Free Republic

Friends, family of ‘anarchist’ Oakland baker killed in robbery gone wrong don’t want jail time for thieves A woke California baker was savagely killed during a robbery this week — and her family and friends are urging authorities not to jail her assailants to align with her social justice beliefs. The startling plea came after Angel Cakes owner Jen Angel was robbed by two thieves who smashed her car window and ran off with her purse near a Wells Fargo in Uptown Oakland Monday afternoon, the San Franciso Chronicle reported. Angel, 48, chased after the duo’s getaway car, but got...

Whether you're rooting for the Eagles or Chiefs in Super Bowl 57, one immutable fact everyone can agree on is this: Puppies are cute, and fun to watch. Thankfully for fans of both teams (or neither), Puppy Bowl 2023 will more than satisfy their cute quota on Super Bowl Sunday as more than 100 pups from across the United States bumble, stumble and tumble their way onto TV screens (and into hearts). The event, of course, is charitable in nature: Event organizers aim to continue the Puppy Bowl's streak of 100 percent adoption rates. That shouldn't be a problem as...

Whether you love or hate football, this is outrageous. ... Nearly 100 million people will watch this year’s Super Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. But most viewers will never know about a disturbing bit of backstory to this year’s event—how the NFL tried to collude with a local government to attack free speech. A Phoenix city ordinance, likely lobbied for by the league, would have required local property owners to get the NFL’s approval for any advertisement they wanted to put up on properties in the downtown area. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), the city dubbed...

Created by the fiscal 2021 national defense authorization act, the Naming Commission’s duties included recommending procedures for renaming Department of Defense assets “to prevent commemoration of the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily” with them. While nine U.S. Army posts named for Confederates have received the most attention, the commission’s “remit” extends much further. In fact, a logical end point to its (Diversity-Equity-Inclusion-inspired) work is nowhere to be found: The Commission recognizes that [defense] assets commemorating the Confederacy or an individual who voluntarily served with the Confederacy will continue to be identified after the submission of...

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...

...There is compelling evidence that some people treat their emotional problems with work as well. This can lead to its own kind of addiction. Many studies have shown a strong association between workaholism and the symptoms of psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression, and it has been common to assume that compulsive work leads to these maladies. But some psychologists have recently argued reverse causation—that people may treat their depression and anxiety with workaholic behavior. As the authors of one widely reported 2016 study in the scientific journal PLOS One wrote, “Workaholism (in some instances) develops as an attempt...

SALEM, Ore. -- The Oregon Department of Justice is opening a criminal investigation into allegations that senior officials in the state's alcohol regulatory agency violated ethics laws by diverting rare, sought-after bourbons for personal use, the state attorney general said Friday. The officials said they were paying for the whiskey, which can cost thousands of dollars a bottle, but they allegedly used their knowledge and connections at the commission to obtain the products, according to an internal investigation by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. The practice had purportedly been going on for many years and involved not only state...

This year’s Super Bowl will feature the singing of Lift Every Voice and Sing, otherwise known as the black national anthem, before the start of this year’s game. The song will be sung before the U.S. national anthem. According to Mashable, “If the Super Bowl is your introduction to national treasure Sheryl Lee Ralph, welcome. The veteran singer-actress is set to take the Super Bowl stage Sunday to perform what is known as the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” She’s joined by country singer Chris Stapleton singing the national anthem and R&B star Babyface performing “America the...

In addition to cardiac events, another life-threatening side effect has been associated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. When is the risk period? Does the flu shot play any role in these events? What actions should we take to better protect ourselves? Summary of Key Facts An increased risk of stroke events has been identified with the Pfizer COVID-19 bivalent vaccine, according to a joint statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The onset time in people aged 65 years and older was 1–21 days after the booster, with a significant cluster...

According to Science magazine, the average night sky brightened by 9.6% per year from 2011 to 2022. Many of us have experienced our own encounters with the reduction of nighttime quality of life because of poorly positioned or excessively bright lights. A recent documentary on the subject of Maine’s skies, “Defending the Dark,” described the public health effects of constant over-bright nighttime artificial light. More light at night is linked to cancer; glare threatens public safety of motorists and pedestrians, and more light takes the night sky away from us earthbound dwellers, something all flora and fauna have evolved under...

