Free Republic

Vietnam has been building up its defenses in the Spratly Islands over the past two years to “ensure it can strike Chinese facilities” in the disputed archipelago, a report by a Washington-based think tank said. Emplacements for air and coastal defense systems have been installed on most of Vietnam’s bases in the Spratlys, with the most significant upgrades at West Reef and Sin Cowe Island, according to the report released on Friday by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. It said the recent building work underscored Vietnam’s efforts to make its facilities in the area...

When pressed by Senators on the legality of illegal border crossings, President Biden’s Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland revealed he “hadn’t thought about it.”“Just a fundamental question. Do you believe that illegal entry at America’s borders should remain a crime,” Senator Dick Durbin asked.Garland replied: “Well, I haven’t thought about that question. I just haven’t thought about that question.”“I think, you know, the president had made clear that we are a country with borders and with a concern about national security. I don’t know of a proposal to decriminalize but still make it unlawful to enter. I just don’t know...

President Joe Biden, who promised to bring the nation together, continues to act in a dictatorship fashion as he signed a new presidential executive order reversing the Mexico City Policy. With one stroke of the pen, he has now enacted the largest anti-life movement ever in the country’s history. The Mexico City Policy prevents using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion-related activities in foreign countries. In an action against the wishes of the majority of Americans, as revealed in a new poll conducted in January, Biden continues to take steps that further divide the country. Under the scheme of a woman’s...

289 years ago, on February 22nd, 1731, George Washington came into our world. He would go on to do amazing things, things which it is not my intent to spend another 50000 words re-telling. What I wanted to do instead was invite you and invite everybody to celebrate his life and legacy, and take the time to get to know him a little better on a more personal level. This can be done. There are two fantastic free/opensource biographies here and here to help facilitate this, and it is a great reminder of who we as Americans truely are. Sure,...

There’s something in the California air.The state’s spectacular almond bloom—the largest single pollination event in the world—has begun. Orchards are blooming and honey bees are buzzing.The video above shows flowering almond trees at Kimmelshue Orchards in Durham, California, south of Chico.The pollination season typically runs from early February to mid-March.“Californian almond pollination requires billions of honeybees traveling thousands of miles in a nationally coordinated migration,” according to the agriculture information and news sources website Farm Progress.

“We’re not going to prejudge.” State Department spokesperson Ned Price deployed this classic Washington euphemism last week to avoid responding to a question over how much culpability Iran and its Shiite militias bear for recent rocket attacks against a U.S. military base in northern Iraq. ....Biden’s approach draws directly from Obama’s playbook: turning a blind eye to regional aggression and offering economic relief... And it’s unfortunate, because the result is sure to be the same as before as well: an overly deferential and defective deal that offers Iran patient pathways to nuclear weapons because its restrictions eventually sunset, while handcuffing...

Merrick Garland took questions in the Senate today in support of his nomination by President Joe Biden for US Attorney General. Senator Josh Hawley asked Garland his thoughts on "assaults on federal property in places other than Washington, DC, Portland, for instance, Seattle." Garland said, in essence, that while the attack on the Capitol was domestic terrorism, the attacks on federal buildings over the summer likely were not. "Do you regard assaults on federal courthouses or other federal property as acts of domestic extremism, domestic terrorism?" "Well Senator, my own definition, which is about the same as the statutory definition,...

Together with a few other tech and media corporations, Microsoft has formed a coalition focused on fighting “disinformation” and fake news. The other founding members of the coalition are Truepic, Intel, BBC, Adobe, and Arm. Disinformation and fake news have become prevalent buzzwords to create a justification to censor in this digital age. It’s now very easy for people to formulate and spread falsehoods, according to the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity. “There’s a critical need to address widespread deception in online content — now supercharged by advances in AI and graphics and diffused rapidly via the internet. Our...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Monday that he discussed the 2022 elections during a weekend meeting with former President Trump that he had billed as part of an effort to unite a fractured party. Graham, returning to the Capitol on Monday evening, said they "just talked about the 2022 cycle." "He’s very involved in helping the team win," Graham added, noting that Trump "made a bunch of phone calls" and is "trying to get the best team on the field." An adviser to the former president didn't immediately respond to a question about the meeting and what, if any,...

~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: MacDill Air Force Base, FloridaMacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is a United States Air Force installation located 4 miles south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assigned to the Eighteenth Air Force (18AF) of the Air Mobility Command (AMC). MacDill became an Air Mobility Command installation in 1996 and home to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, its 310th Airlift Squadron flying the C-37A, and its 50th Air Refueling Squadron and 91st Air Refueling Squadron flying the KC-135. The 6 ARW...

