Free Republic

Since the 2016 election, there has been no question about Donald Trump’s stranglehold on the Republican Party. But generally speaking, we’ve learned about that through attrition — party members who run afoul of him voluntarily heading for the exits, rather than trying their luck with GOP primary voters. 1. GA - Brian Kemp 2. GA - Secretary of State Raffensperger vs Jodi Hice 3. WY - Liz Cheney vs Harriet Hageman 4. ID - Governor Little vs Lt. Governor McGeachin 5. AK - Lisa Murkowski vs Kelly Tshibaka 6. MI - Rep. Peter Meijer vs John Gibbs 7. WV -...

The New York Times had an unusual red pill moment and actually threw cold water on the hype behind President Joe Biden’s huge $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill signed into law earlier this month. Independent journalist Ralph Vartabedian wrote an eye-opening analysis for The Times critiquing the bill as extremely risky. He cited the major cost escalation problems that plagued one of Honolulu, Hawaii’s infrastructure projects as a case study for how the dilemma with “big infrastructure” is exacerbated when applied nationally. Vartabedian said the “national spending spree fueled” by Biden’s $1.2 trillion bill “carries enormous risks that the projects will...

Three retail pharmacy chains recklessly distributed vast amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said on Tuesday, in a verdict that could set the tone for US city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis. Lake and Trumbull counties blamed pharmacies operated by CVS, Walgreens and Walmart for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1bn, their attorney said.

George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving ProclamationWhereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.Now therefore...

Were we not just talking about this last week? Yes we wereAbout how the left likes to discredit all slippery slope arguments made by anyone on the right as fallacious, not just the emotionally loaded ones that ignore reason and plausibility? And do you remember when President Trump in 2017 claimed the left wouldn’t be happy just taking down Confederate statues and would be coming for Washington and Jefferson eventually? Do you recall how the media hyperventilated over how idiotic it was to make such a ludicrous claim? Molly Hemmingway does:…Removing Confederate memorials doesn’t mean Washington and Jefferson are next,...

... police departments are preparing behind the scenes for what could be a weekend of chaos Sergeant Betsy Brantner Smith, a retired 20 year veteran, said violence is 'likely' and it may start tonight The fact the verdict came in on a Friday means more people are likely to protest because they aren't at work It also came in late so it will be darker sooner in much of the country than it was in August last year She said forces must use a zero tolerance policy but that local, state and federal leaders need to urge calm too

It’s election time again. You think we are kidding. We are not. Results of this month’s election are not yet certified, but it’s already time for another one. King County Elections sent out more than 76,000 ballots on Wednesday, to voters in Seattle City Council District 3, who must decide whether Councilmember Kshama Sawant should remain in office or be recalled. Only voters in District 3 - made up of Capitol Hill, the Central District, First Hill, Madison Park, Little Saigon International District, Madrona, Mount Baker, North Beacon Hill and South Lake Union - can vote in the recall. The...

Christian florist Barronelle Stutzman has agreed to settle with the same-sex couple that sued her for refusing to serve their wedding – capping off nearly a decade of litigation in one of the most iconic First Amendment cases this century. On Thursday afternoon, Stutzman's attorneys sent the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) an agreement to withdraw her Supreme Court petition in exchange for them declining to pursue further legal action. The 76-year-old grandmother told Fox News that she's retiring and leaving her business, Arlene's Flowers, to its employees.

SEATTLE — When U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal returns home to Seattle, the Congressional Progressive Caucus chairwoman always goes for a walk along the Puget Sound. “Everything feels closed in sometimes in D.C., and so when I come home, I just like to ground myself in that spaciousness,” Jayapal said in a recent interview with The Associated Press during a trip back to the city she represents. Jayapal’s ritual is calming at a time her career has rapidly ascended into the top tiers of U.S. politics, showcasing the progressive street cred she amassed in Seattle and a political sensibility she has...

Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant has long been an outspoken voice for socialist ideals with an utter disregard for the city’s business community. She has also inserted rudeness, bullying and shoddy ethics into City Hall, which has done profound disservice to her District 3 constituency and the city. Voters should hold Sawant accountable for transgressions against civil governance and remove her from office. Ballots for a Dec. 7 recall election will start arriving in District 3 mailboxes this week, asking whether voters should remove Sawant from the council seat she has held since 2014. Voters should resoundingly vote yes. Sawant spent...

