Free Republic

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As soon as the “not guilty” verdict was announced in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, I posted the news on Facebook and Twitter, asking readers if they agreed with the decision. The vast majority did agree, as the video evidence and verbal testimony pointed to Rittenhouse acting in self-defense. For others, however, this was another example of “white privilege” or “white supremacy.” And that, quite tragically, will be one of the lasting legacies of this case: it will be used to further inflame racial tensions when this was never really about race. I too agree with the verdict, although I...

On December 12, Israel’s southern Red Sea resort and port city, Eilat, will host the 2021 Miss Universe pageant. The contestants have not yet arrived, but the news is not all happy smiles. If you didn’t have a reason to pay attention to the annual beauty pageant you probably might not ever know about it. But recently, the ugly face of one of the contestants’ countries has cast an antisemitic cloud on it. South Africa will be represented by Lalela Mswane, sort of. While she holds the Miss South Africa title, after announcing that the pageant will be held in...

The media has expressed concern that the U.S. Supreme Court may soon reverse its 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade. In the coming weeks, arguments will be heard regarding the Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The debate will focus on whether Roe will withstand the compelling reasons being offered to the court for its demise. It is uncertain if SCOTUS will take this opportunity to reverse Roe completely. However, most legal commentators are confident that SCOTUS will uphold the Mississippi law, seriously modifying Roe. States would then be free to seriously restrict and even ban...

At 12:17 P.M. Friday, while I was on a conference call, trying not to think about the trial going on in Kenosha, I got a text message from a good friend. "You called it. Acquitted on all counts." I felt a profound sense of relief. I didn't even realize how tense I have been all week waiting for this. Watching the video of the moment they announced the verdicts on the indictment, I cried with him. I am sure many others in America did as well. I know nothing of Kyle Rittenhouse other than what I have seen this past...

Military codes of conduct that prescribe honorable behavior date back thousands of years and are essential for maintaining trust, camaraderie, and discipline within the armed forces. Yet over the past fifty years, cadets at the Air Force Academy have demonstrated a diminishing respect for the Honor Code, which has fallen victim to the moral relativism that blurs the distinction between ethical and unethical behaviors and contributed to a precipitous drop in retention rates and overall military readiness. The Air Force Academy Honor Code is concise and unambiguous: “We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who...

My first encounter with vaxxport tyranny took place last week at a Los Angeles gym, where I have been a member for two years. Abiding by an edict from the governor of California, the reception staff asked to see my vaccination card or a QR code before allowing me access to the facilities. I told the newly anointed gatekeepers that whether or not to partake of the vaccine was a personal medical decision, as in "my body, my choice." I made clear my resentment of the tyrannical invasion of my privacy — especially for the COVID "virus" that has demonstrated...

For a few years now, ion propulsion technology's sci-fi mechanics have raised the standard for flying spacecraft, replacing fiery rocket tails as the new in-thing. Ion propulsion can be about 10 times faster than normal fuel and can continuously run for prolonged periods of time, gaining a wicked amount of speed along the way. One drawback, however, is it's typically employed with xenon thrusters. JAXA's Hayabusa2 mission used the classic xenon as a fuel. Xenon, a heavy noble gas, is exceptionally rare on Earth, pricey and difficult to maintain. That's why French aerospace company ThrustMe is pursuing a plan for...

Photo Gallery of 30 classically beautiful or avant-garde American restaurants. I am thinking this may bring back some great memories for some of the Free Republic Night Crew.

Vice President Kamala Harris commented on the verdict in Kyle Rittenhouse's homicide trial, suggesting it showed the criminal justice system is not equitable, apparently contradicting President Joe Biden's remarks. In a tweet Friday evening, the vice president and former prosecutor said: "Today's verdict speaks for itself. I've spent a majority of my career working to make our criminal justice system more equitable. It's clear, there's still a lot more work to do." While Harris' comments seemed to condemn the outcome of the trial, Biden had stood by the jury's decision earlier Friday. "I stand by what the jury has concluded....

