Free Republic

Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Mark 8:11–13Friends, in today’s Gospel, the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign from heaven. They are testing him because they have no faith or trust in him.Faith is an attitude of trust in the presence of God. Faith is openness to what God will reveal, do, and invite. It should be obvious that in dealing with the infinite, all-powerful person who is God, we are never in control.This is why we say that faith goes beyond reason. If we can figure it out, calculate precisely, predict with complete accuracy, we’re in charge—and by definition, we...

The mood among Russia’s special forces and the FSB began to change dramatically in the fall, when Russian troops abandoned Kherson, suffering the latest of many humiliations for the Russian army. ''' We’ve known most of our contacts in Russia’s special forces and the FSB for years, and none was particularly religious before the war. Now a wave of mysticism has descended on them; the apparent trigger being a growing understanding that the war is not going to end anytime soon. '''

Homosex Activist Leads “Liturgy of the Word,” Will Soon Be a Communion HelperThe transvestite Kurt Dedich, 72, appears in Bonn, Cologne Archdiocese, as a presider of “liturgies of the word”, writes Katholisch.de (11 February).He uses the stage name Curt Delander or "Zarah Leander" when he goes around in women's clothes.Dedich was raised Catholic, then fell away from the Faith, began a career as a homosex activist in the 1970s and had no contact with the Church for decades.Twelve years ago, he made contact with a pastor in Bonn and, after that, had his first performance as a transvestite singer in...

When someone has had success in beating off a global pandemic, shouldn't they maybe get some kind of laurels? At a minimum, it would makes sense to learn what they learned so as to get the same result. That's how actual science works, or at least, it did. Not to the global bureaucrats of the World Health Organization (WHO), which can't stop telling African countries on a continent that has great success in beating COVID, what to do. According to the Burning Platform:Scientists are said to be “mystified” as to how Africa fared so well, completely ignoring data showing that...

Archbishop: Proselytise Despite Francis' Defeatist Sermons against It!Vatican II includes a "deliberate ambiguity" allowing for a "tendentious interpretation,” retired Brussels Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard, 82, told NcRegister.com (February 9).A former bishop of his [probably Namur Bishop André Charue, 1977] told him some years after Vatican II that he regretted an interpretation of Lumen Gentium claiming that the doctrinal authority of the bishops came "from below and not from Christ." The bishop suspected that this misinterpretation was intended.Léonard expects that Francis' synod will seek to "undermine" and "relativise" the male priesthood and the sexual complementarity of man and woman.On the abuse hoax,...

Ranked choice voting is the answer to a question only a bureaucrat would even think to ask. To simplify, RCV is a voting method used most recently in the 2022 Alaskan congressional election which Sarah Palin notoriously lost -- that in theory blurps out a winner that is actually (really really trust us on this) the most representative of the wishes of the electorate. This magic trick is accomplished by people voting for their first choice, second, etc. and then the numbers are added up and moved about and cut and pasted and then the registrar of voters announces a...

BRUSSELS (AP) – NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Monday that Ukraine is using up ammunition far faster than its allies can provide it and putting pressure on Western defense industries, just as Russia ramps up its military offensive. “The war in Ukraine is consuming an enormous amount of munitions and depleting allied stockpiles,” Stoltenberg said. “The current rate of Ukraine´s ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production. This puts our defense industries under strain.” According to some estimates, Ukraine is firing up to 6,000-7,000 artillery shells each day, around a third of the daily amount...

VIDEOGet Woke, Go Broke. We have seen this happen many times yet many companies keep on repeating this very avoidable mistake. The latest feckless victim is Bad Bath & Beyond which went WOKE in 2021 by banning MyPillow from its stores and now is going BROKE with mass store shutdowns throughout North America. And it is Mike Lindell who is having the last laugh on BB&Y.

The United States has told its citizens to leave Russia immediately due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies. "U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Russia should depart immediately," the U.S. embassy in Moscow said. "Exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detentions." "Do not travel to Russia," it added.

Conventional wisdom has it that Karine Jean-Pierre owes her position as Biden’s press secretary to affirmative action. She is black, female and lesbian, all of which make her a “pioneer” and a shatterer of “glass ceilings.” But maybe, just maybe, she is put out in front of the public to normalize the sort of incoherence we get from her boss on a regular basis. The theory may be that people will get used to hearing words mangled and used to incoherence. Those qualities were on display yesterday when KJP went on MSNBC to be interviewed by Jonathan Capehart of the...

