Free Republic

For venture capitalists and startup entrepreneurs, 2023 was a year dedicated to the destructive phase of Joseph Schumpeter’s notion of creative destruction. Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in the second-largest bank failure in American history, 400,000 tech jobs were eliminated in what Wired dubbed “The Great Tech Layoffs,” and dozens of high-potential startups transformed from unicorns into “zombies.” Destruction is a necessary ingredient to creativity. Not all ideas are good, and not all firms can make it. Economic dynamism is predicated not just on the rapid generation and growth of winning startups, but also on the implosion of failed companies, which...

WASHINGTON, Thursday, Jan. 21. Gen. BUTLER'S departure to-day was full of interest to all the friends of prisoners in Richmond, who knew that he went away hopeful of being able to effect the exchange of all now pining in the Libby and Belle Isle within a month, if he is not again interfered with. He will not recede an inch from the high ground he has taken with the Confederate authorities. THE MARYLAND LEGISLATURE AND MR. LINCOLN. News comes from Annapolis to-night that the resolution introduced into the Maryland Legislature dominating Mr. LINCOLN cannot be passed through that body. PROSPECTS...

...Indeed, the exhibit as a whole emphasizes that views on reproductive ethics vary widely among people shaped by spiritual traditions. Artist and curator Caron Tabb initially conceived of Deeply Rooted after the leak of the Dobbs decision; she envisioned an exhibition that would explore Jewish views of abortion and reproductive justice and rebut Justice Alito’s assertion that “the right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the nation’s history and tradition.” But she broadened the scope over time, gathering works by 21 artists representing a range of beliefs and backgrounds.

A majority of voters think former President Barack Obama is influencing Joe Biden’s administration, and agree with a GOP congressman’s claim that Biden is really a “puppet” for progressives. . The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 63% of Likely U.S. Voters believe it is likely that Obama is influencing the policies of the Biden administration, including 40% who consider it Very Likely. Twenty-nine percent (29%) don’t think it’s likely the Biden administration is influenced by Obama, including 13% who say it’s Not At All Likely.

Add it all up, and the world abroad agrees America is in rapid decline and will not or cannot defend its interests, or for that matter itself. Lame-duck presidencies, especially in the last six months of their final term, in general can offer opportunities for America’s enemies to take advantage of a perceived vacuum as one government transitions to the next. But these normal changeover months are especially dangerous when a perceived weak or appeasing lame-duck president is likely to be replaced by a strong deterrent successor that will likely serve as a corrective to his disastrous policies. James Buchannan...

I just got back from Ukraine, where I was visiting some friends. Everything we have heard about what’s happening in Ukraine is a lie. The reality is darker, bleaker, and unequivocally hopeless. There is no such thing as Ukraine "winning" this war. - By their estimates, they have lost over one million of their sons, fathers and husbands; an entire generation is gone. - Even in the Southwest, where the anti-Russian sentiment is long-standing, citizens are reluctant or straight-up scared to publicly criticize Zelensky; they will go to jail. - In every village and town, the streets, shops, and restaurants...

On Sunday, Dr. Paul Alexander published a Substack article in which he stated that the so-called covid pandemic “was a PCR-manufactured, 95% false-positive, 0.05% IFR fraud fake, ‘no asymptomatic spread’ lie of a pandemic; nothing else. All of this pandemic was a lie.”He used the example of the luxury cruise ship the Diamond Princess and the Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier as proof that whatever was circulating was not a new virus. “Something” was always circulating in my opinion, he said.Referring to the Diamond Princess, he wrote: “The fact that on a ship of 3,700 [passengers], only 19% [of passengers] got...

Alex Soros, the son of George Soros, sends a message via his Twitter account that is troubling. Being subtle like a brick through a window the billionaire leftist posts a picture of a “Bullet Hole” and “$47.” President Donald Trump is going to be the 47th President. https://twitter.com/AlexanderSoros/status/1749234395192414308

The Kansas City Chiefs’ hard-fought win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs on Sunday night was decided by just three points. In Patrick Mahomes’ first-ever road playoff game, the Chiefs marched into Buffalo with a chip on their shoulders and delivered a remarkable performance to beat the Bills against seemingly all odds. Not all was well after their victory, though, as players from both sides of the ball had complaints about a lack of hot water in the locker room and fan behavior at Highmark Stadium after the game.

