Free Republic

John Durham’s final report blasts the FBI for using the so-called Steele dossier, a compilation of unconfirmed claims about Donald Trump and Russia, without sufficiently considering the chance that Steele’s findings contained deliberate Russian falsehoods. But Durham himself relies substantially on a sketchy intelligence product that may be Russian disinformation to push a partisan political narrative. And he does not even note the irony. Durham, the special counsel who former Attorney General Bill Barr selected in 2019 to look into the origins of the FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation, may have succeeded in his apparent goal of serving up reheated scraps for...

Database latency -- a geeky term, but that’s how they did it! A policeman pulls over a speeder. The police computer reports that three hours ago a similar vehicle and person held up a liquor store -- so the police are on alert. No database latency. County election managers change the zip code of 31,000 voters on September 3. Ballots go out that week. Those 31,000 are undeliverable. Someone collects those valid ballots. On September 15th, those addresses are quietly changed back. National Change of Address Database (NCOA) will not pick up those address changes. They didn’t happen because there...

Alberto Gullaba Jr. was the type of author that publishers dream of having in their catalogs. A first-generation college grad, a child of working-class immigrants, and the recent recipient of a Master of Fine Arts degree from the prestigious University of California, Irvine, program, Gullaba was a debut novelist with a gift for visceral and vivid prose. His first book, University Thugs, had all the makings of a smash hit. A work of character-driven literary fiction steeped in immersive vernacular, it tells the story of a young black man named Titus who is trying to make his way at an...

This will be short because it really does not need much comment. In fact, this is so absurd that I am just starting with the reference document because I am concerned no one will believe it. Here it is: Spanish Flu Gof 2.12MB ∙ PDF File – Read now Yes, that is right, Fauci and crew are now actively performing gain-of-function (GoF) work and infecting primates with the Spanish Flu. For those of you that are unaware, GoF does not have a single agreed upon definition but, as it relates here, is essentially the modification of the Spanish Flu virus...

Any science fiction fans out there? Interesting article about a new scifi book dealing with the Chinese genocide against the Uyghurs. Sounds like the author is a conservative Catholic.

(This story is part of a series of short stories about a platoon fighting in Iraq and later Afghanistan and the Old Sergeant that leads them. The Old Sergeant and any names, places or incidents are fictional.)

The latest data from Canada's Manitoba Province shows that those vaccinated for covid are more likely to die of the disease than those not vaccinated. Unvaccinated persons constitute 17% of the population, but only 9% of the deaths from covid. Vaccinated but unboosted people were about 50% more likely to be hospitalized or die of Covid than unvaccinated people. People who had received boosters had roughly the same risk of hospitalization or death as the unvaccinated. Dr. Anthony Fauci said "look, I know a lot of the critics of our push for vaccination will be gloating over the healthier current...

Republican lawmakers privately support to Rep. Liz Cheney but refuse to do so in public for fear of former President Donald Trump, according to extracts from a new book. The claim appeared in "Thank You For Your Servitude," by Mark Leibovich, a political writer who speak years at The New York Times Magazine and now writes for The Atlantic. The book is devoted to exploring Trump's circle, and alleges that many people who support him in public are hypocrites who privately dislike him. One Republican member of Congress to vocally oppose Trump is Cheney, who was stripped of a party...

A recent poll was conducted by a national polling outfit, "YOUGOV. Results to these questions asked of average people on the street. What percentage of the country is black? Answers 41%. Actual, 12% What percentage is "Latino? Answers 39%. Actual numbers 17% How many families make over $500,000 a year? Answers 26%. Actual figure? 1% (We think a quarter of the country is rich). What percent of American's are vegetarians? Response? 30% Actual? 5% What percent of American's live in NY city? Answers? 30% Actual 3%. What percentage of Americans are 'transgender? 22% Actual number, 1% (People believe this BS!)...

John Kerry is being called out for his display of “cowardice” for ducking questions about his blatant lack of transparency — while U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland had “no comment” on the matter.The climate czar and featured guest at an MIT symposium on global warming rushed into an elevator surrounded by bodyguards to avoid the Herald’s questions Thursday. He didn’t address why he still refuses to list details of his office staff.On Earth Day Friday, one energy advocacy group snapped back.“Alaska’s families are hurting under Joe Biden’s and John Kerry’s energy failures so … Kerry may be able to duck...

