The Spotify Top 10 - "Other than that, it sounds great."

Rick Beato listened to these songs, so you don't have to. The Spotify Top 10 Got Even Worse

This is what he had to say about number 10 on the list.

There's just nothing interesting here.

The melody is not interesting, the lyrics are not interesting, and the chord progression isn't interesting. I don't think the production's that good.

Other than that, it sounds great.

Number 9 didn't do much better...

Honestly, that song had everything but what it needed.

There are a few songs that he can say good things about, and maybe even one song that is good, though it isn't a genre I like. (American country music.) Most of it is schlock.

The video is 15 minutes long. You can either laugh at popular music, or weep for the state of music in America.

Friday Links - 17 April

We start with Chicago Contrarian, and a critique of the Chicago political mess. How to Address Chicago’s Affordable Housing Needs

Mayor Johnson’s affordable housing plan is an expensive mirage that will do nothing to address the city’s housing crisis. A strategy that unleashes the housing market and caps housing costs is what’s needed

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Grinding Forward

Another good week to be a Senators fan!

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Today’s Yutes Still See Massive College Loan Debt As Pathway To “Purpose”

A college degree is worth what the degree is in, and, too many of the yutes are not looking for hard sciences, hard disciplines. It’s mostly squishy stuff, degrees ending in “Studies” and such. How many are getting degrees in installing solar panels, building hydo-electric dams, making wind turbines? Sciences in order to create actual cleaner energy sources?

The Silicon Graybeard - Three years from now...

So here's just an interesting look at April 13, 2029 - three years from now, but a Friday not a Monday, that we will get the closest known flyby of an asteroid in history, and of the biggest body to ever approach Earth.

The Other McCain - NY Times Keeps Lying About Everything, Including the Basic Facts of Life

The Upshot is a section of the New York Times that advertises itself as providing “analytical journalism in words and graphics,” which is to say, this is the part where they try to add the aura of statistical certainty to their dishonest propaganda: “See? Here’s a chart — numbers don’t lie!”

Sarah Anderson at PJ Media - When 'If We Need to Die, We'll Die' Doesn't Quite Mean What He Says It Does

That's what Cuban "president" Miguel Díaz-Canel said on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. He was talking about the fact that Cubans would defend their homeland should the United States invade militarily. (More on that interview in a moment.)

"What does he mean by 'we'?" has been the response of most of the Cuban people.

Bayou Renaissance Man - Points to ponder about small handguns

First, as a general rule small handguns are harder to shoot well than larger handguns. There are several reasons:

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 14 April 2026: Greasy Spork Edition

Sam Altman's home has been targeted by violent idiots for the second time in a week. (SF Standard)

That's not it, guys

Again from The Other McCain - Crazy People Are Dangerous

Say hello to Noemi Guzman and, while you’re at it, go ahead and say good-bye, because Omaha Police on Tuesday saved Nebraska taxpayers the cost of incarcerating Guzman forever:

And again from The Other McCain - Thanks to All the Tip-Jar Hitters!

That is a 200-gram firework “cake,” a multi-shot repeater that shoots 20 aerial bursts in about 24 seconds. We just ordered a case of 18 of those — $154.90 wholesale, but with the 25% Early Bird discount, we paid just $116.18 to add 360 shots into our Fourth of July finale.

Again from William Teach - LA Mayor Karen “Failure” Bass Has New Climate (scam) Plan Or Something

Does it involve failing to have the firefighting infrastructure in place, letting it burn, and screwing with homeowners, making it hard to rebuild, and then trying to get them to sell so they can build “affordable” housing, making sure NGOs, friends, and donors get a cut?

A Misleading Headline in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Does this make it sound like he was shot, while lying on the ground, under the car? Man shot in Arlington while stealing catalytic converter | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

He wasn't lying on the ground, under the car.

The shooter stayed at the scene, and police said they detained him for questioning. He told officers he’d heard a noise outside and found a man who was trying to cut and steal a catalytic converter from his vehicle.

“During their interaction, the shooter fired a shot, striking the man,” police said.

Police didn't arrest or charge the shooter, though the investigation is just beginning.

The would-be bad guy was taken to a local hospital.

If you think you can only read the headlines, and maybe the first paragraph of an article to determine what happened, you are kidding yourself. Even in Fort Worth, Texas, the Professional Journalists™ appear to be biased against guns and gun owners.

