Free Republic

LZW U JUEQ JLMVQ KLMCUQX. CBQR’MQ XA UZCUPLCQ. LC XPLJJ KLMCUQX CBQMQ UXZ’C LZR KMUGLNR.--- I. XNACC IUCSVQMLJW

A former U.S. diplomat said China’s latest move to tighten its control over Hong Kong will turn the semi-autonomous region’s legislative body into something that’s “largely ceremonial.” “I think what we’ll see in the years ahead is that the legislative council ... will become a largely ceremonial organization — similar to the legislative apparatus in Beijing,” Kurt Tong, former U.S. consul general and chief of mission in Hong Kong and Macau, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Friday. Beijing on Thursday approved a draft decision to change Hong Kong’s electoral system. The proposed measures will alter the size and composition...

Airport Inn Bar & Grill is an all-American saloon in Yosemite National Park's gateway town of Mariposa. It's beloved by many long-time residents, and legendary for its comfort food. It also openly defied the regional stay-at-home order to shut down in December, and its regulars are known to be gun ownership-advocating, COVID-19-denying Trump supporters. And not just one, but several, nooses are hanging around the property.

<p>LOS ANGELES - Last month’s dangerous winter storms in the United States caused record subzero temperatures, power outages for millions of homeowners and led to more than two dozen deaths.</p><p>It also brought one of the coldest Februarys in decades.</p>

As Israel and Gulf Arab states – Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., and Bahrain – are discussing a NATO-like defense pact, Iran is predictably attempting to prevent it. The warning to the Arab states by Iran’s former Defense Minister is reported on here: “Iran hopes Saudis, UAE, Bahrain ‘not foolish enough’ to strike defense pact with Israel, Israel Hayom, March 4, 2021: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are “unlikely foolish enough” to enter a defense pact with Israel, Iran’s former Defense Minister and Expediency Council member Brig. Gen. Ahmed Wahidi told Russian outlet RT channel on Wednesday. The...

In a society of victims, knowledge and facts and reason no longer apply. When the prescient George Orwell observed that “There is no swifter route to the corruption of thought than through the corruption of language” he may not have been anticipating what is taking place with educators who have allowed their obsession with racial justice to influence how they maintain standards in their teaching methods and pedagogy. Last July, for example, as the country was embroiled in race-motivated riots and social unrest over the death of George Floyd and others, The Conference on College Composition and Communication (an affiliate...

Mark Pavelich, a center on the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team, has passed away at the age of 63. At the Lake Placid games, that team defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union, perhaps the greatest win in the history of team sports. The American victory has since come under fire from the left, which dislikes the idea of the United States as a winner. Back in 1980, the nation was losing badly at home and abroad. The Soviets were on the march in Afghanistan and their proxies making inroads in Central America. Iran was still holding American hostages and humiliating...

The Lord Jesus talked of an ETERNALLY far greater tyranny to man than Big Government, excessive taxation, burdensome mandates and ceaseless intrusions into the lives of its citizens. “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant [slave] of sin” (John 8:34). “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one….That as sin hath reigned unto death” (Rom. 5:12,17a; 21a). “O wretched man that I am! Who...

. .. Ch. 1 Tributes to Zechariah Ch. 1-3 Zechariah's First Four Visions Ch. 4 The Gold Lampstand & Olive Trees Ch.5-6 Zechariah's Final Four Visions Ch.9-14 PROPHECIES OF JESUS!.. ZECHARIAH'S PROPHECIES ABOUT JESUS! . ZECHARIAH 9-14 New International Version, emphases added Abrdgd: the complete text is in your Bible . C L I C K : To read ZECHARIAH 9-14 in full To hear MAX McLEAN reading it To hear a DRAMATIZATION of it HIGHLY recommended by Maudeen! To see an ANIMATION of Zechariah 5 2 0 B. C. Bible Timeline. .. CHAPTER 9 9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!...

The Washington Post’s Josh Rogin revealed that the Biden White House has confirmed several of the Trump administration’s claims about Wuhan and the source of COVID-19. “In its final days, President Donald Trump’s State Department made a series of highly controversial claims about the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in Wuhan, China, and its possible connection to the covid-19 outbreak. Now, the Biden administration has reviewed those claims, and is confirming some of the facts within them,” the piece begins. The debate focuses on a January 15th memo and fact sheet from the State Department entitled “Activity at the WIV.”...

