Free Republic

Key PointsPoliticians on both sides of the aisle promised not to cut Social Security and Medicare at this month's State of the Union address.But one idea that has been floated, raising the full retirement age, would be a reduction in benefits, according to experts."They are proposing a 40-year-old plan that doesn't work for this economy," a labor economist says.Pekic | E+ | Getty ImagesMore than 1 million people recently took to the streets in France to protest an increase in the country's standard retirement age.In the United States, a similar battle might be quietly brewing in Washington.The full retirement age...

Creeping forward along a tree line late at night toward an entrenched Ukrainian position, the Russian soldier watched in horror as his comrades were mowed down by enemy fire. His squad of 10 ex-convicts advanced only a few dozen yards before being decimated. “We were hit by machine-gun fire,” said the soldier, a private named Sergei. One soldier was wounded and screamed, “Help me! Help me, please!,” the private said, although no help arrived. Eight soldiers were killed, one escaped back to Russian lines and Sergei was captured by Ukrainians.

Drinking the tears of the woke is delicious, particularly when used as a dash of liquid in a fine glass of Scotch Whiskey.Remember when Ron DeSantis and Gregg Abbott were accused of human trafficking? You know, when they helped illegal migrants achieve their dreams by helping them travel to sanctuary cities? An all expenses paid vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, a hotel room in NYC. The chance to visit Chicago’s shooting galleries and join the fun?Yeah, well, the cries of Leftists were muted a bit when Colorado’s and Arizona’s Democrat governors joined the club, and they were shut down completely when...

It’s a win. It might only prove temporary, but it’s still a win for now.Last week, the Washington Examiner’s Gabe Kaminsky exposed secret blacklists of conservative sites created by the “Global Disinformation Index.” Those blacklists included Hot Air, Townhall, RedState, and Twitchy, and lots of other conservative sites under the ambiguous guise of “disinformation.” No one from GDI or its sponsors ever bothered to contact us to discuss their “assessment,” nor did their reports ever cite any specific data for any of the sites blacklisted, despite a lengthy yet completely data-free discussion of their “methodology.”GDI’s main partner appears to be...

As if balloons and UFOs on this side of the planet weren’t enough, China’s been busy poking people’s peace in the Pacific as well, specifically in the Philippines.With all the uber-nationalistic, anti-American rhetoric and actions that came out of the administration of former PI president Rodrigo Duterte, the Chinese made huge inroads unopposed all through the Pacific. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said Filipino forces can fight insurgents and Muslim extremists without American military help, in a defense of his recent decision to terminate a U.S. security pact.Duterte also said in a speech that he would stick to a...

Let’s start with the balloon whose story is the most clear, i.e. the Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US this month. That balloon was shot down over the ocean off the coast of South Carolina. You may have seen photos of portions of the balloon being pulled into a boat. These images were taken last week.The DoD has released photos of the recovery operation off the coast of South Carolina to gather the CCP spy balloon debris.Credit: Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Thompsonpic.twitter.com/ODRoS8I3iu— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) February 13, 2023Today the DOD released even more photos of the ongoing...

We reported earlier on the train derailment that took place in East Palestine, Ohio ten days ago on Feb. 3. Because there were chemicals on board the cars and they were concerned about a potential explosion, they had what they said was a “controlled release” of chemicals to reduce that risk after evacuating residents within a one-mile area. But now, many people are concerned about the effects of the release despite the assurances as to the quality of the air. Animals in the area are dying and it’s understandably making people upset. A reporter who was covering the story and...

Modern PC crap attacks every aspect of normal life. Religion is mocked and Christians are persecuted. We hear that children are exposed to gender fluidity ideologies which can persuade them to "choose" genital mutilation and parents who oppose that can be threatened with jail. Heterosexuality can be a criminal offence if you are a man. John Barrymore had a hard and troubled personal life but being a free man was not closed to him. Women would melt in his arms. God Bless Freedom .......... ....... but for most of us, Family Comes First.

Research suggests CDC’s claims of mask effectiveness may have been exaggerated By Melissa Rudy | Fox News The stance by the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) on face masks has taken many twists and turns throughout the COVID pandemic. After initially claiming face coverings weren’t necessary, the CDC changed course in April 2020, calling on all Americans — even children as young as 2 years old — to mask up. That September, then-CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said during a Senate hearing that "face masks are the most important powerful health tool we have," even suggesting that they...

