Free Republic

Fentanyl overdoses have surged to the leading cause of death for adults between the ages of 18 and 45, according to an analysis of U.S. government data. Between 2020 and 2021, nearly 79,000 people between 18 and 45 years old — 37,208 in 2020 and 41,587 in 2021 — died of fentanyl overdoses, the data analysis from opioid awareness organization Families Against Fentanyl shows. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be deadly even in very small amounts, and other drugs, including heroin, meth and marijuana, can be laced with the dangerous drug. Mexico and China are the primary sources...

The ruling applies to the entire 27-nation bloc, including 11 countries that do not recognize same-sex ‘marriage.’(LifeSiteNews) – The top court of the European Union ruled Tuesday that all EU countries must recognize homosexuals and their legal children as family members regardless of national laws on same-sex parenting or homosexual “marriage.” In a ruling that applies to the entire 27-nation bloc, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) in Luxembourg declared that member countries must allow a same-sex couple to move and reside freely with a child legally recognized as their son or daughter by another EU state. Eleven EU nations,...

The bishop of Fall River has directed a pastor on Cape Cod to stop commenting on the coronavirus vaccines. Father Michael Fitzpatrick, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis, read a letter from the bishop at the end of Mass on Sunday, December 5. “… I have directed Father Fitzpatrick to refrain from speaking publicly or in writing on the Covid 19 vaccines, any treatment from the vaccine, or any preventative measures to avoid transmission of the virus,” Bishop Edgar da Cunha wrote in the letter, according to a video of the Mass.

Educators announced plans to increase security in response to TikTok posts warning of shooting and bomb threats at schools around the country Friday as officials assured parents the viral posts were not considered credible. The social media threats had many educators on edge as they circulated in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting in Michigan, which has been followed by numerous copycat threats to schools elsewhere. School officials in states including Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York and Pennsylvania said Thursday there would be an increased police presence because of the threats. The vague, anonymous posts circulating online warned...

A spokesperson confirmed the painting, which uses an artistic style known as a Pietà to depict a Black Virgin Mary cradling Jesus’ body after his Crucifixion, was stolen on Sunday.WASHINGTON (RNS) — A second painting of Jesus and his mother, Mary, in which Jesus is widely thought to be depicted as George Floyd, has been stolen from the walls of the Catholic University of America’s law school. The painting, which sits outside the chapel at CUA’s Columbus Law School, replaced an identical, larger version of the same painting that was also stolen last month after it was highlighted in conservative...

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Hospitals are slammed across Arizona. The state is asking the federal government for help with staffing, and Yavapai County is so inundated, it's running out of room at its morgue. Thursday, Yavapai County Community Health Services said it's requesting a refrigerated truck because so many people are dying from COVID. Their morgue is close to capacity, and they need to be prepared. In Maricopa County, public health leaders said it's not that bad here yet, although they are watching those numbers closely. "January marks two years from the first COVID-19 case in Maricopa County," said Marcy...

Are there any financial advisers on here with a good knowledge of annuities. Got a situation with lump sum offer and have no idea what to do. Yes, I've read everything I can read, and yes, I've exhausted other resources before posting here, plus my original adviser died. This is a last resort and I'd rather give my business to a FReeper anyway. Please private reply if we can talk/zoom/email. You will be vetted! Sorry for the vanity!

In late June, the University of Oxford announced that PRINCIPLE, one of the U.K. Government’s national priority platform trials of COVID-19 treatments, would be evaluating Ivermectin, the seventh treatment to be investigated in the PRINCIPLE trial. Along with the influenza antiviral drug favipiravir, Ivermectin, the “safe, broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug,” was added as part of the trial’s focus on treatment for people in the U.K. who have recently developed symptoms of COVID-19. Yet, suddenly, without an explanation from Merck—who is a key manufacturer of the generic, readily available drug Ivermectin—MedPage Today reports that PRINCIPLE’s trial on the drug is paused, stating:...

