Free Republic

After everything that could be done was tried at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, we had to acknowledge that James, my 11-year-old grandson was gone. Trying to adjust to this terrible reality has been difficult beyond imagination for my son Liam. Everyone else is devastated but Liam is finding it very hard to even begin to heal. My daughter-in-law Jessica has helped him, as have his two daughters Amanda and Abbey. But, they all need continued prayers to beseech Our Lord to send soothing graces to the whole family. There is no telling how long they will need prayers, or...

You’ve heard the saying, here comes the cavalry, but when was the last time you saw that happen? Coutts Border crossing between Alberta and Montana has as (what looks like) hundreds on horseback arrived to support protesting truckers. This video is over three minutes of riders on horseback clomping past the camera. It’s an impressive show of support. According to reports, a deal was underway to move the protest away from the border, but that fell apart. The truckers are not leaving, and they’ve been joined by other groups who oppose the mandates. It’s been over a week. The premier...

[Catholic Caucus] German Synod Will Concoct Homosex-“Blessing"The German Synod voted on Saturday (161 yes, 34 no, 11 abstentions) to concoct a rite of "blessing" for homosexuals and adulterers and to allow these groups to do paid work for the Church.Some examples of anti-Catholic polemics during the Synod where sin was presented as "love":- Birgit Mock, Vice-President of the lay body Zentralkomitee deutscher Katholiken (pictured in the green jacket): "With the [homosex] blessing, we want to explore something in Germany that can then also radiate out into the universal Church."- Munich’s Cardinal Marx on a future "re-evaluation" of homosexuality in the...

In the beginning GoFundMe sounded like a wonderful thing. It offered an opportunity for people to take their personal financial difficulties public and hopefully encourage others to make donations that would help them and, in many cases, it was a success. Then little by little the demon inside appeared. It has gone full woke. It now decapitates anything against Critical Race Theory and anything questioning vaccines in the guise of suppressing "misinformation." Now it has turned on the protest by Canadian truckers. A GoFundMe account had been established in support of the Canadian truckers who are supporting mandatory vaccination. Demanding...

The German National Socialist Party, A.K.A. the Nazis, loved making things out of the leather made from the skin of their Jewish and Deplorable victims so it is a proud tradition of socialism/communism. Nike produces many of its sneakers in China and it would be unethical to just harvest the organs from the murder camp victims and just throw away the skin. Nike using the skin would be very "green" which, inthe minds of the typical Watermelon Marxist, trumps all other morality.

The unelected gatekeepers of our national morals, the censors at NBC Universal, have deemed any criticism of the Chinese Communists during the Olympic Games to be a sacrilege and have forbidden it. The network is refusing to run an ad critical of the Chinese Communist government’s human rights record. Only happy faces of smiling athletes are allowed to be seen. No Uyghur detention centers. No clinics where forced sterilization of Uyghur women is performed. No factories where Uyghur slave laborers toil. NBA player-activist Enes Kanter Freedom of the NBA's Boston Celtics is featured in the spot. Kanter is one of...

Last week, Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) suffered a stroke and underwent brain surgery. He is currently hospitalized in Albuquerque. He is expected to return to the U.S. Senate in four to six weeks, assuming there are no further medical complications. However, during his absence, Democrats no longer have a majority in the Senate—Republicans have a 50-49 majority. This means that until Luján returns, a united GOP can block the Democrats’ agenda and there’s nothing the Democrats could do about it. This is actually a big deal. In addition to blocking the Democrats’ legislative agenda, Luján’s absence could potentially impact...

ROUND 4 OF THE '50S TOURNAMENT OF CHART-TOPPERS II COMMENCES! ROUND 4 – SWEET 16 Votes due: Sunday, Feb 13 @ 12:00 pm Eastern. 16 songs, 8 pairs, 8 winners! Vote for your favorite in each pair listed. (You may abstain from any pairs, but please don't overdo it!) Any ties will be broken via Billboard annual ranking, then back to Round 1 ranking (seed), then Round 1 point total, then Round 1 vote count. Past Rounds: Rounds 1A and 1B: 1A, 1B Round 2: 2 Round 3: 3

Germany, as we well know with its Russian gas capers, is a highly industrialized society in need of a lot of energy. Fine and dandy. But how they get it presents increasingly bad options. They got rid of their nuclear power in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown after a big earthquake in Japan, (despite Germany not being in a quake zone), driving themselves to dependency on foreign suppliers. That's presented problems for them what with Russia filling that role, so their other recourse has been the one Joe Biden is touting for America: Green energy -- like...

How would you feel about paying $5 each month for the ability to lock and unlock your car from a distance through an app? What about a $25-per-month charge for advanced cruise control or $10 to access heated seats? What if those charges continued long after your car was paid off? As vehicles become increasingly connected to the internet, car companies aim to rake in billions by having customers pay monthly or annual subscriptions to access certain features. Not content with the relatively low-margin business of building and selling cars, automakers are eager to pull down Silicon Valley-style profits. But...

LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — After a series of videos were released on social media accusing a Lebanon County restaurant of acting as a conduit to coordinate distribution of Ivermectin, an alternative, non-FDA approved treatment for COVID-19, officials have confirmed they are investigating the allegations. Taste of Sicily, owned by Christine Mason's mother, Silvana Drill, and operated by restaurant manager Mike Magano, have used their Facebook page throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to pronounce their views, and to show that they wouldn't abide by some of the COVID-19 restrictions Gov. Tom Wolf put into place for restaurants during 2020. Drill told FOX43...

A substitute teacher in California berated a 13-year-old student for wearing a pro-police mask, claiming the face covering was the new version of the Confederate flag, video shows. Lucas Lillar was wearing the mask featuring a thin blue line in support of law enforcement when he was confronted by the educator last Monday in his math class at Lyman Gilmore Middle School in Grass Valley, Fox News reported. “That’s not the American flag, that’s the new Confederacy flag,” the teacher could be heard saying in the video.

Let’s see how The Federal Reserve will handles its bloated balance sheet, particularly with a midterm election around the corner. What a difference 25 years makes. Worried that inflation was about to turn higher, the Federal Reserve in February 1994 began raising interest rates, taking the federal funds rate from 3% to 6% a year later. As it turned out, those worries were unfounded: The U.S. consumer price index barely budged, finishing the year at 2.7%, right where it had started. Some central banks say that rate hikes are coming, but their extraordinary reluctance to deal with actual inflation means...

This is part 1 of an exclusive Fringe Finance interview with shipping analyst (and friend of mine) J Mintzmyer, where we discuss the state of the supply chain in the country, the developments with Canadian truckers, logistics, the effects of Covid and what shipping names he likes for 2022. J is a renowned maritime shipping analyst and investor who directs the Value Investor’s Edge (“VIE”) research platform on Seeking Alpha. You can follow him on Twitter @mintzmyer. J is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, is regularly quoted in trade journals, and hosts a popular podcast featuring shipping industry executives....

"Shut up.", she explains. https://imgur.com/nRxFdqx For reference, pls view the definitive snapshot from the Pelosi/Gulch Family Album (link just above), showing Nancy along with her (much better-looking) sister Almira. What a nightmare that this beautiful country should be saddled with such a decrepit husk of a human in high office. What a nightmare she should also be demented to the point she thinks she can issue advice on proper decorum/deference toward the Chinese Communist Party. God help us. WHO ARE YOU that elected her, and keep her in office. I shudder to think I walk among lice like you. Recall...

Finland’s men’s ice hockey coach has accused China of not respecting a player’s human rights at the Winter Olympics as forward ​​Marko Anttila remains in isolation 18 days after testing positive for COVID-19. Jukka Jalonen took aim at the conditions the 6-foot-8, 230-pound Finnish player is under while in isolation, which he said has taken a toll on Anttila, both physically and mentally. "He's a professional athlete and he would like to participate in team practices and games in the near future," Jalonen told media during a zoom call, via CBC News. "He's not getting great food and he's a...

GoFundMe’s suspension of millions to support protesting truckers in Canada shocked many, particularly when the company initially announced its intention to distribute the money to other charities. It was less of a surprise for those of us who have criticized the company for years over its use of the platform to target and block funds for conservative and libertarian causes. Indeed, the company has revised an old practice known as the “Nag’s Head light” in luring the unsuspecting into what has become a liberal lockbox on funds.

Beijing (CNN)Making her Olympic debut for Team China, California-born figure skater Zhu Yi was eager to prove herself to the Chinese public. Instead, the 19-year-old is facing a firestorm on Chinese social media after she fell flat on the ice and finished last in the women's short program team event Sunday. On Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, the hashtag "Zhu Yi has fallen" gained 200 million views in just a few hours. Many questioned why Zhu, an American-born skater, was picked to represent China at the expense of an athlete born in the country. "This is such a disgrace," said a...

The Lord God, the Giver of Good Gifts. Every good and perfect gift comes down from God; God sent down His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him, will not perish but have everlasting life. When God becomes a Father to us, He wants us to enjoy abundant life! God wants us to come to Him with our needs, in fact, we are to come boldly to the Throne of Grace (grace=free and undeserved, unearned favor) to find mercy and help in a time of need. Too often people live like they are temper-tantrum throwing children, demanding their sinful...

ST. LOUIS — Anheuser-Busch will debut its first zero-carb beer this week. The brewery needs it to be a winner. Bud Light Next is a pale champagne in color, fizzy like seltzer, just 80 calories, and a world of hope for A-B. The company is counting on it to bring back younger drinkers who have flocked to seltzers and spirits, and, perhaps, lead the world’s largest brewer out of a tough decade. Revenues are flat. Market share is crumbling. Now it’s trying again. And Anheuser-Busch is pulling out all the stops to make it work: The new beer is rolling...