Virginia lawmakers are making their final push to build a new FBI headquarters in their state, while Maryland officials try to persuade the federal government to put it in Maryland. The Washington Post reports that the jockeying is happening as the General Services Administration gets closer to a decision in the decade-plus-long effort. In a letter to the GSA and FBI submitted Feb. 3, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, and most of the Virginia congressional delegation made a detailed case in hopes of swaying the federal government to prefer a site in Springfield, Virginia, instead of locations in Landover and...

I'm having issues with cellular. I bet everyone is. Down detector is reporting that just about everyone is having issues at the same time. We got hit by a low x-class flare, but that shouldn't do it.

The municipality of the holy city has ordered payment totalling €5 million. Papers and accounts frozen until payment is made. The node of places of worship and ecclesiastical realities that should be exempted. The director explains: "A long-standing issue" that comes up "every time the government or local administration changes".Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - A new front has opened up in the age-old issue of taxes on Christian property in the Holy Land, long the focus unresolved talks between Israel and the Vatican: yesterday the municipality of Jerusalem ordered the payment of taxes to the (pontifical) Notre Dame Institute of Jerusalem, for...

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is forming an interagency group to address the recent spate of objects in the skies above North America, the White House announced Monday. "The president, through his national security adviser, has today directed an interagency team to study the broader policy implications for detection, analysis and disposition of unidentified aerial objects that pose either safety or security risks," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a White House briefing. "Every element of the government will redouble their efforts to understand and mitigate these events," he said. Kirby said the national security team's task is...

Group co-founder Pastor Ken Peters said the pro-lifers will continue to meet: ‘It ain’t over.SPOKANE, Washington (LifeSiteNews) — A Christian pro-life group was forced to pay nearly $1 million in fines for allegedly “disturb[ing] the peace within” an abortion mill by praying, preaching, and singing hymns outside, a judge ruled earlier this month. Judge Tim Fennessy of Spokane County Superior Court ruled that the pro-life Christian group, called The Church at Planned Parenthood (TCAPP), would need to pay $850,000 in legal fees in addition to the $110,000 in civil damages they were previously ordered to pay out to Planned Parenthood...

In January, the UK Government announced a new partnership to boost research into vaccines for cancer. From as early as September, UK patients will be among the first in the world to participate in trials of the new mRNA cancer “vaccines.” A memorandum of understanding was signed by the Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, to explore personalised mRNA vaccines with the German company BioNTech which co-developed the leading covid-19 “vaccine” with Pfizer. BioNTech said that the collaboration focused on “three strategic pillars”: cancer immunotherapies based on mRNA or other drug classes, infectious disease vaccines, and expansion of BioNTech’s footprint in the...

A report published at the end of 2022 by The ETC Group reveals how a handful of corporations with the help of Big Tech are taking over the world’s food supply. The report, titled ‘Food Barons 2022 – Crisis Profiteering, Digitalization and Shifting Power’, offers a snapshot of the world’s “Food Barons” – the biggest players up and down the industrial food and agriculture chain. It examines the leading corporations that control each of 11 key industrial agrifood sectors: seeds, agrochemicals, livestock genetics, synthetic fertilizers, farm machinery, animal pharmaceuticals, commodity traders, food processors, Big Meat, grocery retail and food delivery....

The Ukrainian Catholic Church will celebrate Christmas Dec. 25, as it moves away from the Julian calendar.The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church announced Feb. 6 that that the world’s largest Eastern Catholic Church will change liturgical calendars this fall, changing the date of several liturgical feasts, as Ukrainian Christian distance themselves from the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church. The move means that Ukrainian Catholics will begin this year celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25, but will for now continue to celebrate Easter on a later date than most of the world’s Catholics and Protestant Christians. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav...

Vancouver, Canada, Feb 7, 2023 / 15:10 pm Richard Leskun remained at his wife Marilynn’s side nearly 24 hours a day after she was admitted to Abbotsford Regional Hospital, the result of a fall from her wheelchair. Over the next several days Leskun found himself not only caring for his 71-year-old wife but also fending off efforts by medical staff to let her die, before they offered to do the job themselves. The Sunshine Coast widower is sounding the alarm over what he says is a shocking and dangerous bias in the medical system toward the promotion of death for...

A bill that would end the use of police K-9 units, also known as police units involving trained police dogs, in many criminal situations was introduced to the Assembly on Monday.

An active shooter has been reported at Michigan State University