This display shows some of the books that have been banned all over the world as well as well as throughout the US. The words covering the books are the quoted reasons each book was banned. Take a look and see which of your favorite books have been banned and why.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has become increasingly frustrated and paranoid, according to reports — and fearing he will be poisoned or assassinated soon, Putin has reportedly purged his entire personal staff. Just a day after a public address where Putin denounced those Russians against his bloody invasion as “traitors” and “scum” and threatened to “spit out” domestic enemies, it was reported that an estimated 1,000 people have been fired and replaced around Putin in just the last month. The purge of personnel is because Putin has become paranoid that he’ll be poisoned, Inside Edition reported. Craig Copetas, an editor for...

NEW YORK (AP) — Dr. Deborah Birx has a memoir coming out this spring that will focus on her contentious time as White House coronavirus task force coordinator in the administration of President Donald Trump. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Monday that Birx’s “Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of The Trump Administration, COVID-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It’s Too Late,” will be published April 26. “I wrote ‘Silent Invasion’ to document the full extent of what I witnessed as I tried to save lives during this devastating time,” Birx said in a statement. “In the book,...

Parents have been denied the right to know the rate of adverse reactions to the Covid-19 vaccination in children.A High Court judge in the UK has sided with government policy to keep secret the number of children who have suffered adverse reactions—including any who have died—as a result of having the vaccine.A mother, identified only as EF, had asked the UK’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) to release the data so that parents can make an informed decision about having their child vaccinated. After the ONS refused, EF took legal action to force it to reveal the numbers, and she...

The deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol is reportedly poised to get the Hollywood treatment as the subject of a “harrowing and terrifying” feature film. Billy Ray, who directed Showtime’s 2020 miniseries “The Comey Rule,” is spearheading “J6,” Deadline reported Thursday. The screenwriter — who said in a tweet last year that he planned on telling the story of some of the Capitol Police officers who responded to the riot — touched down in Washington days after the attack by a mob of Trump supporters, and interviewed some of the lawmakers and law enforcement officials who lived through it,...

James Joyce’s Ulysses was first published in 1922, just over two weeks after the British handed over the keys of Dublin Castle to Michael Collins and his new Irish government. The other great literary event of that year was TS Eliot’s The Waste Land. Joyce’s novel had much in common with Eliot’s long poem — it dealt with the rawness of urban life using competing narrative forms, including pastiche and myth and different kinds of voices. The Waste Land sounded a sort of death knell for the narrative poem, just as Ulysses set about killing off the single-perspective, the all-knowing...

Author Michael T. Cibenko said he once lived close to the site of an uprising of persecuted Christians in the 17th century. He was inspired by a 16-year-old samurai who helped lead the resistance. “Masaru” is an historical novel that follows the travails of the first Japanese Christians with excellent prose and descriptions. Author Michael T. Cibenko, who lives in Branchville, shares his expert knowledge of Japanese culture and language to create a memorable and authentic epic of early Christian Japan, a very interesting and complex period in history. Cibenko lived in southern Japan from 1996-2000 where he was an...

Two former top Washington DC National Guard officials have slammed the US Army’s internal report on its response to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, claiming the document creates a false narrative about what happened that day. The 20-page report, obtained by Politico, describes multiple conversations between Army officials and then-DC Guard commander Maj. Gen. William Walker as part of its explanation for why the National Guard was unable to respond to the Capitol when their support was initially requested. However, Walker — now the House of Representatives’ Sergeant at Arms — claims some of those communications never happened.

Often, incoming freshmen receive their first university assignment before the school year even begins: the summer reading. Many institutions see the summer reading assignment as an opportunity for new students to develop a sense of camaraderie. By reading the same book, the idea is that students will engage in thought-provoking conversations and have a shared educational experience. Common reading programs are an opportunity to start students’ education on an intellectual high note. Before the semester even begins, students can begin grappling with good reading material that will prepare them for an academically rigorous time in college. Unfortunately, research from the...

President Biden said last week that his house burned down with his wife Jill Biden inside before trying to correct himself, adding to a long list of personal stories he’s embellished over the years. Speaking on a New Hampshire bridge on Tuesday about his bipartisan infrastructure plan, Biden said, "Without this bridge, as I said earlier, it’s a 10-mile detour just to get to the other side. And I know, having had a house burn down with my wife in it — she got out safely, God willing — that having a significant portion of it burn, I can tell:...