Do I need to say that Arlington, Texas is between Fort Worth and Dallas?

Self-defense is a human right, and this didn't take place in New York City.

Anti-ICE Liar Facing Defamation Suit

Good. Make it extremely expensive to fabricate evidence. Wisconsin sheriff sues Skokie woman for defamation in ICE detention claim | WGN-TV

A Wisconsin sheriff is now suing a Skokie woman and a Cook County politician for defamation after she claimed she was held at an out-of-state jail after being detained by immigration enforcement officials.

The stupidity is amazing. She apparently doesn't realize that there are security cameras in airports, or in hotel lobbies, or that if you use a credit card you leave a paper trail. She claimed she was held by the Dodge County Sheriff's office in Wisconsin. The Dodge County Sheriff, Dale Schmidt, launched his own investigation.

“At no point was Sundas Naqvi in the custody of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff Schmidt said. “This is not a misunderstanding or a minor discrepancy. This is not a violation of the constitutional or civil rights of Sundas Naqvi or those allegedly with her. The timeline being claimed is not physically possible based on the evidence we have, and that matters.”

She claims she was held by DHS, but security video shows her leaving the screening area by herself.

She claims she was held in Wisconsin, hotel records show Naqvi stayed at a Rosemont hotel.

Schmidt said Friday that while he has no evidence that Naqvi broke the law in Wisconsin, he would like to see charges filed in Cook County since Naqvi allegedly used someone’s credit card without their permission.

Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison is also named in the suit, because he jumped on the bandwagon, and held a press conference "denouncing" the situation.

Hat tip to Pirate's Cove: Sheriff Sues Women Who Falsely Claimed She Was Held In ICE Detention

Why did she do this and drag others into it? To demonize ICE? To add Islamophobia into it? Because liberal women are broken? Too bad all the news outlets who jumped on the story and ran with it instead of doing Journalism 101 can’t be sued, as well

Cops Save 3-Year-Old Kidnap Victim

This is a case of crazy people are dangerous. Woman who allegedly cut, tried to kidnap toddler at Walmart is fatally shot by police

Police fatally shot a woman who they said cut a 3-year-old boy in the face during an alleged kidnapping attempt at a Walmart in Omaha, Nebraska, Tuesday morning.

She took a knife from the store, threatened the child's "caretaker" and tried to leave with the child.

When she was confronted by police, she sliced the child across the face. Cops shot her.

The child was taken to a local hospital, and is recovering.

Hat tip to Miguel Gonzalez: Absolute Righteous Shooting.

Not the most Christian thing for me to say, but I hope it hurt her all the way to Hell. Yes, she was a mental case and she previously (2024) cut her own father and then tried to set him on fire only to go to a local church with the knife, break in and destroy property inside.

We need to stop turning people who cannot face trial free on the street to create more mayhem.

Atlanta Isn't What It Used to Be

Another story of people with blinders on... The Dumbest White Liberal in Georgia : The Other McCain

Because I’m a native of Atlanta, I’m old enough to remember when DeKalb County was nice — affluent, prestigious, even. But the DeKalb County of 40 or 50 years ago has ceased to exist, and the only white people who live there now are those too stupid to understand their imminent peril.

Pretending otherwise...

So what would you do, if you called 911, and no one bothered to respond to your situation?

This is the story of a woman caught in a "chaotic street takeover" in DeKalb County. Click thru.

It is probably worth quoting John Farnam's Rules of Stupid, even though nothing bad happened to her. Well, 45 minutes after her initial call, when she was "safe at home," she did get a text message from 911 asking if she still needed help.

“Don’t go to stupid places; don’t associate with stupid people; don’t do stupid things.”

That's by way of the The Bugscuffle Gazette

Now there are 2 things to note about the 911 call. The first is that she was scared when she called 911, and the situation was such that if the crowd turned violent, she would have been screwed. She was, however, not being attacked, so it wasn't a high-priority call. The second thing to note, is that 45 minutes is a really long time to wait if something bad happens, and if the crowd did break open her car window, she probably wouldn't have had time to call 911 back. So she would have been screwed, and been on her own.

Which brings me to the Graham Combat Killhouse Rules, because our whole modern world seems to be predicated on the idea that you are not responsible for your own safety.

