Free Republic

It’s a reasonably short sentence. In direct contrast to the powerful, accusatory language of the Declaration of Independence, and the lengthy detail of each of the Articles of the Constitution, the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights is plainspoken and succinct: “A well regulated militia being necessary for the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Contrary to the multitudes of opponents who insist that this statement is nuanced, or complex, or vague, it just isn’t. In fact, it’s every bit as clear as it seems. It...

Three deep-water explosions destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea in September 2022.Swedish seismologists reported that one of the three explosions measures 2.3 on the Richter Scale of earthquake intensity, but this was no earthquake. It was explosion—like a gigantic undersea mine.The explosions guaranteed that Germany and the EU would not go wobbly with regard to sanctions against Russian energy imports. The damage to the pipelines will take months to repair, and repairs are unlikely to begin until this summer. Even if Germany were to cry “uncle” as civil unrest intensifies over lack of heat and energy, even...

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday will consider accepting a donation for the Los Angeles Police Department to receive a dog-like robot, though critics worry about expanding police surveillance. The robot — a quadruped unmanned ground vehicle called Spot — is valued at about $280,000, which the Los Angeles Police Foundation plans to donate... If approved by the council on Tuesday, the LAPD would use the canine Boston Dynamics robot for reconnaissance in situations like SWAT incidents.

These revealing photographs show shop shelves in a provincial Russian city groaning under piles of fresh food. As British supermarkets ration eggs and an array of fruit and vegetables amid shortages provoked in large part by the Ukraine war, no such hardships afflict Vladimir Putin's citizens. The pictures were taken at a food hall, two superstores and a corner shop in Perm, a city with a population the size of Birmingham in the Ural mountains, a 24-hour drive from Moscow. The images suggest the West's much-vaunted sanctions on Russia, imposed to punish President Putin for his invasion, are not having...

Explanation: Is this a spiral galaxy? No. Actually, it is the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), the largest satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way Galaxy. The LMC is classified as a dwarf irregular galaxy because of its normally chaotic appearance. In this deep and wide exposure, however, the full extent of the LMC becomes visible. Surprisingly, during longer exposures, the LMC begins to resemble a barred spiral galaxy. The Large Magellanic Cloud lies only about 180,000 light-years distant towards the constellation of the Dolphinfish (Dorado). Spanning about 15,000 light-years, the LMC was the site of SN1987A, the brightest and closest...

In 1961, the three Wilson brothers, their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine came together to form a band, The Beach Boys. By mixing influences such as 1950s pop vocal groups, R&B and rock and roll, the band created an idiosyncratic summery sound, defined by lush vocal harmonies and a thematic focus on youth culture. During the 1960s, the band released at least one album a year, becoming known for hits such as ‘Surfin’ USA’ and ‘Surfin’ Safari’. However, by 1966, bandleader Brian Wilson took complete control, creating what he referred to as a solo album in the form...

The City of Los Angeles would be barred from using city resources, property or personnel to enforce U.S. immigration policy under legislation proposed by three City Councilmembers on Tuesday. Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez, Nithya Raman and Hugo Soto-Martinez want to establish L.A. as a “Sanctuary City.” The City Council previously passed a symbolic resolution that declared Los Angeles a “City of Sanctuary” but never wrote sanctuary policies into law. The city’s current immigration policies are reflective of an executive directive issued by former Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles Police Department’s internal policies and are subject to change, as they...

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador did not seem to be joking when he posted the photo of an “Aluxe,” a mischievous woodland spirit in Mayan folklore. López Obrador wrote the photo “was taken three days ago by an engineer, it appears to be an aluxe,” adding “everything is mystical.” The nighttime photo shows a tree with a branch forming what looks like a halo of hair, and what may be stars forming the figure’s eyes. López Obrador has long expressed reverence for indigenous cultures and beliefs. Engineers and workers are in the Yucatan peninsula, constructing a tourist train that is...

The latest report from the California High-Speed Rail Authority projects costs for the initial segment at $35 billion, which exceeds secured funding by $10 billion. Other segments of the system are likely to have their projected costs increase, too. The state hopes it will get more federal aid.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell joined a chorus of widespread attacks on Fox News host Tucker Carlson for his portrayal of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol since he accessed more than 40,000 hours of security footage. Carlson and his team had exclusive access to the security tape surrounding the attack thanks to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, drawing concerns the host would use the tapes to spread a new wave of disinformation. McConnell said he aligned himself with remarks issued earlier Tuesday by U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger to his rank-and-file slamming Carlson's "offensive and misleading conclusions" about...

