Free Republic

After Ukraine, Could Central Asia Be Next? Ukraine and Russia’s western flank is the first step of an attempt to restore a Russian Empire. Kazakhstan and its Central Asian neighbors look set to come next. /snip The world’s attention is understandably fixed on Ukraine right now and its remarkable defensive effort, led by a democratic champion in Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But we must also consider the bigger picture. It is not just Ukraine that now finds itself at an existential crossroads vis-à-vis Putin’s Russia. Central Asia, a vast and frequently misunderstood region stretching from the Caspian Sea to China, was long...

Dr. Cadegiani just published a new research paper (“Pfizergate 2.0 - Active actions against competitive anti- COVID drugs? The case of the anti-androgens.”) that shows that there is no rational explanation for the corruption of clinical trial results other than deliberate sabotage by Pfizer to ensure that there are no viable competitors to Pfizer's products. I interviewed him just minutes before he published the paper:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a report recommending an increased focus on scanning the social media accounts of its employees in order to detect “extremism.” Among the examples of “extremism” cited by DHS are: a belief that fraud occurred in the 2020 election, and objections to current coronavirus policies. From the DHS report, obtained by Reclaim The Net: A March 2021 unclassified threat assessment prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Department of Justice, and DHS, noted that domestic violent extremists “who are motivated by a range of ideologies and galvanized by recent political...

Fear of The People's Convoy deepened in the nation's capital today with expanded blockades of Interstate 295, 395 and 695 exits in southeast and southwest Washington DC. For the second day the convoy moved in from the Capital Beltway using the interstate highway network in northern Virginia and the District. This triggered blockage of highways by police with even more exits involved today and a greater gridlock of traffic. Dump Trucks were also used in some cases. "We have to assume it's going to continue at least for the next several days" That's the word from Chris Rodriguez, director of...

Dear Freepers Despite all the bad news in the world, we have some positive news. For example, some companies are considering hiring non-jabbed staff. My life has to work around the jab, like many people. Everything was on hold for more than 8-9 months. Despite my faith wavering, the Lord has spared me from the jab. For this, I am grateful for His Grace. I feel that if I have faith, my life can turn around in a very positive way and God will let me into the "Promised Land" (a figure of speech, not necessarily Israel). Please say a...

Kamala Harris has cemented her place in United States history as the “worst vice president” after her performance this week, Sky News host Rita Panahi says.

LONDON- The economic cost of Russia's assault on Ukraine was fully exposed on Wednesday as Vladimir Putin's sanctions-ravaged government teetered on the brink of its first international debt default since the Bolshevik revolution. Moscow was due to pay $117 million in interest on two dollar-denominated sovereign bonds it had sold back in 2013. But the limits it now faces making payments, and talk from the Kremlin that it might pay in roubles - triggering a default anyway - meant even veteran investors were left guessing at what might happen. One described it as the most closely watched government debt payment...

Trans activists avoid debate and instead rely on intimidation and insults to silence women. In 2016, Ruth Barrett published Female Erasure, a collection of essays by women speaking out against gender identity politics with the aim of exposing the harmful effects of this novel belief system on the lives of women and children. In a prologue to the book, Barret assumes a male voice to illustrate how male appropriation of womanhood works first to silence and ultimately to erase women: Because I am a woman, therefore you must treat me as if I actually am, otherwise you are transphobic. As...

ORLANDO, Fla. — In a career of great offensive nights, this was Kyrie Irving’s greatest. The Nets star’s mesmerizing 60 points were a career-high and a franchise record, while matching an NBA season-best. Those 60 points also led the Nets to their fourth consecutive win, a 150-108 rout of the Magic, as Irving was showered with cheers and serenaded with chants of “Kyrie! Kyrie!” from the Amway Center crowd of 15,282. The irony of the Magic crowd reveling in Irving’s magic while he still can’t play on his home court at Barclays Center wasn’t lost on the Nets. Now Irving...

