Tuesday Links - 2 June

Paul Vallas at Chicago Contrarian is first with a story from my home town. Chicago Mayor’s Political Ideology Is Costing Lives

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s public embrace of a UChicago Justice Project report that claims police response times improved after ShotSpotter was disconnected is another instance in which political ideology appears to trump public safety.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Seattle Residents Put Up Barricades To Keep Gun Fire Out

Nowhere in any of the stories have I read about the shots coming from people driving through. Also, they never seem to mention who is doing all the shooting and prostitution and such (illegals, perhaps?). Or that guns are heavily regulated in Dem run Washington and Seattle.

Meep at STUMP - New York Pensions: Making Things More Expensive in Latest State Budget

To make it clear, two things have occurred in this New York State budget passage: ...

I hate both of these things

The Other McCain - Our Sudden Alaska Road Trip

The walls at my son’s house here are adorned with hunting trophies — deer, caribou, turkey, duck, etc. His military exploits are just his day job.

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Technical Difficulties

As y’all probably noticed, we’ve been having some problems here at The Other McCain, what with hackers and such, and without dragging all the dirty laundry out in public (because there isn’t any) suffice it to say that when Stacy gets back from Alaska, he and I and Smitty need to have a talk and decide what we’re going to do with this site.

Margaret Flavin at The Gateway Pundit - Girl Power? Dem Reps. Say Employers Who Won’t Pay Women to Stay Home from Work During Menstruation Are Committing ‘Economic Violence’ (Video)

For the crowd that doesn’t seem to be able to define what a woman is, Democrat Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) recently went full ‘girl power’ during a press conference.

Alice Jones Webb at Take It Outside - They Think They're Better Than You

Rural, working-class life has become a popular aesthetic.

Robert Stacy McCain at Born Lucky - Platner in the Führerbunker

Hit by scandal after scandal in recent weeks, Platner’s status as “rising star” is now at risk because Democrats have belatedly realized that there might be even more damaging revelations to come — worse than his SS Totenkopf tattoo.

Again from Wombat-socho - Rule Five Sunday: Outstanding In Her Field

It’s that time of year when gals in overalls get out there and start getting ploweddoing farming stuff.

Professor Yamane at Light Over Heat - Illuminations #8. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Rational Discourse

Welcome to Illuminations - your monthly dose of light over heat.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 30 May 2026: Phlegmish Edition

Microsoft is under fire for threatening a "security researcher" with criminal investigation. (Tech Crunch)

The "security researcher" in question is anonymous and definitely no White Hat. The moment "Nightmare Eclipse" finds a security flaw, he goes public with it, regardless of the chaos that might ensue.

On the other hand, Microsoft could do well to put fewer security flaws in their code in the first place.

Crime in Chicago - It Is Not a Law and Order City

I miss living in a civilized society. I miss when Chicago was a great city.

First we have a story about Public Transit. The Left loves to say that people should take transit, so it would be nice if there was some safety. Crazed Man Kidnaps Chicago Bus Driver at Knifepoint, Leads Her to Jump Out Window | The Gateway Pundit | by Michael Austin, The Western Journal

A bus driver in Chicago was kidnapped at knifepoint, prompting her to flee the assailant by jumping out of the vehicle’s window.

The Chicago Transit Authority is not blind to the conditions in that city, so the bus drivers have a silent alarm. She was able to trigger it, calling for help.

He ran, but the cops tracked him down a short time later.

He has been charged with aggravated armed kidnapping, aggravated unlawful restraint, and aggravated assault.

And in a notable change, he was held in jail.

From the New York Post, we get a story of a "teen takeover." Shouldn't this be called a riot? 5 officers struck by car after ‘teen takeover’ hits Chicago’s West Side — as 19 people hurt in shootings

This article was published on Sunday afternoon, so that 19 number doesn't include anything that happened on Monday.

At least five officers were struck by a driver during a “teen takeover” event early Sunday in Chicago’s West Side, only the latest in the viral trend hitting American streets.