Norfolk Southern Railroad and the Environmental Protection Agency released a list of chemicals and hazardous materials on Sunday carried by a train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment, which occurred on February 3, caused a fire that lasted several days. Officials decided to initiate a controlled release of the chemicals to mitigate the risk of an explosion; all residents within one mile of the crash site were told to evacuate, although they were permitted to return to their homes on February 8. Norfolk Southern provided the EPA with a list of cars affected by the crash and the...

A Georgia judge has said he will reveal portions of a grand jury report later this week detailing the investigation into former President Donald Trump’s alleged election interference in the Peach State. The Monday ruling follows a probe by Atlanta’s top prosecutor into whether the 76-year-old Trump and his allies conspired to commit voter fraud after a January 2021 recording revealed the 45th president pressed the state’s top election official to alter the results of the 2020 presidential election. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote that he would keep secret the grand jury’s recommendations for the inquiry that...

An odd thing happened at this week’s State of the Union: President Biden and congressional Republicans got into a skirmish about an issue over which, apparently, they completely agree. Neither party, it seems, wants to make changes to Social Security or Medicare during upcoming negotiations to raise the debt ceiling.

In early 2022 Ukraine had finished the preparations for an overwhelming attack on the renegade People Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DPR and LNR). Half of the Ukrainian army, some 120,000 men recruited and trained during the last 7 years, were stationed near the ceasefire line and ready to go. On the opposing side only some 40,000 men were under arms. They would have little chance to withstand an onslaught. Russia could not let a Ukrainian attack happen. If Ukraine could regain the renegade provinces it would have been able to join NATO. Russian public opinion was decisively on the...

(VIDEO at link) A masked man with an earpiece and a walkie-talkie was recorded pulling off a glass pane from a Capitol window. After realizing he's being recorded, he shoves another man & blames him. He has not been placed on the FBI wanted list nor arrested or charged.

A man driving a U-Haul "went on a rampage" in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Monday morning, according to a New York City councilman. The New York City Police Department did not immediately confirm details to Fox News Digital. The suspect "was just apprehended in Sunset Park," Councilman Justin Brannan tweeted. "Several people were hit and badly injured. We have no idea of motives at this time, but this wasn't an accident."

In a study of nearly 3,000 schoolchildren, silver diamine fluoride—a liquid that is brushed onto the surface of teeth to prevent cavities or keep them from worsening—was as effective against cavities as dental sealants, the standard of care. A single dose of either topical treatment given in elementary schools prevented roughly 80% of cavities and kept 50% of cavities from worsening when children were seen two years later. The findings offer an efficient and cost-effective approach to improving children's oral health through school-based care. Dental cavities are the most common chronic disease in children. CariedAway is a randomized trial comparing...

Two jurors in the double murder trial of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh have COVID, leaving the future of the proceedings in some doubt as they enter their 16th day Monday. Judge Clifton Newman decided keep the trial going in the packed Colleton County courtroom after the remaining 10 jurors and five alternates tested negative. They will be tested again on Wednesday. The clerk of court also tested positive for the virus. Newman said jurors agreed to wear masks. He rejected suggestions from both the defense and prosecutors to delay the trial until that second round of tests Wednesday,...

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is taking steps to run for president, people familiar with his plans said, adding to the stable of Republicans looking to wrest the party mantle from former President Donald Trump. Mr. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, is testing a message with GOP voters in key early states focused on unity and optimism as some Republicans say it is time to move on from the Trump era. Mr. Trump has announced a bid for president in the 2024 election. Jennifer DeCasper, a Scott senior adviser, said he was “excited to share his vision...

Before Grandpa Badfinger Biden descended into his usual vortex of bizarre verbal constructions, incoherent shouting, and occasional improvised concessions that neutralize key Democrat talking points, his State of the Union speech was outstanding. You heard that right – the first 25 minutes, before he insanely got himself filmed conceding that Republicans are not about to push old ladies over the cliff by slashing their Social Security and Medicare, was the strongest, most effective speech he has ever given. It pains me to admit it – I would rather pee glass than praise him – but the current fashion of lying...