Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] The only Mass that was ever imposed by force upon the Church is not wantedN.B. The novus Ordo is a botched product. And a failed experiment. Sure, many people attend but there are always many people who just do what everyone else is doing for a variety of reasons. Some get paid to go, parish staffs and employees for example, some go because they are getting something like Catholic grade school or high school or sacraments like Confirmation. Some think that’s all there is. (Won’t they be surprised. And many constantly are when they finally discover what it...

District Attorney Nathan Hochman is sending a clear message about anyone looking to cause trouble as protesters gather for a fourth day in downtown Los Angeles. Hochman sat down for an interview with ABC7's Marc Cota-Robles on Monday. In the interview, Hochman made a clear distinction, emphasizing that his office does not have any knowledge or involvement in the federal immigration raids. Though, Hochman said that when peaceful protests cross the line to criminal conduct -- including vandalism and assaulting officers -- his office will enforce the law to the fullest extent. "Everything from vandalism, felony vandalism charges, assaulting police...

Thousands of workers spent years clearing the hillside and carving the stone from the mountain. According to a legend, workers who failed to produce the daily quota of crushed rock of at least 33 sheng were executed on the spot. In memory of all those who died at the construction site, including those who died from overwork and disease, a nearby village became known as Fentou, or "Grave Mound".After huge expense and unimaginable labor, the three parts were chiseled almost entirely free from the mountain. Then the engineers realized their emperor’s folly -- there was no way they could move...

Snaking for 200 miles across the inhospitable terrain of southern Mongolia, the so-called Gobi Wall is the least studied section of a system of medieval fortifications that once extended from China into Mongolia. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced that a research team has recently completed a comprehensive investigation of the structure, combining remote sensing, pedestrian survey, and targeted excavations. The study revealed that the wall was primarily constructed from rammed earth, stone, and wood during the Xi Xia period (a.d. 1038-1227 ), a dynasty ruled by the Tungut tribes of western China and southern Mongolia. However, evidence showed that...

Greta Thunberg has been detained in Israel and is currently being held in a jail cell after boarding an aid boat bound for Gaza, it has been confirmed. The 22-year-old climate activist is due to appear in court on Tuesday for allegedly entering the country illegally, according to her legal team. -snip- Israel's foreign ministry confirmed that the Madleen arrived at the port around 10pm local time, and that its passengers were "promptly sent off for medical examinations." Thunberg and the other activists are now facing proceedings in a court typically reserved for cases involving "illegal immigrants," according to her...

Five years ago South Korean archaeologists unearthed an elaborate 1,400-year-old grave at the site of Gyeongju, which once served as the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (c. a.d. 57-535). The tomb, dubbed 120-2, belonged to a high-status individual who had been buried while dressed in a wealth of ornamental attire including gold earrings, a silver belt, silver and beaded bracelets, and bronze shoes. The deceased was also wearing a gilt-bronze crown which, The Miami Herald reports, archaeologists have only recently realized was the most splendid object of them all, a one-of-a-kind item. Closer inspection revealed that the crown...

In May, the commander of Edwards Air Force Base, California, talked openly about the need for local leaders to prepare for a Pearl Harbor-like strike on his base and others inside the United States. Brig. Gen. Doug Wickert delivered “a sobering assessment of China’s growing military capabilities” in a briefing to community leaders, according to an Air Force press release. Wickert, commander of the 412th Test Wing, spoke at Antelope Valley College on May 7. Edwards Air Force Base is in the Mojave Desert, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. According to the press release, Wickert referenced the 1941...

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Eyewitness News spotted a handful of students who said they are staging a walkout at Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in downtown L.A. These students were on a mission to protect the people they love. "I have family members that are not documented," one student said. "It's scary thinking about, oh I'm going to go home and maybe they are not going to be there." The student got emotional, terrified of losing those she loves dearly.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., is departing Capitol Hill early, he announced on Monday. Green said he is leaving Congress for the private sector after the House votes again on President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" in the coming weeks, in a statement first obtained by Fox News Digital. "It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress. Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from...

To combat climate change, German towns and cities are busily implementing “heat plans”. Germany has ambitious climate neutrality goals, aiming to be climate-neutral by 2045. The lives of millions of people are at risk! The so-called Heat Planning Act went into force in January 2024 and legally obliges municipalities to develop these plans. Larger cities (over 100,000 inhabitants) have until mid-2026 to do so, and smaller towns until mid-2028. One key aspect is adapting to summer heatwaves and protecting public health. This includes measures such as public awareness campaigns about staying safe during heatwaves, establishing cooling centers and long-term urban...

