Free Republic

I assumed that school boards were cowards if they didn’t have a publicly announced plan to physically defend their students. I was wrong. The issue is more involved. Many of those boards adopted an attitude of “Don’t ask and don’t tell.” There are unresolved issues we face as we protect our kids at school. Our school boards need our help to do the right thing.

Conservative public interest advocacy group Defending the Republic (DTR) has obtained almost 15,000 pages of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial data, claiming the data show an “utter lack of thoroughness” of the trials and calls the vaccine’s safety into “serious doubt.”As a result of successful Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the group recently announced it had obtained—and is releasing—nearly 15,000 pages of documents relating to testing and adverse events associated with “Spikevax,” Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.Since 2022, the group has been involved in litigation against the FDA relating to the production of...

p>The phrase “small town America” often conjures up images of white picket fences, well-trimmed lawns, and big houses. But how safe is modern-day suburbia in America?Some of the smallest places in the country can actually be among the most dangerous. Take for example Bessemer, Alabama, with a population of around 26,000 and a violent crime rate of 33.1 per every 1,000 residents.That said, there are many small cities that are true havens for families across the United States. Visual Capitalist's Avery Koop uses this map to showcase the safest cities in the U.S., using FBI data and Census Bureau populations...

A Massachusetts woman who disappeared late last month was found Monday at a state park, where authorities said she had been trapped in a muddy area for at least three days. Emma Tetewsky, who was reported missing on June 26, was rescued from a swampy area inside Borderland State Park, Easton and Stoughton police said in a joint statement. Hikers inside the Easton park said they heard a woman screaming for help but were unable to reach her so they called 911 at about 6 p.m. Monday. Easton police officers who arrived on the scene heard Tetewsky’s desperate calls for...

A suburban family is hoping to clear the air after their Fourth of July firework video accidentally sparked a viral reaction. Markie Martin reports.

Safe Boating Tips No matter how much experience you have, it’s always a good idea for everyone to review boating safety rules before departures. Below you will find 10 basic boating safety tips to help you stay safe: 1.Be Weather-Wise Always check local weather conditions before departure; TV and radio forecasts can be a good source of information. If you notice darkening clouds, volatile and rough changing winds or sudden drops in temperature, play it safe by getting off the water. 2.Follow a Pre-Departure Checklist Proper boating safety includes being prepared for any possibility on the water. Following a pre-departure...

...Across the tech industry...wide swaths of people tasked with protecting the internet's most-populous playgrounds are being shown the exits. The cuts come at a time of increased cyberbullying...and as the spread of misinformation and violent content collides with the exploding use of artificial intelligence....Twitter effectively disbanded its ethical AI team in November and laid off all but one of its members, along with 15% of its trust and safety department, according to reports. In February, Google cut about one-third of a unit that aims to protect society from misinformation, radicalization, toxicity and censorship. Meta reportedly ended the contracts of about...

DETROIT (AP) — Owners of new Ford vehicles will be able to tune in to AM radio in their cars, trucks and SUVs after all. CEO Jim Farley wrote in social media postings Tuesday that the company is reversing a decision to scrub the band after speaking with government policy leaders who are concerned about keeping emergency alerts that often are sounded on AM stations. “We’ve decided to include it on all 2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles,” Farley wrote on Twitter. “For any owners of Ford’s EVs without AM broadcast capability, we’ll offer a software update” to restore it, Farley...

FLINT, Mich. (NewsNation) — Public schools in Flint are enforcing a policy banning backpacks, including those made of clear plastic material, amid concerns over firearms, weapons and threats. The Flint Board of Education voted 7-0 to ban backpacks for the remainder of the school year. The new policy allows small purses for personal items, clear plastic bags for gym clothes and lunchboxes “within reason.” They’ll also be subject to searches. Flint Community Schools Superintendent Kevelin Jones said, “Things have changed,” and it’s the only way to move forward. “For the most part, the majority of our families are putting in...

