Free Republic

A 70 year-old arms dealer has been named the suspect in the murder of three elderly Alabama churchgoers at a 'Boomers Potluck' party. Robert Findlay Smith, 70, now faces capital murder charges over Thursday's triple-shooting at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama. Those killed have been named as Walter 'Bart' Rainey, 84, Jane Pounds, 84 and Sarah Yeager, 75, who also goes by the name Sharon. Authorities believe that Smith produced his concealed gun around an hour into the potluck event and began shooting. No motive has been given for the shooting. Smith claimed to have...

While many have bought into the simplistic idea that availability of firearms is the cause of mass shootings, a number of experts have pointed out a more uncomfortable truth, which is that mass shootings are far more likely the result of how we’ve been mistreating mental illness, depression and behavioral problems Gun control legislation has shown that law-abiding Americans who own guns are not the problem, because the more gun control laws that have been passed, the more mass shootings have occurred 97.8% of mass shootings occur in “gun-free zones,” as the perpetrators know legally armed citizens won’t be there...

James Woods shared a video of a man getting gas while three men suddenly attack him and beat him and then steal his car. This occurred while he was getting gas during the day.

The president of the European Union announced the body’s decision Friday to accept Ukraine as a candidate in its bid to join the 27-member bloc, paving the way for the multi-year process to begin in earnest. “Ukrainians are ready to die for the European perspective,” EU President Ursula von der Leyen said at a Brussels press conference. “We want them to live with us the European dream.” She made the announcement clad in the Ukrainian colors — a yellow blazer over a blue blouse. “It’s the first step on the EU membership path that’ll certainly bring our victory closer,” Ukrainian...

Lawmakers in Germany are reportedly considering instituting mask mandates every year during the winter months, likening the move to requirements for winter tyres on automobiles. A report from the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag has claimed that the Social Democrat-led ‘traffic light’ coalition government is making preparations to pass legislation requiring German citizens to wear masks in public from October to Easter annually to supposedly stem the spread of respiratory diseases such as the Chinese coronavirus.

The country’s eyes are trained on high-profile massacres in Texas and Buffalo, but most mass shootings bear little resemblance to those. Of 267 incidents this year classified as mass shootings by the Gun Violence Archive, nearly all can be tied to gang beefs, neighborhood arguments, robberies or domestic incidents that spiraled out of control. Indiscriminate slaughter by a lone gunman blasting away at a store, school or some other public place is rare, according to a Washington Times analysis of the archive’s data, accounting for less than 4% of the total. The lower-profile shootings involve significant carnage, and all have...

Republican Texas Rep.-elect Mayra Flores needed only three words when responding to Vice President Kamala Harris’s claim about “progress” being made at the southern border Thursday. “She’s honestly useless,” Flores said. “I don’t know why she’s in that position. She hasn’t been here in south Texas to see what their policies are creating, the mess that they’re creating in our country, and that their policies are hurting real people.” Flores defeated Democratic candidate Dan Sanchez in a special election Tuesday to fill a vacancy until January 2023, flipping a seat in a district that is 85% Hispanic. She avoided a...

This phrase is the standard that astronomers will be applying to a curious signal captured with China's "Sky Eye" telescope that might be a transmission from alien technology. An article reporting the signal was posted on the website of China's state-backed Science and Technology Daily newspaper, but was later removed. So have astronomers finally found evidence of intelligent found life beyond Earth? And is it being hushed up? We should be intrigued, but not too excited (yet). An interesting signal has to go through a lot of tests to check whether it truly carries the signature of extraterrestrial technology or...

The IRS is underfunded and understaffed, and had to deal with new pandemic responsibilities. The result has been a massive backlog of unprocessed tax returns, many of them on paper. A photo from the agency's Austin facility shows just how much paper the IRS is dealing with. The IRS is still full of paper. The agency has been contending with a historic backlog of unprocessed tax returns amidst new pandemic responsibilities, understaffing, and underfunding. The result: A massive build-up of unprocessed tax returns, many of which belong to Americans who have been waiting on refund checks. Natasha Sarin, a tax...

@ggreenwald Trump's failure to pardon Assange and Snowden was one of the worst and most cowardly mistakes he made. Few realize how close he was to doing it. He got scared by threats from GOP Senators that they'd vote for impeachment if he did it.

