Free Republic

We are rapidly becoming two very different nations with two very different cultures. At one time we truly were the “United” States of America, but now we have been split into two opposing camps that deeply hate one another. As a result, in recent years we have watched millions of Americans relocate for ideological reasons. This has caused “red states” to become even redder and “blue states” to become even bluer. At this point, there are just a handful of “purple states”, and it is in those states where our presidential elections are determined. It is really not healthy for...

<p>A major nickel mine in a Philippines rainforest has continued to expand, mowing down acres of trees as global demand for minerals essential for electric vehicle manufacturing surges.</p><p>The Rio Tuba mine in the region of Palawan supplies an important mineral for electric vehicle batteries in Tesla and Toyota cars, but the mine is nearing an expansion that would cause it to grow from four square miles to 14 square miles, according to an NBC News investigation. The growth of the mine would cause massive deforestation of the land which environmentalists warn could destroy the area’s ecosystem.</p>

Former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to invalidate subpoenas issued by the House select committee examining the Jan. 6 Capitol riot after the panel’s chair informed Meadows’ attorney it would move forward with contempt proceedings. The Meadows complaint, first reported by Politico, names Pelosi and the committee’s nine members as defendants, along with the committee itself. The suit describes the subpoenas for documents and testimony issued to Meadows in September as “overly broad and unduly burdensome”. “The Select Committee acts absent any valid legislative power and threatens to violate longstanding principles of...

We’re all going insane. Before it was ‘get the shot or we’re all going to die’ when it came to COVID. Now, it’s ‘is it safe to hang around the…unboosted. Yes, the goalposts have moved. They’ve moved because we’ve reached the 70 percent benchmark. Remember that one? If we hit that number, we’re all good. Well, we did—months ago. Now, it’s all about the booster. The ‘experts’ have already said they’re going to change the definition of fully vaccinated soon. With the new Omicron variant, which isn’t more deadly than Delta, we now have to endure a new wave of...

The Senate on Wednesday voted to nix President Biden’s vaccine mandate for larger businesses, handing Republicans a symbolic win. Senators voted 52-48 on the resolution, which needed a simple majority to be approved. Democratic Sens. Jon Tester (Mont.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.) voted with Republicans, giving it enough support to be sent to the House.

A new AZDHS report is re-enforcing what health officials have been preaching for nearly a year, that the COVID-19 vaccine is your best option to keep from getting the disease. The report found that Arizonans who chose not to get the vaccine are 15 times more likely to die from COVID-19. It also found that the delta variant remains the dominant strain in Arizona. News video at link

Specifically the cruise lines have the toughest predicament. They are dealing with it, but there are giant storms to wade through before clear sailing. Management so far has survived the Covid-19 disaster but they are still on life support. It is hard to instill confidence on Wall Street if you can’t land the sales on Main street. The same risks still face Carnival as cruising has not yet gone back to normal. They can rebuild but there are no guarantees. Mutations are unpredictable therefore this sector will have headline risk for a long while. Perhaps of all the travel and...

A Trump-supporter went out for a bite to eat with a few friends at a Texas restaurant. After finishing their meal, he went to the register to pay with a single $20 bill. Much to his surprise, the cashier was a liberal, who quickly called the cops after seeing what was on the back of the money that he was just handed. David Hill posted an account of an ordeal on Facebook, explaining the unexpected chain of events he was met with when he wanted to spend some time with his buddies at an unnamed Texas restaurant. After deciding where...

Parents knowingly sent their child to school after they tested positive for Covid-19. 75 classmates were forced to quarantine In this case both the school and public health were given inaccurate information by the parents, which led to a prolonged interval of exposure." Willis said. "This is not only a violation of basic ethics, it's a violation of law." Willis told CNN. "Violation can lead to a fine or criminal prosecution as a misdemeanor. Because of the seriousness of this violation we've referred the case to the District Attorney."

PHOENIX (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Arizona doesn’t have to give voters who forget to sign their mail ballot time after the election to resolve the issue, rejecting a lawsuit filed by Democrats. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, overturned a lower-court ruling that found it’s unconstitutional for Arizona to give voters time after an election to resolve mismatched signatures but not missing signatures. The appellate judges said Arizona’s interest in reducing the burden on busy poll workers justifies the disparity. The overwhelming majority of Arizona voters cast mail ballots, which...

Veritas outs stovll of Arizona as a scumbag. video.

David Hill posted an account of an ordeal on Facebook, explaining the unexpected chain of events he was met with when he wanted to spend some time with his buddies at an unnamed Texas restaurant. After deciding where to meet, Hill and his friends headed to a local eatery to enjoy some conversation and a few laughs. However, things would take a turn when it was time to pay the bill.“Unknowingly, the $20 bill I had in my wallet had ‘Trump Lives Here’ written in permanent marker on the White House,” Hill explained. However, those three words were all it...

President Biden clearly thinks this one never gets old — if only it were true. Biden on Wednesday repeated for the sixth time this year what he called a “true story” about an encounter with an Amtrak conductor named Angelo Negri — despite the story being declared “false” by fact-checkers.

Schools in Maryland can drop masks mandates if they reach a certain vaccination rate if state lawmakers approve a regulation that the state’s school board voted for on Tuesday. The Maryland State Board of Education voted 12–1 to approve a regulation that extends the requirement for children and staff members in schools to don masks. But the regulation (pdf) also says superintendents can lift the requirements for schools if 80 percent of the students and staff are fully vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19, or local school boards can rescind it if the county in which a school is...

Two staffers have abandoned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in just one week, a pattern that indicates Pelosi may retire after the 2022 midterms. Amid months of Pelosi retirement rumors from CNN, aides, and Atlantic magazine, Pelosi’s Press Assistant, Riley Lopez, announced Wednesday he is moving on to a less relevant position in the Senate.

Melvin Parker, best known as James Brown's drummer, died at age 77 last week in Baltimore. He performed on a bunch of Brown's hits in the '60s and '70's, including "Out of Sight," "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag," "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Get Up Offa That Thing." "The Parker family is in the process of making arrangements for a final goodbye," read an obituary on the website of. R. Swinson Funeral Services, located in Parker's hometown of Kinston, N.C. "Let's keep the Parker family in our thoughts and prayers during this time of bereavement." "We lost...

President Biden will nominate Meg Whitman to serve as ambassador to Kenya, he announced on Wednesday. Whitman, the former CEO of Quibi and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, was the Republican nominee for governor of California in 2010, losing to former Gov. Jerry Brown (D).

President Biden on Wednesday said his administration would make sure that Americans are not being “gouged for gas,” noting the recent decline in prices. Biden credited his administration’s decision last month to release 50 million barrels of oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve during a speech in Kansas City where he said the average price of gas had fallen below $3 per gallon.

Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested Wednesday that Americans should require holiday guests to prove they are vaccinated. During a live streaming session hosted by the Washington Post, Fauci pushed the hosts of holiday parties to demand the vaccination status of guests before they enter the gathering.

Robbie Shakespeare, one half of the powerhouse rhythm duo of Sly and Robbie, has died. A close associate confirmed his passing to The Gleaner a short while ago. Shakespeare had reportedly been ailing for some time and had undergone surgery related to his kidneys. He was living overseas and was in hospital in Florida. In July last year, he placed at Number 17 on 'The 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time list', compiled by the prestigious Rolling Stone magazine. Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters. When The Gleaner reached out to the...