Free Republic

Todays Topic: Vlad the Impaler. If you go off point though, that's OK.

Hiya kids! Hiya, Hiya!Good Morning Crypto-FReepers.I see some of the same old faces out there.But that's OK - I like you anyway.Today's quote from a masterYour clues should be interesting.Ha Ha Ha!I'll be good - I will, (like heck) I will. Ha ha ha.This is today's quote: DEZW BWT NUFO XWRUGZW NAWM AUPW ZQBWNAETK NQ ZUM.JQQFZ NUFO XWRUGZW NAWM AUPW NQ ZUM ZQBWNAETK.- VFUNQ

Earlier today, our team arrived at the office to find our Aftermath Traveling Memorial van had been broken into and vandalized. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time our van has been broken into and its windows smashed. This is the second time we’re experiencing this same vandalism — just within the last year. It’s frustrating, costly, and serves as a reminder that not everyone welcomes the life-saving message we bring to communities across Kansas. As disappointing as this incident was, it didn’t shake our resolve to continue speaking up for vulnerable women and preborn babies. We take the Aftermath Traveling...

The Army, Navy and Space Force have completed the first test at sea of an experimental electronic warfare system designed to disrupt navigation data used by enemy precision weapons. The maritime version of “Hammer of the Gods” was tested off Southern California in mid-July during Project Convergence-Capstone 6, the Army’s largest experiment involving emerging battlefield technology. The military said the counter-positioning, navigation and timing system was successfully deployed, controlled and recovered during the test. The Army has not disclosed the system’s range, contractor, cost or anticipated fielding date. It also has not said whether the experiment disrupted live signals or...

Most humanoid robots share a single design assumption: that the human body is the template worth copying. Two legs, two arms, upright posture. The logic is intuitive. Factories, vehicles, and buildings were built for people, so machines that fit through the same doors and operate the same tools should slot right in. But the human body is not optimized for dangerous work. Bipedal robots are inherently unstable, requiring constant active computation just to remain upright. Lose power on a two-legged system and it topples. Put one on uneven terrain and the control problem multiplies. The robotics industry has responded with...

"... How you, notably the younger generations, should accept your own demise as Americans while foreigners steal your wealth. He doubles down on devaluing heritage Americans, calling it tribalism. Listen, and then show this to everyone you know especially the 50 + voters. Keep showing it until they understand what is at stake." ...

Iran’s Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, published a video on Monday encouraging supporters to assassinate US first lady Melania Trump. The Persian-language video, which used publicly available information, named several department stores in midtown Manhattan where the president’s wife is known to shop. It mentioned security measures taken ahead of her visits, such as the removal of garbage cans from the street, that indicate she is likely to make a trip there. The clip encouraged “freedom fighters” to use a nerve agent to poison Melania. It named three of the first lady’s personal stylists and...

George and Amal Clooney have been forced to evacuate their home in south-eastern France as a wildfire burned nearby, his agent confirmed to Associated Press on Thursday. The Clooneys bought their hilltop estate, Domaine du Canadel, in Brignoles in the Var in 2021 and it has since become their primary residence. Last December, the French government awarded the whole family – including the couple’s nine-year-old twins – French citizenship. In a letter to Didier Bremond, the mayor of Brignoles, the actor wrote that while “at this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible...

The "Shawshank Redemption" star said he turned to the Amazonian psychedelic brew with one goal in mind — to stop being "consumed" by outrage over what he sees as the unraveling of modern society. Robbins said his psychedelic experience was an intense spiritual journey that included what he described as an encounter with his late mother. "What she said was, 'You're injured. You're a warrior, and you're injured and you need to rest, but the fight's not over,'" Robbins recalled. "I was battling my frustration with the dissolution of society, people being angry at each other over ridiculous things, long...

You may have recently realized that prominent figures can easily slide off the hook by pleading the Fifth Amendment, but did you know it's possible to plead the Fifth at home as well? Husbands, stop incriminating yourselves by simply pleading the Fifth when faced when any of these eight questions: "If I die first, how long until you remarry?": There is no answer here that does not lead to your untimely death. "Am I becoming like my mother?": Brother, this is why the Fifth Amendment was invented. "Are you sad you married me and not my sister Rachel?": Keep...