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and AAA Western and Central New York is reminding drivers and bikers of safety tips as biking season is upon us — as soon as the weather permits. The latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that fatal motorcycle crashes are on the rise: 5,932 motorcyclists were killed in crashes in 2021, the highest number since 1975 Motorcycle fatalities increased 9 percent in 2021 compared to 2020 (5,579 fatalities in 2020) Fatal motorcycle crashes accounted for 14 percent of all crashes in 2021 According to the Insurance Institute for Highway...

You don’t see a lot of good news about road safety in the United States. Unlike in most peer countries, American roadway deaths surged during the pandemic and have barely receded since. Pedestrian and cyclist fatalities recently hit their highest levels in 40 years, but U.S. transportation officials continue to ignore key contributing factors. In a February interview with Fast Company, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that “further research” is needed before addressing the obvious risks that oversized SUVs and trucks pose to those not inside of them. Happily, there is one area where we are making at least marginal...

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs shot down two proposals aimed at improving student safety and protecting the rights of law-abiding residents on Tuesday, breaking out her veto pen and calling on the Republican-controlled legislature to start passing gun control bills instead. HB 2332 would have set up a firearms safety education program for students in grades 6-12, while SB 1331 would have allowed Arizonans with concealed carry licenses to lawfully bring their firearms on campus. In her veto letter, Hobbs claimed that “Mandatory firearm safety training in school is not the solution to gun violence prevention,” adding that the proposed course...

Be prepared to defend yourselves and your loved ones. Watch this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=_Kw1HL3wpQk&fs=e&s=cl

Three years ago, Jason Rivera wrote a letter to the New York City Police Academy, explaining why he wanted to be a police officer. “When I applied to become a police officer, I knew this was the career for me,” he said. “I would be the first person in my family to become a police officer,” Rivera wrote, as reported by the Daily Mail. “Coming from an immigrant family, I will be the first to say that I am a member of the NYPD, the greatest police force in the world. “Growing up in New York City, I realized how...

Am praying for brothers and sisters in Mississippi. Be safe, that's a nasty storm with multiple tornadoes already. Be safe and keep your heads up! Founded on Purpose

Three years ago, Jason Rivera wrote a letter to the New York City Police Academy, explaining why he wanted to be a police officer. "When I applied to become a police officer, I knew this was the career for me," he said. "I would be the first person in my family to become a police officer," Rivera wrote, as reported by the Daily Mail. "Coming from an immigrant family, I will be the first to say that I am a member of the NYPD, the greatest police force in the world. "Growing up in New York City, I realized how...

The terror induced by an alert to “Run, Hide, Fight” is not unique to Michigan State, where a gunman fatally shot three people as students barricaded doors and raced across campus in search of safety. The strategy, which follows best practices developed by the Department of Homeland Security, is familiar to most students in the lockdown generation. When a shooter is nearby, it holds, people should fight only as a last resort and only if confronted by a shooter. But when it’s deployed, the results can be traumatic. After a shooting last fall at the University of Virginia, a campus...

Democrats in Connecticut have introduced legislation that would allow women to skip the physical ability test for becoming firefighters. Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett said that "fewer than 15% of women are able to pass this test. Such discrimination is intolerable." Leah DiNapoli, a retired New Haven firefighter, called the proposed law "absolutely insane. Pulling people out of burning buildings requires strength. Diminishing the standards for becoming a firefighter endangers the lives of both the general public and the weaker firefighters the lowered standards will recruit." Garrett argued that "we're trying to balance two separate objectives here--saving lives and achieving greater...

Deploying air marshals to border leaves US 'vulnerable to attack' during holiday travel season, official claims U.S. air marshals are reportedly staging a "mutiny" on the Biden administration over its immigration policies, as they plan to refuse mandatory deployment orders to the southern border and, therefore, face possible termination. Though refusing the order puts them at risk of termination, dozens of air marshals argue that abandoning their current assignments will leave American fliers more vulnerable to threats over the busy holiday travel season. Amid an influx of illegal immigrants held in custody, the Federal Air Marshal Service asked for volunteers...

CUELLAR: You know, first of all, no, the border is not secure. When you have 1.7 million individuals last year, and now another 2.7, that's over 4.5 million individuals encounter at the border, plus the - if you add the getaways, that's going to be over 5 million individuals in just two years. No, the border is secure - it's not secured and we've got to make sure that we have repercussions there.