So says Politico, which reports today that it’s game-on again between Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin on the reconciliation bill formerly known as Build Back Better. “It’s tight as hell,” said one unnamed Senate Democrat of the timeline as Schumer tries to spend even more money while inflation rages before the midterms. The recent negotiations over firearms and mental health have acted as a smokescreen, intentional or not, as Manchin apparently is getting what he wants out of the reconciliation bill:

Scientists searching for the causes of falling sperm counts are getting a clearer picture of the role played by chemical pollutants - and it’s not a pretty one. A study of urine samples from nearly 100 male volunteers has uncovered "alarming" levels of endocrine disruptors known to reduce human fertility. Cocktails of chemicals such as bisphenols and dioxins, which are believed to interfere with hormones and affect sperm quality, were present at levels up to 100 times those considered safe. The median exposure to these chemicals was 17 times the levels deemed acceptable. "Our mixture risk assessment of chemicals which...

The Russian Ministry of Defense released a ton of information today that proves they have been keeping tabs on the foreign mercenaries who went to Ukraine in February to fight the Russians. According to the Russian information one of the Americans, a former Marine, Grady Kurpasi is dead. The other two, Alex Drueke and Tai Ngoc Huyn aka Andy Win, are prisoners. Andy has been imprisoned since March.

“‘Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” and behold, the log is in your eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your eye’” (Matthew 7:3–5). When we judge critically we also manifest an erroneous view of ourselves. The “speck” Jesus refers to is not something insignificant—it was likely a twig or splinter. Though small in comparison to a log, it was not a...

A federal waiver that made school breakfasts and lunches free to students regardless of their family’s income is set to expire June 30, eliminating a benefit that has helped millions of schoolchildren at a time when they need it more than ever, anti-hunger advocates say. The free school meals program began in March 2020 when Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue dozens of child nutrition waivers, including ones that expanded summer food programs, to provide a lifeline during the pandemic. If the waivers end this month as scheduled, experts foresee a crisis as families, already facing soaring...

When scripture says the Holy Spirit “abides” in us, it means God’s Spirit comes in and possesses our bodies, making it his temple. Because the Holy Spirit knows the mind and voice of the Father, he speaks God’s thoughts to us. “However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will tell you things to come” (John 16:13, NKJV). The Holy Spirit is the voice of God to us! If you have the Holy Spirit...

The scheme works like this: A fraudster posing as a professional creates a fake profile and reaches out to a LinkedIn user. The scammer starts with small talk over LinkedIn messaging, and eventually offers to help the victim make money through a crypto investment. Victims interviewed by CNBC say since LinkedIn is a trusted platform for business networking, they tend to believe the investments are legitimate. Typically, the fraudster directs the user to a legitimate investment platform for crypto, but after gaining their trust over several months, tells them to move the investment to a site controlled by the fraudster....

WASHINGTON, Tuesday, June 17. The War Department has dispatches from Gen. MCCLELLAN's headquarters, dated 4 o'clock this afternoon. No especial movement had taken place. The weather was very fine, and the roads were improving rapidly. Our cavalry yesterday paid another visit to Ashland surprised a party of rebels a that point, and drove them off, and captured some property. WHITE HOUUSE, Va., Monday, June 16. Several guerrilla parties are still hovering in the rear of our army. On Saturday and Sunday a small party were prowling around the country on the opposite side of the Pamunkey, their object being to...

Sixteen people have been wounded in shootings across Chicago since Friday evening, including a man killed while on a porch in Stony Island Park on the South Side. He was sitting on a porch about 8:30 p.m. Friday in the 8400 block of South Bennett Avenue when someone opened fire, striking him multiple times, Chicago police said. Later, a man was killed in a drive-by shooting late Friday night in the Near West Side. The 22-year-old was sitting in a vehicle about 11:45 p.m. when a red car drove by and someone from inside fired shots in the 2300 block...

The Bible In Paintings 2 ENCOURAGEMENT FOR APPRECIATING AND APPLYING GOD'S MESSAGE 1st KINGS CHAPTERS 16-17 Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. AHAB DID MORE EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD THAN ANY OF THOSE BEFORE HIM. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. AHAB...