Free Republic

Thinking Through the Ukraine Crisis — the Causes“It would be extraordinarily difficult to expand NATO eastward without that action’s being viewed by Russia as unfriendly. Even the most modest schemes would bring the alliance to the borders of the old Soviet Union. Some of the more ambitious versions would have the alliance virtually surround the Russian Federation itself.” Beyond NATO: Staying Out of Europe’s Wars (p. 45). I wrote those words in 1994, at a time when expansion proposals merely constituted occasional speculation in foreign policy seminars in New York City and Washington, D.C. I added that expansion “would constitute...

This would be hilarious if it were not so serious. From this blog, comes the map below of Omicron BA.5 incidence in Germany. The former East Germany is outlined in green and you will note that it has a lower infection rate than the former West Germany. Which reflects the different vaccination rates of the two former German republics: The former East Germany has a lower vaccination rate than the former West Germany and this has resulted in a lower incidence of the latest covid variant. It seems, though the Berlin Wall fell more than 30 years ago, the former...

30 June 2022Thursday of week 13 in Ordinary Time Nonnberg Abbey, Salzburg Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green.First readingAmos 7:10-17 ©The Lord took me from herding the flock and sent me to prophesyAmaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel as follows. ‘Amos is plotting against you in the heart of the House of Israel; the country can no longer tolerate what he keeps saying. For this is what he says, “Jeroboam is going to die by the sword, and Israel go into exile far from its country.”’ To Amos, Amaziah said, ‘Go away, seer;’ get back...

We can debate whether this is more Maoist, or Stalinist, or Stasi, or something else but the one thing it isn’t is American. We’ve all been aware of the stories about the FBI arresting conservatives—and by that, I don’t mean the way the FBI has hunted down every grannie and veteran who, made ignorant by the systematic removal of “no trespassing” signs and fencing, and the Capitol police holding open doors, entered the Capitol and wandered around reverently. That’s bad enough. But the FBI is also going after high-level, high-profile political operatives (advisors, politicians, journalists) who have dared challenge Biden’s...

<p>MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont has broken a hip in a fall at his home and was to undergo surgery to repair it, his office said Thursday.</p><p>The 82-year-old Democrat fell Wednesday night in McLean, Virginia, the statement said. Doctors determined the best course of action would be to have surgery to repair the hip as soon as possible.</p>

Michelle Obama launched a cover story for her intense political activity back in 2008. Soon, we'll see it come to fruition. It was the gasp heard round the world. "They could run Michelle Obama, and if they do ..." said Monica Crowley before the CPAC 2022 audience reeled audibly in shocked recognition, cutting her off in mid-sentence. Crowley had seen an early screener of my upcoming film and book of the same name, Michelle Obama 2024: Her Real Life Story and Plan for Power, which will be released on July 11. Crowley was not trying to make waves at CPAC....

New York will ban people from carrying firearms into many places of business unless the owners put up a sign explicitly saying guns are welcome. 21% Thumbs UP 79% Thumbs DOWN https://www.audacy.com/wben#/questions/

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is unlikely to take up the bold steps to protect women's right to have an abortion that Democratic lawmakers have called for in recent days, interviews with officials show. In a speech after the rollback of the Roe vs. Wade decision on Friday, President Joe Biden slammed the "extreme ideology" of the conservative-leaning Supreme Court, but said then there are few things he could do by executive order to protect women's reproductive rights. Since then, lawmakers including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have suggested Biden limit the Supreme Court's jurisdiction or expand...

A brawl that erupted between dozens of people onboard a cruise ship was caused by jealousy over a threesome between passengers, according to a witness. A travel agent who was witness to the fracas told Fox News that the punch-up began over allegations of cheating - in particular, an alleged threesome which then upset the participants' respective partners. Video of the fracas depicted a chaotic scene as between 40 and 60 passengers began punching and shoving one another.

