Free Republic

In short, our country came to be before our republic came to be, and long before what we today call "our democracy" came to be. A country is different from, and more than, the political system that it adopts.

Major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia have decided to slash the amount of oil they deliver to the global economy. And the law of supply and demand suggests that can only mean one thing: higher prices are on the way for crude, and for the diesel fuel, gasoline and heating oil that are produced from oil. The decision by the OPEC+ alliance to cut 2 million barrels a day starting next month comes as the Western allies are trying to cap the oil money flowing into Moscow's war chest after it invaded Ukraine. Here is what to...

Russian leader Vladimir Putin marked his 70th birthday on Friday with congratulations from the fellow authoritarian leaders of Cuba and Kyrgyzstan and a full “work” schedule, according to the Kremlin. The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry observed the day by sharing a recent quote from Putin predicting the “collapse of Western hegemony” on Twitter, illustrated by a photo of Putin wearing sunglasses.

Police Captain David Dorn was murdered in 2020 during riots following the death of George Floyd. While reacting to the sentencing of his murderer, his widow Ann Dorn blasted Democrats, “including Rep. Cori Bush for still supporting the ‘defund police’ movement.” In singling out Bush, Dorn cited the congresswoman’s support of anti-police rhetoric on Fox & Friends on Thursday. “I find it funny that she says ‘defund the police.’ But yet, she spends $400,000-$700,000 on security alone just for herself, using police officers to do it. And her own city that she came from is being destroyed by crime. Police...

In Genesis 1:11,12 God established some things in this physical world that also apply to us spiritually. Genesis 1:11,12 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Based just on that we know that because God spoke those words they...

Two journalists with TFLEV decided to drive the Ford 150 Lightning EV truck from the lower 48 states to Alaska and learned some of the recharging challenges they would face. Having made that drive from Pennsylvania to Fairbanks in 2013, I can tell you it certainly required some planning driving a gas-powered SUV, much less an electric truck.They stopped at Carter Lake, outside of Loveland, Colorado, and rented a campsite. The site included a standard 120-volt outlet — Level 1 in EV parlance — as well as a larger 240-volt option used by recreational vehicles and fifth-wheel trailers to run...

President Joe Biden on Thursday appeared cautiously optimistic about Democrat prospects in the midterm elections in November. “So far, it looks like in the Senate we not only will hold but maybe pick up a couple seats,” Biden said to supporters at a fundraiser in Red Bank, New Jersey, with Governor Phil Murphy.

He's back.Just in time for another election. I wrote about him over a year ago. He's the weasel who, along with the FBI, changed the outcome of the 2020 election by suppressing the case against Hunter Biden. David Weiss is the US Attorney for the state of Delaware. This is what Politico had to say about him Last summer, federal officials in Delaware investigating Hunter Biden faced a dilemma. The probe had reached a point where prosecutors could have sought search warrants and issued a flurry of grand jury subpoenas. Some officials involved in the case wanted to do just...

In Pennsylvania, where Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is in a heated matchup against GOP nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz in the battle for the state's open Senate seat, a new poll suggests that voters prefer the Democratic candidate on critical issues, despite the majority of respondents having an unfavorable opinion of Democrat President Biden. A new Monmouth University survey among voters in Pennsylvania found that despite Biden's underwater approval rating, the majority of voters trust Fetterman over Oz to best handle every issue of top concern, including abortion, the economy, crime and immigration. "The economy is an issue that has...

Agricultural machinery company John Deere is planning to manufacture nothing but fully automated farming vehicles by 2030. Jorge Heraud, vice president of automation and autonomy for John Deere, noted that he sees the company’s future as being a leader in the manufacturing of robotics and artificial intelligence-infused equipment alongside the tech giants of Silicon Valley. (Related: Warehouses turning to robots to fill labor gaps as e-commerce booms.)John Deere showcased a glimpse of its future line of automated farming machinery last January when it unveiled its fully autonomous 8R farm tractor, driven by an AI rather than a farmer behind the...

“For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death” (Proverbs 7:26-27 KJV).