The Graham Combat Killhouse Rules:

1. NOBODY IS COMING TO SAVE YOU.  Whether an event lasts a few seconds, a few hours, or even a few days – you have to work as though nobody is coming to save you.

2. You are your savior, so start working because EVERYTHING IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.  You are your security, you are your medic, you are your rescuer.

3. You are your own best resource to SAVE WHO NEEDS TO BE SAVED.  Nobody wants to save your life more than you, so set yourself up for success by having the simple tools and knowledge to do so: do what you can with what you have.  Recognize that nobody is in a better position to start saving your life than you.

4. Sometimes saving lives means you have to KILL WHO NEEDS TO BE KILLED.  It has been almost 15 years since I first wrote “the more effective you are at taking a life, the more successful you’ll be at saving one” and nothing in the intervening time has changed my mind.  Be swift, be decisive, be final.

5. Mostly, ALWAYS BE WORKING.  There is always something you can be doing to improve your position.  Always.  Because nobody is coming to save you.

The Defender Didn't Need to Fire a Shot

The Bad Guy showed up with a gun, and the bad guy ran. Armed Suspect Robs Victims In Their Yard, Shots Fired: New Haven Police | New Haven, CT Patch

He showed up in a backyard, and tried to rob people who were outside the home.

When another resident of the house saw what was happening on their surveillance camera, he went outside with his own legally registered gun to challenge the suspect, who then fired two shots before fleeing on foot, police said.

No one was hit by gunfire.

Police arrested someone who was wearing the same clothing, at a nearby store the next day. He was detained, and searched. It was discovered that he had a gun.

[He] is charged with interfering with an officer, carrying a pistol or revolver without a permit, criminal possession of a firearm/ammunition, illegal possession of a controlled substance, and stealing a firearm.

The investigation is in early days. It still sounds like Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

SWAT Raided Her Home Looking For Someone Already in Jail

Not only was he in jail, he had been in jail for 4 months. A simple Google search could have shown that. Atlanta Woman Sues Officers, U.S. Government for Wrongly Raiding Her Home in Search of Man Already in Jail - Institute for Justice

I have covered cops not knowing how to read a map. I have covered cops lying. This is perhaps the stupidest thing I have seen cops do. Perhaps.

Before the sun came up, Cathy George heard a loud pounding at her door. When she answered with her small, frightened dog in her arms, she found a heavily armed SWAT team of U.S. Marshals and DeKalb County sheriff’s deputies. After officers pulled her into the hallway and surged into her home, it became clear that they were searching for a man named Joshua Smiley.

But Smiley had been in jail for months, and the raid on Cathy’s home was both a terrible mistake and a violation of the U.S. Constitution and Georgia laws.

This doesn't even cover the fact that Cathy George had lived in her apartment for 3 or 4 years, and had never heard of Joshua Smiley.

So how did cops screw up so badly? All they will say is that they "made a mistake."

This is the Institute for Justice video He Was Already in Jail—So Why Did SWAT Raid Her Home?

And as stupid as this is, the record for the most useless SWAT team in America is still held by our friends from Uvalde, Texas. (Don't they look snazzy in their outfits?)

Who Benefits?

Mike Rowe asks the obvious question about Climate Science. Cui bono?

Paul Ehrlich was a distinguished evolutionary biologist who spent most of his career at Stanford University. He was also a highly respected environmentalist with all the proper credentials, and a media darling. (Johnny Carson alone had him on over a dozen times.) The Population Bomb was read by millions of people and reprinted no less than 20 times, making it one of the most consequential environmental books of the 20th century. And, just like An Inconvenient Truth, it was complete and total fiction.

Opportunists like Gore and Ehrlich have always been with us and always will be. The most charitable thing we can say about them today is that they were wrong, but I’m not feeling charitable these days. I’m looking instead, for the next grifter who wants to prosper by scaring me about the coming apocalypse, in whatever form it might take.

Are we shocked, that after 20 years, the doom and gloom from An Inconvenient Truth turned out to be wrong?

Sindarov Wins 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament with Round To Spare

Chess is just something I am interested in. 2026 FIDE Candidates Round 13: Sindarov Clinches With Round To Spare; Women's Still Wide Open

Javokhir Sindarov, age 20, is an FIDE grandmaster from Uzbekistan.

