Free Republic

There is little doubt that the COVID-19 restrictions in place now have caused major disruptions in our daily life and have had negative economic impacts on California families, especially the working poor. But consider how much worse it would be if we in California hadn’t moved quickly to “flatten the curve.” An out-of-control pandemic would rage through our state at numbers unimaginable and would have much more severe consequences on the health of Californians, as well as the economy. Thankfully, California is once again leading the way by taking major measures such as shelter in place, physical distancing, orders to...

During his closing monologue on Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher argued that America is better off than it was four years ago because we’re not in the middle of the time “when COVID hit and America wet itself, emptied its pockets, and curled up in a ball” by overreacting to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mar 25, 2024 During a House Natural Resources Committee hearing last week, Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) spoke about a Bureau of Land Management policy.

MSNBC legal analyst Barbara McQuade argued Monday that the United States’ “deep commitment to free speech” makes Americans uniquely susceptible to disinformation campaigns. McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor, went on “The Rachel Maddow Show” to promote her new book, “Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America.” She said her “goal” with the book was to spark a “national conversation about truth and our commitment to it.” She added, “I hope that by dissecting it, explaining it, and educating the public, we can all see disinformation for what it is so that we can begin to push back...

Many Americans are only now beginning to realize the devastating impacts that COVID lockdowns had on our society, as many businesses struggle still to recover and children try to catch up with missed learning opportunities. But what if the pandemic was just a trial run for more drastic restrictions and lockdowns related to climate change? After decades of arguing that the world is at a climate tipping point, Democrats may try to enact restrictions to stop perceived global warming at an order of magnitude larger than the COVID-19 measures imposed during the height of the pandemic. And considering the pandemic’s...

On December 20, 2023, United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney issued an order granting the plaintiffs motions for Preliminary injunction in the case of Reno v Bonta. The case involves the multitudinous restrictions placed on where people are allowed to bear arms in California. Judge Carney ruled the challenged provisions of the law deprive people who have already been vetted by the state of their right to bear arms and are therefore prevented from taking effect. Following are excerpts from the order with commentary.From the beginning, Judge Carney notes we live in dangerous times, and the right to self-defense...

On Tuesday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) stated that there has to be a “tight” definition of what constitutes a humanitarian crisis to bypass the normal immigration process under humanitarian parole because there are “criminals that are coming over and then have done something horrific.” Co-host Sara Sidner asked, “I do want to ask you about one specific thing, because I know that the Republicans have been really sort of going after this one thing, saying this is the hangup, this is the big hangup, and it has to do with humanitarian parole, where the United...

New mask mandates have been imposed in health care facilities and other places in at least three states in recent days. COVID-19 hospitalizations have been rising since late summer, as new variants circulate. According to the latest data from the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 20,538 hospital admissions in the week ending September 9, up 7.7 percent from the previous week. In an effort to help avert another "tripledemic" like last year when hospitals were overwhelmed with flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and coronavirus cases, the U.S. this month approved updated COVID-19 vaccines. The...

School is back across the country, so let's survey the landscape of both higher and lower education. At the University of Michigan, students who test positive for COVID are being forced into off-campus quarantine -- like something out of 2021. They may not attend classes, and they may not remain in their dorm rooms, "even if they are in a single room." Dr. Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford writes, "students testing covid positive must leave their dorms for 5 days & live in the community. A hotel room or a relative's house is ok. This cruel policy is designed to spread...

everyone is running from the lockdowns they once supported, and that includes former presidents and governors, and probably mayors too. Apologies would be better so we can at least have an honest accounting rather than an attempt to rewrite the history that everyone knows. Jack Phillips of Epoch Times alerts readers in his article of August 31, 2023, of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ recent statement on the subject of lockdowns. The Iowa State Government’s website says the following: “Since news broke of COVID-19 restrictions being reinstated at some colleges and businesses across the U.S., concerned Iowans have been calling my...

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused "left-wing lunatics" of fear-mongering about new COVID-19 variants in order to justify the reintroduction of their left-wing lockdown and mandate policies, which included the use of drop boxes and mail-in ballots in 2020, in a bid to rig the 2024 election.President Trump made the remarks in a video posted on Aug. 30 on Truth Social, saying that his message should serve as a warning to every COVID-19 "tyrant" who not only wants to "take away our freedom" but who would be playing into the hands of those wanting to exploit COVID-19 restrictions to...

