Free Republic

The Kleven family is suing under the Child Wrongful Death Act. A minivan driven by Brooke Kleven slid off an icy University Drive in Mishawaka on Dec. 31, 2019, sinking into a retention pond. 4-year-old James and 2-year-old Natalie Kleven both died. Brooke and her 3-month-old son Hendrik miraculously survived. Three St Joseph County 911 dispatchers resigned in the wake of the crash. An investigation showed "multiple mistakes" were made handling the call, including locating the pond, mistakenly muting the phone, and how the call was dispatched-- first as an accident, not as a "vehicle in the water." The lawsuit...

[Defiance, Ohio] Sixty hours of work today had nearly cleared the Baltimore & Ohio and the Wabash tracks at the junction in the west yards here of debris from 26 cars smashed and piled up in a $300,000 freight train wreck, caused by a stalled automobile worth $300. C.T. Williams, B&O division superintendent, said at noon today that the main east bound track would be back in service by 4 o’clock this afternoon but that some time will elapse before the west bound main track, requiring materials from railroad shops, is restored. Three railroad cranes, the city’s power shovel, and...

Dear Elected Officials of [City, State], Since you took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitutions both of [State of Residence] and of the United States, I and others are genuinely interested to know your answers to the following questions, as these will help us to be informed of your attitudes and qualifications for the offices you hold: 1.) What is meant by “the pursuit of happiness” as expressed by our founding fathers? 2.) What is the difference between a “right” and a “privilege?” 3.) In applying for and attaining to public office, were you ever officially questioned as...

First it was Buddy Miles. Then it was Tony Joe White. Now it's War. In each case, curiosity spurred by my personal music library resulted in digging deeper to learn how these artists did under live conditions, and what else they might demonstrate in the way of artistry. Until this evening, my ears never heard this band live. Moreover they were subject to the Top 40 Hits almost entirely, although I recall getting one of their albums through the Columbia House Record Club back in the day. The most distict aspects to their sound are these: the unison harmonica and...

Martin Luther, to all faithful and godly pastors and preachers: grace, mercy, and peace be yours in Jesus Christ, our Lord. The deplorable, miserable conditions which I recently observed when visiting the parishes have constrained and pressed me to put this catechism of Christian doctrine into this brief, plain, and simple form. How pitiable, so help me God, were the things I saw: the common man, especially in the villages, knows practically nothing of Christian doctrine, and many of the pastors are almost entirely incompetent and unable to teach. Yet all the people are supposed to be Christians, have been...

Like many who collect and assimilate an ecclectic mix of music for listening throughout the day, I long ago chose to include "Polk Salad Annie" by Tony Joe White in my ever-shuffled audio from Brian Eno to Jerry Mathers, with classical, jazz, and rock in between. A month or two ago it crossed my mind to see if Tony Joe White had any live performances worth checking out. This evening there was time and opportunity, and what an eye opener it has been! Below I will post a couple links to his live performance of 1980 in Austin, TX. For...

The current brouhaha over smoking has made everyone painfully aware of tobacco's effects on the body, but it has also obscured a more profound reason for smoking’s popularity: its relation to the soul. As the heyday of smoking passes into the ashheap of history, it is meet that we reflect on this connection. The soul, of course, is a complex thing. Long ago Plato suggested that we consider it as divided into three parts—the appetitive, spirited, and rational—that correspond to the three basic kinds of human desires: the desire to satisfy physical appetites, the desire for recognition, and the desire...

As one who enjoys an ecclectic music library and was born in an age when recorded music went from mono to stereo, it gives me joy to look back on the 70s when the industry was blossoming with analog recording, tube amps, and turntables. I also have been a participant in live music performance over the years. The occasions were rare that everything clicked. The audience. The acoustics. The sound system. The band chemistry. One of my best memories was playing Buddy Miles "Changes" at a wedding reception in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Today I decided to search out Buddy Miles...

Many there are who have attained public office and sworn an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. Alas, as we are now learning, for many both the oath and the Constitution are little more than a means to obtain power and abuse the liberty of common citizens. As a way to curb these abuses of power, I am here soliciting input from fellow FReepers - especially those who are well-schooled in Constitutional governance as it ought to be - to posit questions for those who aspire to public office as a way better to weed...

Hours after Representative Cheney (R-WY) broke from her 190 fellow Republicans to establish a “House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol,” she wasted no time in accepting an appointment to it. This move gave Pelosi’s Committee a façade of bi-partisanship and pre-emptively undercut Republican threats to boycott its committee appointments. On June 30th, Cheney issued a press release stating, “This investigation can only succeed if it is sober, professional, and non-partisan. The threat to our democracy is far too grave for grandstanding or political maneuvering. The Committee should issue and enforce subpoenas promptly,...

