The Day The Music Died

A lot of people have heard the Don McLean song, "American Pie," from 1971, but I'm always amazed by the fact that they don't know what he's talking about.

On 3 February 1959 Richie Valens, J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, together with pilot Roger Peterson. They were leaving Clear Lake, Iowa, after playing a gig, on their way to Moorhead, Minnesota. The conditions on the tour busses were horrible, so Holly chartered a plane. Shortly after takeoff Peterson lost control of the plane and crashed killing all 4 on board.

This is "American Pie" by Don McLean. It was the title song to his 1971 album.

Tuesday Links - 3 February

Jim Treacher is up first with Don Lemon Arrested for Breaking the Law: This is an OUTRAGE or something

And before you start: The only people whose First Amendment rights have been infringed here are the congregants at the church Don Lemon invaded. He was part of the planning, he trespassed and refused to leave, and he called those churchgoers “white supremacists.” To make matters worse, he’s even profiting from his crimes.

Miguel Gonzalez - And now bodycams are a bad thing.

Karma is such an elegant bitch.

Libs of TikTok - Radical Nurses FIRED after being EXPOSED by LoTT

As ICE deportation operations ramp up across the country, calls for violence against federal agents and conservatives have skyrocketed.

Recently, there has been an upsurge of radical left-wing nurses promoting violent action or targeted discrimination against those they disagree with.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Bummer: UN Faces Financial Collapse

Maybe it should collapse. It served it’s purpose at one time, but, now it’s just made up of Jew/Israel haters, climate cultists, and other wackos, and is a major source of graft and waste, and has been all this for at least 30 years

Meep at STUMP - U.S. Finalized Mortality 2024: Highlights

GREAT NEWS! Death is down! Life expectancy exceeding pre-pandemic levels

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 1 February 2026: Carcainisation Edition

You can now buy a flying car. (Yahoo)

Well, more of a flying motorbike.

Actually, more of a flying hammock slung between two banks of rotors and surrounded by a plastic shell.

OldAFSarge at Chant du Départ - A Week After

The knee is better, gets a bit better every day and I'm happy with that. I have avoided walking on ice since then. Should have avoided it altogether but my attention wandered and BAM, next thing you know I'm on the ground wondering just what I was thinking.

The Bugscuffle Gazette - Keys aren't defense tools: Please stop acting like they are

Let me preface this by stating that your vehicle is many things. It is shelter, it is armour, it is storage for many useful items, it is triple-digit escape speeds, and — in extremis — it tends to be a 4,000 pound weapon.

It is none of these things if the keys to it are bent, broken, folded, spindled, missing, or in the possession of your attacker.

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: One Big Crunch, which is also the Song of the Week (see the SOTW link).

After the last couple of weeks, this was a particularly bad week to be a Senators fan. First we got swept by the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, and then we came home to get whipped by the Expos, winning only one game.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - We’re Saved: Snowboarder Totally Trying To Save The World

It’s a small story, but, big enough for NBC News to cover it, which perfectly encapsulates what members of the cult do.

The UK Versus Freedom

JoNova has a post on the loss of freedom of movement in Britain. The 15 minute city is back

How could they resist? The 15-minute city is the fantasy idea that the unwashed masses can get everything they need within 15 minutes of home. But of course, their family may live somewhere else, as might their favourite dentist. How many old folks in nursing homes will miss out on visits because someone doesn’t want to fill out a permission slip or get a fine?

The Telegraph calls this Stalinist. Labour opens door to ‘Stalinist’ 15-minute cities across Britain

Under the scheme, drivers would need a residents’ permit that allows 100 days of free travel per year through six traffic filters during operating hours.

The surfs were tied to the land. How is this different?

When you add in their abandoning jury trial, and the assualts on free speech, you have to ask, "What F- is going on in England?"

In that place where Great Britain used to be... More like Airstrip One every day.