Whistleblowers from the TSA and Border Patrol have raised the alarm to Infowars that the Biden administration is setting the stage for full Covid lockdowns that will begin with incremental restrictions like masking TSA employees in mid-September. The first source, a high-level TSA official confirmed and known to Infowars, reached out to Infowars and cited a Tuesday meeting in which TSA managers were told new memorandums & policies were being completed that would reimplement masking, starting with TSA & airport employees as early as mid-September. The TSA official also said next week they will receive new guidelines on how the...

Most of us drive cars or small trucks or motorcycles. To enjoy this privilege, we must do numerous things, some of which cost money. We need to be of a responsible age, get training and earn a license. We also must register our vehicles with their serial numbers and display license plates that identify us. Why? Because motor vehicles are inherently dangerous and a major cause of death and injury. Accordingly, certain restrictions are deemed necessary to minimize harm. The restrictions include prohibiting driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and enforcement of applicable laws have dramatically reduced death...

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, received a chorus of boos at a concert on his home turf Saturday night. Brian Kirk, the lead singer of Brian Kirk & the Jirks, invited Murphy onstage, but the moment quickly soured at the Red Rock Tap & Grill in Monmouth County, just two miles away from the governor’s waterfront mansion. Kirk broke his embrace of Murphy to scold fans. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, what did I tell you guys?” Kirk said, pointing his finger at the crowd. “Hey, listen to me,” he continued. “Listen to me, he didn’t want to...

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Republicans needed to show courage and pass gun laws. Jean-Pierre said, “We have had a president who has acted on this. I know you were asking me about executive action. What else can we do? This president has taken more executive actions on gun violence safety than any president before him, and he has done that in two years. Just earlier this month, we took another executive action.”

After months of wintry weather relieved much of California from its driest three years on record, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) issued an executive order on Friday to modify — but not remove entirely — the state’s emergency drought proclamation. “We’ve been waiting for this moment for some time to ask the rhetorical question and answer it: Are we out of the drought?” Newsom asked at a Friday morning press conference in Yolo County near Sacramento. “I want to affirm your instinct that it should be, it feels like it is,” the governor said. He noted, however, that “it is and...

Kentucky’s Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday vetoed a sweeping GOP-backed bill that would have prevented transgender youths in the state from accessing gender-affirming health care or using school facilities like restrooms or locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. Senate Bill 150 also sought to prohibit classroom instruction through the fifth grade on “human sexuality,” in addition to instruction for students at all grade levels on gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation. The Kentucky Department of Education and state Board of Education under the proposed law would have been discouraged from implementing or recommending policies that require a...

New Zealand will be retiring its COVID-19 traffic light system and significantly scaling down COVID restrictions from Sept. 13 so Kiwis could “move forward with certainty,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced.“It’s time to safely turn the page on our COVID-19 management and live without the extraordinary measures we have previously used,” New Zealand will be retiring its COVID-19 traffic light system and significantly scaling down COVID restrictions from Sept. 13 so Kiwis could “move forward with certainty,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced.“It’s time to safely turn the page on our COVID-19 management and live without the extraordinary measures we have...

The phenomenon, speech pathologist Nancy Polow says, is part of a concerning trend in kids born during or shortly before the pandemic Compounding the crisis, when parents sought help, they were met with lockdown-related roadblocks, such as mask restrictions and telehealth meetings Now the restrictions have lessened, Polow says, parents are scrambling to address these failures, signing up for pricey speech therapy sessions A growing body of academic research also supports Polow's claim that children born over the past three or so years possessing weaker verbal skills

Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade said Tuesday on FBN’s “Kudlow” that suburban white women were “freaked out” by the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, hurting Republicans in polling for the midterm election. Kilmeade said, “Well, the three things the Democratic Party is polling well in, coronavirus still, which is inexplicable; abortion because they are pro-choice and a lot of the zero tolerance, when it comes to these states has a lot of people freaked out. I think the 15 weeks seems to be – even if you’re the most pro-life person, your neighbor probably isn’t – so how do...