A research program promoted by the University of Texas at Austin instructs White children as young as four on how to deal with "anti-Black racism." The program, known as "GoKar" with the KAR standing for "Kids Against Racism," is a voluntary study given to White caregiver-child pairs where the children are four and five years old and have not yet started kindergarten, according to College Fix.... ...UT Austin researchers are attempting to recruit up to 200 caregiver-child pairs to participate in four weeks of engagement totaling 7.5 hours.

NEW YORK - A rare first printing of the U.S. Constitution sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $43.2 million, a record price for a document or book sold at auction. The buyer, Chicago hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin, will loan the document to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, for public exhibition, Sotheby’s announced Friday. Griffin, founder and CEO of multinational hedge fund Citadel, outbid a group of 17,000 cryptocurrency enthusiasts from around the world who crowdfunded to buy it over the last week. “The U.S. Constitution is a sacred document that enshrines the rights...

MSNBC "MTP Daily" host Chuck Todd expressed dismay that Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted in his trial for shooting three people during a riot in Kenosha last year. "I can understand how a teenager like Rittenhouse might feel endangered when a guy tried to club him with a skateboard or pointed a pistol at him," Todd admitted. "From a narrow perspective, it might be self-defense for him to shoot to save his life. But from a broader perspective, is society better off because he did? What message did the jury's verdict send?" "If Rittenhouse had withheld his fire the worst that...

The Western States Sheriffs’ Association has issued a declaration of “no confidence” in Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, saying he’s led a Biden team that has turned the southern border into “an invisible line in the sand.” The sheriffs, who represent 17 states, called on President Biden to oust Mr. Mayorkas and find a new department chief who will work with them to restore respect for the border and immigration law.... ...“America’s sheriffs have watched in disbelief as the southern border has turned into an invisible line in the sand,” the sheriffs said this week in a position paper signed...

More than 5,500 silver coins buried by a river about 1,800 years ago are now in the hands of archaeologists, following the hoard's discovery in Augsburg, Germany.At the time of the coins' burial, the Roman Empire was in full swing, with its coinage reaching all corners of its territory and beyond.These coins "are denarii, the standard silver denomination during the 1st-early 3rd century [A.D.]," Stefan Krmnicek, a professor of ancient numismatics (the study of coins) at the University of Tübingen in Germany, told Live Science in an email.Archaeologists found the hoard earlier this year in an old riverbed. But though...

The Ukrainian Parliament passed a bill approving a military agreement signed between Ukraine and Turkey. Some 303 out of 450 lawmakers voted in favor of the law. The agreement was signed during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Turkey on Oct. 16, 2020. It includes the legal framework for mutual defense cooperation issues. The agreement reflects a guarantee for security and peace in the Black Sea region. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry also signed a series of agreements on Dec. 14 with the Turkish side on the production and technology transfer of naval corvettes and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV), which...

US President Joe Biden has said he is "angry" after a teenager who shot dead two men during racial unrest last year in Wisconsin was cleared. The president expressed dismay at the verdict in a written statement after earlier telling reporters he supported the jury's decision. Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, sobbed as he was acquitted of all charges over the shooting in Kenosha on 25 August 2020. There were low-key protests over the outcome in a trial that divided the US. Mr Rittenhouse nearly collapsed with relief as he learned his fate on Friday from a jury of seven women and...

“Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” (Proverbs 20:9 KJV).

Emergency crews in western Canada were still trying to reach some 18,000 people stranded by landslides and struggling to find food among bare grocery store shelves after devastating flooding. With communities in the region braced for more torrential rain in already inundated areas next week , the premier of British Columbia province declared an emergency and gave an emotional address in a press conference on Thursday. Appearing to fight back tears, John Horgan said: “The positive I’m going to take out of this is that it had shown British Columbians coming together supporting each other....

As health officials push COVID booster shots, a debate is quickly emerging around whether the definition of "fully vaccinated" should be changed to include an additional dose of the vaccine. Why it matters: Booster shots provide remarkably strong protection against coronavirus infections, at least for a period of time. But getting the majority of Americans to stick out their arm again would be extremely challenging. Driving the news: Two governors said this week that they don't consider people who haven't received a booster shot to be fully vaccinated. "We're 11 months into the vaccination program. In my view, if you...