiobook of Franklin's autobiography which you can download here, it is well put together and is a great...

Washington, DC is beginning to resemble a war zone, as National Guard troops numbering in the tens of thousands are armed and have been given permission to use lethal force as Joe Biden’s inauguration date looms. A statement from the D.C. National Guard indicates “National Guardsmen were given authorization to be armed in support of the U.S. Capitol Police to protect the U.S. Capitol and individual members of Congress and their staff.” A defense official confirmed to U.S. News & World Report that the authorization “includes permission for Guard troops to use lethal force.” Reports indicate that 20,000 National Guard...

Should have been up there with "Convoy" in my opinion. One of the greatest underlooked songs of the 1970s. Crispy Critters

Responding to warnings of potentially violent demonstrations, governors across the nation are calling out National Guard troops, declaring states of emergency and closing their capitols to the public ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Though details remain murky, demonstrations are expected at state capitols beginning Sunday and leading up to Biden's succession of President Donald Trump on Wednesday. State officials hope to avoid the type of violence that occurred Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving a Capitol Police officer and four others dead. The FBI has warned of the potential for violence at...

Prayers up for a great and prosperous new year!! FR is funded solely by contributions made by the liberty loving patriots who love and use it. We are beholden to no political party. No advertisers, no outsiders, no sugar daddies, no corporate string pullers. Definitely no government subsidies or tax breaks. No 501c or other IRS non-profit status. This means no commercial ads. No annoying pop-ups. No ad tracking. No mail campaigns. No spam. No third-parties -- not even the IRS -- trying to control what we do or say. We are self-funded, fiercely independent and enjoy our freedom to...

Acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller ordered the director of the National Security Agency to install on Saturday a former GOP political operative as the NSA’s top lawyer, according to four individuals familiar with the matter. The move is troubling, coming as it does four days before President Trump leaves office and the Biden administration takes over, former U.S. officials said. The move makes it more difficult for the Biden administration to immediately replace him, the former officials said. “An 11th-hour move like this and a directive from the acting secretary of defense is overwhelmingly strong evidence of irregularity,” Hennessey...