Free Republic

Counting the Uncountable Lives Saved by Good Guys with GunsRob Morse, Slow FactsApril 9, 2023We know your armed neighbor protected himself when he scared away the robber in the night. What we don’t know, and often can’t know, is how many other people your neighbor saved that night. It is devilishly hard to measure the good that armed citizens do as they stop violent crime. Sure, we have a pretty good idea how many people own guns. We have a very good idea how many times these gun owners save lives every year. What we don’t know very well is...

A graphic video has emerged of a homeless giving birth on a San Francisco sidewalk in broad daylight as passersby try to help her. The incident, which is understood to have happened late last week, occurred on Geary Street in San Francisco, right next to Union Square, in the city's Tenderloin District, which is infamously overrun by drug-addicted homeless people. In the video, the woman is seen lying on her side with her pants pulled down, attempting to cradle the newborn. Two other people appear in the video by the woman's side, one man, wearing a baseball cap and with...

A group of University of Chicago students are continuing their campaign for their university to pay over $1 billion in reparations to Chicago's South Side. University of Chicago Against Displacement (UCAD), an anti-gentrification student club, hosted an open house event on Thursday. "Come to our open house for some food, music, and good conversation!" the group's Instagram post read. "This week we’ll be making and coloring our own zines :)" According to University of Chicago's library, a zine "is a self-published [fanzine] … produced in small print runs." In February, the club had asked for $1 billion in reparations in...

KANSAS CITY NORTH — A disturbance including a fight among juveniles, 100 to 150 teens and a Clay County deputy being punched in the face erupted at Worlds of Fun during the amusement park’s opening day Saturday, April 8. This year marks the park’s 50th anniversary. “A deputy working off-duty security at Worlds of Fun heard on the radio from park security about a fight involving multiple juveniles and a large crowd inside the park at about 7:30 p.m.,” said Sarah Boyd, the Clay County Sheriff’ Office public relations manager. “There were an estimated 100 to 150 teenagers involved, none...

Victory Insights found the Florida Governor holding a lead in November. But that's gone now. Gov. Ron DeSantis handily won re-election last cycle. But a new poll shows he may lose his home state in a GOP Primary for President against Donald Trump. Victory Insights, a polling firm with a presence in Naples, found Trump beating DeSantis both within a wide field and in a head-to-head matchup. Among likely GOP Primary voters, Trump comes out on top in a crowded field with almost 43% of the vote, while DeSantis lands at just under 35%. Author and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy pulls...

U.S. — In the days after disturbing footage surfaced of the Dalai Lama engaging in grossly inappropriate conduct with a child, the Buddhist leader has been inundated with requests from public libraries across the U.S., Canada, and Europe to read to kids in special "Dalai Lama Story Hours." "As soon as we saw the clip, we knew we needed to have this guy reading stories to vulnerable kids at one of our library locations," said Jason Kucsma, the Director of the Toledo Public Library. "Our passion is to get as many innocent kids in a room with creepy grown single...

Although all the details are still emerging from a shooting that left four dead in Louisville, KY earlier in the day, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell is speculating about a what-if scenario and what could be done if the alleged assailant was using a so-called assault rifle. Mitchell suggested that “if” the Louisville incident turned out to be the result of using an assault rifle, how much damage may have been done to the victim’s bodies. “Ken, not to be too graphic, but if it does turn out to be that kind of weapon, the damage to your bodily organs, as we’ve...

Explanation: To some, it looks like a giant chicken running across the sky. To others, it looks like a gaseous nebula where star formation takes place. Cataloged as IC 2944, the Running Chicken Nebula spans about 100 light years and lies about 6,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Centaur (Centaurus). The featured image, shown in scientifically assigned colors, was captured recently in a 16-hour exposure over three nights. The star cluster Collinder 249 is visible embedded in the nebula's glowing gas. Although difficult to discern here, several dark molecular clouds with distinct shapes can be found inside...

We previously discussed the disgraceful attack on former swimmer Riley Gaines who was reportedly assaulted when she tried to speak about her views on transgender issues at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Gaines had to be removed to a locked room for hours by police for her own protection. It is now clear why students believed that they had license to engage in such disruptions. SFSU has issued a statement that was conspicuous in its failure to condemn the mob or promise accountability for these actions. The event was only the latest example of protesters “deplatforming” speakers with opposing views...

Through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, intrepid journalists at The Epoch Times have uncovered a previously secret CDC program to tag and track unvaxxed and “undervaccinated” (apparently meaning people who took one or more shots but did not get their so-called “boosters”) U.S. citizens. Via The Epoch Times (emphasis added): Medical codes introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to show when people are unvaccinated or undervaccinated for COVID-19 are being used to track people, the top U.S. public health agency has confirmed.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made the confirmation in emails that The Epoch Times obtained...

