Wednesday Link Roundup - 13 May

William Teach at Pirate's cove starts things rolling with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

1. The American Conservative: Zelensky and Ukraine Are in a World of Trouble
2. Powerline: U.K. Reform earthquake

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 05.11.26

Glenn Reynolds: The Gathering Storm
Hollywood In Toto: Charlize Theron’s Apex – Why Wasn’t This in Theaters?

EBL - VIRGINIA'S ABIGAIL SPANBERGER : CRY HARDER 😭

Townhall: Could California be next? and CNN host loses it over VA
RedState: Issues in Virginia not addressed in California

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 11 May 2026: Plastic Memories Edition

Fake DDR5 memory is "flooding" the PC market. (WCCFTech)
I put "flooding" in quotes because the example provided explicitly lists the memory as "completely junk".

Don Surber - HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEWS

ITEM 17: Yellow Hammer reported, “Alabama state troopers escorted disruptive protesters out of State House gallery during redistricting debate.”
It’s only an insurrection if MAGA does it.

Political Hat - News of the Week (May 10th, 2026)

Fifth Circuit Court Decision Blocks Telehealth Abortions
On Friday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a unanimous ruling that reverses existing FDA policy and prevents the mailing of chemical abortion drugs.

Flopping Aces - The Week in Radical Leftism, 05/09/2026 – The Washington Post is Still Dying in Darkness!

USDA will relocate most of its D.C.-based workforce
Sadly, the swamp is still quite resistant to draining. Am I the only one who would love to see some vacated government buildings transformed into a massive Buccees?

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 5/11/2026

Oil Climbs as Iran War Drags on; Stocks Set Records
Oil prices rose Monday as the war with Iran threatens to drag on for longer, but the U.S. stock market nevertheless inched toward more records.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 05.12.26

Victory Girls: Salon Wants To “Heal Through Conversations”
Watts Up With That: The California refinery crisis is a national security risk for America

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Dems Propose Slaughtering and Restocking Virginia High Court

@DataRepublican, "I am going to keep repeating this until people understand this. Karen Bass was not only a Castro operative and Communist, but she got elevated to Vice Chair of National Endowment for Democracy.

The Glibertarians - Saturday Evening Non-Spudular Links

“Don’t worry, it’s not like it’s contagious. Trust us, we have a great track record.”
Now that is a policy I can support.

Small Dead Animals - Tuesday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: Jim Crow rhetoric. The elitist media. VDH – Strategies.
Stories You Won’t Find At Carney’s CBC: The ISIS Green Party. Our net-zero king.

Vlad Tepes - Looking at the NYT as a vector of Active Measures and Canada’s state of civilizational degradation: Links 1 for May 11, 2026

3. The number of laws being passed in Canada to grant massive Big Brother and even Leninist powers to the state is pretty amazing.

Bacon Time!!!! - Sunday Linkange

Pirates Cove Your Fault: ‘Climate Change’ Driving Hantavirus
Freedom Is Just Another Word.. .Saturday Memes…

Maggie's Farm - Saturday afternoon links

Coffee May Protect Against Aging, And Caffeine Isn't The Main Reason
Tracking Dr. Fauci’s Fallout

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 5/ 12/26

You have to be awfully smart to believe something this stupid.
The Young, Violent Political Left

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Do You Hate Communism Enough?

• The difference between helping and grifting - Tom Knighton
• How Our National Debt Jeopardizes Families’ Futures - Christopher Jacobs

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 05/11/2026

If they lower the retirement age to 54 all the justices will have to retire, and the CIA-Democrat governor will be able to fill the entire court with Democrat flunkies who will let Democrats do anything.

I leave you with The “Dems on a downhill slide” meme edition from Bookworm Beat, Sunday Funnies For 05-10-26 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Monday Memes from Granite Grok, and Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3675 from 90 Miles from Tyranny.