Elsewhere, 19 people were shot and wounded on Memorial Day in the Windy City.

So what is the difference between a "teen takeover" and a riot?

It used to be a wonderful city.

Professor Yamane Attended the Smith & Wesson Collectors Association Annual Meeting

I would not use the word crashed. Professor David Yamane at Light Over Heat has an interesting article. I Crashed the Smith & Wesson Collectors Association Annual Meeting

Last summer, I attended the Smith & Wesson Collectors Association (SWCA) annual meeting in Concord, North Carolina to give a presentation about my book, Gun Curious. The SWCA then made me an Honorary Member of the Association. And this spring, they published the text of my presentation in their journal.

For someone whose focus has been on defensive gun culture (Gun Culture 2.0) rather than collecting and other aspects of Gun Culture 1.0, this experience was as gratifying as it was surprising.

Like all of Professor Yamane's writing, it is worth reading.

Late Stage TDS in the Media

Another story of Trump Derangement Syndrome from The Other McCain. How We Got Here: ‘Susan Collins, One of the Most Evil People in Public Life’

In this case we have a Professional Journalist™ from The Nation, namely David Klion.

“TRUMP! TRUMP! TRUMP!” The deranged obsession so warps David Klion’s perception that, when challenged on his over-the-top rhetoric, his response is to post a syllogism, the first premise of which is, “Republicans are evil,” and believes that he has thereby vanquished his critics.

Click thru for the insanity.

The Platner Campaign Is Entertaining

Watching the Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) twist themselves into pretzels to claim that the guy with Nazi tatoo is not a Nazi has been something to watch. I shocked to discover that he has other probems. Platner Staffers Bodycheck Journalists Asking Questions About His Sexting Scandal

In case you don't know, Graham Platner is running in the Democratic Primary in Maine for senator. His campaign has hit a few speed bumps along the way.

I wouldn't call it chaos exactly, or call what was done a "bodycheck" (I watch hockey when I'm with family), but shoving reporters isn't called for.

Staffers could be seen shoving signs in the view of cameras to prevent journalists from capturing footage of Platner as he returned to a vehicle. The Maine Wire, an investigative news outlet located in the state, accused staffers of “bodychecking” journalists who desired to ask the candidate questions.

The current scandal - not the Nazi tatoo scandal, that's the old scandal - is about the candidate and his "disturbing sexual deviancy."

Click thru for those details.

Angel of Midnight

Rick Beato is searching for new rock songs. That is fine, but he seems to be stuck in a pop-influenced set of songs. (I can't recommend the video, as I hated all of the songs.)

So I went searching for new songs, from bands I like, and a found a few... Here is one. We will get to others eventually. And this band is described as "pop-infused," but I like it.

Battle Beast is a 6 piece band out of Helsinki, Finland. I generally like their music.

This song is "Angel of Midnight" by Battle Beast from their October 2025 album Steelbound. The song was released as a single shortly before the album. (September?)

Domestic Violence and Self-Defense in Ohio

Austintown, Ohio police release details of May 13 shooting on New Road

Police are calling this a road rage crash, but then point out the fact that is a domestic violence attack. OK. I think of those things as being two very different things.

In a news release, Chief Valerie Delmont said a vehicle driven by Zachary Fisher, 30, was involved in a crash with a car driven by his ex-girlfriend during a “domestic situation.”

The woman had two children in her car, along with a man in the passenger’s seat, the release said.

The release said following the crash, Fisher got out of his vehicle with a gun in his hand and got in a physical altercation with his ex-girlfriend before coming up to the passenger’s side where the man was sitting.

That passenger was armed, and he shot once, incapacitating Fisher.

Zachary Fisher died at a local hospital.

Austintown, Ohio, is about 3 miles west of Youngstown, or about 55 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Cops are treating the shooting as a case of justified self-defense, but the DA will make the final determination on charges.

