Free Republic

Americans trying to understand the current administration’s obsession with Ukraine will note a number of unanswered questions surrounding the crisis.Ukrainians, and many Europeans and Americans, are defining an envisioned Ukrainian victory as the complete expulsion of all Russians from its 2013 borders. Or, as a Ukrainian national security chief put it, the war ends with Ukrainian tanks in Red Square.But mysteries remain about such ambitious agendas.What would that goal entail?Giving Ukraine American F-16s to strike bases and depots in Mother Russia? The gifting of 1,000 M1 Abrams tanks? Using American Harpoon missiles to sink the Russian Black Sea Fleet?A huge...

American and NATO efforts to assist Ukraine in its conflict with Russia have escalated alarmingly since Putin launched his invasion almost one year ago. We began by doing virtually nothing to help Ukraine, except rhetorically and by way of offering Ukrainian leaders a one-way flight into exile. Since then we have imposed history-making economic and financial sanctions against Russia, and we have progressively taken on the responsibilities of funding, supplying, training, and providing intelligence for the Ukrainian security forces. It is an open question whether the average Ukrainian soldier now serves under Volodymyr Zelenskyy or Joe Biden. ...[snip]... What effect,...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Monday that China’s reported development of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile would be “the biggest game-changer in the last 40 years,” if true. “If in fact, the Chinese have developed a hypersonic missile that can deliver a nuclear weapon, it’s a military game-changer when it comes to nuclear forces,” Graham told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “We’ve allowed the Chinese to leapfrog us and we’re going to have to do one of two things, get them to stand down, and I don’t know how Joe Biden convinces anybody to stand down. “If they don’t stand down, we’re...

Sweeping social transformations occur during times of crisis. We are in such a predicament now, and transformative change may be coming to America whether we want it or not. It could define who we are as a nation for the remainder of the 21st Century. Whether America reaffirms itself as a beacon for freedom for the world or whether we become just another plot of ground in the new world order remains to be seen. The consequences for all Americans could be enormous, and especially so for Millennials. What crisis are we in, you ask? Well, consider the staggering debt...

The sweet and fluffy coverage can't last forever. Before President Joe Biden was sworn in to the Oval Office, the American people received a glimpse of what hard-hitting journalism would look like for the next four years. From staying mum on the Hunter Biden story to having “chills” over watching Biden’s plane land at Joint Base Andrews, the pro-Biden “why are you so wonderful” reportage has been embarrassing. But the Fourth Estate suspending its pearl-clutching journalism and hanging a “gone fishin’” sign on the front door was as expected as a newsroom wishing everything was worse than Watergate – at...

Greetings, The appalling events that unfolded in our nation’s capital on Wednesday have unleashed a host of mixed emotions in our country. The turbulence was the polar opposite of legitimate peaceful protest. Events on the national stage can often seem very distant from our day-to-day lives, but this challenge to our democracy brought home the importance of civil discourse. As your Public Library, we have the capability and capacity to be one of the places that bring people together. Libraries unite, not divide. We will continue to seek out ways to help right here in St. Joseph County. We’re one...

I'm watching Yahoo's live electoral results and it's been a couple of hours of Biden leading in the state.

Secret Service agents and medical professionals were aghast Sunday night at President Donald Trump's Sunday evening trip outside the hospital where he is being treated for the coronavirus, saying the president endangered those inside his SUV for a publicity stunt.

In the summer of 2016, America witnessed both peaceful protest and civil unrest after the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Amidst the rhetoric, a string of police assassinations took place, notably in Dallas, Baton Rouge and later in Des Moines. That melodrama began a bitter election season with jaundiced press coverage leaving major swaths of the country unprepared for the idea that Donald Trump could really, actually win the presidency. That in turn led to the attacks on the election’s legitimacy launched almost immediately afterward and stirred by a media class casting about to explain what just occurred....

We are watching a fascinating, bold and audacious effort by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. to steal the U.S. Senate seat in Kansas. While Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., is retiring after four terms, this would normally be a safe Republican seat. In fact, no Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat from Kansas since 1932. This 82-year record of Republican senators (since the election of Sen. Clyde Reed in 1938) is the longest of any state in the country. The Democrats are running State Senator Barbara Bollier, a Republican-turned-Democrat. She would normally be expected to run a good race,...