Columns of tanks have arrived in Washington DC ahead of an enormous planned military parade to mark the US Army’s 250th anniversary, which coincides with President Trump’s birthday and Flag Day. A mile-long line of tanks, some of the 150 military vehicles set to take part in Saturday’s parade, arrived in the capital by freight train over the weekend, video shared on X by reporter Benjamin Alvarez shows. M1 Abrams tanks, M2 Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles, and M109 Paladin howitzers were among the equipment that arrived this past Saturday, ending a 1,300-mile journey from Texas that began on May...

... Gavin, 12 million people came into the country illegally. That was 3 million a year. That was 250,000 per month. That was over 8,000 a day. They have not been able to deport more than a thousand on most days—sometimes 500. They would have to deport 8,000 people every single day for four years to get back where we were with 20 million illegal aliens when President Joe Biden entered office. So, it’s not a quota, it’s an effort to stop an invasion. ...

LOS ANGELES, CA — Mass protests over the federal government's crackdown on illegal immigration received a touch of Latino flavor over the weekend, as one Mexican rioter added a lime wedge to his Molotov cocktail. The innovative twist occurred Sunday afternoon when a large mob of protesters clashed with law enforcement in downtown L.A., as a rioter later identified as 26-year-old Mexican national Alejandro Rodriguez stuffed a slice of lime into the opening of the Modelo bottle he used to fashion his improvised incendiary device. "This will add the perfect kick of citrus," Rodriguez was heard saying before lobbing the...

… Brian Higgins, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said, in most states, including California, the determination of a riot lies in whether multiple people are involved and whether they are committing acts of violence. "One person is not a riot and neither is a group that is nonviolent," he said. "They can even be breaking the law, like refusing to disperse. It's when you add in the factor of violence that it becomes a riot." … In California, a riot is defined as follows: "Any use of force or violence, disturbing the public...

Hundreds of Marines have been mobilized to Los Angeles after Donald Trump sent National Guard troops to quell the immigration protests. Chaos erupted after protesters clashed with immigration officials across downtown Los Angeles over the weekend, leading to three days of violence and 74 arrests. Looters targeted businesses across the city amid the demonstrations, which saw cars torched and security forces firing tear gas at rioters. Despite the National Guard's presence, the military is set to temporarily deploy about 700 Marines from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms to the city. It is unclear what grounds...

[Catholic Caucus] Monsignor Christory announces that Pope Leo XIV himself is praying for the pilgrims of Chartreshttps://x.com/ab_couet/status/1932125317495394691?s=46&t=IydJ-X8H6c0NM044nYKQ0w

~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, GeorgiaMarine Corps Logistics Base Albany is a United States Marine Corps base located just outside Albany, Georgia. The primary mission of the units on the base is to rebuild and repair ground combat and combat support equipment and to support installations on the East Coast of the United States. Today one of MCLB Albany’s most important facilities is the Marine Corps Logistics Command's Maintenance Center.Albany was chosen as the site for the logistics base after a two-year search in the early 1950s for a level area convenient to...

U.S. — Law enforcement agencies across the country saw a sudden surge of popularity today after word got out that they were shooting journalists with tear gas and rubber bullets. While the general public had been at least somewhat divided over law enforcement's crackdown on illegal aliens over the last several months, support for police exploded overnight after officers began to open fire on members of the mainstream media. "I was on the fence until I heard they were shooting reporters," said one citizen. "Once I found out that they were blasting journalists, I threw my support behind them, one...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom believes Donald Trump’s choice to deploy U.S. Marines into Los Angeles as the protests against ICE continue is the “deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President.” Trump initially announced Monday that 700 marines were being deployed into Los Angeles to support the National Guard as the city’s protest against the most recent ICE raids against undocumented individuals spilled into day four. Newsom was quick to fire back his thoughts on the escalation. “U.S. Marines have served honorably across multiple wars in defense of democracy. They are heroes,” Newsom wrote. “They shouldn’t be deployed on American soil facing...

The number of vacant houses in Japan has surged to a record high of nine million – more than enough for each person in New York City – as the east Asian country continues to struggle with its ever-declining population. Abandoned houses are known in Japan as “akiya” – a term that usually refers to derelict residential homes tucked away in rural areas.