Free Republic

The modern West has come under the sway of a credulous, intellectually-underdeveloped superstition that threatens its continued development and prosperity. This is, of course, woke progressivism. And like most primitive belief systems, progressivism has faith in the power and ability of magic words and fetishes to change or control reality. By fixating upon certain symbols which represent their ideological framework, the modern Left hopes to invest these symbols with the power to alter even the sensible world itself. Ancient man’s discovery of writing provided to him the ability to represent his thoughts symbolically and in a way that preserves and...

On Thursday morning in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm repeatedly refused to acknowledge that the Biden administration's war on U.S. energy had caused gas prices to rise since the president took office and started cracking down on domestic energy production. Even after Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri laid out the proof of the Biden administration's anti-fossil fuel policies that have limited supply and driven up costs, Granholm still wouldn't accept any responsibility for the soaring cost of gas as the national average for regular unleaded hit another all-time high on Thursday morning. "Today in...

Based on recent reports out of the Supreme Court, it looks like the issue of when a woman or girl can choose to get an abortion may soon be left up to the people in the states to decide—and that is a good thing. It gives people in the states, through their elected representatives, the opportunity to support and nurture vulnerable women and girls and the babies in their wombs. Women and girls need love and encouragement when facing an unplanned pregnancy, not a cold-blooded abortion industry looking to make money off their vulnerability. The abortion industry, like Planned Parenthood,...

The latest playbook of the rabid anti-Israel crowd is to smear the Jewish state with the slur: “apartheid.” This ugly lie has been uttered with increasing force recently and it underlies such abominations as the Amnesty International report; the recent commission of inquiry set up by the U.N. Human Rights Council; the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement; and others. Ironically — but perhaps not accidentally — this renewed campaign of hostility comes at a time of unprecedented success and prosperity for Israel as a state, and a time of hopeful developments for the prospects of peace in the Middle East. Israel,...

Arkansas primary is next Tuesday. Boozman’s scramble shows the risk he confronts in 2022: The second-term senator is trying to beat back an under-the-radar primary challenge from 33-year-old Jake Bequette, a former Arkansas Razorbacks star and reserve for the NFL’s New England Patriots who is trying to claim the MAGA mantle — and is financed by Richard Uihlein, one of the wealthiest conservative donors in the country. In response, Boozman has raced to maintain Trump’s support, get backup from Republican leaders and receive his own funding from major contributors looking to protect him. The incumbent has started airing TV ads...

Prayers up. FR is funded solely by contributions made by the liberty loving patriots who love and use it. We are beholden to no political party. No advertisers, no outsiders, no sugar daddies, no corporate string pullers. Definitely no government subsidies or tax breaks. No 501c or other IRS non-profit status. This means no commercial ads. No annoying pop-ups. No ad tracking. No mail campaigns. No spam. No third-parties -- not even the IRS -- trying to control what we do or say. We are self-funded, fiercely independent and enjoy our freedom to speak plainly in the support of God,...

A young woman in New York had been having health issues for some time and when she finally was able to see a doctor, she was so relieved that she had a brief cry. “She has a rare disease so she’s been really struggling to find care,” big sister Camille Johnson said in a tweet thread. “She got emotional because she feels frustrated and helpless. One tear in and they charged her $40 without addressing why she is crying, trying to help, doing any evaluation, any prescription, nothing.” “They charged her more for crying than they did for a vision...

The exchange rate reached 57.67 rubles per dollar at 08:13 GMT, its firmest against the US currency since March 2018, according to data from the Moscow Exchange. The ruble also gained nearly 5% on the euro, with the exchange rate now below 60 rubles per euro, hitting a seven-year high. According to Bloomberg, the Russian currency has become the world’s best-performing currency this year despite its sharp drop in April sparked by unprecedented economic sanctions placed on Russia.

I’m a lifelong Democrat. I voted for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. I used to have an inherent aversion to Republicans, as I joke with colleagues, similar to how the vaccinated feel about the unvaccinated today. But as the pandemic unfolded, and I discussed with doctors across the country and around the world my experience treating patients, I met many new conservative colleagues and friends who put politics aside to focus on doing our best at the bedside. It made me more tolerant and understanding of their worldviews. At the same time, I used to view Democrats, and...

https://brownstone.org/articles/a-primer-on-the-who-the-treaty-and-its-plans-for-pandemic-preparedness/ Proposed International Health Regulations (IHR) amendments The IHR amendments, proposed by the United States, build on the existing IHR that were introduced in 2005 and are binding under international law. While many are unaware of their existence, the IHR already enables the WHO DG to declare public health emergencies of international concern, and thereby recommend measures to isolate countries and restrict movement of people. The draft amendments include proposals to: Establish an ‘emergency committee’ to assess health threats and outbreaks and recommend responses. Establish a ‘Country review mechanism’ to assess compliance of countries with various recommendations / requirements of...

