Free Republic

A concealed carry holder stopped an armed robbery crew from stealing his car early this morning in downtown Chicago. The permit holder shot two men during an exchange of gunfire in the heart of Chicago’s downtown and stopped a car theft in progress. The victim was leaving the Cambria Hotel in the theater district when someone fired shots at him from a red SUV Chicago police said. The concealed carry holder returned fire sending the red SUV fleeing from the scene. Another offender was inside the victim’s parked car. He got out and ran from the scene of the crime....

A tough, voter-approved gun control law in Oregon sees high-capacity magazines prohibited from being sold and transferred. New gun buyers must also obtain permits, criminal background checks, fingerprints, and go through training courses. A number of lawsuits have been filed challenging the measure, which was narrowly approved by voters last month. The outcome of this measure is being carefully watched. It is one of the first sweeping gun restrictions since the New York law limiting gun ownership outside the home was struck down by the Supreme Court in June. An earlier decision blocking Thursday’s implementation of the law remains temporarily...

A video originally a live stream on youtube, but it strayed into topics that are targeted by the censorship algorithms so it was taken down before it could result in "strikes" and has been posted on Rumble. Matt Bracken is a former Navy Seal and now is an author and commentator who has appeared on numerous conservative shows. Michael Yon is a former Green Beret and is currently a journalist covering wars, social unrest and even tracking down cannibals. A very interesting and informative video.

The Russians have already destroyed 144 medical facilities and damaged more than a thousand. At least $14 billion is needed to create a modern hospital system in Ukraine, he added.Includes not only the rebuilding of healthcare infrastructure after the war, but also the reshaping of the entire healthcare system in li with the best European principles, so that Ukrainians in every oblast could have access to high-quality and free medical services," said Yaremenko.

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Small arms, ATGMs, MANPADS, loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles, trailers and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When the...

Researchers talk about the ‘capability overhang,’ or hidden skills and dangers, of artificial intelligence. Capability overhang is a technical term, but it also perfectly describes what’s happening right now as AI enters the public domain. For years, researchers have been on a tear, pumping out new models faster than they can be commercialized. But in 2022, a glut of new apps and programs have suddenly made these skills available to a general audience... OpenAI has previously sold access to GPT-3 as an API, but the company’s ability to improve the model’s ability to talk in natural dialogue and then publish...

This week White House chief of staff Ron Klain told Fox News "the President intends to run for re-election. "That is something both Dr. Biden and the whole family fully support." Klain brushed off concerns about Biden's age, saying "he's already the oldest person to serve as president. At 80-years-old he has exceeded everyone's expectations. With the aid of round-the-clock medical attention, modern drugs, and a tireless staff he has performed magnificently so far. He deserves a second term." "Not only would a second term enable the President to continue his noble effort to remake America in his image," Klain...

OK. What is a free site where you can easily convert an image to a URL so it can be posted to FreeRepublic?

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro emerged from the Alvorada Palace in Brasilía Friday and spoke to protestors for the first time since mass protests against the stolen election began 41 days ago, promising to “fight to the death” for Brazil. ‘Load up on cash, food and gas’, the military is advising. (remainder of article at link above)

House Democrats introduced a bill Tuesday known as the “Identifying Mass Shooters Act” that will direct the National Institute of Justice to collect, study and analyze online content to identify potential mass shooters before they act, according to a copy of the bill obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The bill, introduced by Democratic Maryland Rep. Kweisi Mfume along with several other Democrats, will require the director of the NIJ to create and submit a report to Congress detailing the “content patterns” of mass shooters within two years of the legislation’s enactment. The bill claims that existing oversight and...

It's been a month since the November elections, and it's obvious that serious irregularities exist in our voting systems. Unless they are exposed and fixed, our country will have been taken over by our internal and external enemies, and we will never recover. All of the efforts to fight back against the fraud nationwide have been unsuccessful except for in Maricopa County, Arizona. Kari Lake, the gubernatorial candidate, is still fighting — filing lawsuit after lawsuit in an effort to overturn the "results" in her campaign, where the current secretary of state in charge of the election, Katie Hobbs, was...

Mayor Eric Adams has focused much of his energy on public safety, as other crises receiving less attention have deepened. Now, as his first year in office draws to a close, Adams is ready to take aim at one of the largest problems escalating across the city: An acute housing shortage that has driven up the cost of renting and buying a home. Adams plans to announce as early as Thursday a set of over 100 reforms designed to ease development by minimizing regulations, modernizing arcane rules and trimming costs for builders, according to a summary of the proposals obtained...

More than 70% of voters want Joe Biden to keep his promise of releasing the final trove of JFK assassination records this month ... only 10% say the release should be delayed again, if the CIA or FBI requests it. Roughly 16,000 of the government secrets into the assassination are still being kept from the public, including 44 records concerning a covert Cuba-related CIA program that involved Lee Harvey Oswald less than four months before he killed President John F. Kennedy in 1963 ... In October, the group sued Biden to disclose the records, a year after the president issued...

@SenThomTillis The IRS should not have the authority to monitor the bank accounts of hardworking Americans. This new $600 Venmo rule is just another way for the Democrats to force Americans to foot the bill for their reckless tax and spending spree.

Why We Can’t All Get Along: The Myth of Accord Between Catholicism and False Ecumenism“Sir, you and I are not one in religion. Wherefore I pray you content yourself. I bar none of prayer; only I desire them of the household of faith to pray with me, and in my agony to say one Creed.” — St. Edmund CampionSt. Edmund Campion and his fellow English Martyrs willingly suffered torture and gruesome death rather than compromise their Catholic Faith. In many instances, their executioners offered to spare them if they “merely” abandoned the Catholic Faith in favor of the Anglican religion....

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

MORE than seven in 10 parents consider their children ‘mini educators’ at home, crediting them for changing attitudes and behaviour towards littering, use of plastic and food consumption. The detailed report of 1,000 youngsters aged 6 to 12, and their parents, delves into children’s views and insights on how behaviours at home affect the planet as a whole. It found primary schools are influential on issues such as what can be done about climate change and whether the family should eat meat. Children revealed they’d consider recyclables being incorrectly thrown in the bin an illegal offence (33 per cent). And...

Conservatives are obsessed with a patriotism litmus test rigged against Black Americans.Brittney Griner’s release from a Russian penal colony Thursday as part of a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was met with widespread celebration. Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison after vape canisters and cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage at the airport. President Joe Biden’s announcement that Griner was safely on a plane bound for the U.S. means the gay WNBA star will miraculously make it home to her wife and family in time for the holidays. But perhaps not surprisingly, the...

A bright fireball was seen over the coast of Ibaraki, Japan at 09:07 UTC on December 8, 2022. The object was recorded by a camera placed on a private home in Hiratsuka, facing northeast. It fell at a speed of 17.4 km/s at an entry angle of 45.8 degrees. The entire event lasted about 5 seconds.

As federal health officials embark on a campaign this week to get more Americans boosted for COVID, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo is digging in on social media on an earlier claim that the mRNA vaccines are unsafe and linked to deaths from myocarditis. “mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are far less safe than any vaccines widely used,” the top health official in the state tweeted on Dec. 2. “When does sanity return to science? Why do scientists breathlessly defend this technology?” Hundreds of anti-vaccine enthusiasts commented in support. Ladapo claims a new study of 35 deaths out of Heidelberg, Germany is...