Free Republic 3rd Qtr 2026 Fundraising Target: $81,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $2,002
2%  
Woo hoo!! And our first 1% is in!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

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  • ๐‚๐€๐“๐Ž ๐๐Ž๐‹๐‹: ๐Ÿ”๐Ÿ% ๐Ž๐… ๐†๐„๐ ๐™ ๐‚๐€๐โ€™๐“ ๐’๐€๐˜ ๐–๐‡๐€๐“ ๐€๐Œ๐„๐‘๐ˆ๐‚๐€ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“๐ŸŽ ๐„๐•๐„๐ ๐‚๐Ž๐Œ๐Œ๐„๐Œ๐Ž๐‘๐€๐“๐„๐’

    07/04/2026 10:26:04 PM PDT · by Republican Wildcat · 10 replies
    As the country marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a new ๐‚๐š๐ญ๐จ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ž survey lands like a gut punch: nearly half of all Americans โ€” ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ”% โ€” donโ€™t know what America 250 is actually celebrating. Among Gen Z, itโ€™s worse: ๐Ÿ”๐Ÿ% couldnโ€™t say. Laura Ingraham didnโ€™t hold back on air: โ€œ๐˜ž๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ตโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜จ๐˜ฐ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ด? ๐˜ˆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜บ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ˆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ข ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ช๐˜ค ๐˜ฑ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜บ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฏโ€™๐˜ต ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต? ๐˜–๐˜ณ ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜บ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ถ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฉ๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜จ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜บ?โ€ The answer, judging by the numbers, is...
  • How Much Money Do You Really Need to Retire? New Research Says It Starts With One Simple Question

    07/04/2026 9:04:01 PM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 24 replies
    For decades, retirement advice has focused on one question: How much should you save? But two veteran financial experts argue thatโ€™s the wrong place to start.The stock market has rewarded investors handsomely over the long run, and with major indexes hovering near record highs again, itโ€™s easy to assume that simply investing consistently will be enough to fund a comfortable retirement.History suggests otherwise.According to retirement researchers Edward McQuarrie and William Bernstein, building a successful retirement has less to do with chasing market returns and more to do with understanding the kind of life you actually want to live.Their upcoming book,...
  • [Vanity] Cool moment at Braves game today, when home crowd sings Country Roads, and the Braves batter ... ;-)

    07/04/2026 7:46:58 PM PDT · by Blueflag · 11 replies
    Fox News and others ^ | 7/4/26 | Zack Dean
    Baseball has some really cool moments now and then. This is one. Some background: 1. Since College Baseball World Series, and 2. Several recent World Cup games ... Fans have taken up singing John Denver's "Country Roads." Well at today's Brave's home game, when our star catcher came up to bat (he's a good hitter) the crowd started signing 'take me home, country roads,' And Olsen (the batter) LAUNCHED a home run far into the right field stands. The crowd sang loudly and cheerfully as he circled the bases. Happy Birthday, USA.
  • 4th of July celebration goes horribly wrong as fireworks shot into crowd at Angel City show

    07/04/2026 5:18:17 PM PDT · by Libloather · 16 replies
    NY Post ^ | 7/04/26 | Daniel Farr
    A 4th of July weekend celebration turned into a fiery nightmare when fireworks went screaming into the stands at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles โ€” sending panicked fans scrambling for cover. Just minutes after Angel City FC defeated the Orlando Pride 2-0, the clubโ€™s Independence Day weekend pyrotechnics display went haywire. Instead of launching into the sky, multiple mortars allegedly fired sideways across the field and toward packed seating sections. โ€œThe end is actually the worst. I saw several flames go into the crowd. It was terrifying!โ€ one shaken Reddit user wrote. Another fan said the experience was still haunting...
  • Nearly a dozen members of wealthy Soros clan pouring money into House and Senate midterm races

    07/04/2026 5:05:59 PM PDT · by Libloather · 20 replies
    NY Post ^ | 7/04/26 | Gabrielle Fahmy
    Nearly a dozen members of the wealthy Soros family collectively poured more than $1.6 million to Congressional candidatesโ€™ midterm campaigns so far, The Post has learned. The donations suggest the clanโ€™s grip on American politics extends even beyond patriarch George Soros and his son Alex, who took control of his fatherโ€™s $25 billion empire ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Topping the list of the other members of the clan was Georgeโ€™s son from his first marriage, Jonathan Soros and his wife Jennifer Allan Soros, who together donated $380,000 to House and Senate races all over the country. Jonathan, 55,...
  • Iranian security bars โ€˜probably gayโ€™ disfigured supreme leader from his fatherโ€™s funeral โ€” fearing Israel would strike again