GM Javokhir Sindarov has won the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament with a round to spare after a draw against GM Anish Giri in round 13. More important than the €70,000 prize, he will be the next challenger to GM Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title.

€70,000 is a pretty good payday.

FIDE stands for Fédération Internationale des Échecs, or in English, The International Chess Federation. It is the governing body for chess.

Sindarov doesn't have much time to celebrate or even to rest, as in two weeks he'll play in the Grand Chess Tour's Super Rapid & Blitz Poland. Not to mention the preparation for the most important match of his life.

As I type this, there is one more day left in the tournament, thoug Sindarov has won. The remaining players are playing to determine how the purse will be distributed. The timing and the venue for the World Championship between Javokhir Sindarov and Gukesh Dommaraju has not been announced.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 15 April

William Teach at Pirate's Cove starts us off with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Victory Girls Blog has Sunday morning cafe cocktails linkage.
Vlad Tepes has linkage.

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 04.13.26

Upstream Reviews: Engines of Liberty
L’Ombre de L’Olivier: A Weekend In Geopolitics Is A Long Time

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 12 April 2026: Is It Real Edition

My [AI] baby deer plushie told me that Mitski's dad is a CIA operative. (The Verge)
Nobody ever expects the Butlerian Jihad.

EBL - How is Democrat Eric Swalwell doing?

Instapundit: Democrats forcing Swalwell out of CA Governor's race...
TOM: The Christine Blasey Ford Standard and the Sudden Destruction of Eric Swalwell

Don Surber - HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEWS

ITEM 13: Morad Vaisi, a Senior Analyst at Iran International, reported, “52 senior Iranian officials and commanders killed in US and Israeli attacks.”
52 dead. Zero funerals or there would be more dead.

Vlad Tepes - The Pope, the Irish counter-revolution, and acid tests for how communist your polity actually is: Links 1 for April 14, 2026

2. I really wanted to address what is taking place in Ireland as a separate post, and even started one, but it looks like I won’t be able to manage it. So I’ll post a few data points and the thesis here.

Small Dead Animals - Saturday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: California’s Barbie bigot. Victor Davis Hanson – NATO free riders. Douglas Murray – Crush Iran. Deluded Trump haters.
Conman Carney’s Canada: Ban on biblical truths. Muslim values are Canadian values.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 04.14.26

Chicago Boyz: Worth Pondering, also, When David Met Leo
Da Tech Guy: Pintastic NE 2026 Video of the Day Some New Games
Don Surber: Rooting for Iran

Political Hat - News of the Week (April 12th, 2026)

‘A wow moment’: Democrats make big gains in key battlegrounds
They notched a landslide victory in Wisconsin and cut into the GOP’s margins in Georgia’s reddest House district.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Swalwell Rape Saga Breaks Out

Rod Martin notices Chinese Weapons Failed in Venezuela and Iran. Now Beijing Faces the Consequences. "Battlefield humiliation did more than embarrass the CCP. It exposed the rot in Beijing’s military model, badly set back its bid to become a major arms exporter."

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 4/14/2026

Disney to Eliminate 1,000 Positions
Walt Disney new chief executive Josh D’Amaro announced layoffs in an email to employees on Tuesday, as he looks to streamline the company’s operations.

The Glibertarians - Sunday Morning Financial Devastation Links

TACO Sunday. Which is not a Mexican dessert.
Commie Pope has opinions.

Flopping Aces - The most abusive President in the history of the United States

Joe Biden demonized Republicans, calling them a “clear and present danger.”
And as a means of dealing with that threat Biden chose censorship, in part by floating a Disinformation Governance Board, a thinly veiled plan to shut down the free speech

Bacon Time!!!! - Sunday Linkange

Pirates Cove Japanese Metal Fan, And PM, Squees Over Deep Purple Visit
Freedom Is Just Another Word.. .Saturday Memes…

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

Foreign billionaires reportedly fund millions to groups that oppose American AI infrastructure
Jacobin Confusion on Social Security

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Globalism is a Crime Scene: Iran is the Master-level Reset.