Investigators have extensive wiretap evidence and may soon charge several individuals in a sprawling corruption probe involving Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer Newsom. It was reported earlier this month that the FBI used a Democrat insider as an informant to infiltrate Governor Gavin Newsom’s inner circle before the corruption probe expanded into the governor and his wife Jennifer Newsom. Recall that Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, was indicted on federal wire fraud charges last year. Last month, Newsom fumed as he announced the corruption probe had expanded, and he and his wife are now under investigation. Newsom...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Vandalism targeting automated license plate readers has ignited a local debate over public safety and digital surveillance in the Beaches communities, echoing growing privacy concerns felt across the nation. The investigation began on June 29 when an Atlantic Beach police officer noticed several Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras, commonly known as “Flock” cameras, had not been working. A physical inspection revealed that multiple camera lenses across the area had been intentionally disabled with spray paint. Similar incidents of vandalism happened in Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach. Police have since arrested 19-year-old River Blair of Jacksonville Beach...

DUX ABDF LN DUF YISSIK ABDF IA BGG; LKDI FBYU GLAF NISF OBLK SPND ABGG. -- UFKOX JBVNJIODU GIKRAFGGIJ Clue: Look in the comments

THE ORIGIN “The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2” publication — which was used repeatedly by public health officials and the media to discredit the lab leak theory — was prompted by Dr. Fauci to push the preferred narrative that COVID-19 originated naturally. 1. The virus possesses a biological characteristic that is not found in nature. 2. Data shows that all COVID-19 cases stem from a single introduction into humans. This runs contrary to previous pandemics where there were multiple spillover events. 3. Wuhan is home to China’s foremost SARS research lab, which has a history of conducting gain-of-function research (gene altering...

We went undercover inside smoke shops and bodegas across New York City to answer a simple question: Would retailers accept taxpayer-funded EBT benefits to pay for alcohol or drugs? Store after store attempted to process EBT cards for kratom, a psychoactive substance that is not eligible for purchase with SNAP or EBT benefits. One clerk attempted to process the purchase as “EBT Cash.” Another processed it as “EBT Food”, treating kratom as if it were groceries. Federal law 7 CFR 278 and 7 U.S.C 2012 prohibits retailers from accepting SNAP or EBT benefits for non-food items, including drugs, alcohol, and...

Soren Aldaco, an emerging leader in the “detransitioner” movement, began identifying as transgender at age 11. Growing up in Texas, she’d gone down “a rabbit hole of websites and niche online forums” trying to figure out who she was. As a teen, deeply distressed and diagnosed with a variety of mental illnesses, she became fixated on the idea that hormone treatment and surgeries might provide some relief.At age 17 her stepmother took her to a nurse practitioner the family had met at a support group. He prescribed testosterone and estrogen blockers 30 minutes later. At age 19, she underwent “top...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Science has declined to answer any questions to avoid incriminating itself for crimes it may have committed. Upon being brought in for a Congressional hearing over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Science stated that it was advised by its attorneys to not answer questions so as to not to provide damaging witness against itself. "Science has elected to exercise its fifth amendment right to not provide testimony that may be used against it in criminal proceedings," said Science's attorney Jay Varner. "This decision should in no way be taken as an admission of guilt by Science....

@RandPaul Instead of answering our very serious questions, Anthony Fauci pleaded the 5th 111 times throughout our hearing. This is where we go from here.

There are a lot of voices out there. Do you know which ones your car is listening to? If you're not careful, your own vehicle may fall under the spell of a dangerous and radical ideology. Here are some of the signs that your car may have been radicalized: The beard and turban are dead giveaways: This might be your first clue that something is wrong. The GPS navigation voice keeps shouting "Allahu Akbar!" instead of saying normal things like, "At the light, make a left": It almost certainly didn't come like that from the factory. The brakes seem...

The food holiday was first celebrated in 1977, when Stan Makowski, the mayor of Buffalo, New York, declared July 29 to be National Chicken Wing Day. The origin of the chicken wing is believed to be traced back to 1964, when Teressa Bellissimo, owner of Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, created the snack for her son and his friends. At the time, chicken wings were typically used for soup stock, but she deep fried them and tossed them in butter and hot sauce.