    07/04/2026 4:13:36 PM PDT · by Libloather · 14 replies
    NY Post ^ | 7/04/26 | Gabrielle Fahmy
    Heโ€™s still AWOL. Iranโ€™s โ€œprobably gayโ€ and badly disfigured new supreme leader has reportedly been barred from showing up at his own fatherโ€™s funeral. Mojtaba Khamenei asked to perform rites over his father Ali Khameneiโ€™s dead body, when the late ayatollah is set to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9 wrapping up the dayslong state funeral. But security officials told him no deal, according to two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps who spoke to the New York Times. Khameneiโ€™s security team reportedly believes Israel would try to assassinate him if he shows his face...
  • White supremacist group marches on Washington, DC โ€” toting Confederate flags during 4th of July celebration

    07/04/2026 3:53:30 PM PDT · by Libloather · 69 replies
    NY Post ^ | 7/04/26 | David Spector
    Hundreds of masked white supremacists descended on the nationโ€™s capital, proudly waving Confederate flags during the 250th Independence Day celebration. The demonstrators were seen wearing hats emblazoned with the logo for the Patriot Front โ€” a white nationalist group founded by Thomas Rousseau after the 2017 โ€œUnite the Rightโ€ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to George Washington Universityโ€™s Program on Extremism. Counterprotester Heather Heyer was infamously killed at that rally when a madman plowed into her and several others. Members of the group were snapped riding the DC Metro Saturday. In one shot, a black woman sitting on the train...
  • Worldโ€™s first cockroach diving suit actually works

    07/04/2026 3:49:20 PM PDT · by VanShuyten · 13 replies
    Popular Science ^ | 7/1/2026 | Mack DeGeurin
    The next time an ambitious adventurer gets trapped in a flooded cave, the person coming to their rescue might not be a human at all. It might be a mind-controlled, diving-suit-wearing cockroach. Sorry, entomophobes. These cyborgs are already being used in search-and-rescue operations and pipeline inspections, but so far those efforts have been limited to dry land. Thatโ€™s changing. Researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore 3D-printed a flexible diving suit that roaches wear like a backpack. A chemical oxygen generator inside of it creates oxygen when the bug swims underwater and pumps it through tubes connected to the spiracles...
  • Joey Chestnut, Miki Sudo Devour Field to Defend Hot Dog Titles

    07/04/2026 3:31:33 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 10 replies
    ESPN ^ | Jul 4, 2026
    The Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest marked the United States' 250th birthday with chomp and circumstance Saturday with a pair of defending champions reigning again on Coney Island. Record holder Joey Chestnut took down 66 hot dogs to claim the Mustard Belt for the 18th time, and Miki Sudo downed 38.75 hot dogs for her record 12th victory. "I knew I was going to be able to get the win," Chestnut said, adding, "I've got so much room left." Chestnut beat out 13 competitors who came from around the country and world, trekking from the Czech Republic, Australia and...
  • 'I finally Married You': Malaysian Man Holds Ghost Wedding With Standee of Late Livestreamer

    07/04/2026 3:20:23 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 13 replies
    AsiaOne ^ | July 02, 2026 | Dana Leong
    A Malaysian man held a ghost wedding with a standee of his late fiancee who died before they could marry. The man, who goes by John Muaythai John on Facebook, posted videos of the ceremony on Sunday (June 28), five days after his livestreamer fiancee, SaKira Saw, died unexpectedly. In Chinese culture, a ghost marriage is one where either or both parties are deceased. It is a form of bereavement, and is done in the belief that the couple will be married in the spiritual realm. John and Saw had been planning to get married in November this year, according...
  • Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms

    07/04/2026 1:28:13 PM PDT · by Pelham · 13 replies
    Avalon Project ^ | July 6, 1775 | Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson
    The July 4th 1776 Declaration of Independence wasn't the first important Declaration that Jefferson was involved in. A year earlier, July 6th 1775, the Second Continental Congress had him write what amounts to a Declaration of War, which somehow never gets any attention.
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day - Pathfinder on Mars

    07/04/2026 12:54:42 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 6 replies
    NASA ^ | 4 Jul, 2026 | Image Credit: Mars Pathfinder, JPL, NASA
    Explanation: On July 4th, 1997, using its own array of fireworks, a parachute, and a cocoon of airbags, the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft bounced like a giant beach ball at least 15 times before it came to rest on the surface of Mars at 10:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time. After its then novel airbag-assisted landing sequence was completed, Pathfinder transmitted this color mosaic to mission operators on Earth. In the scene from another world, the Mars Sojourner robot rover is visible in the foreground, crouched on top of the unfolded Pathfinder. About the size of a large house cat, the six-wheeled,...
  • What the 250th would have looked like if Kamala had won