Australia Is a Defenseless Victim Zone

The government likes it that way. Coroner reveals new details after 20-year-old intruder shot dead in Melbourne home invasion

A man is at home with his heavily, pregnant partner. Three men, armed with axes break in. They assault the pregnant woman. At least one of the three has a firearm. The homeowner wrestles the firearm away from the bad guy, and in the course of the fight said bad guy is shot in the chest, and dies of his wounds.

The cops arrest the homeowner, because you are not allowed to defend yourself in Australia. The law actually says that you are allowed, but you must use proportional response, and somehow, shooting a bad guy, with his own gun, after he and his buddies have attacked your pregnant girlfriend, is not proportional enough for the powers that be, Down Under.

And the pregnant woman was struck in the leg with an ax.

The homeowner was initially charged with murder in relation to the incident “however the prosecution did not progress due to the opinion of prosecutors that there were no reasonable prospects of a conviction,” according to Spanos’ findings.

Justice? Why would they worry about Justice?

Since law and order seem to be deteriorating in Australia, some of the states are trying to return some measure of self-defense. I don't expect it to come to much. (They're too "civilized" for that kind of thing.)

There is a push, however, to introduce laws to increase the rights of homeowners. The push is, in part, due to an increase in the number of home invasions in Victoria, driven in large part by young, recidivist offenders.

The demand for an overhaul of self-defence laws in Victoria is being led by Libertarian MP David Limbrick.

The law abiding are more than disarmed. They are forbidden, in any practical sense, from defending themselves.

Murders, Robberies Surge in NYC subway

But hey, crime is down overall. Or not being reported... it is hard to say which is true. Exclusive | Murders, robberies surge in NYC subway, NYPD data shows

If you've been living under a rock, you might not have known about the recent, high-profile murder in NYC.

A maniac repeat-offender pushed an elderly man to his death on Manhattan subway stairs Thursday, cops said — the fourth homicide in or around the subway this year, up from just one a year ago at this time.

Because the attack started "above ground" (or at the top of the stairs) NYPD did not count this as a transit crime. Of course not, because why would you want to include a murder on the stairs of the transit system as being committed in the transit system?.

Robbery in the transit system has also shot up by 18% so far in 2026 over the same span last year, to 156 from 132, according to NYPD data.

Felony assault is down 6% so far this year, to 209 from 221, but has increased 16% over the same period in 2024 and 60% from seven years ago.

So is crime up, or down? You decide. And you can click thru for more statistics.

NYPD says that arrests are up. No mention of what the DA is doing with all those arrests, or how long people arrested for violent crimes actually spend in jail.

Why the hell does anyone want to live in NYC?

Home By The Sea

By 1983 Genesis had moved on from its Progressive Rock roots, and had become much more Pop for the day. As a result I had moved on from Genesis. They still had some good songs, but I only heard them if they were on the radio.

Today's song comes to us by way of WXRT's Saturday Morning Flashback. WXRT (Chicago's Finest Rock) was revisiting 1983 in early march.

This is "Home By The Sea" by Genesis from their 1983 Genesis.

Gaming News

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony has some info/deductions about the Steam Machine. Daily News Stuff 11 May 2026: Plastic Memories Edition

It seems that Valve is building the infrastructure it needs to sell the Steam Machine.

It's not going to be cheap thanks to the RAMpocalypse, but shipping manifests show that Valve has collected 50 tons of something in a warehouse, and the latest update to Steam includes four new product codes and a reservation queue that again appear to correspond to the new device.

I'm not sure I'll get one - it's a low-end console replacement and I have multiple systems more powerful - but it's good to see signs of life.

I'm only interested in seeing the last of the Windows-only, anti-cheat software ported to Linux, even if it is only ported to Arch. Anything the pulls another block out of the Jenga Tower of Microsoft's monopoly is a good thing.

Microslop decided that they were going to inflict AI on everyone, whether they wanted it or not, whether it opened up security problems (or should I say, "more security problems") or not, and whether it made sense or not. After all, that is what Wall Street wanted to hear, so that is what upper management wanted to hear, so that is what middle management ...