Greetings, The appalling events that unfolded in our nation’s capital on Wednesday have unleashed a host of mixed emotions in our country. The turbulence was the polar opposite of legitimate peaceful protest. Events on the national stage can often seem very distant from our day-to-day lives, but this challenge to our democracy brought home the importance of civil discourse. As your Public Library, we have the capability and capacity to be one of the places that bring people together. Libraries unite, not divide. We will continue to seek out ways to help right here in St. Joseph County. We’re one...

Shelly Berman improvised this monologue on New Year's Eve in 1956. Mom and Dad had the album. Every decade or so I listen to it. Berman's humor is certainly good for a hearty laugh. Hope you enjoy. A blessed Christmas and New Year to all y'all!

Ever since witnessing Dr. Bernard Nathanson’s film, The Silent Scream, I have been galvanized to speak up on behalf of those little ones whose screams will never be heard. They are our posterity. They are the very same people whose lives are to be safe and secure under the Constitution of the United States, as stated in its preamble: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do...

Given increasing incidents of vandalism and violence in our country, it seems prudent that the common people, who have an interest in maintaining the peace and keeping order, exercise the authority to guard and protect lives and property beyond their own homes, and do so in conjunction with higher levels of enforcement. To that end, I would suggest exploring the possibility of having local sheriffs vet and deputize able citizens, so that they may act in support of law enforcement more tangibly. That is to say, authorize them to stand guard in places where vandals are more inclined to wreak...

It is not just fireworks, but Christmas lights and a host of other things we can do better here than they do over there. That said, with a proud history of observing July 4th by way of booms, bangs, and bright lights celebrating independence from King George, I am hesitant to make use of products sold by Communist China this year. Why was I not in years past? Black Cat. M-80. Silver Salute. Lady Fingers. Zebra. Dixie Boy. Here is the thing: We should develop a fireworks industry that puts Communist China to shame. Not that our military does not...

OVID-19 has taken the world by storm. Hundreds of thousands are infected (possibly many times more than the confirmed cases), the list of dead is growing exponentially longer, and capitalist economies have come to a standstill, with a global recession now virtually inevitable. The pandemic had been predicted long before its appearance, but actions to prepare for such a crisis were barred by the cruel imperatives of an economic order in which “there’s no profit in preventing a future catastrophe,” Noam Chomsky points out in this exclusive interview for Truthout. Chomsky is emeritus professor of linguistics at MIT and laureate...

A covid cure from my missionary friend Pablo Yoder : "He is the Hero!" Dear readers, The world is desperate and so helpless as it confronts this microscopic virus called Coronavirus. No wonder, they don't fear God. So they fear everything else. We fear God, so we don't have to fear everything else. He has it under control. But yes, we are concerned at what is happening to this world. We all would love to come up with answers to save people from so much suffering and even death. A lot of you have probably heard about the testimony of...

Beware the First Horseman of the Apocalypse!! Going back to Leviticus 26, there is a Biblical archetype of “the four horsemen of the apocalypse.” It’s a four-fold judgment from God going forth over the world. The archetype “takes on flesh” in Revelation 6 with four literal horsemen. Most understand three out of four horsemen as war, famine, and pestilence. But there is debate about what the first one is, particularly in Revelation 6. It’s “a white horse.” And “He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to...

The extraordinary shutdown, if continued, will have harmful consequences that go far beyond the economy. A short period of decisive action to buy time to prepare may be prudent. But ongoing measures of mass mobilization are likely to do severe damage to our society. The Wall Street Journal editorial “Rethinking the Coronavirus Shutdown” warns of the economic consequences of a prolonged lockdown. We could be heading toward a drastic decline in GDP. This will dislocate the lives of tens of millions and exact human costs, not just economic ones. Already, federal officials are gearing up to spend one trillion dollars....

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve heard various friends and colleagues express their suspicions regarding the timing of the Coronavirus pandemic, surfacing as it has in the midst of this election year. Some have suggested that the virus may have been manufactured and deliberately released, whereas others have felt that the whole situation has been hyped and overblown for the purpose of undermining President Trump’s administration. To be sure, sadly but not at all surprisingly, there are surely many people attempting to politicize the pandemic to their own advantage. I’ve had my own cynical suspicions along these lines, especially...