Self-defense is a human right, and while Ohio law isn't perfect, it is pretty good (in my opinion - I'm not a lawyer) on self-defense and concealed carry. (Hat tip to Concealed Nation.)

NC Violated Law by Letting Nonresidents to Vote in Federal Elections

From Just The News: NC court rules state violated law by allowing nonresidents to vote in federal elections

The Wake County Superior Court sided with the RNC in the ruling Tuesday after the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled last year that people who have never lived in the state cannot vote in state elections.

The state stopped nonresidents from voting in state elections in the wake of the state Supreme Court ruling, but did not change its policies when it came to federal elections.

This is insane, but that is the way Democrats steal elections.

Hat tip to William Teach at Pirate's Cove.

Kind of wild that a pretty Dem court in Dem controlled Wake County, NC voted this way

Police Chief Accused of Selling Evidence to Pawn Shop

It can be hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys some days. New Chicago, Indiana, police chief accused of selling pawn shop a gun being held as evidence - CBS Chicago

New Chicago police Chief Earl Mayo was charged with theft, official misconduct, and attempted obstruction of justice, as well as unlawful possession of an anabolic steroid, according to court documents.

New Chicago, Indiana is roughly 13 miles east of the Illinois State Line, about 4 miles south of Lake Michigan, 3 miles southeast of Gary, or about a 40 mile drive southeast of downtown Chicago.

The gun was a Taurus G3. It was sold to the Mega Cash Pawn shop in Hobart, Indiana. (Hobart is just to the south of New Chicago.) He apparently sold 12 guns to the pawn shop over several years. No one said those were from evidence or problematic.

In a bit if irony, his father is running for Sheriff of the local county, Lake County, Indiana. The father and mother issued a statement that basically says, if he's found guilty, then he has to face the consequences.

This is a link to Steve Lehto's video Police Chief Arrested When Evidence is Sold to Pawn Shop. He gets the hat tip, though the video is a bit longer than it needs to be at 11 minutes.

Late Stage TDS

And once again the party that claims to be for peace, love, and understanding, (that would be the Democrats) are vile, and wishing ill on people who dare to disagree with them. Trump Derangement Syndrome: Some Historical Perspective on Political Manias : The Other McCain

How can it be that someone working as the assistant vice president of a financial institution could think this way? And believe she could post something like that online without consequences?

The problem is not just that a lot of Democrats are insane — although, of course they are — but that so many people, including Republicans, are incapable of thinking outside of the here-and-now of politics, the 24/7 news cycle reinforced by constant immersion in social media noise.

Click thru for the details, including how a financial VP lost her job over wishing a painful death on Pam Bondi, and some great historical perspectives on the issue of this kind of partisan insanity.

The Absolute Collapse of Star Wars Box Office

Odin is a member of the Friday Night Tights crew, and he is a movie reviewer who focuses heavily on the financial aspects of the movie industry. And I love the numbers and the statistics. He also writes for Geeks + Gamers. It’s Official: Independent Films Backrooms and Obsession Embarrass Disney’s Mandalorian and Grogu – Box Office Breakdown

He took aim at the box office numbers Sunday afternoon, as he often (usually? always?) does.

Just when you thought that the movie business had lost any sense of intrigue or surprise, two independent films made by YouTubers blasted their way to the top of the box office discussion. For the last few weeks, the horror film Obsession has been doing things I haven't seen since I started covering the box office back in 2018. Not only did it make 39% more in its second weekend than its first without any massive change in theater counts, but it has now increased again, making another 10% gain, according to current weekend #3 estimates.

There has been much written and recorded about the implosion of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu at the box office. It has been beaten by two independent horror films. Backrooms had a budget of about $10 million, and came in at #1 in its first week in release. Obsession had a budget of about $1 million and came in at #2 in its second week in release.

Compare those numbers to the current Star Wars movie, that had a budget in the 100s of millions of dollars, came in at #3 in its second week in review.