Worry about what the customers want? Why would they worry about the customers? People are locked into Windows, right? Microsoft can do whatever they want, and you have to accept it. Well, maybe not so much any more.

Tuesday Links - 12 May

Alice Jones Webb at Take It Outside is up first with an observation about outdoor equipment. Everything at Bass Pro Sounds Like a Military Operation: Why does outdoor gear sound like it comes with a mission brief and unnecessary aggression?

A folding camp chair had the word “elite” stitched into the backrest like it was preparing for CQB instead of holding a middle-aged man scarfing down Little Debbie Christmas tree cakes in some pre-dawn box blind.

Andy Ngo of Ngo Comment - Antifa Activist Who Celebrated Charlie Kirk Murder Arrested on Child Sex Crime Charges in New York

His social media is filled with violent leftist posts. After Charlie Kirk was murdered, Stroup wrote, “Rest in PISS you dirty fucking fascist.”

The Silicon Graybeard reminded me of the 555 timer chip. A technogeek anniversary to celebrate

Originally designed at Signetics corporation, it's the 555 timer circuit, AKA "the triple nickel" timer. Ironically, the triple nickel has outlived Signetics itself, which was bought by Philips Semiconductor in 1975 and Philips is now part of NXP semiconductors.

Washington Free Beacon - The Hope Goes On Forever and the Vibes Will Never Die

Few things were more inevitable than an Obama musical. What better way to commemorate the Hamilton presidency than with a vibes-drenched, profanity-laced sing-along for liberals who stopped being proud of their country on Nov. 8, 2016?

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Waiting for the Winter Meetings

So apparently we’re having a little trouble in Pete’s league getting people to play their playoff games, which is kind of annoying since those of us who didn’t make the playoffs would like to get on with the draft for the 1975 season.

The Other McCain - It’s a Long Way to Hope. I love a good car chase story.

She then returned to the Mercury, informed Washington that he needed to “exit the vehicle,” at which point he put it in drive and floored it, starting a pursuit that reached 100 mph and lasted six minutes before Washington ran off the road, crashed the car and was arrested.

American Family News - NYT making its own news with witch hunt for aggrieved white employee

Leftists in the media cannot stand the idea that Team Trump is coming to the defense of white males at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They believe white males should never file a complaint, given their centuries of massive white male privilege.

Again from Wombat-socho - Rule 5 Sunday: Chocolate

One of the nice things about seeing more Japanese X users is that there’s more cheesecake being posted.

No One Was Injured

Journalists and Leftists most impacted. Shooting at Summit Mall: Teen arrested no one injured, say police

Maybe we should pass a law making it illegal to shoot guns in the air for no reason. Oh, wait a minute...

Also I want to note, that if you cannot name the problem you have, or even admit that you have a problem, then you have no chance of fixing that problem.

Fairlawn police said a 17-year old was arrested Friday, accused of firing a gun twice in the air after an argument with a group of teens in the parking lot of Summit Mall.

Investigators said no one was injured, but the mall was locked down while police searched for the shooter and potential victims.

Fairlawn, Ohio is about 5 miles northwest of downtown Akron, or about 25 miles south of Cleveland.

It is hard to characterize this incident. "A group of teens" had an argument in a mall parking lot. At least one of them was armed. What does that bring to mind? If we can't address the elephant in the room, we can't fix problems. But the Left doesn't want to fix problems.

No one was hurt, though the shooting was certainly a crime. Is this news? Probably.

Oh, and people were shocked that bad things could happen at a mall.

"Terrifying, I'm ready to leave," said [a mall worker] as she got into her car to go home.

Guns at Home and Around the World

Professor David Yamane, at Light Over Heat, posted a collection of links a while back, that got stuck in my drafts folder. They are still worth looking at. (More timeless than timely.) Illuminations #7. Curiosity: An Idea Worth Spreading

There is also another link to his recent TEDx talk. It is a 15 minute (or so) video, once you get past the YouTube ads. I thought it was interesting. The video is “Escaping the Gun Debate Trap,” TEDxWakeForestU (26 March 2026). Click thru

From The Christian Science Monitor: More liberals are buying guns. Why?

