Free Republic

Something interesting is happening inside the plumbing of the global financial system. It was reported yesterday that the Netherlands just shifted approximately 86 tonnes of its gold reserves from New York and Ottawa to London, explicitly citing “increasing geopolitical unrest” and the need to prepare for severe crises. The Dutch central bank says gold held in London can be accessed and traded more quickly during an emergency than gold stored in New York or Canada. That is some wonderfully sanitized central-bank language to deliver a message that seems to me to be “confidence in the U.S. holding the world’s gold…and...

Philosophy and Christianity base themselves on goals. Communism has another basis entirely. Greek philosophy was defined by goals of life as communicated by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle and, following them, by the Stoics such as Zeno, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, and others. With the acceptance and spread of Christianity, we see many erudite lights of wisdom, such as Augustine, Aquinas, Roger Bacon, and others. These and others advanced the idea that the Word of God and men’s faith in that Word and in Christ are the source of a living, true knowledge of God. Many of the Catholic and...

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) HEAVEN OR HELL . . .IT’S YOUR CHOICE . . . CHOOSE JESUS!

1. What exactly are the Flock product offerings for neighborhoods? Our core offerings include: LPR (License Plate Reader), Video (Live & Recorded), AI-Powered Gunshot Detection..... 3. Who owns the footage, and who can access it? You do. As the customer, your community owns the footage and determines who has access..... 6. How long is data stored (both LPR & Video)? Currently, footage is retained for 30 days unless downloaded or flagged earlier.... 8. Does Flock support formal and informal communities (i.e., those without HOAs)? Absolutely. Even without a formal HOA, residents can form LLCs or partnerships to fund and manage...

The federal judge handling the legal battle over new U.S. Postal Service mail ballot rules extended her block of the rules for the November midterm elections in an order issued on Friday, again finding them likely unlawful. Judge Indira Talwani's temporary order, which had been set to expire on Sept. 10, is now in place indefinitely unless a higher court allows the Trump administration to put the rules into effect. The judge found that immediate implementation of the rules this close to the November election, prompted by President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at tightening access to mail ballots, "threatens...

Socialist Michigan House hopeful William Lawrence pined for the speedy demise of centrist Democratic lawmakers getting in the way of lefty policies in twisted song lyrics he penned and then posted on social media. Lawrence, the Democratic candidate in Michigan’s battleground 7th Congressional District, explained in a since-deleted X post unearthed by CNN Friday that he was inspired to write the profane tune after then-Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin came out against former President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion Build Back Better plan. “So long, thanks for the memories […] Our generation says f–k you for everything […] From these...

Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal took heat from black lawmakers Friday after she referred to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as an “AIPAC monkey.” Jebreal used the racial epithet during an appearance on lefty commentator Wajahat Ali’s “The Left Hook” podcast, as she criticized the black Democrat’s support for Israel and accused him of doing the bidding of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). “His name is Hakeem. ‘Hakeem’ is an Arabic name which means ‘healer.’ He’s not a healer, he’s a divider,” Jebreal raged. “He is a bought and paid by AIPAC monkey,” she continued. “With all due...

Clancy copycat? As previously reported, a 2-year-old child was found unresponsive in the basement of a Frankfort, Illinois, home on Tuesday. The child was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The mother, Corie Walsh, 38, was charged with murder on Friday. A 17-year-old called 911, and when police arrived at the home, the child’s mother was attempting self-harm. It is unclear how the child died. The incident was being investigated as a homicide, and on Friday, police announced that Corie Walsh was charged with murder and is in custody being held for medical treatment. Walsh will be transferred to Will...

At least 10 killed and 62 wounded in an explosion at a military base in Bolivia... At the Pentagon about 50 officials for the Joint Chiefs of Staff given polygraph... Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky says that President Trump's executive order on beef labeling falls short... US and Chinese officials are expected to discuss AI...safety risks... A new era of "Artificial General Intelligence" (AGI) has been proclaimed by Open AI CEO Greg Brockman... A federal district judge extending her order blocking US Postal Service mail-in ballot rules... Two killed in an Israeli attack on a motorcycle in southern Lebanon......

Growing up in rural Western New York, the Very Rev. Micah Cronin couldn’t have imagined his present role as dean of the Episcopal cathedral in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was raised in more conservative churches, and as a young adult, “I did not feel that I fit there,” he said, because they were not fully accepting of him as a transgender man. At the same time, Cronin’s faith was as central to his identity as his gender, and he told himself, “I don’t think it’s feasible to me to not be Christian.” Then at age 19, he began attending worship services...