This is the OMB Reviews video Backrooms and Obsession Just Destroyed the Hollywood Machine

Odin is not the only person covering this. Here is the Midnight's Edge video Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu is Dead, Kathleen Kennedy the Culprit

If you are interested in looking at the raw numbers, see The Numbers.

A Miguel Gonzalez Musical Interlude

Miguel Gonzalez brings us a lovely musical interlude. Sunday Repose

And a short review of Amazon Prime's series Spider-Noir, staring Nicholas Cage.

Not a bad series. A mixture of Marvel comics and old timey serials of the 1950s with a good dash of Noir gangster cinema

I am going to find time this week to watch it. (There are only 8 episodes.) You can watch in either color or black and white. Black and white is recommended because it is shot in the Film Noir style, which doesn't work in color. And it was filmed shot with the idea that it would be in black and white.

Click thru for "Dream a Little Dream of Me" from the soundtrack to Spider-Noir as performed by Li Jun Li.

"Dream a Little Dream of Me" was written in the 1930s, but you (might) know it because it was covered by Cass Eliot with the Mamas and the Papas in 1968.

Homeowners in Florida Are Armed

Bad guys haven't gotten that memo. Homeowner fires warning shot after man tries to break in, threatens to kill family, Volusia deputies say

The homeowner told deputies he was inside with his family "when he heard loud banging coming from the front door" of the home.

When Self couldn't get in through the front door, the homeowner told deputies, "Self moved to the carport entrance and began striking the carport door" while "screaming incoherently and aggressively."

The homeowner fired a warning shot into the ground. I don't like warning shots, and they are not legal in every jurisdiction. If you need to fire a weapon, it should be because the threat is imminent. If you want to send a message use your cellphone.

It did, however, convince Nathaniel Self to leave. Police caught up with him a short time later and took him into custody.

DeLand, Florida is in Volusia County. It is about a 35 mile drive north-northeast of Orlando. This incident took place "near DeLand."

Is this an issue of crazy people are dangerous, or were drugs involved?

Neighbors who spoke off camera said they believe Self came from a homeless encampment nearby. They said it's been a problem for some time, with people banging on their doors at all hours of the night, and they hope something gets done about it soon.

Self is charged with several things including attempted burglary of an occupied dwelling.

Self-defense is a human right.

Academics Have Noticed that the Value of Higher Education Is Falling

Campus Reform brings us some observations from Rob Jenkins, who is a Higher Education Fellow with Campus Reform and a tenured associate professor of English at Georgia State University - Perimeter College. Dear Academe: You have done that yourself

After a bit of reminiscing about Star Wars, as it was before it was destroyed by Disney, we get to the heart of the matter.

I think about that scene every time I hear academics complaining about the current state of higher education—the fact that trust in the institution has plummeted and the value of a degree isn’t what it used to be. “It’s your own fault,” I want to tell them (perhaps a bit less stoically than ObiWan). “You have done that yourself!”

Apparently, I am not alone. A recent report from Yale University, of all places, reached much the same conclusion. According to Campus Reform, the report blames the ongoing erosion of trust in higher ed on lack of intellectual diversity and political conformity, among other things.

I would say that the lack of rigor in various studies, and the wildly increasing costs of an education relative to the salaries that graduates can command isn't helping.

I have a degree in mathematics, but I attended a Great Books college. We read Plato, and Plutarch. We studied the history of the Roman Empire, and the founding of the Soviet Union, with all of the atrocities that involved. We read Alexis de Tocqueville and Descartes. We studied both Marx and Adam Smith. I am no opposed to higher education that includes things like literature, and philosophy, and history. But the current state of higher education is almost completely worthless.

Read the whole thing.

89 Children Rescued in Texas

The media seems to be (mostly) ignoring this completely. 276 Arrested, 89 Children Rescued in Massive Child Exploitation Sweep in Texas | The Epoch Times

The only mainstream media mention I could find on Saturday afternoon was from Fox. No one else seems to care about the welfare of children. Or they are just committed to NOT giving the Trump administration (and Homeland Security) credit for anything.