“At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, ‘What do You seek?’ or, ‘Why do You speak with her?’” (John 4:27). The disciples came back from buying food in Sychar at the exact moment Jesus revealed His messiahship to the Samaritan woman. The phrase “at this point” captures Jesus’ complete mastery of the situation. Had the disciples returned earlier, they would have interrupted the conversation before it reached its dramatic conclusion; had they returned later, they would have missed hearing Jesus’ declaration. The disciples were amazed...

Faith is something you do based on what you know. Knowledge means nothing unless it is acted upon. Consider this example. The children of Israel received the good word that God had given them Canaan for a homeland. That information would have meant nothing at all to them, though, if they had remained in Egypt as slaves. The Bible says, “By faith [Moses] forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. …By faith [Israel] passed through the Red Sea as by dry land…” (Hebrews 11:27, 29, NKJV). The Israelites did...

A funny thing happened to the Democrats' same-sex marriage bill on its trip from the House to the Senate: people actually started reading the legislation. When they did, an uncomfortable reality set in -- nothing in the text explicitly outlawed polygamy. It was just a "drafting error," the more liberal senators claimed. But it wasn't a "drafting error" when a New York judge recognized polyamory late last month. How much longer until the party who wants "love" to be the legal basis for every relationship follows suit?The decision by trial court judge Karen May Bacdayan should have been frontpage news....

Sharon Osbourne wants her money back. The former “The Talk” co-host agreed with Kanye West about Black Lives Matter being a “scam” when TMZ asked her about the rapper’s recent antics, from his White Lives Matter shirt to his social media tirades. “Well, we gave $900,000 to [Black Lives Matter], and I’d like my money back, please,” she told a reporter. Osbourne, 69, did not specify why she wanted a refund, but she did express confusion surrounding the outrage over West’s headline-making shirt at his fashion show. “I don’t understand why white lives don’t matter. I don’t understand it. It’s...

A British journalist has been arrested by UK police for allegedly posting a “grossly offensive message” online. Officers from the UK’s Surrey Police force arrested journalist Caroline Farrow at her home. According to Farrow, police forced their way into her home, without a warrant, and raided the property. The officers reportedly seized Farrow’s electronic devices, took her into custody, and questioned her at Guildford Police Station. Farrow was later released but remains under investigation. The mother of five has denied posting the messages, however. She says that she was falsely accused of posting messages that were written by other people....

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been blasted for comparing free speech online to "weapons of war" in a recent speech to the U.N. that critics called "authoritarian.""How do you successfully end a war if people are led to believe the reason for its existence is not only legal but noble," she said last week."How do you tackle climate change if people do not believe it exists? How do you ensure the human rights of others are upheld, when they are subjected to hateful and dangerous rhetoric and ideology?"Ardern acknowledged that taking away free speech is a threat to...

California is famous for its car culture, which the automotive website Jalopnik has dubbed “second to none,” but it's also known for its environmentalism and its sky-high housing prices. So, in an effort to lower the cost of construction and cut down on car dependence, the state has recently adopted a law that prohibits local governments from setting minimum parking requirements for new buildings within half a mile of a transit hub such as a rail station or the intersection of two bus lines. “Housing solutions are also climate solutions,” said California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, after signing the...

A past victim of the alleged subway slasher charged with killing a man aboard an L train last week is lucky to be alive, his father told The Post Thursday while slamming the “liberal bulls–t” system that set his son’s attacker free. Anthony DiMarco, 65, said his son, a 36-year-old teacher, was coming home from work in April of last year when he was allegedly stabbed in the arm and stomach by Alvin Charles, who is homeless. “[My son] just called me to tell me the guy who stabbed him killed somebody,” DiMarco said in shock. His son survived the...

What a difference a decade makes. There was a time when the United States would talk to Russia with at least the pretense of respect. Remember this exchange between then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama?That was then. Mr. Medvedev is singing quite a different tune now. He made this public statement yesterday:It is useless and unnecessary to appeal to the prudence of our enemies in the West, the enemies must be forced to ask for mercy in the lost economic battle and end it with their complete and unconditional surrenderI do not believe that Dimitry Medvedev was drunk...