Russia began a military invasion of the country of Ukraine on February 24, which is still ongoing and prompted started a chain of sanctions against Russia. Google, Meta (Facebook’s parent company), Apple, and many other tech companies are in the process of winding down operations in Russia, mostly due to sanctions enforced by Europe and the United States. Russia now has another problem on its hands: the country is running out of storage for cloud services. The Russian news outlet Kommersant, citing government sources, is reporting that Russia is rapidly running out of domestic data storage for servers and other...

First lady Jill Biden corrected her husband, President Joe Biden, on Tuesday after he mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as the first lady. The president confused the two women in his life during a speech at a Women’s History Month celebration at the White House.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.): “Biden doesn’t care about the poor people in this country.” pic.twitter.com/wV0ATeFksU— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 16, 2022

The prices of risk hedges against “nuclear” sanctions and their knock-on effects shrank back to pre-war levels as Russia continues to sell oil and gas, and major trading nations continue to use the American dollar as the main instrument of exchanges. Fears of a dislocated energy market and a rush out of dollars following the seizure of half of Russia’s $630 billion in foreign exchange reserves haven’t materialized, as both the United States and Russia showed a certain amount of restraint. Oil fell sharply March 15 after Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the United States had accepted Russian...

A judge on Tuesday hit former White House official Omarosa Manigault Newman with a $61,585 penalty for ignoring her duty to file a financial disclosure report after she was fired from her post as a communications aide to President Donald Trump in December 2017. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon rejected Manigault Newman’s claims that her firing was so abrupt that she did not have a chance to collect her personal files, which contained financial details she said were necessary for the filing.

This Tuesday, March 15, the fourth death of a Russian general in the invasion of Ukraine has been reported, in this case Major General Oleg Mityaev... Mityaev was commander of the Russian Army’s 150th Motorized Rifle Division, a mechanized infantry unit... On March 3, the death of Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, the first member of the Russian Army Generalate killed during this invasion, was confirmed. He was deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Russian Ground Forces... On Monday, March 7, Ukrainian sources reported the death of Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, 44, chief of staff of the...

As you watch this short shocking video from today, keep in mind that Nancy is 3rd in line for the Presidency, and almost certain to be 2nd before Biden's term is up. (Click link to watch video)

A satellite image The War Zone has obtained from Planet Labs confirms that Ukrainian forces have damaged and destroyed a number of Russian helicopters, and caused other damage, in an attack on Kherson Airbase in the southern part of the country today. This is the second major Ukrainian attack in as many weeks on this base. Russian forces first claimed to have taken control of Kherson, which occupies a strategic location on the northern shore of the Dnieper River, some two weeks ago.

Building Up One Another February 14, 2022|Kate Vanskike, Gonzaga Magazine Editor Human dignity is the same for all human beings: When I trample on the dignity of another, I am trampling on my own.Pope Francis The Society of Jesus (“the Jesuits”) has named “walking with the excluded” one of the Universal Apostolic Preferences guiding its works around the world. At Gonzaga, we integrate the Jesuits’ thoughtful priorities into the ways we carry out our mission of educating students in an exemplary learning community that values care of the whole person. The hoped-for outcome is a capacity for critical thought and...

Tuned into Mark Steyn streaming on GBN tonight (because American news after Tucker is off, nosedives) and saw he's reporting from Ukraine. Today he was in the Carpathian Mountains in Western Ukraine. He can be seen on the GBN app. GBN is kind of the Newsmaxx of the UK, they archive their episodes. Neil Oliver is also on GBN, give him a look.

Sarah Longwell serves on the Leadership Council for Conservatives Against Discrimination and is the chief executive of Longwell Partners. Last week, when I picked up my 3- and 5-year-old from school, I found myself drawn to the family pictures that adorn their classroom walls. The teachers asked us to send these photographs along with our children on the first day of school, as both a comfort measure as well as to help the kids get to know each other better. There’s me and my wife, smiling along with our two boys — all of us wearing helmets as we paused...