Free Republic

The Biden administration is reportedly considering contracting outside firms to track ​”extremist” chatter online in order to circumvent legal restrictions on the surveillance power of federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security. While the move would expand the government’s intelligence gathering capability, it would also add fuel to the widespread criticism of the government’s vast surveillance power and spawn possible legal action over the monitoring of Americans, CNN reported, citing sources. The DHS is limited in its ability to surveil Americans on social media sites without strong justification and is prohibited from using false identities to get access to...

As doctors and health professionals race against Covid-19 vaccination skepticism, some Hollywood producers, writers and showrunners are betting that inputting vaccines into television storylines can help curb widespread misinformation. Shows across TV networks began integrating Covid-19 into scripts, including questions about social distancing and masking, as the pandemic spread across the U.S. last March. Now, as vaccination efforts ramp up nationwide, shows like “This Is Us” — which featured a recurring character receive two doses of a vaccine in an episode last month — are integrating vaccines into episodes and audiences can expect to see more vaccination plot points, says...

In the former Soviet Union, nearly every decision people made -- from their jobs to their hobbies to their clothing -- was politicized. Personal choices that were insufficiently collectivist for Communist Party officials negatively impacted careers, housing, and rations, which were allocated by political pull and socialist virtue-signaling rather than merit. Some decisions, such as starting a small business or storing some extra food, could result in the gulag or a firing squad. The personal was the political. I am concerned that the U.S. is trending in this direction, where many aspects of life are politicized. Americans are more politically...

Old habits die hard, and now it’s time for the GOP’s habitual support of big business to die, and to die hard. Look around – the corporations have decided it’s a great time to use their power against us. There used to be a kind of gentleman’s agreement – they stay out of our business and we stay out of theirs. But they broke that agreement. They decided to go all in. And it’s no coincidence that the political positions they have taken conform exactly to those of the Democrat Party. So, the hell with them. This change has been...

The opposition of major corporations such as Coca-Cola and Delta to a Georgia election law has drawn attention to an alliance of more than 1,000 companies that, in effect, have identified themselves as opponents of voting integrity. The Civic Alliance boasts on its website that its membership has grown to 1,119 companies that employee more than 5 million people. "As a coalition of businesses, we use our voice, our brand, and our reach to strengthen our democracy. We support safe, accessible, and trusted elections, and we inspire our employees and customers to participate in civic life," the alliance says. However,...

About 80 New Hampshire businesses and other organizations are seeking to block a bill that would ban public schools and other entities from teaching that America is a fundamentally racist nation, warning the measure would be bad for business in the state. The coalition sent a letter to Gov. Chris Sununu (R) and lawmakers, stating the bill would “have a chilling impact on our workplaces and on the business climate in New Hampshire,” reported New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR), which further noted the letter warned the measure, “would not only harm the ability of New Hampshire businesses to be competitive,...

Yahoo Sports Nearly half of American sports fans changed viewing habits because of social justice Jay Busbee Jay Busbee Mon, March 29, 2021, 3:26 PM·3 min read In the wake of last summer’s social justice protests, which consumed sports for much of the second half of 2020, nearly half of all Americans changed their sports viewing habits, according to a new YouGov / Yahoo News poll. As athletes and leagues embraced a new, progressive strategy aimed at amplifying messages of social justice and political advocacy, some Americans began watching more sports, but about three times as many watched less. Of...

“Corporate socialism. That’s where we’re headed.” My uncle Thad saw this all coming 25 years ago, only I didn’t realize it at the time. He would throw that statement out there every time I visited him at the family ranch in Goliad County, Texas, but when I’d ask him to explain exactly what he meant, he’d just go off on a tangent and never come back to it. Thad was an interesting guy, a really intelligent guy who chose to spend the last 30 years of his life living as a hermit in the ranch house that sat atop a...

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is stepping up efforts to combat domestic extremism, increasing funding to prevent attacks, weighing strategies historically used against foreign terrorist groups and more openly warning the public about the threat. Members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group, at a rally in Portland in September. Its leaders are among the most prominent targets of the sprawling investigation into the attack on the Capitol. Members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group, at a rally in Portland in September. Its leaders are among the most prominent targets of the sprawling investigation into the attack on the...

Former President Barack Obama on Saturday celebrated Major League Baseball for its decision to move the All-Star game out of Atlanta after the Georgia legislature passed legislation on election integrity. Obama tweeted, “Congratulations to the MLB for taking a stand on behalf of voting rights for all citizens. There’s no better way for American’s pastime to honor the great Hank Aaron, who always led by example.” AD Hank Aaron, nicknamed “Hammerin’ Hank,” was a home-run-hitting baseball great who played 23 seasons in the Majors; 21 of them for the Atlanta Braves. He was also known for his outspokenness against racism...