Arguing that it did, the Casey Court went much further still, making the claim that “liberty” included abortion and much else besides. It became one of the most infamous passages in the entire history of SCOTUS jurisprudence: “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.” Thus, Casey was about so much more than abortion. It offered an understanding of liberty that made the individual the arbiter of everything, including the meaning of the universe. It was the most radical principle of...

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Russian forces have withdrawn from Ukraine's Snake Island, a strategic outpost in the Black Sea, Russia's defence ministry and Ukraine's president's office said on Thursday. "KABOOM! No Russian troops on the Snake Island anymore. Our Armed Forces did a great job," Andriy Yermak, head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office, wrote on Twitter. Russia's defence ministry confirmed Russian troops had withdrawn from Snake Island, calling it a "goodwill gesture"

Maya Hawke says she 'wouldn't exist' had her mother Uma Thurman not made the decision to get an abortion in her late teens. The actress, 23, spoke on the subject during Tuesday's episode of The Tonight Show in wake of the Supreme Court's recent overturning of Roe v. Wade. 'Both of my parents' lives would've been totally derailed if she hadn't had access to safe and legal health care — fundamental health care,' she explained to host Jimmy Fallon. Thurman shares Maya, as well as son Levon Roan, 20, with ex-husband Ethan Hawke, 51. She is also mother to daughter...

The Captain Tom Foundation is being investigated over concerns about the charity's management and independence from the late veteran's family. The Charity Commission opened a case into the charity in March 2021, just a month after Sir Tom's passing, and began reviewing the set-up of the organisation. The watchdog has now launched an inquiry after becoming concerned about arrangements between the charity and a company linked to Sir Tom's daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, and her husband Colin. Concerns were also raised about the trustees' decision-making and how the charity was governed. Sir Tom was propelled into the limelight during the COVID...

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A post is going viral online as it seeks to explain why girlfriends are angry with their boyfriends after the controversial overturning of Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court's (SCOTUS) decision on Friday to strike down the 49-year-old ruling that legalized abortion nationwide has sparked waves of protest across the country, as trigger laws in certain states made abortions illegal. Amid the fallout, a post on Reddit is going viral for seeking to explain why girlfriends are mad at their boyfriends following the ruling. A post, entitled "My GF is mad at me about Roe v Wade," has amassed more...

Republicans and other conservative groups are undertaking a huge effort to recruit election workers, a push that could install people with unfounded doubts about the 2020 election in key positions in voting precincts where they could exert considerable power over elections. At the forefront of this push is Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who was on Donald Trump’s legal team in 2020 and played a key role in his effort to overturn the election. Over the last few months, Mitchell has held “election integrity summits” in several battleground states, convening groups and citizens who continue to believe the 2020 election was...

CNN)Kollene Dunn's abortion a few months after the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling saved her family, she said. Dunn learned she was pregnant from a date rape and her mind quickly raced to her two young children, she told CNN. The single mom realized she did not have the economic means to support a third child on her income as a secretary. "Roe v. Wade saved me and my two children," said the resident of Otis, Oregon. "My life would have been so different had I not been able to get a legal abortion." Dunn, now 79, fears...

Chelsea Clinton, the only child of former US president Bill Clinton and ex-secretary of state Hillary Clinton, has described feeling “full of incandescent rage” following the Supreme Court ruling on abortion rights in the United States. The Supreme Court last week ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling. Anti-abortion campaigners have hailed the move, while the pro-choice lobby have opposed it. US President Joe Biden described it as “a tragic error” and urged states to enact laws to allow the procedure. On Wednesday...

Halsey had a fiery response to fans who left their concert in Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday after the singer gave a passionate speech about abortion rights on stage. On Monday, the 27-year-old hitmaker - who goes by the pronouns she/they - replied to a follower who tweeted that the 'amount of people' who walked out of Halsey's show at the Ak-Chin Pavilion amphitheater following her remarks was 'sickening'. 'downside of doing outdoor venues: no door to hit them on the way out,' Halsey wrote, adding a hand waving emoji. In a video from the concert shared by Twitter user @stephxvg,...