In the last couple of years, a growing number of women and people of color have begun training with Mr. Mills. His clients are conservatives, moderates, liberals, and those who defy simple labels altogether.

Then from Open Source Defense: OSD 370: Let me show you the gun of my people, we get a look at gun ownership in Japan and in Europe.

This video is about an American guy who moved to Japan and then did the obvious thing: figure out how to buy a gun.

The requirements are bonkers, including $2100 in fees. The crazy thing is that the US government wrote the Japanese constitution, and didn't give them the 2nd amendment.

Professor Yamane includes a partial translation of the Danish article »Automatgeværer er fede«: Millioner følger ham på YouTube. Nu vil han have deres stemmer in What a Danish Newspaper Got Right About American Gun Culture. It is about guntubers generally, and Branden Herrera (The AK Guy) in particular.

Professor Yamane includes more, but click thru and see for yourself.

The Other McCain v Communism

I think I know how to answer this question. Do You Hate Communism Enough? : The Other McCain

Is Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles, a Communist? I'm shocked!

Too many of our Republican friends dismiss Bass as a dimwitted clown, dangerous only because of her incompetence. However, Bass has held positions of major influence, and was among the finalists in Biden’s search for a VP pick in 2020. It was when she was under consideration for that choice that her early involvement in the Venceremos Brigade attracted critical scrutiny.

Click thru for more.

The answer to the question in the headline is obviously no — it is impossible that any of us could hate Communism as much as we should. Unless you were a Chilean helicopter pilot back in the day, perhaps, you could almost certainly use a booster shot for your anti-Communism.

The Extremist

Today's song sounds more straight up Rock than Rock/Jazz Fusion. Maybe even a bit like Metal. The guitar is certainly screaming, a bit. Satriani was not known for Metal, but since I make the rules...

This is "The Extremist" by Joe Satriani. It is the title song to his 1992 album.

Texans Are Still Armed

The bad guys keep not getting that memo. Harris County burglary suspect shot, killed by homeowner: constable

Constable Mark Herman reports deputies were called early Wednesday morning to a home on Spring Creek Oaks Court in the Spring Creek Oaks neighborhood.

A homeowner reported the suspect entered their home through the backdoor and the homeowner fired shots during the incident.

The suspect was found nearby in a bayou area. He did not survive his wounds.

Harris County, Texas, is the county that includes Houston.

The homeowner was detained as the investigation got underway.

When asked if the homeowner would face charges, the police answered as follows.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office said no one else inside the home was hurt. When asked whether the homeowner could face charges, investigators said that decision will be up to the district attorney's office.

I'm no lawyer, but it is my understanding that every homicide in Texas is referred to a grand jury.

Self-defense is a human right, and this took place in Texas.

Late Stage TDS

The Other McCain brings us a story of politics and insanity. Trump Derangement Syndrome Reaches Terminal Stage as Democrats Seethe

Are you tired of all this winning yet? If you were on X (née Twitter) Friday, you could see Democrats raging vehemently (and ignorantly) against the Virginia Supreme Court decision, which held that last month’s referendum to redraw the Commonwealth’s congressional districts violated the Virginia constitution.

This is, of course, about the recent Virginia State Supreme Court's ruling nulifying the gerrymandering of the state's Congressional districts.

As has been explained, the Virginia state constitution spells out a very specific process by which the constitution can be amended. Just five years ago, the Commonwealth ratified an amendment that set up a non-partisan commission to draw the state’s districts. Last month’s referendum sought to amend that, providing a “temporary” exemption so that the legislature could redraw the map.

So they tried to cheat, and got told no, and like a two-year-old who did not get his way, they are throwing a tantrum.

Go read the whole thing.

The State of Criminal Justice in Chicago

Chicago Contrarian has a story about the previous Illinois State's Attorney for Cook County. Why Did Kim Foxx Secure ‘Certificates of Innocence’ for Men She Believed Were Guilty?

