Free Republic

In Stewart v. City and County of San Francisco, California, (ND CA, June 22, 2022), a California federal district court issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of a provision in the San Francisco Park Code requiring a permit for any religious event held in a public park involving 50 or more persons. The court found the provision to be a content-based restriction that triggers strict scrutiny, and concluded that it violates free speech and free exercise protections. However the court upheld a provision requiring a permit for events utilizing sound amplification equipment. Plaintiffs hold their weekly church services in public...

Speaking at celebrations this past weekend commemorating Russia's most important saint, the head of the Russian church stood against globalism, referring to global forces trying to destroy nationhood and Christianity, and not just in Russia. From the sermon: "Today Russia is a powerful state, and it is unlikely that anyone will try to deprive us of our freedom and independence by force of arms. But in our wicked age there are many other ways to crush people, to deprive them of their national consciousness, to deprive them of their faith, to deprive them of their patriotism.We know that many forces...

The Vatican has repeatedly condemned the moral evil of so-called emergency conception, which acts as an abortifacient.BATON ROUGE (LifeSiteNews) – The Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops (LCCB) has come out in favor of emergency contraception for cases of rape, despite the abortifacient nature of the measure and the Vatican’s insistence that it is morally impermissible. In recent comments to Louisiana newspaper The Advocate, Tom Costanza, executive director of the LCCB, which speaks on behalf the Louisiana Catholic bishops on matters of public policy, endorsed a new state law requiring hospitals to dispense emergency contraception to sexual assault victims. Act 513,...

The House passed legislation Friday to revive a ban on certain semi-automatic guns, the first vote of its kind in years and a direct response to the firearms often used in the crush of mass shootings ripping through communities nationwide. Once banned in the U.S., the high-powered firearms are now widely blamed as the weapon of choice among young men responsible for many of the most devastating mass shootings. But Congress allowed the restrictions first put in place in 1994 on the manufacture and sales of the weapons to expire a decade later, unable to muster the political support to...

The endorsement that has loomed over the Republican race for Michigan governor has come in. Tudor Dixon announced late Friday that former President Donald Trump endorsed her for governor. “It is a great honor to receive President Trump’s endorsement and have the strength of our campaign to defeat Gretchen Whitmer further affirmed by his support,” Dixon said in a statement released late Friday. In the last poll before the primary, Dixon was leading the other candidates, coming in at 19%. But it was a narrow lead, and more than 30% of Republican votes hadn’t decided who they were going with....

St. Louis, Mo., Jul 28, 2022 / 16:23 pm Speaking Thursday to a group of priests, bishops, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians, and pastoral workers at the Cathedral Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec, Pope Francis urged those present to model Christian joy and fraternity to those to whom they minister. “Christian joy is about the experience of a peace that remains in our hearts, even when we are pelted by trials and afflictions, for then we know that we are not alone, but accompanied by a God who is not indifferent to our lot. When seas are rough: The storm is...

Ayoade Oni, who is set to study Computer Science at university, wants to move to Canada A new survey of more than 4,500 young people in Africa, aged 18-24, has found that 52% of them are likely to consider emigrating in the next few years, citing economic hardship and education opportunities as the top reasons. The BBC spoke to five young people in Nigeria and South Africa who said they do not feel safe in their countries and lack access to work opportunities, but for those in Ghana the picture looks very different. line "The Nigerian insecurity is so appalling,"...

Rumble is going to get to discovery in its anti-trust and damages lawsuit against Google. Discovery on Googke’s allegedly manipulated and anti-trust search algorithms. Everyone should appreciate just how huge this is.

Americans choose former President Trump over President Biden in a hypothetical matchup by a six-point margin, a recent Premise Poll found.While the survey found that 55 percent plan to vote for a Democrat candidate in the 2024 presidential election, Trump leads Biden in a hypothetical head to head matchup by six percentage points — 53 percent to Biden’s 47 percent. Notably, the survey also showed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has shown no indication of running in 2024, leading Biden by six percentage points as well — 53 percent to Biden’s 47 percent. Nonetheless, Trump continues to dominate the...

The Connecticut mom who strangled her three children before hanging herself left a suicide note for her husband that read, “Sorry, Pedro, I take my kids with me,” his cousin told The Post on Friday. Sonia Loja, 36, had long battled depression and had been crying for days over the shuttering of her illegal child-care business before Wednesday’s horrific murder-suicide in Danbury, said relative Digna Naulaguari, 47. Loja’s devastated husband, Pedro Panjon, saw no signs of the coming violence and only realized that something might be amiss when he got home from work that day — and none of the...