Listen Closely to Pop Singer’s Heartfelt Testimony: Abortion Regret Is Real “Kaya Jones, a former singer for The Pussycat Dolls, said the abortions she had when she was younger still haunt her to this day,” begins the Fox News story in which the pop singer recounts her abortion regret. The significance of this story is not that some women regret their abortions. This fact has been known among specialists for some time. No, the significance of this story is that someone with a public platform is finally speaking out and that someone in the legacy news media is finally listening....

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday blasted China in the wake of the U.S. shooting down a suspected spy balloon, saying the Chinese were “humiliated” and “caught lying” after the incident. “I think the Chinese were humiliated,” Schumer said on ABC “This Week.” “I think the Chinese were caught lying. I think it’s a real step back for them.”

The Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon, the last such store in America, is planning to run an ad during the Super Bowl.Instead of buying ad time during the TV broadcast, however, the proprietors of the Bend Blockbuster will stream the spot on Instagram, and also play it via a VHS tape at a watch party being held at the store, according to Ad Age. Afterwards, the VHS will be available for rent for $2 a day.“We are doing a fun, retro-style commercial that we will be releasing during the Big Game. We are featuring it during halftime in the store and...

Biden slush fund money is now looking for a home. A battle is on over who gets to waste it.. Biden’s $27 Billion Clean Energy Catalyzer Slush Fund Competition is stiff over who gets first access to Biden’s $27 Billion Clean Energy Catalyzer slush fund. The US government is getting ready to unleash $27 billion to fund projects in disadvantaged communities that cut greenhouse gas emissions and boost clean energy. The cash infusion from last year’s sweeping climate and tax law is meant to drive the deployment of solar panels, heat pumps and electric vehicles in underserved places around the...

Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, caused a stir on Twitter Friday night after he said Democrats in Washington, D.C., were "ridiculous" to support a decision allowing non-citizens the opportunity to vote. "Only Americans should vote in American elections," said Jordan, prompting backlash. The Republican’s tweet concerned House Joint Resolution 24, or the "Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022," which passed the House of Representatives on Thursday. The resolution seeks to overturn a bill that passed the D.C. Council in October, which opened the local...

Washington has been on high alert since its military destroyed a suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this month. While he didn't say specifically that the two latest objects were Chinese, Mr Schumer told ABC on Sunday that Beijing was likely using a "crew of balloons" that had "probably been all over the world". Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that the latest object was shot down on Saturday over the Yukon in north-west Canada.

She was particularly opposed to America’s criminal justice system which she viewed as racist. Because of this, her friends and family claim Angel would not want her killer prosecuted in a court of law if arrested. They instead want “restorative justice” to honor Angel’s memory. Angel would want “alternatives to traditional prosecution, such as restorative justice. Jen’s family and close friends ask that the media respect this request and carry forward the story of her life with celebration and clarity about the world she aimed to build. Do not use her legacy of care and community to further inflame narratives...

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said in a rare interview made public on Friday that Russian forces must capture the strategic city of Bakhmut to proceed with their campaign but faced fierce resistance from Ukrainian defenders. -snip- “Bakhmut is needed so our troops can operate comfortably,” Prigozhin said. “Why is it called the meat grinder? Because the Ukrainian army is sending more and more and more units.” “It is probably too early to say that we are close. There are many roads out and fewer roads in. Ukrainian troops are well trained ... and like any large city...

Southern California law enforcement agencies are focusing on the trend of burglary tourism, where thieves travel internationally to the U.S. to burglarize homes, then return to their home country. The Orange County Register reported these South American theft groups are often comprised of Chilean or Colombian nationals who operate as “‘Lanzas Internacionales,’ or international thieves in the Spanish-speaking world.” Authorities say the thieves are professionals who surveil homes before breaking in when residents are away. They often bring heavy-duty tools to steal or break into safes that are bolted down or mounted. “Some of these residential burglars have been recorded...

...archaeologists have discovered a peculiar Roman-era earthenware pot filled with 22 oil lamps, each containing a bronze coin, in Windisch, a municipality in the district of Brugg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland... under a street in the area as part of an archaeological investigation in order for the local authorities to proceed with the construction of an ambitious architectural project comprising apartment blocks and commercial property.Experts believe that the pot has probably been buried there for nearly 2,000 years, dating it from the time of the Roman legion camp Vindonissa, which was located near where Windisch is now....