Free Republic

Politics Gun Ownership Is Political Violence Let’s call the 2nd Amendment what it is—the codification of a grave reality. Minuteman statue in Lexington, Massachusetts. (Ted Pendergast/Shutterstock) December 28, 2021| 12:01 am Andrew Cuff One of my neighbors has a bumper sticker: “The 2nd Amendment isn’t for hunting.” He’s correct as a matter of constitutional law—the Bill of Rights affirms the right to private gun ownership and, in effect, creates a form of distributed sovereignty that prevents the state from having a monopoly on force. In case after case, the Supreme Court has struck down attempts to limit this right, and...

Ukraine's acquisition and subsequent use of the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 has been a cause of significant concern for separatist forces in Eastern Ukraine, and for Russia, which has provided the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) with extensive military support. Although separatist forces in Eastern Ukraine operate significant numbers of anti-aircraft (AA) guns and surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems supplied by Russia, including the 9K33 Osa-AKM (NATO designation: SA-8) and the 9K35 Strela-10 (SA-13), these lack the range to target UCAVs like the Bayraktar TB2 flying overhead at some 5000 metres. Yet one would be mistaken in thinking...

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The Supreme Court has agreed to take up two vaccine mandate cases -- the one involving OSHA and the one for health care workers (CMS). A third mandate, aimed at federal contractors, remains in a kind of legal limbo. The temporary injunction granted by a Georgia judge was recently upheld by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Whether that decision will also be appealed to SCOTUS, and if so whether they will agree to hear it, remain to be seen. However, according to Jenin Younes, an attorney with the New Civil Liberties Alliance and charter member of Team Reality, “It...

It sure looks like a coup. In a recent article, the brilliant commentator Victor David Hanson asks, "What is behind recent pessimistic appraisals of democracy's future from Hillary Clinton, Adam Schiff, Brian Williams, and other elite intellectuals and media personalities?" His answer to this question is "that the left expects to lose power over the next two years[.]" Perhaps — but on the other hand, maybe the leftists' "pessimistic appraisals" are more of a verbal ploy to suggest they are concerned about democracy when in actuality they are participating in an attempt to enact a coup against democracy, against our...

In a recent article, the brilliant commentator Victor David Hanson asks, "What is behind recent pessimistic appraisals of democracy's future from Hillary Clinton, Adam Schiff, Brian Williams, and other elite intellectuals and media personalities?" His answer to this question is "that the left expects to lose power over the next two years[.]" Perhaps — but on the other hand, maybe the leftists' "pessimistic appraisals" are more of a verbal ploy to suggest they are concerned about democracy when in actuality they are participating in an attempt to enact a coup against democracy, against our beloved republic. Declining poll numbers will...

What I take is or one or two daily of the 10000 D3 in the red plastic bottle at Amazon ---- https://www.amazon.com/Carlyle-Vitamin-Softgels-Promotes-Supplement/dp/B07GRBQY5B -- I like the red bottle. It makes your daily D3 more noticeable and harder to neglect. Best way to take your D3, for best absorption, is coming soon from me---- I also take D3 with K2 by Now Foods and magnesium supplement. High dose D3 should be taken w these two. Now Foods also makes a magnesium in two forms-- https://www.amazon.com/Supplements-Magnesium-Bisglycinate-Powder-8-Ounce/dp/B00NIJ03C0 --- This uses to 2 glycinates to chelate the magnesium so is more absorbable than common...

The Democratic Party's problem with Hispanic voters is worse than leaders think, according to a new assessment by the highly regarded strategist Ruy Teixeira. That conclusion is particularly important because Teixeira wrote the influential 2002 book "The Coming Democratic Majority," which convinced many Democrats that a growing Hispanic population -- one that heavily supported Democrats -- was the key to permanent Democratic dominance of American politics. Now, with Hispanic voters abandoning the Democratic Party in droves, it's all falling apart. "The seriousness of this problem tends to be underestimated in Democratic circles for a couple of reasons," Teixeira writes in...

Questions arose Monday about which government agency organized charter flights filled with minors that landed at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport four times this month. Jim Gallagher, president of Aviation Technologies Inc., the airport’s fixed-base operator, said Sunday the flights were listed as “ICE flights” by private charter companies. “ICE” stands for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. However, ICE spokeswoman Mary Houtmann said Monday the agency did not organize flights that landed at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Dec. 11, 17 and 25. “These are not our flights,” Houtmann wrote in an email. The flights might have been organized by the Department of...