Hat tip to Pirate's Cove: If All You See…

International Suicide Rates versus Gun Ownership

The following article has been boiling in the back of my brain, for some time. During his recent trip to SHOT Show, Professor David Yamane reported on a suicide prevention seminar at the show. From his Light Over Heat substack: Suicide Prevention on the Gun Culture Agenda

Significantly, the NSSF organized the SHOT Show’s first-ever general session on suicide prevention - the SHOT Show Suicide Prevention Town Hall. According to NSSF Senior Director of Communications Bill Brassard, while the show has previously offered educational seminars on suicide prevention for retailers and ranges, this is the first general session open to all attendees.

Now I think that suicide prevention is a fine thing. It is why I have such a problem with way Medically Assisted suicide is going in Canada, and in some states, though Canada is by far the worst.

But there is an assumption that bothers me. That assumption is, or at least seems to be, "Access to guns, causes suicide."

In what follows I am going to compare suicide in the US to suicide in Japan. I am only picking on Japan for 1 reason. They have Draconian gun control laws.

In the late 1990s, or early 2000s, the suicide rate in Japan was 2 or 3 times higher than that of the United States. How can this be? Private ownership of firearms is virtually banned in Japan. Japan has some of the strictest gun-control laws in the world. TheGunZone described the situation as "Unmatched Strictness." And yet they had what could only be described as a suicide epidemic.

Consider the study Comparative Study about Methods of Suicide between Japan and the United States (from 2005). That is from The National Center for Biotechnology Information and The National Library of Medicine.

Age-adjusted mortality rates from suicide in Japan were about 2 times higher for males and 3 times higher for females compared with the United States. The most common method among both genders in Japan was hanging, followed by jumping from a high place.

Use of firearms was the most common method in the US, which I suppose accounts for the seminar at SHOT Show. I still think it misses the point.

Trading Economics allows for creation of comparison charts on various dimensions. The following chart shows the suicide rates of Japan versus the United States for the years 2016 through 2021.

The Japanese rate is consistently higher during that period. (During a longer period, but without a subscription I am limited to 5 year graphs.)

Since the early 2000s, Japan's rate has come down considerably, and the US rate has trended higher. The information I can find says that the rates crossed, and the US now has a higher suicide rate than Japan. The US stands at 16.10 per 100,000 and Japan at 15.3 per 100,000 people, as of 2024.

That isn't to say that different sources, or different methods don't arrive at different rates. World Population Review shows Japan have a rate of 18.59 per 100k versus 17.43 per 100k in 2021. World Population Review shows that the Japan rate increased to 21.46 per 100k in 2023. (Click on the graph to enlarge.)

So why am I taking issue with the suicide prevention seminar?

Access to guns in the US does not cause people to kill themselves any more than access to rope in Japan does. People who are, for whatever reason, bent on self-destruction, select a method that they believe will be effective based on what they have access to. People with access to guns select guns. People without access to guns select rope. Or high places from which to jump. Is suicide somehow worse if a gun is used?

Again, I don't have an issue with suicide prevention. Some people in my life have chosen to end their lives, and I have been witness to what it leaves in its wake.

Given that, we could probably learn something from Japan on the topic of suicide prevention. Those rates didn't come down on their own. But that is story for another day.

The UK Government and Its Latest Gun Insanity

The UK is losing its mind. Impro Guns brings us the information. Channel 4 Tests ‘Converted’ Blank Firing Guns

Film makers and gun dog trainers in the UK are having to hand in their toy firework guns because they can be made into acrappy zip guns. The item ‘converted’ only has to successfully fire one shot to be declared illegal. It doesn’t matter if the piece of tubing glued to the sawn off chamber goes flying off afterwards

Meanwhile, the actual criminals in the UK are adopting 3D printed designs.

The Grammy Awards Are About Politics, Not Music

This is how you can tell. 30 Artists Who Haven’t Won Grammys

The Grammy awards were apparently given out over the weekend. I couldn't care less, and while there was some discussion on Social Media, most people didn't care either.

So how can you tell that the Grammy awards are NOT about the music? The list of artists who NEVER won a Grammy. (This is very incomplete) In no particular order.

