Free Republic

“‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted’” (Matthew 5:4). The world still operates according to the old popular song lyrics that say, “Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile, smile, smile.” This philosophy basically tells us to hide all our problems and pretend to be happy; and of course people apply this outlook to sin all the time. Nevertheless Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn.” Godly mourning and confession of sins bring the only kind of happiness worth having—godly happiness that no amount of human effort, optimistic pretense, or positive thinking can...

Medical researchers discovered the risk of myocarditis in young men increases after each Pfizer injection, especially after the second dose. Two teenage American boys have died after receiving the Covid “vaccine,” according to an article in the journal Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. The children were found dead in bed three and four days after their second Pfizer injections. The boys were pronounced dead at home and never given a chance to be resuscitated. One boy complained of headaches and stomach complaints but felt better three days after the injection. The other boy had no complaints. According to autopsies...

How the CDC Abandoned ScienceMass youth hospitalizations, COVID-induced diabetes, and other myths from the brave new world of science as political propagandaThe main federal agency guiding America’s pandemic policy is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which sets widely adopted policies on masking, vaccination, distancing, and other mitigation efforts to slow the spread of COVID and ensure the virus is less morbid when it leads to infection. The CDC is, in part, a scientific agency—they use facts and principles of science to guide policy—but they are also fundamentally a political agency: The director is appointed by the president of the...

CNN commentator Fareed Zakaria couldn’t seem to understand why Americans seem “gloomy” about a “strong” economy. Has he been paying attention?

Russia has announced the expulsion of the US Deputy Ambassador...

The Bible In Paintings 2 Engravings•Facades•Frescoes•Illuminations•Miniatures•Mosaics•Photographs•Reliefs•Sculptures•Tapestries•WindowsG E N E S I SCHAPTER 39-40 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, THE LORD WAS WITH HIM; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible...

"Dirty tricks" was a term used to describe the behavior of operatives within the Nixon administration to smear the reputations of opponents and undermine the appeal of certain politicians. Fifty years ago, these dirty tricks included a false allegation that Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson (D-WA.) had fathered an illegitimate child with a 17-year-old girl and the break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., when Nixon aides and operatives attempted to find materials the Nixon team could use against his perceived "enemies." Dirty tricks are not to be confused with negative campaigning, which at least...

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s recent comparison of human beings to machines revealed far more of modern liberalism’s pathologies than she likely intended. It exposed the reductionist and materialistic heart of the liberal project. Sorry, Madame Justice, but humans are not machines. With proper maintenance and a source of earth-generated power, machines can operate indefinitely. They have no need of rest and no need of meaningful interactions with other machines. They can just keep producing material things (including the rearranging of electrons) 24/7 indefinitely. Time was that that the heart of American liberalism beat in synchrony with human hearts. And...

The man accused of shooting at a Louisville mayoral candidate inside his campaign office is out of jail after his bond was paid by a Black Lives Matter group.Quintez Brown, 21, left Louisville Metro Corrections Wednesday night after police said he was identified as the gunman who opened fire inside Craig Greenberg's office in Butchertown on Monday.There were five people in the room when gunshots rang out. No one was hit, but Greenberg's sweater was grazed.Brown was arrested about a half mile from the scene and was charged with attempted murder and four counts of wanton endangerment.He was being housed...

All over the country last week, Democrat governors and mayors engaged in their own Olympic-level gymnastics to flip and twist their way to ending COVID-inspired mandates – except, oddly, in some states, mask mandates for children in school. Science has shown children to be the very least likely to become seriously infected, or to become hospitalized, or to die. The endless masking of children begs the question: What science are these Democrats following? Science has shown masks are harmful to children’s mental and emotional well-being. Masks have contributed to learning loss and speech impediments – to say nothing of breathing...

If this is real, it’s not shocking. Australia has gone insane in the COVID era, literally locking down almost everything. They built what could only be described as internment camps. They closed their borders. Everyone was locked in their homes. COVID Zero was the name of the game. So, it shouldn’t be shocking that their neighbor New Zealand was equally draconian. Thanks to the great account Libs of Tik Tok, we have this ticket from someone in Kiwi land who didn’t want to test for COVID. They were fined $330. ... The creepy part is what happens when you fail...

