Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Archbishop Viganò on Pentecost: Invoke the Spirit of Truth to Overcome Demonic Counterfeits in Church and StateHOMILYon the Solemnity of PentecostEmitte Spiritum tuum,et creabuntur,et renovabis faciem terræ.Ps 103:30What is the characteristic of Love? Its gratuitousness. Whoever loves, loves without expecting anything in return. The one who loves is happy that the Good he enjoys can be shared by the beloved. Whoever loves does not have half measures: he loves totally, without reservation. Whoever loves desires the good of the beloved and thus knows how to say no. This is true to the highest degree when Love is divine,...

Officials at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and State Department have known for more than three years that some pharmacies in Mexico are selling counterfeit medications laced with illicit fentanyl — and that American tourists are overdosing and dying from them. A California medical examiner first alerted federal authorities in the spring of 2019, when 29-year-old Brennan Harrell died of a fentanyl overdose after he and a friend bought pills at a drug store in Cabo San Lucas. Afterward, his parents said, they cooperated with the DEA during a months-long investigation they say ended with the agency promising to take...

More than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards from China have been seized by federal agents in Memphis, Tennessee, en route to other cities in the United States.U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) caught a shipment from Shenzhen, China, to New Orleans that contained 51 blank counterfeit vaccination cards, CBP said in an Aug. 13 statement.“It was the 15th such shipment of the night,” the statement reads.The FBI stated on March 30 that buying, selling, or using counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards is a crime, and violators will face a fine and up to five years in prison.White House coronavirus response coordinator...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations is inspecting incoming packaging for a wide variety of fake gear that is being shipped to Tampa this week ahead of Super Bowl LV. “We see a lot of our counterfeit goods coming in from overseas, particularly from China and Hong Kong and it’s coming in through our mail and parcel system,” said Brian Weinhaus with Homeland Security Investigations.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents from the Chicago Field Office intercepted a parcel in Louisville that contained hundreds of fake driver’s licenses. A tweet by the CPB Chicago states the fraudulent ID’s were found at the Louisville mail facility. In all, the package contained 238 fake driver’s licenses and 536 black card stocks.

How many counterfeit cigars find their way into the humidors of unwitting smokers each year? It's impossible to say for sure, but many experts put the number at more than three million -- in the United States alone. The streets of Havana teem with black-market smokes, most of them counterfeit, and even European markets are reporting an influx of fakes. To help you spot a counterfeit, we introduce Cigar Aficionado Online's Counterfeit Gallery.

Now that it's already set a dubious standard for high-fashion knockoffs, China is busy extending its sincerest form of flattery to cars. Depending on where they live in the world, consumers can get a clone of a BMW X5 for about $38,000, to perfectly complement, say, a nicely counterfeited Rolex and a faux Armani suit. The entire ensemble of watch, suit and vehicle would cost under $40,000, compared to $52,000 for the real items, including about $46,000 for the Beemer. In the Orient, sports car lovers can snag a Chinese "Ferrari" for about $10,000 to $30,000, not the normal $120,000...

A seemingly small-time drug ring busted this week in Los Angeles was actually targeted for funding the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, the Daily News has learned. Prosecutors left out the terror tie when they announced Tuesday that federal agents and local cops had arrested a dozen people for allegedly peddling cocaine and counterfeit clothing in Bell, Calif. But several sources familiar with the investigation said the predominantly Arab-American gang was believed to have smuggled its crime cash to the Iranian-backed terror group. "This was a classic case of terrorism financing, and it was pretty sophisticated how they did it," a...

Woodstock Creator Tells DA That Funds Have Gone Missing A $40 Million Shortfall Where did Norman Hsu get his money? That has been one of the big questions hanging over the prominent Democratic fund-raiser, as reports have surfaced about hundreds of thousands of dollars he made in political donations, plus lavish parties, fancy apartments and a $2 million bond he posted to get out of jail earlier this month. New documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal may help point to an answer: A company controlled by Mr. Hsu recently received $40 million from a Madison Avenue investment fund run...

U.S. Seen Cracking Down on North Korea's Exports Thu May 15, 8:23 PM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo! By Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration, aiming to increase pressure on North Korea (news - web sites) to abandon nuclear arms, intends to crack down on narcotics and missile exports that earn hard currency for Pyongyang and may agree on a plan in the next few weeks, U.S. officials said on Thursday. They also said the United States would soon ask the U.N. Security Council to again consider adopting a statement demanding that North...

WILLARD SPERRY Willard Sperry Shows his dislike for the gospel of John in the following statement. "Some of these sayings, it is true, come from the Fourth Gospel (John), AND WE DO NOT PRESS THAT GOSPEL FOR TOO GREAT VERBAL ACCURACY IN ITS RECORD OF THE SAYINGS OF JESUS."244

Anyone who has ever played a game, been involved in any type of competition, or conducted any type of scientific investigation knows that "ground rules" must be established at the beginning. It is far better to know the rules before beginning the investigation rather than try to establish them as you go.