BIDEN VOTER: "They're dropping bombs in Syria​ right now—and those bombs are kinda expensive​ for a dude who owes me $2,000."Don’t worry Dude, help is on the way! You’ll be getting that “Covid relief” check Uncle Joe promised you any day now which, along with your extended unemployment check, will allow you to fish right on through the summer. And all you have to do is give Pops his customary cut.C’mon man! All I want is my customary “little taste”How cool is that? That’s how all Democrat scams work. This well-timed solicitation letter that MOTUS received in the overnight email...

In the latest sign that cruising in North America is on the cusp of a comeback, Crystal Cruises on Thursday promised to be back in operation in the region by early July.In a joint press conference with Bahamas tourism officials, leaders of the Miami-based luxury line said Crystal would resume sailings on July 3 with a series of week-long, all-Bahamas voyages out of Nassau and Bimini — something that has never been done by any line.For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG’s new cruise newsletter.The trips will take place on Crystal’s 980-passenger Crystal Serenity.“This is an...

President Joe Biden gave his first primetime address to the nation on Thursday night, in which he said that “if we do our part,” then “there’s a good chance” Americans will be able to have “small” events by Independence Day. “This doesn’t mean large events with lots of people together,” Biden said.

While David French and those like him are free to adopt every line the CDC manifests, there is room for well-informed and well-meaning Christians to disagree about COVID vaccinations. It’s surprising how unsurprising it is when white evangelical David French takes an opportunity to swing at other white evangelicals, as he did once again over the weekend with an article asking why “so many white Evangelicals [are] reluctant to consider the health of their community.”The article is about vaccines, of course, but it’s mostly about how Christians who are even hesitant to receive one have a “spiritual problem.” Before anyone...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers players have been enjoying the offseason since their dominant Super Bowl win last month, but wide receiver Jaydon Mickens has found himself in some legal trouble. Mickens was arrested last week in Los Angeles on a gun-related charge. According to TMZ, the 26-year-old was pulled over on March 5 when police noticed his window tints were too dark. A gun was found inside the car during the traffic stop. Mickens was arrested and charged with having a concealed weapon, which is a felony. The gun was not on his person at the time. The Buccaneers said they...

Image from radical gunnuttery, scaled by Dean WeingartenConstitutional Carry has become a mainstream movement. The term means a states laws concerning the carry of weapons approximates the state of the law when the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791. At that time, no permits were required to carry weapons, openly or concealed. 17 states have restored a reasonable facsimile of Constitutional Carry. Vermont always had Constitutional Carry. Serious efforts are underway to restore Constitutional Carry in three other states in 2021, with various states of possibility in in twenty other states. Given the coming predominance of Constitutional Carry, what...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has renewed interest in his ongoing feud with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who he singled out as “a big part” of the “mistake” Democrats made in trying to work with moderate Republicans in 2009. “We made a big mistake in 2009 and ’10 — Susan Collins was a big part of that mistake. We cut back on the stimulus dramatically and we stayed in recession for five years,” Schumer said on CNN on Tuesday, referring to the economic stimulus package that Democrats pushed in response to the Great Recession. On Wednesday, in remarks to...

Hey hey kids! Time for more silliness, and...you know...the thing!----------------------A pizza and an apple were thrown down from the 15th floor, which will reach the ground first? The pizza will, it's fast food!---------------------------------------------The devout cowboy lost his favorite Bible while he was mending fences out on the range. Three weeks later, a sheep walked up to him carrying the Bible in its mouth. The cowboy couldn't believe his eyes. He took the precious book out of the sheep's mouth, raised his eyes heavenward and exclaimed, "It's a miracle!" "Not really," said the sheep. "Your name is written inside the cover."------------------------------------------------------A...

A fun night out with friends can quickly turn into a morning headache, and people usually turn to food for remedy. A recent survey says the average Californian spends almost $1,000 a year on hangover food. According to Solutions-Recovery.com, the average California drinker spends $958 per year on hangover comfort food, compared to a national average of $947, which works out to $80 per month. Take a look at the national results HERE. Alaska scored highest in the survey, with the average Alaskan spending more than $3,024 a year on hangover comfort food. New Hampshire scored the lowest, with the...

Note: If you’re waiting for an order from your Sock Puppet-in-Chief to tell you it’s ok to celebrate Independence Day, you clearly don’t understand what “independence” means. – That of course would apply to pretty much all Democrats these days, as they no doubt sat hypnotized before their TV sets and watched China Joe Biden read a text written by his handlers and tell them it will all be ok by the 4th of July and they’ll be able to hold “small gatherings” then if we all just behave like good little liberal automatons until then. …and hey, if you...