• Hormuz Update: U.S. Navy Clearing Mines in Strait David Blackmon
• Show Me the Money – The Trump Tax Cuts Benefit the Middle Class Stephen Moore

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report 4/ 13 /26

The Green Mountain State is a textbook case of how progressives employ social justice causes to drain the wallets and dreams of citizens.
How progressives rob working-class Vermonters

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 04/14/2026

CIA Director John Ratcliffe: “Adam Schiff covertly conspired with the fake whistleblower Eric Ciaramella in an attempt to overthrow the sitting President.”

I leave you with Sunday Funnies For 04-12-26 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Sunday Memes … from MaddMedic, Sunday Meme Drop from Midwest Chick's Place, Monday Memes from Granite Grok, and Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3574 from 90 Miles from Tyranny.

Defensive Gun Uses During July 2025 - a List

A collection of stories from The Crime Prevention Research Center. Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns: 35 Cases During July 2025 - Crime Prevention Research Center

Yes, the stories are from July of last year, but since there is more than one per day, I'm sure I missed some of them. While I haven't checked, I'm sure there is some overlap with what I did cover.

Take Public Transit? Maybe When It Is Safe

Didn't NYC just institute a tax for driving to force people onto transit? Exclusive | NYC train, bus robberies climb 21% from same period last year

There were 128 muggings on trains and buses as of April 5, a 21% surge over the 106 from the same period last year and experts fear it will get worse.

Felony assaults ticked down 6% in the same period, from 171 to 160, but that sum does not include the three horrific attacks on innocent straphangers Saturday by an unhinged, machete-wielding maniac. Assaults are up 60% when compared to pre-Covid 2019.

Mamdani's solution? Cut the NYPD budget.

Under former Mayor Eric Adams, the NYPD deployed 300 additional officers for train patrols in January 2025 to combat crime and improve the perception of safety. The cops specifically targeted overnight shifts with two officers per train.

Crime went down under that initiative, but overtime cuts in February under Mayor Mamdani’s new administration reduced those patrols.

Because things will magically get better on their own, or something.

Now I understand the NYC is broke, but maybe they should prioritize public safety a bit higher. I know the democrats won't do that.

Taxman

It is Tax Day in the USA. So here is something appropriate.

If you drive a car, I'll tax the street
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat
If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat
If you try to walk, I'll tax your feet

This song is "Taxman" by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble. It was released as a single in 1995. I can't find if this was ever a part of an album, aside from the 2014 Greatest Hits album. It is a song that was originally written and recorded by The Beatles.

CNN Is Distressed By the Truth

Because it doesn't support their favorite narrative. Trump posts graphic video of deadly hammer attack in Florida, putting renewed focus on immigration debate | CNN

A Haitian national has been charged with murder after officials say he repeatedly struck a woman with a hammer outside a convenience store in Florida last week, the latest immigration case thrust into the national spotlight by President Donald Trump.

Hat tip to William Teach at Pirate's Cove: Media Seems Upset That Trump Highlighted A Murderous, Violent Illegal Who Killed Woman With A Hammer

See, it’s not the problem for the Credentialed Media that an illegal murdered a lady with a hammer, nope, it’s that Trump highlighted this

You only think you hate the media enough. You don't hate them enough.

Tuesday Links - 14 April

William Teach at Pirate's Cove is up first with Tiny Fossil Fuels Reliant Nation Of Vanautu Pushes For End Of Fossil Fuels

Yeah, well, we’ll see if the rich, 1st world governments do so, probably over the objections of their citizens. The US will shut it down. Even if China votes for it they’ll ignore it. If Vanuatu votes for it they’ll have to revert to living like it’s 1499

MaddMedic at Freedom Is Just Another Word… - Canada Moves Toward Criminalizing Bible …

Canada, the UK, Australia…all on hell bound train.

American Thinker - Democrats Are Killing the Country with Racism

As Root repeatedly points out, Democrat-run states are destroying themselves. By electing “evil, communist madmen like LA Mayor Karen Bass, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani,” Democrats have ensured that their cities “will soon collapse and drown in a sea of crime and debt.”

The Silicon Graybeard - Hard to think of a better conclusion to Artemis II than that

For the last hour before splashdown and the first 20 minutes or so after it, I was watching the NASA feed as it happened. It seemed that Every Single Milestone they called out was good.