A massive child exploitation task force operation in north Texas in March and April this year resulted in 276 arrests and the rescue of 89 children, the FBI announced May 29.

The FBI’s Dallas division joined forces with the Dallas Police Department and other local authorities for Operation Soteria Shield in an effort focused on rescuing children from online sexual exploitation.

Click thru for the rest of the details.

Texas Politics Is Becoming Insane

Or it is at least starting to be really entertaining. What $100,000,000 Buys : The Other McCain

The RINO class is not happy that Cornyn lost his primary. The Democrats hope that it means they can turn Texas blue.

Do I want to pick a fight with Erick Erickson? No, I do not. Erick has done yeoman’s work for the conservative cause for more than 20 years, and 99 days out of 100, I have no problem with him. But his reaction to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s victory in Tuesday’s GOP primary runoff against John Cornyn is a reminder of something most people never think about — there are professional campaign operatives who earn a lucrative living from politics. Erick Erickson is close friends with a lot of Republican operatives and, it seems obvious to me, some of Erick’s friends were getting paid by Team Cornyn.

The Establishment Republican reaction is entertaining. The Democrats reaction is laughable.

Click thru for the details, and analysis.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 30 May

EBL is up first with Chrysler : John Ciambriello

27 May 1930 : Chrysler Building opens
AoSHQ: Morning Report 05.27.26

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 05.27.26

Nebraska Energy Observer: The Surplus Store
Outkick: Bomani Jones Becomes Latest Commentator To Criticize Jaxson Dart

The Right Way - Top of the News

The Islamic Center of San Diego’s Jihadist Legacy - Blazingcatfur
Paxton win sends message to Thune: It’s Trump’s Senate now

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 28 May 2026: The Beeg Cat Who Walks Through Walls Edition

GitHub Actions not only went down, the outage left it telling users their accounts were suspended. (The Register)
Neat. Let's put all the worlds code there.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump is Cleaning Up and Beautifying Washington DC

From Ace, Judge Clears Way for Trump to Tighten Verification for Mail-In Votes; Scott Bessent Touts New IRS Rules to Identify Antifa's Funders; OMB Director Russ Vought Acts to Make Sure That Federal Grants Go to US Citizens Not Foreigners and Illegal Aliens.

Small Dead Animals - Wednesday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: George Floyd Day. VDH – Selective outrage. Trump’s biggest win. Mamdani moment. Your morning meme.
Conman Carney’s Canada: Our dictator warns Alberta.

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For May 29, 2026

“CENTCOM: Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Kuwait ‘egregious ceasefire violation.'” Ya think?
U.S. seizes over $1 billion in Iranian cryptocurrency.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 05.29.26 (Very Early Morning Edition)

Don Surber: You want the party back?
Flopping Aces: First Blood In Texas
Gates Of Vienna: Knife Jihad in Winterthur

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 5/28/2026

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket Explodes on Florida Launchpad
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded in a massive fireball while undergoing a static-fire test on a Florida launchpad Thursday evening

The Glibertarians - Wednesday Afternoon Links of Substitution

NEWS FROM OCCUPIED VIRGINIA: Some Virginia Sheriffs and Commonwealth’s Attorneys (prosecutors) have announced that they will not enforce the Democrats’ so-called assault weapons ban set to take effect in July.

Flopping Aces - The Week in Radical Leftism, 05/29/2026 – Back to The Washington Post Dying in Darkness!

How a bipartisan women’s history museum became a political football
Now THIS is the kind of clever guerilla tactics we need to see more of from the GOP!

The Political Hat - Quick Takes – Discrimination In Academia: DEI Continues At Arizona State; Stanford Medicine Renames But Keeps DEI; UCLA Still Racially Discriminates

It’s still DEI even if it’s called something else.
Medicine is about discriminating at Stanford Medicine.
The Supreme Court said that racially discriminating in admissions is illegal. UCLA doesn’t care.