Louisville, Kentucky, USA skyline on the river. As a Louisvillian, I’d like to share my perspective on the fact that the NFAC is coming tomorrow. I’ve been doing a ton of research on what’s going on in the world ever since March 14, when everything got locked down. There is much going on behind the scenes. As a Christian, I believe we are in the last days. I realize you may not agree, and that’s your right, of course. Regardless, it is clear to me that there is a behind-the-scenes agenda in play. Last night I saw a picture of...

Maryland Republican Rep. Andy Harris says Washington, DC won’t decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms, cacti and plants on his watch. Harris told The Post he’s appalled that drug reform activists submitted on Monday what they say is enough signatures to get an initiative on the November ballot making natural hallucinogens the lowest law enforcement priority. Harris said he will force a House Appropriations Committee vote next week to stop it, using the power of Congress over DC’s budget.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence suggests that gun sales pose a greater long-term risk to Americans’ health than does the coronavirus. Newsweek reported that Brady Campaign President Kris Brown spoke to the surge in first-time gun buyers witnessed during March 2020, warning of the danger she believes now exists because of guns being in many homes for the first time. She lamented that those guns will be in homes long after the coronavirus passes: “We will get a vaccine, we will get immunization for this [virus] in the longer term but there is no immunization for that gun...

Because of data-mining abilities in this digital age, you may want to be mindful of posting photos of your firearms online with visible serial numbers to deter the creation of a firearms database. Technology advances may enable your gun photos to be archived and aggregated online for searching. While it is unknown if anyone is doing such tracking, it may be wise to ensure your serial numbers don’t show up in your firearms photos. Recently, The Firearm Blog did an experiment on firearm photos after reading an article called “Google and Facebook Are Reading Your License Plates.” The premise was...

Drinking will shorten your life, according to a study that suggests every glass of wine or pint of beer over the daily recommended limit will cut half an hour from the expected lifespan of a 40-year-old. Those who think a glass of red wine every evening will help keep the heart healthy will be dismayed. The paper, published in the Lancet medical journal, says five standard 175ml glasses of wine or five pints a week is the upper safe limit – about 100g of alcohol, or 12.5 units in total. More than that raises the risk of stroke, fatal aneurysm...

Hope Hicks, the White House communications director and one of President Trump’s longest-serving advisers, said Wednesday that she was resigning. Ms. Hicks, 29, a former model who joined Mr. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign without any experience in politics, became known as one of the few aides who understood his personality and style and could challenge the president to change his views. Ms. Hicks had been considering leaving for several months. She told colleagues that she had accomplished what she felt she could with a job that made her one of the most powerful people in Washington, and that there would...

If I’d told you 2 years ago journalists would scramble to “report” on the allegation President Donald Trump wanted to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller seven months ago like it A) just happened, and B) actually happened (as in he was fired), you would’ve thought I was lying to you. But it’s all too real, and someone will likely win a journalism award for it. But in an age of frantic reporting over rumors, lies, and non-stories, the pearl-clutching class chose a faux-scandal over some real news – that the White House is open to selling out on immigration. Oh,...

NORTH Korea better be watching its back today as thousands of US troops and 230 warplanes descend on Kim Jong-un’s doorstep. Vigilant Ace – a massive joint war games – kicks off today as the US and South Korea rehearse for battle with Pyongyang. Hundreds of aircraft and thousands of soldiers and airmen are taking part in the drill, which is one of the biggest ever of its kind. US and South Korean forces will be rehearsing for a full-scale war with North Korea. Nuclear fears have reignited as Kim fired his latest missile last week – his biggest and...

I had never heard of Milo Yiannopoulos until recently, perhaps because I don't visit some of the websites where his musings are published. Milo, as he calls himself because of the difficulty some have pronouncing his last name, was disinvited from this week's Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC), the annual gathering of the right in Washington. Apparently the organizers were not bothered by Milo's association with the so-called "alt-right." CPAC withdrew the invitation only after a video surfaced showing him apparently endorsing man-boy relationships that qualify under the definition of pedophilia. Yiannopoulos has resigned as an editor at Breitbart.com and...

This arsenal of firearms is among the dozens of weapons that have been taken off London’s streets during the Met’s latest gun amnesty. Since Monday 45 weapons have been surrendered across the capital as part of the Give Up Your Gun campaign, including shotguns, revolvers, rifles and handguns, Scotland Yard said. Detectives from the Met’s gang unit today urged anyone still in possession of an illegal firearm to hand it in before the amnesty ends on Sunday night.