Free Republic

South Korea has long stood out as a geopolitical anomaly – a rising power curiously punching well below its weight. A long-time US treaty ally, the Northeast Asian nation has at the same time cultivated extremely cordial, if not at times subservient, relations with neighboring China, a top trading partner. Despite being a global economic dynamo and a leading military equipment exporter, South Korea has remained largely marginal in shaping the geopolitical landscape in its own Asian neighborhood. Outgoing President Moon Jae-in’s chief foreign policy focus, if not obsession, has been his largely ineffectual engagement with North Korea, which has...

@SadiqKhan Free speech cannot mean a free pass for hatred. We must not forget the impacts of online hate speech, which fans the flames of prejudice and leads to appalling and tragic real-world violence. Social media companies must do more, not less, to protect their communities.

To crush the enemies of free speech, to see them driven mad before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women, both real and trans. By the time you read this, you’ll already have known for some time that the Twitter board (probably cowed by the prospect of a breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit should it reject a hugely profitable offer for Twitter shareholders) accepted Elon Musk’s offer to buy Twitter. How the sale ultimately works out remains to be seen. What’s enormously fun, though, is watching the response from leftists. It is detestable, of course, that we are...

Nikki Haley has been busy. The former ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina governor has spent the past few months not discussing herself but rather conservative candidates running for office with voters across the country. Her goal is to encourage people to vote for candidates she believes best embody the populist conservative coalition. It's a coalition in which she has been active since she first ran for governor of South Carolina in a 2010 primary against four establishment rivals, right at the dawn of the Tea Party movement. "We're traveling all over the country, helping other candidates get...

1952 While steaming at night in formation 700 miles west of the Azores, USS Hobson (DD 464) and USS Wasp (CV 18) collide as Hobson crossed the carriers bow from starboard to port and was struck amidships, breaking her in two. Hobson and 176 of her crew are lost, including her commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. W. J. Tierney.

In the hours after the January 6 Capitol riot, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ripped into President Donald Trump and vowed to take down far-right candidates who ran in the 2022 midterms, according to a forthcoming book by New York Times reporters Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin. As the Kentucky Republican was preparing to leave the Capitol in the early morning of January 7, 2021, he pulled Martin aside and spoke briefly about his intentions to quash Trump's influence within the GOP. "He put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger," McConnell said of Trump's role on January...

Topline Authorities in Transnistria, a Moscow-backed breakaway region of Moldova that borders Ukraine, reported two explosions on Tuesday morning, the second instance of violence reported in as many days amid fears the region could be dragged into Russia’s war with Ukraine. Transnistria’s interior ministry said the explosions targeted a broadcasting center in the village of Mayak near the border with Ukraine. The blasts knocked down two powerful radio antennae that rebroadcast Russian radio in the region, which is supported by Russia but not recognized internationally, the ministry said in a statement. There were no injuries among employees or local residents,...

From a straight political standpoint, things are not going well for the Democrats. It’s difficult to cite a time in post-World War II America when so many things on so many fronts went this badly this quickly, and the voting public knows it’s their fault: Inflation at 40-year highs and spiking energy prices Out of control illegal immigration, being encouraged by Democrats to bolster liberal voting rolls Weakened military, with an inexplicable emphasis on woke social issues instead of combat readiness Crime running rampant, with many big-city DA’s refusing to prosecute the offenders Woke policies and wildly disproportionate attention on...

A few months ago, for the first time in the history of La Cañada, California, a city just west of Pasadena and the home of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a new branch of a renowned Jewish institution opened. La Cañada had previously lacked a synagogue or any other Jewish institution for a simple reason: few Jews live there. But that never stops the Jewish organization known as Chabad. They open their famous "Chabad Houses" all over the country (they are in all 50 states) and all over the world. Some years ago, my wife and I visited Chabad of Cambodia...