• Queen
• Jimi Hendrix
• The Beach Boys
• Janis Joplin
• The Who
• Diana Ross
• Journey
• The Doors

There are more.

Then you add in the fiasco in February 1989 when they gave the Grammy Award for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental" to Jethro Tull. The band didn't bother to show up, because they weren't Hard Rock/Metal, so why would they win? They won because the people handing out the Grammy awards know next to nothing about music.

Danse Macabre

The Agonist is a band I tripped over a few years back. Probably during the lockdowns, as I had a lot of time to explore new-to-me music. I never really explored much of their music at the time, but of late I have started to dive into some of it. As usual, I like some of it, I don't like some of it. I featured a song from them in November, which started me listening to more of their music.

The Agonist is a Canadian Melodeath Metalcore band out of Montreal. Metalcore = Heavy Metal crossed with Hardcore Punk. (It isn't usually my type of music.) Melodeath = Melodic Death Metal. I should have known this band, because Alissa White-Gluz was the lead singer before she joined Arch Enemy. The lead singer for today's song is Vicky Psarakis, a Greek-American from Chicago. The rest of the band is as follows: Danny Marino playing lead guitar, Pascal "Paco" Jobin on rhythm guitar, Chris Kell playing bass, and Simon McKay on drums.

This song is "Danse Macabre" by the Agonist from the 2015 album Eye of Providence.

Good Guys 2, Bad Guys 0

The bad guys don't expect the law-abiding citizens of Chicago to be armed, and so you can file under "Another failure of the victim-selection process." Concealed carry license holder opens fire during attempted armed robbery in Belmont Cragin, CPD says; 2 in custody - CBS Chicago

Chicago police said a 39-year-old man was getting out of his car in the 5200 block of West Montana Street when two men walked up with a gun and demanded his belongings. Police said the victim, who has a valid CCL, fired multiple shots at the men. One was struck multiple times in the legs, CPD said.

The guy who got shot was taken to a hospital in good condition, and the other guy was arrested.

Belmont Cragin is one of the 77 neighborhoods community areas in Chicago. It is 8 miles northwest of The Loop. It was not one of the more dangerous neighborhoods has reported by HeyJackass! in 2025.

The investigation is in early days, but self-defense is a human right.

They stopped saying 77 neighborhoods, because some of the 77 areas are broken down in to multiple neighborhoods.

Euthanasia as Practiced in Canada Is Horrifying

I miss civilization. Canada Is Showing Us The True, Ugly Colors of Euthanasia

Canada's so-called Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program isn't just failing vulnerable people -- it's actively betraying them. Time and again, it delivers fresh, horrifying proof that euthanasia is not compassion, but a moral nightmare dressed as mercy. Yet far too many still look away. Why?

Because it is far away, and they haven't come for you. Yet.

It starts off with the story of Mrs. B. My post on that incident is Euthanized 'against her will' - Isn't This Murder?

Then there is the case of Kiano Vafaeian. He was 26, blind in one eye and depressed. His family only learned of his application for MaiD after he was dead. He applied a couple of times, but his family saved his life twice. This time they were not able to intervene.

But MAiD's 2022 expansion to non-terminal chronic conditions reopened the door. Approved again and scheduled to be euthanized that September in Toronto, his mother once more successfully rallied support through petitions and media, even prompting her son's doctor to withdraw. Years passed. Then, in late 2025, Vafaeian was approved yet again, this time in Vancouver by Dr. Ellen Wiebe, who has carried out over 400 executions by euthanasia. This final green light exploited a loophole, framing his torment as primarily physical (diabetes-related blindness) despite depression's undeniable dominance. The young man, not even 30 years old, was euthanized on December 30, 2025.

And then there is the case of Canadian actress Claire Brosseau. She is 48 and depressed, but wants to die, and is suing for that right. She has manic depression, anxiety, substance abuse, but no chronic physical ailments. Not being offed by the medical profession violates her right to die. Or something.