SEOUL — With attempts to restart nuclear negotiations with North Korea going nowhere, the president of South Korea is looking for help as his term heads into its final stretch. His long-shot hope: that Pope Francis can step in. Allies of Moon Jae-in acknowledge that direct papal intervention is unlikely. Francis has said nothing about the notion of going to Pyongyang, but he was quoted by the Blue House — the South Korean presidential palace — as being willing to go, in the name of peace, “if he received an invitation” from Kim Jong Un’s government. During a Vatican visit...

The Centennial Elementary School in Denver is getting flak for organizing a ‘Families of Color Playground Night.’ Screengrab/Christopher Rufo/Twitter /The Centennial Elementary School in Denver is facing harsh criticism for planning a “Families of Color Playground Night.” • The event was listed in a Facebook post advertising the school’s diversity and inclusivity initiatives. • The page listed the event as a monthly activity taking place on the second Wednesday of every month.An elementary school in Denver faces backlash on social media for organizing a “Families of Color Playground Night.” A huge sign promoting the event was spotted by writer Chris...

The U.S. Marine Corps announced Thursday it has discharged 103 individuals from its ranks for refusing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus...

For the last several years, billionaire philanthropist George Soros has been quietly financing a revolution in criminal justice reform, doling out tens of millions of dollars to progressive candidates in district attorney races throughout the country amid movements to abolish bail and defund the police. Working with an activist attorney, Soros, 91, mainly funnels cash through a complicated web of federal and state political action committees as well as non-profits from coast to coast, public records show. Last year, the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a nonprofit in Soros’ orbit, gave $3 million to the Community Resource Hub for Safety...

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The new rule could help some women circumvent restrictions on abortion in states like Texas, where patients must pick up the medication in person and can’t acquire it through telehealth appointments. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it will permanently allow patients to receive abortion pills by mail, expanding access to abortion as the Supreme Court wrestles with the future of Roe v. Wade. The new rule could help some women circumvent restrictions on abortion in states like Texas, where patients must pick up the medication in person and can’t acquire it through telehealth appointments. During the coronavirus...

A German warship entered the South China Sea on Wednesday for the first time in almost 20 years in yet another example of the Western push to stoke tensions with China in the region. Germany’s Defense Ministry said the frigate Bayern began a transit through the disputed waters on the way to Singapore, a trip that should take a few days. The last time a German warship sailed through the South China Sea was in 2002. Via Reuters Germany is the latest Western ally of the US to send a warship into sensitive waters near China in a move that...

NEW - Biden declares winter of severe illness & death for unvaccinated.pic.twitter.com/RUnAWqlXb9— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) December 16, 2021

British humor...

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene fired off a late-night tweet blasting Mitch McConnell as “Biden’s bitch” over a deal the Senate Minority Leader struck giving Democrats the votes necessary to raise the debt ceiling. Lawmakers in the Senate voted 50-49 to raise the debt limit by $2.5 trillion. This happened only after 14 Republicans joined Democrats in offering a one-time exception to suspend the filibuster, allowing Democrats exclusively to vote in favor of raising the debt ceiling. It was a deal crafted by McConnell (R-KY) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The House voted approval after midnight, something that clearly angered Greene...

Early in the pandemic it was pretty obvious to a lot of doctors that ivermectin seemingly worked. The issue is that there were no well controlled studies and lack of a solid protocol in clinical management. In places like Central and South America Doctors didn’t have time to do controlled studies; they simply prescribed it to all the patients as a triage to stem the overflowing hospital corridors. For many it seemingly worked because they got the drug early in the disease. When there were calls for a clinical trial, there was no control group that hadn’t already been given...

@RepThomasMassie Has secession ever succeeded? One of my freshmen classmates at MIT (from Bronx Science, NYC) didn’t know West Virginia was a state - he thought it was just a region of Virginia. Most people know it’s a state, but few know it seceded from VA. It’s a story that’s not often told.