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#10. I vote Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I've decided to marry my German Shepherd. # 9. I vote Democrat because I believe oil companies profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene, but the government taxing the same gallon at 15% isn't. # 8. I vote Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would. # 7. I vote Democrat because Freedom of Speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it. # 6. I...

"For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and...

A NUCLEAR world war is now a "real" danger and Britain and Nato would be a "legitimate" target, Russia's foreign minister has warned. In a chilling message, Sergei Lavrov said the risk of World War Three is now "considerable" and must not be "underestimated". Lavrov accused Nato forces of "pouring oil on the fire" by supplying arms to Ukrainian troops - and claimed Russia wanted to prevent a nuclear war at all costs. In an interview with Russian news agencies, he said: "This is our key position on which we base everything. The risks now are considerable. "I would not...

Democrats are terrified. Imagine your political future being dependent on your ability to prevent your opponent from expressing themselves. That seems to be what Democrats are counting on, since every indication is their policies and the resulting inflation and supply chain shortages are wearing thin with the American public. The alternative would be to defend their failures and even they, with all the help of the left-wing media complex, can’t polish that steaming pile. That’s what scares them so much about what Elon Musk is proposing. Musk isn’t a conservative, and it’s pretty clear he’s not even talking exclusively about...

Posted on April 18, 2022April 18, 2022 by Msgr. Charles PopeWhat Will Our Resurrected Bodies Be Like?When I gave a talk recently at the Institute of Catholic Culture on the subject of the Second Coming, I was I asked to describe what our resurrected bodies will be like. Here is an article I wrote a few years back that details some aspects of our resurrected bodies:St Paul writes to the Philippians of the glory that our currently lowly bodies will one day enjoy:He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified Body by the power that enables him...

Summary The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is informing Food and Agriculture (FA) sector partners that ransomware actors may be more likely to attack agricultural cooperatives during critical planting and harvest seasons, disrupting operations, causing financial loss, and negatively impacting the food supply chain. The FBI noted ransomware attacks during these seasons against six grain cooperatives during the fall 2021 harvest and two attacks in early 2022 that could impact the planting season by disrupting the supply of seeds and fertilizer. Cyber actors may perceive cooperatives as lucrative targets with a willingness to pay due to the timesensitive role they...

During a recent flight, across the aisle from me, a four-year-old named Olivia demanded to know why she had to wear a mask, while her little brother, who was wrestling their mother for control of an iPad, could go maskless. “Those are the rules” the poor woman said. “Not fair!” Olivia fired back. On April 18, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, from the Middle District of Florida, agreed with Olivia and threw out the mask mandate for airplanes, trains, and other public transportation. In her 59-page decision striking down the mandate, the judge cited the lack of public notice or comment...

April 26th 2022 Tuesday of the 2nd week of Eastertide Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark, New Jersey Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White First readingActs 4:32-37 ©The whole group of believers was united, heart and soulThe whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common. The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all given great respect. None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned...

One thing must be conceded to Joe Biden: he is consistent in messing things up. The recent “fast-tracking” of Ukrainian refugees is the latest Orwellian boondoggle that accomplishes the opposite of its stated goals -- just like Build Back Better, transgender transformation of the nation, racial agitation, and monetizing debt to “help” the economy. This reverse-Midas touch has now been inflicted on suffering Ukrainian refugees, who are being stopped from finding safety in the false pretense of “helping” them. In march, the Biden administration announced the United States would accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. There were no stated conditions for entry,...

All you fashionistas better take notice. Vanity Fair says that Peter Thiel, J.D. Vance and Curtis Yarvin & Co. are not extreme far-right armed insurrectionists, but really kinda cool. That’s what James Pogue is saying in “Inside the New Right: Where Peter Thiel is Placing His Biggest Bets.” Note how the headline writer chooses “New Right” rather than “Far Right.” You mean that our fashionista friends are backing off the pejoratives -- which are such fun! -- and easing back into an open and frank discussion of the issues? Yarvin has mused that the liberal regime will begin to fall...