Jordan Peterson says “the war has barely started” after losing his bid to have the courts bar the College of Psychologists of Ontario from ordering him to undergo remedial social media training. On Tuesday, a panel of three judges with the Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed Peterson’s motion for leave to appeal an earlier decision by the Ontario Divisional Court. No reasons were given, which is normal for the appeal court. “A higher court in Canada has ruled that the Ontario College of Psychologists indeed has the right to sentence me to re-education camp. There are no other legal avenues...

The fictional John Wick, a retired assassin, got back into the business because bad guys killed his dog, a foolish decision resulting in almost 500 deaths at John Wick’s hands. That, of course, is the movies. Real life is Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) gunning politically for United Airlines (“UA”) because an airline executive, instead of apologizing after an employee manhandled Crenshaw’s dog, refused to acknowledge the airline’s error and, instead, attacked Crenshaw. I’m no Dan fan, but I can support him in his fight against an airline that is so committed to political correctness that it’s abandoned customer service and,...

The fourth victim who died when a plane built from a kit crashed in California has been identified as the son of a Zoom executive. Isaac Zimmern, 27, was with his long-time girlfriend Emma Wilmer-Shiles when they boarded the homemade aircraft piloted by their friend, Lochie Ferrier, who also died in the crash last week along with his fiancee, Cassidy Petit. Zimmern is the son of Johann Zimmern, 59, the head of Global Education Marketing at Zoom who lives in San Francisco’s Sunnyside neighborhood in a $1.1 million home, the International Business Times reports. The younger Zimmern was also living...

When cops stopped Antonio Sing-Ledezma's car following a shooting outside El Paso, Texas, in March and asked him if he had anything illegal on him, he didn't mention the handgun with the scratched-off serial number hidden in the vehicle. Sing-Ledezma, who did admit to having some marijuana and a glass pipe in his jacket pocket, told the officers that he had just been shot. When they asked him who pulled the trigger, however, he became uncooperative. A subsequent search of his vehicle turned up the weapon. A Mexican citizen wanted for murder in his home country who'd previously been deported...

TAIPEI, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Taiwan's export orders fell more than expected in their worst performance in six months in December, with the outlook for the island's high-tech products remaining poor due to growing doubts about global economic growth. Export orders last month slipped 16.0% from a year ago to $43.81 billion, the worst showing since July and well below the average analyst forecasts of a 0.25% decline predicted in a Reuters poll. Orders edged up 1.0% year-on-year in November. ... Weak demand for Taiwan's technology products amid global economic uncertainty has prompted the government to forecast that for 2023...

On Sunday, X owner Elon Musk called for members of the Patriot Front organization to be unmasked and questioned "Why doesn't the media or government care about their identities?" He asked. The comment came in response to X user Wall Street Silver, who theorized, "The fact that the legacy media shows zero curiosity about unmasking these guys, tells us 100% that these are federal agents or paid stooges of one of the agencies." "Seems like they should be followed and unmasked," Musk said.

In a powerful and impassioned speech, Dutch MEP Rob Roos pulls back the curtain on the globalist war on farmers within the EU parliament. “No farmers, no food, no future!” he declares, laying bare the stakes of this silent battle. According to Roos, the ruling class is orchestrating a systematic disappearance of farmers, implementing regulations that make their livelihoods increasingly untenable – all under the banner of climate action. He paints a vivid picture of the struggle faced by farmers, one regulation at a time.

Connecticut has passed a law allowing bears to be shot if they are or are about to injure people or pets or enter a building occupied by people. Florida is considering a similar but broader measure.As black bear populations have increased across the United States, more people and bear conflicts are occurring. Before 1960, bears had been considered a problem to be taken care of. In most states, they could be shot as pests. There was a legacy understanding – bears make for bad neighbors. Bears would kill your pigs, destroy your apple orchards, and your bee hives. Before 1950,...

The Sunshine State’s election cops have released a devastating report for those who insist there’s no such thing as voter fraud. The Florida Office of Election Crimes and Security (OECS) was created by Governor Ron DeSantis to receive and investigate election-related complaints. In most cases, the Office subsequently refers the complaints to appropriate county or state law enforcement entities. A few days ago (January 15, 2024), the OECS issued its latest annual report. Left-wing media will tell you that the agency did not find much fraud. Rather, it spent taxpayer funds to harass and confuse minority voters. But don’t believe...

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem The Scriptures In Handel’s Messiah Psalm 16:1010 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.(King James Version)______________________________________________God Bless America.ML/LTOS

Next step after this will have to be rounding up all the dogs and cats and throwing them into the meat grinder...