The percentage of blue-collar workers who said they identify with the Republican Party greatly rose during former President Donald Trump’s time in office according to the latest poll from NBC News. The survey, released on Sunday by NBC’s “Meet the Press,” shows that the number of blue-collar workers who identify as members of the GOP grew by 12 percentage points since 2010, while the number who identify as Democrats fell by eight percentage points. White-collar workers slightly shifted towards the Democratic Party by one percentage point. The number of Hispanic blue-collar workers who indicate support for the GOP rose from...

Former president Donald Trump will claim he is the leader of the Republican party and its "presumptive 2024 nominee" when he makes his first public appearance since leaving office during the Conservative Political Action Conference next weekend in Orlando, according to a report. A longtime Trump adviser told Axios his CPAC speech will be a "show of force," and said the message will be: "I may not have Twitter or the Oval Office, but I'm still in charge." The source reportedly added that "payback is his chief obsession." According to Axios, Trump is expected to go after the ​10 House...

Eleven Republican senators and 64 Republican House members are urging President Joe Biden to withdraw his nomination of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to serve as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). The members of Congress, led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), sent a letter (pdf) to Biden on Monday to express “grave concerns” over the nomination, arguing that Becerra was not qualified for the role given his record in public service revealing “extremism and contempt for those who take a different view.” “Mr. Becerra’s lack of healthcare experience, enthusiasm for replacing private health insurance with government-run...

Disney and Lucasfilm canceled Gina Carano (who played Cara Dune in "The Mandalorian") for an Instagram post in which she claimed that people shouldn't spread hate over politics (because convincing people to hate their neighbors is the first step in convincing them to kill their neighbors). Following Gina being fired, #CancelDisneyPlus​ trended on Twitter, and today, Gina is trending as the most popular celebrity on the planet, according to IMDB. Let's see how Disney reacts to the news.

The Federal Reserve warned of significant risks of business bankruptcies and steep drops in commercial real estate prices in a report published on Friday. “Business leverage now stands near historical highs,” the central bank said in its semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress. “Insolvency risks at small and medium-sized firms, as well as at some large firms, remain considerable.” In part encouraged by government and Fed programs, businesses have taken on more debt over the past year as they’ve struggled to deal with the economic and financial fallout from COVID-19, including in some cases forced shutdowns. The Fed report, which...

A member of a far-right militia who stormed the US Capitol building has petitioned to be released from jail due to safety concerns relating to her being transgender, according to BuzzFeed News.

A group called "Scona White Student Alliance" called on students at Strathcona High School to "rise up" and fight "racism against white people" in social media posts on the weekend. (Scott Neufeld/CBC) Administrators at a south Edmonton high school are consulting with the Edmonton Police Service hate crimes unit as they investigate an online group that encourages local students to fight "Black supremacy." The "Scona White Student Alliance" calls on students at Strathcona High School to "rise up" and fight "racism against white people." Accounts for the group were established on various social media platforms this week, prompting concern from...

Multiple attempts by Chinese coastguard vessels to approach Japanese vessels in the East China Sea represent Beijing’s intensifying efforts to assert its sovereignty over the disputed Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan, analysts said on Monday. The latest incidents happened on Saturday and Sunday, when Japan’s coastguard said two Chinese coastguard vessels had repeatedly entered Japan’s territorial waters and had made moves to approach a Japanese fishing boat carrying three passengers near the islands, which are under the administrative control of Japan. A Japanese patrol vessel deployed around the fishing boat to ensure its safety warned the Chinese...

The actress, who was recently booted from 'The Mandalorian,' comes from a powerful clan that owns Eldorado Resorts and recently acquired Caesars Entertainment. “I have only just begun using my voice which is now freer than ever before, and I hope it inspires others to do the same. They can’t cancel us if we don’t let them.” That’s how Gina Carano ended a statement responding to her high-profile ouster from UTA and the Star Wars series The Mandalorian while, at the same time, announcing a new film project.

Legislation to set up a recreational marijuana marketplace, decriminalize cannabis and loosen penalties for underage possession of the drug and alcohol was signed into law Monday by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy... The legislation makes underage possession of alcohol and marijuana subject to a written warnings that escalate to include parental notification and a referral to community services upon subsequent violations.... Part of the legislation makes it so towns will no longer have the authority to enact ordinances with civil penalties or fines concerning underage possession or consumption violations on private property, among other measures... “There’s no consequence,” GOP Sen....