If Republicans win the House back in 2022, they should end the Home Rule charade. The only way is for Congress to strip the Mayor and City Council of their abused authority. Stripping the city council and Mayor Bowser’s authority is well within congressional rights. The Constitution plainly states the power to govern D.C is Congress’s, and the District’s charter makes plain that Home Rule is a privilege.

Earlier this year, the U.S. military and intelligence community issued a report on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP, also called UFOs). Before the report’s release, former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe stated, “we are talking about objects that have been seen by navy or air force pilots, or have been picked up by satellite imagery, that frankly engage in actions that are difficult to explain, movements that are hard to replicate, that we don’t have the technology for.” The attention-grabbing part of this statement is the reference to "satellite imagery." I — and the hundreds of scientists engaged in studying...

Boston city workers were gathering together Tuesday night to discuss how they’ll fight the new coronavirus vaccine mandate, warning that “tyranny is here on our doorstep.” Mayor Michelle Wu last week announced that all city employees must be vaccinated by Jan. 15 or face termination. There will no longer be a regular COVID testing option for city workers. But those with Boston First Responders United say they’re preparing a legal challenge against the mandate. The group on Tuesday gathered in West Roxbury and invited all city employees - from police officers and firefighters to teachers and family workers. “People are...

China will set up buffer zones in border cities as part of its latest moves to battle imported cases of Covid-19 while protecting the economy. The policy comes as China works to snuff out sporadic outbreaks in different parts of the country. Clusters have broken out in recent months in Ruili, Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, and Manzhouli, near Inner Mongolia.... ...“Checkpoints will be set up in buffer zones, such as villages that are closest to the roads at the border, and residents cannot leave these zones unless necessary. Special requirements will be attached to those who have to leave...

Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah has declined to pursue criminal charges against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for allegations made by two women that he kissed them on the cheek.

(CNN)The House select committee investigating January 6 has stood down on its requests for some documents from the Trump White House, after the Biden administration convinced the panel to scale back its pursuits. As a result, the committee won't be getting hundreds of pages of National Security Council records. But the documents may not have been all that helpful, anyway. The revelation comes in a new round of letters about the status of Trump-era documents held by the National Archives. It's the first time the Biden administration appears to have pushed back significantly against the House select committee....

Ahead of the holidays, a vendor who had set up shop at a mall on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was selling figurines with an overt political message deriding the commander-in-chief. The incident has prompted officials to update their guidance to vendors on what is - and isn’t - appropriate to sell on base. The wooden figurines of a bear stylized to look like former President Donald Trump, with a shock of yellow hair and long red tie, stood about a foot tall and held small signs reading “Let’s Go Brandon.” **SNIP** The “Let’s Go Brandon” bears were being sold at JBER’s...

(CNN)A second time capsule recently found buried beneath the pedestal of the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Virginia, was opened Tuesday. Items inside included an 1865 edition of Harper's Weekly magazine with an clear image of a figure weeping over Abraham Lincoln's grave; a Bible with a coin stuck to it; and a Richmond directory. Also found were more newspapers, books, coins, and letters. A minié ball, a type of bullet commonly used in the American Civil War, was also discovered. Conservators from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) carefully opened the box and worked with caution. Water...

There are nearly four dozen 40 FBS bowl games this season, including the College Football Playoff National Championship. NCAA.com is keeping track of every conference's record during bowl season. This article will be updated after each bowl game this season.

LONDON — A battle to find space powering the ultrafast grocery delivery boom is pushing up rents in parts of London’s commercial property sector. Companies like Getir, Gorillas and Zapp, which promise to ship essential goods to people’s doors in a matter of minutes, have swept across the U.K. capital this year. Such services rely on so-called “dark stores,” small warehouses used to prepare online grocery orders for delivery. Similar to dark kitchens in the world of food delivery, these facilities don’t serve customers in-store.... ...In West London, prime rents for small industrial units of about 20,000 square feet rose...

video posted on social media shows a mother and her child being kicked out of a Queens Applebee’s by a contingent of NYPD cops. The officers from the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group can be seen surrounding the table during a protest at the Queens Centre Mall on Dec 15