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 05.29.26 (Normal Evening Edition)

Victory Girls: Trump Gets UFC – No Kings Gets Jane Fonda
Watts Up With That: Pressure Causes Temperature? It’s Time to Climb Down from “Mount Stupid”

Vlad Tepes - UK, historical myth making and Chinese control of Canadian state agencies: Links 1 for May 29, 2026

4. If a Canadian retweets or likes this short video on Chinese control of Canadian government, will we be kidnapped into a dialecticaly named, mental health facility and force fed brain destroying drugs?

Maggie's Farm - Wednesday morning links

Starship Test: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Spencer Pratt Has Game

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 5/ 29/26

On demonstrators protesting Sharia law: “Finish them off.”
Academic Assailant: Dana Cloud, University of Cincinnati

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Leading NJ Dem congressional candidate Hamawy volunteered with Al-Qaida in Bosnia

• Your Journalism Degree Is Now a STEM Degree - FacultyLeaks.com
• EV Pixie Dust Effect: Ferrari Unaware of Woke Jaguar Commercial - Beege Welborn

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 05/27/2026

South Carolina’s New Social Media Law Puts Every User Under Age Surveillance. That is no good. It is possible “The Storm” is a red herring, and all other options end in us getting fucked.

I leave you with Midweek Memes from Granite Grok, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3734 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, Thursday Memes … from MaddMedic, and Friday's gifs from Wirecutter.

Gun Sales Soar in Response to Bans

Bearing Arms brings us a completely predictable story. Glock Bans Send Gun Sales Soaring

We've been reporting on the surge in gun sales in Virginia over the past few months, a boom caused by Democrats' wave of gun control legislation that includes a ban on so-called assault firearms and large capacity magazines. Now a similar wave appears to be forming in Maryland in response to Gov. Wes Moore's signature on a bill that will ban the sale of Glocks and other striker-fired handguns later this year.

I have not been following this very closely, not live in Virginia. I have to say that it sounds completely stupid.

Anti-gun activists know that passage of their favored gun control laws leads to a spike in sales in the short term, but they're willing to make that trade-off because once a law takes effect its impact will be felt for as long as it remains in place.

Click thu.

The Bears Are Leaving Chicago

From George Shay at The Chicago Contrarian we get a story of the Democrats turning on their own. UnBearable

The Democratic governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, not so affectionately known as Fatso, is laying the blame for the Chicago Bears moving to Indiana, something they have not officially decided to do, on Chicago's mayor, Brendan Johnson.

You know things are going badly for a mayor when even the governor from his own party publicly humiliates him. That is exactly what happened when JB Pritzker openly criticized Brandon Johnson for having “no plan” to keep the Chicago Bears in Chicago. Coming from a Republican, that would have been ordinary politics. Coming from the Democratic governor of Illinois, it was devastating.

The Bears aren't considering this move in a vacuum.

The sad reality is Chicago has lost a great deal in just three short years under Brandon Johnson. We lost ShotSpotter, despite the fact many police officers believed it helped save lives by locating gunfire quickly. We have lost businesses, investment, conventions, taxpayers, and confidence in public safety. We have lost far too many young people to gun violence, and we have lost police officers both literally and figuratively as morale within law enforcement continues to erode.

Click thru for more details.

As for The Bears, we get this from the AP: Bears reiterate Chicago stadium options are ‘exhausted,’ focused on suburban Illinois and Indiana

The Bears reiterated Thursday they plan to leave Chicago as they continue to look at building a stadium in suburban Illinois or Hammond, Indiana.

The state is trying to do some things to keep them in Illinois, so Pritzker could maybe do something there.

The Bears haven't said why they are leaving Chicago, but the tax and crime situation is why other people are leaving. They have said that want a moderen, enclosed stadium. If you have ever been in Chicago in January, you would understand.