Alice Jones Webb at Take It Outside - Camo Is Not a Costume

So when I hear someone say camo is having a moment, I don’t know what to do with that. Because I’ve seen it stiff with cold. Torn on barbed wire. Soaked in blood. Dragged through mud. Laid across a tailgate while somebody catches their breath. Cut off a barely-breathing body.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 10 April 2026: Peterbyte Edition

Anthropic has lost an appeal in its attempt to stop the Pentagon from blacklisting it for being a bunch of - and I quote, or something like that - "treacherous idiot commie weasels who smell bad". (CNBC)

I'm not sure what Anthropic expects to achieve here.

The Other McCain - The Big Yellow Button Is Back Again!

We are now less than three months away from the 250th anniversary of American independence, which means that the “Early Bird Special” at my favorite fireworks wholesaler will soon be ending.

The Silicon Graybeard - Now that that's over with

All that to say, NASA has visibly improved since Jared Isaacman took over. I suspect (without good, direct evidence) that it's because of his experience with the modern space industry (Space 2.0 as we tend to call it), flying in SpaceX Crew Dragon capsules a couple of times, when we called him Rook Isaacman.

Again from The Other McCain - Stop the Gerrymander, Virginia!

If the election of Abigail Spanberger as governor of Virginia has proven anything, it’s that there are no more “moderate” Democrats. Since taking office in January, Spanberger has been ramming through a left-wing agenda that might be more suitable to Berkeley, California, than to the Old Dominion, and the very worst of it is the proposal to redistrict Virginia’s congressional map by an outrageous partisan gerrymander.

Once again from The Other McCain - Memo From the National Desk: Tales of Fear and Loathing in the Commonwealth

There’s a reason I don’t believe in quitting, because I have seen miracles with my own eyes. If you believe you can win, confidence is contagious, and a real grassroots effort can overcome even the most formidable odds. Such are the odds facing Republicans in this Virginia referendum battle, where the GOP has been outspent at least 3-to-1 by the big-money Democrats (including, of course, George Soros).

Crazy People Are Riding Public Transit

Crazy people are dangerous, and making NYC transit the kind of place to avoid. Machete-wielding NYC maniac who slashed 3 elderly straphangers at Grand Central Terminal called himself ‘Lucifer’

A criminal slashed three elderly people with a machete — while calling himself “Lucifer” — in an unprovoked attack and was fatally shot by cops at Grand Central Terminal Saturday morning, police said.

This is the backdrop of NYC taxing people for NOT taking transit.

But they have that communist mayor doing stuff like cutting the NYPD, because reasons.

Officers also “attempted to deescalate” and offer assistance, saying “We are going to get you help,” Tisch told reporters.

But Griffin advanced toward them with the blade extended, she said.

“One officer discharged his firearm striking the perpetrator twice,” Tisch said.

It is a good thing that legal, defensive weapons are not allowed on NYC transit; someone might have been hurt. Or something.

The Swedish Rape Crisis

The authorities are ignoring the crisis, because you are racist for even noticing. UPDATED: The TRUTH about the Swedish rape crisis

So the crime figures for 2025 in Sweden is now in. And once again, it is looking very bad.

This is a follow up to an article from a few years back.

Sweden has a rape crisis and it is not being talked about because it doesn’t fit the mainstream media agenda of Sweden supposedly being some kind of Socialist utopia.

In fact, would you be surprised if I told you that El Salvador now has much, much less reported rapes than Sweden? The truth may shock you.

Most of the article is behind a paywall, but enough is available.

Things are so bad that 17.9% of 15 year old girls report having been a victim of a sexual crime in Sweden.

Click thru.

158-year-old Home Distilling Ban Is Unconstitutional

News you can use. US appeals court declares 158-year-old home distilling ban unconstitutional

Writing for a three-judge panel, Circuit Judge Edith Hollan Jones said the ban actually reduced tax revenue by preventing distilling in the first place, unlike laws that regulated the manufacture and labeling of distilled spirits on which the government could collect taxes.

She also said that under the government’s logic, Congress could criminalize virtually any in-home activity that might escape notice from tax collectors, including remote work and ‌home-based ⁠businesses.

If they could outlaw something, just because that means they can't tax it, they could outlaw your garden, you fruit trees, whatever. You're eating veggies you didn't pay taxes on.

To say nothing of home brewing or winemaking.

Not an issue I'm invested in, but I am in favor of liberty. (Hat tip to M D Campbell on X)