During a deposition last month, Foxx admitted she believed Gabriel Solache and Arturo DeLeon-Reyes were guilty of the brutal 1998 Bucktown stabbing murders of Mariano and Jacinta Soto and the kidnapping of the couple’s two young children. This was a head-scratching admission, given that in 2022 her administration agreed to award COIs to both men, after years of opposing them.

After that, they went on to sue several police officers.

So why did Foxx do that? I mean aside from the fact that she hates cops, anything to do with law and order, etc?

The Solache-Reyes case is not an aberration. It is one of many wrongful conviction lawsuits that have been brought by individuals who, despite substantial evidence that they committed murders, received dismissals of their charges, COIs, and lucrative civil settlements.

Click thru for the details.

At least the new State's Attorney seems to be sane. I have my doubts about the sanity of Kim Foxx.

Palisades Fire Aid Money Laundering?

Is anyone surprised that people are not spending money raised for the Palisades fire victims, on everything BUT the Palisades fire victims?

California Rep Kevin Kiley says they have learned the $100 million dollar pacific palisades Fire Aid concert money was laundered to nonprofits

“What we have learned is absolutely beyond belief — Tens of thousands of people donated raising a hundred million dollars for what they… pic.twitter.com/7vBGCaVeui

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) May 6, 2026

Did we really expect the Democrats in California to do what they said they were going to do?

Hollywood's Failure Spreads to Saudi Arabia

If you don't follow pop culture as much as I do, you might not know that Anthony Mackie (Black Captain America/Falcon from the MCU) starred in an "Epic," historical movie set in the Middle East, titled Desert Warrior. It was a disaster from a financial point of view. I haven't seen it, but the reviews are insane.

It seems that Saudi Arabia is trying to create its own version of Hollywood. Unfortunately they have hired a bunch of people from Hollywood, and those folks are making all the same mistakes.

This is a girlboss movie set in the Historical Middle East. Who exactly would want to see that? Americans, and the folks in the West generally, are sick-to-death of girlboss movies. And why would conservative Middle Easterners want to see such a thing?

This is Disparu's video Desert Warrior - The Biggest FLOP of All Time. It is about a 19 minute video, so plan accordingly.

Defensive Gun Uses During September 2025

A round up of incidents. Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns: 31 Cases During September 2025 - Crime Prevention Research Center

It is just a list of incidents without commentary. Click thru.

Self-defense is a human right, and it is catching on as a legal right in a lot of places.

Anti-Gun Group Hates Concealed Carry

From Lee Williams at The Gun Writer: Fearing expanding gun rights, anti-gun group creates absurd concealed-carry policy

Times are good and possibly getting even better for those who value guns, gun rights and the Second Amendment.

And so the anti-gun crowd is becoming hysterical.

So, it’s understandable that those who want to restrict and subvert the Second Amendment are getting desperate. In fact, they’re willing to try almost anything to restrict access to firearms while President Trump is in office. It’s as if they never even heard of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.

Enter the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

These egg-headed goons want to roll back the clock to the late 1980s. Their just-released “Public Carry Permitting: Model Policy Guide” is pretty much what some states offered decades ago. It’s laughable—a trip back in time. Nowadays, it’s likely too restrictive for even the bluest of blue states.

Click thru for the details.

Cancer and the Jab

I'm shocked that experimental vaccines have unforeseen side effects. The Cancer Signal They Told Us Not to See

For six years, those of us who questioned the official COVID story were told to wait, defer, trust, and stop noticing what the data was already suggesting.

We watched it with the lab leak. We watched it with masks. We watched it with school closures. We watched it with natural immunity. We watched it with myocarditis. We watched it with vaccine injury reporting. We watched it with DNA contamination.

The frustrating part was never just that institutions got things wrong. Everyone gets things wrong in a crisis. The deeper wound was that the people asking reasonable questions — parents, physicians, data analysts, small-business owners, vaccine-injured patients, and dissenting scientists — were treated as if their questions were a threat.

