Free Republic

John Hinckley Jr., the gunman who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in a bid to win actress Jodie Foster’s heart, has traded his six-shooter for a six-string — racking up thousands of views on YouTube with his guitar renditions of sentimental love songs. Hinckley, now 66, won a lengthy court battle last year, freeing him to publicly display his music, writings and other art, and potentially make a living in the recording industry.

2020 to many of us seemed a year of impossibility. It was infinitely stranger than we all could have believed. But 2021 may be beyond 2020. It seems the very fabric of Mathematics and Economics is broken. And There Seems To Be No Sign Of Intelligent Life Anywhere. Emperor Zurg is taking over. One Poll showed him at 63% Approval Portland Murder Rates up 900% National Debt up $4 Trillion Stock Market Down, Stock Market Up The East Coast lost it Gas. Russia is hacking us. (And building pipelines) China is sending viruses our way. Golf is the most popular...

A hiker died after falling about 500 feet from a mountain ridge in California's Sequoia National Park on Memorial Day and a woman who tried to pull him to safety was injured after falling about 30 feet, park officials said Tuesday. The 56-year-old man lost his balance and one of his hiking companions, a 45-year-old woman, grabbed him and both fell off the summit ridge of Mount Russell, but the woman was able to stop her fall on a ledge 30 feet below and survived, the National Park Service said in a news release. A third member of the hiking...

Emails to/from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci have been released to both Buzzfeed [HERE] and the Washington Post [HERE]. The time frame of the release is January 2020 to mid-June 2020. [Cloud pdf With 3,200+ pages HERE] Within the emails we discover, Fauci had some urgent, time sensitive discussions about “gain of function” research; the weaponization of the COVID virus. Fauci also told colleagues “retail masks don’t work” as protection from COVID due to the molecular size of the virus. Also the emails reveal that Anthony Fauci was very well aware the outbreak came from...

If warmer weather is inspiring you to visit the sun and surf along the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, you may want to consider a short side trip just north of town. Tucked behind a public park in the small town of Felton, is a bridge so unique it is recognized as both a state and national historic place. At one time, it was also the only way in or out of town. Fortunately, a paved road makes the trip to explore this bridge much easier. Learn more about the Felton Bridge in the video above.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday declared June a "national month of action" to mobilize even more Americans to get vaccinated by July Fourth, in order to enjoy what he called "a summer of freedom."

Using bromine, chlorine, and iodine anions, researchers found a new way to conduct hydrogen ions through a crystal structure at high speed even at temperatures as low as 200?. Credit: Mindy Takamiya/Kyoto University iCeMS ==================================================================== Researchers at Kyoto University's Institute for Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) have developed a new approach to speed up hydrogen atoms moving through a crystal lattice structure at lower temperatures. They reported their findings in the journal Science Advances. "Improving hydrogen transport in solids could lead to more sustainable sources of energy," says Hiroshi Kageyama of iCeMS who led the study. Negatively charged hydrogen 'anions' can move...

Colleges and universities used to proclaim that their mission was to give students a broad education that would expand their intellectual vistas—one that would open their minds. Most still say that, but the sad truth is that what passes for higher education these days often does the opposite. Many professors and some whole academic fields instill in students the habits of mind that betoken fundamentalism rather than free inquiry. They want students to conform to their views and rebuke them for disagreeing or even asking the wrong questions. The growing problem of fundamentalist thinking is the focus of Minds Wide...

Jerry Mathers was born on June 2, 1948 in Sioux City, Iowa to Norm and Marilyn Mathers. His father was the principal of a high school and later became a school district executive in Los Angeles. Mathers grew up in Rock Rapids near Los Angeles, California. He has a younger sister, Susie Mathers McSweeney, and a younger brother Jimmy Mathers, who were both child actors. Mathers did a commercial for a department store when he was a two-year-old. He also acted in a PET milk commercial with comedian Ed Wynn. This opened up opportunities for him to get roles in...

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., shared two words in response to news of unearthed emails from Dr. Anthony Fauci. Thousands of emails obtained by Buzzfeed News and hundreds more reviewed by The Washington Post through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests show Fauci's responses to both critiques and high praise as he worked to communicate the dangers of COVID-19 to the U.S. as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "Told you," Paul wrote in a Tuesday tweet with the hashtag #firefauci. He added in another tweet: "Can’t wait to see the media try to spin the Fauci...

LGBTQ blessings service kicks off Pride month for CatholicsLess than three months after the Vatican issued a decree forbidding priests from blessing same-sex unions, nearly two dozen U.S. Catholic leaders and organizations kicked off the celebration of Pride month with a blessings service for LGBTQ Catholics. "God is inviting you to draw near and that God desires a deep and intimate relationship with all of you," Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, told the virtual participants of the Catholic Pride Blessing on June 1. "May God, the source of life and love, fill you with the joy of knowing your...

Welcome to The Bicycle Thread. A monthly PING List for bicycle enthusiasts to share experiences, information and ideas.

President Joe Biden and his administration have courted Sen. Lisa Murkowski, with some success. But their recent move on Arctic drilling puts the Alaska Republican in a tough spot heading into reelection.

Pentagon Clears China's Biggest Drone Manufacturer to build for US Government — The Pentagon approved two drone models made by China’s Da Jiang Innovations. These models are recommended for use by government entities and forces working with US services – AmericideAs US Pipelines Are Shut Down New Pipeline Could Make Iran King of World Trade — Iran will soon be able to export its own oil even while blocking the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian National Oil Co. has begun pumping oil through the Goreh-Jask pipeline. It has the potential to increase Iran’s oil exports by about 50 percent. -...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Tuesday that Israel will request $1 billion from the U.S. to replenish its Iron Dome missile defense system and other military supplies after an 11-day war with militants in the Gaza Strip.

Your sustainment is in Me, Come to the Garden of plenty, Gethsemane is here and now for you, Enter into the promises I have for you to view, Hear My waters speak, My presence is your treat, Come stand in My waterfall, It's here for one and all, Feel the mist and droplets spray, My morning dew for you all day, Enjoy The rays from The Father and Son, Come and Abide in Kingdom come, Its all here for you right now, Shedding your flesh is how, Arrive to the place you should always be, Just you and Me, Hebrews...

Approximately one-fifth of Americans who purchased guns last year were first-time buyers, according to new preliminary data from Northeastern University and the Harvard Injury Control Research Center. The data also showed increases in the overall number of gun buyers and the total number of gun owners in the U.S. Of the first-time buyers recorded in 2020, half were women, a fifth were Black and a fifth were Hispanic, according to The New York Times, which reported on the new data. Last year's first-time buyers were less likely than usual to be male and white, the Times noted. The newspaper did...

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) claims she will match campaign donations "dollar-for-dollar." Since she is wealthy enough to fund her own campaign without donations this seems a way of demonstrating her own financial commitment to her reelection. The problem is, her promise is false. Campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show no matching contributions from her. Pelosi insists that her promise is not false, that her contribution "is an in-kind donation consisting my day-to-day work in Congress. Yes, I do receive as salary as a member of Congress, but this salary is far below the value...

New email disclosures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) have shown how National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Dr. Anthony Fauci colluded with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to implement Orwellian thought control from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. During one exchange in Feb. 2020, Zuckerberg asked Fauci about the best ways he could help with the synthesizing and mass distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, offering to throw money and resources to the project through his foundation. “I was glad to hear your statement that the covid-19 vaccine will be ready for human trials in...