Free Republic

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) emphasized on Wednesday that the state’s bottled water recommendation for people living near this month’s train derailment that allowed chemicals to escape into the air is out of an “abundance of caution.” DeWine said in an interview on “CNN This Morning” that the air around the town of East Palestine, where a train that was carrying 20 cars of hazardous chemicals derailed on Feb. 3, has continued to remain safe as officials have conducted tests. He said officials have conducted one test of water from a well in the village that showed it was safe...

A downtick in COVID-19 cases is raising hopes that the omicron wave has peaked in the United States. To be sure, new case numbers remain high and hospitals are still overwhelmed in many areas. But, especially in the earliest hard-hit states like New York and Massachusetts, cases are clearly declining, and experts say cases appear to have peaked on a national basis as well.

When it comes to COVID-19, the phrase “abundance of caution” is still everywhere.About 18 months ago, a deadly pandemic was crushing the globe. There were no American pharmaceutical companies helping prevent the worst outcome. Society’s institutions did whatever they could to keep caseloads low and preserve hospital space.But, despite the incessant fear mongering, those unprecedented conditions no longer exist, so why does the “abundance of caution” mantra persist? Mostly to justify anti-science, draconian policies with no other rational basis.Examples of this madness are abundant.Also, pls ignore evidence that initial vaccinations remain effective against hospitalization and death and instead only focus...

Recent polls show about a quarter of American adults either don’t plan to get a COVID-19 vaccine or want to wait on it. The numbers have held steady for months: 27 percent in a recent Quinnipiac poll, 25 percent in an NPR/Marist poll from late March, and 30 percent in a Pew survey from mid-February. After federal health officials called for a pause in the distribution of Johnson and Johnson’s one-shot vaccine last week over fears of severe blood-clotting, the number of vaccine-hesitant Americans could be slightly higher now.That means tens of millions of American adults won’t be getting a...

A patient at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital is being tested for the deadly Ebola virus out of “an abundance of caution,” an official said. Details about the patient were not revealed, but chief medical officer Dr. P.J. Brennan said in a statement that a patient which met the screening criteria for Ebola testing “is currently being evaluated” and is undergoing tests.

Racist, homophobic and misogynistic tweets that Milwaukee Brewers reliever Josh Hader sent in 2011 and 2012 surfaced as he pitched in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Nationals Park, turning his appearance into an embarrassing stain for Hader and a public-relations nightmare for Major League Baseball. After Hader surrendered a three-run homer in the eighth inning, several Twitter users — starting, it seems, with an account named MLB Insider Dinger — found and retweeted messages Hader sent as a 17-year-old. The tweets included numerous uses of the n-word and an allusion to “white power” next to an emoji of a closed...

(AFP) - The European Union warned on Tuesday of possible "serious repercussions" if United States President Donald Trump decides to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there. EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini's office said, in a statement, that "any decision or unilateral action affecting Jerusalem's status" might have "serious repercussions on public opinion in large parts of the world." It added, "The focus should therefore remain on the efforts to restart the peace process and avoiding any action that would undermine such efforts." ....

Hey there, honey. It's me, Cheryl. I just got the "save the date" announcement for your impending nuptials. Looks like you're planning on a November wedding. That will certainly be a beautiful time of year to get married, and I am glad to see you so excited and full of hope. You deserve some happiness. Here's the thing, though. I've been watching you with this guy Donald for a while now, and I'm concerned. I know how loudly he professes his love for you. He's taken you to some amazing parties and promised you an incredible future. After the way...

Considered the ultimate wildcard, Donald Trump is complicating debate strategy for Republican presidential candidates now scrambling to prepare for their first face-to-face meeting on national television. The billionaire businessman, who has dominated the 2016 Republican race in recent weeks, threatens to do the same when the top 10 GOP candidates—as determined by national polls—face off in less than two weeks. It’s a high-risk, high-reward event for candidates eager to stand out yet wary to fall victim to one of Trump’s notorious bombastic political attacks. “It’s the No. 1 unavoidability,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a 2012 GOP candidate who...

Pondering Prudence and Its “Parts” – A Reflection on the Sometimes-Misunderstood Virtue of Prudence By: Msgr. Charles PopeAs a follow-on to yesterday’s post on the spiritual work of counseling  the doubtful, I would like to say a little more about prudence.Prudence is often misunderstood by those who reduce it to mere caution or reluctance to act. It is true that sometimes prudence indicates caution and that hasty action is seldom prudent. However, sometimes it is prudent to act quickly. Having long discussions about the best way to put out a house fire before acting is not prudent. Quick, expedient action is the...