17 February 2022Thursday of week 6 in Ordinary Time Seven Holy Founders Altar in the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows in Chicago Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green.First readingJames 2:1-9 ©God chose the poor but you do not respect themMy brothers, do not try to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with the making of distinctions between classes of people. Now suppose a man comes into your synagogue, beautifully dressed and with a gold ring on, and at the same time a poor man comes in, in shabby clothes, and you take notice of the well-dressed man, and...

The political world is mired in must-watch political theater in Canada, where the government announced this week that banks could freeze the personal and corporate accounts of those who they believe to be involved in the trucker protest without due process. In Washington, the Senate is debating whether to impose sanctions against Russia due to a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Senate is also gearing up for another U.S. Supreme Court nomination process. And in San Francisco, three school board members were recalled. But with these sideshows going, the world continues to spin. People get up and go to...

Activists from Mexico’s Purepecha people used axes and sledgehammers Monday to knock down statues of their ancestors being forced to haul and work stones by a colonial-era Spanish priest. The Purepechas have objected to the statues since they were erected in 1995 in the capital of western Michoacán state, Morelia, and have repeatedly called for them to be taken down. The life-size statues depict Spanish priest Fray Antonio de San Miguel ordering one nearly naked Purepecha to cut a stone block, while another is depicted hauling a stone away on his back. A fourth figure in the group, known as...

In a fascist government, those in power control businesses or have the explicit support of corporations in punishing individuals. This makes for absolute power of the government, leaving nowhere for the individual to turn for support. They can lose their jobs, careers and any savings or investments they might have if the government demands it, or even if the corporations act independently knowing it would please those in government. I’ve called this neo-communism rather than fascism, because the true definition of fascism is misunderstood and its mention inspires a specific emotional response, but communism inspires the correct emotional response. At...

A map is the most effective tool for visualizing and explaining the Ukraine-Russia crisis because its visual nature allows for viewers to understand the conflict through the same eyes of the parties involved. Ukraine has always been one of Russia's most vital strategic and tactical neighbors. During the winter months, Russia requires unfettered access to the Black Sea from a variety of locations, and Ukraine is in the ideal position to provide such access. Through nonfrozen waterways, it serves as a year-round entryway to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean for Russia. In this regard, it is clear that...

ST. LOUIS, Sunday, Feb. 16. This city is wild with excitement and rejoicing. The news is just made public that the American flag waves over Fort Donelson. The loss is heavy on both sides. One of Gen. GRANT's batteries was taken by the rebels, but was recaptured by our troops. The gunboats are said to be badly damaged. Further particulars expected to-night. ST. LOUIS, Sunday, Feb. 16. The following is a special to the Missouri Democrat: CAIRO, Sunday, Feb. 16 -- P.M. Commodore FOOTE reached here at 12 o'clock last night, on board the gunboat Conestoga. He stormed Fort Donelson...

Will the people ever learn how false information was seeded throughout the government and media in a conspiratorial effort to destroy a sitting president? illary Clinton’s never-ending shenanigans in 2015-2016 could be summarized as an attempted slow-motion coup. Four years of national hysteria, a divided nation, and dangerous new tensions with Russia were some of the wages of Clinton’s machinations. Clinton hired a British national and ex-spy, Christopher Steele, to compile dirt on her election opponent, Trump. She hid her likely illegal campaign payments to him through at least three paywalls—the Democratic National Committee, the Perkins Coie law firm, and...

Pray For The Peace of JerusalemColossians 11 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.[b]Thanksgiving and Prayer3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven...

As the greatest inflation spike of the last 50 years occurs, the utter failure of economists, their models and many pundits to foresee what was coming is worth highlighting. Of course, the biggest malfunction in the story was that of the Federal Reserve itself, which had a clear mandate to keep prices stable, and seems surprised by their lack of stability. It's no understatement to say that the Fed failed to properly anticipate the inflation surge. On Feb. 8, 2021, Raphael Bostic, the president of the Atlanta branch of the Fed, said, "I'm really not expecting us to see a...