It is certainly cheaper to kill people, than to care for them, but is that what civilized people do? Don't get me wrong. I have said that if I was suffering from acute radiation poisoning, I would not stick around for the mechanics of dying. If you knew what that kind of death involved, you probably wouldn't either. There are other ends I wouldn't want. Certain kinds of stage 4 cancer come to mind.

If there is pain, that I can understand. But killing people, medically, because they are depressed seems wrong to me. It speaks to the nihilistic nature of modern life.

Hat tip to MaddMedic at Freedom Is Just Another Word...

Minneapolis Shootings The Result of Sanctuary Policies

Police union leader says blocking ICE coordination led to deadly Minneapolis shootings | Alpha News MN

St. Paul Police Federation President Mark Ross said that if local police had been allowed to assist federal agents, the deadly encounters involving Renee Good and Alex Pretti could have been avoided.

This should surprise no one.

“Unfortunately, our local politicians would not allow us to do that,” Ross said.

Of course the violence and the shootings have been used to drive the Fraud Scandal in Minnesota right out of the headlines. Strange coincidence that. (Hat tip to INTERNED in Northfield!!!)

January in Chicago

HeyJackass! brings us the Chicago January Wrap-up

The return of the Polar Vortex on the back half of the month helped keep a lid on the nonsense or maybe it was the Justice Involved Violence Influencers™ hitting the streets in sub-zero temps.

The final totals for January were 31 killed, 103 shot and wounded. That was a slight decrease from January 2025, and down significantly from 2021 or 2022. And yes, the level of crime is influenced by the weather, especially extreme cold and snow, though even heavy rain can have a measurable impact.

Click thru for the breakdown by race, gender, the number of Shot-In-The-Ass, Selfies, and more.

In other stats, one non-fatal shooting was deemed to be justified self-defense.

University Police Chief Who Said Students "Too Drunk" for 2A Rights Arrested for Drunk Driving

Some days the jokes write themselves. From Shooting News Weekly: UNH Police Chief Who Testified Students are ‘Too Drunk’ for Campus Carry is Arrested…For Drunk Driving

Your vocabulary lesson for the day: Projection.

Psychological projection

Projection is the process of displacing one’s feelings onto a different person, animal, or object. The term is most commonly used to describe defensive projection—attributing one’s own unacceptable urges to another.

I wonder if they do random drug/alcohol testing at the University of New Hampshire. Somehow I doubt it.

Enter Steven Lee, the 50-year-old Chief of Police at the University of New Hampshire. He recently testified that college students absolutely shouldn’t be trusted with guns on campus. Reason? “They’re too drunk,” he said. The gun control advocate, using his professional position as Chief of Police — advocating that New Hampshire protect the kids by keeping them disarmed. Assume they’re constantly intoxicated and irresponsible.

Fast-forward to present day: Chief Lee — badge, gun, and all — was pulled over in Portsmouth at almost 1 a.m. (Pro-tip for the chief: nothing good happens after midnight.)

Chief Steven Lee was (allegedly) hammered enough to earn himself a pair of shiny bracelets and a DUI charge.

The Chief is now on vacation paid leave.

Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit.

Still Worth Your Time - Road to Perdition

I mentioned this movie several years ago. I still like it, and I watched it again recently.

Tom Hanks plays the role of Mike Sullivan, an enforcer for the Irish Mob in a nameless Midwestern city. Paul Newman is his surrogate father, and head of that mob. Father and son. Conflict. Betrayal. And Jude Law playing an insane hitman hired by The Outfit out of Chicago.

Here is what I said before... 357 Magnum Archives: Movies You Haven’t Seen: Road to Perdition

It certainly has an amazing cast.

• Tom Hanks
• Jude Law
• Daniel Craig
• Paul Newman

and Tyler Hoechlin playing the part of Tom Hanks’ son.

It was lovingly filmed, and the way they recreated The Midwest of the Great Depression, including Chicago, was amazing.

You can find the trailer at this link.