Ron DeSantis held a book signing on Saturday on Long Island at the Cradle of Aviation Museum.HUNDREDS of Trump supporters popped up outside the venue and held a rally.HEAVY maga presence outside Desantis’ event in Long Island pic.twitter.com/f2pavKv31o— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) April 1, 2023A Pro-Trump caravan circled the block.Pro-Trump caravan arriving at Ron DeSantis book signing event on Long Island pic.twitter.com/363loIktTo— Kristin Thorne (@KristinThorne) April 1, 2023MAGA was out in force.Trump supporters outside the DeSantis event on Long Island NY flying Trump 2024 flags. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/pY7as1U0yl— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) April 1, 2023Long Island MAGA meets DeSantis....

President Biden opened the White House’s annual Easter egg roll on Monday on a hopeful note, addressing a morning wave of the thousands of children who will roll colored eggs down the South Lawn over the course of the day. “What I see looking across the South Lawn is a country made up of possibilities,” Biden told the crowd. “Anything is possible in America when we do it together.” For the second year in a row, the event was themed around “EGGugation” in honor of first lady Jill Biden’s 30 years as a teacher. Various education-themed activities were scattered around...

In an attempt to strike back at the criminal gangs making life tough for its honest citizens, President Nayib Bukele has been rounding up and arresting gang members that have extorted, mutilated and murdered people for decades. This anti-crime campaign has reduced the number of Salvadorans crossing US borders by 22% and earned the country sanctions from the Biden Administration. US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas defended the sanctions, complaining "who asked Bukele to crack down on so-called crime? The gangs he targeted were aiding migrants to make their way to America. These people are sorely needed to do...

When I was young, I went to a church that had a bishop, and everyone in the audience had to stand when he entered the room. Now I remember that and think about how Jesus went down on his knees to wash his disciples’ feet. Let’s look at one of Peter’s letters to the church. He was writing to believers scattered throughout Turkey who were probably under persecution and opposition from the Roman Empire who wanted them to kneel and worship Caesar. “Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal...

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matt. 5:6). Only Christ can satisfy your deepest needs. Within every man and woman is a hunger and thirst only God can satisfy. That's why Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). Sadly, most people search for happiness in the wrong places. The prodigal son in Luke 15 is one example. He turned from God to pursue sinful pleasures, but soon discovered that sin cannot satisfy...

Steam cars hit the U.S. market in the 1890s but were largely extinct by the 1930s. Will technology bring them back? Credit: Huw Williams (Huwmanbeing) / Wikipedia / Public Domain Imagine going out to your garage or driveway to get into your car. But instead of keys to get it started, you’ll be using matches or a blowtorch, because your car has a pilot light. For those who owned steam-powered automobiles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this was a daily reality. Before Henry Ford’s Model T revolutionized the affordability of internal combustion engines for Americans, steam-powered vehicles...

(Last Updated On: April 6, 2023) NATIONAL CINNAMON CRESCENT DAY It’s time to fill the home with warmth on National Cinnamon Crescent Day! Each year, this pastry holiday causes mouth-watering excitement on April 10th. #CinnamonCrescentDay The crescent-shaped dough is filled with sugar, cinnamon, and butter then rolled, shaped, and baked to a golden brown deliciousness. You can add icing for an extra sweet touch. While they are amazing served piping hot from the oven, these rolls also taste delicious once they’ve cooled down. Don’t hesitate to make extra, because they will not last long. A crescent roll is similar to...

Note: This article may contain commentary reflecting the author's opinion. Over the Easter weekend, Saturday Night Live (SNL) released a hilarious new skit mocking Democrats’ obsession over the Trump indictment that occurred earlier this week. The clip, which has already received hundreds of thousands of views, features liberals obsessed with the news of Trump’s arrest so much so that the clip acts as a commercial for a fake app called “CNZen.” HomeCommentaryWATCH: SNL Releases Hilarious Skit Mocking Democrats’ Trump Derangement Syndrome Following Indictment Note: This article may contain commentary reflecting the author's opinion. Over the Easter weekend, Saturday Night Live...

Pornofex: Was It Really Necessary? Even Francis' Friends Are BaffledWas it really necessary to invite a porn actress to explain to Francis that men were making specific requests to her for shooting nude videos?” the anti-Catholic La-Croix.com asked (April 6).La-Croix referred to Francis' Disney+ documentary "The Pope Answers" with 10 people in their early 20s, among them an internet prostitute and a former nun who now lives as a "lesbian". He told them that sex is a "beautiful thing."“Do you know Tinder?” asks Celia, one of the participants. Ignorant Francis admitted that he does not know it, but responded: “It’s...

Bud Light’s woke rebranding as the beer for pantomime women like Dylan Mulvaney and their allies will probably work, no matter how many times sane people like to tell ourselves, “Get woke, go broke.” Look at late-night TV for an example of just that. We’re decades removed from Johnny Carson’s universal appeal and total dominance of television’s wee small hours. Sure, Carson made political jokes. But he poked fun at both sides and never really revealed his own political preferences. Carson made fun of politicians’ human foibles — now that’s a target-rich environment — and his own. What Carson didn’t...