    07/04/2026 10:57:07 AM PDT · by ProtectOurFreedom · 28 replies
    X ^ | July 4, 2026 | Gene Parmesan (@dsonoiki)
    Short 1:25 AI video of what the July 4 250th celebration in DC would have looked like under President Kammy.
  • Drone Show Battleship Texas July 3, 2026 America250

    07/04/2026 10:40:49 AM PDT · by Fai Mao · 1 replies
    YouTube ^ | July 3, 2026 | Harbor Watch
    SPARKS AND STRIPES! Battleship Texas helped celebrate America's 250th birthday on July 3, 2026, with a drone show, fireworks, and multiple 14-inch gun salutes. The Battleship is currently undergoing restoration before moving to her new location across the harbor, where she will have a visitor center and welcome visitors on board.
  • Streamer Sneako declares โ€œNew York is an Islamic stateโ€ / โ€œThis is the Islamic Republic of New Yorkistanโ€

    07/04/2026 9:49:36 AM PDT · by GrandJediMasterYoda · 36 replies
    Instagram.com ^ | 7/3/26 | mikekhieu
    Streamer Sneako declares โ€œNew York is an Islamic stateโ€ / โ€œThis is the Islamic Republic of New Yorkistanโ€ โ€œIslam will be in every household. Inshallah, the whole world will become Muslim.โ€ How do we coexist with this?
  • Okaloosa County awaits final approval for SS United States Deployment

    07/04/2026 9:07:51 AM PDT · by Ezekiel · 12 replies
    WEAR TV ^ | Fri, July 3, 2026 | by Brent Kearney
    OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. -- Okaloosa County is reapplying for permits required to sink the SS United States.The county said they are reapplying for the permitting area where the SS United States will be deployed. This results in the original permit being modified.The historic ocean liner is set to become the world's largest artificial reef. The only thing standing in the way now is final approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers."There's people that want to come from all over Europe, Australia, Asia all different locations wanting to hit it," says Mason Ousley, the manager at Dive Pros.>>>The ocean liner...
  • Crossing a State Line Shouldnโ€™t Cost You Your Right to Self-Defense

    07/04/2026 8:40:19 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 38 replies
    RealClear Politics ^ | 4 Jul, 2026 | Sign In | SUBSCRIBE RCP+ PollsElection 2026/2028VideoWritersMore John R. Lott Jr. John R. Lott Jr
    Imagine a woman driving across state lines alone at night, fearful that her car might break down and leave her vulnerable. Or picture a truck driver hauling valuable cargo across the country. In states such as California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon โ€“ five of the ten states that refuse to recognize concealed handgun permits from other states โ€“ these travelers can find themselves defenseless. Nine states also either deny non-residents permits altogether or make them extremely difficult to obtain. Last week, President Trump again called for passage of national concealed carry reciprocity. The legislation would allow anyone...
  • Hormuz Ship Transits Quadruple as Trump Plan Works

    07/04/2026 8:39:20 AM PDT · by Merrick · 36 replies
    Newsmax ^ | 04 July 2026 | Newsmax Wires
    President Donald Trump's plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz appears to be working, as transits show the strongest signs yet of returning to normal operations. Commercial shipping is steadily increasing under the 60-day U.S.-Iran ceasefire, easing fears of prolonged global oil supply disruptions and driving crude prices lower. New maritime data shows vessel traffic through the strategic waterway has more than quadrupled over the past week as shipping companies cautiously resume voyages through the Persian Gulf. According to maritime intelligence platform Signal, the number of traceable daily voyages entering and leaving the Gulf increased from just one or two...
  • Declaration Of Independence

    07/04/2026 8:10:07 AM PDT · by \/\/ayne · 6 replies
    Youtube ^ | 1961 | Stan Freberg
    The real story of the Declaration of Independence - the secret conversation between Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOOQfGWt8Hc
  • Dean Martin & Kate Smith - America Medley & Show Ending [video- with Barbara Eden, Mickey Rooney & Norm Crosby]

    07/04/2026 8:06:05 AM PDT · by simpson96 · 10 replies
    YouTube ^ | 8/27/2014 | Dino4Ever
    Extra special feature: Kate Smith leading the singing of "God Bless America." Dean Martin & Kate Smith - America Medley & Show Ending [video- with Barbara Eden, Mickey Rooney & Norm Crosby]