Free Republic

When American mayors, governors and others wanted their populations to submit to COVID-19 lockdown and other orders, they were faced with what they perceived as an obstacle: those individuals who simply would not follow orders.Now, in the state of New York, a proposal is being prepared for lawmakers to consider that would resolve that dispute.A plan prefiled for the coming legislature would allow authorities to simply determine who they wanted locked up – and then lock them up.The idea, cast as a "public health law," is being prepared for the 2021-2022 legislature.It would allow the governor or his appointee to...

Kentucky Republican wants to redirect proposed Afghanistan aid to finance Israel's missile defense system In the latest hurdle to Israel receiving $1 billion in funding to replenish its Iron Dome missile defense system after May's Gaza conflict, Republican Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky has blocked swift passage of the bill, Politico reports. The lawmaker is an opponent of US foreign aid and is insisting that the Iron Dome money be offset by redirecting financial assistance for Afghanistan. “He proposed that we pay for the House bill with money that is going to go to the Taliban,” a spokeswoman for the...

When I see people walking outside, often alone with no one anywhere near them, wearing a mask, my primary reactions are disappointment and sadness. I am disappointed because I expected better from my fellow Americans. I never thought most Americans would be governed by irrational fears and unquestioning obedience to authority. I have come to realize that I had a somewhat romanticized view of my countrymen. Had you told me a year ago that nearly every American in nearly every metropolitan area would cover their faces for over a year because one man, one political party and the media told...