As near as I can tell, it is streaming on Paramount+. I own a copy of the DVD. I may have to buy it as a Blu-ray, since they don't seem to have plans for a 4K release.

Self-Defense in Los Angeles

With the a glimpse of the thinking in the Criminal Justice system in greater LA. Homeowner shoots teen burglary suspect at luxury LA home

A Los Angeles homeowner opened fire on a pair of burglars as they were trying to break into the $2.4 million home overnight, leaving one 16-year-old suspect injured.

Why is his age an issue? I guess it explains why they haven't published his name.

And again, you are not protected by the magic dirt under your feet.

Home burglaries in Los Angeles remain a significant concern for residents because of high-tech, targeted attacks, even as overall burglary statistics trend downward.

While 2025 saw a substantial reduction in total reported burglaries compared to previous years, the threat of sophisticated, organized crews, especially in the San Fernando Valley and affluent areas, remains an issue.

And because this took place in Los Angeles ...

It remains unknown if the homeowner will face any charges for discharging the weapon.

Because DAs HATE self-defense, and I'm sure it is worse in Deep Blue Los Angeles. "How dare you not rely on the state for absolutely everything!"

Self-defense is a human right. I guess we have to see if it is legal in Los Angeles.

He Accused Republicans of Doing the Bad Things He Was (Allegedly) Doing

Is anyone shocked? Activist teacher who claimed Republicans are pedophiles charged with child molestation in WA | The Post Millennial

A leftist activist who regularly refers to Republicans and supporters of President Donald Trump as pedophiles is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after authorities say he spent months communicating with someone he believed was an 11-year-old girl and then traveled to Bremerton, Washington, to meet her for sex.

Your vocabulary lesson for the day: Projection.

Psychological projection

Projection is the process of displacing one’s feelings onto a different person, animal, or object. The term is most commonly used to describe defensive projection—attributing one’s own unacceptable urges to another.

The probable-cause statement says Wade waived his Miranda rights initially but “feigned ignorance,” claiming he was lost while trying to go to a restaurant the detective noted had closed in 2024. The report alleges surveillance showed he went directly to the area and waited. After additional questioning, Wade requested an attorney, police wrote.

Click thru for the details. (And innocent until proved guilty.

I Have to Feature One Report from SHOT Show

I do love wheelguns. [SHOT 2026] OK, Boomer: Charter Arms Whips Out New Wheelguns | TheFirearmBlog

Charter Arms is not a company that’s given to change—they still sell the same model revolver that the Son of Sam made so famous a generation ago, the Bulldog. But for 2026, they have added four new made-in-America lines to their catalog, including one called the Boomer. We’re still wondering if that’s intended as a dig or not …

Models of the Boomer in .38 Special (6 shooter or versions in 9x19mm, .357 Mag or .44 Mag. (5 shot).

There is another revolver offered in .22 long rifle that holds 8 rounds. Then there is the Double Dog, that accepts 2 cylinders. One is in 9mm and the other in .357 Magnum.

Finally the Walker, which is a concealed-hammer revolver, in either .22 LR or .22 Magnum. My grandfather had such a revolver, though it wasn't chambered in .22, as a pocket pistol.

Click thru for the photos. (Hat tip to MaddMedic.)

A Series of Bomb Threats Directed at Schools

Because nothing says "fun times" like issuing terrorist threats? Deerfield High Receives 'Unsettling' Bomb Threat In Swatting Incident: Superintendent | Deerfield, IL Patch

There is an increased police presence at Deerfield High School Monday following the school receiving a bomb threat over the weekend. Following a forensic review, Deerfield police, with guidance from the FBI, determined the threat was not credible, and it is being considered part of a swatting incident that also was received by other local school districts.

Deerfield, Illinois is village that straddles the county line between Cook County and Lake County. It is a 25 or 30 mile drive north of the Loop in downtown Chicago.

There have apparently been a string of such bomb threats that use the same (or very similar) language.

Not sure what the point of something like this is. If it were 1 school, you could think it was a student or students who wanted out of classes or exams for a day. This just seems like a crazy person being crazy.