And wouldn't you know it, some of those questions had merrit. (That is where the censorship machine came into play.)

Click thru for info on several studies that point to the same conclusions. Not everything was a "safe and effective" as advertised, and some of the policies were clearly stupid. (6 feet?)

Hat tip to Sarah Hoyt at Instapundit.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 9 May

The Right Way starts us off with Top of the News

Users of House Slush Fund for Sexual Harassment Named - IOTW Report
Is there still a ceasefire with Iran? - The New Neo

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 05.06.26

Chicago Boyz: Ballots not bullets, also, Worthwhile reading
Don Surber: Hoosier Daddy? Donald Trump

EBL - LA Mayor Karen Bass Is A Disgrace : Vote for Spencer Pratt

Spencer Pratt for LA Mayor
AoSHQ: Morning Report 05.07.26

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 7 May 2026: Young Hannibal Edition

New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma came from the company's AI division, leading to unease among gamers. She just cancelled Copilot on Xbox and mobile. (The Verge)
The only way to win is not to play...

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam

The Wombat’s In The Mailbox: 05.06.26
JJ Sefton’s The Morning Report — 5/ 7/26

The Glibertarians - Friday Morning Links

“Oops, our bad!” But we should still be trusted, I promise you.
You dumbasses made your bed. Now you’re gonna have to lie in it.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 05.07.26

Shot In The Dark: Change In The Weather – For Now
The Political Hat: Quick Takes – Euthanasia In Canada: Catholic Hospitals Forced To Kill; More Accessible Than Healthcare; Less Than Dogs

Flopping Aces - The Week in Radical Leftism, 05/09/2026 – The Washington Post is Still Dying in Darkness!

This policy is at the root of unaffordable health care
You’re going to be surprised, but the article gets wrong the obvious answer: Obamacare

Political Hat - Quick Takes – Euthanasia In Canada: Catholic Hospitals Forced To Kill; More Accessible Than Healthcare; Less Than Dogs

Canada’s healthcare system is so bad, it takes years to get healthcare, but only days to be killed.
In Canada, healthcare is for dogs and euthanasia for humans.

Vlad Tepes - A few loose threads sewing together how communist lines of action are sold or hidden by Canadian media: Links 1 for May 6, 2026

1. Remember, the Detective Helen Grus story is a microcosm, or a rather an excellent data point for what has happened to our civilization. The replacement of Rule of Law and all that means, to a narrative based, dialectical system where the state determines what is true

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 5/7/2026

2020 Election Audit: 12.4% of Detroit’s Mail-in Ballots Were Invalid
A massive citizen-led integrity investigation into Detroit’s 2020 election has uncovered alarming irregularities involving absentee ballots ...

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 05.08.26

Nebraska Energy Observer: Templars and Freedom
Outkick: Some viewers disliked Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show so much they complained to the FCC

Small Dead Animals - Thursday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: Victor Davis Hanson – The epilogue. I wish it wasn’t so.
Conman Carney’s Canada: Whiny Indian month. A partisan pick. Anti-Israel talk. ISIS recruiter.
Stories You Won’t Find At Carney’s CBC: Roger Watson – Linguistic gymnastics.

Maggie's Farm - Wednesday morning links

Iran Spox Blasts 'Unrealistic' White House 'Wish List'
Mass Migration Doubles Modern Day Slavery in the UK - "Slavery in the UK is at record levels"

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 5/ 7/26

An existential crisis for the SPLC and the left.
Why the Left Won’t Let Racism Die

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: From DOJ to Ballot Box: The Rise of Lawfare Candidates

• Canadian Prime Minister is Playing a Very Dangerous Game - CTH
• Honda Cancels EV Plant in Canada – Despite Prior Deal for Billions in Subsidies - CTH

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 05/07/2026

Epstein Suicide note released, but does not sound like something a quasi-educated Jewish finance guy would write

I leave you with Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3654 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, More political and current event memes than you can shake a stick at from Wirecutter, and Friday Memes … from MaddMedic.