**SNIP** But it could be difficult to make the most of a 2km range without infringing civil aviation regulations, which require UAS pilots to stay within eyesight of their drone, and use of the camera could infringe the privacy of passersby. The Civil Aviation Authority has issued guidance to help drone operators understand airspace regulations. Technically, drone operators must request permission from the CAA if they plan to fly a camera-equipped aircraft within congested areas, or within 50 metres of people or properties that are not under their control. They must also remain in “visual line of sight” of their...

(Reuters) - With Russia's incursion into Ukraine reviving Cold War-style tensions, President Barack Obama is at risk of suffering a blow to his credibility at a time when he can least afford it: as he tries to convince voters to stick with his fellow Democrats in congressional elections that will help shape his legacy. For five years, Obama has practiced a cautious approach to foreign policy crises, prizing sober diplomacy and the search for consensus over brinkmanship, in prolonged conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the deliberative style that Obama's team sees as a statesmanlike attitude in tune with Americans'...

Finance Minister Yair Lapid reiterated Wednesday night the Yesh Atid party's position regarding the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). "The left wants peace at any price and the right is not willing to pay any price for peace," Lapid stated, claiming that, in contrast, Yesh Atid forms the political "center." "We do not deal at all with peace, unless it will be to 'say goodbye' [literally 'to separate in peace']," he added, a reference to his previously-stated opinion that the best outcome for Israel would be a "fair divorce" from the PA. He said the goal is...

No one is more boring and predictable than Senator Dianne Feinstein immediately calling for the banning of assault weapons after the carnage at the Washington Navy Yard. That an AR-15 wasn’t even involved in the mass killing is also predictable. Liberalism, as exemplified by Ms. Feinstein, is just a fuddy-duddy ideology in general, so old-fashioned you want to bang your forehead on the table. But… …no one should want paranoid schizophrenics to have arms… not even a number two pencil because, if their voices tell them to do it, they will put out your eye with it.

On November 5, 2009, Maj. Nidal Hasan opened fire at a troop readiness center in Ft. Hood, Texas, killing 13 people. Within hours of the killings, the world knew that Hasan reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before he began shooting, visited websites associated with Islamist violence, wrote Internet postings justifying Muslim suicide bombings, considered U.S. forces his enemy, opposed American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as wars on Islam, and told a neighbor shortly before the shootings that he was going "to do good work for God." There was ample evidence, in other words, that the Ft. Hood attack was an...

Barack Obama is down but not out. You could tell as much from the contrast between his petulant post- election press conference and his peppy pre-Christmas press conference. In the former, he was crabby about accepting Republicans' demands that income-tax rates on all taxpayers not be raised. In the latter, he was celebrating the lame-duck Congress' acceptance of his stands on the New START treaty, repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and even the previously reviled tax deal. Obama has obviously figured out that Americans prefer to see their president describe the glass as half full rather than half empty....

Of all the U.S. Senate seats Republicans hope to win from Democrats in November, there may be few they covet more than that of Barbara Boxer, the powerful California liberal facing a bruising battle with businesswoman Carly Fiorina. But it's not only Republicans who believe that Fiorina, a multimillionaire former Hewlett-Packard CEO, has a chance to knock off Boxer. Political analysts are calling the race a toss-up, and even Boxer's own campaign sees a hard-fought race in the fall. Voter surveys have found that the outspoken Boxer, a strong supporter of President Barack Obama's agenda and a lightning rod for...

Have you heard:BYU Professor Named Editor of New Edition of Hebrew Old Testament.Was immediately alarmed when this was read.This is something that has gone totally under the radar. It is not being widely discussed. The translation of Hebrew Scriptures in most Bibles is based on the Masoretic Text. For years Bible teachers and students have made use of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia for study of the Hebrew Text. The BHS has also been referenced for new editions of the Holy Bible.It is therefore alarming that the United Bible Society would invite a BYU Mormon faculty member to work as an "editor"...

Unfortunately, we are saddled with a communist sympathizer in the White House. I don't know whether or not he's an actual card carrying commie, but he's definitely an America-hating, anti-capitalist Marxist leftist who thinks communism is the way to go. Now I remember when America used to fight against communism. It wasn't that long ago. Many of us on FR are veterans of wars against communism and some of us believe that American citizens who are communists are the enemy within, ie, the domestic enemy we've sworn to defend against. American citizen? hmmmm... that may be a loophole for Obama....

Two drivers were shot dead and third injured on roads in northeast Dallas and Garland during Monday’s evening rush hour. Police were investigating four incidents Monday after the first shooting was reported about 5:40 p.m. in Garland on LBJ Freeway near Plano Road. Police are working to establish whether three of the shootings in Dallas are related to a Garland shooting that was the first reported fatality. “For whatever reason, this person is upset with something or someone and he’s taking it out on innocent victims going down the road and that’s very scary,” said Dallas police Sgt. Gil Cerda....