Don Lemon Charged with Violating Civil Rights

The Other McCain is happy about this. THIS! THIS! I VOTED FOR THIS! 100%

If the Trump administration never accomplished anything else, this would be sufficient cause to call it an overwhelming success:

I'm not quite so enthusiastic about that part of it, but the memes are priceless.

Everybody’s joking about the insane argument that being a journalist provides carte blanche to defy any law whatsoever.

As for the image below... one of the comments noted that you need to have your phone on, and be collecting video for this to work. Gotta prove you were working on a story.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 31 January

The Right Way starts us off with Top of the News

A Nine-County Insurrection - IOTW Report
Anti-American studies - The New Neo

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 01.29.26 (Afternoon Edition)

Don Surber: Press gets Minnesota wrong
Matt Taibbi: The Politics of Neither

EBL - Sinners

It was a good horror movie, but most Oscar nominations ever? Only because there is no substantive competition. One Battle After Another got a lot of nominations too, but it is not a good film.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 30 January 2026: Blarg Edition

Microsoft is working to rebuild trust in Windows. (The Verge) (archive site)
Far too late for that.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Another Alex Petti Video Drops

Drew Holden @DrewHolden360, "The entire legacy media rushed out a story this afternoon about an Arizona man shot by Border Patrol, explicitly trying to tie what the agents did to Minnesota. Turns out, the man shot was an alleged human trafficker who shot at agents first.

Small Dead Animals - Wednesday On Turtle Island

The Democrat Party’s America: Paul Joseph Watson – This is bizarre. Tampon Tim. A cult of protest. Nazi spawn. The real cancer in America.
Carnival Carney’s Canada: Property rights. Canadian elections.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 01.29.26 (Evening Edition)

Transterrestrial Musings: 40 Years On
Victory Girls: Secretary Rubio Schools Senator Duckworth At Hearing, also,Bruce Springsteen’s New Song Sounds Suspiciously Like Cable News Chatter

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For January 30, 2026

“DataRepublican NUKES Every Alleged Donor to MN Anti-ICE Signal Group.”
DataRepublican has also helpfully linked to their social media profiles.
You can download he data yourself.

The Glibertarians - Thursday Afternoon Links of Post-Migration

BREAKING: Trump officials held secret talks with Canuckistani separatists in Alberta province. Even if this only serves to rattle PM Carney, it was worth the effort. Make Alberta Great Again!

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 1/28/2026

The European Union’s long-awaited trade deal with India is being celebrated in Brussels as a major economic and geopolitical win. But tucked away behind the headlines is something far more politically explosive

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 01.30.26

Nebraska Energy Observer: Alberta Under Fire
Outkick: Steve Kerr Apologizes For Spreading ‘Misinformation’ Related To ICE

Political Hat - Quick Takes – The Spread Of Death: Slippery Slope In Australia; 16,000 Dead In Canada; On The March In France

Victoria, Australia, is generally known to be Left-of-Center in Australian politics; it is also embracing making it that much more easy for doctors to kill their patients.

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 1/28/26

Now we know why he brought a gun.
Gun-Toting ‘ICU Nurse’ Alex Pretti Had Broken Rib After Previous Confrontation

Maggie's Farm - Thursday morning links

"Affordability": Two Theories Of How To Achieve It
Inside the resistance
Dems won't take a hint

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Philadelphia DA Sparks Outrage After Vowing to ‘Hunt’ ICE Agents Like ‘Nazis’

• The Revolution Is On in Minnesota - Kyle Shideler • Slouching Towards Fort Sumter? - Victor Davis Hanson

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 01/30/2026

Virginia Senator Mark Warner looks panicked over the raid on the Georgia Election office by the FBI. This is how I have wanted to see the other side looking. Until now there was a smarmy smugness about them.

I leave you with Midweek Memes from Granite Grok, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3352 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, Thursday Meme Drop from Midwest Chick, and Friday's gifs from Wirecutter.