On Tuesday, May 10, the leader of Islamic jihad group Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Yasin Malik, pleaded guilty to all charges leveled against him before a Delhi Court. Arrested in 2019 during the crackdown against anti-India elements in the Valley after the Pulwama attack, Malik was being tried for raising funds for the terrorist act, conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, being a member of a terrorist gang and organization, criminal conspiracy, and sedition. Malik has been involved in terror activities against India since the 1980s, and was one of the chief Islamic separatists responsible for the Kashmiri...

It’s the scariest moment of the year for many homeowners – that first really hot day, usually in May, when we turn on our air conditioners for the first time since the previous summer and cross our fingers that it still works. If not, it will need to be repaired or possibly replaced, and the 2022 air conditioning season is shaping up to be a very expensive one thanks to environmental regulations. Meanwhile, the Senate is busy considering a United Nations climate treaty called the Kigali Amendment that would make things worse. The news is bad whether your air conditioner...

A group that has singled out journalists and Democrats in undercover operations contends that prosecutors misled a federal court and sought unwarranted gag orders during a federal investigation of the group’s ties to the alleged theft of a diary belonging to President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley. In November, the FBI conducted predawn raids at the home of Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe and the homes of two other individuals who worked with the group. The agents acted with warrants that allowed them to seize phones and computers to search for evidence of trafficking in interstate property. The raids generated controversy...

You have all seen the videos of Israeli police appearing to be beating back, for no apparent reason, Palestinian mourners trying to hold onto, or to reach, the coffin of Shireen Abu Akleh. The videos make the police look bad, because the viewer has not been provided with any context: why are the police doing what they are doing? But if you investigate further and find out what the police felt they had to do for the sake of Shireen Abu Akleh’s family, your mind will change. A report on what the Israeli police were trying to do, and ultimately...

Ever since Elon Musk bought Twitter, vowing to bring free speech back to the platform, the billionaire has warned that attacks against him will only increase. After a pathetic attempt at a hit piece by The New York Times over his childhood in South Africa, Business Insider is now running with a story about a sexual misconduct claim against Musk. Musk didn’t give Insider much in the way of a response, other than noting there is “a lot more to this story.” "If I were inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the first time in...

In January 2020, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mi) retweeted an unverified tweet by professional agitator and former Palestinian Authority diplomat Hanan Ashrawi, in which she claimed that Jews had kidnapped and killed a Palestinian boy by throwing him into a pond where he drowned. As it turns out, the boy’s death was accidental and Israeli rescue teams resorted to superhuman efforts to retrieve the boy from the pond’s cold, murky waters and revive him. Ashrawi deleted her tweet and surprisingly apologized for citing unverified sources. Tlaib on the other hand deleted the tweet but without apology. She was quick to accuse...

LONDON (AP) — Scientists who have monitored numerous outbreaks of monkeypox in Africa say they are baffled by the disease’s recent spread in Europe and North America. Cases of the smallpox-related disease have previously been seen only among people with links to central and West Africa. But in the past week, Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, U.S., Sweden and Canada all reported infections, mostly in young men who hadn’t previously traveled to Africa. France, Germany, Belgium and Australia confirmed their first cases of monkeypox on Friday. “I’m stunned by this. Every day I wake up and there are more countries infected,”...

In Thursday's installment of her MSNBC Show "Deadline: White House," Nicolle Wallace had what the mainstream media would likely consider a brilliant idea to reduce the number of shootings taking place in America: simply make illegal guns... more illegal. And Wallace is apparently peeved that Democrats haven't thought of taking such action before. "If the Supreme Court has green-lit vigilantism," Wallace claimed, "why hasn't the left come out with laws about illegal guns?" she questioned. Yes, really: First, how does she think a gun becomes illegal? Laws, of course. So the firearms she's speaking of have already had laws passed...

‘HB 1878 is the most comprehensive election integrity bill to come out of the [Missouri] General Assembly,’ said bill sponsor Rep. John Simmons.The Missouri General Assembly successfully passed legislation on Wednesday that restricts state and local election officials from receiving and using private funds to conduct elections. The bill now heads to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk for signature. Passed by the state House (97-47) and Senate (23-11), the measure (HB 1878) mandates that “neither the state of Missouri nor any political subdivision thereof that conducts elections shall receive or expend private moneys, excluding in-kind donations, for preparing, administering, or conducting...