Russia could supply fighter jets to Iran, significantly improving the Iranian air force and its aging stable of aircraft. The reports that Moscow could be considering this unprecedented move came last week as Iran tensions with the US, Israel and the region are peaking. In addition it came a year after Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia has received drones from Iran - might Russia be paying Iran “in kind” for the drones, by sending some old fighter jets? US warnings came true US warnings about Russia’s moves and Iran-Russia ties in the past have been borne out. Thus, reports that Moscow...

Attorney General Rob Bonta has been sued by parental rights non-profit group Our Watch on Tuesday over a recently passed law that made California a refuge state for transgender children and their families from other states that criminalize youth “gender-affirming care” treatments. The group says that the law is unconstitutional and interferes with parental rights. Transgender health care, also known as “gender-affirming care,” includes the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental health conditions, as well as sex reassignment therapies, for transgender individuals.

Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Copy (Opens in new window) serena williams Shutterstock Serena Williams revealed in an interview that her 5-year-old daughter Olympia doesn’t like to play tennis—and how she’s encouraging her to pick up the racket If your mom was the greatest tennis player of all time, would you want to follow in her footsteps and take up the sport? I mean, imagine the...

A Gillette woman won an argument with her boyfriend last week by dropping him off at the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, where authorities arrested him on three outstanding warrants. A 27-year-old woman on Feb. 27 was driving her car while her 32-year-old boyfriend, Levi Wazelle, yelled at her, according to the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office. Lt. Paul Pownall told Cowboy State Daily that Wazelle was yelling at the woman and would not get out of her car – so she drove him to the sheriff’s office. While the girlfriend met with deputies, Wazelle fled on foot. There were three municipal...

The study carried out by Rambam researchers found that there is no connection between the amount of insulin in children and their tendency to obesity.Carbohydrates have taken a lot of flak in recent years, but they are not all bad and are not necessarily responsible for causing obesity, according to a new study at Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa. Simple carbs like white bread, pasta and rice, corn syrup and all types of sugar – whose beneficial nutrients have been eliminated – are digested quickly. The study was conducted by Rambam researchers led by Dr. Rana Halloun, a senior...

Worries about the safety of New York City's deli clerks and bodega workers have Mayor Eric Adams making an unusual request: Members of the public should lower their face masks to reassure store workers they're not criminals, Adams and other city leaders said on Monday. "We are putting out a clear call to all of our shops, do not allow people to enter the store without taking off their face mask," Adams said in an interview with radio station 1010 WINS. "Once they're inside, they can continue to wear it if they so desire to do so," Adams said of...

On Monday, Georgia Power announced that the Vogtle nuclear reactor Unit 3 has started a nuclear reaction inside the nuclear reactor. Technically, this is called “initial criticality” and is when the nuclear fission process has started splitting atoms, generating heat. Vogtle’s Unit 3 reactor will be fully in service in May or June, Georgia Power said. The last time a nuclear reactor reached the same milestone was almost seven years ago when the Tennessee Valley Authority started splitting atoms at the Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor in Tennessee, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “This is a truly exciting time...

A newly resurfaced video of a DoorDash driver who refused to give a man his food after he only tipped her $8 for a delivery in 2021 has gone viral. The video, which was been viewed nearly one million times on YouTube, shows Ring camera footage of the woman yelling at the man for the seemingly measly tip when she went on a 12-and-a-half mile trip for the food. According to the woman, the man “must not realize” how far she traveled to collect the food. The woman explained that she had to drive to Commack, Long Island to pick...

A researcher using laboratory mice at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro has had his research privileges terminated after allegations surfaced that the rodents were not being cared for properly. Concerns about the mouse colony, used as part of a federally funded cancer study, were first reported by a staff member in 2021 and only brought to light last week in a written complaint to New Mexico Tech President Stephen Wells from Michael A. Budkie, executive director of the animal rights organization Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!, or SAEN. The complaint asked Wells to “take immediate action...

Between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops have been killed and wounded in the battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut since it began last summer, Western officials say. The epic nature of the battle is out of all proportion to Bakhmut's strategic significance, they add. But after more than six months of grinding, horrific fighting, the future of Bakhmut still hangs in the balance. Since the fighting began, some 90% of its pre-invasion population has fled.