Free Republic

From COVID, to the Second Amendment, to systemic racism and more, facts take a back seat in various government-endorsed narratives. Narrative is a “a representation of a particular situation or process in such a way as to reflect or conform to an overarching set of aims, goals, themes, or values.” A narrative is a story – actual, distorted, even fabricated – created to convince others of narrator’s position or to justify narrator’s action. Progressive-dominated Washington, aided and abetted by complicit media, has repeated narratives that are said to be widely accepted, yet are demonstrably false. Just like Dorothy in the...

The unvaccinated were found to have a slightly lower risk.. Findings in a new study challenge the mainstream narrative that COVID-19 vaccinations prevent long COVID. The study found that while previous infections reduce the risk of long COVID by 86 percent, vaccination status prior to COVID infection is irrelevant to a person's risk of developing long COVID. “The notion had been that both previous infection as well as vaccination reduce the chances of subsequent long COVID should you become infected,” Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told The Epoch Times. These...

It’s now more than sixty years since the independence movement in the late 1950s and early 1960s transformed nearly all of sub-Saharan Africa into independent countries. Hopes soared for a new era of progress and prosperity. But six plus decades on, with essentially no exceptions (maybe Botswana?), the 49 countries of sub-Saharan Africa are about as poor as ever. The New York Times treats the subject in a big piece by Patricia Cohen a few days ago on September 18. Sorry if this is behind their paywall, but I subscribe to this stuff so that you don’t have to. In...

The reason a US Marine Corps pilot ejected from his F-35B stealth fighter jet last weekend remains unknown, but a government agency report on the dismal state of the F-35 fleet's maintenance provides a few clues. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which coincidentally released its report the same week the search for the now-recovered crashed F-35 was happening, found that the DoD's fleet of the fighter craft "face costly maintenance issues" that have led to an average of just 55 percent of them being ready for action at any given time. For reference, the DoD's goals for the...

For many kids, playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) is a dream come true. But for many ballers plucked out of high school or fresh out of college, getting drafted and earning millions of dollars isn’t the fast break they think it is. **SNIP** Kenny Anderson Chris Washburn Delonte West Rick Mahorn Tim Duncan Erick Strickland Glen Rice Gilbert Arenas Larry Johnson Randy Brown Dan Issel Derrick Coleman Jason Caffey Antoine Walker David Harrison Latrell Sprewell more...

Two freshman House Republicans say their willing to end-run their party’s leadership and working with Democrats to fund the government – as their conference is locked in an internal stalemate threatening to shut down the government. Reps. Marc Molinaro and Mike Lawler, who both represent New York’s Hudson Valley-area districts that voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, said they’re willing to consider using a “discharge petition” to force votes on a short-term funding bill. The rarely used legislative maneuver allows lawmakers to force a vote on legislation even if the House speaker doesn’t want to bring it up for...

On today's #NCFWhittle we are joined once again by Professor Doug Stokes, Professor of International Relations at the University of Exeter, and author of the new book "Against Decolonisation: Campus Culture Wars & The Decline of the West". Following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, a moral panic gripped the US and UK. To atone for an alleged history of racism, statues were torn down and symbols of national identity attacked. Across universities, fringe theories became the new orthodoxy, with a cadre of activists backed by university technocrats adopting a binary worldview of moral certainty, sin and deconstructive redemption...

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According to this news video from ABC7 News Bay Area, the San Francisco government is knowingly and deliberately allowing a major fencing operation to buy and sell stolen goods just one-and-a-half blocks from a police station.The TV station interviewed a victim of a car break-in. He had put GPS trackers in his items that had been stolen. He used them to track his stolen items. When he told a police officer, the police officer said they already knew about the fencing operation, but didn’t do anything to help the guy get his possessions back.The police don’t care. The government doesn’t...

Jack Smith has filed a ‘gag order’ against former President Donald Trump, aiming to restrict public statements that could potentially influence the outcome of an ongoing trial. The order seeks to prevent comments that might sway the trial’s result or bias potential jurors, the prosecution argues. Smith’s order cites the court’s “duty” to shield the trial process from external influences that could materially prejudice its proceedings. The order stipulates that parties involved in the case, including their attorneys, are barred from making or authorizing public statements, including on social media platforms, that carry a significant likelihood of causing material prejudice...