Hay bales in flames, manure dumped on highways, blockades at supermarket distribution centres and demonstrations on politicians' doorsteps. Dutch farmers have been generating global headlines with protests described by Prime Minister Mark Rutte as "wilfully endangering others, damaging our infrastructure and threatening people who help with the clean-up". This proud farming nation is under immense pressure to make radical changes to cut harmful emissions, and some farmers fear their livelihoods will be obliterated. "It's in our blood, I want to do this, and if we have to adapt to new situations, I want to, but we have to be fair,...

***** Tunes For Our Troops ~ The FReeper Canteen Presents... Billboard Charts 1966 ~ *****~ Support The Artists You Hear Throughout The Canteen ! ~ ***** Warning: Not all music may be appropriate for children! Please click with caution. Thank you! Tunes For The Troops This music is provided for the entertainment of our Troops, Veterans, Allies & their families! Enjoy the variety of musical selections that the Canteen DJs provide throughout the thread. Please ping any DJ with your requests for the Troops! All music is removed on Monday.Thanks to all the DJs for their time & effort...

It may not be the guarantee of success in some states, but the endorsement of former President Donald Trump in Arizona is proving to be solid gold among likely Republican primary voters who agree that the 2020 election was flawed. In two new state surveys, the four top Trump-backed GOP primary candidates are winning with comfortable margins over others, including a gubernatorial candidate backed by former Vice President Mike Pence. A new Rasmussen Reports survey of Republican and conservative primary voters out today said that gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake tops Pence-backed Karrin Taylor Robson by 9 percentage points, 43%-34%.

But shortly after the Ionov indictment was announced, the FBI in Tampa confirmed to local media it had raided headquarters of the Uhuru Movement in St. Petersburg, Florida, in connection with the alleged conspiracy. "The Uhuru Movement is a worldwide organization, under the leadership of African People’s Socialist Party, uniting African people as one people for liberation, social justice, self-reliance and economic development," the group said on its website...Four of the “unindicted co-conspirators” listed but not named in the indictment are U.S. citizens living in St. Petersburg, while the others live in Atlanta and California.

Los Angeles County has banned any potential election monitors from watching the counting of the votes in the upcoming race to recall corrupt District Attorney George Gascon, increasing the risk of voter fraud in an already contentious election. According to the Washington Examiner, the county made its decision by declaring that the recall election is technically not considered an “election” by county standards. “A reference to monitors/observers in the presidential election is not an accurate comparison as an election does allow for public observation, and Los Angeles County does have an Election Observer Program where members of the public get...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Burbidge publishes instruction for the use of the Traditional Latin Mass in the Diocese of ArlingtonJuly 29, 2022On July 16, 2021, Pope Francis published Traditionis Custodes, an apostolic letter issued motu proprio, by which he created new norms on the use of the Mass celebrated according to the Missal of 1962 (often referred to as the Traditional Latin Mass, the Extraordinary Form, and the usus antiquior). This was preceded by an international assessment and consultation of bishops regarding the application of motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. Following that consultation, the Holy Father established several directives aimed at providing...

FORT FARRAKHAN, CA — A U.S. Army spokesperson admitted concern today after the recent drop in recruitment numbers, despite the unveiling of the new "America Is Racist, You Should Die For It" slogan. Colonel Rip Skirtsteak said the Army will continue its push for diversity in hopes of drawing more new recruits. "It's just really hard to find recruits who hate this country as they should but are also willing to put their lives on the line to protect it," Skirtsteak said as he adjusted his rainbow flag lapel pin. "We may have to switch to Plan B, which is...

Doctors in New York City have performed the first ever heart transplant from a person who is HIV positive. An unnamed woman in her 60s who was suffering from advanced heart failure received both a heart and kidney transplant from the same HIV-positive donor in spring, doctors at Montefiore Health in the Bronx, New York City, announced this week. The woman also had HIV herself. Organ transplants from HIV positive donors had been banned in the U.S. until 2013. Now, they are allowed under the context of research, finding how a body will respond to the new organs. With over...

Alabama prison officials examined female reporters’ clothing and tried to block a female reporter with AL.com from witnessing Thursday night’s execution of a death-row inmate, saying her skirt and shoes violated a prison dress code. Ivana Hrynkiw, a reporter and managing producer with AL.com, said she was told by Alabama Department of Corrections Public Information Officer Kelly Betts after she arrived at the media center at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore that her skirt was too short.

Beautiful weather lasts through the weekend, warm and sunny with low humidity. There's a chance of storms by Monday evening but the next ten days are trending dry. The story for the middle of next week and beyond is the return of the heat and humidity. Highs in the mid-90s look likely next Wednesday and Thursday. Tonight: Mostly clear. Low 57. Saturday: Sunny. High 83. Sunday: Mostly sunny. High 84. Monday: PM T-storms. High 86.