A high-ranking official at the Seattle Fire Department was found dead Sunday, concluding a nearly two-week-long search after he failed to return from a hunting trip in central Washington. Seattle Deputy Fire Chief Jay Schreckengost, 56, was found dead in the mountains near Cliffdell in Kittitas County on Sunday evening, just about a half-mile from the spot where his pickup truck was parked on Nov. 2, the day he went hunting. There was no preliminary evidence of suspicious activity or foul play, according to the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office, which had led the massive search effort.

Seattle has become so dangerous that the city can no longer protect its own employees, with security guards now escorting them after they finish work. King County's new 'walking bus' will debut on November 15, and see council workers based in Downtown Seattle and nearby Pioneer Square escorted to a nearby train station and ferry terminal each evening before being left to continue their commute home. An announcement on King County's official website says: 'King County is launching a 'Walking Bus' pilot program where county employees can join their colleagues and a Facilities Management Division (FMD) Security Escort each evening...

On Monday morning, an Amtrak train derailed while crossing an overpass in Dupont, Washington. Law enforcement say at least six people are dead and 78 others were injured. Independent journalist Mike Cernovich tweeted an archived link to a now deleted article from “prominent,” far-left website It’s Going Down, on an ANTIFA group bragging about pouring concrete on train tracks in Olympia, WA.

The train was reportedly shorted using jumper cables, causing the train to stop. Since November 17, dozens of anarchists have been camping on the tracks to prevent trains from transporting fracking supplies from the Port of Olympia — however, railroad companies have stated that there were no such shipments scheduled. On Wednesday, Union Pacific Railroad officers were met by 20 to 30 masked protesters as they cleared out the encampment and swept it for bombs. Four of the people who were camping on the tracks refused to leave and were subsequently arrested, as were eight others on suspicion of obstructing...

Link only: http://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article115608473.html

There was little sleep the first night. Everyone was too wired with nerves and excitement. They expected the police to barrel in at any moment. The encampment went up on Nov. 17, a guerrilla whirlwind of tents, tarps, wooden pallets and two-by-four studs. In just a few hours, the intersection at Jefferson Street SE and Seventh Avenue in downtown Olympia, Wash., was transformed from a drab piece of asphalt into a hulking structure, somewhere between a refugee camp and a carnival tent. As impressive as the camp was, however, most of the 100 people who collected behind its barricades the...

Early in the morning of April 20th we poured concrete on the train tracks that lead out of the Port of Olympia to block any trains from using the tracks. We took precautions to notify BNSF (the train company) – we called them and we used wires to send a signal that the tracks were blocked. We did this not to avoid damaging a train, nothing would bring bigger grins to our faces, but to avoid the risk of injuring railway workers. This action was done to disrupt the movement of trains carrying proppants used in natural gas fracturing. These...

Full article title: Anti-fracking activists and anarchists are blocking rail tracks in Olympia, Wash. They don’t plan on leaving. The encampment went up on Nov. 17. In just a few hours, the intersection at Jefferson Street SE and Seventh Avenue in downtown Olympia, Wash., was transformed from a drab piece of asphalt into a hulking structure, somewhere between a refugee camp and a carnival tent. This was contested turf. Two sets of train tracks snaked north from the intersection. The encampment covered both rails, planting the makeshift site directly in the path of any engines heading in or out of...

The train was reportedly shorted using jumper cables, causing the train to stop.Since November 17, dozens of anarchists have been camping on the tracks to prevent trains from transporting fracking supplies from the Port of Olympia — however, railroad companies have stated that there were no such shipments scheduled.On Wednesday, Union Pacific Railroad officers were met by 20 to 30 masked protesters as they cleared out the encampment and swept it for bombs. Four of the people who were camping on the tracks refused to leave and were subsequently arrested, as were eight others on suspicion of obstructing a law...

Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), who launched a campaign for Los Angeles mayor in September, received a $95,000 “scholarship” while in Washington from the University of Southern California, which is currently embroiled in a bribery scandal.