Join with fellow FREEPERS across the world to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, Technology, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) So, our weapon against Satan in this world is Truth — especially the truth of the Gospel of the Cross of Christ. Our great mission is the deliverance of the world. Tell them...

But the American people don’t see the economy the same way the White House does; about 16% of Americans believe the economy is getting better while 56% of U.S. adults say the economy is getting worse, according to the YouGov Poll. While the White House boosts its economic record and ability to create more jobs, more Americans have been taking part-time work and even second jobs as high inflation and increased prices have affected American wallets. Inflation rose to 3.7% in August, according to the New York Post. Additionally, Americans’ incomes have fallen for the third straight year in the...

Parts of the Pacific Northwest are about to be hit with the first powerful storm series of the coming winter season, an impact that will bring some whiplash for the region as it goes from severe drought to flash flooding...The main culprit is a storm that will rapidly intensify to the south of the Gulf of Alaska. It is forecast to reach "bomb cyclone" status over the weekend before unleashing fury on the Pacific Northwest into next week.

Philadelphia's sheriff on Thursday disputed a city controller report that determined that the sheriff's office couldn't account for 185 guns that the controller's office says are missing. Sheriff Rochelle Bilal said at a news conference that the controller's report released earlier this week contained "misleading statements," and she questioned the controller's review. Acting City Controller Charles Edacheril said his office conducted the review as a follow-up to a 2020 report that found the sheriff’s office couldn’t account for more than 200 weapons. That report stated that the office had haphazard recordkeeping practices and unclear procedures regarding the handling of guns....

President Biden Friday afternoon announced the creation of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention that he said would be led by Vice President Kamala Harris. Through his executive order, Biden said he was "determined to send a clear message about how important this issue is to me and to the country." He added that after every mass shooting he hears to the same plea to "do something." "‘Do something to prevent tragedy that leaves behind survivors who will always carry the physical and emotional scars,’" he said. "Well, my administration has been working relentlessly to do something."...

Child sex trafficking is said to be the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprise, with an estimated two million child victims being abducted and sold into sexual bondage annually. The true numbers may be even higher; the dark world in which child traffickers operate does not lend itself to easy quantification. And despite occasional acknowledgment of this massive crisis by the United Nations, the U.S. State Department, and the FBI, relatively little has been done to bring the trafficking kingpins to justice or to break up the trafficking networks.According to a 2012 UNICEF report, around 30 million children were trafficked globally...

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said on Friday that he does not "respect" people who are "misbehaving in public and acting like they know what’s right for kids." Cardona gave a video interview with the Associated Press discussing the state of education in the U.S., including the recent Supreme Court decisions on race-based admissions and President Biden’s attempt to relieve student debt. Cardona was also prompted to address his past comments saying that public education was "under attack." "I wonder whether this is something other education secretaries have had to grapple with," AP reporter Collin Binkley asked Cardona. "I [sic]...

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has, or has had, ties to 143 school districts in the United States, including 20 near military bases, through its “Confucius Classrooms,” according to a recent report, “Little Red Classrooms: China’s Infiltration of American K-12 Schools” by Parents Defending Education (PDE), a grassroots organization.

This week, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) was indicted on federal bribery charges. Federal agents found more than $480,000 in cash, $100,000 in gold bars, and a key to a safe deposit box with $70,000 in it owned by his wife Nadine during a search of their home. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn) called for Menendez to resign, saying "a member of Congress who appears to have broken the law is someone who I believe should resign." Eric Holder, also demanded Menendez's resignation. "As both a leader in the Democratic Party, a former Attorney General, and given the seriousness of the charges,...

Night Moves (Live/Remastered) · Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Nine Tonight ℗ 2011 Hideout Records & Distributors, Inc., under exclusive license to Capitol Records Released on: 1981-09-05 Producer: Bob Seger Producer: Punch Composer Lyricist: Bob Seger