Maine’s highest court has ruled that a father can prevent his daughter from attending a Calvary Chapel with her mother in a contested custody case after a lower court accepted an expert's claim that the congregation is akin to a "cult." The Maine Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) released a unanimous ruling Tuesday in Emily A. Bickford v. Matthew A. Bradeen, authored by Chief Justice Valeria Stanfill. At issue is an order of “shared parental rights and responsibilities” between Bickford and Bradeen, in which the two disagreed over who would control their child’s religious upbringing. Bradeen objected to Bickford bringing the...

Daily Readings from the USCCBWhile Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” Luke 6:1–2Though Jesus’ public ministry was still in its early stages, confrontations with the religious leaders had already become frequent. This episode marks the fourth recorded instance of such tension. In the previous days, the Pharisees had accused Jesus of blasphemy for forgiving the paralytic before healing him, of scandal for eating with tax collectors...

The following is the full question I asked: "In his book "A letter on the abolition of the slave trade", why did William Wilberforce defend abolitionists, though not excuse abolitionists, who decided to continue personal slave ownership through their fight for abolition? Why did he insist this is not a form of hypocrisy?" Response:Yes. The key is that Wilberforce is making a distinction between opposing the slave trade and immediately abolishing slavery itself. That distinction can seem morally uncomfortable to a modern reader, but it is central to his argument.What Wilberforce was defendingIn A Letter on the Abolition of the...

Having been chosen as a navigator to deliver the atomic bomb, Dutch Van Kirk recalls the precautions that were taken to ensure his aircraft would not be harmed by the blast. Comparing the differences between the B-17 aircraft he flew in over Europe and the B-29 he flew in delivering the first atomic bomb to Hiroshima, Dutch gives a detailed account of his mission on August 6, 1945. Dutch Van Kirk: Enola Gay Navigator Discusses Atomic Bomb Drop on Hiroshima | 14:36 Witness to War | 526,511 views | August 6, 2025 Last Surviving Crew Member Has 'No Regrets' About...

A Virginia mother of five was convicted of "contributing to the delinquency of a minor" last week for allowing her 5-year-old son to walk from home to a nearby pond to collect goose feathers in their gated community earlier this summer. Karyann Parkinson, a law clerk who was eight months pregnant at the time of the incident, was also placed on a government child abuse and neglect registry, where she will remain for seven years. The judge immediately suspended a six-month jail sentence, but the charge remains. Now her attorney is planning an appeal that's expected to go to trial...

Washington — Some of the highest-ranking officials in the U.S. military were subjected to polygraph tests as part of a sweeping leak probe after highly sensitive classified details about the nation's stockpiles of sophisticated weapons were reported in the media, U.S. officials briefed on the matter told CBS News. President Trump was furious about the leaks, according to three of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. A very small set of people had access to the classified details on the munitions, and there was concern about whether anyone could potentially be acting as a foreign intelligence asset, one...

Americans who may be planning a trip to Libya are being urged to reconsider those plans, as the U.S. State Department has issued its strongest possible travel warning. The department recently updated Libya’s Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory, warning Americans not to visit the country for any reason due to crime, terrorism, health concerns, unrest, kidnapping and landmines. The overall advisory level did not change. “Do not travel to Libya for any reason,” the advisory states. The State Department warns that clashes between armed groups and government-aligned forces can break out at any time — while weapons are widespread...

In the 1970’s, famous feminist Gloria Steinem said: “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” The message: Women are self-reliant, and men are superfluous. Men are unnecessary and incompatible with women. Her cynical view was, no doubt, colored by her father’s abandonment. At our core, human beings are relational. Attachment to others is a basic human need. Our first attachment is to our parents. From our mothers we absorb what it means to be a woman. From our fathers, we learn how women ought to be treated by men. These kinds of lessons cannot come from...

A Burning Man attendee died after experiencing a ‘medical emergency’ at the music festival, The Burning Man Project announced. Tens of thousands of ‘Burners’ flocked to the Nevada desert this year to engage in debauchery. Burning Man is a yearly drug-infested music and art festival in Northern Nevada, in Black Rock City. Attendees engage in sexually degenerate activities such as “whippings by a dominatrix priestess,” “circle jerks,” “c*ck fights” and orgies. Last year, a wicked dust storm kicked up on the first day of the festival and it ruined camp sites. Winds reached more than 45 miles per hour. This...

[Catholic Caucus] St. Pius X: Defending Tradition Without Abandoning the Church On the feast of St. Pius X, Catholics face a familiar battle: defending the integrity of the Faith while remaining faithful to the Church and the Papacy. In an age of Modernism, TLM restrictions, and deepening divisions, the great pope's example offers a powerful lesson in truth, charity, and Catholic fidelity.On September 3, the 1962 Roman Calendar exhorts Catholics to commemorate St. Pius X, a pope whose very name has become a banner for those who believe the one true Catholic Faith must be preserved and defended in its...